I admit it bothers me. When Buttman decided to expand, I honestly don't think he put too much thought into where the teams would end up. He just wanted to show everyone that he could create lots of new teams!

"Yay! Look at me! New teams! Who cares is the league is now watered down! Who cares if there isn't a large fan base in all of the new cities! Who cares if other teams have to bail out said struggling teams because my ego(due to being so small in stature, I have to make up for it with a huge ego) won't allow me to correct my mistakes! I am so smart! S-M-R-T!Er....wait. What?":confused:

Yes, it bothers me. The teams in the sunbelt also have the worst attendance records which is really not a surprise.

It must be a rough shift, shadows, having to watch hockey and write out your sports reports too. ;):cool:

It's not too bad actually, I'm just glad that I still have a job(the plant is idle right now, so there are no workers there. Just management and some Security Guards((like me!;))). Some guards have been laid off, but I should be safe from any further cuts.

I am down to 36 hours from 40, but I only work 7pm-7am weekends so I have 4 days off in a row. That gives me lots of time for my hockey reports(and visiting my friends here:cool:) during the week.:)

Another mini-report before I get ready for work.

Edmonton beat Dallas 3-2 in the shootout. A shootout? Ugh.:D

I really feel the NHL should be downsizing not thinking of expanding, Cutting teams from below the mason-dixon line as they tend to have low local fan support so either drop em or move em
:eek: Flyersfan Jen

I like the number 6
 

Okay, it's probably too much downsizing, but I like the idea of going back to the original 6. Let's let the rest of them have their own league.

I agree that teams in the sun-belt should be cut and the league downsized. There are however cities in Canada that would support an NHL team and they should be seriously considered for teams to be moved to. The cities that deserve a team are Hamilton, Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Halifax.

:no: :no: Nope sorry can't go back to the orinigal 6, That would take a team out of NEW YORK namely the Islanders and how can you cut the FLYERS who is the greastest team of all they were one of the first expansion team drop SAN JOSE,TAMPA and the like or relocate them to Qubec, Winnapeg, Hartford
:rolleyes: Flyersfan Jen

Very true and perhaps add Hartford to the list


:yes: Flyersfan Jen

Definitely. Hartford should have a team again.

Okay, the original 6, and then only cities where skating outdoors is possible during the winter, and not after some freak storm. I'm all for more teams in Canada. I'd love to see a Bruins game in Halifax, my favorite city in Canada.

I have no doubt Halifax would like to see the Bruins playing there against a home town team.

Don't be messing with the Sharks. More east coast bias BS. San Jose is a financially stable orginization and fans pack the shark tank every game. In addition, hockey is growing dramatically on the west coast. The sharks have four rinks with over 100 adult league teams and many junior leagues throughout the Bay Area and Northern California.

According to NHL.com, Brian Salcido became the 23rd California-born player to play in the League this year and Jonathon Blum, born in Long Beach and raised in Orange County, was the first California-based player to be selected in the first round of a draft in 2007. Considering when hockey got a foot hold here, I don't think that is too bad.

I can't say anything about the Sun Belt states, but it shows hockey is taking hold here.

Oh! interal (from Wimbledon), I feel like I've been stabbed in the back by a fellow Devils fan.:p

My grandfather always said to never trust a Londoner, from South of the River.:lol::lol::lol:

I'll just have to enjoy tonight's 4-3 shootout win over the Wings.:cool:

Is it a Stan & Ollie?
 

ila, what does your happy dance look like?

Funny pics, dauls. Thanks for the laughs, as I can certainly use them after the horrible showing by my Leafs last night.:(

Here are the scores from the Dec 5th games. A couple of us are not happy with our team's performances last night!:censored:

1. As mentioned in my earlier mini-report, Carolina beat Vancouver 5-3. Raycrap lived up to his name.

2. Also mentioned in an earlier mini-report, Edmonton beat Dallas 3-2 in the shootout.

3. St. Louis beat LA 5-4 in the shootout. Ugly game for goalies, with an ugly ending...the shootout. Speaking of ugly, we now go to...

4. Boston crushed Toronto 7-2. Very bad game for Toronto all around. Kessel ended up being -3 for the night against his former team, and both MacDonald and Toskala(argggghhhhh!!!!) let in a bunch of goals. I would like to erase this memory forever! Can anyone help me to find some happiness?:D

5. The Rangers beat Buffalo 2-1. Lundqvist almost got a shutout, but coughed it up with less than a minute left in the third period. Thanks you loaf! I didn't need that 5 extra points for the pool, now did I?:rolleyes:

6. New Jersey beat Detroit 4-3 in the shootout. I am sure that dauls will take the win, but I am sure he wishes it was by any other means besides the shit...I mean, shootout.:innocent:

7. Here is another game that I wish that I didn't have to mention. Washington beat Philadelphia 8-2. Carcillo took a penalty that cost Philly the game. Washington received a NINE MINUTE PowerPlay due to his actions, and Washington scored 3 times on it. Hopefully someone can link what happened as I could not see it from work. Backstrom had 1 goal and 4 assists and Mike Green had 2 goals and 2 assists. I am sure Jen would like to follow me in erasing the games that our teams played tonight from her memory.

8. Atlanta beat Florida 2-1 in the shootout. Another shootout. Makes me want to poke my eyes out with a hot poker. Actually, the Leaf game made me want to do that. All the shootouts just made me ill.

9. Colorado beat Columbus 3-2. Another game, another Columbus loss. Same old, same old.

10. Chicago beat Pittsburgh 2-1 in overtime. Crosby sat this game out with a sore groin.

11. Tampa Bay beat the Islanders 4-0.

12. Minnesota beat Nashville 5-3. Havlat finally got a couple of points tonight. He has been a bust for Minnesota this year.

13. Phoenix beat Ottawa 3-2. Bryzgalov was sharp again.

14. Calgary beat San Jose 2-1. In a rare showing, neither Heatley or Thornton got any points in this game.

That's it for this day. I am going to go sulk in the corner due to the horrible Leaf game last night. Anyone care to join me?:(

Depending on the score difference and who Montreal played against, it could be either one of those illustrations that you posted. :D

Carcillo has been suspended four games for his actions in the game last night.

Only two games yesterday.

1. Detroit beat the Rangers 3-1. One of the goals was an empty netter, so both goalies played well. From the sounds of it, the Detroit goalie(Howard) was excellent. Rangers are having trouble finding goals right now.

2. Ottawa beat Anaheim 4-3 in the shootout. Anaheim losing is good for my Leafs as they are still only 2 points ahead of Toronto in total league standings.

A lot more games on tonight, including the teams for Ila, Jen, dauls, and myself.

Philadelphia plays Montreal tonight, so either way a member here is going to be on the wrong side score-wise. No offense Ila, but I hope that Philly wins as they are worse off than Montreal is at this time, and could use the win more. Plus, it would make Jen happy and that is a good thing.:)

Toronto plays Atlanta. That could be a tough one. I hope they can manage to pull away with a victory, but Atlanta has a lot of firepower!

New Jersey plays Buffalo. That will be a good game, especially if Brodeur and Miller are playing to their full capabilities. A low-scoring game is probably in the makings.;)

At least the Flyers didn't lose last night but then you can never tell with them :lol: At times i wish they would just play crappy for a whole season so they can just rebulid as they have been a middle of the pack team for awhile
:frown: Flyersfan Jen

It is unlikely ever to happen again. Does that help erase the memory. This Bruins fan is happy to help.

:respect: Devils 3-0, and Brodeur ties the shutout record (he's getting greedy with these records).:respect:

Toronto... what about that 2nd period.:eek::respect:

shadows, your hope for the Flyers-Canadiens game must've had ila's mouse hovering over that ban button.;)

Happy dance time again for 3 out of 4 of us. I think Bender Bending Rodríguez can have the honour this time.

Maybe a little.;)

The 5-2 victory last night over Atlanta helped as well.:D

Here are the scores from Dec 7th's games.

1. New Jersey beat Buffalo 3-0. While the win is nice, the shutout is of more importance. Brodeur has now tied Terry Sawchuk for the most shutouts of all time! It may be time for a happy dance from dauls.Attachment 142492

2. Toronto beat Atlanta 5-2. Toronto scored all of their goals in the second period, and Toskala(surprisingly enough!) played well for the most part. I'm definitely doing the happy dance now!!Attachment 142492 Attachment 142492

3. Montreal beat Philadelphia(what are the odds that all four of our teams would be the first three mentioned on NHL.com?) 3-1. Jen is probably not doing the happy dance.Attachment 142493 I hope they win soon. Also, the shots per game were pretty bad for both teams. Montreal only had 13 shots on net, while Philadelphia only had 15 shots on net. Judging from that, it may not have been the most entertaining game to watch.

4. Carolina beat Pittsburgh 3-2. Second win in a row for Carolina, and a win against a very good team!

5. Washington beat Tampa Bay 3-0. For Jen, this is a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" since both teams are disliked.

6. Edmonton beat Florida 3-2 in the shootout. Notice the hatred that exudes from my words as I type the word 'shootout'.

7. Colorado beat St. Louis 4-0. I guess they didn't want Brodeur getting the only shutout of the night.;)

8. Phoenix beat Minnesota 2-0. Another shutout. Considering how there weren't too many games played, there were an amazing amount of shutouts!:eek: Four games out of nine to be exact!

9. LA beat Calgary 2-1. LA only managed 16 shots on net, so they are lucky they won the game.

I started to watch the game, but I didn't watch for long. There was a fight, over absolutely nothing, less than 3 minutes into the game. Philadelphia opened the scoring. Montreal was really playing poorly; Philadelphia had definitely outplayed them by the time the first goal was scored. I turned the channel shortly after that to watch a science program (what a nerd I am!).

Sorry, Jen. This is one game I would have preferred to see end in a tie.

Jen will at least be happy to know that Philly crushed the Islanders tonight. They won 6-2!:)

Montreal beat Ottawa tonight 4-1 even though they were heavily out-shot. Halak got the victory for the Habs.

Here are all the scores from the Dec 8th games.

1. Philadelphia beat the Islanders 6-2. While it is good news for Philly that they got a solid win, it has to be tempered by the news that they will be without the services of goaltender Ray Emery for six weeks due to surgery on an abdominal tear. He tried playing through the pain, and that was probably the reason for his poor play of late. Hopefully he'll make a complete recovery. Richards had 2 goals and an assist, Carter had 2 goals, Giroux had 2 goals, and Hartnell had 2 assists. A lot less chippy affair than the game against Washington.

2. Montreal beat Ottawa 4-1. Halak was the main star here, making 45 saves. Kovalev had 1 shot on net and 0 points in his return against his old team. I wonder. Does Montreal miss him?;)

3. Nashville beat Vancouver 4-2. Martin Erat had a hat-trick against the Canucks.

4. Anaheim beat Dallas 4-3 in overtime. First Anaheim victory in quite a while.

Tonight is packed full of games. Daul's team(the Devils) plays against Carolina. I expect Cam Ward to be in net for Carolina, as they activated him off of IR yesterday. As long as New Jersey doesn't take the game for granted, they should win.

My team(the Leafs) play the Islanders tonight. Again, if they play a good, smart game, then we should be able to win. If they play undisciplined, then the Islanders can make them pay dearly!

Here are the scores from Dec 9th's games.

1. Buffalo beat Washington 3-0. Tough feat to pull off, but Miller was able to do it. This is his 4th shutout of the year.

2. Toronto beat the Islanders 3-2. It wasn't pretty, but I'll take the win! They are right in the thick of things now!:cool:

3. New Jersey beat Carolina 4-2. Was really close for a while there, but Carolina reverted back to type. I wonder when Ward will get his next victory?

4. Columbus beat Florida 3-0. Shutout #2.

5. Edmonton beat Tampa Bay 3-2. Edmonton is playing better now.

6. St. Louis beat Detroit 1-0. Shutout #3.

7. Chicago beat the Rangers 2-1 in overtime. New York deserved to lose this game as they were horribly outshot and took way more penalties than Chicago. If you don't score more than 1 goal a game, more often than not you will lose.

8. Minnesota beat Colorado 1-0. Shutout #4.

9. Calgary beat Atlanta 3-1.

10. LA beat San Jose 5-4 in overtime. Close game!

Toronto 7-2-1 in their last 10!:eek: What has happened to them? Have they arranged a new win bonus scheme with the owners?;)

Following that nightmare 5-2 loss to the Canucks, it's four wins on the bounce for the Devils.:cool: A 4-2 win looks OK, but the 4th goal was only scored in an empty net the dying seconds, and the 'Canes are the worst team in the NHL.

I wonder how long it will take Brodeur to bag shutout #104? I can't believe he only has two shutouts this season.

And the Flyers lost also even thou they didn't play a game last night


:lol: Waiting for baseball season to start Jen

Considering how the Phillies are activly trying to get Roy Halladay, I can well imagine why you can't wait.;)

Bad night for both Jen and myself, as both our teams stunk.

Toronto got beat AGAIN by Boston 5-2(1 goal was an empty net goal). The Leafs seem to forget how to play hockey against Boston and that really ticks me off.

Ottawa shutout Philadelphia 2-0(1 goal was an empty net goal). Not a lot of shots on net for Philly and they were shutout again.

Where's the Tums?:no:

Here are the scores from Dec 10th's games. The good guys did not fare so well tonight.:(

1. Boston beat Toronto 5-2. Arghhhh! Well, Toskala was in net so I will blame him. I've gotta have a scapegoat otherwise I will not be able to sleep tonight! Nah! Just kidding. It's just that Toskala is such an easy target.;)

2. Ottawa beat Philadelphia 2-0. It seems the power shortage is back for Philly. There has got to be something foul going on in the locker room.:eek:

3. Pittsburgh beat Montreal 3-2. Not even Ila was able to taste sweet victory tonight.:(

4. Nashville beat Columbus 4-3 in the shootout. Yay. The shootout. I love it. Just like I enjoy root canals. I'd actually rather have one of those than watch a shootout.

5. Vancouver beat Atlanta 4-2. Daniel Sedin had a hat-trick. He has been pretty hot since coming back from his foot injury.

6. LA beat Phoenix 3-2 in the shootout. Yuck.

Toronto's next game is against Washington. That could be ugly.:eek:

You'll have to hope the 'Canes rough the Capitals up tonight.

Be positive, the last time the Leafs hosted the Caps, you thrashed them in a shootout!:p;):lol:

I hope for a repeat performance(but I would prefer it if the Leafs won in regulartion;)).:)

Ice Edge Holdings & the Coyotes...
 

So the NHL are closer to selling the Phoenix Coyotes to Ice Edge Holdings, who claim they will keep the franchise in Arizona.

How long will Ice Edge want to or have to keep the Coyotes in Arizona after they acquire the franchise?

Will the Ice Edge deal include the plan to play approx five games per season in Canada, possibly in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan or Halifax, Nova Scotia?

Is it true that Ice Edge are expected to pay considerably less (about 30%) than Jim Balsillie was willing to pay to take the franchise to Hamilton? Would a location west of Hamilton have given Balsillie a better chance of acquiring a franchise?

According to the article I read on tsn.ca, Ice Edge has said that they are going to keep the team where it is and honour the contract with the arena. If that is the case, then they are going to be stuck there for 25 more years, as that is how much time is left on the contract.

I honestly can't see how they can expect to NOT lose money. Could Phoenix be a successful hockey markey? Perhaps. But not in their current location. The spot they chose to place the arena(unless the arena was already there, then they should have just built a new one elsewhere) is horrible. I would not want to be a shareholder for Ice Edge(if they have shareholders), as they would be pissing away my money!

Their offer is $150 million. I believe Basillie's was $215-$230.

Here are the scores from Dec 11th's games.

1. Florida beat New Jersey 4-2. Dauls will not be happy with this result, especially since they did not play well.

2. Washington beat Carolina 4-3 in overtime. Carolina had a 2-0 lead at one point, but Carolina being Carolina(them sucking and all;)) coughed up the lead and lost yet again. They were lucky to go away with a point.

3. Buffalo beat Chicago 2-1. Buffalo just keeps on truckin'.

4. Detroit beat Anaheim 3-2 in overtime. Detroit can from behind to snatch victory away from Anaheim.

5. Edmonton beat St. Louis 5-3. Down 3-1, Edmonton scored 4 unanswered goals in the third period. Sloppy game from St. Louis.

6. Colorado beat Tampa Bay 2-1 in the shootout. Tampa Bay has suddenly suffered from a loss in power.

7. Minnesota beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime. Minnesota badly outplayed Calgary and deserved the win. The ONLY reason Calgary even got a point was due to the stellar play of their goalie, Kiprusoff.

8. Dallas beat San Jose 3-2 in the shootout. It went 11 rounds. Fun stuff.

Getting beat by the Caps or the Penguins I can understand, but losing to Florida is a f:censored:g disaster. At least the game wasn't on ESPN-UK last night, so I didn't have to suffer a bad Devils' performance.

Flyers tonight... should be interesting.

Overtime and shootouts in 5 of the 8 games last night, I'm sure they do it just to annoy the OT/SO haters.:lol:

#300 for Patrik Elias...
 

Nice 4-1 win for the Devils.:cool: Sorry Jen.

And shadows, it was a real thrashing of the Caps this time.:eek: That must've been an entertaining 3rd period.:cool:

OT misery for ila.:( One of 5 more games that went beyond 60 minutes.:frown:

No hockey to watch last night, ESPN-UK had ultimate fighting.:censored::frown:

Yes. I was quite happy with the end result. I looked at the standings and we are now tied with Philadelphia. Needless to say, I was shocked. We are also only 4 points behind Montreal(and they have played one more game than us). I would never have expected this considering how awful the start to the season was.

Elias has been quite good since returning from his injury. The same could be said for Kessel. Can you imagine the point totals for the two of them if they had played the entire season?:eek:

Ila, I'm sure, is happy that Montreal at least got a point. However, they did not have a lot of shots on net again. They need to improve their offensive output, and not rely on Price(or Halak) so much.

Here are the scores for Dec 12th's games.

1. Toronto beat Washington 6-3. This time, they dominated the scoresheet and Toronto's #1 line had more points than Washington's(which says a lot!). Good game, but it's a shame that I was at work while it was on. Toronto is now only 4 points out the 8th position(currently held by Montreal).

2. Ottawa beat Carolina 4-2. Not a shocker at all, but a couple of notes to the game. Kovalev(Ottawa) got a hat-trick and one of the goals was his 400th goal of his career. He may be a floater a lot of the time, but 400 goals is quite an accomplishment.

3. New Jersey beat Philadelphia 4-1. A broken record, it seems, with Philly. They don't score and they lose. I am really befuddled as to why they are playing so poorly.

4. The Islanders beat Boston 3-2 in overtime. Tavares got another assist in this game, and he seems to have overcome the slump he was in.

5. Buffalo beat the Rangers 3-2. While one NY team wins, the other one loses. It seems like that happens more often than not. Buffalo is a really hot team right now.

6. Atlanta beat Montreal 4-3 in overtime. What has to hurt the most is that Atlanta was on the PowerPlay during overtime. That has to piss coaches(and fans) off big time!

7. Anaheim beat Columbus 3-1. Anaheim seems to have picked up their game.

8. Pittsburgh beat Florida 3-2 in overtime. They avenged you, dauls! They beat Florida for you so New Jersey could have a small measure of revenge.;)

9. Detroit beat Nashville 3-2 in overtime. For the second straight game, Todd Bertuzzi scored the overtime winner.

10. Phoenix beat San Jose 2-1. I almost got the shutout, but Heatley ruined it for me! Darn it! I wanted the extra 5 points! This was also San Jose's fifth straight loss.

11. Vancouver beat Minnesota 4-3. Henrik Sedin had 3 assists and Daniel Sedin had 1 goal and 1 assist. Daniel has been on fire since coming back from his foot injury.

12. LA beat Dallas 3-2 in the shootout. One shootout in twelve games? I can handle that.

The game stayed tied for quite a while. I really hate OT / SO in the regular season. Montreal could at least learn to score in the shootout.

Yes, I'm glad they got the point. You're right the offense is lacking. Price and Halak are keeping them in every game.

No, I'd have been happier if Florida had also beaten the Penguins. Why do they have to have one of their fairly rare, good games against us and then lose (in OT) to our closest rivals in the Atlantic Division.:frown:

Quiet night tonight. But on Monday night (Flyers-Bruins) it's a warm up for the Winter Classic...

:)How popular is the Winter Classic in North America?
:)Would the league/other teams like to hold more than one game outdoors per season, or is the cost of setting up the temporary rink too expensive to do more than one?
:)Does the NHL cover the cost of the rink build or is it down to the hosts?

From the webcam shot, a hockey rink in Fenway Park just looks wrong.

I doubt if ESPN-UK will be showing the game live? A 1pm start in Boston is too early to show it live over here at 6pm, they'd rather show a live Italian or German football match.:censored:

I watch every once and a while, although not as often as other sports like MMA and boxing.

Two NFL games in the UK in 2010.
 

:eek:Non-hockey alert!:p

Confirming earlier speculation, it has been announced that two regular season NFL games will be played in the UK, most probably London, in 2010.

Two as yet un-named teams have agreed to be the home teams in London, their opposition has yet to be confirmed. The fixtures will be announced by the middle of January at the very latest.

Cardiff and Edinburgh would like to host NFL games, as would cities in Germany, China, etc. But the teams appear to be very comfortable spending a week in London, maybe the players all want to visit Buckingham Palace.

League bosses in the US are keen to play games outside London and have hinted there could be as many as four games per season played in Britain by 2012.

The old "Super Bowl in London" chestnut has also reared its crazy head again!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do the Buffalo Bills games in Toronto get much coverage, or are they ignored?

The Winter Classic is popular, but they have to make sure they don't saturate the market with this sort of game. If people were to see it all the time(rather than once a year) then they would get used to it, and may get bored with the idea. It's the old "new shiny toys soon lose their lustre" adage(made up by me;)).

An example of this would be the 'Saw' movies. When Saw came out, people ate it up. It was a different movie than they were used to seeing, and there was a twist to it that most people wouldn't expect. Then they got the idea that releasing a Saw movie every Halloween could work after the success of Saw II. Saw VI was released this past Halloween to less-than-stellar returns. They went to the well too many times and the interest has dried up(whether this will remain like this in the future is anyone's guess). The same could be said if they had a "Winter Classic" type of game every week. It would no longer be a unique experience, rather it would be just more of the same.

(sorry for the long-winded explanation:eek:)

I do not know who incurs the cost of the game. I imagine it would get split somewhat, as both the NHL and the teams themselves benefit greatly by this special game.

A webcam shot cannot do justice to how it will actually look. And it is more than aesthetics. The atmosphere for the game will be off the charts. A wide open vista, a potential for a light snowfall, an open sky? Totally different experience, and one that can't be duplicated by a simple webcam.:)

I do not know if ESPN.Uk will show it. I hope they will, as I think it will be AWESOME!:cool:

The games probably got a lot of coverage, but I am not certain how much. I did not watch the games myself so I can't give you a proper answer.

I wonder if they will alienate the home fans by moving so many games away? That is revenue for the stadium that is lost(concession stands, parking, etc.), and that is a game that a home-town fan will not be able to attend(because the average fan cannot afford to travel to the UK to attend a football game, no matter how diehard they are;))

It will be interesting to see how this experiment(and that is what this is) unfolds down the road.

A couple of reports in one(since last night's is so small).

Here are the scores for Dec 13th's games.

1. Chicago beat Tampa Bay 4-0. Chicago dominated from start to finish, and Niemi was excellent again. He has started 7 games, and of them 3 were shutouts. Patrick Kane left the game after suffering an upper body injury(I hate how the teams are allowed to be so freaking vague about injuries). It looks like he either got hurt when he fell against the boards(he was tripped) or the puck hit him. It remains to be seen if he will miss any time or not.

2. Colorado beat Calgary 3-2. Calgary tried to pin their hopes for victory on Kiprusoff alone(yet again) and that cost them. They are going to burn the guy out if they keep this up.


Here are the scores for Dec 14's games(I will update the Vancouver/LA score when it is a final)

1. Philadelphia beat Boston 3-1. The was a game that they deserved to win as they played quite well and peppered Thomas with a lot of shots. I am sure there were a lot of relieved sighs in the Philly locker room when this game was done.

2. Toronto beat Ottawa 3-2. YEAH!!!! They are playing well right now, and are now only 2 points out of a playoff spot. Freakin' A!:cool:

3. Florida squished the Islanders like a little bug, 7-1. The Islanders are struggling quite a bit right now.

4. Atlanta beat the Rangers 3-2 in the shootout. The Rangers certainly tried to win(as they had a lot of shots on net), but victory was denied to them yet again.

5. Nashville beat Columbus 5-3. Nashville keeps on rising, and Columbus keeps on falling, falling, falling. Thud.

6. Buffalo beat Montreal 4-3. Considering how good Buffalo has been playing, I did not like Montreal's chances(no offense, Ila). That being said, they gave Buffalo a run for their money. Close game.

7. Detroit beat Phoenix 3-2. A game where neither Datsyuk or Zetterberg got any points. That is a rarity. A same they won, though, as I wanted Bryzgalov to get me two more points.

8.Vancouver VS La: TBD

I would do my happy dance but i haven't done it in so long i forgot how plus today i traded my corvette and watched it leave on a flatbed
:eek: Flyersfan Jen

Perhaps a hug is in order to help you remember the happy dance?:hug::):hug:

Also, perhaps the news that Roy Halladay is getting traded to Philadelphia in a 3-way trade between Philly, Toronto, and Seattle?;)

Actually, I think I need the hug now.:(

Here are the results from the Vancouver/LA game.

Vancouver beat LA 3-1. LA was VERY hot the past while, and Vancouver played them very well. Vancouver picked up a much-needed two points.

I do find it odd that the NFL is playing regular season games overseas. With only eight guaranteed home games per season, losing one of those must anger the fans who are unable to fly to the UK to watch a game.

However a Dolphins fan interviewed in 2007 at the first London game mentioned, if it wasn't for the NFL game in the UK he'd have never applied for his first passport.

Someone in charge at the New England Patriots, said they enjoyed playing a game in London, but only because it was an away fixture. They would never give up a home fixture.

Adding a 17th game to the regular season has been mentioned again. All NFL teams would play one overseas fixture (probably the opening game of the season), with up to four matches played in one city/country.

Signing Halladay sounds :cool:, but losing Cliff Lee to the Mariners as part of the deal would be a shock:eek:.


It is believed the Phillies are trading Lee for a few reasons (from MLB.com):

* They do not believe they can sign Lee to an extension before he becomes a free agent after the 2010 season.

* Lee makes $9M next season, the Phillies need payroll relief to afford Halladay's $15.75M salary (but it's reported Toronto will pay $6M of it).

* But it is believed the reason the Phillies are shipping Lee instead of right-hander Joe Blanton, who will make around $7M or more next season, is that Lee brings a greater haul of prospects in return.


Blue Jay's fans can't be impressed with the idea of paying $6M of Halladay's salary after he's left.

17 NFL games? I'm sure that will impress the players.;)

I don't think the Jays fans will complain too much as they will probably be getting a handful of good players/prospects in return. He was gone no matter what, so getting the best they can for him makes this Jays fan feel a little better(it still sucks that he will be gone, but since I was rooting for the Phillies before((unless it is against the Jays)) I don't mind rooting even more for them now that they have Halladay. I rooted for them because they got Stairsy(Matt Stairs), a good Canadian ball player.:)

It's weird. While both Lee and Halladay are elite Ace pitchers, I can't help but feel that Halladay is more of a team player. I mean, no matter how bad the Jays have been over the years he still signed with them. After Riccardi royally screwed the team over(by lousy signings and lousy trades), I honestly do not blame him for finally wanting to leave. Cliff Lee, on the other hand, comes across as more of a mercenary-type pitcher. He goes where the most chance to win is, and that shows by how many times he is traded/moves. I would love to have Cliff Lee on my team, but I believe Halladay would have more team loyalty.

As Philly fans, do you and Jennifer agree or disagree with me?

Either way, I think the Mariners will be a good team this year, Philly will be even better than last year, and the Jays will stink. The players they get will help, but they will still stink. The worst thing that happened to the Jays was signing Wells to that bloated contract(they can't even trade that dead weight as no one else, even the Yankees, wants to eat the cost of that contract)! Thanks again Riccardi, for screwing the team, you jackass!:censored:

Ok here's a long distance hug :hug::hug: Philliesfan Jen

A shame Lee had to go just imaginr having Halladay then Lee and if Cole gets his focaus back that would have been a killer 1,2,3 punch but trading Lee to get a certifed ace which Phillie hasn't had since Steve Carlton so i can live with trading Lee and besides after 2010 he would have wanted Yankee pay ie triple what he's worth


:yes:Philliesfan Jen

Thank you Jen! That brightened my day.:)

And when he goes, the Yankees payroll will be over 400 million. Baseball needs a salary cap, big time!:rolleyes:

Philly couldn't really afford to keep Lee after getting Halladay. One thing I will be curious to see is how Halladay reacts to the National League. Will he dominate still or will the fact that he has to hit in the lineup affect his game? He might get replaced on the basepaths to get a run across. Knowing how he enjoys the complete games, I know he won't like that too much.

So, if he does go to Philly(no official announcement yet) I will be rooting alongside you this upcoming season. Hope you don't mind a band-wagon jumper, Jen.;):D

If the Yankees are crazy enough to spend 400 m a year on payroll let them and the Yankees will soon end up bankrupt
Reaction here is like the reaction of a dugout during a perfect game as no one want's to say anything till the last out as all are affraid of jinking the game and doesn't everyone love the Phillies? oh wait a min everyone loves the Phillie fantic
:yes: Philliefan Jen

As long as the pitcher has the desire to win I'm not too bothered how mercenary they are. If there's one player on a team that you can get away with being a bit selfish, then it's the starting pitcher, it can be a lonely role. Fans love a winning pitcher.

It would be tough to lose Cliff Lee. His loss at the Phillies might put too much pressure on Halladay. Then add in affect of his switch to the NL, it may be a difficult first season.

Remember Lee did get the two wins for the Phillies in the World Series. But it's a good time to trade now.

That would've been one hell of a pitching line-up.

At least lets hope Cole Hamels is back to 100% in 2010. And that Lidge remembers how to save games again.

We all know Lee will take free agency in 2010 (Yankees or possibly Red Sox), so if he has to leave the Phillies, now is the best time to get the best trade for him.

My unrealistic, but perfect way to trade Cliff Lee to the Mariners would be for Ichiro Suzuki (plus a prospect or two:innocent:).

Ichiro and Jimmy Rollins are two of my favourite ballplayers.:cool:
And I just wish Howard wouldn't strikeout so often, he also needs to get his batting average up.

:lol: Yankees bankrupt...:lol: That would be beautiful.:lol:

They'd probably get a Government bailout if things got that bad. Enough :censored: Yankees fans would moan that America's Team must be saved. Damn :censored: Yankees.

No jinx. Halladay is now a Phillie.:(

It's weird. I've followed the Jays for so long, and it feels like I've been punched in the gut. I'm happy for Roy, but sad as a Jay's fan. I hope the prospects pan out. Heck, we didn't even get J.A. Happ!:(

Unfortunately, the Yankees will never go bankrupt. The taxpayers basically payed a portion of the costs for the new stadium because Steinbrenner bitched and moaned and whined and cried about how he couldn't afford it. If you couldn't afford it, you shouldn't have made it.

I hate the new stadium. They say that the Yankees have such great numbers and how they hit so many home runs at home this year. Yeah. That is due to the fact that there is a jet stream there that carries the ball! Also, the one side is really short, so it is easy(well, easy for a professional ball player) to hit a home run!

Plus, I hate A-Roid. He is a human hemmorhoid, as he is a royal pain in the ass!:censored:

Halladay thrives under pressure. Being in the AL East, one has to be used to pressure. He faced the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tampa Bay numerous times, and all three teams had potent offenses.

He will help the other pitchers immensely. His work ethic is unparalled. Cole Hamels(SP?) will benefit from him big-time. Halladay won't put up with his pouting and will set him straight.

Jennifer, I have some bad news. The Flyers stunk to high heaven again and lost 6-1. What a massive change in fortunes for them.:eek:

I alway thought the DALLAS COWBOYS had the America's team title.
Flyers lost well that's nothing new, Now where did i put that tar?
:innocent: Jerseygirl Jen

Good news for us Phillies fans. Halladay through to 2013. Just have to wait for the press conference tomorrow.:)

But the club's payroll is getting quite large, it may even catch the Mets soon.:eek:

Yeah that's true, but you know how arrogant those damn Yankees fans are.

True i just hope they don't start choking like the METS


:eek: Philliesfan Jen

You left it in my safe keeping. Here you go!:D

Oh well, you gave Laviolette almost 2 weeks. That's quite reserved for a Philadelphia fan.:lol:

Even though I am not a Flyer's fan, I could tell that it was more than the head coach being the problem. There is something festering in that locker room and they need to expunge it as soon as possible.

Weds 16th Dec.
 

Brodeur ties another record, his 1,029th NHL appearance, in a game with a result that I cannot mention.;):eek:

Sorry ila and commiserations for shadows.

Seven out eight results in and all games decided the proper way... in 60 minutes. Will the Ducks-Canucks ruin a perfect night?

My comments would have been nothing but :censored: :censored: :censored: :censored: :censored: :censored: :censored:
:innocent: Jerseygirl Jen

Hmmmm. Would it be something like...:innocent:

"My comments would have been nothing but how much I love my new car?";)

That's still fairly reserved... you could've used 10 :censored: in your post!:lol:

A little late, but...

Here are the scores from Dec 15th's games.

1. Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 6-1. Not a lot can be said about this game. At least nothing good anyhow.

2. St. Louis beat Calgary 4-3.

3. Nashville beat Tampa Bay 7-4. Neither of Tampa's goalies were very good this game.

4. Minnesota beat Columbus 2-1. And the slide continues for Columbus.

5. Washington beat Colorado 6-1. David Koci of Colorado may be missing some games due to suspension. He hit Mike Green from behind and got a boarding and Game Misconduct called against him. It looks like Green will be okay as he practiced with the team today.

6. LA beat Edmonton 3-2.

No games went past regulation! I think that is a first for the season!

She is only allowed 11 smilies per post, so I am sure she was saving them for elsewhere.;)

all i have to say is one large :censored:


:innocent: Jerseygirl Jen

If you don't mind, I will join you in that large :censored:.

Darn Leafs...*grumble* *grumble*

I'll be glad when spring training starts, Not only for baseball to return plus i'll get to ride around in my Cuda which will have a new kick a sound system to blast Sammy Hagger's I CAN'T DRIVE 55
:yes: I CAN'T DRIVE 55 Jen

Since I am here, and all of the games are finished except one, I will post the results of tonight's games.

Here are the scores from Dec. 16th's games.

1. New Jersey beat Montreal 2-1. Again, Montreal had less than 20 shots(18 to be exact). They need to shoot more, and not rely on Carey Price all the time! That was a weird goal that Price gave up. It bounced off him into the net.

2. The Islanders beat the Rangers 2-1. The Rangers can't seem to score goals if their lives depended on it. And in a way, it does. Their playoff lives down the road.

3. Carolina beat Dallas 5-3. Yep. Carolina won. I know. Shocking.

4. Phoenix beat Toronto 6-3. I don't blame Toskala entirely. The Toronto defense totally sucked big time tonight! They were horrible! Giving up that many goals, especially against a team that has Bryzgalov in net, is a recipe for as close to a guaranteed loss as one can get. Ugh.

5. Ottawa beat Buffalo 2-0. No surprise that Ruutu got a boarding major. He's nothing but a goon. He will probably be getting a suspension for the hit.

6. Florida beat Atlanta 4-3.

7. Chicago beat St. Louis 3-0. Patrick Kane got 3 assists so it looks like he wasn't hurt too seriously the last game.

The only game left is Anaheim VS Vancouver. It is currently tied 2-2 in the third period with 11 minutes left to play. Can someone win it in regulation and make it TWO nights in a row where NO games went past regulation?:eek:

I do believe that it is genetically impossible for you to drive 55. It is ingrained into your being that you must start out at 60 and go from there. Vroom vroom indeed.;):cool:

Vaseball: A game of catch played by children in the living room.:lol::lol::lol:

I can't wait for the season to start either.

I saw the typo as well, but since I am a gentleman, did not make any mention of it. I believe some Rep should be my reward.:innocent:

(Just yankin' yer chain, dauls my friend.:cool::respect:)

DAMN! Anaheim scored and now there is less than 2 minutes left.:(

ETA: You seem to have a picture for any occasion. Cool beans!:)

It looks like Tiger Woods won't be home for the holidays.;)



Tiger's wife hires divorce lawyer

By QMI AGENCY




Tiger Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren has reportedly hired a divorce lawyer and appears set to call her marriage quits. (REUTERS/Chris Pizzello/Files)

Elin Nordegren, wife of golf superstar turned disgraced philanderer Tiger Woods, has hired a divorce lawyer and appears to be ending her marriage.

According to the British-based Times Online, Nordegren has hired Sorrell Trope, a family lawyer who has previously worked with celebrities Cary Grant and Britney Spears.

A source told People Magazine that Nordegren plans to spend her Christmas holidays "somewhere warm and Tiger-free."

"She's made up her mind. There's nothing to think about. He's never going to change," the source said.

"She's making plans to move out and take the kids with her," a separate source told The New York Post.


Fanning the flames of speculation are numerous sightings of Nordegren not wearing her wedding ring in public, something photographers say was a purposeful statement that the marriage is ending.

Nordegren is becoming a folk hero and a paragon of female strength in Sweden by the way she is dealing with the billion-dollar golfer's pervasive infidelities.

Britta Svensson, a columnist at the Swedish tabloid Expressen said, "Our Swedish hearts are overwhelmed with pride, because our very own Elin didn't take any s--t. Just like a tough Swedish girl shouldn't. Elin is our heroine."

Nordegren's stance is making the former bikini-model and nanny into an epitome of integrity who won't put up with Woods' behaviour.

"Swing it again, Elin!" wrote Jan Helin, editor-in-chief of Aftonbladet, Sweden's biggest newspaper.

One of the newspaper's top reporters, Ann Soderlund, proclaimed, "Thank God for girls like Elin. Next time, I hope she uses a bigger club."

Nordegren's strong reaction to Woods' adulteries is in sharp contrast to the behaviour of several wives of American politicians who have had similar secret adulterous lives.

Eliot Spitzer's wife Silda remained with her husband after it was revealed he was carousing with young prostitutes, as did Hilary Clinton when the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke.

In an ironic twist, the New York Post has revealed that Woods' late father allegedly cheated on his mother.

Woods' high school girlfriend, Dina Parr, told the Daily News that Woods was upset when he found out about his father's infidelity.

"And I know that was the one thing about his dad that he could never get over. So yeah, it's interesting that it's turned out that he's doing the same thing."

Meanwhile, details of Woods' high-flying lifestyle continue to surface as one of his girlfriends has described high-stakes gambling nights in Las Vegas.

Jamie Jungers told radaronline.com that Woods would play blackjack in Las Vegas with Charles Barkley for $25,000 a hand.

"He would occasionally put his hand on my leg but it was underneath the table," she told the website. "There was nobody around except the blackjack dealer, the roulette dealer and a cocktail waitress who would come in the room. There was nobody in that room except for myself, Tiger and Charles Barkley."

Barkley, who has not been in contact with Woods since the scandal broke, says he is worried about his gambling friend, according to the New York Post.

The former NBA star said, "I've been trying to reach him and can't get him. It's very frustrating."

Barkley said he just wants to tell Woods, "Hey, man, We love you," and, "You should reach out to your celebrity friends when things go bad. They're the only people who understand."



That's what you get playing with fire...burned!:eek:

Anaheim beat Vancouver 3-2. So that's it, folks. Two nights in a row where all the games ended in regulation.

I don't blame her one bit for divorcing him, If my husband did that stunt on me his ass would be out the door too
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

I agree. If you have a lovely woman at home(and lovely woman is directed towards both Tiger's wife and yourself:)) why would you risk everything for a booty call(and let's face it, that is all it was for him)?:no:

Not to mention that he allegedly had unprotected sex on numerous occasions, makes him even more of an asshole in my eyes.:censored:

A booty call... from the latest I've heard he now has 18 illicit notches on his bedpost. How did he hide them all for that long?:confused:

And we're meant to feel sorry for him and give him a break... bullsh:censored:t. He has no one to blame but himself.

The only ones who are bothered are the other golfers who realise that golf without Tiger means reduced prize money in the sport.

Copious amounts of money thrown around can buy amazing amounts of silence. Perhaps he forgot one of his weekly payments and that is how his wife "discovered"(i.e. one of the mistresses tipped her off) the affairs?

If he thought the old hush money trick was going to work, he must be more stupid than any of us ever thought he was. If they didn't spill the beans now they'd have done it some time down the line.

Will there be any revelations of Tiger having children with any of his mistresses?

Wanda Sykes recent comments about Tiger on Conan O'Brien were funny. Did you see it? I saw a clip online somewhere, can't remember where.

Sharks
 

Someone said earlier, something to the effect of...

"Sharks...huh. Wake me up for the playoffs to see if we need to take
them seriously."

Now it's my turn to agree...
Five games is nothing to panic about, but I hope they pull it together soon...

No I didn't see it. I really don't watch television much, and I have not watched Conan O'Brian in a long time. He's my favourite of the late-night crew, though.

Looks like your worrying can be over. The Sharks won 4-1 over Anaheim. Thornton had 4 points, and Marleau had 3. Heatley was shut out, though.

Here are the scores from Dec 17th's games. I really got slammed in the pool tonight. Ouch!

1. Minnesota beat Montreal 3-1. Montreal upped their shot tally quite a bit, but they were not able to get the puck in the net, unfortunately.

2. The Rangers beat the Islanders 5-2. Wow! The Rangers actually scored more than 2 goals! That is a rarity anymore.

3. Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 3-2 in the shootout. At least Philly got a point, right? Right?!?:confused:

4. Atlanta beat Dallas 6-5 in overtime. Good goalie duel this game, that is for sure! NOT!

5. Phoenix beat Columbus 2-1 in the shootout. Looks like they are making up for no games going past regulation the previous two nights and giving us two shootouts tonight! Yay!:rolleyes:

6. Detroit beat Tampa Bay 3-0. Does Tampa even have an offense? Doesn't look like it.

7. Calgary beat LA 2-1. Calgary is another team that doesn't seem to be able to score a lot of goals right now. Again, they rely on Kiprusoff to bail them out, just like always.

8. Nashville beat Edmonton 6-3.

9. San Jose beat Anaheim 4-1. Thornton had 4 assists, and the offense finally woke up. Are they back on the right track, or is this just a one game winning streak?

Two shootouts and one OT game. BOOOO!!!!

You're just full of good news, shadows. :D

I sent you some Rep. It has an important message for you.;):)

Last nights Flyers game show why i hate these stupid shootout rule and it shows why it needs to be done away with
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen