The NHL All-Star Game will be held in Montreal’s Bell Centre on January 2tth.ﾂ Montreal will also host the 2009 Entry Draft on June 26th and 27th.

Hockey Day In Canada returns to its all-Canadian lineup on Februay 21st with Ottawa at Montreal, Vancouver at Toronto, and Calgary at Edmonton.

[Full Capitals Schedule after the break.]

Continue reading ›

Filed in Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Atlantic Division, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Central Division, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Eastern Conference, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Northeast Division, Northwest Division, Ottawa Senators, Pacific Division, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Southeast Division, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, Western Conference| Permalink| Comments (13)

Windy City Winter Classic Confirmed

By The OFB Team
Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The NHL today confirmed what had long been suspected: that its next outdoor game would take place at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, on January 1, 2009.

The Original Six matchup between the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings will be the 701st between the clubs –ﾂthe mostﾂofﾂanyﾂNHL clubs.

Back in May, when we wondered about the next iteration of the Winter classic, we actually suggested Chicago and a game between the Hawks and Wings. We just got the venue wrong.

The date means that hockey fansﾂplanning onﾂattending have the opportunity to spend New Years Eve in Chicago. Not a bad party town. But bring your longjohns.

Filed in Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Gary Bettman, Hockey, Hockey Rinks, Hockey Towns, Hockey Weather, Ice, National Hockey League, Winter Classic 2009| Permalink| Comments (1)

First-Round Flops Over the Years

By pucksandbooks
Friday, June 20, 2008

No team can get it right in round one every year, even drafting very high. And at times all teams get it really wrong then. A survey such as this is a powerful reminder of the crapshoot that is selecting 18-year-old hockey players. However, it is also an invitation for fans to react with, “What the *@^* were you thinking?”

I’ve included picks made by the Whale with those of the Hurricanes, and of those made by the Nordiques in association with Colorado, to even out the survey period. No need however to add Winnipeg to Phoenix’s draft woes — the Desert Dogs know how to screw the draft pooch up high all on their own. Take a look:

Team Player Picked Comment Studs Selected After
Anaheim Stanislav Chistov (5th, 2001) The ‘07 Cup win offers serious salve for the Stanislav screwup Mike Komisarek, Pascal Leclaire, R.J. Umberger, Ales Hemsky, Mike Cammalleri
Atlanta Patrick Stefan (no.1, 1999) The ‘99 harvest wasn’t swell to be sure, but this still is a serious stinker The Sedin twins, Martin Havlat
Boston Lars Jonsson (7th, 2000) A good recipe for Swedish meatballs would have delivered more Brooks Orpik, Alexander Frolov, Anton Volchenkov, Niklas Kronvall
Buffalo Shawn Anderson, (5th, 1986) This was a Shawn of the Dead selection Vincent Damphousse, Brian Leetch, Craig Janney, Teppo Numminen
Calgary Bryan Deasley (19th, 1987) The Flames’ no. 1 from ‘86, George Pelawa, died in a motorcycle crash that summer, making this a two-year strikeout stretch John LaClair, Eric Desjardins, Mathieu Schneider, Stephane Matteau
Carolina/Hartford Fred Arthur (8th, 1980) No relation to Bea Arthur, except in NHL impact Paul Coffey, Brent Sutter, Craig Ludwig, Steve Larmer, Andy Moog, Jari Kurri
Chicago Tony Tanti (12th, 1981) Wirtz maybe thought he’d sign cheap? Al MacInnis, Chris Chelios, Mike Vernon, John Vanbiesbrouck
Colorado/Quebec Aniel Dore (5th, 1988) Who doesn’t own an Aniel Dore Nordiques’ sweater? Jeremy Roenick, Teemu Selanne, Rob Blake, Rod Brind’Amour, Martin Gelinas
Columbus Alexander Picard (8th, 2004) Inspector Clousseau isn’t going to look into this pick — he made it Alexander Radulov, Drew Stafford, Andrej Meszaros, Wojtek Wolski
Dallas Jason Bacashihua (26th, 2001) Played with the ECHL’s Johnston Chiefs in ‘07-08, which for a first-rounder seven years after being drafted is a fairly moderate pace of development Derek Roy, Fedor Tyutin, Mike Cammalleri, Jason Pominville, Dave Steckel
Detroit Shawn Burr (7th, 1984) I thought briefly of exluding the Wings from this exercise, they draft so well, and you have to go back a bit to find a serious screwup Shane Corson, Sylvain Cote, Gary Roberts, Kevin Hatcher, Scott Mellanby
Edmonton Marc-Antoine Pouliot (22nd, 2003) Overlooked this scouting report by the rest of the league: “Thin, weak, won’t hit or backcheck or play in traffic. Other than that, he’s dandy.” Mike Richards, Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron, Matt Carle
Florida Petr Taticek (9th, 2002) Why no postseasons in Sunrise, Cats’ fans ask? Look at this pick Alexander Semin, Chris Higgins, Alexander Steen, Cam Ward
Los Angeles Wally McBean (4th, 1987) Not a new lunch item at MickeyD’s Joe Sakic, Andrew Cassels, Mathieu Schneider, Luke Richardson
Minnesota (Wild/Stars) Brian Lawton (no. 1, 1983) The bridesmaid to Daigle Pat LaFontaine, Steve Yzerman, Tom Barrasso, Cam Neely
Montreal Terry Ryan (8th, 1995) Terry Hatcher would have looked better here Jarome Iginla, J.S. Giguere, Petr Sykora, Martin Biron
Nashville Brian Finley (6th, 1999) The day the music stopped in Honkeytonkville Barret Jackman, Martin Havlat, Mike Commodore, David Tanabe
New Jersey Adrian Foster (28th, 2001) Yo, Adrian! Legend has it that Foster wasn’t even on other teams’ lists — anywhere! Fedor Tyutin, Mike Cammalleri, Peter Budaj, Ray Emery, Patrick Sharp
NY Islanders Dave Chyzowski (2nd, 1989) Can’t blame Mad Mike for this one — he didn’t arrive until ‘95 Bill Guerin, Pavel Bure, Olaf Kolzig, Stu Barnes
NY Rangers Hugh Jessiman (12th, 2003) Hughe mistake! Brent Seabrook, Steve Bernier, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf
Ottawa Alexander Daigle (no. 1, 1993) The Mother of all Misses; to “Daigle” in round one is every GM’s nightmare Chris Pronger, Paul Kariya, Todd Bertuzzi, Brendan Witt, Adam Deadmarsh
Philadelphia Claude Boivin (14th, 1988) Philly does real well in the first round; this year, not so much Rob Blake, Alexander Mogilny, Tony Amonte, Bret Hedican, Tie Domi
Phoenix Blake Wheeler ( 5th, 2004) Wheeler of misfortune; think Gretz & co. reached here? Rostislav Olesz, Alexander Radulov, Drew Stafford, Wojtek Wolski
Pittsburgh Zarley Zalapski (4th, 1980) ZZ FlopTop and agonizing alliteration Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Steve Larmer, Craig Ludwig, Brent Sutter
San Jose Pat Falloon (2nd, 1991) Plus, Pat had to don that original San Jose teal sweater on the ‘91 draft stage Scott Niedermayer, Peter Forsberg, Martin Lapointe, Brian Rolston, Alexei Kovalev
St. Louis Perry Turnbull (2nd, 1979) 188 goals in an NHL career is nothing to snicker at, but methinks Ray Bourque would have helped out more Ray Bourque, Mike Gartner, Brian Propp, Kevin Lowe
Tampa Alexander Svitov (3rd, 2001) Tampa (Nikita Alexeev) hasn’t exactly struck Lightning with first-round Russians Pascal Leclaire, Alex Hemsky, R.J. Umberger, Shaone Morrisonn
Toronto Gary Nylund (3rd, 1982) This is the stuff of Cup droughts Scott Stevens, Phil Housley, Dave Andreychuk, Doug Gilmour
Vancouver Jere Gillis (4th, 1978) The Canucks have no home-grown Hall of Famers, including Gillis Mark Napier, Don Maloney, Doug Wilson, Bengt Gustafsson
Washington Greg Joly ( no.1, 1974) Good Golly what a stinker! “The next Bobby Orr” it was said of Joly in ‘74. Umm, not so much. Clark Gillies, Pierre Larouche, Bryan Trottier, Doug Riesbrough
Filed in Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, DraftGeek, Edmonton Oilers, Entry Draft, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (4)

Father’s Day Lesson for the Sports Junkie

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Monday, June 16, 2008

ESPN writer (and Detroit Red Wings fan, and general sports addict) LZ Granderson wrangles with his 11-year-old son’s request to stop playing organized sports. Not directly hockey-related, but a thoughtful article worth checking out here.

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, ESPN| Permalink| Comments (1)

A Tradition That Ought To Lose Its Legs

By pucksandbooks
Thursday, June 5, 2008

I’m octpoi-ed out. Have had it with those Motor City slimers and the slime tosses of them. They wash up on our frozen shores whenever the Wings make a nice run, and sometimes before, and it’s an outdated tradition that is best retired.

They’re about the ugliest of sea creatures, and they’ve taken hold of postseason hockey — moreso this year than in any preceding. Thousands of tentacles, real and representative, are hanging from puckhead heads in the Midwest. I want our seas over-fished of them, their numbers imperiled, and the relevant government agency to enforce a ban on them in Detroit.

All we need is some pseudo study suggesting their numbers are diminishing, and our hyper-protective preservation instincts will halt the on-ice hurling. Better still, let’s have a single young girl suffer a bruise about her cheek from a mis-tossed cephalopod and the NHL will install Octo-detetctors at every portal.

Beginning next season, I’d like Wings’ fans to begin wearing hubcaps on their heads, as a demonstration of their renewed commitment to making a good domestic car again. They’re overdue on that endeavor by about 30 years. So less slimy, grotesque-looking fish and more reliable revving in MoTown. That would be a nice tradition that would never grow outdated.

I confess that back in the day, the octopus’ appearance was fresh and inventive. The beast first appeared on frozen pond in 1952, during the playoffs. In those Original Six days, a mere eight postseason wins were required to win Lord Stanley’s Cup, and the cephalopod was a nifty and novel representation of this. Today, though, we see eight legs hanging from embarrassing looking ballcaps in the first round.

Look at “Octopus Etiquette” in hockey as rendered at Wikipedia:

” . . . an octopus should be boiled for at least 20 minutes on high heat with a little lemon juice and white wine. This will mask the creature’s odor as well as reducing the amount of slime. A raw dead thrown octopus would result in a smelly ball that would stick to the ice upon impact and possibly leave an inky stain, while a well-boiled octopus will bounce and roll across the surface of the ice.”

Where’s PETA?

A decade-plus back, the Florida Panthers adopted a locker room rat as a sort of rally rat. The story goes that on opening night in ‘95-’96, a long-tailed critter scurried across the ‘Cats’ locker room, and Scott Mellanby actually one-timed the intruder against a wall, to its death. He went on to score two goals that night, and a tradition was born. Cats’ fans got into the act during the team’s unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Finals, hurling plastic rats onto the ice after home team goals throughout the postseason.

At one point during the ‘96 postseason, Sunrise staff had to sweep up more than 2,000 rubber rats off the ice. (Would that they were dispensed upon Verizon Center’s sheet for Game 7 last month, thereby improving it.)

It was novel and mildly amusing for about three weeks. And to their credit, perhaps because it was enforced with vigor, Panthers’ fans halted the hijinx. It also helped that virtually immediately after that postseason the ‘Cats perpetually fell out of postseason contention.

But this octopus gig, it’s got a staying power, and it’s beyond well worn now — to say nothing of its outdatedness and inaccuracy. Wings’ fans need a representative of 16 significant moments. Like an Elizabeth Taylor wedding invitation.

As OrderedChaos pointed out, “Did you notice that someone threw an octopus on the ice when the Wings scored their second goal to tie it at 2-2 in game 5? Talk about premature octopulation.” This practice is so Vanilla Ice now.

Euthanizing the octopus will be no easy endeavor, as ridding the ice of the literal eight-leggers means killing off the figurative one — Al the Octopus. But we euthanized the San Diego Chicken, and he was a heck of a lot more popular.

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Hockey Rituals, National Hockey League, Senseless Cephalopod use, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (8)

Ice Can Be Nice in June

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Last night’s game 5 was easily the best game of these Stanley Cup Finals, and perhaps the best finals game in years. Near the top of NBC’s broadcast, did you catchﾃつplay-by-play pro Mike Emerick’s referencing theﾃつtemperature of Joe Louis Arena’s ice sheet?ﾃつ

A frosty eight degrees.

That’s about 12 degrees colder than is standard for an NHL sheet. It was warm outside in Detroit yestersday, and Joe Louis staff knew they’d be working with a full house. So they over-refrigerated the sheet to ensure quality as long as possible.

The playﾃつfor much ofﾃつlast night’s game was fast and crisp, with passes remaining rather flat on the ice for nearly all of regulation play. In fact, Detroit’s best period was the third, when the puck seemed afixed to red Wing stick blades in the Pittsburgh zone. As the temperature in the rink over the course of the multi-overtime game rose, the iceﾃつsheet’s quality deteriorated, as it should have.ﾃつBut Joe Louis staff and the Red Wings organization offered the entire hockey world a powerfulﾃつexhibition of what can be done with ice hockey in summer and a rink heated high by packed-in bodies.ﾃつﾃつ

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Hockey Rinks, Ice, Stanley Cup Playoffs| Permalink| Comments (2)

On the Stanley Cup Road, It’s No HoJo Lodging for the Wings

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

One reason the Red Wings may not be terribly disappointed to play Game 6: a potential return to the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, “one of only 21 hotels and resorts in the world to host AAA Five-Diamond lodging and dining.” The team took up residence there last week, for Games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh. And thanks in part to Gary Bettman’s postseason scheduling, the Wings enjoyed an unhurried stay.

If it was the Wings’ mission to get away from the distractions of downtown Pittsburgh (such as they exist), they’d have a tough time bettering themselves than in Nemacolin’s isolated pampering. The resort, located about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh,ﾃつis situated on 3,000 acres, features its own private airfield, a Pete Dye-designed golf course, and black bear and buffalo roaming about the property.ﾃつRooms at Nemacolinﾃつcan fetch $700 a night. At that rate, Mike Babcock’s crew, you’d think, was highly unlikely to encounter the typical Penguins ruffian-fan, andﾃつin point of fact the resort enforces a strict prohibition against extreme mullets. ﾃつ

In an interesting irony, Nemacolin is the official resort of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Be fun to know if the Wings selected the site as a thumb in the nose of their Finals foes or if the Pens actually had a recommending hand in selecting it for the visitors.

Among the guests late last week at the resort was a contingent of Washington lobbyists, a few of whom read OFB.

“I was checking in and all ofﾃつa sudden I see a stream of hockey players line up behind me,” one told me. “I knew it was Detroit because each player had ‘Red Wings’ on his bag.”

“What was so funny was for the rest of the time we were there when we’d ask about the Red Wings everyone on staff would reply ‘What hockey players?’ They were in button-lipped mode alright.”

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup, Stanley Cup Playoffs| Permalink| Comments (2)

On Outdoor Puck, the NHL Says Chicago Is Its Kind of Town

By The OFB Team
Thursday, May 29, 2008

TSN is reporting today that the NHL has decided that its next outdoor, regular season game will take place in Chicago, between the ‘Hawks and Red Wings, next season:

“TSN has confirmed that the Chicago Blackhawks will take on the Detroit Red Wings next January in what has become the league’s annual outdoor game.”

Could the game be on any day but New Years next January?

It’s the veryﾃつcity — and the identical two Original Six teams — we suggested just a couple of weeks ago.

Interestingly, Soldier Field is only one possible site in the Windy City for Winter Classic II. The other is Wrigley Field. ﾃつ

Filed in Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Hockey Rinks, Hockey Towns, Hockey Weather, Old Time Hockey, Pond Hockey, Winter Classic II| Permalink| Comments (5)

Bucci Gets a Little Overexcited

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Thursday, May 29, 2008

1980 = 2008? Nope.In his latest bout of Penguin love (hmm, I suppose that phrase could generate some non-traditional search hits), ESPN columnist and host John Buccigross drew some questionable comparisons, including the “almost joyless” Detroit Red Wings’ resemblence to the 1980 Soviet Red Army team, and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ potentially miraculous victory potential. Here’s the excerpt that boiled my blood:

If the Penguins are somehow able to win these finals, dubbing it “Miracle on Ice 2″ would not be hyperbole.

What a ridiculous statement. 1980’s Team USA were huge underdogs ﾃ｢竄ｬ窶 a team filled with college kids rather than first-round NHL talent. Practically no one picked them to medal, let alone win the Gold, and certainly nobody other than Coach Brooks and his team thought they could beat the Soviets.

In 2008, many people picked the Penguins to win the Stanley Cup, including Buccigross. Perhaps the Pens were slight underdogs to the Wings; it’s also true that a Cup-clinching comeback from their 0-2 start would be impressive indeed.

But even if the Penguins manage to win the Cup this year, calling it “Miracle on Ice 2″ would be more than just hyperbole; it would be a joke, a travesty, something blurted by a die-hard homer rather than someone who actually follows and respects the sport. Buccigross, one would think, should know better.

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, ESPN, John Buccigross, Pittsburgh Penguins| Permalink| Comments (16)

Hypocrisy Has a Home in Pittsburgh

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Thursday, May 29, 2008

Eric McErlain recently highlighted a bit of Penguin hypocrisy. After Penguins fans raised holy hell in 2001 when Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis restricted playoff ticket sales to the local DC fan base, the Penguins are now doing the same thing as per the Ticketmaster fine print:

Orders by residents outside of PA, OH, WV, MD, NY, NJ, DE, VA and the District of Columbia will be canceled without notice and refunds given.

Leonsis remembers the reaction to his strategy in 2001, and the irony of the most vocal complainers doing the same thing seven years later:

We were raked over the coals in the Pittsburgh media for our efforts. Furthermore, a Department of Justice attorney called me. He hailed from Pittsburgh and threatened a lawsuit against us for discriminatory business practices. We, of course, heeded the warnings and stopped this practice. This is situational ethics at is finest.”

The tactic is not inherently bad ﾃ｢竄ｬ窶 though a local-area “pre-sale” would be better than an outright restriction on out-of-town purchasers. But the Penguins’ front office using the same tactic that they gnashed their teeth about in 2001 . . . well, that smacks of hypocrisy. They complained and threaten legal action back then, and now take the very same objectionable approach when it suits them.

This situation is reminiscent of Penguins head coach Michel Therrien blaming poor officiating for his team’s 0-2 deficit. Therrien apparently does not not see the irony of accusing Detroit’s netminder Chris Osgood of diving while defending Sidney Crosby from the same accusations in prior rounds and the regular season. “Situational ethics” seem part and parcel of the Penguins’ plan of late, though it isn’t serving them particularly well on the ice.

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Hockey Rinks, NHL Rules, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (6)

Missing a Mismatch in May

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
  • Bettman made us wait a week for this mismatch? How is it that so broad a spectrum of press had so difficult a time recognizing the glaring discrepancies between these two teams? “Fooled by youth” is one explanation. In the pressure cooker of a Cup Finals, the Penguins look their age. Meaning, it’s one thing to take down the Rags and Flyers in high-stakes series, but quite another when the brightest lights are shining on the biggest stage.
  • Too little press attention was directed at the benches. Mike Babcock has the look of becoming a great coach, if he already isn’t one. And how astoundingly fortunate is it for the Wings to have a great coach follow fast on the heels of a departed legend? Meanwhile, Michel Terrien has the look of a decent coach managing young world-class talent. He has no answers for what Babcock has concocted.
  • Meet Mr. Invisible, Evgeni Malkin. Zero shots on goal in game 2. Zero.
  • How does that Marian Hossa deal look now in Pittsburgh? Gone is Eric Christensen, Colby Armstrong, and no. 1 pick Angelo Esposito. Hossa almost certainly isn’t returning to the Pens — and neither are some other free agents, including, perhaps, Ryan Malone. Pens’ beat reporter Dave Molinari was a guest of Mike Vogel’s on last week’s CapsReport, and when he was asked how difficult it would be for Pens’ management to keep this current roster of high achievers together, he replied, “It won’t be difficult at all. It will be impossible.”
  • The Penguins have 13 unrestricted free agents for next season. Among them Gary Roberts, Malone, Hossa, Georges Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu, Pascal Dupuis, and Ty Conklin. It’s obvious they have a contending core in Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Staal, Gonchar, and Orpik — they’re virtual playoff fixtures for the next half decade. But for Shero there may well be a significant rebuild required of a surrounding, supporting cast. Landing and signing stars for the long haul isn’t easy, but neither is assembling a cohesive cast without which no team can win a Cup.
  • How often do really big-name, big-salaried hockey stars in their expensive prime get dealt at the dealine and go on to lead their new teams to Lord Stanley’s glory? Far more often, isn’t it the case that contenders address vulnerable voids with battle-tested grit guys, have them join an already strong room, and then remake already strong clubs into something special?
  • It is staggering to consider how perennially strong the Wings are given where they’ve drafted in each round for the better part of the past two decades. Their scouts just get it done.
  • Another mismatch missed by the press, again related more to experience than talent: Chris Osgood vs. Marc-Andre Fleury.
  • The Wings are a great transition team, but not by luck or whim. Notice the prevalence of short passes they use in breakouts. Shorter passes, rather obviously, carry a higher rate of accuracy. In Babcock’s system players are consistently placed in positions to execute them. They reduce the incidence of turnovers, and they perpetuate poise, possession, and flow. What a great system most especially in high-pressure hockey situations. No team in the league makes anywhere near as widespread and effective a use of the short breakout pass.
  • The NHL could have ended its season — to considerable admiration — in May. (It still might, Saturday night). It chose not to. There’s virtue in scheduling integrity. Winning hockey teams don’t benefit from sitting around idle, and neither do their fans. I loved the reporter’s rejoinder to the commish last week: “You need a hobby.”
Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Gary Bettman, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup, Stanley Cup Playoffs| Permalink| Comments (9)

44 Reasons to Watch the Stanley Cup Finals

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Friday, May 23, 2008

ESPN’s Page 2 presents 44 reasons to watch the Cup finals, including the funny-because-it’s-true (”Not one word about Roger Clemens or Spygate”), the snarky (”Brian Engblom’s hair”), and the dead-on correct (”Unlike in the NBA Finals, the last minute of a Stanley Cup finals game doesn’t take 45 minutes.” and “HD technology has improved the viewing experience of hockey more than in any other sport except perhaps women’s beach volleyball.”).

Check out the list here for a Friday chuckle and a few terrific YouTube links to hockey vids.

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, National Hockey League, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup, Stanley Cup Playoffs| Permalink| Comments (3)

A VO Gig as an Omen?

By Gustafsson
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Those of you who have been curious enough to follow the many links on the sidebar and footer of the blog may know of another venture of mine. In addition to this blog, a mortgage-paying day job, and a family (with two children under 5), I also have a side business as a voiceover talent to fill those remaining few minutes of my life.

Your New Voice from The Old Dominion!One of the talent agencies with which I am affiliated is in Canada, Vox Talent. Through Vox I receive audition notices when a potential client has selected me for an audition that is to be recorded from my home studio. The audition email has the project name in the subject line. I received two such emails yesterday. One of them immediately caught my eye — subject: Fw: MP3 Audition “NHL”.

The details for this audition were to sound 28-45 with high energy but not to cheesy, authentic, exciting, call to action, mature. If you are selected this will be for 2 spots — 2 NHL teams. Then comes the audition script to be recorded. My stomach turned at the first sentence . . . here is the script:

PITTSBURGH FANS, THE PENGUINS ARE THE 2008 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!

CALL NOW OR LOGON TO SHOP.NHL.COM AND GET THE OFFICIAL LOCKER ROOM HAT AND TEE WORN DURING THEIR POST GAME CELEBRATION!…

THESE COLLECTORS ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE TO FIT EVERY SIZE, AND THE DVD CELEBRATES THEIR INCREDIBLE RUN TO THE STANLEY CUP!

TO ORDER THIS CHAMPIONSHIP PACKAGE, CALL 1-800-555-1234 NOW!

AND FOR THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF CHAMPIONSHIP MERCHANDISE EVER OFFERED, LOG ONTO SHOP.NHL.COM

THE PENGUINS ARE CHAMPIONS!
SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED SO ORDER TODAY!

Why couldn’t the audition script have 2 different words — Detroit and “Red Wings” instead of Pittsburgh and Penguins? This spot will obviously run every 10 minutes on the NHL Network; as a hockey fan and blogger who is also a voiceover talent, it would be quite cool.

Here now is my Stanley Cup prediction: If I am selected to record these two spots, the flightless fowl will win the cup — fate tends to have a sick sense of humour in these matters. At least my Capitals’ season ticket renewal will be paid.

I wonder, though . . . will they send the recording of the losing team to needy countries, too?

Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Media, NHL Network, National Hockey League, Pittsburgh Penguins, Radio, Stanley Cup, Stanley Cup Playoffs, TV, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (15)

Our Peeps

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, May 20, 2008

We are protecting the screen name, the message board url, and everything else that could lead to the identity of the author of this sentiment, posted about the arrival of the Stanley Cup finals this weekend.

“I will be using my 8-month-old son (and his bed time) as an excuse to leave a wedding reception for one of my wife’s cousins early so that I can get back to my hotel room in time for the opening faceoff on Saturday.

“I have already informed my wife of my decision. She supports it. God, I love that woman.”

2008 Stanley Cup Final Schedule
Date Time Match-up TV
Sat, May 24 8 pm (ET) Pittsburgh at Detroit VERSUS
Mon, May 26 8 pm (ET) Pittsburgh at Detroit VERSUS
Wed, May 28 8 pm (ET) Detroit at Pittsburgh NBC
Sat, May 31 8 pm (ET) Detroit at Pittsburgh NBC
* Mon, June 2 8 pm (ET) Pittsburgh at Detroit NBC
* Wed, June 4 8 pm (ET) Detroit at Pittsburgh NBC
* Sat, June 7 8 pm (ET) Pittsburgh at Detroit NBC
* if necessary
Filed in Detroit Red Wings, Hardcore Hockey Fans, Hockey, Hockey Rituals, National Hockey League, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup Playoffs| Permalink| Comments (1)

Searching for the Next Great Outdoor Game

By pucksandbooks
Thursday, May 15, 2008

Yankee Stadium may be out as the site for an outdoor NHL game next New Year’s Day, according to today’s USA Today. Both New York baseball teams are building new stadiums, and there’s an enormous amount of construction associated with those sites as well as others in the respective burroughs of Queens and the Bronx.

An alternative site? Potentially Beaver Stadium on the campus of Penn State.

“Bettman said he received a letter from Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell asking the league to look into playing a Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers game at Penn State’s football stadium. An announcement could come by early next month, Bettman said.”

If you’ve been to State College, you know it’s a level or seven down from the media market of the Big Apple. It’s also (basically) without an airport. Should that be the followup to this past New Year’s Day snowy stunner in Buffalo, convenient to both Toronto and New York media?

And if the league needs to wait a month before determining the site of this new and highly appealing event on hockey’s calendar, why not wait off another week and add it to the league’s Entry Draft weekend of fun, and give that event some more pizzaz?

The dismantling of Yankee Stadium should begin in February or March. The wrecking ball bludgeons Shea not long after the Mets’ final game this season. Losing out on Yankee would be particularly disappointing for the NHL, as the event necessarily would garner extraordinary interest again in the media capital of the world and as Yankee’s final significant event, joining that venue’s legion of memorable dates (Muhammed Ali fights; the Beatles; Notre Dame-Army football).

If need be, how about this instead: the Hawks and Wings on New Years from a recently renovated Soldier Field?

Filed in Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Hockey Rinks, Hockey Weather, Media, National Hockey League, Old Time Hockey, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, The Winter Classic, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (15)

Versus’ Overtime Plan

By The OFB Team
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Tonight’s slate of playoff games are exclusive to the Versus network with the Rangers / Penguins starting at 7 pm ET followed by Detroit / Colorado at 10 pm ET. So what happens if the first game goes to overtime and extends past the start of the second game?

Versus has announced how the possible scenario will be handled in advance.

  • Cable viewers in the Detroit and Colorado markets will be switched automatically to the beginning of Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche semifinal Game 4.
  • Cable viewers in the rest of the country will join the Detroit vs. Colorado game in progress at the conclusion of the New York vs. Pittsburgh game.
  • Satellite viewers on DirecTV and Dish Network will be able to watch the Detroit vs. Colorado game in its entirety on an auxiliary channel.
    • DirecTV - Channel 659
    • Dish Network - Channel 452
Filed in Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Versus| Permalink| Comments (1)

Watching Other Teams Flirt With the Stanley Cup

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Watching the Washington Capitals get bounced from the playoffs was a bit like getting dumped, hard. The team and its fans may have recovered from the initial stomach-punched feeling, but it’s still hard to watch all those other teams flirting with the Stanley Cup.

Nonetheless, we can all look back fondly on the good times the Capitals had during the season and in the 2008 Playoffs, and then move on. After all, the Capitals are young, confident, and funﾃ｢竄ｬ窶扞’m sure they’ll meet someone even better next year . . . er, will have an even better playoff run next year.

That said, is another team in this year’s playoffs catching your eye? As we mentioned a few weeks back, Toronto Maple Leafs fans seemed to be rooting for the Capitals (for who can resist watching Ovechkin play?), and after the sweep some Senators fans jumped on board as well.

So have you been able to watch the Playoffs dance with other teams? If so, for whom are you rooting to “go all the way” this year?

Which team are you supporting for the rest of the playoffs?
View Results

Filed in Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Morning cup-a-joe, New York Rangers, OFB Polls, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (45)

But Whom Have You Beaten That Still Matters?

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Great find by James Mirtle (via The Falconer) about playoff teams’ records against other playoff-bound teams this year:

The six “over .500″ teams are Detroit, Washington, Anaheim, the Rangers, Montreal and Dallas.

Filed in Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (3)

NBC Not on Ovechkin Bandwagon

By The OFB Team
Monday, February 4, 2008

NHL on NBCThe Alexander Ovechkin Bandwagon does not have NBC Sports as a passenger, at least not yet. They have passed on the Capitals / Rangers matchup for their Game of the Week on February 10th and will show Anaheim at Detriot. Comcast SportsNet has added the Caps/Rags game to its broadcast schedule.NHL Network logo

Additionally, U.S. viewers in markets outside of Washington, D.C. will be able to watch theﾃつthree February games on the NHL Network. Those games are the 6th at Philadelphia, 15th at Florida, and the 20th vs. the New York Islanders.

Filed in Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, NBC, NHL Network, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, TV, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (7)

Quarter Mark Report Card

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, November 21, 2007

My three stars of the season’s first quarter are:

(3) Pascal Leclaire — the backstopper of the BlueJackets, disbelievingly into playoff contention, with a .940 save percentage, 1.59 goals-against (second-best in the league) and five shutouts. He’s my Vezina Trophy winner for the first quarter;

(2) Henrik Zetterberg — previously a terrific scoring forward, now a superstar, and clearly a more dynamic talent up front for the Wings than Pavel Datsyuk. Soon to be paid so?;

(1) Vincent Lecavalier — simply having his best season as a pro, the league’s leading scorer with 32 pts.; dominating his opposition and making what was believed to be a top-heavy corps of Bolts’ forwards into a first line that’s so good it matters little what contributions, if any, follow. He’s my Hart Trophy winner for the first quarter.

Honorable mention: Jarome Iginla (26 points in 19 games) is having an MVP quality season, but he’s laboring on a struggling Flames club. And Comcast, for coming through with NHL CenterIce, the NHL Network, and Lisa Hillary.

Cup'pa JoeFalling stars:

(3) the Washington Capitals

(2) Marc Andre Fleury

(1) Reebok

Midwest Mojo: Rebuilds in Chicago and St. Louis are ahead of pace and impressive. Patrick Kane is my Calder Trophy winner for the first quarter. Robert Lang, with 19 points in 20 games, and skating a +7, is giving the Hawks precisely the kind of productive, veteran leadership they’d hoped for on the top line. Still, the Hawks have issues — in their back end. They’ve surrendered 61 goals, and both Khabibulin and Lalime sport sub-.900 save percentages. But after a decade of dreariness, the Hawks are fun to watch again. The leading scorers for the Blues are greybeards Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk. After that, it’s a lunchpail outfit that’s outworking its opponents. There’s a lot of youth of that roster, so it may strengthen as the season progrsses. And what of Clumbus, the claimers of Jiri Novotny and Kris Beech? They are eighth in the West, and 6-2-1 at home.

In the East, Montreal and the Islanders have been stunning success stories. It’s a balanced attack in Montreal: the Habs already have eight players in double digits in scoring. And remember how everybody in hockey was pitying the Isles after the opening hours of free agency, when guys like Jason Blake, Tom Poti, and Viktor Kozlov bolted? Ted Nolan is working his second consecutive miracle on the Isle.

Might in the Michaels. Mike Richards and Mike Cammalleri have staked out take-it-to-the-bank All Star game selections. Richards (23 points in 19 games) is Philadelphia’s most consistent and dynamic performer, a point-per-game player who this season has transitioned from promising youngster to elite, captain-quality talent. His three shorthanded tallies lead the league. Cammalleri (12 goals, 7 assists) is beginning to look a lot like the Western conference’s version of Martin St. Louis.

Jolly Ole Productive St. Nik. Nik Antropov is healthy and playing virtually a point-a-game hockey for the Leafs, and skating a +9. Who knew he could? He had 33 points last season, and a high of 16 goals and 29 assists in 2002-03. Obviously he’s on pace for a career year. Alex Kovalev is on pace for 40 goals. Meanwhile, Jonathon Cheeechoo has just 3 goals in 21 games for the Sharks. Jaromir Jagr, I’m sad to report, is on pace for 16 goals this season, and Chris Drury (3 goals!) even less. Still, their Rangers have seriously heated up in the Atlantic.

Jeremy Roenick — remember him? — is outscoring Mike Modano, Brendan Shanahan, Thomas Vanek, Drury, Chris Higgins, Brian Gionta, and Patrick Marleau. One of the reasons Tampa was able to survive the loss of Dan Boyle for much of the season’s first quarter was the play of Paul Ranger: 4 goals, a +11, and an able distributor on the power play point.

It sure appears as if Peter Forsberg has played his last game in the NHL, and perhaps in pro hockey period. Next stop, the Hall of Fame. Less honorably sidelined, in my judgment, are Scott Niedermayer and Teamu Selanne, who appear to want to allow their Ducks teammates to shoulder the early regular season’s bumps and bruises before perhaps rejoining them for the stretch run and postseason. I’m sorry, but hockey players play hockey when hockey starts, not finishes. Without them, the defending champion Ducks are holding it together rather well.

Guy Carbonneau and Ted Nolan share the Jack Adams Trophy for the season’s first quarter, from my vantage. Honorable mention: Ken Hitchcock.

Filed in Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Eastern Conference, Lisa Hillary, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Morning cup-a-joe, Nashville Predators, National Hockey League, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, St. Louis Blues, Western Conference| Permalink|