The Winter Classic is coming up.
There's one problem. I have a feeling the word Winter should be put in quotation marks, because the weather looks awful. As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 51 degrees, and a 70% chance of showers. According to several sources, rain is not good for the ice surface.
The NHL has said if it can't be played on New Year's Day, it would be played the day after. Luckily for them, Mother Nature says mostly cloudy with a high of 35 degrees. That's better, but it's no true "Winter Classic".
In years past, the WC has been in Boston, Chicago and Buffalo. There's a key and significant similarity between these locations--they are consistently cold. With it a little bit more south than in years' past, the NHL took a gamble on it being a little warmer, and with questionable weather as a side effect.
The choice to have it in Buffalo in the midst of lake effect snow season was genius.
Problem is, that created expectations beyond what's conceivably possible. It should be snowing. It should be freezing cold. But it shouldn't feel like Spring and it shouldn't be raining. For the NHL, this is a disaster. If it doesn't happen on New Year's Day, that alone, I feel is a disaster. If the NHL were smart in this instance, they should start putting the rain date in their advertisements. If someone turns on NBC when the game were on and they see other programming, they won't know what happened.
Let the fans that aren't privy to that information know that it will be played the next day. I'm not sure why the NHL hasn't said that at all yet. That may be partially because they aren't counting their chickens before they hatch. Either way, it should have crossed their mind at this point.
A few suggestions for next year...pick a more established rivalry, not a manufactured rivalry. And pick a better location. I could go on about how the League should spread the wealth in different teams instead of having Pittsburgh twice, but if anything, I just feel like they should have picked a better location. Stay north. The mid-atlantic is a mess this time of year.
What are your thoughts?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Stupid Shootouts
I'm sick of the shootout.
You've heard both sides of the argument before.
One side says it's great for the game. It's great to showcase the talent of the stars in the League. It decides ties in a timely manner. It's exciting. I mean, we've seen some pretty dazzling goals in the shootout, like Marek Malik's stunner through the legs in the umpteenth round against the Washington Capitals, or Mike Ribeiro's through-the-legs-one-handed-shot, or Brad Boyes' sheer dangles on a few occasions.
But I'm just sick of it.
There's only so many times you can dedicate your life to a hockey game, watch a really good one go down to the wire, head to overtime, and just get the feeling that you're destined to go to a shootout. So many tight checking games with low scores go to shootouts where the tight checking is out of everyone's hands. It's up to a skills competition to decide it.
Case in point, tonight's affair between the Penguins and Capitals.
That's not fair.
For those who do or don't know, I'm a Flyers fan. I know for a fact that the sole reason the Flyers made it to the playoffs was because of a shootout on the last game of the season. It was an unforgettable moment. But that isn't how it should have happened, in the true spirit of the game. I can't say I'm a hockey purist, but what I can say is if a game is an example of hard work, then let the hard work continue. Let overtime be five more minutes. Ten minutes of 4-on-4 will give a better chance for a game to end.
Five minutes is enough to make a sandwich, but it's not enough to solve a hockey game.
Make the overtime longer. We'll see less of this shootout gimmick, and more hockey games solved by the game of hockey itself. If a team is more of a grinding team, let them grind out the win. If a team is more of a skill team, let them dazzle you to the win. But don't make it a skills competition. Because it's not in the spirit of the game.
Do you think shootouts should exist?
I don't think so at all.
You've heard both sides of the argument before.
One side says it's great for the game. It's great to showcase the talent of the stars in the League. It decides ties in a timely manner. It's exciting. I mean, we've seen some pretty dazzling goals in the shootout, like Marek Malik's stunner through the legs in the umpteenth round against the Washington Capitals, or Mike Ribeiro's through-the-legs-one-handed-shot, or Brad Boyes' sheer dangles on a few occasions.
But I'm just sick of it.
There's only so many times you can dedicate your life to a hockey game, watch a really good one go down to the wire, head to overtime, and just get the feeling that you're destined to go to a shootout. So many tight checking games with low scores go to shootouts where the tight checking is out of everyone's hands. It's up to a skills competition to decide it.
Case in point, tonight's affair between the Penguins and Capitals.
That's not fair.
For those who do or don't know, I'm a Flyers fan. I know for a fact that the sole reason the Flyers made it to the playoffs was because of a shootout on the last game of the season. It was an unforgettable moment. But that isn't how it should have happened, in the true spirit of the game. I can't say I'm a hockey purist, but what I can say is if a game is an example of hard work, then let the hard work continue. Let overtime be five more minutes. Ten minutes of 4-on-4 will give a better chance for a game to end.
Five minutes is enough to make a sandwich, but it's not enough to solve a hockey game.
Make the overtime longer. We'll see less of this shootout gimmick, and more hockey games solved by the game of hockey itself. If a team is more of a grinding team, let them grind out the win. If a team is more of a skill team, let them dazzle you to the win. But don't make it a skills competition. Because it's not in the spirit of the game.
Do you think shootouts should exist?
I don't think so at all.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Hockey Passion At Its Finest
HBO just recently premiered its flagship sports program for this winter: Penguins/Capitals 24/7. I got a chance to watch it recently, and I didn't know how I was going to feel about it going in. Candidly, I'm a Flyers fan first and foremost, but a fan of the game of hockey overall. I enjoy watching the game and every team fight their heart out night in and night out.
And that's exactly what HBO encapsulated in its first episode of this four-part special. I don't like the Penguins, I don't like the Capitals, but the passion that these hockey players exhibited in the show, right from the start, was extremely refreshing. These are two really good teams in the NHL--admittedly overplayed in the media, but...HBO captured the essence of these two teams really well.
Since it's presented as a drama, there are times where people might think that the producers scripted some of the moments, but as a hockey fan, I'd like to think that's not true. Sometimes, you can't script using the f-word 15 times in a span of 1:22. We know Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals is a hothead to start with, and we know that Alexander Ovechkin is rather flamboyant with his mouth too. We know that this is entirely conceivable.
And the Penguins seem to have so much fun together. Everyone seems to love to hate Evgeni Malkin (and I can see why). As I was watching this program, I just grew to have this gigantic respect for these two teams. You could see how confidently serious the atmosphere is when a team is on a gigantic roll, and you could see how depressingly desperate a team is when they can't find the answers (and as of the 3-2 loss to Boston tonight, they haven't found them yet).
On the broadcast side of things, you see the game. As a broadcaster, I bring you the game. But as the HBO cameras roll behind the scenes, you can clearly see the frustration, the passion, the determination, and the sacrifice that goes into every single game that these players play. Broadcasting seems so simple when you see the game as it is. It's a back and forth affair, trying to accomplish one goal.
But this special has added a new-found appreciation of the game for me. And I hope that it has for everyone else too. It's wonderfully produced, expertly shot, seamlessly edited...it's just a beautiful program that captures why we all love hockey. Even if we don't like the teams involved.
Give it a watch if you have HBO, or if you hit the NHL's YouTube channel, you can watch it there.
And that's exactly what HBO encapsulated in its first episode of this four-part special. I don't like the Penguins, I don't like the Capitals, but the passion that these hockey players exhibited in the show, right from the start, was extremely refreshing. These are two really good teams in the NHL--admittedly overplayed in the media, but...HBO captured the essence of these two teams really well.
Since it's presented as a drama, there are times where people might think that the producers scripted some of the moments, but as a hockey fan, I'd like to think that's not true. Sometimes, you can't script using the f-word 15 times in a span of 1:22. We know Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals is a hothead to start with, and we know that Alexander Ovechkin is rather flamboyant with his mouth too. We know that this is entirely conceivable.
And the Penguins seem to have so much fun together. Everyone seems to love to hate Evgeni Malkin (and I can see why). As I was watching this program, I just grew to have this gigantic respect for these two teams. You could see how confidently serious the atmosphere is when a team is on a gigantic roll, and you could see how depressingly desperate a team is when they can't find the answers (and as of the 3-2 loss to Boston tonight, they haven't found them yet).
On the broadcast side of things, you see the game. As a broadcaster, I bring you the game. But as the HBO cameras roll behind the scenes, you can clearly see the frustration, the passion, the determination, and the sacrifice that goes into every single game that these players play. Broadcasting seems so simple when you see the game as it is. It's a back and forth affair, trying to accomplish one goal.
But this special has added a new-found appreciation of the game for me. And I hope that it has for everyone else too. It's wonderfully produced, expertly shot, seamlessly edited...it's just a beautiful program that captures why we all love hockey. Even if we don't like the teams involved.
Give it a watch if you have HBO, or if you hit the NHL's YouTube channel, you can watch it there.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Avs Make it 4 Straight In Windy City
4 Straight. Twice in 2 days.
Two great stats there. The Avalanche's current streak, and the number of times they've dealt the hawks a loss. Today's recap will have a special element to it. We here at MHS have a man on the inside. Friend of the blog Tim Vander Tuuk was nice enough to forward along some audio from the Avs room.
Craig Anderson was a different goalie from the other night in Denver. I said after Monday's game that tonight would be a tigher affair. Anderson seems to read my stuff, or he came up with it on his own..He also took responsibility on himself for the two he let through..
I mentioned the streak above, Andy has a bit about that, and on new acquision Tomas Fleischmann (CTL C/V'ed once again)who had a hat trick tonight.
If you sense a re-occuring theme here, it's defensive tightning. Matt Duchene talks about it, and how the team started and ultimatley ended tonight..
The Avs try and make it 5 in a row Friday night when they face Ottawa at Pepsi Centre. It's an important home stretch for the club, as they don't play on the road again till Dec 30th where they travel to St. Louis. But we're not going to look ahead quite that far.
What's better than 4?
- Jaye
Two great stats there. The Avalanche's current streak, and the number of times they've dealt the hawks a loss. Today's recap will have a special element to it. We here at MHS have a man on the inside. Friend of the blog Tim Vander Tuuk was nice enough to forward along some audio from the Avs room.
Craig Anderson was a different goalie from the other night in Denver. I said after Monday's game that tonight would be a tigher affair. Anderson seems to read my stuff, or he came up with it on his own..He also took responsibility on himself for the two he let through..
I mentioned the streak above, Andy has a bit about that, and on new acquision Tomas Fleischmann (CTL C/V'ed once again)who had a hat trick tonight.
If you sense a re-occuring theme here, it's defensive tightning. Matt Duchene talks about it, and how the team started and ultimatley ended tonight..
The Avs try and make it 5 in a row Friday night when they face Ottawa at Pepsi Centre. It's an important home stretch for the club, as they don't play on the road again till Dec 30th where they travel to St. Louis. But we're not going to look ahead quite that far.
What's better than 4?
- Jaye
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Guest Post
Thanks to Matt from Down Goes Spezza
So as we get close to the start of 2011, we're beginning to see what teams are in it, and what teams are out of it. Needless to say, that's gonna make the trade market the place to be. We've got a few possible deals that might begin to go down. We think they're plausible. (All salary numbers from CapGeek)
Free Agents:
Evgeni Nabokov (G):
Possible destinations: Tampa Bay, Toronto, Florida (Pending a Vokoun move), NYI (Pending Rick DiPietro's annual stint on LTIR), Colorado
Tampa: Needs goaltending, has an amazing offense but suspect D after the top pair. Also has the cap space to make a move happen.
Toronto: Needs goaltending as well, but has a suspect offense and underachieving D, could be the fire Ron Wilson needs to help the Leafs move forward
Florida: Could use Nabby to finish off the season if Vokoun gets moved.
NYI: He's the best option short of trading away the young future forwards of the team for Vokoun which I can't see happening.
Mike Leighton (G) and Daniel Carcillo (LW) to the Bolts for Steve Downie (RW)
Bolts have the cap room for this deal, it solves TB's goaltending if they can't sign Nabby. Also, Carcillo for Downie basically trades the same type of player but allows PHL to stay under the cap.
DGS Dream Trade:
To DAL: Andrej Meszaros (D), James van Riemsdyk (LW) Mike Leighton (G), Nik Zherdev (LW), 1st round pick
To PHL: Brad Richards (C), Trevor Daley (D)
Yeah, it fits under the cap per cap geek.
So as we get close to the start of 2011, we're beginning to see what teams are in it, and what teams are out of it. Needless to say, that's gonna make the trade market the place to be. We've got a few possible deals that might begin to go down. We think they're plausible. (All salary numbers from CapGeek)
Evgeni Nabokov (G):
Possible destinations: Tampa Bay, Toronto, Florida (Pending a Vokoun move), NYI (Pending Rick DiPietro's annual stint on LTIR), Colorado
Tampa: Needs goaltending, has an amazing offense but suspect D after the top pair. Also has the cap space to make a move happen.
Toronto: Needs goaltending as well, but has a suspect offense and underachieving D, could be the fire Ron Wilson needs to help the Leafs move forward
Florida: Could use Nabby to finish off the season if Vokoun gets moved.
NYI: He's the best option short of trading away the young future forwards of the team for Vokoun which I can't see happening.
Colorado: If Anderson can't stay healthy, having a Nabby/Budaj would work for them.
Now trades:
The Flyers need to unload salary to keep under the salary cap. Any of the 4 players above could be moved. (Ed. Note - You knew this was coming)
Matt Walker (D): He's in a rehab assignment with AHL Phantoms right now, could be back next week or so. (Note: Walker was re-injured during this assignment, he's now on LTIR)
Possible Partners: Jiri Hudler for Nik Zherdev and Matt Walker
Like last year when the Flyers sent Tollefsen for Leino, Hudler could come for Zherdev and Walker. The cap hits would wash because of the LTIR exception on Walker.
Brian Boucher/Mike Leighton (G): One of these guys is the odd man out in Philly with the emergence of Sergei Bobrovsky, who's early Calder Trophy worthy performance has the Flyers sitting with the 2nd best record in the NHL as of the writing of this post,
Possible Partners:
Now trades:
The Flyers need to unload salary to keep under the salary cap. Any of the 4 players above could be moved. (Ed. Note - You knew this was coming)
Matt Walker (D): He's in a rehab assignment with AHL Phantoms right now, could be back next week or so. (Note: Walker was re-injured during this assignment, he's now on LTIR)
Possible Partners: Jiri Hudler for Nik Zherdev and Matt Walker
Like last year when the Flyers sent Tollefsen for Leino, Hudler could come for Zherdev and Walker. The cap hits would wash because of the LTIR exception on Walker.
Brian Boucher/Mike Leighton (G): One of these guys is the odd man out in Philly with the emergence of Sergei Bobrovsky, who's early Calder Trophy worthy performance has the Flyers sitting with the 2nd best record in the NHL as of the writing of this post,
Possible Partners:
Mike Leighton (G) and Daniel Carcillo (LW) to the Bolts for Steve Downie (RW)
Bolts have the cap room for this deal, it solves TB's goaltending if they can't sign Nabby. Also, Carcillo for Downie basically trades the same type of player but allows PHL to stay under the cap.
DGS Dream Trade:
To DAL: Andrej Meszaros (D), James van Riemsdyk (LW) Mike Leighton (G), Nik Zherdev (LW), 1st round pick
To PHL: Brad Richards (C), Trevor Daley (D)
Yeah, it fits under the cap per cap geek.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
We're Back, So is Stammer.
Oh, hello there. It's been a while hasn't it. My apologies, my day job has ramped up and hence, my blogging time has been reduced.
Tonight we had a bunch of games on the sked. The Penguins kept their unreal streak going (12 games now) and Sidney Crosby extended his points streak. (but what's with the 'stache?) 4 games went to OT and one went to shootout. The Avalanche extended their winning streak to two and the Capitals losing streak to 5.
In one of those overtime games. We welcome tonight's Man Crush.
He came in on a 6 game goalless drought, that ended tonight. Two ginos.
Tonight was supposed to be all about Markus Naslund. His number being retired by the Canucks for reasons still unexplained.
Steven Stamkos came in, said 'fuck it' as the Canuck fans said 'fuck you'
3 points tonight, welcome back.
- Jaye
Tonight we had a bunch of games on the sked. The Penguins kept their unreal streak going (12 games now) and Sidney Crosby extended his points streak. (but what's with the 'stache?) 4 games went to OT and one went to shootout. The Avalanche extended their winning streak to two and the Capitals losing streak to 5.
In one of those overtime games. We welcome tonight's Man Crush.
He came in on a 6 game goalless drought, that ended tonight. Two ginos.
Tonight was supposed to be all about Markus Naslund. His number being retired by the Canucks for reasons still unexplained.
Steven Stamkos came in, said 'fuck it' as the Canuck fans said 'fuck you'
3 points tonight, welcome back.
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| (Yahoo! Images/Getty) |
- Jaye
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
I've Decided To Take My Talents To...
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| (bleacherreport.com) |
Monday, December 6, 2010
Caps Make 'History'
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| (Bostonbias.blogspot.com) |
The Penguins have been rolling this season, winning their 10th straight against the Devils. Crosby has been on fire, and this is without Evgeni Malkin or Jordan Staal.
The Capitals, on the other hand, while they're still sporting a record 9 games over .500 and second in the East and 1 point behind the aforementioned Pens, they're hearing footsteps in division a they've always seemed to dominate. Teams like the Thrashers and Lightning are making waves and the Southeast might not be the cake walk it use to be.
I mentioned above how Crosby has been rolling this season, his counterpart in Alex Ovechkin has been..lacking, compared to other years. This has sent some fans into a tizzy.
If Caps fans had their fingers quivering over the panic button before tonight's game against the Leafs..well...look at this..it's special..
I've spent the past few minutes (half an hour) pouring over a game log of every game since the lockout. There is nothing that shows this team blow a 3 goal lead and consequentially lose EVER. That's insanity. Granted the Caps sucked before two years ago, I mean when you're an expansion team since 2005..Wait..the Caps have only existed since 2005..right? oh shi...
- Jaye
Sunday, December 5, 2010
PKLC Man Crush - Another Hat Trick?!
In today's NHL, we seem to be living in a world of Shut Outs and Hat Tricks. If we had Tim Thomas, Sidney Crosby & Stevie Stamkos in our fantasy hockey leagues, we'd all be laughing. Who ever had tonight's Man Crush..well I'd like to meet them and shake their hand for pulling one over on us.
Not to be outdone by the above superstars, is Chris Kelly. He had exactly 3 goals in 27 games before tonight, so said 'what the hell' and doubled it in one. His 3 tonight came a man down, even strength and to cap it off, into an empty net. (almost as good as Sid's 4 goals done 4 different ways, and Mario's 5) NHL.com has his SV% at a blistering 100% tonight against the Rangers. Biggest Question..can Chris Kelly keep it up?
- Jaye (Big Announcement in the coming days, so stay tuned)
Not to be outdone by the above superstars, is Chris Kelly. He had exactly 3 goals in 27 games before tonight, so said 'what the hell' and doubled it in one. His 3 tonight came a man down, even strength and to cap it off, into an empty net. (almost as good as Sid's 4 goals done 4 different ways, and Mario's 5) NHL.com has his SV% at a blistering 100% tonight against the Rangers. Biggest Question..can Chris Kelly keep it up?
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| (ESPN.com/AP) |
- Jaye (Big Announcement in the coming days, so stay tuned)
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The Ol' PKLC Switcharoo
Threw that out the window the second this happened...
Taylor Hall is becoming the Matt Duchene (2 points tonight) of the Oilers. His last two weeks have been beastly (at least in comparison to the start of the season, Magnus who?)...his points aren't mind blowing like Crosby (31 points in 15 games) or Stamkos (who's gone ice cold all of the sudden) but they win you hockey games, get you back into games. They're momentum shifters. The Oilers are going to need that going forward if Hemsky is out for the long term. To think I shit all over this kid. Now I just shit all over Matt. Boom.
- Jaye
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Man Crush December 2nd
We're going to jazz it up tonight. The NHL was full of blow outs so we're going to blow this Man Crush out of the water and triple up the Man Crushes.
For the second time in less than a week, he had another hat trick, a natural one this time. Like we've said before, HT's are automatics here, so no doubt MC #1 goes to Sidney Crosby
This second one pains me. I think this next player is incredibly over hyped on a team that is going nowhere, but he got a couple geno's against a Leaf team that is..also going nowhere. Second MC goes to...ugh..Taylor Hall.
The explanation for our third Man Crush comes from Jason whom you may remember from a little blog called Discard What You Don't Need...
Andrew "No one believed in me, including every Stars fan in the US" Raycroft threw up 37 saves on the one and only #1 team in the NHL, Washington Capitals. He not only extended Alex Ovechkin to a new career high 9 game goaless drought, but denied Mike Greene (who was playing on his natural position of wing) of 4 shots as well. The man deserves not only a mention in the Man Crush of the night, but considering everyone assumed Marc Crawford was trying to phone in the game and blame the inevitable loss on goaltending, he deserved the title "Master of the Universe" (right after He-Man of course). Bravo sir...even if your first periods highlights included incredible saves of giveaways that you obviously induced to pad your stats.
Boom.
- Jaye
(NOTE: If you're doing nothing tomorrow around 10 ET hop on Skype to talk some puck with some of the PKLC Crew and guests. Find me @horbayj on twitter for the details)
For the second time in less than a week, he had another hat trick, a natural one this time. Like we've said before, HT's are automatics here, so no doubt MC #1 goes to Sidney Crosby
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| (Yahoo!/AP Images) |
This second one pains me. I think this next player is incredibly over hyped on a team that is going nowhere, but he got a couple geno's against a Leaf team that is..also going nowhere. Second MC goes to...ugh..Taylor Hall.
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| (Yahoo!/Getty Images) |
Andrew "No one believed in me, including every Stars fan in the US" Raycroft threw up 37 saves on the one and only #1 team in the NHL, Washington Capitals. He not only extended Alex Ovechkin to a new career high 9 game goaless drought, but denied Mike Greene (who was playing on his natural position of wing) of 4 shots as well. The man deserves not only a mention in the Man Crush of the night, but considering everyone assumed Marc Crawford was trying to phone in the game and blame the inevitable loss on goaltending, he deserved the title "Master of the Universe" (right after He-Man of course). Bravo sir...even if your first periods highlights included incredible saves of giveaways that you obviously induced to pad your stats.
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| (Yahoo!/AP Images) |
- Jaye
(NOTE: If you're doing nothing tomorrow around 10 ET hop on Skype to talk some puck with some of the PKLC Crew and guests. Find me @horbayj on twitter for the details)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Guest Man Crush
Once again we took the Man Crush vote to the streets. We have Pete from Up The Pucks who took it and just wrote the damn thing...
Man Crush is John Scott. Buying his player shirt tomorrow and also this..
Pete goes on to add..
John Scott is becoming more than a man. He is becoming legend. Any man the gets a penalty for just stepping on the ice is spawned from the toughest of trees. There you go, I just wrote it.
Honourable Mention goes to Dustin Byfuglien who basically ran roughshod over the Avalanche tonight. He also has a hell of a cannon. In the irony of ironies, it was Anthony Stewart, (brother of Avs forward Chris) who would score tonight's OT winner for Atlanta.
Big thanks to Pete for tonight's Man Crush writeup via Twitter.
- Jaye
Man Crush is John Scott. Buying his player shirt tomorrow and also this..
Pete goes on to add..
John Scott is becoming more than a man. He is becoming legend. Any man the gets a penalty for just stepping on the ice is spawned from the toughest of trees. There you go, I just wrote it.
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| (Yahoo!) |
Big thanks to Pete for tonight's Man Crush writeup via Twitter.
- Jaye
Crosby Shows More Manger®?
(Editors Note: In lieu of PKLC Man Crush, we have another installment of Crosby Manger® Management)
I love that registered trade mark thing. In case you didn't see the Penguins/Rangers last night (I didn't) the Pens rolled to their seventh straight win. Ho Hum. The below video was the real story of the night..
Thanks to Puck Daddy for the Video.
This above play shocks me for two reasons.
1) No penalty on the play (please no "of course not, it's Crosby", shut up and get a better argument)
2) An open ice slew foot, c'mon, how many times do you see that a year? (please let me know, cause I know all of Ovechkin's slew foots come along the boards) That's straight up slew foot talent.
I think anyone who has followed Sid's career with any grain of interest knows his comments are incredibly bland and 'by the book.' The guy did a commercial for Dempsters bread and made the bread look interesting by comparison.
But more to the point of our title, it seems Sid is trying to shed his 'Kid' image. Check out these post game comments..
From The Pensblog..
“How many penalty minutes do I have this year, if I’m that dirty?,” said Crosby, who has 15 penalty minutes this season. “I mean, please. Show me all those dirty plays. It’s a battle and he falls. I think Dubi has done his fair share of things out there that are questionable. I guess he’s talking again. But I’m not surprised. “It’s a battle (with Callahan),” Crosby added. “He’s holding me going up ice and I’m trying to push him off. Is it that calculated? I’m trying to get to the net. I’m not worried about that kind of thing. If I tripped him, I tripped him. Am I dirty hockey player? C’mon. I think Dubi is smarter than that.”
I find it a little difficult to defend Crosby on his '..and he falls' comment after see the video, but I digress..this is some tough talk from the Penguins captain. My personal favorites are 'How many penalty minutes do I have this year if I'm that dirty?' and 'C’mon. I think Dubi is smarter than that.' Not something I'd write a book over, but still pretty golden when compared to his usual stuff. If anyone has these comments on video, please pass them along.
- Jaye
I love that registered trade mark thing. In case you didn't see the Penguins/Rangers last night (I didn't) the Pens rolled to their seventh straight win. Ho Hum. The below video was the real story of the night..
Thanks to Puck Daddy for the Video.
This above play shocks me for two reasons.
1) No penalty on the play (please no "of course not, it's Crosby", shut up and get a better argument)
2) An open ice slew foot, c'mon, how many times do you see that a year? (please let me know, cause I know all of Ovechkin's slew foots come along the boards) That's straight up slew foot talent.
I think anyone who has followed Sid's career with any grain of interest knows his comments are incredibly bland and 'by the book.' The guy did a commercial for Dempsters bread and made the bread look interesting by comparison.
But more to the point of our title, it seems Sid is trying to shed his 'Kid' image. Check out these post game comments..
From The Pensblog..
“How many penalty minutes do I have this year, if I’m that dirty?,” said Crosby, who has 15 penalty minutes this season. “I mean, please. Show me all those dirty plays. It’s a battle and he falls. I think Dubi has done his fair share of things out there that are questionable. I guess he’s talking again. But I’m not surprised. “It’s a battle (with Callahan),” Crosby added. “He’s holding me going up ice and I’m trying to push him off. Is it that calculated? I’m trying to get to the net. I’m not worried about that kind of thing. If I tripped him, I tripped him. Am I dirty hockey player? C’mon. I think Dubi is smarter than that.”
I find it a little difficult to defend Crosby on his '..and he falls' comment after see the video, but I digress..this is some tough talk from the Penguins captain. My personal favorites are 'How many penalty minutes do I have this year if I'm that dirty?' and 'C’mon. I think Dubi is smarter than that.' Not something I'd write a book over, but still pretty golden when compared to his usual stuff. If anyone has these comments on video, please pass them along.
- Jaye
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Revamping Man Crushes - November 27th
Before we get to this weeks MC's, we're going to try something a little different from now on. I've been fielding 'complaints' that we've got the wrong Man Crush for the night, that it should be player x or y.
Tonight this all changes. For the first time, we've got tonight's PKLC Man Crushes as decided by you, the reading public.
Here they are..Boom...
We'd be amiss here at PKLC if we didn't award at least a partial Man Crush to Hat Tricks. Hat Tricks that are also 200th career NHL goals are automatics around here. We tip our hats to Sidney Crosby on his hat trick (and 200th career goal) this afternoon against the Flames. Crosby also has a mind boggling 26 points in 13 games. Jesus.
Tonight's Man Crush number two goes to a player who's been in the league since 2001, but could never catch on with a team despite posting pretty good AHL numbers. With 4 points in a 7-4 thrashing of the Minnesota Wild, Colorado's Greg Mauldin almost had as many points tonight as AHL team's he's been with.(5) With some injuries to the Avs' top 6 tonight, look for Mauldin to stick around with the big club.
Along with great plays, we had some great fights tonight, here are a couple of them.
First, we've got Chris Stewart lettin' them fly against Kyle Brodziak..
Stewart would leave the game after this one, with a fractured left hand, I sure would to after dropping those bombs. (can we re name his fists Fat Man and Little Boy)
The Second (and way sicker) fight of the night came between Chicago's Jon Scott and LA Kings scrapper Kevin Westgarth..
Check Westgarth after that one, Don Cherry was all over it. Big thanks to Hockeyfights.com for the videos.
Be sure to keep up the voting every night for your PKLC Man Crush pick. You can vote for them by reaching any of us on twitter. We might even let you write it!
- Jaye
Tonight this all changes. For the first time, we've got tonight's PKLC Man Crushes as decided by you, the reading public.
Here they are..Boom...
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| (Yahoo!/Getty Images) |
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| (Yahoo! Images) |
Along with great plays, we had some great fights tonight, here are a couple of them.
First, we've got Chris Stewart lettin' them fly against Kyle Brodziak..
Stewart would leave the game after this one, with a fractured left hand, I sure would to after dropping those bombs. (can we re name his fists Fat Man and Little Boy)
The Second (and way sicker) fight of the night came between Chicago's Jon Scott and LA Kings scrapper Kevin Westgarth..
Check Westgarth after that one, Don Cherry was all over it. Big thanks to Hockeyfights.com for the videos.
Be sure to keep up the voting every night for your PKLC Man Crush pick. You can vote for them by reaching any of us on twitter. We might even let you write it!
- Jaye
On the Decline
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| Courtesy Zimbio.com |
It's about time the Isles faithful had something good to talk about, but sadly, not even their announcer has anything good to say either.
Finally, after about a month of absolute depressing efforts by the Isles, they finally got their act together defensively and snapped a 14-game winless streak with a 2-0 shutout against the New Jersey Devils. I remember a few years ago when the Flyers had a 10-game winless streak and it felt like forever. Tack on four more games, and that's just scary.
Who's to blame?
Josh Bailey, one of their (few) promising players, and first round draft picks, was sent back down to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. The Islanders really are a bunch of kids. But they're not the sort of kids like Edmonton has--real studs. You can look at first overall pick John Tavares and young Kyle Okposo (who is injured) as your top scorers and look to the oft-injured Rick DiPietro as a solid netminder. But as far as the supporting cast goes, there's not much there.
Mark Streit (also injured) is a huge part of that team too, but he's only around for a couple years, and the Isles won't be competitive by then. James Wisniewski, a very capable defender, is only on that team for a year. He's helping, but not exactly advancing his career. Defensively, they're just as young and terrible as up front.
Time, as much as the Islanders have waited a fair amount of it, may be the only solution for the team. There's not much there, and they still have to get rid of the Alexei Yashin and Brendan Witt buyouts, which still have five and two years remaining, respectively.
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| Courtesy Zimbio.com |
This team was hot, hot, hot, to start the season. It looked like the young Finnish goaltending tandem of Pekka Rinne (left) and Anders Lindback were going to be enough to catapult the usually underwhelming Nashville Predators to another stunningly great season.
However, after this hot start, the Predators have hit a huge pothole, with their latest loss a bad one against the Minnesota Wild. Rinne only made six saves and ended up getting yanked for Lindback, who didn't fare much better.
The epitome of this meltdown by the Preds was a horrific loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nashville exploded to a huge 4-1 lead until the Leafs absolutely stormed back and took the game 5-4 with several power play goals. Coach Barry Trotz called out his defense, calling it one of the worst defensive games he had ever seen from his team. Pretty remarkable.
Statistically speaking, Nashville needs to start scoring. Their goal differential is down to -8, and their leading goal scorer, Steve Sullivan, only has six. Patric Hornqvist and Marcel Goc are tied in second with five. Their leading point getter is Cal O'Reilly with 13. Something has got to give with this offense, unless they want to rely on Ryan Suter and Shea Weber's cannons from the point forever.
And that may be where the turnaround for the Preds lies. No doubt about it, they are playing in a tough Central Division with the Western Conference leading Detroit Red Wings, upstart Columbus Blue Jackets, resurgent St. Louis Blues and defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (ugh), but they need to find a way, and fast, if they're to turn this season around.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Canucks 4 Avs 2
First off, I'd like to thank Stub Hub for giving me these choice seats you see below..
I hate myself for my next point, but I missed the first Colorado goal. See, my buddy I was with just HAD to introduce me to some of his friends. Johnny Liles said 'screw this' and just put a PPG goal home without me. Boom, tie game. In my lateness, I noticed a '31' in goal on the other side of the ice and not '41' not sure what the status on Anderson is, but he didn't return tonight. (does BC do something to him?) The moral of the second was, if the Avs weren't on the powerplay, nothing really got done in the Vancouver zone. Could it have been the days off? Might have been, but if it weren't for Peter Budaj making some sweet post to post saves, this one might have been over in the second. The Canucks did score, however. Those god damned Sedins and their tag-along pal Alex Burrows combined twice (more on the second goal later) tonight and just made the Avs look silly in their own zone all night.
Second Intermission had the Avs down by one, much like the first. As the third began, the team looked like they might actually want to win a hockey game. That was until Ryan Kesler, the only Canuck I have a shred of respect for, showed up. We'll take you to Mile High Hockey for their take on the 'goal'
'In the third, a long review of a Kesler shot that hit the post and went straight up in the air and then off of Budaj and in the net, resulted in an eventual 2 goal Vancouver lead. It was ruled no goal on the ice, because it looked like it was hit in with a high stick. However, video review ruled that Tambellini never touched the puck and it was a good goal. I call bullshit. Tambellini didn't hit the puck because he smacked Budaj's face instead, which knocked Budaj's helmet into the puck and the puck into the net. I guess you can lumberjack high-stick the goaltender - when he is standing upright. Makes sense.'
I really didn't get a clear view of the 'beheading' (despite the fact it was right in front of me) till I was at the bar post game and saw the SportsCentre hilights, total bull shit call, refs missed that one.
You would think the Avs would turtle at this point (they did) until Matt Duchene poked a loose puck under Luongo in what was probably the greasiest goal he's scored in his career, which made it 3-2 Canucks. I mentioned above how much I loathe the Sedins and their tag-along-pal Burrows, the 4th Vancouver goal, is the reason why. Any other team, I would laud this goal, but it's Vancouver, so I can't.
there's the video, the sadistic ones in the audience wearing the Avs gear can watch.
That was game. I thought the Canucks played a strong game, something like what Colorado should have played. This wasn't the team that won 4 straight, nor was this the Canucks team that had dropped their last 4. As I said earlier on twitter, some teams just have other teams' numbers. Chicago CLEARLY has Vancouver's, and as we witnessed tonight, Vancouver CLEARLY has Colorado's. If Colorado wants to be in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, these games have to be must wins.
The Avs continue their brief western road swing tomorrow where they face the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks continue their home stand Friday against the San Jose Sharks.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Man Crush November 23rd
I would say shut outs are rare, but they seem to be popping up everywhere lately.
Carey Price has been unreal this year, the same goes with Tim Thomas.
Tonight though, Johan THE MOOSE Hedberg (yes, he's still around) shut down Ovechkin (5 SOG) and co. (Semin with 5 SOG) tonight, going 30 for 30. This is also the second time in 3 games the Caps have been shut out (Atlanta was the other one) PANIC IN THE DC AREA!!
I'm not a big Caps fan, so anytime anyone shuts down (or out in this case) their big guns, that's an ace in my book, and a Man Crush on my blog.
- Jaye
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| (NHL.com) |
Tonight though, Johan THE MOOSE Hedberg (yes, he's still around) shut down Ovechkin (5 SOG) and co. (Semin with 5 SOG) tonight, going 30 for 30. This is also the second time in 3 games the Caps have been shut out (Atlanta was the other one) PANIC IN THE DC AREA!!
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| (ESPN.COM) |
- Jaye
Man Crush of the Night Nov 22nd Edition
I'm finding it difficult to come up with a Man Crush tonight. Mostly because I spent my day watching football, (CFL Division Finals) and not watching hockey. It's sunday people, there' was 5 games on tonight. I watched the Flames/Red Wings game for all of 4 minutes, just enough time to watch Nik Lindstrom score that nasty OT goal. Company had come over and as they talked about things I wasn't interested in, I sat and watched the Oilers/Ducks game on mute. (best way to watch a Sportsnet West telecast?) Someone said Corey Perry scored (passed?) the puck past Hiller into his own net..if they did I didn't see it. (EDIT: Just saw it. Into an empty net..from the other side of the rink, you've GOT to be kidding me?!)
Probably because I was flipping between that and the Canucks/Coyotes game. Without sound. (the only way to get through a Sportsnet Pacific telecast, god damn do i hate John Garrett, someone find me a bigger homer, please) and watched the 'home town boys' drop another one, though they piled it on in the final minutes with Lou pulled. This puts the Canucks at 4 straight losses, and Colorado rolls into town Wednesday (yours truly will be in attendance) riding a 4 game winning streak. Which streak falls and which continues hinges, of course, on my jersey selection for the evening. (Road RBK has been shit luck vs. Old Tanguay Third is 1-0) and if Andy manages to NOT injure himself in warm up again.
We were supposed to get to a Man Crush tonight weren't we, I don't know if I can top yesterday's, so I won't try.
- Jaye
Probably because I was flipping between that and the Canucks/Coyotes game. Without sound. (the only way to get through a Sportsnet Pacific telecast, god damn do i hate John Garrett, someone find me a bigger homer, please) and watched the 'home town boys' drop another one, though they piled it on in the final minutes with Lou pulled. This puts the Canucks at 4 straight losses, and Colorado rolls into town Wednesday (yours truly will be in attendance) riding a 4 game winning streak. Which streak falls and which continues hinges, of course, on my jersey selection for the evening. (Road RBK has been shit luck vs. Old Tanguay Third is 1-0) and if Andy manages to NOT injure himself in warm up again.
We were supposed to get to a Man Crush tonight weren't we, I don't know if I can top yesterday's, so I won't try.
- Jaye
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Man Crush of the Night Nov 20th Edition
*Spoiler Alert* it won't be a member of the Canucks.
actually you know what, we'll pass on tonight's Man Crush in lieu of this...
RIP Pat Burns, the Ultimate Coach Crush
- Jaye
actually you know what, we'll pass on tonight's Man Crush in lieu of this...
RIP Pat Burns, the Ultimate Coach Crush
- Jaye
Friday, November 19, 2010
More Scoring? No thanks.
I don't believe that I watched a hockey game last night.
Last night's game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning was a case-in-point why the NHL does not need to take any measures to increase scoring. The game was 7-6 before it was even halfway said and done. That's just too much.
It was a disgrace.
We live in an era where all of the rules were changed post-lockout. Scoring, speed and skill are emphasized, and more penalties are called in favor of more powerplay opportunities, and thus more goals. I'm okay with the fact that the extent of these high scoring games are in the ballpark of 4-3, 5-4, and whatnot. But 8-7?
That's just wrong.
I've been given the argument that "that's how it was in the 80s". Fair enough. But this is the 2000s. The game has changed tremendously, and the superstars that ran rampant over barely athletic hockey players and under-equipped goaltenders had free reign to score. That's just how it went. It's not commonplace anymore. We're at a good middle ground right now.
Now the game of hockey is a lot more structured, and these games shouldn't be the direction the NHL wants.
I've been given the argument that these games will happen anyway. Agreed! They will. I have no doubt that teams go on scoring binges. It's easy for a team to rack up goals if given the chance under the current rules. But if this became commonplace, the game would become tiring, and a lot less exciting over the course of time. Do we really want double digits all the time?
The NHL has brought up the idea of making the nets bigger, or changing the rules so that more goals = more excitement, and more excitement = more fans, and in the end, more fans = more money.
I call crap.
Listen, as a broadcaster, I love calling goals as much as the next guy. But if every game has double digit goals, it becomes tiring. Last night's game was tiring to watch. Seeing goals back and forth would become tiring on an extremely regular basis. Goals should be worked hard for and earned. Hockey has pride in hard work.
But the way last night was going, these two teams didn't have to work for anything. They just traded goals back and forth. Do you want this to become hockey reality?
Some would argue that I'm sour that the Flyers lost as a result of one of these games. I would respond, maybe, but not entirely. A loss is a loss. I'm over that. The fact that the NHL desires something like this on a regular basis is a sad direction to go in, though. They really need to be careful they don't make the game something it isn't.
Think about Chris Pronger--one of the best defensemen in the history of the game. He prides himself on his solid defense at all times. But last night, he was entirely helpless against a game going 100 mph with goals at every second. If the game was just shinny all the time, where would be the pride in watching good defensemen go to work? How about the adage of "defense wins championships"?
We'd be stuck watching defensemen like Mike Green play all the time, and I don't think that's hockey as we, the real fans, want it.
But of course, it's not about what the real fans want. Of course not.
So, in essence, the NHL needs to chill out with perhaps increasing scoring. Because that would mean something like last night would be common, and the 2-1, 1-0 games would become a lost art.
I don't want those to be lost arts.
Last night's game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning was a case-in-point why the NHL does not need to take any measures to increase scoring. The game was 7-6 before it was even halfway said and done. That's just too much.
It was a disgrace.
We live in an era where all of the rules were changed post-lockout. Scoring, speed and skill are emphasized, and more penalties are called in favor of more powerplay opportunities, and thus more goals. I'm okay with the fact that the extent of these high scoring games are in the ballpark of 4-3, 5-4, and whatnot. But 8-7?
That's just wrong.
I've been given the argument that "that's how it was in the 80s". Fair enough. But this is the 2000s. The game has changed tremendously, and the superstars that ran rampant over barely athletic hockey players and under-equipped goaltenders had free reign to score. That's just how it went. It's not commonplace anymore. We're at a good middle ground right now.
Now the game of hockey is a lot more structured, and these games shouldn't be the direction the NHL wants.
I've been given the argument that these games will happen anyway. Agreed! They will. I have no doubt that teams go on scoring binges. It's easy for a team to rack up goals if given the chance under the current rules. But if this became commonplace, the game would become tiring, and a lot less exciting over the course of time. Do we really want double digits all the time?
The NHL has brought up the idea of making the nets bigger, or changing the rules so that more goals = more excitement, and more excitement = more fans, and in the end, more fans = more money.
I call crap.
Listen, as a broadcaster, I love calling goals as much as the next guy. But if every game has double digit goals, it becomes tiring. Last night's game was tiring to watch. Seeing goals back and forth would become tiring on an extremely regular basis. Goals should be worked hard for and earned. Hockey has pride in hard work.
But the way last night was going, these two teams didn't have to work for anything. They just traded goals back and forth. Do you want this to become hockey reality?
Some would argue that I'm sour that the Flyers lost as a result of one of these games. I would respond, maybe, but not entirely. A loss is a loss. I'm over that. The fact that the NHL desires something like this on a regular basis is a sad direction to go in, though. They really need to be careful they don't make the game something it isn't.
Think about Chris Pronger--one of the best defensemen in the history of the game. He prides himself on his solid defense at all times. But last night, he was entirely helpless against a game going 100 mph with goals at every second. If the game was just shinny all the time, where would be the pride in watching good defensemen go to work? How about the adage of "defense wins championships"?
We'd be stuck watching defensemen like Mike Green play all the time, and I don't think that's hockey as we, the real fans, want it.
But of course, it's not about what the real fans want. Of course not.
So, in essence, the NHL needs to chill out with perhaps increasing scoring. Because that would mean something like last night would be common, and the 2-1, 1-0 games would become a lost art.
I don't want those to be lost arts.
Late Night Man Crush
Even though it's technically Friday by the time I post this, I feel obligated to make this short and to the point.
If you haven't heard or seen the hi lights from the Flyers/Lightningfootball game tonight, you've been living under a rock. Stamkos hatty and 2 apples.
Man Crush.
All Day.
Any Day.
- Jaye
If you haven't heard or seen the hi lights from the Flyers/Lightning
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| Vintage Stammer (Yahoo/Getty Images) |
All Day.
Any Day.
- Jaye
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Man Crush of the Night Nov 17th Edition
Couple of Man Crushes tonight. You know how your team has games where they're down and out, getting run over, out hit and out chanced, it seems everything the other team throws a the net goes in. We've all been there, It's about that time where you just go 'fuck it' and flick the channel.
If you're an Oiler fan, your TV was probably turned after Captain Serious' hat trick goal, or Sharp's shorty which made it 4-0 Hawks. If you're an Avalanche fan, well, you could have taken your pick out of a number of places. (a minute into the third is when yours truly had his 'fuck it' point) and I was wrong, the team stormed back to force OT. It was in OT where tonight's co-Man Crush was sent in alone and popped in the winner.
We raise or glasses to Man Crushes Jonny Toews and Kevin Porter.
- Jaye
If you're an Oiler fan, your TV was probably turned after Captain Serious' hat trick goal, or Sharp's shorty which made it 4-0 Hawks. If you're an Avalanche fan, well, you could have taken your pick out of a number of places. (a minute into the third is when yours truly had his 'fuck it' point) and I was wrong, the team stormed back to force OT. It was in OT where tonight's co-Man Crush was sent in alone and popped in the winner.
We raise or glasses to Man Crushes Jonny Toews and Kevin Porter.
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| (ESPN.com) |
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| (ESPN.com) |
- Jaye
Monday, November 15, 2010
PKLC Mavalanche Crush Nov 15 Edition
I try and stay on the fence when we do the Man Crush of the Night here at PKLC. I've only picked one Penguin (Malkin's HT the other night) and have yet to pick a member of the Avalanche. (when I picked the whole team aside) That all changes tonight.
After his hot start, where he went 9 straight games with a point, he could have been the MC every night, and not just cause of his sick flow. His play dipped a little as of late, but tonight he came out gangbusters as did the rest of his team. With his team dispatching the suddenly reeling St. Louis Blues by a score of 6-3, our Man Crush netted his first 2 goals of the season.
We raise our glasses to Johnny Liles.
ALSO...Matt Duchene just endeared himself to me a little more, by dropping the gloves tonight with Vladimir Sobotka. Next time, Dutch, helmet. off. got it? good..carry on..
Stick tap to the crew at Mile High Hockey for the video.
-Jaye
After his hot start, where he went 9 straight games with a point, he could have been the MC every night, and not just cause of his sick flow. His play dipped a little as of late, but tonight he came out gangbusters as did the rest of his team. With his team dispatching the suddenly reeling St. Louis Blues by a score of 6-3, our Man Crush netted his first 2 goals of the season.
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| (Yahoo.com/Getty Images) |
ALSO...Matt Duchene just endeared himself to me a little more, by dropping the gloves tonight with Vladimir Sobotka. Next time, Dutch, helmet. off. got it? good..carry on..
Stick tap to the crew at Mile High Hockey for the video.
-Jaye
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Oilers/Rangers 'Cause The Game Was A Wash' Edition
For those of us who weren't watching a) NFL Football or b) CFL East Division Semi Finals there was this little ditty of a game this morning (or early afternoon) in NYC where the Oilers limped into MSG to face the Rangers. After a torrid second period, where the Oilers scored 2 in 28 seconds, only to be matched as the Rangers scored another 2 in 25 seconds, things got ugly in the third period of a game that was looong over by this point..
Glove tap to Puck Daddy for the video and below penalty breakdown..
Obvious dick move by Avery on Smid (nothing new for Avery) Who knows why Peckham wanted to get after him, (or where he came from..was he even on the ice then?) save it for after the game when you can jump him in the parking lot.
Moving on from that though...you might have noticed the Oilers have been outscored a lot these past few games..(33-13 in the month of November) and currently have the worse goal differential in the NHL. (-24) Seeing as a number of people are drawing comparisons of this years team to the 80's Oilers, I looked at the 1979-80 team. This was their first in the NHL.
The Jets sucked, didn't they? but more to the point, 69 points at a -21 goal differential...I think they're on pace to be much worse than their first season, so I think we can put that 'This team is the 80's Oilers 2.0' shit to bed already.
-Jaye
Glove tap to Puck Daddy for the video and below penalty breakdown..
Obvious dick move by Avery on Smid (nothing new for Avery) Who knows why Peckham wanted to get after him, (or where he came from..was he even on the ice then?) save it for after the game when you can jump him in the parking lot.
Moving on from that though...you might have noticed the Oilers have been outscored a lot these past few games..(33-13 in the month of November) and currently have the worse goal differential in the NHL. (-24) Seeing as a number of people are drawing comparisons of this years team to the 80's Oilers, I looked at the 1979-80 team. This was their first in the NHL.
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| (NHL.com) |
-Jaye
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Man Crushes Bitches..cause it's all we seem to post these days...
Man Crush time kids. HT's are almost automatic here at PKLC, but so are 5 point nights. Double Man Crush Action tonight to the one they call 'Geno'. In front of a crowd that I'm sure was mostly Penguin fans (so can you call it a home game? like the games against Columbus?) Evgeni Malkin pumped in 3 goals tonight in a win over the Thrashers in Atlanta.
In other Man Crush News, Ray 'Where Do You Play Again?' Whitney. 5 points (2 G 3 A) as the Coyotes went on to beat the Blues 5-3. Here are the Hilights...(Via NHL.com)
Boom. Apologies for the lack of posts these days, we'll be getting back into the swing of things soon.
- Jaye
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| (Yahoo/AP) |
Boom. Apologies for the lack of posts these days, we'll be getting back into the swing of things soon.
- Jaye
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
PKLC Man Crush of the Night Nov 9th Edition
Seems we've been much to quiet on the PKLC MC's so we're going to blow up your internet tonight.
I don't know how many of you out there have seen Battle of The Blades, but long story short hockey players put on figure skates and either sink or swim. They've said time and time again on the show that figure skating will really help you with your hockey skating, so don't knock the kids who figure skate.
I don't know how many of you out there have seen Battle of The Blades, but long story short hockey players put on figure skates and either sink or swim. They've said time and time again on the show that figure skating will really help you with your hockey skating, so don't knock the kids who figure skate.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
PKLC Audio Blog Hawks/Oilers
Coming back to a city it seems like they just left, the Edmonton Oilers once again faced the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Centre, and for the second time in eight nights. The road team walked away with a W, as Sam Gagner and Kurtis Foster struck twice in 14 seconds in the third to seal the Oilers victory. Once again, thanks to Tim Vander Tuuk we've got PKLC Exclusive post game audio from the BlackHawks locker room.
Continuing what I called 'The Ex-Oilers Curse' former Oiler Fernando Pisani struck first for the Hawks with a tally that would last for the majority of the game. He talks about scoring against his old team and the disappointing finish...
As I said above, the Hawks blew a third period lead, a trend all to common in recent games. Pisani wishes he had a cure for it.
Hawks goalie Corey Crawford is equally miffed about tonights loss, especially after dominating the Oilers for stretches of the game.
Defenseman Brian Campbell dismisses the idea that the Oilers have their number, but adds that when you lose twice at home to the same club, you need to start looking at the guys in locker room.
We end with Coach Q talking about getting back to their strenghts of winning at home, putting their foot on teams in the third period and playing desperate hockey.
Big Thanks again to Timmy (PKLC Insider) for the audio that makes the Audio Blog happen
- Jaye
Continuing what I called 'The Ex-Oilers Curse' former Oiler Fernando Pisani struck first for the Hawks with a tally that would last for the majority of the game. He talks about scoring against his old team and the disappointing finish...
As I said above, the Hawks blew a third period lead, a trend all to common in recent games. Pisani wishes he had a cure for it.
Hawks goalie Corey Crawford is equally miffed about tonights loss, especially after dominating the Oilers for stretches of the game.
Defenseman Brian Campbell dismisses the idea that the Oilers have their number, but adds that when you lose twice at home to the same club, you need to start looking at the guys in locker room.
We end with Coach Q talking about getting back to their strenghts of winning at home, putting their foot on teams in the third period and playing desperate hockey.
Big Thanks again to Timmy (PKLC Insider) for the audio that makes the Audio Blog happen
- Jaye
Saturday, November 6, 2010
PKLC Man Crush of the Night Nov 6th Edition
This isn't exactly a singular Man Crush as much as it's a 'Team Crush.' That team, is the Colorado Avalanche.
After coming off a stinker of a game Thursday night against the Canucks, in which they didn't do much of anything, sorta just skated around, and, not surprisingly, lost 3-1.
Fast forward to today, coach Joe Sacco rolls the dice and throws rookie D men Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk to the wolves, and they come out smelling like roses. Add in recent call up Kevin Porter (who before tonight, had no goals or shots in 10 games) with 3 points. Phillipe Dupuis also had a SHORTY!! (He plays for the Avs, not Dallas, I know, just making sure)
Peter Budaj also got his first Shut Out in over a year!! Congrats to Boods.
Enough of my rambling, we'll just cut to video...
- Jaye
After coming off a stinker of a game Thursday night against the Canucks, in which they didn't do much of anything, sorta just skated around, and, not surprisingly, lost 3-1.
Fast forward to today, coach Joe Sacco rolls the dice and throws rookie D men Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk to the wolves, and they come out smelling like roses. Add in recent call up Kevin Porter (who before tonight, had no goals or shots in 10 games) with 3 points. Phillipe Dupuis also had a SHORTY!! (He plays for the Avs, not Dallas, I know, just making sure)
Peter Budaj also got his first Shut Out in over a year!! Congrats to Boods.
Enough of my rambling, we'll just cut to video...
- Jaye
Friday, November 5, 2010
PKLC Man Crush Nov 5 Edition/Oilers Curse?
Tonight's PKLC Man Crush ties into the second part of tonight's title.
It seems lately, former Oilers have been striding into Rexall Place in a bit of a funk (Raffi Torres only had 3 goals in 10 games before returning to his old stomping grounds to pop in a hatty) only to burn their former teammates. The same can be said for tonight's PKLC Man Crush. The Red Wings, ever since getting bounced by the Oilers in the 2006 playoffs, really haven't gotten their grove back in the City of Champions. That all changed tonight, with the help of tonight's Man Crush.
Walking out of Rexall with a pair of Apples and a Geno (that's two assists and a goal for those of you out there who were confused) was Daniel Cleary. If Fernando 'you put the puck in the net like a pizza in the oven' Pisani and the Blackhawks roll into town sunday, and throws down on his former team..I'm going to say I called it.
(EDIT: Loui Eriksson and his 4 points (2 on the pp) have gotten some people angry that he was not tonight's Man Crush..while it was admirable..he wasn't a former Oiler..so it didn't work tonight)
- Jaye
It seems lately, former Oilers have been striding into Rexall Place in a bit of a funk (Raffi Torres only had 3 goals in 10 games before returning to his old stomping grounds to pop in a hatty) only to burn their former teammates. The same can be said for tonight's PKLC Man Crush. The Red Wings, ever since getting bounced by the Oilers in the 2006 playoffs, really haven't gotten their grove back in the City of Champions. That all changed tonight, with the help of tonight's Man Crush.
 |
| (Yahoo.com) |
(EDIT: Loui Eriksson and his 4 points (2 on the pp) have gotten some people angry that he was not tonight's Man Crush..while it was admirable..he wasn't a former Oiler..so it didn't work tonight)
- Jaye
Thursday, November 4, 2010
PKLC Podcast Pt 1
Here you have it! The first PKLC Podcast..part one
I can't ruin all the fun in one shot, so part two with Jason from 'Discard What You Don't Need' will be up later today
Enjoy listening!
-Jaye
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
PKLC Man Crush of the Night - Nov 3rd Edition
I didn't watch this game. I think I was napping. Jordan tells me this fellow had a whale of a game. Twitter and NHL.com also told me the same..
After all the recent shit Phoenix has got from members of the media about if the Coyotes 'fit' in the NHL, it's nice to see the focus shift to the product on the ice. (and not Ray Whitney calling the fans out) Tonight we raise our glasses to the one we call 'JovoCop' and his three goals.
See that look on Jovo's face? that's what it's all about. Right there. Oh, look who's coming to congratulate him..enough fans there for yah, Ray?
- Jaye
After all the recent shit Phoenix has got from members of the media about if the Coyotes 'fit' in the NHL, it's nice to see the focus shift to the product on the ice. (and not Ray Whitney calling the fans out) Tonight we raise our glasses to the one we call 'JovoCop' and his three goals.
 |
| (Yahoo.com/Getty Images) |
- Jaye
Crosby releases Inner Manger®*..fights Stars' Niskanen
*(An amalgamation of Man and Anger. ®Manger is a registered Trademark of PKLC)
With a '5' in the column marked 'PIM' is where we found Sidney Crosby on the score sheet tonight. First, a little backstory...
Pittsburgh is down 4-1 and getting outplayed pretty handily..when at 7:27 of the second period, Crosby (who is a -2 on the night) basically says 'Fuck This Shit.."
(via NHL.com)
BOOM.
(EDIT: Check that face out, that's pure terror right there. Glove Tap to Puck Daddy)
Tale of The Tape:
Crosby - ht: 5'11" wt: 190 lbs
Niskanen - ht 6'0" wt: 199 lbs
We've all seen Crosby scrap before. 76% of viewers on Hockeyfights.com rated this tilt in favour ofSid the Kid *ahem* SIIID THHHEEEE KIIIIIIIIIDDDDD *ends announcer voice* The matchup was pretty fair on paper, as we see above. I feel as though we at PKLC should give a couple of pointers for both combatants if they ever decide to go again.
1. Take Your Damn Helmets Off.
- I'm not telling the kids out there to chuck buckets and start wailing, but if you're both wearing visors and don't want broken hands, please remove them. I reference you to hands that are both hard as rocks and soft as babies bottoms, Jarome Iginla
See kids, buckets off FIRST.
2. More Punches. Less Rag doll.
- Sid, and I say this to you as a fan, enough of the 'shaking the other player' stuff. Did Georges Laraque teach you nothing? It's Grab. THEN Punch. Not Shake. Shake. Punch. He's a fellow player not a bottle of salsa.
At least he didn't jump the guy off the faceoff this time...
I get that Sid isn't a fighter, but learn some moves, alright bud?
- Jaye
With a '5' in the column marked 'PIM' is where we found Sidney Crosby on the score sheet tonight. First, a little backstory...
Pittsburgh is down 4-1 and getting outplayed pretty handily..when at 7:27 of the second period, Crosby (who is a -2 on the night) basically says 'Fuck This Shit.."
(via NHL.com)
BOOM.
(EDIT: Check that face out, that's pure terror right there. Glove Tap to Puck Daddy)
Tale of The Tape:
Crosby - ht: 5'11" wt: 190 lbs
Niskanen - ht 6'0" wt: 199 lbs
We've all seen Crosby scrap before. 76% of viewers on Hockeyfights.com rated this tilt in favour of
1. Take Your Damn Helmets Off.
- I'm not telling the kids out there to chuck buckets and start wailing, but if you're both wearing visors and don't want broken hands, please remove them. I reference you to hands that are both hard as rocks and soft as babies bottoms, Jarome Iginla
See kids, buckets off FIRST.
2. More Punches. Less Rag doll.
- Sid, and I say this to you as a fan, enough of the 'shaking the other player' stuff. Did Georges Laraque teach you nothing? It's Grab. THEN Punch. Not Shake. Shake. Punch. He's a fellow player not a bottle of salsa.
At least he didn't jump the guy off the faceoff this time...
I get that Sid isn't a fighter, but learn some moves, alright bud?
- Jaye
PKLC Man Crush of the Night - Nov 2nd Edition
Tonight's PKLC MC is brought to you by the magic of youtube
Amazing? I guess..if Sidney Crosby did this we'd all be talking about it non stop..if anything it's good hustle by the former Oiler. His HT goal was total bull crap, wasn't it?
Tonight we begrudgingly raise our glasses and let out a sarcastic "Yay" to Raffi Torres and his Hat Trick.
- Jaye
Amazing? I guess..if Sidney Crosby did this we'd all be talking about it non stop..if anything it's good hustle by the former Oiler. His HT goal was total bull crap, wasn't it?
Tonight we begrudgingly raise our glasses and let out a sarcastic "Yay" to Raffi Torres and his Hat Trick.
 |
| (Yahoo Sports) |
Monday, November 1, 2010
PKLC Man Crush of the Night
I know we've been a little lax on this, but excuse us, we had to go through like..14 games on saturday all whilst battling video code from NHL.com that didn't like us, sorry about that, I think you might have all got the Ducks/Sharks hilights 14 times over..our bad
Time for tonights Man Crush of The Night...
He cut his damn hair, stopped looking like a freakin hippie, then donated it to cancer. With teammate Danny Briere out for a nasty cross check on the weekend, he willed the Flyers to victory tonight with 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points (thanks Math Blaster!) and that's only after 4 shots on goal...
We raise a glass to Scott Hartnell. Tonights PKLC Man Crush of The Night.
- Jaye
(EDIT: I almost forgot, you should all check out Shirts Off For Horcoff written by long time friend Brad Smith. I can only assume by reading the tiny ass font with a microscope, that he'll be talking about Oilers hockey and other 'league related things'. Tell him PKLC sent yah!)
Time for tonights Man Crush of The Night...
He cut his damn hair, stopped looking like a freakin hippie, then donated it to cancer. With teammate Danny Briere out for a nasty cross check on the weekend, he willed the Flyers to victory tonight with 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points (thanks Math Blaster!) and that's only after 4 shots on goal...
- Jaye
(EDIT: I almost forgot, you should all check out Shirts Off For Horcoff written by long time friend Brad Smith. I can only assume by reading the tiny ass font with a microscope, that he'll be talking about Oilers hockey and other 'league related things'. Tell him PKLC sent yah!)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Shut Outs Shoot Outs and Scuffles - Saturday Night Hockey (with Hi lights)
Lots of action tonight so lets get right to it.
Leafs 0 Rangers 2
Just by looking at the score, you would say this game was won by Henrik Lundqvist. But we can credit the Rangers with blocking 35 shots tonight. Only 19 got to King Henrik. Penalty Shot number one of the night went to Ryan Callahan.
Canadiens 1 Panthers 3
In our second of 4 penalty shots, David Booth went dang dang GOAL on Carey Price.
Senators 0 Bruins 2
Second shut out of the night, Tim Thomas once again...(what's that..sorry, Jordan is yelling .984 SV%) stole the show for the B's.
Islanders 1 Flyers 6
The fact that the Isles basically rolled over and died in this one is secondary to the rough stuff that went on in the game. Dan Carcilo ALONE got 22 minutes in penalties. (Matt from DGS just squealed with joy) The cross check delivered by the stick of Daniel Briere to the head of Frans Nielsen (who netted Penalty Shot # 3 of the night) and will most definitely get looked at by Colli Campbell and his Wheel of Justice™. Best part was when Rick Dipietro tried to fight Pronger, Carcillo and Mike Richards.
Hurricanes 0 Penguins 3
No Evgeni Malkin? no problem. Pascal Dupuis netted two and Mad Max Talbot scored his first of the year as the Pens cruised by the Canes. Shut out number 3 of the night by Brent Johnson.
Predators 2 Red Wings 5
The Wings knocked their high flying division foes down a notch thanks to two goals from Pavel Datsyuk.
Thrashers 3 Blues 4
Had Jaroslav Halak's shut out streak gone another 25 mintues, he would have set a franchise record. (still held by Greg Millen) The Blues are still hot though, as T.J Oshie kept them winning by potting one in the shoot out.
Wild 1 Blackhawks 3
After getting torched 7-4 by the Oilers the night before, The Hawks came out and took care of business against the Wild.
Sabres 0 Stars 4
SO # 4 tonight. Andrew Raycroft in typical World-Beating form as Dallas' special teams were clicking tonight. 2 ppgs and one SHG.
Blue Jackets 1 Avalanche 5
Adrian Dater of the Denver Post called it a 'rare easy win' and based on the last two one goal games the Avs have had to slug through, they'll take this one. Just one thing I'd like to point out..
See that name below Steven Stamkos..CHRIS STEWART BABY! Peter Budaj also played a strong game tonight, was hoping for a shutout from him, but someone on twitter jinxed it..
Friend of the Blog, Marc Parsons...literally 2 minutes after he tweeted this..Dorsett scored for the Jackets.
Coyotes 0 Lightning 3
8,171. The number of people who bothered to come out to Glendale to watch one of the most exciting teams this young NHL season WITH the leagues points leader (as seen above) in Stevie Stamkos. Dan Ellis recorded shutout #4 of the evening.
Flames 2 Capitals 7 (yes, SEVEN)
The Flames were up 2-0 in this game, they could have put their foots on the throats of the Caps, but this is Calgary..and these are the Capitals. Did we mention Alex Ovechkin popped in 2 goals in 12 seconds to put the Caps ahead 3-2. Then this Happened (stick tap to the boys at Puck Daddy)
I feel for Sarich, being a former Saskatoon Blade, he was the one WHLer that I 'saw good' during my youth in Saskatoon. Guy has a cup ring..shame he's sucked in Calgary. Had the Flames went on to lose by that score and the Caps not pump another 2 goals (one being a penalty shot by David Steckel) past them, this might be a bigger story. That being said, getting burned for 12 goals in two games isn't good for anyone.
I'll mail in the next two games, I didn't watch them and I don't know what happened enough to talk about it..
Devils 1 Kings 3
Oh look! NJ lost the game and Parise. Kovalchuk was also booed all night by Kings fans.
Ducks 2 Sharks 5
Thorton-Marleau-Heatley. Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan now can we all move on. Hit up Battle of California, I'm sure they'll be all over this one.
Good god it's finally over..Still editing the podcast by the way..
- Jaye
Leafs 0 Rangers 2
Just by looking at the score, you would say this game was won by Henrik Lundqvist. But we can credit the Rangers with blocking 35 shots tonight. Only 19 got to King Henrik. Penalty Shot number one of the night went to Ryan Callahan.
Canadiens 1 Panthers 3
In our second of 4 penalty shots, David Booth went dang dang GOAL on Carey Price.
Senators 0 Bruins 2
Second shut out of the night, Tim Thomas once again...(what's that..sorry, Jordan is yelling .984 SV%) stole the show for the B's.
Islanders 1 Flyers 6
The fact that the Isles basically rolled over and died in this one is secondary to the rough stuff that went on in the game. Dan Carcilo ALONE got 22 minutes in penalties. (Matt from DGS just squealed with joy) The cross check delivered by the stick of Daniel Briere to the head of Frans Nielsen (who netted Penalty Shot # 3 of the night) and will most definitely get looked at by Colli Campbell and his Wheel of Justice™. Best part was when Rick Dipietro tried to fight Pronger, Carcillo and Mike Richards.
Hurricanes 0 Penguins 3
No Evgeni Malkin? no problem. Pascal Dupuis netted two and Mad Max Talbot scored his first of the year as the Pens cruised by the Canes. Shut out number 3 of the night by Brent Johnson.
Predators 2 Red Wings 5
The Wings knocked their high flying division foes down a notch thanks to two goals from Pavel Datsyuk.
Thrashers 3 Blues 4
Had Jaroslav Halak's shut out streak gone another 25 mintues, he would have set a franchise record. (still held by Greg Millen) The Blues are still hot though, as T.J Oshie kept them winning by potting one in the shoot out.
Wild 1 Blackhawks 3
After getting torched 7-4 by the Oilers the night before, The Hawks came out and took care of business against the Wild.
Sabres 0 Stars 4
SO # 4 tonight. Andrew Raycroft in typical World-Beating form as Dallas' special teams were clicking tonight. 2 ppgs and one SHG.
Blue Jackets 1 Avalanche 5
Adrian Dater of the Denver Post called it a 'rare easy win' and based on the last two one goal games the Avs have had to slug through, they'll take this one. Just one thing I'd like to point out..
Coyotes 0 Lightning 3
8,171. The number of people who bothered to come out to Glendale to watch one of the most exciting teams this young NHL season WITH the leagues points leader (as seen above) in Stevie Stamkos. Dan Ellis recorded shutout #4 of the evening.
Flames 2 Capitals 7 (yes, SEVEN)
The Flames were up 2-0 in this game, they could have put their foots on the throats of the Caps, but this is Calgary..and these are the Capitals. Did we mention Alex Ovechkin popped in 2 goals in 12 seconds to put the Caps ahead 3-2. Then this Happened (stick tap to the boys at Puck Daddy)
I feel for Sarich, being a former Saskatoon Blade, he was the one WHLer that I 'saw good' during my youth in Saskatoon. Guy has a cup ring..shame he's sucked in Calgary. Had the Flames went on to lose by that score and the Caps not pump another 2 goals (one being a penalty shot by David Steckel) past them, this might be a bigger story. That being said, getting burned for 12 goals in two games isn't good for anyone.
I'll mail in the next two games, I didn't watch them and I don't know what happened enough to talk about it..
Devils 1 Kings 3
Oh look! NJ lost the game and Parise. Kovalchuk was also booed all night by Kings fans.
Ducks 2 Sharks 5
Thorton-Marleau-Heatley. Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan now can we all move on. Hit up Battle of California, I'm sure they'll be all over this one.
Good god it's finally over..Still editing the podcast by the way..
- Jaye
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