tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85287372516878260122024-03-12T19:11:08.969-06:00WBHockeyTalkA place where I can blurb about all of my thoughts, rants, and opinions of the game of hockey to the web.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-79408556598773503632013-10-19T20:20:00.001-06:002013-10-19T20:20:49.913-06:00Saturday Power Ranking - Oct 19<br />
Hey everybody, here is my 2nd version of my weekly power rankings. There isn't too much change since last week, but with a full week's worth of action to look at, lets see where everyone is:<br />
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1. San Jose Sharks (6-0-1) - Last Week: 1<br />
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Still no regulation loss, still the most goals in the league, still #1 on my ranking.<br />
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2. Colorado Avalanche (6-1-0) - Last Week: 2<br />
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With only one loss so far this year, to a Detroit team that is quickly rising, the Avs still look like a legitimate team.<br />
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3. Pittsburgh Penguins (4-1-0) - Last Week: 4<br />
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Only one loss this season, and the best goal differential besides San Jose. Crosby has been on fire, which is great news for the Penguins.<br />
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4. Anaheim Ducks (6-1-0) - Last Week: 11<br />
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They've allowed the least amount of goals this season, and have been able to shut teams down with their defence while using their scoring depth to win games. If the Sharks aren't careful, the Ducks will have a chance to contend for the Pacific division title.<br />
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5. St. Louis Blues (5-1-1) - Last Week: 5<br />
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Right on the heels of the Avalanche, St. Louis' defence-first game is paying off in wins for the team. It also helps when depth players are giving lots of offence to help close out games.<br />
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6. Detroit Red Wings (6-2-0) - Last Week: 20<br />
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Since last week, they've found the offence that has been absent from the team's best players. The line of Alfie-Datsyuk-Zetterburg seems too deadly for most teams to handle.<br />
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7. Toronto Maple Leafs (6-2-0) - Last Week: 3<br />
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Tied with their division-rivals and Winter Classic opponents in Detroit, they've been able to put up great offensive numbers, despite being heavily outshot in the last few games. It's a good thing their goalies have played well, their defencemen sure haven't helped.<br />
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8. Chicago Blackhawks (4-1-2) - Last Week: 10<br />
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Most of their games have been close, and they still haven't had as good of a season as some of the teams below, but they've been playing well and getting offence from every part of the lineup. It wont take much for this team to shoot up the rankings if they start finishing their games.<br />
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9. Montreal Canadiens (5-2-0) - Last Week: 19<br />
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After a pretty miserable start, they've won 4 straight, and are looking like they could compete with Toronto and Detroit for the Atlantic division lead. <br />
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10. Tampa Bay Lightning (5-2-0) - Last Week: 6<br />
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Along with Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, and Boston, Tampa Bay is proving why the Atlantic Division will be the the toughest division to win. As expected, most of their offence has come from Stamkos-St. Louis, and their goaltending has been good, but slightly worse than Montreal, so thats why they've sank a bit.<br />
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11. Vancouver Canucks (5-3-1) - Last Week: 16<br />
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While they've been getting the job done for offence, they've been allowing too many goals to be a dominant force in the Pacific division, especially with teams like San Jose and Anaheim who are playing like champions right now. Luongo has had great nights, and poor nights, and needs to find consistency for this team to do well.<br />
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12. Calgary Flames (3-1-2) - Last Week: 7<br />
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Calgary only played one game since the last ranking, a close loss to Anaheim. They shown that they can compete with the tough teams in the division, but goaltending consistency from their unproven netminders is important if they want to stay afloat this year. Tonight's game against San Jose will be a real test of their ability.<br />
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13. Carolina Hurricanes (3-2-3) - Last Week: 12<br />
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They aren't exactly doing well, but they're the 2nd best team in a relatively weak Metropolitan division. Their future franchise player Jeff Skinner is finally playing to expectations, which is great news for the 'Canes.<br />
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14. Boston Bruins (4-2-0) - Last Week: 8<br />
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They're ranking probably takes a hit from not playing as many games as the other Atlantic teams, but they've played well and will be a tough team to play against. Their physical style will be hard for some of the smaller, quicker teams like Toronto and Detroit to compete against.<br />
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15. New York Islanders (3-2-2) - Last Week: 15<br />
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They are still getting the scoring from their big 5 guys mentioned last week, but goaltending is still a huge question mark for this team. Regardless, the Islanders are one of the hardest teams to play at their home barn this year, giving their fans something good to watch before their eventual move to Brooklyn.<br />
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16. Ottawa Senators (3-3-2) - Last Week: 13<br />
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So far on the outside-looking-in for a divisional playoff spot, but they're able to stay close despite not getting enough secondary scoring to support this team in the long run. Either Spezza and Ryan have to carry this team, or their 3rd and 4th lines (a constant revolving door) needs to start scoring.<br />
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17. Phoenix Coyotes (4-2-2) - Last Week: 17<br />
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The good news is that they haven't lost a regulation game this week. The bad news is that they aren't getting enough offence to be able to finish games off in the win column.<br />
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18. Los Angeles Kings (5-3-0) - Last Week: 18<br />
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Same problem as Phoenix, they play too many close games that they can't finish off. Despite having a winning record and allowing a small amount of goals, they've scored even less themselves, which means they can't find the offence to win those close games.<br />
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19. Minnesota Wild (3-3-2) - Last Week: 23<br />
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They were 2-2 last week, and kept pace with the Jets. The Wild still get the better rank because they've had some great goaltending so far despite the injury troubles they've had to deal with.<br />
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20. Winnipeg Jets (4-4-0) - Last Week: 24<br />
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While they haven't made a huge jump in the ranking, they were able to keep pace with their rival Minnesota, and pass a Dallas team that looked very solid at the start of the season. Hope is far from lost on this team.<br />
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21. Nashville Predators (3-3-1) - Last Week: 26<br />
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At 2-0-1 last week (and currently leading the Montreal Canadiens), they're looking better than how they started, and are helping to create a mess of things in the Central division. Seth Jones is making sure everyone knows he belongs in the league.<br />
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22. Dallas Stars (3-3-0) - Last Week: 9<br />
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While we're talking about the Central division (since the bottom of the Eastern conference is really weak so far), Dallas has dropped down quite a bit in my rankings, ending up at the bottom of the division. It says quite a bit about the division when the worst team is playing .500 hockey.<br />
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23. Washington Capitals (2-5-0) - Last Week: 25<br />
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It was really hard choosing who deserves to be the best out of the rest of the teams, because the rest of the teams from here on out have really sucked. Washington gets the nod for 23rd because Ovechkin is actually playing, and they at least won a game last week, which is more than most of the other teams can say.<br />
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24. Columbus Blue Jackets (2-4-0) - Last Week: 14<br />
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Columbus goes next, even though they lost 3 straight, because they've at least kept games close. They haven't played well by any means, but they still look like a competitive team in the weak Metropolitan division.<br />
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25. New York Rangers (2-4-0) - Last Week: 28<br />
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It hurts me to put the Rangers up this high, because they've been nothing but terrible. But they won last week, have yet to play a home game, and started the year against some really tough opponents, so they get a little bit of a pass this week.<br />
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26. New Jersey Devils (0-4-3) - Last Week: 21<br />
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Even though they haven't won a game yet (but looks like they will tonight), their goaltending has been fairly decent, and they appear to be competing in most games, just catching most of the unlucky breaks. Their biggest problem is scoring, or lack thereof.<br />
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27. Edmonton Oilers (2-6-1) - Last Week: 27<br />
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I'll finally get to the Oilers, who appear to have given up on Dubnyk by igniting some early-season trade rumours. Yakupov is under the same microscope. If the team doesn't turn around, then the Oilers might be losing some key players as they try to retool and figure out what is stalling this team's success.<br />
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30*. Florida Panthers (2-6-0) - Last Week: 22<br />
30*. Philadelphia Flyers (1-7-0) - Last Week: 29<br />
30*. Buffalo Sabres (1-7-1) - Last Week: 30<br />
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The reality is, none of these three teams deserve any distinction better than worst, so they're I'll make them tied for the worst rank this week. All 3 teams have really struggled, having troubles scoring and letting in tons of goals. Florida has one extra win, and has scored more goals, but have been embarrassing defensively with allowing 31 goals. Only Edmonton has allowed more, but they have 4 more goals than the Flyers and Sabres combined. Overall, its looking like a long season for these 3 clubs.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-893385814445238372013-10-18T19:49:00.001-06:002013-10-18T19:49:43.084-06:00Lethbridge College, More BNG, and A Few Other ThoughtsSo, it's been almost a long week without a single post, that's not good. My life has been pretty busy as of late, and it can't be helped, but I really want to thank you guys for reading my blog still and keeping the blog alive.<br />
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First, I wanna show off a few concepts I've made during the week:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shvV211UXNw/UmHTcDmCLxI/AAAAAAAAAuY/wRg-mH4g6gQ/s1600/LethbridgeCollege.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-shvV211UXNw/UmHTcDmCLxI/AAAAAAAAAuY/wRg-mH4g6gQ/s400/LethbridgeCollege.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's one I made for my current school, Lethbridge College. The Kodiaks do not have a hockey team repping the school yet, but with their athletics logo and wordmark logo elements making up this jersey, as well as a classic looking 3rd jersey, I would be pretty happy if these jerseys were used.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Mb1RPowaMk/UmHTeFiAdFI/AAAAAAAAAug/4OJMmn8Mfqk/s1600/IsraelConcept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Mb1RPowaMk/UmHTeFiAdFI/AAAAAAAAAug/4OJMmn8Mfqk/s400/IsraelConcept.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was done for a contest at HJC, making jerseys for the bottom 10 teams in the IIHF World Rankings. I chose Israel simply because I had this design in my head already, and while it's a simplistic design, I still like how it turned out.</div>
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While I'm talking about some concepts, let's take a look at some more designs sent in from Ricky at Buffalo Nickel Graphics:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WNrr6Xt0ejQ/UmHUt7ySzUI/AAAAAAAAAu4/lw2Y3FgJqcs/s1600/COLmodFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WNrr6Xt0ejQ/UmHUt7ySzUI/AAAAAAAAAu4/lw2Y3FgJqcs/s400/COLmodFinal.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is (I assume) a Colorado Avalanche redo. The logos are really cool, and it does relate to mountainous terrain for sure, but I'm not sure how 'Avalanchey' these logos are. The dog paw with the 'A' looks really good as a logo, but I thought at first it was for an Arizona logo (Future Arizona Coyotes logo? Could work). The jerseys are nice and modern, yet keep the Avalanche look. The 3rd logo is decent, but the one-armed design is what I like most about the jersey. It looks really cool in Colorado colours. Overall, not convinced that the logos do the job, but its a cool design.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xu53R3J4EX0/UmHUsu77uUI/AAAAAAAAAuw/EtGBQR7cMp4/s1600/Hawai'ianDucksModernFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xu53R3J4EX0/UmHUsu77uUI/AAAAAAAAAuw/EtGBQR7cMp4/s400/Hawai'ianDucksModernFinal.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oh my goodness. As god awful as this would look on the ice, this looks like a fantastic ECHL specialty-jersey design. From a design standpoint, the lettering and numbers is hard to notice, especially the front number. This could never pass as an on-ice jersey, but if I seen a t-shirt like this, I'd probably buy it. Aloha Anaheim!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w05lGWIyoOg/UmHUsElyTWI/AAAAAAAAAuo/_nX8Z1zzTMM/s1600/Indigenous2014Final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w05lGWIyoOg/UmHUsElyTWI/AAAAAAAAAuo/_nX8Z1zzTMM/s400/Indigenous2014Final.png" width="301" /></a></div>
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I don't have much to go on here, and I'd love input if anyone has more to add here, but to my knowledge this is for the Indigenous Round of the AFL, Aussie Rules Football. It's a celebration of the native cultures of Australia, and some of the foundations of what created the game that connects most Australians together. I know less about this sport than probably any other semi-major sport in the world, especially from a design standpoint. But the artwork of the jersey, and how its blended with the jersey, is absolutely beautiful. This sort of artwork is similar to how Team Canada designed their Olympic logo, which was a hit amongst Canadians.</div>
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And there are a few more of Ricky's concepts coming hopefully in the next couple of days, so stay tuned for that.</div>
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Is it troubling anybody of how many suspensions have been handed out so far this season? Not like I'm complaining about the suspensions, but the high amount of suspend-able offences committed. 5 during the season, 7 during pre-season. Most of those were hits to the head or checks from behind. </div>
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I like how the league is handling these incidents. There are no small 1 or 2 game penalties, with some 5 and 10 game sentences being handed out. Pretty tough, but good for the league in the long run.</div>
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In a very tragic incident in the USHL, a player lost his helmet during a fight, and fell with his head hitting the ice. He started going into convulsions right on the ice, and had to be sent to hospital, where he is still recovering. He will likely make a full recovery.</div>
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But while this was a tragic event, this will of course bring back the debate of fighting in hockey. With occurrences such as this, or with George Parros earlier this year, the water cooler talk is at an all-time high on the issue.</div>
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I've always said that fighting needs to be in hockey, and until it's removed at the NHL level, it will not and should not be removed at the junior level. Injuries like this are unfortunately not new, but seem to be getting more and more exposure to the problem of concussions in hockey and the problems caused by fighting. </div>
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Is the game any safer without fighting? That is a very important question, which I think I'd still say no to. Things like this are going to happen with fighting or not As I write this, Trouba from the Jets got sent off on a stretcher. He wasn't fighting, he wasn't hit, he just lost his footing and hit the boards hard.</div>
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Fighting has a risk, of course. And I think I could support a move to <b>limit </b>fighting, such as a game misconduct after a fight, or additional penalties if the fight was deemed to have no meaning (Laraque's "Good luck" fight), or was overly aggressive (John Scott's attack on Kessel). But removing fighting all together will not be the answer, as more players will aim for dirty hits without the consequence of being stood up by one of the other team's tough guys. </div>
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Fighting give the game accountability, and while it has an injury risk itself, it keeps the game safe from the Torres', Cooke's, and Kaleta's of the league. You can suspend them, but will that make them learn any more than having to stand up for themselves? Have you ever seen Cooke, Torres, or Kaleta fight? Cooke fights players like Kovalchuk, Callahan, and E. Kane. That's a weak fight card. If Scott Stevens got a hold of Cooke, do you think that could change him? I think it would.</div>
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Overall, I think there should be less fighting, particularly "staged" fighting. But I don't think I would like the NHL's direction if they decide to remove fighting all together. Fighting is both a safety risk and a safety device, but a perfect balance needs to be needed, or else it could be the game itself being removed on a stretcher.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-3402984527240451952013-10-12T20:17:00.000-06:002013-10-12T20:17:13.639-06:00Saturday Power Ranking - Oct 12Alright, so I decided to finally make a regular recurring segment in my blog (not including my Nike rants, which unfortunately probably wont go away).<br />
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I decided on Saturday, I will give my NHL Power Rankings of the teams so far. Not much more explanation needed, so lets go!<br />
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1. San Jose Sharks (4-0-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They've been the biggest fish in the sea so far this year (pun very much intended). With a goal differential of 21 Goals For to 5 Goals Against, they've just been hamming teams they play. A good portion of those goals have been scored by Tomas Mutant Ninja Hertl, the 19 year old rookie who's been plastered on every highlight reel package for the last few days. Beyond Hertl, everyone else has been showing that this is a very hard team to compete against.<br />
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2. Colorado Avalanche (4-0-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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While they've haven't scored as much as San Jose, they've only allowed 3 goals in 4 games to open the season. The Avs, led by rookie coach Patrick Roy, have been a defensive juggernaut, while getting it done offensively as well. This team will be dangerous to play this season.<br />
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3. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They're only blip this season was against the Avalanche, and have otherwise been perfect so far. Bernier has made himself the prime starter in net, but there's a long way to go before the goalie duel can be certainly put to rest. Bernier has played great, and Toronto has been getting the offence they need to win tight games.<br />
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4. Pittsburgh Penguins (3-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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After everyone (including myself) doubting the Penguins after last season, especially goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens have been off to a great start. Fleury holds a .963 save%, and their only loss was when their backup goaltender Zatkoff was lit up for 6 goals. Everything has been clicking so far, so the doubters can start believing again.<br />
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5. St. Louis Blues (3-0-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Halak has seen all of the ice time in the Blues' net so far, and has allowed only 4 goals in 3 games this season. St. Louis is a very strong defensive team, with great goaltending to back them up. They may not be the strongest offensively, but they're apt to find the back of the net before anyone can get past their defence. <br />
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6. Tampa Bay Lightning (3-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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While goaltending is still an issue, the fiery offence of the Lighting, anchored by duo Stamkos and St. Louis, are getting the job done in the other teams' zone. If their young goalies can step up their game, then the Lightning can be a legitimate contender in a tough Atlantic division.<br />
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7. Calgary Flames (3-0-2) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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While they have more loses then a few of the teams below them, both of those came in OT. One of only 5 teams to not lose a game yet in regulation, they've defied the low expectations put on them and have been dominant so far with their young troop. Monahan is looking like the future face of this franchise already, putting up extremely good numbers for someone just celebrating their 19th birthday.<br />
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8. Boston Bruins (2-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Despite the team's relatively new look to it, they've transitioned well and have taken out divisional foes Detroit and Tampa so far in impressive fashion. This will be a contending team this year for sure.<br />
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9. Dallas Stars (2-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Even though they're looking up at Chicago right now in the standings, everyone in the Dallas organization has to be impressed with how the team is shaping up so far. Benn and Seguin have been performing to their high expectations, and the goaltending has been great so far.<br />
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10. Chicago Blackhawks (2-1-1) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Chicago hasn't been as impressive as a top 10 team should be, but considering the championship pedigree of the team, remaining almost entirely intact since last season, its hard to ever count them out from being a cup contender again this season.<br />
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11. Anaheim Ducks (3-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Most of their games have been pretty close games, and their offence doesn't appear to be firing on all cylinders yet. But they've been getting the job done, winning all of their games so far besides the one loss against still-undefeated Colorado.<br />
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12. Carolina Hurricanes (2-1-2) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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The goaltending duo of Ward and Khudobin have been keeping the Hurricanes afloat in the seemingly-weak Metropolitan division. None of the perennial powerhouses are doing well, so Carolina has a chance this year to sneak themselves into a playoff spot.<br />
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13. Ottawa Senators (1-0-2) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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The only team in the Eastern Conference not to lose a regulation game. Unfortunately, the've still lost more than they've won. With Spezza coming back from an injury, maybe Ottawa can continue their unbeaten streak for a little longer and climb up the Atlantic standings.<br />
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14. Columbus Blue Jackets (2-1-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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With Gaborik playing as well as expected, help from secondary scoring, and Bobrovski playing good (maybe not great) so far, Columbus is proving that they can play with the tough teams of the East.<br />
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15. New York Islanders (2-1-1) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Right in the thick of things with Columbus and Carolina are the Islanders. Their goaltending can be better from Nabokov, and they could use some secondary scoring, but they're getting plenty of offence from Tavares, Grabner, Bailey and Nielsen.<br />
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16. Vancouver Canucks (3-2-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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While their goaltending seems as spotty as ever, there is no denying that they are offensively on track so far this season. If Luongo can start playing a bit more consistent, and Tortz can give the team a more defensive attitude, then they might be able to make a run this year.<br />
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17. Phoenix Coyotes (3-2-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They have an identical record to both Vancouver and Los Angeles, but their wins came against easy opponents, and their losses were against teams they should have beat. Lots to prove left on this team, but there is hope to make the playoffs yet.<br />
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18. Los Angeles Kings (3-2-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Again, as noted above, they have the same record as divisional rivals Phoenix and Vancouver. But the Kings have had a much easier schedule than both teams, and have had a hard time pulling off wins. Quick needs to play a bit better, and then they will be back to an elite team.<br />
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19. Montreal Canadiens (2-2-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They didn't get the start that they would have liked, but the team isn't doing bad so far. They're getting lots of offensive production from their young players, which is a good sign. If Price can find his form, you'll see their rank improve greatly.<br />
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20. Detroit Red Wings (2-2-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They've had the same start as divisional foe Montreal, but while Howard is helping the team keep up defensively, the strong offence Detroit should have isn't there. Zetterburg, Datsyuk, Alfredsson, and Kronwall should be putting up better numbers to help the offence than they are, and that's why they're far down this list.<br />
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21. New Jersey Devils (0-2-3) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Technically, they're one of only 2 teams in the league left without a win yet this season. Why are they ahead of 9 other teams then? There schedule has been tough so far, and every game they've played so far has been a 1-goal game, besides a 3-0 loss to the very respectable Penguins. Their goaltending has been solid, and they still have a team that can take them far this year if they can turn things around. This is one of the only instances where the record doesn't necessarily reflect the team's performance.<br />
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22. Florida Panthers (2-3-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Well their goaltending situation is a big ugly mess, even with Tim Thomas, but hope isn't lost on the Panthers just yet. They only have 2 wins so far, and got thumped by Tampa Bay, but they also just had a very impressive victory over the Penguins. No one else can say that yet. They're putting up good offensive numbers, they just have to figure out who deserves to be in net, or find someone who does.<br />
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23. Minnesota Wild (1-1-2) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Its hard to see where the Wild are sitting. They only have 1 win, to the lowly Jets, but their losses have all come by 1-goal games. They're staying in games, which is a good sign. Healthy goaltenders and more offence is needed for this team to be successful.<br />
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24. Winnipeg Jets (2-3-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Speaking of the Jets, they're parked right behind the Wild for my ranking. They had a good start to the season, but then lost 3 straight. The games have all been close besides their last one, a 4-1 loss to Seguin and the Stars. This is still a team on the outside looking in, but they've had a decent start to the season.<br />
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25. Washington Capitals (1-3-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They haven't exactly played solid hockey so far this season, but Ovechkin is firing on all cylinders, which is a very good sign. Once he started doing that last season, the Caps went from 15th to 3rd* in the East, very impressive.<br />
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26. Nashville Predators (1-3-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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Their best player so far has probably been Seth Jones, which says a lot good about Jones, but a lot bad about the rest of the team. They're still in the thick of things in the Central division, and Nashville is a team you can never count out.<br />
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27. Edmonton Oilers (1-3-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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While their goaltending has been bad so far, they've been doing well on offence. Almost everyone has contributed, besides surprisingly Nail Yakupov, who is without a point in 4 games this season. <br />
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28. New York Rangers (1-3-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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They've been embarrassing over the last few games, being outscored 15-2 combined against San Jose and Anaheim. Tomas Hertl has as many goals this season as the New York Rangers, 4 of his goals coming against the Rangers. AV isn't looking to hot behind the bench right now...<br />
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29. Philadelphia Flyers (1-4-0) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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But AV is doing better than coach Peter Laviolette, who was fired after losing the Flyers' first 3 games of the season. Holmgren isn't impressed with his team's performance, his team and fans aren't impressed with him, and nobody is impressed by Giroux, who hasn't found the scoresheet yet.<br />
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30. Buffalo Sabres (0-4-1) - Last Week: N/A<br />
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But alas, even the Flyers' managerial and coaching incompetence can't compete with Buffalo for worst in my power ranking this week. Miller hasn't played bad, but only 6 players have a point so far, only 3 players have more than 1 point, and only Hodgson and Vanek seem to be carrying the offence with 4 points each in 6 games. All but 1 of those 6 players have a negative +/- rating, which means even though their scoring, they're hurting the team more than the players who haven't even gotten a point yet. Hopefully you kept up with all of that number jumping, but it all points towards an awful start and what could be a long season.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-22896087278156436402013-10-10T15:24:00.000-06:002013-10-10T15:24:49.066-06:00Some Reviews Talk, And More From BNGHey guys, I finally have a day where I'm not at the college until awful hours of the night/morning, so I can get some time in to do a post.<br />
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First, just a heads up: I had my weekly jersey review post on HockeyJerseyConcepts.com today. I had a few really good concepts to look at today. If you'd like to take a quick look at my HJC post today, you can go to <a href="http://www.hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/2013/10/thursday-czech-these-jerseys-out.html">http://www.hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/2013/10/thursday-czech-these-jerseys-out.html</a></div>
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As mentioned a while ago, designer and friend-of-the-blog Ricky from <a href="http://www.rmconcepts.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Buffalo Nickel Graphics</a> wanted to get some of his hockey and non-hockey related work displayed on the site.</div>
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Today I'm going to post a handful of his concepts, and maybe some more in the near future. Lets have a look.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qx_-Z3n6fQk/UlcS_UAtC5I/AAAAAAAAArM/Cc_BnLFj6kc/s1600/BankersLifePacers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qx_-Z3n6fQk/UlcS_UAtC5I/AAAAAAAAArM/Cc_BnLFj6kc/s400/BankersLifePacers.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a court design for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. I really don't know much about what goes into court design, but this looks really cool. I've always liked courts that have a darker finish to them, which this design has outside of the 3-point zone. The current design for this year is much lighter and more plain, with less space taken up for advertising than Ricky's design, thats why I like Ricky's more. There is more going on with his design, and it's better to look at. The text at the ends of the court is a really nice touch. Simply put, I like it.</div>
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Next Ricky tries to give the Bruins new aesthetic life by turning their 3rd jersey into their main jersey. It looks nice, and translates well into a regular set. Its different, but it still looks like a Bruins jersey. The execution is almost perfect, besides the TV numbers looking way too large. And with some teams having yellow home jerseys or 3rds, the yellow road jersey might not work against all teams. But overall, it's a very nice look.</div>
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Had to do a small bit of research, but this is a set belonging to the Buffalo Destroyers of the Arena Football League. They had a very plain jersey style, and only had one style of helmet for their whole set (this is at least the case for their last incarnation, the Columbus Destroyers of 2008, anything before that is a mystery to me). Here, Ricky has a really psychedelic jersey with 3 different helmet combos. I'd have so that that the dark blue helmet seems to fit the best, but the others fit well as a retro helmet. The jersey itself has a really cool design, and while I don't think it's a look that belongs in the NFL, it's a really cool look for the AFL. The pants are pretty wacky though, something that either Norwegian curlers or golfer John Daly should wear.</div>
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Here's a jersey for the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. They've changed from being a primarily orange team to being a primarily navy blue team the last few seasons, but I think they should have stuck with orange. This looks like a great, clean basketball jersey, and I like the stripes on the shorts. If I were to change anything, it would be just making the name and "Charlotte" wordmark the same colour. It just looks strange having only one piece of white text and the rest being blue, but thats just me.<br />
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Lastly for today, we have a concept for the Colorado Mammoth of the NLL. I love this design. Starting with the white jersey, everything about the jersey seems in place, unique, and true to Colorado. The dark jersey of the set is almost perfect, but I'm curious why you changed the mountains to grey. There is one tiny speck of grey on the logo, and nowhere else on the jersey. I think it would look just as good if the mountains were left black with white highlights. The 3rd jersey is really cool. Clean and straight up. I assume it reads "Colorado" on the one arm, which is cool. This is an awesome set and I'd love to see something like this worn by the Mammoth. This could actually look like a cool Avalanche jersey as well if you swapped the logo and a few colours around. This jersey just screams "Colorado" and thats great.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-78776918103549982982013-10-08T21:00:00.000-06:002013-10-08T21:00:26.196-06:00Nike, STAAAAHP! (Part 3)I'm not sure, should I go into my discussion of the current season so far, my hockey pool "success", my latest jersey design review, Tim Thomas's performance, some hockey card talk...<br />
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Wait, they officially unveiled Canada and Czech Republic's Olympic jerseys? I must have a look!<br />
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And what do you know, they surely look like Nike's work. Not for the better either.<br />
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Let's start with Canada's jerseys. It was leaked a while ago, and I had a post (Part 2 of this tragic tale) already written about it, but I'll go again since there is much more to see.<br />
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(images from BCLocalNews.com)<br />
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Complete with faux-laces, shoulder decorations, asymmetrical patters and a very plain look, this looks to be about what everyone was expecting. Its my favourite set of the ones released by far, as this looks like a 1920's European take on a hockey jersey. At least it's meant to look like a hockey jersey. I don't like how plain the jersey it, but it screams national pride, which is good. The black, gold and red 3rd jersey is interesting. I'm not sure if I like how its just chest stripes and text, something a kid with MS Paint could make. And it seems flamboyant making a jersey gold to show the countries expectations for the tournament. You don't see Slovenia with a sublimated 12th place ribbon on their jersey (mind you, I shouldn't speak too soon on that, we haven't seen their jerseys yet). It's just weird seeing a black and gold Canada jersey. But overall, it's my favourite so far.<br />
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And it wont face competition from this next set:<br />
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Yikes.</div>
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Of course, they have the faux-laces and the Nike mark on the side, so it looks true to Nike's form so far. The arms are bare, the dark uniform isn't exactly all dark, the white jersey's striping looks like it belongs on a soccer uni, etc. etc. The only thing missing is the decorations on the shoulders, which is probably good. There's nothing flamboyant about the white jersey. It's a very plain, simple jersey with weird shoulders that make it look like a vintage soccer jersey. Thats cool I guess, that's what the Americans (and somewhat the Canadians) have so far. But then we get to the "dark" jersey. Half of it is white, which a) doesn't make it a good dark jersey, and b) although we can't see it now, does that mean the numbers are going to be different colours? That's not a good look for anybody. Plus is it that bad of a thing to have your crest closer to the middle of the jersey? All of these jerseys besides Canada's have the crest in a funky spot, leaving the bottom bare of making the uniform feel unbalanced. It just looks weird. Carolina did it to their jerseys this year:</div>
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(image from sportslogos.net)</div>
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I may have said this already, but while I have this jersey here: this is a plain, Team Canada bargain store rip-off jersey, with traditional laces for a non-traditional team, black on the numbers and logo and NONE on the jersey itself, and of course, a logo that is slightly raised. Some of the leaks I've seen had the logo looking even higher. But anyways, just wanted to bring this along as an example.<br />
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My biggest problem with the jersey: what if the Czechs play the Russians, and the Russians wear their "white" jersey while the Czechs wear their "dark" jersey?<br />
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Oh those Russians...<br />
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Seriously though, this is going to be so painful to look at (much like my pixelly version of the Czech jersey here, apologies). If you see two of these guys go into the boards, how can you tell where one player starts and one ends? I'm highly surprised the IOC or IIHF hasn't shut this jersey down for the same reason. There is a reason why most dark jersey have between 0 and <30% white on them.<br />
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That's my rant for the day. My final verdict is that the Czech jersey is just plain crazy, and the Canadian jersey isn't great, but good considering my expectations with Nike at this point. What do you think about these jerseys?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-79792237902179059392013-10-05T16:52:00.000-06:002013-10-05T16:52:16.086-06:00Thoughts On The First Few DaysHey gang, I'm back. It's been a bit of a long week for me, so I haven't been able to update the blog like I would have liked too. Here's a few little notes from the first few days of the season:<br />
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Patrick Roy made his coaching debut in a big way, coaching the Avs to a 2-0 start, and possibly beginning a new divisional rivalry with the Ducks by means of Roy acting like classic Roy.</div>
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Did he deserve a $10000 fine for his tantrum? Of course he did. It's fine until you start tearing down the arena. But I'm sure it was a fine well worth it, as it helps fire up his young team. He drives his players hard at practice, and shows just as much passion for the game as he did during his playing days. That's something the young players like MacKinnon and Landeskog can get inspired by.</div>
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Its hard to say whether this experiment in Colorado is successful or not yet, but surely its off to a great start.</div>
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I'm winning my hockey pool on Facebook so far, because Ovechkin has been performing like I thought he would. 5 points in 2 games? Thats hardly even fair!</div>
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Radem Vrbata, a 32 year old vet playing for Phoenix with a career plagued with injury, has started this season with a hat-trick. He's always flown under the radar because of his injuries, but this is a great sign for the Coyotes.</div>
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Toronto started 2-0, thanks to a great start by both Reimer and Bernier. Bernier had the better game of the two, but both kept their team in their respective games. This is definitely a goaltending controversy Toronto likes to have. If they both can play solid hockey, look for a season similar to St. Louis' goalie tandem a few years ago. Exciting time to be a Maple Leafs fan.</div>
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And staying in Toronto, can there be anyone left who isn't a Mason Raymond fan? He went from being unsure if he'd be on a pro lineup this season, to working his way onto the Leafs, to being one of their best players so far. Gotta love it.</div>
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It sounds like the plan for Teemu Selanne is that he's going to sit at least once for every back-to-back game this season. If healthy, that gives him a 70 game season max. It's kinda sad to see that happen, but its an obvious sign that he can't keep up with the game full-time anymore. Hopefully as the season continues, he can prove everyone, including Father Time, wrong.</div>
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And finally, I had my HJC blog post on Thursday go live without a hitch. Lots of good, interesting concepts on there. If you'd like to see, go here: <a href="http://www.hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/2013/10/thursday-puck-drop.html">http://www.hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/2013/10/thursday-puck-drop.html</a></div>
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Thats all I got today. Being the first HNIC Saturday of the season, you can bet I'll be watching lots of hockey tonight. Hope you all have a good night, and thanks for reading!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-7544858407273203272013-09-29T13:23:00.000-06:002013-09-29T13:25:47.783-06:00Canada vs. CanadaSo my good friend and hockey fan Vanessa and I were discussing the Olympics and some of the Canadian players who were left out, when she made the suggestion that Canada should have two teams.<br />
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Wouldn't that be interesting? If Canada sent their "2nd" team to the Olympics, how would they fare? Could they possibly be just as competitive in the tournament as Canada1? And perhaps the best question, who would be on it?<br />
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Well I'm about to tackle that question, and propose the possible lineup for Canada2. To make it interesting, I'll only name players that were NOT at Canada's evaluation camp. So the bubble players and outsiders on that roster wont be featured on this team either. I'll also recap who was on the main evaluation roster as we go. And I'll name enough players to fill the lineup with one or two bubble players, but not as many as the camp, so this will pretty much be the game-day lineup. <br />
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So first, we'll start with the goalies.<br />
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<u>Goalies</u><br />
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<u>Canada1 Goalies</u><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Corey Crawford (Chicago)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Braden Holtby (Washington)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Roberto Luongo (Vancouver)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Carey Price (Montreal)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Mike Smith (Phoenix)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d1d1d; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Canada2 Goalies</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Martin Brodeur (New Jersey)</b> - This one is probably the most obvious. Despite his age, and downgrading of skill, he has more than earned at least a chance to make the roster.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>James Reimer (Toronto)</b> - As I said in my Gold Or Bust post awhile back, I think he would have been a dark horse to make the team, but he deserved at least a chance. Despite being on some poor Maple Leaf teams before last season, and being plagued by injury, he's posted great numbers for Toronto. He also played great at the 2011 World's. I think he could make this team.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Jake Allen (St. Louis)</b> - This is were I'm probably going to lose some people. There are plenty more experienced goalies, and more dependable. Allen probably wont be in the NHL at the start of the season, even though he has so far outplayed Elliot and Halak. But because of his recent international experience and just playing like a skilled vet so far in his NHL career, I think he could be my bubble goalie, much like Holtby for Canada1.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d1d1d;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Canada1 Defence</u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Karl Alzner (Washington)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Dan Boyle (San Jose)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Drew Doughty (Los Angeles)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Mike Green (Washington)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Travis Hamonic (NY Islanders)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Duncan Keith (Chicago)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Kris Letang (Pittsburgh)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Marc Methot (Ottawa)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Dion Phaneuf (Toronto)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Brent Seabrook (Chicago)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Marc Staal (NY Rangers)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">P.K. Subban (Montreal)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose)</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Shea Weber (Nashville)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Note: I forgot how many D they took to camp. Judging by how thin the defence is getting by the end of this list, this is probably where Canada2 will suffer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Canada2 Defence</u></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Cody Franson (Toronto)</b> - 3rd in D-men points last season is probably a good place to start for our defencemen roster. Young player with lots of upside.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Francois Beauchemin (Anaheim)</b> - He's been a solid member of Anaheim and Toronto the last few years, and does have some international experience. He has great stats and isn't a </span>defensive<span style="font-family: inherit;"> liability.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Michael Del Zotto (NY Rangers)</b> - Another young defenceman with lots of upside and international experience. Had a bit of an off-year last season, but is slowly improving his game and being less of a </span>defensive<span style="font-family: inherit;"> liability. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sheldon Souray (Anaheim)</b> - What this lineup needs now is a veteran player, and Souray is a perfect fit. He could pair up nicely with Beauchemin. He was one of the best +/- players last season, which shows that he isn't a </span>defensive<span style="font-family: inherit;"> liability and a strong defenceman for the team. In fact, he was tied for 1st in D-men +/-, tied with none other than Francois Beauchemin.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Dougie Hamilton (Boston)</b> - Last season in his rookie year he played great for the Bruins. Although his </span>defensive<span style="font-family: inherit;"> game seemed flawed at times, especially during the playoffs, he shows lots of potential for the big club. He was a major piece in Canada's World Junior teams for the last two seasons, so the international game isn't new to him. He brings size and physicality to the defence.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Mark Giordano (Calgary)</b> - To find a good, </span>defensive, physical<span style="font-family: inherit;"> partner to put alongside Hamilton is tough. Giordano is Calgary's best defenceman, and plays a good physical game. He also has a little bit of international experience. He's not a rookie, so he's a bit more reliable and experienced against the best players than Hamilton, and could help keep him out of trouble </span></span>defensively.<br />
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<b>Jason Garrison (Vancouver)</b> - He isn't a name you'd probably think of to put in this spot, but he is a good fit. He's a vet, even though he doesn't have tons of NHL experience outside the last few years. Last season in Vancouver he put up very respectable numbers, including one of the best +/- stats for defencemen. He plays a strong defensive game, and makes up for some of the holes created by defensive liabilities of the other defenders. <br />
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<u>Canada1 Left Wing</u><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Taylor Hall (Edmonton)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Milan Lucic (Boston)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Brad Marchand (Boston)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Rick Nash (NY Rangers)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">James Neal (Pittsburgh)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Patrick Sharp (Chicago)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Note: In reality, most of these guys wont make the team anyway, as they'll be replaced by centremen.</span><br />
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<u>Canada2 Left Wing</u><br />
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<b>Evander Kane (Winnipeg)</b> - Although he isn't always dependable, and is still improving, he has potential to be one of the biggest offensive threats on this team. He has a ton of international experience to help his case too.<br />
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<b>Mason Raymond (Toronto)</b> - Maybe this is a surprise pick for some, but his speed will be a huge asset on an international ice surface. He's a hard grinding guy who will give much needed character and grit to this team. He also has some World Jrs. experience.<br />
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<b>Dany Heatley (Minnesota)</b> - He's fallen off the radar hard from his glory days, but he has a very impressive international resume, and is still one of the most skilled shooters in the game.<br />
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<b>Ray Whitney (Dallas)</b> - Why not? He's 41, but the last two seasons he's gotten almost a point per game, in Dallas and Phoenix, so with not much help. He has lots of World Championship experience, and could provide a good veteran presence to a primarily young team.<br />
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<u>Canada1 Right Wing</u><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Jeff Carter (Los Angeles)(C/RW)</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Jordan Eberle (Edmonton)(RW)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Claude Giroux (Philadelphia)(RW)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Corey Perry (Anaheim)(RW)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)(RW)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u>Canada2 Right Wing</u></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Jerome Iginla (Boston)</b> - This is where I'll cheat a little bit. Even though he wasn't named to the evaluation camp, I named him on my Olympic team in my Gold Or Bust post. Since he's not on the main roster, I'll steal him away for mine, and he'd probably be captain too. Line him up with some skilled playmakers, and you'll have an endless supply of pucks in the net. He's also a great leader with plenty of international experience.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>PA Parenteau (Colorado)</b> - Although he's only had 3 years as a full-time NHLer, he's spent lots of time in the AHL, and is anything but a rookie. Once he cracked the NHL full time, he's put up some very impressive numbers for the Islanders and Avalanche. He's had to work hard to find his place in the NHL, and I'm sure he'd be one of Canada's hardest workers on the team. Oh, and he was 3rd in Canadian RW points last season, ahead of Eberle and Perry, just throwing that out there.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Shane Doan (Phoenix)</b> - Like Iginla (and maybe even more-so), he is a great leader with lots of international experience. He's not as prolific of a scorer as he used to, but he can still be a great asset to this team.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Brendan Gallagher (Montreal)</b> - Unlike the other RW's here, he's young. Last season he had a great rookie season with Montreal. He does have some international junior experience, and he has a high talent level.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><u>Canada1 Center</u></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Patrice Bergeron (Boston) (C)</span></span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Logan Couture (San Jose)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Matt Duchene (Colorado)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Mike Richards (Los Angeles)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Eric Staal (Carolina)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Jordan Staal (Carolina)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">John Tavares (NY Islanders)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Joe Thornton (San Jose)(C)</span><br style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Jonathan Toews (Chicago)(C)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Note: Are there any left? Theres enough centermen here for 3 teams! This will be difficult.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u>Canada2 Center</u></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Nazem Kadri (Toronto)</b> - So like Don Cherry, I might have a bit of a bias towards him. I love how hard he plays, and he could really be a benefit to this team. He has tons of skill, World Jr. experience, and could play a few different rolls for this team.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Jamie Benn (Dallas)</b> - A young vet in Dallas, he has plenty of upside and experience. He could be one of Canada's most dependable scorers.</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Sam Gagner (Edmonton)</b> - With lots of international experience even for a younger player, he has lots of things needed to be an important player on this team. He isn't always consistent, but has flares of greatness when he's on his game. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Mike Cammalleri (Calgary)</b> - A very speedy player, with lots of experience. Sometimes a bit of a defensive liability, but could give Canada some grit and extra options in the offensive zone.</span><br />
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Canada2 Projected Line-up</div>
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Whitney - Benn - Iginla</div>
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Kane - Cammalleri - Doan</div>
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Raymond - Kadri - Gallagher</div>
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Heatley - Gagner - Parenteau</div>
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Beauchemin - Souray</div>
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Franson - Del Zotto</div>
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Hamilton - Giordano</div>
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Garrison</div>
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Brodeur/Reimer</div>
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Allen</div>
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So what do you think of Canada2? Would they be competitive? I think they would have troubles on defence, but offensively they would have a shot to compete against the faster, more skilled teams.</div>
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Alright, so it has to be done. Later in the week, look for this post to come back, and I'll document what happens when these two teams go against each other, via NHL14.</div>
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And if you have any line-up changes you'd like to make before I do the simulation, leave me a comment and I'll work it in. </div>
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Once again, thanks for reading.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-1290189473129063472013-09-26T10:03:00.000-06:002013-09-26T10:03:37.989-06:00Guest Concepts, And An Early Goof UpThis is probably the earliest I've made a post, and theres a bit of a reason and story behind it, but I'll get to that later.<br />
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First, I'd like to give a shout-out to friend-of-the-site Ricky, from Buffalo Nickel Graphics. He sent me his concepts wondering if I could display them on my blog. Considering he's been very helpful to me by displaying my concepts on his own blog, I am more than happy to feature his work.<br />
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I like Ricky's work, and he is one of the few hockey designers I know that also does designs for other sports, as you will probably see in the near future.<br />
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But for now, I'll start with two concepts of the hockey variety, both involving some infamous jerseys:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eea5Il4PpVQ/UkRStKEpKQI/AAAAAAAAAm8/UKImZ62VsEg/s1600/STLaltTestHornsFinalBack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eea5Il4PpVQ/UkRStKEpKQI/AAAAAAAAAm8/UKImZ62VsEg/s400/STLaltTestHornsFinalBack.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ah yes, the St. Louis Blues jersey that never was. The best thing Mike Keenan has ever done for the NHL was preventing his players to wear this original set. Ricky has a go at this set, and considering there really isn't a template to base this colourful jersey from, the effort involved is rather impressive. I'm still not a fan of the design, but as far as execution goes, this was really well done. I'd maybe suggest a more standard sports font, but thats just me. And I should mention that I love what was done with the background of the concept.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HY3NZk5D6lk/UkRS69yKZaI/AAAAAAAAAnE/MaNJlQWuzS4/s1600/BUFrealAltFixed4Jake88.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HY3NZk5D6lk/UkRS69yKZaI/AAAAAAAAAnE/MaNJlQWuzS4/s400/BUFrealAltFixed4Jake88.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is 100% better than the current Buffalo alternates. Getting rid of the blue "cape" went a long way to making a hockey jersey out of patchwork. I like how he kept the new "C" patch, but coloured it so its not yellow on yellow. I think the jersey looks better with this logo rather than the regular Sabres logo, although it looks a little high on this jersey. Everything else looks really good on this design, and the detailing on the equipment is really nicely done. This looks like a good alternate uniform set for Buffalo.<br />
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You'll probably be seeing more of Ricky's work in the near future, although he'll show us some of his concepts from other sports.</div>
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And to anyone reading who wants their work viewed on this site, don't hesitate to drop me an email and set it up. I'd love to showcase other designers' work on here.</div>
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I'm also setting up a Guest Concepts page, where you can see concepts from other designers who have been featured here. It's a work-in-progress right now, but it should be set up in the next few days.</div>
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Thanks again to Ricky for showing us his concepts. Hopefully he doesn't mind my nitpicking, but they are very impressive designs. I look forward to seeing more of his work. And if you'd like to see more of his work for yourself, he has his own blog, Buffalo Nickel Graphics. The link to that blog is on my Links page.</div>
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Now I get to explain how I done goofed. Last night, when completing my HJC post for today, I set the schedule for 4:30am ET. The post is SUPPOSED TO go live at 4:30pm ET. Apparently someone (me) forgot about the whole 24-hour clock system. Thankfully, the good folks at HJC caught the error this morning before too many people noticed, and saved the day. I'll definitely have to pay more attention to that from now on.</div>
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For those wanting to see my HJC post later, it will be live on HockeyJerseyConcepts.com at 4:30pm ET, or 2:30 for my local friends.</div>
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I might have a second post today talking about that post, depending on my schedule for the day. Until then, thanks for reading and have a good rest of your day.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-6695749989940796342013-09-24T20:10:00.000-06:002013-09-24T20:10:20.667-06:00Dropping Helmets, Dropping Gloves, Dropping GamesSo this NHL preseason has introduced several new rules to the game, most of which I find important, but not quite ironed out and reasonable as the players would wish. Most are for the safety of the players, but safety is barely helped and is more of an inconvenience than a precaution.<br />
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Hybrid Icing? It means well. Its supposed to eliminate the rushes to the endboards caused by delayed icing calls, which can sometimes turn dangerous if one player catches an edge, or gets hit hard with his back turned. Enter hybrid icing. Now, if the defender is leading the race to the puck by the faceoff dot, then the whistle is blown and icing is called. This is good because it does help speed the game up from players who slow right down to kill the clock. And, if a slower player is leading but a faster player is catching up quick, then the play is blown dead to avoid a collision.<br />
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However, if the attacker is leading the race, or its very close, play continues. So effectively, the play will only be blown dead if there is a very LOW chance of a collision happening, but is allowed to play on when the play is most dangerous. Back to the drawing board, I'd say.<br />
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The Helmet Rule? This makes sense from a safety standpoint as well. Fighters cannot remove their own helmets during a fight, in hopes that players better protect their head. As a fighter, of course you'd want to protect your head, but fighting tends to be very difficult without a head to punch, and punching a helmet will only hurt the puncher more. The fighting regulars of the game have already started to take off each other's helmets before the fight, loopholing the rule and being able to put on a good fight. Again, the rulebook's heart is in the right place, but the reception from the players tell me that this rule isn't going to last.<br />
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The Jersey Tuck Rule? Poor Ovechkin, all he wants to do is tuck in his jersey, is that too much to ask? Apparently yes. The NHL made it illegal to tuck in your jersey or do anything to obstruct the view of the full jersey, and will give out a minor penalty to those who don't comply. I never thought that this was a huge problem in the NHL, given that jerseys have been around forever and such a rule has never come up. But during the games I've watched in the preseason, the penalty is rarely enforced. It just seems like more of a nag to look nice rather than a rule. <br />
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Leaving The Bench During A Fight? I'm not 100% that this wasn't a clear, suspend-able offence before now, but its come up twice in the last few days and its a hot topic in the NHL now. Right now, the first guy to leave the bench to get involved in an on-ice altercation will AUTOMATICALLY receive a 10-game suspension. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for trying to stop this action, and I think it should be suspend-able. But 10 games?? Come on, man. Most suspensions around 10 games usually involved hitting a player's head with a stick or a dirty hit, and causing serious injury. 10 seems a little much, especially if he is out there just to defend his teammate, and not cause injury.<br />
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So I propose an automatic 2 game suspension for leaving the bench and "dancing" OR delaying the game to do so, 4 games for being fully involved in a fight, and a MINIMUM 10 games for causing an injury OR showing overly-agressive behaviour OR instigating a fight.<br />
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So I did go back to 10 games, but I still think there should be judgment on how involved the player was. In my mind, I don't see why Clarkson got a 10 game suspension, when he should have been out 2-4 games MAX.<br />
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Whats that? You live under a rock and didn't hear Clarkson was suspended? Then you must have totally missed the previous preseason game between Toronto and Buffalo.</div>
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Let's just say, it got kinda nasty.</div>
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That, my friends, is what I like to call a brouhaha.</div>
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To add some context, before this happened, there was another fight, which Buffalo felt Toronto sent a larger player to attack one of Buffalo's smaller guys. The Buffalo bench wasn't thrilled, and sent out their goon line on the next shift. Toronto, trying to cool the heat down, sent one of their top skilled lines to curb the aggression, but apparently John Scott didn't buy it.</div>
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Strike One: John Scott. I don't care how much of a fighter you are, you don't just drop the gloves and start swinging at a guy off the faceoff, regardless who it is. In this case, Scott practically attacked Phil Kessel, who probably is at least 1ft and 100lbs smaller. It wasn't a fight, it was an attack, and I don't know how he escaped unscathed and without suspension out of all this (however, I'd give it relatively small, probably just a game or 2).</div>
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Strike Two: Phil Kessel. Yes, he was attacked and had to defend himself. No, going Paul Bunyan style on Scott's ankles wasn't the best way to do it. That is an intent to injure penalty all day long, and I think even if he turtled, he'd leave the game with more class than what he did by axing Scott's ankles with his stick. And worse, once John Scott was held by the linesmen, Kessel went and speared him. Thats a little like poking the sleeping bear, no? He seems much tougher once Clarkson and the refs have a hold of him. He got suspended a few games for his actions, and it was rightfully deserved.</div>
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Strike Three: David Clarkson. Remember when nobody knew who David Clarkson was? He was a good, hard-nosed grinder for the Devils, and didn't receive much stardom for himself. The last few seasons, he's become on of the best and underrated power forwards in the league. I firmly believed his acquisition by Toronto was the final piece needed for Toronto to become a potential powerhouse team. </div>
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Well, I'm not giving him a strike for what he did, because essentially that is why they brought him there. But "when" he chose to jump off then bench was questionable. The situation was pretty much all handled before he got on the ice, and he should have known that he was getting the full 10-game treatment, since Paul Bissonnette got the same suspension the day before. Now, the Leafs are without Clarkson's services for 1/10th of the regular season. Was it worth it?</div>
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Overall, goalie fight included, it was a very entertaining game. It showed the best of hockey, the entertainment value and sticking up for your teammates. But because of these 3 people above, it might have also shown the worst of hockey. </div>
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If this kind of thing is happening during preseason, then I'm really getting excited for the regular season this year.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-68460503467367542932013-09-21T15:05:00.000-06:002013-09-21T15:05:20.091-06:00Winter in WashingtonHello everyone, first a few quick notes before I get to the main topic today.<br />
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First, yesterday I had a new record for page views for one day at 79. That's absolutely wicked! Thank you to all of the readers who made it happen! My blog usually averages around 20 views per day, some days much lower than that. But to get so many views in one day for me is really cool! I know there is no way I can keep up that number every day, but maybe if this blog keeps going, I can top that number again. Hopefully with more content, which will be easy when the season begins, the community for this page will get bigger and bigger.<br />
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But just one day at a time for now.<br />
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Second, out of some captaincy news from the NHL, Jaime Benn has been named captain of the Dallas Stars, and Mark Giordano has been named captain of the Calgary Flames. </div>
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If anyone remembers my "Oh Captain, My Captain" post from a few weeks ago, I predicted that both would be named captain of their respective teams. I would have picked Glencross as captain for the Flames personally, but Giordano seemed like the heir to the "C". Benn, on the other hand, was an obvious pick. He's the face of the franchise, and it's about time that he becomes the distinguished leader of the team. The perfect cap to the remodelling of the franchise.</div>
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And one last note, Ty Rimmer will get to play half of Edmonton's game against the Canucks tonight. Rimmer is an undrafted goalie who spent some time here in Lethbridge last season. Despite the Hurricanes not having a great season, Rimmer played well and had a few really good hot streaks through the season. He also had a great season in Tri-Cities the year before, and also played in Prince George for the Cougars. </div>
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An Edmonton-born prospect, he's so far looked really good during training camp for the Oilers, and will get his first NHL action tonight for his hometown team, sharing the net with vet Jason Labarbera. </div>
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I've watched him play here in Lethbridge, and I'm really rooting for him to land a contract with the Edmonton franchise. The game is on HNIC tonight, so I'll definitely be watching.</div>
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For the main topic of today, it was announced yesterday that Washington will host the 2015 NHL Winter Classic. </div>
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It's not exactly a surprise choice. Washington is a popular hockey market, and there are a host of teams that could make the game an exciting rivalry match.</div>
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The venue, nor the opponent, has been decided yet. The problem is, most of the main "rivalry" teams that Washington should play have played in at least one Winter Classic. </div>
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Rangers? They've played one in 2012, and are due to play two games in 2013-14. Probably not.</div>
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Islanders? Playing next season, but wouldn't be a bad option.</div>
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Philadelphia? They've already played two, last in 2012. They don't play one next season, so its likely they could be involved.</div>
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Pittsburgh? The rematch? Would be cool, but I'm sure the NHL would want another match up. Pittsburgh also plays next season, and has already been involved in a few Classics themselves.</div>
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Carolina? An old "Atlantic" division matchup, that people may actually care about. I'd watch if Carolina wore some green and blue.</div>
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Tampa Bay? An exciting team to watch, but are they a good draw for a large game like this?</div>
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Ottawa? Bringing back the Captial Cup would be a good idea, but Ottawa plays in a game next season, so its less than likely.</div>
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Columbus? So no one really cares about Columbus, but from an NHL standpoint, this could help the struggling franchise, while maybe developing a new divisional rival. I wouldn't rule this one out.</div>
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And I'd like to point out, that it is speculated that the 2015 Winter Classic will NOT be the only outdoor game next season. There is talk that there could be 4-5 outdoor games. I assume that will mean the NHL Winter Classic in Washington, 2-3 Stadium Series games, and a Canadian Heritage Classic.</div>
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It should be interesting to see who gets involved for 2014-15. I'd love to see some western teams get involved finally. I know California gets a good taste of outdoor hockey next season, but where is Colorado, St. Louis, Minnesota, or Winnipeg? I'd love to see some outdoor hockey there.</div>
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But lets not get ahead of ourselves, we still have 6 games to watch this season before we get there.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-7129922874966882762013-09-19T18:26:00.001-06:002013-09-19T18:26:27.722-06:00The DebutHello everyone. After going balls to the wall the last few days for my school work, I finally have some time to update on my post.<br />
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Today was a pretty big milestone day for me, as I got to make my HockeyJerseyConcepts.com writing debut. I'd say it went pretty smoothly, and the concepts I got to review were really good. The reception by the writers for me has been phenomenal, and I'm really excited to have this first post done.<br />
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If you want to see my post, then go to <a href="http://www.hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/2013/09/thursday-rookie-debut.html">http://www.hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/2013/09/thursday-rookie-debut.html</a><br />
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And speaking about jersey concepts, I've been really in a creative funk lately for my own designs. Other than the 2 contest designs I showcased a few days ago, I really haven't been able to sit down and make a design. Part of this is because of my schedule, but mostly I haven't had any inspiration or motivation to make a design. I simply don't know what team I should redesign, or have any cool redesign ideas.</div>
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I've been kind of thinking about doing a league-wide concept for the RMJHL. Don't know what that was? Well it was the predecessor to the BCHL, British Columbia's Junior 'A' league. My hometown Fernie Ghostriders started there, and many teams from the current BCHL and KIJHL began in that league. That was the first hockey league I really watched and followed, so I thought it would be a cool, if not difficult, concept. What do you guys (especially my friends from the area) think?</div>
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And if anyone has any other suggestions for designs or concepts, let me know and I'd love to give it a shot. Maybe doing a few fan-suggested concepts will get me back into the swing of things for design. Who knows.</div>
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One more thing I want to ask you, as my readers. One of my next posts will be about the poll I just conducted, determining which of the Buffalo Sabres' jerseys were the worst designs of all time. I could talk about the results, and compare the jerseys, in a standard blog format. Or, I could also create a "Vlog" post, if people would be interested in watching a video for my blog rants. If it gets enough interest, I could have a weekly video, or something like that, coinciding with this blog. It could get me some practice in video editing (which is useful for my college program), and give this blog a bit more exposure. That would be cool, but its not necessary.</div>
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Would you guys watch something like that? Or would you rather me keep the traditional blog format? I may do one or the other, regardless of opinion, but I really value my readers' (and friends') opinions on it.</div>
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So thanks for reading, and hopefully I can come up with another post soon. Until then, enjoy the preseason!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-80795944360587890762013-09-15T20:12:00.000-06:002013-09-15T20:12:56.032-06:00Back In The USSR, and Anyone Up For Some Pool?Hey gang. So I got my first set of concepts to post on HJC for Thursday, and I'm really excited to get this post out already. <br />
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In the meantime, here's a couple of jerseys I'd like to share.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bAczEli6pTc/UjZlpM18DkI/AAAAAAAAAi0/OdJLtxXXhaA/s1600/DucksComp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bAczEli6pTc/UjZlpM18DkI/AAAAAAAAAi0/OdJLtxXXhaA/s320/DucksComp.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was for a contest I entered for HJC, where you had to submit jersey designs for the Anaheim Ducks, using the colours they proposed to use before going with black, bronze and orange. Orange was one of the colours involved in this contest as well, but I left it out because I thought the green and orange looked awful together. Anyways, I picked out one of the old secondary logos, and gave the jersey a unique wing style to it. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but I came 7th out of 24 designs, so it must not have been too bad.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8xYLBXJEMc/UjZlthlxLbI/AAAAAAAAAi8/X5XraRM0w2Y/s1600/USSRcomp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--8xYLBXJEMc/UjZlthlxLbI/AAAAAAAAAi8/X5XraRM0w2Y/s320/USSRcomp.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's one that I made today for the current HJC contest, asking for a new design for the Soviet Union. Really cool contest idea, so I gave it a go. I really like how it turned out, looking like their classic jerseys and staying simple, while having its own style.</div>
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What do you guys think? I'd love to know your thoughts on these.</div>
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I don't exactly have much to talk about today, but I do want to point out that it didn't take long for Toronto's new contract for Nazem Kadri to look like a bargain deal. Early in the preseason game against the Flyers, he absolutely undressed Hal Gill and scored a brilliant goal for Toronto. He showed signs of stardom last season, and I think he has nowhere to go but up this season. For a player under the microscope so much in Toronto, its nice to see for sure!</div>
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Theres only a few more days to vote on my poll for the worst Buffalo jersey of all time. For the few votes I'm getting, I'm not overly surprised how it's shaping up so far, although I'm disappointed how bad the Goat-head jersey is doing, as those were always my favourites. Expect a discussion on these jerseys in a few days.</div>
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Now, just wanna give a quick question to those who read my blog. I'm thinking about starting a hockey pool. Would anyone be interesting in something like that? Depending on interest, we'll figure out the rules and stuff later, if it does happen. Its just a thought for now. </div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-87851833546305822592013-09-12T17:29:00.001-06:002013-09-12T17:32:27.428-06:00Game On!Its almost time for the NHL pre-season, and you know what that means?<br />
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NHL 14 is here!<br />
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Yes, I am a huge fan of EA's NHL series. I've played pretty much every title since NHL99, and still try to boot that one up on my computer, for old times sake. I'm usually the first person in the summer-time to admit that "the updates aren't really that different from last years and I probably wont buy it", but I usually end up getting the game anyway, or at least sharing a copy with a friend.<br />
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So for today's topic, I thought that I could name the top 50 players in NHL 14 by player rating. EA is usually pretty good with player ratings, but every year there's a few players who seem to get misplaced, badly. Remember in 2006 when Robyn Regher was a 95, or something like that? They tend to over-sensationalize the playoff heroes, and demote the defensive players in the game, with a few exceptions (Datsyuk).<br />
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Anyways, lets have a look:<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">50. D. Girardi (NYR) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So brief note, to make this list, you have to be better than Dan Girardi. He wouldn't have been the first name I thought of, but it's not a total shocker either.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">49. J. Voracek (PHI) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">48, M. Pacioretty (MTL) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pacioretty I'm actually surprised isn't higher on this list. He's not a very glamorous player, I guess. But he has one of the best hands in the league, and also one of the fastest skaters.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">47. D. Byfuglien (WPG) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Would probably be in the mid-90's if he could just stay in shape. Speed is a killer to his rating, but what can you expect from a guy this big. I'm glad EA actually gave an enforcer a good rating for a change.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">46. D. Doughty (LAK) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">45. P. Sharp (CHI) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">44. J. Benn (DAL) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm one of the few people that think Benn is just slightly overrated. He will be an 88+ player, but he's not yet, in my eyes anyway. Looking ahead, is he as good as Staal and Getzlaf? Umm...no.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">43. R. Getzlaf (ANA) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">42. J. Carter (LAK) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">41. E. Staal (CAR) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">40. J. Spezza (OTT) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spezza is really underrated in my eyes. He's one of the best playmakers of the last decade, and if he could have a healthy season next year, I have a slight feeling he could contend for the Hart next season.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">39. J. Neal (PIT) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">38. P.K. Subban (MTL) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">On any given night, Subban is either a 85 player or a 95 player. If he was more </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">consistent</span><span style="line-height: 20px;"> he could become an elite defenceman.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">37. T. Hall (EDM) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">36. P. Kessel (TOR) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">35. P. Kane (CHI) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kane < Seabrook? I love Seabrook, and have said some big things about him in the past. But 1v1, Kane would win 9 times out of 10.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">34. E. Karlsson (OTT) – OVR 88</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.8em !important;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Strangely for EA, they overlook his </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">offensive talents and focus more on his defensive game with this rating, and I actually agree with this.</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">33. B. Burns (SJS) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since when?</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">32. N. Kronwall (DET) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He's huge for Detroit. I wasn't expecting him to be up here, but I'm glad he is.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">31. B. Seabrook (CHI) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, love Seabrook, but is he really better than Kane, Staal, and Getzlaf? I'd have him at ~85.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">30. P. Rinne (NSH) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first goalie I've come across so far. At quick count, he's 4th according to EA. That seems fair to me.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">29. K. Letang (PIT) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">28. H. Sedin (VAN) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Would it be taboo to say Henrik should be higher than Daniel? Just asking.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">27. D. Sedin (VAN) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">26. C. Perry (ANA) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">25. L. Couture (SJS) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He's one of the best shooters in the game. Unfortunately, the other flaws in his game have me thinking this is somewhat too high for him.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">24. M. Hossa (CHI) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm gonna say he needs to be higher. For the last 5 years or so, how significant has he been on strong playoff teams? And how much did that team miss him if he was hurt? One of the most dynamic players in the league.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">23. P. Bergeron (BOS) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">See above, except just for one team. Should be higher.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">22. Z. Parise (MIN) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">21. A. Kopitar (LAK) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">20. J. Tavares (NYI) – OVR 89</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">19. J. Thornton (SJS) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've heard quite a bit of discussion over Jumbo Joe's rating, saying its too high. He can hit and pass better than most of the guys on this list. Deserves AT LEAST 90.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">18. M. Gaborik (CBJ) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">17. R. Nash (NYR) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">90 seems fair up to this point, but I have a feeling he's going to really shine in New York this season under AV.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">16. C. Price (MTL) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3rd best goalie? Okay sure. Just as good as Lundqvist, but a little more shaky at times. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. A. Pietrangelo (STL) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He's good. He's not 90 good.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. H. Zetterberg (DET) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He's good, he's better than 90 good. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. C. Giroux (PHI) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. D. Keith (CHI) – OVR 90</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. H. Lundqvist (NYR) – OVR 91</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So theoretically Lundqvist and Quick are tied for the best goalies in the league. I think I'd knock Quick back 1 point, or give King Henrik an extra point, but I say he's the NHL's best goalie right now.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. J. Quick (LAK) – OVR 91</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Read above.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">09. R. Suter (MIN) – OVR 92</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Is Suter the 3rd best D-man in the league? Maybe, but I don't see it. I see him around ~89.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">08. S. Weber (NSH) – OVR 92</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fairly the 2nd best defenceman in the league.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">07. J. Toews (CHI) – OVR 92</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">06. E. Malkin (PIT) – OVR 92</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'd say he deserves an extra point or two, just from how dynamic and dominant he is as a player.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">05. S. Stamkos (TBL) – OVR 92</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I almost want to say he deserves to be higher, but I don't know if he was helped by the play-making wizard in St. Louis, or if Stamkos was the one who made St. Louis look good. Either way, 92 is fine.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">04. Z. Chara (BOS) – OVR 94</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Toe-to-toe against Ovie for 3rd? I agree with this 100%. He is a monster player, the league's best defenceman by far, and one of the best leaders in the game right now, because he leads by example.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">03. A. Ovechkin (WSH) – OVR 94</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While I'm saddened he got beat out by Crosby, I understand where EA would have given Crosby and Datsyuk a point where Ovie got none. However, if Washington did more in the playoffs, I think he would have topped this list, seeing how EA always seems to trend towards the players on successful teams.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">02. P. Datsyuk (DET) – OVR 95</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">01. S. Crosby (PIT) – OVR 95</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So we can't say who is better on the ice between Crosby and Datsyuk. That is a very fair statement, both are dominant players in the game. While Crosby is a bit better of a playmaker and goal scorer, Datsyuk is undeniably better defensively. I would also argue that, if Datsyuk's linemates were equal to Crosby's, than Datsyuk would likely be the better player. But it's too close to really call. Now that they're conference rivals, maybe we'll get a better indication of that this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing that strikes me odd in this ranking is that, unlike Madden, no one has a perfect rating. At first, I was kind of offended, but it does make sense on 2nd look. Crosby, while near perfect offensively, isn't perfect defensively. Datsyuk, while being the best 2-way player in the league, doesn't have the aggressiveness as one would expect from a "perfect" hockey player. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, the parity of the players in the game is something extremely notable, compared to other sports.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So thats my post for today, if you have any comments on the player's ratings or my take on them, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks for reading.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-47209799192143099632013-09-11T18:20:00.000-06:002013-09-11T18:20:59.609-06:00Exciting News For AllWell, mostly exciting news for me, and Toronto fans, but I'll get to that in a second.<br />
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First of all, I've reached 1000 total views on my blog. I'm really excited to reach that milestone, and I can't thank you, the readers of this blog, enough for getting to this point. My posts are, honestly, very sporadic lately because of my schedule, but I'll continue trying to write some interesting stories for you and keep this blog going for the foreseeable future. Having said that...</div>
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In some more exciting personal news, I've been signed on as the Thursday Writer for <a href="http://hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/">HockeyJerseyConcepts.com</a>, the very jersey concepts site I've mentioned before that has been reviewing some of my work. This is an absolute honour for me to be part of this blog, as it's fed my interest in jersey design and hockey in general. Of course, that doesn't mean this blog isn't my main blog anymore, it still is. But on Thursday's my posts will likely be a recap of the post I made for HJC. <br />
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Want more good news? Live in Toronto? Excellent. Nazem Kadri has finally signed a deal with Toronto. Who is this good news to? Everybody! The Leafs have locked up a player that will be huge in their future, and probably this season. Kadri gets a very nice paycheque (even though it isn't as much as he wanted, its still better than I'd even say he deserves). The fans have just a little more reason to be optimistic next season, and everyone else doesn't have to hear about the contract dispute between the Leafs and Kadri anymore. Its a win-win all around.</div>
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By the way, Franson is apparently still unsigned in Toronto. You'll probably hear a lot about it now. Just a heads-up.</div>
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Bryzgalov fan? Tim Thomas fan? You're also in luck. The Florida Panthers have given both a Pro Tryout Contract for training camp. Its hard to see either of these guys sticking around in a back-up role, and competition isn't too fierce besides themselves. Wouldn't it be interesting if you had these two guys on the same lineup?</div>
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HBO is filming the sitcom as we speak.</div>
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Everyone else? Training camps started today, that means the season is getting close! It wont be long until puck drop for the opening game, and I'm already getting really excited. </div>
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What are you getting excited for? Let me know on the comments or send me a message on Twitter (or Facebook, or wherever you can find me). </div>
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And again, I have to thank you guys for helping me get to 1000 views. If it wasn't for your interest in my blog, I wouldn't have an interest in blogging anymore. If I didn't have that, I wouldn't get the opportunity with HJC like I did. It all starts with you, the readers. So thank you for reading, and have a good evening.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-18036240103147307472013-09-07T16:16:00.000-06:002013-09-07T16:16:45.672-06:00What Happens at WBHockeyTalk, Stays at WBHockeyTalkSo I seen an interesting article showing the Vegas over/under odds for the next NHL season. They predicted the point totals for all the teams. I'm not a gambling person (because I'm awful at it), but its interesting to see predictions like this.<br />
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I made my own predictions a few months ago, if one would like to compare, go <a href="http://wbhockeytalk.blogspot.ca/2013/07/early-predictions-and-buffalo-concept.html">here</a>. But for your convenience, I'll put my rank of the teams in parenthesis in these rankings.<br />
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Without further ado: (from <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/23493711/nhl-odds-overunder-point-totals-have-pens-first-flames-last">CBSSports.com</a>)<br />
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<strong>Metropolitan Division</strong></div>
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Pittsburgh Penguins -- 108.5(1)</div>
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New York Rangers -- 98.5(3)</div>
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Washington Capitals -- 93.5(8)</div>
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Philadelphia Flyers -- 92.5(2)</div>
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New York Islanders -- 89.5(4)</div>
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Columbus Blue Jackets -- 85.5(7)</div>
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Carolina Hurricanes -- 84.5(6)</div>
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New Jersey Devils -- 79.5(5)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;">Really? Carolina AND Columbus ahead of New Jersey? I think New Jersey deserves much more credit than last here. Columbus is banking on a repeat performance from their young starter in Bobrovski. If Brodeur can't live up to expectations in New Jersey, Schneider surely will. Neither have a great team ahead of them, but NJ shouldn't be in the basement. Also, I guess Washington warrants more love than I gave them. I want Ovie to succeed, but in this division he's going to have a difficult time getting open compared to when he regularly played </span><span style="line-height: 21px;">against Florida, Tampa, and Winnipeg. Maybe I'm wrong though.</span></div>
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<strong>Atlantic Division</strong></div>
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Boston Bruins -- 102.5(4)</div>
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Detroit Red Wings -- 97.5(1)</div>
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Toronto Maple Leafs -- 96.5(2)</div>
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Montreal Canadiens -- 94.5(3)</div>
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Ottawa Senators -- 93.5(5)</div>
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Tampa Bay Lightning -- 88.5(7)</div>
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Buffalo Sabres -- 83.5(6)</div>
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Florida Panthers -- 75.5(8)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fairly close to mine, I'll take it. I gave Boston less of a chance because they lost some key pieces this off-season. But I think any team 1-4 has a good shot of winning the division this year. This will easily be the most exciting division in hockey. I think everyone can agree that Florida is the worst team in the division, Tampa Bay and Buffalo will struggle, and Ottawa will be one of the dark horse teams that could very well sneak into the playoffs.</span></div>
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<strong>Central Division</strong></div>
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Chicago Blackhawks -- 105.5(1)</div>
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St. Louis Blues -- 99.5(2)</div>
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Minnesota Wild -- 94.5(4)</div>
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Colorado Avalanche -- 86.5(3)</div>
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Dallas Stars -- 86.5(5)</div>
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Nashville Predators -- 84.5(6)</div>
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Winnipeg Jets -- 82.5(7)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Besides switching Colorado and Minnesota, I pretty much called this division 100%, according to Vegas. Chicago should easily win the division, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the division shapes up, because each team in here besides Chicago and Winnipeg are filled with question marks that will determine their season. This division could be flipped upside down by the end of the year. I still think Winnipeg is missing a few parts to be a contender though.</span></div>
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<strong>Pacific Division</strong></div>
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Los Angeles Kings -- 98.5(1)</div>
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Vancouver Canucks -- 95.5(2)</div>
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San Jose Sharks -- 94.5(3)</div>
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Anaheim Ducks -- 90.5(5)</div>
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Edmonton Oilers -- 89.5(4)</div>
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Phoenix Coyotes -- 85.5(6)</div>
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Calgary Flames -- 74.5(7)</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Gah, so close again! Vegas switched Anaheim and Edmonton, putting them only 1 point apart. That's a fair assessment, both teams are young with lots of firepower that could have an excellent season or fizzle out if not handled correctly. LA should win the division this year, but Vancouver has a good enough team to keep close. </span></span><span style="line-height: 21px;">Unfortunately</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">, Flames fans are once again </span></span><span style="line-height: 21px;">given the bad news for next year by being predicted to have the lowest point total in the league. Embarrassing, but probably accurate.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-57327556168634119682013-09-06T15:57:00.000-06:002013-09-06T15:57:29.171-06:00Nike, Staaaaahp (Part 2)I didn't think my rant on the Olympic jerseys was going to garner it's own series, but here we are.<br />
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Although it's only speculation to this point as to whether or not it is the official Canada Olympic jersey, a picture was revealed yesterday with potential Canadian captain Jonathan Toews wearing what appears to be Nike's next attempt at Olympic hockey design.<br />
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3rd time isn't the charm, Nike.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Yes, I know, another rant on jerseys. Lately that is all I've been talking about. Its a slow off-season news wise, but jersey reveals have definitely taken over. With a few more NHL and apparently more Nike Olympic jerseys left to be revealed, its probably going to continue until preseason.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">But right now, lets just take a look at what our nation will look like on the ice in Sochi:</span><br />
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Alright, so right off the bat, I'll say its much better than the American ones, about on par with the white Russian double-dragon one. </div>
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What I like: Simplicity on the chest. Canadian maple leaf on white background stripe, with the word Canada below. And one one arm, there is a Canadian flag, subtle but patriotic. I like it so far.</div>
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What I don't like: Sadly more than what I like. First, as if I didn't see this coming, we get another dose of Nike fake laces and glossy shoulder designs (I assume maple leaves). I've already said how cheap and tacky this looks, so I'll leave it as such.</div>
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But even worse, and correct me if I'm wrong, but why does one arm have a white stripe pattern, and one arm is blank? Hopefully a better picture surfaces soon, so we get a better idea of what is going on, but if that is the case, then why has Nike gone to the book of Atlanta Thrasher design tips to make arguably the most important jersey in the world in 2013-14? I don't like where this is going, but I'll leave it until better evidence is given.</div>
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One more thing, although the crest looks nice, the jersey as a whole looks really plain, as if it belongs on a practice jersey. Assuming the priority to keep the maple leaf red on the white jersey, this has the potential to be even more plain and open if they keep the design, unless like Russia they get a whole new style for their white set. I don't see that happening.</div>
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Overall, the jersey isn't awful, but if this is truly what Canada will be represented with, I'll be pretty disappointed.</div>
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I'll stop ranting for now. I'm thinking talking about either Vegas or Kadri tomorrow, we'll see. I promise no more jersey rants for a few posts at least. Thanks for reading.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-36066829772361722742013-09-04T22:54:00.000-06:002013-09-04T23:03:11.390-06:00The Best Day In Hockey Since The LockoutSarcasm aside, good lord! What a day it has been. Sure, the only thing that brings this blog back to life is a jersey reveal and a front office rumour, but thats enough for me to start writing again.<br />
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Seriously I do apologize for the lack of writing done the past few days, I've been camping, getting ready for my next semester of college, and finding away to get myself sick. With that all taken care of (besides the sick, but the meds keep me awake enough to write. Its a joke, really), I'm back to writing about hockey, and what a day full of things to write about!<br />
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First of all, Buffalo FINALLY unveiled their yellow 3rd jerseys for the upcoming season. The picture that follows comes with a warning: It is a very graphic, offensive image, and reader discretion is strongly advised:<br />
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(image from <a href="http://icethetics.com/">Icethetics.com</a>)<br />
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As Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would surely say: What in the bluest of blue hell is this?</div>
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Where do I begin? </div>
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1) Yellow on front, Blue on Back</div>
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Is this in some way supposed to be a cape? A cape is the only way I justify having two different colours front and back. A cape would be childish, unprofessional, and only slightly worse of an idea than the whole Buffaslug theme. Alas, tis not a cape. It doesn't even look like one. So why? Are we talking the Barry Melrose of jerseys? Business yellow in the front, party blue in the back? Even the Melrose mullet couldn't make this jersey look better, which is hard to say.</div>
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2) You don't say...</div>
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One thing that irks me is the name "Buffalo" on the front of the jersey. I don't like wordmarks on jerseys as a general rule, but classic college-style marks can give a good retro look. This makes it look like a football jersey. If the name isn't a main part of the logo, then don't include it on the jersey, I think everyone knows where this patchwork came from.</div>
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3) Letters and Numbers</div>
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At least the TV numbers and the main number match, but that is the only thing going good for this jersey now. The numbers and nameplate don't match in colour, or style, or possibly font. Why? This jersey is literally giving me the idea that several designers made parts of the jersey, and they just put it all together. Not to mention that they look huge on the jersey, something most hockey players hate and most designers cringe upon seeing.</div>
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4) Silver</div>
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Silver as new colour on logo? Subtle and reasonable. Silver as cuffs? Kind of strange but doesn't look bad. Silver line dividing the two sides, and standing out awkwardly even in the silver cuff? What the hell man. Patchwork I tell you. It would make more sense if they did this, and went around the whole yoke too, but they didn't. It just stops at the top of the shoulders. Why??? And although it isn't a major complaint, I don't see any point in the silver in the bottom of the back either. It adds nothing to the jersey other than making more of a coloured mess. And while we're on the topic, what is with the silver in the bottom portion of the collar? It looks tacky (matches the rest of the jersey in that regard) and seems to be insignificant.</div>
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In all, the only thing that is remotely cool about these jerseys is that they at least kept the old logo, and the hanger-effect thing, where it reads "Excellence" with above it (probably can't read it) reading "Belief Commitment Character Discipline Trust". This is something that no jersey really has, and is actually classy, and not too out of the box.</div>
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But honestly, a box is maybe where this jersey belongs.</div>
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While I'm ranting, I've heard rumours that my beloved Flames are looking into Brian Burke's services. This alarmed me in first, but I think good can come from it. One, how much worse can the Flames really get? I mean, really? The only moves that could harm the team further in any way is either getting rid of Sven Baertschi, or getting rid of Cammalleri for someone other than solid young prospects or a better, solid vet.</div>
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Burke also has the uncanny ability to make a really good young team, and keep them unsuccessful until he leaves, so with the young foundation Calgary has started, one would hope that after Burke comes and goes, he'll leave a good team behind him.</div>
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However, in the meantime, I'm very scared for my Flames if this happens to come true. While Burke can manage to get a good young team together, it takes a long time for him to do it, and I think the fans have been waiting long enough.</div>
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Mind you, it has to be an improvement. Feaster traded half the team away, fiddled around with many young players without giving them a shot they deserved with the big team, made some bad management decisions, etc. Last year at the trade deadline, groundhog Feaster popped out of his GM office and couldn't see his shadow, nor the players he left behind, and thus announced 6 more years of no spring hockey.</div>
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Okay, that last part may have been harsh and over-dramatic, but its a frustrating time to be a Flames fan for sure.</div>
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Well if I haven't offended you or scared you enough to stop from getting this far, congratulations, and thanks for reading. Its good to be back, and I'll really try to keep up with my writing, especially with the season being near.</div>
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And by the way, there is a new poll on the right-hand side of the blog, pertaining of course to today's post. What Sabres jersey is the worst, in your opinion? I'd love to see your answers.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-87832232308795848622013-08-31T17:57:00.000-06:002013-08-31T17:58:40.747-06:00Selanne Is Back!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8528737251687826012" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8528737251687826012" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8528737251687826012" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Hello everyone, first an apology with my last post, about the colours in sports (which has since been deleted). I lost the source images and data for the statistics I was demonstrating, and I decided to just delete the post all together. I may come back to it in the future.</div>
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But to recap: 25% of teams in the 4 main professional sports leagues have red and blue as their main colours, and 75% have either red or blue, or both. Where art thou, originality?</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">But what I wanted to say today is that Teemu Selanne is coming back for "one more year". I have skeptisism on that, because even though he's 42, he plays like he's 30, and is one of Anaheim's best players still. Yes, his production is down and there will hit a point in his career where he is not worth the roster spot, but he's not there yet. I just hope he doesn't end his career in Favre-esque fashion, by retiring and coming back several times, and become a hinderance more than a help before his time is up. Selanne is smart though, and his work habits are unmatched by most in their prime. So I believe he'll retire when he needs to, and not a year sooner or later. This is good for us fans, the Ducks, and Team Finland, as I doubt he'd pass up an opportunity to represent his country one last time. I have a suspicion that the Olympics are the reason that he's coming back. Maybe not the only reason, but the reason that tipped the scale in his favour. Just a theory though.</span></div>
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Either way, this is good news for everyone. Besides maybe the other teams in the Pacific division. </div>
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And if you didn't have the chance to see his un-retirement video, have a look. Its hilarious and well worth it. Oh, by the way, spoiler alert.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-78115367177848373622013-08-27T23:12:00.000-06:002013-08-27T23:12:09.370-06:00Nike, STAAAAHP!Alright, about to go on full out rant mode here. I'll keep it short and sweet so try to keep up.<br />
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WTF Nike?<br />
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Nike released their Olympic jersey sets for the Sochi Olympic Games, and... well... I'm not a big fan. They've released the jerseys for the host Russian team, and for the Americans. Lets first take a look at the USA uni's:<br />
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(all images from <a href="http://www.icethetics.info/" target="_blank">Icethetics</a>)<br />
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The white jersey is the coolest long-sleeve soccer jersey I've ever seen. The main body of the jersey is totally plain, the arm-striping style doesn't match together at all, and the fake-laces and shoulder stars are the tackiest thing I've seen on a jersey since the <a href="http://www.coolhockey.com/images/histories/kingsBK95.JPG" target="_blank">Los Angeles Burger Kings</a> jersey.</div>
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If the same style on the white jersey was used on the blue jersey, with white on the top, then this unique style could possibly work, but nevertheless it looks so... wrong on a hockey jersey. Plus even though the shoulders are wacky, the rest of the uniforms are so plain and boring that it would make a good practice jersey. On the positive side (at least there is something) the logo is pretty cool. It looks historic enough while being relevant and modern at the same time. I just hope those fake laces are a one-off gimmick...</div>
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Well I guess not. These jerseys suffer from the Nike "fake-laces" too. While this set isn't near as bad as the American set, there are still many problems with it.</div>
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I'll start with the white jersey, as it probably got your attention first. The design is absolutely unique, and it does look pretty cool, if you're a fan of Russian artwork. But I don't think the double-headed dragon will look really good on the ice, being contorted and crumpled by the players wearing it. It's just going to look like a red and white mess. Plus it there is going to be blue, there should be more blue. Its awkward having only the wordmark and the small little strip at the bottom as a colour unrelated to the rest of the jersey. But on the positive, the arm wing design and the shoulder wing design are remarkable, and unlike the rest of the jersey it wont be too affected by the movements of the game. Its unique, I'll give it that. I'd be cool with the jersey, but looking at how its worn...</div>
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<a href="http://www.icethetics.info/storage/blog13/0827-rus-ovechkin.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1377625659131" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://www.icethetics.info/storage/blog13/0827-rus-ovechkin.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1377625659131" width="320" /></a></div>
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...I just think it looks more awkward than cool.</div>
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But what is cool is the red Russian jersey. Its good because it really doesn't mess with the cool jerseys Russia already has. It has a good balance between red, white, and blue, and proudly shows the Russian crest on the chest. Some minor complaints with it are that I find the crest to be somewhat larger than it should be, and the wordmark seems awkwardly low on the jersey (same with on the white set). Also, I don't like how the blue shoulders look so square on the jersey. Jerseys are typically rounded and smooth, but the blue shoulders that extend all the way around evenly look strange to me. But I really like the arm stripes on the jersey, and is pretty much the only jersey out of these 4 that can get away with having no bottom hem striping (besides 1 little stripe at the bottom). At least this jersey doesn't have funky art on the shoulders, but it still loses brownie points for having the fake laces.</div>
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So for the most part, I'm not a huge fan of these jerseys and I hope this is as bad as it gets, if Nike is doing all of the jerseys. I'd like if Canada can stay fairly traditional, but judging from these sets, I highly doubt it. Hopefully something Summit Series '72 style, if they plan on something more unique. I just really hope the NHL stays well away from Nike designs, if this sort of thing keeps up.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-91206306771352046152013-08-26T00:56:00.000-06:002013-08-26T00:56:01.170-06:00Welcome Back!Hello everyone! I apologize for my absence the last few days. I had a temporary night-shift job that basically eliminated any chance I had to sit down and focus on writing during the day. But now I'm back.<br />
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And yes I know, I promised on Twitter I would have a post yesterday, and that didn't happen either. I ran out of daytime to write anything and this is the first chance I got, so I'll likely have a couple of posts today, one now and one later.<br />
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For now, I'm going to talk about the 5* coolest hockey-related people I've had a chance to meet in my lifetime. I haven't had a chance to meet most of my hockey idols growing up, such as Iginla and Hasek, but I have been able to meet and even play with some of the NHL's biggest names. Some of these players were some of my first favourite NHL players, and were the first players that I really got to idolize.<br />
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5. Ray Ferraro / Wade Redden<br />
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I put these two together because I met them in the same fashion, in the same place, and idolized both growing up. I got to go to the Okanagan Hockey School, where Redden and Ferraro were both mentors. I went when I was really young in my hockey career, and had the most troubles skating. Redden and Ferraro were both known for their skating abilities, and helped me plenty with fine tuning my technique. At the time, these were two really big names in hockey, one was an established veteran, the other a young star in Ottawa.<br />
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4. Brian Burke<br />
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Also at the Okanagan Hockey School, I got to meet Brian Burke, the well-known NHL General Manager. Although, for the most part, I disagree with his management style and decisions, it was really cool meeting a real-life NHL executive, and learning what it takes to make it as a pro from someone who actually scouts for pros. Pretty neat.<br />
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3. Dion Phaneuf<br />
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He's probably the biggest name on this list now, but I wouldn't put him higher just because of the circumstances I met him. He was doing some sort of tour of Canadian Tire stores, and stopped at my hometown's store to sign autographs and meet fans. Yes, it was totally awesome to meet a star player like Phaneuf, but I had to wait in line to see him, saw him for about a minute, then left to let hundreds of others get the same brush with fame. Still was a really cool experience though.<br />
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2. Jason Krog<br />
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Conversely, he's probably the least known on this list, but anyone who shares my hometown probably knows him as well. He was another Fernie, BC product, who made it to the NHL and was a big part of Anaheim's Stanley Cup run in 2003. He's been the AHL's MVP and scoring leader numerous times, and has played all over the world. I believe he's currently playing in Sweden, and doing very well for himself there too. Anyways, he was the first person to taught me how to skate (after a few months in a figure skating program), and I attended his hockey camps in Fernie on a yearly basis. We chatted quite a bit, talked occasionally on the off season, and got to know each other well. His rookie NHL card, autographed, is still one of my favourites in my hockey card collection, and he was my first real mentor to the game of hockey.<br />
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1. Scott Niedermayer<br />
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Phaneuf is the biggest name on the list right now, but of all time Niedermayer is definitely the biggest. I actually got the chance to meet him several times in my life, some with the company of hundreds of others, and some in more personal quarters.<br />
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I got to meet Niedermayer, from Cranbrook, BC, first at one of our year-end hockey banquets, when he attended as a guest speaker. I was young, and didn't get much of a chance to talk to him, so it was hard to really get to know him, but it was really cool to meet someone who was, at the time, as big as he was.<br />
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The second time was when he and brother Rob won the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2006. Since Scott Niedermayer currently made his home in Fernie, he brought the Cup to the city, so I got to meet both brothers and the Stanley Cup for the first time. It was honestly life changing to be with the Stanley Cup, and in the presence of an Olympian, Stanley Cup champion and (now) Hall of Famer.<br />
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But the third biggest meeting between the two was a really cool experience. My family was selling the house in Fernie, to move to Lethbridge, AB (where I live currently), so we had visitors regularly looking at the house. Jason Krog showed up to take a look at the house as well, which was cool in itself. But one day, in the summer of 2010, after reading in the local paper that he was vacationing in Canada, we had a couple come in to look at the house. I didn't notice until about halfway through the tour, and even then I wasn't 100% sure, but he looked so similar to the guy I met back in 2006, sans beard. I looked at my dad, who had the look of curiosity that I'm sure I had while thinking of the possibility of such a player in our house. We decided not to say anything, distracting from the tour and being rude if they chose to stay private. But at the end, before they left, I shook his hand and said "Thanks for stopping by, Scott". He chuckled a bit and gave me a smile, the same smile I know I saw with the cup 4 years prior. That was definitely the coolest brush with hockey fame I've had.<br />
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So now its your turn. Who was the coolest hockey player you've meet? How did you meet them? Share your stories with me or leave a comment below, I'd love to hear your own brushes with hockey fame.</div>
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So I'm glad I'm back to writing again, and as promised I'll try to leave another post later today. Goodnight everyone, and thank you for reading!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-91349238065372396602013-08-19T20:52:00.000-06:002013-08-19T20:52:56.744-06:00Musical Coaches, Baseball, Regis Philbin, and JerseysBefore I get to today's topic, a few little things I'd like to share.<br />
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First, I have to say that I absolutely love Jay and Dan from <strike>TSN</strike> FoxSports1. I was really sad to see them leave TSN, but watching their first episode on American networks makes me feel like they're in good hands. I'm still a fan.<br />
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But you know who isn't a fan? Regis Philbin. He was on one of the sports channel's segments this morning, and had a few things to say to the Canadian duo:<br />
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Not sure if trolling, or just mad. Why you heff to be mad, Regis? Either way, this definitely made me laugh.<br />
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Second, I'll give a quick shout-out to Team Canada at the Little League World Series. They were eliminated earlier today after losing to Panama. It got kinda ugly, lasting only 4 innings in a 12-0 blowout. The Canadians leave the tournament with a 1-2 record.</div>
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Despite the blowouts to both Panama and Taiwan in the first game, they played hard and deserved to represent our country on the world stage. Expectations, as usual, weren't very high on our team, but we were well represented nonetheless. Congrats to the remaining teams and good luck for the rest of the tournament.</div>
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Third, I created a couple of new concepts that I'd like to share.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUfIRzjE0Ac/UhLHjakEzZI/AAAAAAAAAho/IKxJOhwGF-M/s1600/CalgaryHitmenConcept.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUfIRzjE0Ac/UhLHjakEzZI/AAAAAAAAAho/IKxJOhwGF-M/s320/CalgaryHitmenConcept.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This first one is of the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Named after famous wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart. He also founded and part-owned the team. Like his wrestling outfit, the Hitmen's original jersey made black and pink badass, something almost impossible in the world of sports. Since then, the team upgraded their logo and look, changing the colours along the way. Well fooey with that, I like what the Hitmen pink stood for. So I brought back the pink, kept their new cleaner logo, and gave it more Calgary flavour by giving it the Flames' style of the mid-90's.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eL-n_AMkHxA/UhLHtt_aGtI/AAAAAAAAAhw/daanrcrmF4g/s1600/HawthorneForce.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eL-n_AMkHxA/UhLHtt_aGtI/AAAAAAAAAhw/daanrcrmF4g/s320/HawthorneForce.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was made for a contest at <a href="http://hockeyjerseyconcepts.com/">HockeyJerseyConcepts.com</a>. The Hawthorne, California police department wanted to set up a youth hockey organization that would give the sport of hockey to youth that cannot afford to be in sports or activities. They got an equipment grant from the NHLPA, and wanted an artist to design their jerseys to show city spirit, pride of the police force, and to be a "badass" cool jersey for these kids to wear. I'm all for that. So I created the logo using a police badge outline, stars, sticks, and wings to give this jersey a unique flair of pride. I kept the main colour a "police blue", while adding light blue, black, and white. I also gave them the Anaheim Ducks' jersey style because, well its just that cool of a jersey, but deserved to be in better colours. I mean, double blue, thats the best colour combination a jersey could have!</div>
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Besides maybe black and pink ;)</div>
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So finally to what I wanted to talk about, which is the question:</div>
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Who won the game of Musical Coaches?</div>
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This off-season had a lot of coaches fired, hired, moved, traded, etc. Which team got the best deal out of it?</div>
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Buffalo Sabres: </div>
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Fired: Lindy Ruff</div>
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Hired: Ron Rolston</div>
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Lindy Ruff in my mind is a legendary coach, but his time in Buffalo was over when players stopped listening to his messages. That tends to happen to any coach, good and bad, at some point. Unless you're Barry Trotz apparently. His replacement, Ron Rolston, has a ton of NCAA coaching experience, but only 2 years experience coaching in the AHL. He was signed during last season in Buffalo, and had a .565 winning percentage, not a bad start at all. Still, his inexperience is going to be the downfall of a struggling Sabres franchise for a few seasons yet.</div>
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Dallas Stars:</div>
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Fired: Glen Gulutzan</div>
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Hired: Lindy Ruff</div>
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Interestingly enough, Ruff landed with the team that effectively stole a Stanley Cup away from him in 1999. A veteran, no-nonsense coach that can lead a young group of players (and possibly straighten Seguin out for good) to great heights. </div>
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Tampa Bay Lightning:</div>
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Fired: Guy Boucher</div>
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Hired: Jon Cooper</div>
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I never really liked Boucher as a coach. His style really didn't jive with the roster he had, who (besides goaltending) should have been a highly competitive team during his tenure. He is replaced by Jon Cooper, an inexperienced coach in the NHL, but has had wild success in the AHL for the few seasons he's been there, winning the Calder Cup in his 2nd season in Norfolk, then the following year leading Syracuse to the best record in the league until he was hired by Tampa Bay. Despite his success, his leash will be short, given the expectations of this team.</div>
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Vancouver Canucks:</div>
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Fired: Alain Vigneault</div>
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Hired: John Tortorella</div>
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I don't like the sounds of this. I love Tortz as a coach, but his hard-nose, physical style of play, along with the short leashes he gives to younger players, will not fit well with the Canucks, unless he has a total change of heart when he's there. AV is a great coach, but his message wasn't getting across to the Canuck players, and he couldn't spark them to playoff success.</div>
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New York Rangers:</div>
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Fired: John Tortorella</div>
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Hired: Alain Vigneault</div>
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To complete the coaching trade, we have AV replacing Tortz in New York. Unlike Vancouver's situation, I'm really excited to see what Vigneault can do with a dependable cast in NY. </div>
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Edmonton Oilers:</div>
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Fired: Ralph Kruger</div>
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Hired: Dallas Eakins</div>
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Kruger was a smart, savvy veteran coach, but couldn't adapt to the NHL game from his home in the Swiss league. Eakins is getting his first stint as an NHL coach in Edmonton, and has been coaching the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, with reasonable success. His style will benefit Edmonton, but lack of experience will hinder this young team.</div>
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Colorado Avalanche:</div>
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Fired: Joe Sacco</div>
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Hired: Patrick Roy</div>
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This is my favourite coaching hire since Anaheim nabbed Boudreau. Sacco's coaching record has been mediocre at best, barely making the playoffs once out of 4 seasons. Patrick Roy was brought in to single-handedly reform the team, being head coach and head decision maker in Colorado. He ran the whole show in Quebec in the QMJHL, winning the Memorial Cup in his rookie year and keeping Quebec a dominant team since. His experience will no doubtedly be questioned, as will his antics. But he's the kind of guy that can fire up a young team like Colorado and get them playing full-hearted hockey, and thats something the league seems to be missing right now.</div>
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So who do you think won the off-season for coaches? My say would be New York, but potentially Colorado. Anyway, let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-23086581560229122672013-08-17T22:22:00.001-06:002013-08-17T22:22:36.432-06:00What's The Deal With Ottawa?<div style="text-align: left;">
Before I get to today's discussion, I'd like to just briefly mention friend-of-the-blog Ricky at BNG, who has been extremely generous enough to accept my concept art and heavily feature my work on his own blog this past week. He's taken the time to review them and give them his own thoughts, something that is extremely helpful to me. If you have the time, make sure you check out his blog, as he features some really cool jersey designs and his own insight on them. Thank you Ricky, and those who support my concept art.</div>
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Here's the link to his page. I've been featured on most of his daily posts for the last week, so scroll down and check it out, and have a peek around while you're there.</div>
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<a href="http://rmconcepts.blogspot.ca/">http://rmconcepts.blogspot.ca</a></div>
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Here's a topic that I wanted to bring up after Alfie signed with Detroit, but I wanted to make clear of his intentions before doing so, and watch the aftermath that unfolded. Sure enough, I was correct, another bad "break-up" with Ottawa and a star player.<br />
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This really isn't the first time. Most fans should remember how ugly it got when Dany Heatley left town. He still is public enemy #1 I believe. He had a bad final season in Ottawa, and requested to be traded, withdrawing his No Trade Clause. Ottawa had no choice but to send him to <strike>Edmonton</strike>.<br />
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Actually, he refused the trade to Edmonton, pissing off two teams at once. The trade to Edmonton would rid them of a $7million cap hit in Heatley, and bring in Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, and Ladislav Smid. None of those guys equaled the talent lost by Heatley, but would be a good group of players to retool your secondary scoring with for sure. Eventually, he got traded to San Jose for Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek, and a 2nd round pick. Not bad, but could have been better if he was sent to Edmonton. Michalek put up good numbers, but less than he was previously in San Jose. Cheechoo's glory seasons were over, and it didn't take long for him to be bought out and sent packing. So if I were an Ottawa fan, I'd still have reason to be pissed at Heatley, and clearly I'm not the only one who agrees, as he gets regularly booed anytime he comes to town.<br />
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But lets spin the clock even further back, to 2006. While Zdeno Chara didn't himself cause a big stir in Ottawa, it was the manager's decision to get rid of him in place of Wade Redden that cause resentment among Sens fans. Chara and Redden were the premier defence pair in the league. After the lockout, Ottawa's finances forced them to choose to keep one or the other. The rest is history. Chara signed as a free agent to Boston, was immediately named Captain, improved his individual stats and the team's success every year, and has a Stanley Cup to his name. Redden's numbers dropped significantly after Chara left, and his next 2 seasons involved non-stop trade rumours, until he was let go by the Senators 2 years later and signed with the Rangers. Pretty poor decision if you ask me.<br />
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But how did Ottawa get a hold of Chara to begin with? Funny you should ask. <br />
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In 1992, Ottawa drafted Alexei Yashin 2nd overall. He played a year in Russia, then came to Ottawa and joined "rookie superstar" Alexandre Daigle in 1993. Daigle was supposed to be Ottawa's key to success, but it was Yashin who scored 77 points in his rookie season and came away with the Calder Trophy. He helped improve the weak club, and eventually lead the young team to the playoffs in 1997. By 1998, he was a Hart Trophy finalist. However, it was off the ice where he became loathed by the public.<br />
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In 1996, he refused to play until his contract was renegotiated so that he was the highest paid player on the team. He did deserve it, being paid less than most other players, including Daigle, who at this time was considered a bust. But thats not a good way to win over fans, and could have waited a year to negotiate his contract once it was over. But he held out, and soured his reputation with the fans of Ottawa, and sadly this wasn't his first contract issue. Furthermore, he tried to make it up by donating $1million to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. However this was refused when it was revealed that he demanded $400,000 in fees to go to his parents. Lastly, in 1999, the final year of his contract, he held out for the 3rd time hoping for renegotiation. He was suspended by the team without pay after he refused to report to the team. He unsuccessfully requested a trade, before trying to sign in Switzerland, which was vetoed by the IIHF until the dispute was settled. Since he owed the team 1 more season, he came back the next year to play, being booed regularly in any arena, but worst in Ottawa. <br />
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In 2001, he was traded to the Islanders, for the draft pick that gave Ottawa Jason Spezza, and for (you guessed it) Zdeno Chara. To make the trade even worse for the Islanders, Mike Milbury (you know he'd be involved here somewhere) signed him to a grossly overpaid 10 year-$87.5million deal.<br />
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So whether it be because of finances, poor management decisions, or the disagreements between player's and staff, Ottawa has sure had a hard time keeping it's star players, but thats not too uncommon. What is uncommon is how each event seems to blow up in their face, and adds a new player to the fans' "Most Hated" lists. Unfortunately, the way everything unfolded, I wouldn't be surprised if Alfie's reception when he visits Ottawa again will be less than smooth.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-76026879951611752013-08-16T00:55:00.000-06:002013-08-16T00:55:07.338-06:00Oh Captain My Captain I've been pretty bad with keeping up with my posts lately, but I wanna do a piece today about the captains of the NHL teams. Calgary is among 8 teams that are looking for a new captain for this season. Some teams elect to go with a rotating cast of alternates, or just keep 3 alternates. I like that thought, but only on a team that doesn't have a natural leader to begin with. If you have a leader on your team, it helps rally your team better getting behind a guy willing to put the work in to keep his place. <br />
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So I'm going to go through each NHL team, and discuss their captaincy situation, whether they have one or not, and if not, who should be the team's next captain.<br />
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Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf (Koivu/Selanne)<br />
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Its hard to argue Getzlaf as the captain of this team. He's pretty much the best leader this team has, aside from Koivu. But Koivu came to Anaheim late in his career, and wasn't part of the core group, so I think he's fine staying alternate. Selanne should keep the 'A' if he stays. But if he doesn't, then expect Beauchemin or Perry to take his place.<br />
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Boston: Zdeno Chara (Bergeron/Kelly)<br />
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Again, it's hard to argue Chara being captain of the team. He's a great leader and the face of the franchise. Bergeron and Kelly are also great picks for the alternates, as both are key guys in the dressing room and on the ice. They get behind their teammates and try to make everyone around them look good. Lucic might get the 'A' eventually, but not for a while yet as long as this group stays.<br />
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Buffalo: <b>Vacant </b>(Stafford/Ott/Vanek)<br />
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This team doesn't exactly have a leader on their team, but the 3 'A's that they've picked are pretty much spot on. Stafford and Vanek have spent more time on the team than almost everyone else, and are key guys on the team. Ott is fairly new to the team, but is great to lead the team and fire them up when needed, either with his words or with his actions on the ice. He's a great lead-by-example type of player, although he does have a thing for getting in trouble around the league. If I was to pick a captain from this group, I'd go with Vanek based on what he brings to the team.<br />
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Calgary: <b>Vacant </b>(Cammalleri/Giordano/Glencross)<br />
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Calgary lost their captain of 10 years, Jerome Iginla, last season, and find themselves in the same place as Buffalo. No one on the team really stands out as a captain on this young team, and my pick would have been Tanguay...but now he's in Colorado. Assuming Kiprusoff retires, no one has been on the team longer than 10 years, or since before Iginla was captain. Giordano is close, being on the team since 2004, and is probably the best bet for the next captain. But Glencross has really stepped up his game lately and has emerged as a fan favourite and team leader the last few years as well, and he's been there since 2008, which is longer than all but 3 players in the lineup. Cammy is the team's best player IMO, but hasn't been part of the core long enough to really be a good leader to the team, especially since the team has been a revolving door of players for the last few years. I'd say Glencross is the best fit of a captain, but Giordano will likely get it.<br />
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Carolina: Eric Staal (Gleason/J. Staal)<br />
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While I don't necesarrily agree with little Staal getting an 'A', no one can argue big Staal's captaincy. He's a leader and has been the face of the franchise for quite some time now. I'd keep Gleason's 'A', as he's been one of the very few core players kept since 2008. Personally, I'd give Staal's 'A' to Tuomo Ruutu, but that's just a small change. It's not like Jordan Staal is a bad leader, he's just too young and too new to the franchise to be leading the team. It's not like they're deep with leadership though.<br />
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Chicago: Jonathan Toews (Keith/Sharp)<br />
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I've said a few times in previous posts that I don't think Toews is all that great of a leader. Maybe it's just my grumpy opinion, but he didn't act like much of a captain during their Cup run this season. If it wasn't for Seabrook, I think Toews would have lost Chicago the Western Finals, never mind the Stanley Cup. However, he is as good of a leader as any of Chicago's alternates, or could be alternates; like Kane, Seabrook, Hossa, and Bickel. Unlike Carolina, this team is loaded with leadership potential.<br />
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Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog (Hejduk/Stastny)<br />
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On paper, Hejduk should be the captain. But he didn't like the role, as he isn't a leader-type of player, and passed off his captaincy after one season. Landeskog became the youngest captain ever when he was named captain last season, and recently signed a long-term deal with the club. I like this guy, and he's a hell of a player, but naming him (or anyone) captain that early really worries me. However, if anyone was going to do it, its him. He's the definition of a natural leader, and leads his team by example. I just hope all of his hype doesn't go to waste after a mere 2 seasons in the league. Plus its hard to pick a captain of your team when only 10 players have been there since 2009. 4 of those are only 22 years old and are by far not captain's material yet, 4 of those are players who are low in the roster and don't make a huge deal on the ice. The other 2 are Hejduk and Stastny.<br />
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Columbus: <b>Vacant </b>(Aucoin/Dubinsky/Johnson)<br />
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As far as available leadership goes, this is a sad bunch right here. Not to knock off any of the alternates mentioned, but they don't exactly strike me as captain-players. Only 6 players have been on this team since 2010, none of them have the 'A'. That's a sign of a team rebuilding. RJ Umberger has been on the team since 2008, and is one of the only key players on the team the whole time since. I think he's a bit of a dark horse, but in my mind is the best Columbus has for a captain of their team. I'd keep Dubinsky and Aucoin as assistants, or Johnson if Aucoin decides to retire.<br />
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Dallas: <b>Vacant </b>(Benn/Robidas/Whitney)<br />
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Similar to Columbus, this team has been a revolving door through trades and free agency through the last few seasons, and is undergoing a huge rebrand, retool, and rebuild. Only 3 players have been on the team since 2010, and only those 3 and goaltender Lehtonen since 2011. Benn and Robidas are part of that core group. Benn is the face of the team and deserves his shot at leading this team. He's a little quieter and not as much of a fire-starter as most captains, but he's a solid player who could lead by example. Robidas should stay as alternate, as should Whitney. Whitney is rather new to Dallas, but is a skilled, wise player even at 41, and can be a good veteran asset to this team come playoff time.<br />
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Detroit: Henrik Zetterberg (Kronwall/Datsyuk)<br />
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Detroit's 3 best players, and 3 longest-serving Red Wings on the roster. Pretty much perfect set-up of captaincy.<br />
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Edmonton: <b>Vacant </b>(Eberle/Hall/Schultz)<br />
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There's only 5 players over 30 on this team, and none of them have been there before 2011 (Except Hemsky, who they tried to get rid of and will probably not be getting the 'A' anytime soon). It's hard to pick a young captain to lead a young team. I'd say Smyth deserves to be captain, but sadly his role on the team is declining rapidly, as he doesn't fit in with the young, fast style of hockey. This is one of the rare cases where I say having 3 alternates and no captain is a good thing. The only thing I'd change is Gagner should get the 'A' instead of Hall. Gagner is more of a leader to the team, and Hall is only 21, 3rd youngest on the team behind RNH and Yakupov.<br />
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Florida: Ed Jovanovski (Campbell)<br />
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Jova was hurt most of last season and didn't play, and oddly Florida only has 1 alternate. Jovanovski is also questionable for the start of camp, so that put's the captain's status in even more limbo. If he's healthy, he's the obvious 'C' on the team, with Campbell and Shawn Matthias as the alternates. If he isn't good to go, than Campbell should captain with Matthais and Upshall or Kopecky as alternate.<br />
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Los Angeles: Dustin Brown (Greene/Kopitar/Richards)<br />
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Although I'm not a fan of Brown, I can see why he's the captain of the team, and why the alternates are who they are. I'd probably switch Brown with Kopitar as captain, but thats just nitpicking.<br />
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Minnesota: Mikko Koivu (Parise/Suter)<br />
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Koivu is a lock for captain, as he's been the franchise's main guy since Gaborik left. But I don't like how Parise and Suter can sign with the team and be named alternates right away. They aren't standout leaders (Parise would have been the next captain of NJ for sure), but they aren't bad choices, considering Minny doesn't have any good veteran players that could fit the leader role and have been there longer (besides Heatley, but that wouldn't happen). So I guess this is fine for now.<br />
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Montreal: Brian Gionta (Gorges/Markov)<br />
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Unlike many of the teams just mentioned, Montreal has had a good core group of players around for quite some time. Markov has been on the team the longest (1998) and deserves an 'A'. Gionta is a good captain too. I'm not sure he fills the shoes left by the legendary Montreal captains of history, but he's the best they have now. I'd probably give Subban the 'A' over Gorges, simply because it may force him to be more responsible, since it's more than likely going to be Subban's team in the next few years.<br />
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Nashville: Shea Weber (Legwand/Fisher)<br />
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Like Detroit, seems about right to me.<br />
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New Jersey: Bryce Salvador (Elias/Greene)<br />
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How Salvador got the captaincy over Elias is beyond me. Elias has been on the team since 1994 and has been a very key player every year since. Salvador is an older player with veteran leadership, but I still would give Elias the 'C' before Salvador. Greene is a fair alternate, but could be substituted with Zubrus, Zajac, or even Jagr.<br />
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New York Islanders: <b>Vacant </b>(Okposo/Tavares)<br />
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Anyone who thinks Tavares isn't going to be the next captain is delusional. It's as natural of a fit as Giroux was in Philly. He's the team's best player, best leader, and the face of the franchise. I'd say he's still a bit young and inexperienced to lead an NHL team, but the Islanders don't have many better options. Okposo is okay as an Alternate, and expect Nielsen or Moulson to nab the other 'A'.<br />
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New York Rangers: Ryan Callahan (Richards/M. Staal)<br />
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Callahan is the perfect captain, under Tort's system. I'm curious to see if AV is going to change some things around when he starts with the Rangers, but he'd be a fool to rid Callahan of the 'C'. He's not a glamorous player, but he gets the job done and leads by example better than any captain in the NHL. I wouldn't be shocked, however, if he's paired up with new alternates. If Richards can't improve his status under AV's system, then we wont climb much higher than the 3rd line, and shouldn't have the 'A'. Staal's play will very much be determined by the extent of his eye injury, still unknown. If either of those two can't return to their regular place in the lineup, expect Girardi or McDonagh to get the 'A's for the team.<br />
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Ottawa: <b>Vacant </b>(Phillips/Spezza)<br />
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I really can't see why Spezza WON'T get the captaincy, he's the team's most skilled player, best leader, best ambassador to hockey and the city of Ottawa, and pretty much the perfect fit to lead the Sens. Phillips definitely should keep the 'A', and Chris Neil should get the other one based on his dedication to his play and his team, and his ability to fire the team up when needed.<br />
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Philadelphia: Claude Giroux (Hartnell/Timonen)<br />
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Giroux definitely earned the 'C' on his jersey, and it's hard to argue against the other two as his alternates. I really have no problems here.<br />
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Phoenix: Shane Doan (Hanzal/Yandle)<br />
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Doan is the prime example of a team captain, and will be the frontman of the Coyotes until he leaves or retires. Yandle is an important player in Phoenix, and deserves to be alternate, as does Hanzal. Plus all 3 of these players are the longest-serving Coyotes. This is somewhat of a sad situation for Phoenix, given that their alternates are only 26 years old and have been a Coyote longer than anyone else besides former-Jet Doan.<br />
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Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby (Kunitz/Malkin/Orpik)<br />
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Crosby and Malkin are obvious, Orpik is the longest-serving Penguin (2000), and Kunitz is a solid veteran presence on the team. I'd maybe nitpick and switch Kunitz with either Letang or Dupuis, but it's not really necessary<br />
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St. Louis: David Backes (Jackman/Pietrangelo/Steen)<br />
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None of these guys stand out to me as a natural leader, but I can't argue their selection too much considering their roster. I'd maybe sub Steen with Bouwmeester, as his experience in the league would probably make him a good leader to the club, but just my opinion.<br />
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San Jose: Joe Thornton (Boyle/Marleau)<br />
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Marleau is a great player, but his leadership is somewhat questionable, hence why Jumbo Joe is now captain. He's a good leader to the team, but he doesn't lead by example well in the playoffs, much the problem of Marleau before him. Regardless, this is about they best leadership group they have.<br />
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Tampa Bay: <b>Vacant </b>(Ohlund/St. Louis/Stamkos)<br />
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Although Stamkos will be captain soon enough, I think a few years under the leadership of St. Louis would be to his benefit. St. Louis has been an all-star and key player for Tampa since he entered in 2000, and even at the age of 38, he is still one of the league's top point-getters. This will be Stamkos' team eventually, but not yet.<br />
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Toronto: Dion Phaneuf (Lupul/McClement)<br />
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Most would agree Phaneuf isn't great captain material, but I don't think he's done a bad job. He's still young, and slowly finding his place under such enormous pressure. Lupul is a fair assistant to him, but I'm curious why McClement has an 'A' and Phil Kessel doesn't. If Kessel doesn't deserve it, then give it to Clarkson this year, or Bozak, or Kulemin, or Franson, or even Colton Orr.<br />
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Vancouver: Henrik Sedin (D. Sedin/Kesler/Bieksa)<br />
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The problem is that most of these guys aren't accountable or dependable during playoff time, something I find important, as Tortz likely will too. He really isn't afraid to change captains around, once striping young-star Lecavlier of the 'C' because Tortz felt he was too young and immature, and I agreed with him. I can see Kesler getting the 'C' next season, with Bieksa and the Sedins alternating the 'A's.<br />
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Washington: Alex Ovechkin (Backstrom/Green/Laich)<br />
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There's no denying that this is Ovechkin's team. He didn't fit the leader role well at first, but deserves the job now. The alternates really can't be argued with here either, as these guys are the next best leaders of the team.<br />
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Winnipeg: Andrew Ladd (Jokinen/Stuart)<br />
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Ladd is the obvious captain, as he is a strong leader and vet than can carry the team or get behind them and push. However, there really isn't a strong candidate for the 'A's in Winnipeg. I like Jokinen as a player, but he isn't a strong leader. Stuart isn't a bad candidate, but I think there is better leader's on the team. If I had it my way, I'd give Dustin Byfuglin and Blake Wheeler the 'A's, with Evander Kane getting one the minute he smarts-up a little.<br />
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Well those are my choices, does anyone have any objections, or captaincy suggestions of their own? Let me know. Thanks for reading!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-65493559728252603642013-08-13T22:08:00.000-06:002013-08-13T22:08:13.267-06:00... Barbra StreisandI hope that song is stuck in your head now too.<br />
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Anyways, yes, I've been listening to a fair share of Duck Sauce today, against my will of course. "Barbra Streisand" was a cool song, for a while, and then it got old, quickly.<br />
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So what does this have to do with hockey? Well, the Flames decided to use the song as their goal horn, and it absolutely killed me as a Flames fan. The last time I went to a Flames game in person, they used "Shot Down In Flames" - ACDC. That song was perfect! It was loud, obnoxious, catchy, and had something to do with FLAMES!<br />
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Hockey music should get the heart pumping, get right in your face, and blast out the speakers. Thats what I like hearing when I'm at a hockey game.<br />
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I was going to do a "best goal horns" list, but there's lots of different ones and good sources for listing them are hard to come by. So I decided to make my "Favourite" playlist from all of the EA video games in the NHL series. Usually, they feature lots of Canadian rock, and a good mix of new, hard rock, and classic tunes. That's what I like. They haven't always had good music, but usually they had some great tunes in there, so I'm going to show you my "playlist" of my favourite songs from the NHL games, and the game it was featured in:<br />
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Heroes - David Bowie (NHL99 Intro)<br />
Heavy - Collective Soul (NHL2001 Intro)<br />
American Psycho - Treble Charger (NHL2002)<br />
I Hear You Calling - GOB (NHL2002)<br />
Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows - Brand New (NHL2004)<br />
Shatterday - Vendetta Red (NHL2004)<br />
Punk Rock 101 - Bowling For Soup (NHL2004)<br />
Get What You Need - Jet (NHL2004)<br />
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (NHL2005)<br />
From Out Of Nowhere - Faith No More (NHL2005)<br />
Bundy - Animal Alpha (NHL06)<br />
Bat Country - Avenged Sevenfold (NHL06)<br />
Red Flag - Billy Talent (NHL06)<br />
Flag Song - Rock'N'Roll Soldiers (NHL06)<br />
Montreal Calling - Mobile (NHL07)<br />
Talk To Her - Priestess (NHL 07)<br />
A Whisper And A Clamor - Anberlin (NHL08)<br />
Just Got To Be - The Black Keys (NHL08)<br />
Raw - Scanners (NHL08)<br />
Stand Up For Rock And Roll - Airbourne (NHL08)<br />
The Wildfire - Mando Diao (NHL08)<br />
The Running Free - Coheed and Cambria (NHL09)<br />
Heroes Of Our Time - Dragonforce (NHL10)<br />
Peace Sells - Megadeth (NHL10)<br />
Rock You Like A Hurricane - The Scorpions (NHL10)<br />
I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys (NHL11)<br />
Howlin' For You - The Black Keys (NHL11)<br />
Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones (NHL11)<br />
Mony Mony - Billy Idol (NHL12)<br />
You've Got Another Thing Comin' - Judas Priest (NHL12)<br />
Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (NHL13)<br />
Bully - Shinedown (NHL13)<br />
Days Go By - The Offspring (NHL13)<br />
The Devil Takes Care Of His Own - Band of Skulls (NHL13)<br />
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Anyway, those are my favourites. Some of those get me pumped about playing some hockey, some of them bring me back to my days of starting hockey, and some of them are just plain fun rock'n'roll. If you have any songs that you liked from the games, or have any suggestions what should be on there, leave me a comment! Thanks for reading.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528737251687826012.post-73849540172586366412013-08-12T22:50:00.001-06:002013-08-12T22:50:01.145-06:00Wouldn't It Be Cool If...<div>First of all, just wanna let you know that my Baltimore Blades concept has been featured and reviewed on hockeyjerseyconcepts.com, and it got a pretty solid review. If you'd like to check that out and view the other concepts of the day, check out Monday's article and have a looksie.</div><div><br></div><div>************************************************</div><div><br></div>Okay, so a simple concept for today's post. With next season creeping closer and closer each day, here are 10 things that could happen next year that could make the year even more exciting. In no particular order:<div><br></div><div>1. Selanne leads the league in scoring.</div><div><br></div><div>It's not even confirmed that he is playing next year, but most signs point towards he will be. His numbers have been declining to more human-levels as of late. But his work ethic is matched by no one, and is a smart enough player that he could figure out a way to compete with the best. He has a good team in Anaheim this year, and I think that this is possible, a longshot, but possible. It would be cool to end his career with the same flair as the start of his career.</div><div><br></div><div>2. A Maple Leaf leads the league in scoring.</div><div><br></div><div>So if Selanne can't win it, then this would be good too. Hear me out on this one, as most of you are probably scratching your heads. Presumably this would be narrowed down to Kessel or Kadri. Both would be able to stick it to somebody good if this was to happen. If Kessel won, then Toronto would have a huge monkey off their back from the backlash of the infamous Kessel trade, which now seems to be leaning in favour of TO anyway. If Kadri won, Brian Burke would look more like a schmuck than ever, and I'm in favour of anything that accomplishes that. Plus I really like Kadri as a player, so with all bias intended, I'd like to see him do well.</div><div><br></div><div>3. The Winter Classic sets the all-time hockey game attendance record.</div><div><br></div><div>This is almost a sure thing to happening. The 2014 Winter Classic has Detroit hosting Toronto in Ann Arbour. This is where the record currently stands for a game between NCAA's Michigan vs Michigan State. Over 100,000 people attended the game, and the official record will almost surely be topped when 2 of hockey's most popular teams hits the ice.</div><div><br></div><div>4. Winnipeg makes the playoffs.</div><div><br></div><div>Poor Winnipeg, here I give Toronto and Anaheim such lofty goals, while I sit here merely hoping Winnipeg can be better than almost half of their division. But this is a hope for me because I can see playoff hockey in Winnipeg getting outright insane. The building is extremely loud to begin with, and the fans are really behind the team their. Honestly, they still have a pretty weak team. But if they make the playoffs, I'd be excited to see it.</div><div><br></div><div>5. Edmonton goes on a playoff run.</div><div><br></div><div>I want this strictly because I'm sick of Edmonton fans saying "this is our year" for the last decade. Seriously though, their window of opportunity is closing fast and they'll have major cap issues after this year, so I hope they can pull it together and make all those 1st Overall picks count for something.</div><div><br></div><div>6. Vintage Brodeur ends his career in style.</div><div><br></div><div>This is most likely Brodeur's last year, and I'd be surprised if he stays starter for the entire year. However, despite his age, there is still legendary skill to be had by the netminder, and it would be nice for him to end his career on a high-note. Another cup run, perhaps?</div><div><br></div><div>7. Dominic Hasek comes out of retirement, again.</div><div><br></div><div>Sadly no chance for that happening, at least at the NHL level. But I'd be so excited to see the Dominator back on the ice. He's a colourful character, and easily my favourite goaltender of all time. He's talked about coming back every year for the last few years, but the lockout pretty much dashed those plans last year for good. Unlike most post-retirement comebacks, I think this would be worth it.</div><div><br></div><div>8. Minnesota and Detroit play an exhibition game in Ottawa.</div><div><br></div><div>And as an added bonus, the team with the loudest boos for Heatley or Alfie get bonus goals. Okay... Now I'm just making stuff up.</div><div><br></div><div>9. New Jersey gets a new jersey.</div><div><br></div><div>Since they're part of the Stadium Series games in New York, and New York has said new uniforms will be incorporated into the games, then this should be a sure thing. But I don't want them just to go red and green. Lets have something new. They're one of the only teams to stay the same and not have a 3rd jersey ever (besides their throwback green ones), along with teams like Detroit and Montreal. New Jersey isn't a historic franchise, so lets see something new. Devils is such a cool name to work with. Now, Im not saying I'm against their current logo. I love their look, and it's one of my favourites in the league. I just want to see something original from one of the league's blandest teams.</div><div><br></div><div>10. A team from Florida wins the Stanley Cup</div><div><br></div><div>Lol jk, I'd be pissed if I seen that. No, what I'd really love to see is an all-Canadian matchup for the Cup. The league would love this, the fans would love this, and I would really really love this. But problem: the western Canadian teams don't really look that good. Vancouver might be a good team, but I'm still iffy on Torts. I'd almost bet the farm on Calgary and Winnipeg not making the playoffs, let alone a cup run, and Edmonton might finally have their year, but I don't see them as a cup contender.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, I like the way Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa is shaping up, and I wouldn't be shocked if one of them made a cup run of their own this year.</div><div><br></div><div>Alright, so enough of my jibber jabber. What are you excited about maybe happening next year? Any thoughts on my ideas? Let me know! Thanks for reading.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03708806788468132971noreply@blogger.com0