Hey 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:
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.
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.
Its hard to say whether this experiment in Colorado is successful or not yet, but surely its off to a great start.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
So 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.
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?
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.
So first, we'll start with the goalies.
Goalies Canada1 Goalies Corey Crawford (Chicago) Braden Holtby (Washington) Roberto Luongo (Vancouver) Carey Price (Montreal) Mike Smith (Phoenix) Canada2 Goalies Martin Brodeur (New Jersey) - 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. James Reimer (Toronto) - 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. Jake Allen (St. Louis) - 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. Canada1 Defence Karl Alzner (Washington) Jay Bouwmeester (St. Louis) Dan Boyle (San Jose) Drew Doughty (Los Angeles) Mike Green (Washington) Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver) Travis Hamonic (NY Islanders) Duncan Keith (Chicago) Kris Letang (Pittsburgh) Marc Methot (Ottawa) Dion Phaneuf (Toronto) Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis) Brent Seabrook (Chicago) Marc Staal (NY Rangers) P.K. Subban (Montreal) Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose) Shea Weber (Nashville) 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. Canada2 Defence Cody Franson (Toronto) - 3rd in D-men points last season is probably a good place to start for our defencemen roster. Young player with lots of upside. Francois Beauchemin (Anaheim) - 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 defensive liability. Michael Del Zotto (NY Rangers) - 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 defensive liability. Sheldon Souray (Anaheim) - 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 defensive 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. Dougie Hamilton (Boston) - Last season in his rookie year he played great for the Bruins. Although his defensive 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. Mark Giordano (Calgary) - To find a good, defensive, physical 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 defensively.
Jason Garrison (Vancouver) - 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.
Canada1 Left Wing Taylor Hall (Edmonton) Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh) Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg) Milan Lucic (Boston) Brad Marchand (Boston) Rick Nash (NY Rangers) James Neal (Pittsburgh) Patrick Sharp (Chicago)
Note: In reality, most of these guys wont make the team anyway, as they'll be replaced by centremen.
Canada2 Left Wing
Evander Kane (Winnipeg) - 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.
Mason Raymond (Toronto) - 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.
Dany Heatley (Minnesota) - 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.
Ray Whitney (Dallas) - 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.
Canada1 Right Wing Jeff Carter (Los Angeles)(C/RW) Jordan Eberle (Edmonton)(RW) Claude Giroux (Philadelphia)(RW) Corey Perry (Anaheim)(RW) Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)(RW) Canada2 Right Wing Jerome Iginla (Boston) - 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. PA Parenteau (Colorado) - 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. Shane Doan (Phoenix) - 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. Brendan Gallagher (Montreal) - 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. Canada1 Center Patrice Bergeron (Boston) (C) Logan Couture (San Jose)(C) Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)(C) Matt Duchene (Colorado)(C) Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim)(C) Mike Richards (Los Angeles)(C) Eric Staal (Carolina)(C) Jordan Staal (Carolina)(C) Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)(C) John Tavares (NY Islanders)(C) Joe Thornton (San Jose)(C) Jonathan Toews (Chicago)(C) Note: Are there any left? Theres enough centermen here for 3 teams! This will be difficult. Canada2 Center Nazem Kadri (Toronto) - 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. Jamie Benn (Dallas) - A young vet in Dallas, he has plenty of upside and experience. He could be one of Canada's most dependable scorers. Sam Gagner (Edmonton) - 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. Mike Cammalleri (Calgary) - 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.
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.
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.
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.
This 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.
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.
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.
But for now, I'll start with two concepts of the hockey variety, both involving some infamous jerseys:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
So 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Let's just say, it got kinda nasty.
(Video from YouTube, which was from HockeyFights.com)
That, my friends, is what I like to call a brouhaha.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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?
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.
If this kind of thing is happening during preseason, then I'm really getting excited for the regular season this year.
Hello everyone, first a few quick notes before I get to the main topic today.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For the main topic of today, it was announced yesterday that Washington will host the 2015 NHL Winter Classic.
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.
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.
Rangers? They've played one in 2012, and are due to play two games in 2013-14. Probably not.
Islanders? Playing next season, but wouldn't be a bad option.
Philadelphia? They've already played two, last in 2012. They don't play one next season, so its likely they could be involved.
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.
Carolina? An old "Atlantic" division matchup, that people may actually care about. I'd watch if Carolina wore some green and blue.
Tampa Bay? An exciting team to watch, but are they a good draw for a large game like this?
Ottawa? Bringing back the Captial Cup would be a good idea, but Ottawa plays in a game next season, so its less than likely.
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.
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.
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.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves, we still have 6 games to watch this season before we get there.
