It's true that some do use it the way you say, and want Rask in net. But I was referring to its origins ... and as someone once wrote in The Boston Globe, Thomas ought to be imprisoned for "larceny" with the number of goals he's stolen from other teams.

LO-freaking-L!:lol:

And you were worried about me banning you?;):p

Cool. I like it when players are given neat nicknames.:)

Like when Khabibulin's nickname was the Bulin Wall.:cool:

What a heart-breaker of a game. The US won 6-5 in overtime. While the US did indeed play an excellent game, Canada played a stupid, undisciplined game at times and it cost them. They had to play from behind yet again, and the US was too good of a team for that to work twice in a row.

Kudos to both teams for playing well, but Canada needs to play smarter hockey if they want to beat a good team like the US.

*sigh*

I hope Canada fares better in the Olympics.

I take it you never been to a PHILLIES,FLYERS or EAGLES game
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

The first one is my fav and the one i rember the most


:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

No, I haven't. I take it ruckuses are an everyday occurence?;):)

Oh yeah, if the fans fell a player is not giving his all the boo birds flock in and let him have it
Acouple years ago the Phillies had a real bum as closer Josa Mesa and i bbod him like crazy rhis bozo would enter a game up 2 in the nineth and the final the Phillies lost by one as he walked three batters and gave up singles doubles homers he just blow game after game i couldn't stand the bum and i was not the only one at Vet stadium that couldn't stand him
:no: Jerseygirl Jen

Veterans Stadium
 

The Vet, that's where I saw my Phillies games in the early 90s. If I remember correctly I usually sat behind the left foul line on the lowest level, but back a bit underneath the second tier.

Before that my experience of sports stadia was the crumbling piles of sh:censored:t we called football (soccer) grounds in England. When I first went to the old Wembley in 1982 I was so excited to be going to our National Stadium... what a f:censored:ing dump. It was such a disappointment for this young sports fan. So to me The Vet looked fine.

Back in England watching baseball on TV the pundits always said they thought The Vet was one of the worst baseball grounds.

It was a shock because it was so much better than the English football grounds I'd visited in the 80s and very early 90s. But from 1992 Sky TV (Rupert Murdoch) started throwing money at English football and the standard of the top club's grounds has improved.

Before The Vet the only baseball game I saw was in 1990 sat up in the clouds at the late Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Pirates beat Expos 6-1, no idea which significant players were playing that day.

Now both of the baseball grounds I've been to have been demolished. So next time I visit North America to watch some baseball, which stadium deserves its death sentence?

I can just imagine how lustily you booed Brad Lidge this past season.;) I am surprised he made it through the season in one piece!:eek:

The new Yankee stadium. The owner is a multi-billionaire yet he had the gall to ask the city of New York to use taxpayer's money to offset some of the costs. If you want a stadium that costs more than a billion dollars to build, then pay for it yourself. I can't stand Steinbrenner. He is one of the main reasons there is NO parity in MLB right now. There is no need for a team to cost more than a 1/4 billion dollars a season(in salary alone!). Honestly, baseball needs a salary cap and I am not just saying this because I am a fan of a team that is always on the outside looking in.

I have a feeling that if baseball continues like it is(the luxury tax is a f'ing joke) then there will be several teams that will probably fold up or relocate.

Ballparks
 

It must be said: until you've attended a game at Fenway Park, you haven't really experienced a live baseball game (unless you're old enough to remember all the other really old ballparks that are long since gone).

I went to the old Wembley three times - two football matches and a gig - and it really was a disgrace. Although I'm not exactly ecstatic about Sky and some of what's happened to the game in the last twenty years or so, I have to admit the improvements in grounds, even in the lower leagues, is to be applauded.

Talk about a small world, I was proably 1 deck up in the same area or close to it, I went to the Vet from the mid 80s till it was done away with two seasons ago i liked the Vet by the new park is way better,Ashame you missed seeing Phillie greats like Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt the all time greatest Phillie and greatest 3rd baseman ever
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

You didn't like my Can Lidge and bring back Wagner


:lol: Jerseygirl Jen

Congratulations Jennifer. One team showed up tonight, and it certainly was not the Leafs. The Flyers looked hungry tonight.:respect:

I think I'll grab a bottle of hooch and drown my sorrows.:( By hooch, I mean egg nog.;)

Well so far my rebirthday is turning out good as the Flyers finaly won a game this year
But here's a hug :hug:
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

6-2, that must've hurt shadows, you were very gracious in defeat. But egg nog!?:confused:

Jen, :cool: the Flyers had a great night, even ESPN-UK chose to show the 'big forum game' last night. Next up the Penguins and ESPN-UK is also showing that tonight. I'm off work today and tomorrow so I'll catch both games live.:yes:

Oh my, has it been one year already? Happy rebirthday day, Jen. I'm so very happy for you that you did what you have always wanted.

It sure has, And thanks
:hug: Jerseygirl Jen

Watching the Bruins game. There is a feature called Mini 1-on-1 that features boys under 10 attempting shots on goal. A kid for Lexington-Bedford (a Massachusetts team) just made 3 incredibly impressive goals in 3 attempts, elevating the puck on one that went over the goalie's head, and seeming to aim deliberately at the goalie's skate on another to get him to kick it into the net. Wow! Remember the name Robbie Morris in about 8 or 9 years; he'll be in the NHL (I didn't see whether he could throw a good punch, Jen, so I'm not sure the Flyers will be interested ;) )

How depressing! The Bruins go out ahead 2-0 in the first period and cough up a 5-2 loss! WTF?

Happy rebirthday, Jennifer!:):hug:

And thank you for the hug.:)

It happens to all of the teams from time to time. You shouldn't feel too bad though, as Chicago is a very good team right now. I think they are better than the San Jose Sharks to be honest.

Here are the scores from Jan 5th's games:

1. Toronto beat Florida 3-2. This was a game that Toronto needed to win, especially since they have not played well against the Panthers in recent years.

2. New Jersey beat Dallas 4-0. Another game, another shutout in Brodeur's belt. He is making it tougher and tougher for anyone to ever beat his record.

3. Washington beat Montreal 4-2. You can't really blame Price for this one, as Washington outshot Montreal 43-26. Only having 3 shots in the first period didn't help either.

4. Boston beat Ottawa 4-1. Boston scored 4 times in the first period and never looked back.

5. Pittsburgh beat Atlanta 5-2. A turning point for the Penguins after their poor play of late?(see Jan 7 report for answer;))

6. Calgary beat Nashville 3-1.

7. Chicago beat Minnesota 4-1. The wins just keep piling up for the Blackhawks.

8. Phoenix beat Edmonton 5-4 in overtime. Phoenix almost blew this game against a desperate Oiler team.

9. Vancouver crushed Columbus 7-3. The Canucks are playing some decent hockey right now.

10. Anaheim beat Detroit 4-1. First win for Anaheim against a good team in quite some time.

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

Here are the scores for Jan 6th's games:

1. Buffalo beat Tampa Bay 5-3. Buffalo had a 3-0 lead at one point, and they almost threw it away.

2. The Rangers beat Dallas 5-2. The Rangers scoring more than 2 or 3 goals a game is a rarity.

3. Philadelphia beat Toronto 6-2. Toronto played the night before...too bad! A lot of teams do that, and that is NO excuse. Suck it up buttercups and start playing like you actually give a shit!:censored: Philly played an excellent game and it looks like their dormant offense has woken up(see their Jan 7th score for another example).

4. Minnesota beat Calgary 4-1. I really want to care about this score...but I don't.

5. The Islanders beat Colorado 3-2. First good game for the Islanders in a while.

6. San Jose beat St. Louis 2-1 in overtime. Honestly, I expected San Jose to crush the Blues 7-0, but they tried their best. Letting the Sharks get 44 shots on net isn't the best game plan, however.

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

Here are the scores from Jan 7th's games:

1. Chicago beat Boston 5-2. Boston had a 2-0 lead but could not hold it against a Chicago team that is firing on all cylinders right now. To add to the woes of Boston, it looks like Savard was hurt after only playing 28 seconds of his first shift. It happened during a collision with Jonathan Toews and it looks like it was his left leg. Not good news for the Bruins if the injury is serious. On a positive note, Milan Lucic is back for the Bruins. Hopefully he will not get injured again this season. He has had bad luck with regard to the injury bug this season.

2. Washington beat Ottawa 5-2. After being held pointless for two straight games, Ovechkin got a goal and two assists.

3. Atlanta beat the Rangers 2-1 in the shootout. The Rangers went yet another game without scoring more than 2 goals. Their offense is pretty weak.

4. Montreal beat Florida 2-0. Halak just keeps upping his trade value with almost every game(he had a bad game last week). Congrats Ila!:)

5. Philadelphia beat Pittsburgh 7-4. A measure of revenge for the Flyers who lost to Ottawa 7-4 a few games ago(Revenge because the Flyers wanted to be on the winning side of a 7-4 game, not due to their particular competition this evening). Congrats Jennifer!:)

6. Nashville beat Carolina 4-2. Eric Staal did not play in this game due to the death of his sister-in-law.:(

7. Columbus beat Edmonton 4-2. Well, between two horrible teams I guess someone had to win.

8. Vancouver beat Phoenix 4-0. Vancouver is playing very well right now, and Luongo seems to be picking up his play(probably due to the upcoming Olympics).

9. Anaheim beat St. Louis 4-2. Their second victory in a row!

10. Detroit beat LA 2-1. The only reason Detroit won this game was due to their goaltender. LA had over 50 shots on net and Howard turned away all but one.

I should mention that Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks scored his second hat-trick in a row!:eek::respect::cool:

The ESPN power rankings let you input your own rankings and I put the Blackhawks ahead of the Sharks.

However, it is only January and Chicago is unproven in the playoffs. In many ways, they remind me of the Sharks last year. They were by the far the best team through about the end of January, but then started having a lot of injuries. Even though they got nearly everybody back by the time playoffs started, they were never in sync like before.

The thing that worries me the most about Chicago is their goaltending. They lead the league in shots on goal and are second in fewest shots allowed, yet Huet is only 24th in save percentage. Once the playoffs begin, teams tighten up their defense and there won't be this large gap between shots for and against.

Last year, SJ outshot the Ducks in all but one playoff game. Goaltending was the difference. I can remember a number of games last year where they had 40 or more shots on goal yet still lost. I can only remember one game where they were badly outshot yet won. Chicago has been the same way this year. In the last couple of weeks they should have beaten both the sharks and stars, except the goaltending was substandard.

I think there are 8 to 10 teams that have a chance to win the Cup this year. Who will peak at the right time is yet to be determined.

Good luck to all your teams

Lightning-Devils postponed by lighting failure...
 

Here's another difference between sport in North America and in England.

The Devils are 0-3 behind to Tampa Bay and with 9min 12sec of the second period left the arena lighting fails and eventually, when the problem can't be fixed, the game is postponed. The game will resume at a later date.

Earlier this season in an English football match Barnsley were leading 4-1 away at Plymouth after 58 minutes. It had been raining heavily before the game and during the first half, surface water was collecting on the pitch and the referee felt the water was stopping the movement of the ball.
The game was abandoned by the referee due to a waterlogged pitch. Barnsley's 4-1 lead counts for nothing. They will have to restart at 0-0 and play the full 90 minutes at a later date.

Lucky stick break for Parise...
 

ila, sorry about the Devils OT win last night, a timely broken stick for Zach Parise helped lead to the goal. Plus Brodeur always appears give a little extra playing Montreal, his record is 37-15-5 against his hometown.

Saving 29 of 30 shots against the Habs, compared to only 4 of 7 the night before in the half game played against Tampa. I wonder if the Devils can get anything out of that game when it resumes on Sunday?

The Cowboys will be front and center for at least another week after beating the Eagles last night 34-14.

And they are looking like the Cowboys of old, not the past few years. Could be bad news for the rest of the teams in the playoffs.:eek:

Here are the scores from Jan 8th's games:

1. Carolina beat Colorado 2-1. I'll bet this came as a surprise to almost everyone!

2. Buffalo beat Toronto 3-2. *sigh* Miller always has Toronto's number, and he stopped 48 shots. I hope we(Team Canada) get a little revenge against him in the Olympics(he is on Team USA)!;)

3. Dallas beat the Islanders 4-3. Dallas ruined the season debut of Rick Dipietro, but I am sure that purplehead isn't too upset about that.;)

4. Columbus beat Calgary 3-2. Sutter, Calgary's head coach, was NOT happy after the game. Needless to say they probably got their heads ripped off.

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

Here are the scores from Jan 9th's games:

1. The Rangers beat Boston 3-1. Smc probably was quite annoyed at this one. I am not certain of the exact time, but I think that Savard is supposed to miss 3-4 with his injury. It could be longer, but I cannot be sure.

2. Colorado beat Buffalo 4-3 in the shootout. Colorado almost blew it, but they got the win by the skin of their teeth.

3. Pittsburgh beat Toronto 4-1. Toronto gets a penalty shot, and then gets it taken away because Pittsburgh scored earlier and they did not notice it. Toronto still got a powerplay out of it, but did diddly on it. A weird play to be sure. So much for any momentum that Toronto had when they had that points-streak going on. They are back to stinking up the joint.:censored:

4. New Jersey beat Montreal 2-1 in overtime. Close game which could have gone either way.

5. Florida beat Ottawa 3-0. Ottawa is missing their entire 1st line due to injuries so expect more games like this down the road.

6. Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay 4-1. I imagine Jennifer was doing quite the happy dance with this victory!:lol:

7. Washington smoked Atlanta like a piece of salmon, 8-1! Ouch! That one's gotta hurt!

8. Anaheim beat Nashville 3-2.

9. Minnesota beat Chicago 6-5 in the shootout. After Minnesota tied it up 5-5, I KNEW that Chicago would lose. Chicago blew a 5-1 lead in this one. Yuck!

10. Speaking of yuck, the Islanders beat Phoenix 5-4 in the shootout. Shootouts leave a bad taste in my mouth.

11. Calgary beat Vancouver 3-2 in the shootout. Three shootouts in a row for this report! Disgusting! Vancouver was lucky to get a point in this game, as they played an underwhelming game.

12. St. Louis beat LA 4-3. Another surprising score!

13. Detroit beat San Jose 4-1. Both San Jose and Chicago did not play to their potential tonight, but to be fair San Jose played far better than Chicago did tonight.

Thanks, Shadows, for giving me a laugh this morning. Of the many things I am at the Bruins right now, "annoyed" is fairly low on the list. It is a word that almost seems genteel in compairon to what I'm thinking. :)

No problem.;)

To be fair, Boston has it's share of injuries right now. I think only Ottawa has more players out right now, but I am not certain about that.

Crank up Joan Jett as it's time for the happy dance happy happy joy joy
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

Congrats!
 

Lucky you, Jen ... maybe my Bruins will win again one of these days. I hear they're interviewing kids on the street to skate for them, as regular players drop like flies to injuries. ;)

I think we're starting to wear a groove in the recored...wait a sec...;):lol:

Here are the scores from Jan 10th's games:

1. Carolina beat Ottawa 4-1. Scary fact. This is one of the few(if not the first!) 2 game winning streaks for Carolina this season. I hope they don't make it a 3 game winning streak(they play the Leafs next)! Ottawa is in a load of trouble!

2. Columbus beat Dallas 2-0. Columbus won a game the same night as Carolina? Must be something in the water...;)

3. Anaheim beat Chicago 3-1. Second loss in a row for Chicago. First they blew a huge lead the previous night, and then the next night lose even though they outshot their opponent 43-12. The third goal for Anaheim was an empty netter.

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

Here are the scores from Jan 11th's games:

1. Minnesota beat Pittsburgh 4-3. The Penguins can't seem to beat anyone recently except for the Leafs(darn it!). I wonder if Fleury is feeling pressure because he got named to the Olympic team? Crosby got 2 goals and an assist, and Malkin was a loafer in this one.

2. Colorado beat Calgary 3-2 in the shootout. Good. No soup for you, Calgary!

3. Nashville beat Vancouver 3-2. Burrows got another two goals tonight, and I was certain he was going to get another hat-trick. Alas, it was just not meant to be.

4. San Jose beat LA 2-1. Close game that could have gone either way.

Late this afternoon I had the extreme pleasure of playing pick-up hockey down the street from my house. A small, outdoor rink was built as a community service project on 12/31, as part of the inauguration of our new mayor, and the fire department -- which apparently has some serious hockey enthusiasts -- has been coming by every other day to make sure the ice is perfect. So, I skated in a game of 4-on-4 with six teenagers from the neighborhood and one other "grownup" -- and had a blast. Fortunately, the kids patrolled the nets.

My legs are sore, but my mind is soring! (By the way, my team lost ... but who cares!)

Never learned how to ice skate, but when the local lake use to freeze solid my friends and i would go out on the ice and play a very shottie form of hockey and most of the time we used a tennis ball as a puck
:lol: Jerseygirl Jen

I used to play road hockey(or ice hockey on a frozen field, but with shoes rather than skates) with a group of friends when I was younger. I had a lot of fun! If the snow was piled around the play area, we would "check" each other off the "puck"(either a tennis ball or a hard plastic ball...the plastic one hurt a little when it hit you as we played without any protective equipment.). Loads of fun! The worst injuries we ever got were the odd bruise, and nothing was ever broken(except our rhythm when someone yelled "car!" and we had to move the nets;)).

That is one aspect of winter-time that I miss. The cold didn't bother me then like it does now.:(

Here is an interesting story that comes from the Vancouver/Nashville game last night. It has the potential to have huge ramifications down the line!:eek: It is from tsn.ca.

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

Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows did not hold back about what he felt were unjust penalty calls, ripping into NHL referee Stephane Auger after Vancouver's 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday night.

The NHL is looking into the matter and sources tell TSN that while Colin Campbell will be handling the investigation, commissioner Gary Bettman will be heavily involved in the process.

The Canucks forward could face discipline for making such strong allegations publicly.

Burrows, who was called for diving in the second period and interference in the third, also received a 10-minute misconduct with seconds left in the game, and he was not shy his post-game interview.

"It was personal. It started in warmup, before the anthem," Burrows said of Auger's penalty calling. "(Auger) came over to me and he said I made him look bad in Nashville on the (Jerred) Smithson hit and he said he was going to get me back tonight."

Burrows was referring to an incident back in December when the Preds' Smithson hit Burrows and was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. On Monday night, Burrows said Auger was getting back at him.

"When Smithson hit me from sideways and he (Auger) said, 'I saw the replay, you had your head up, you weren't really hurt and you made me look bad so I'm going to get you back tonight,' and he did, and he cost us two points.

"He did his job in the third, I think. He got me on a diving call I didn't think was diving. He got me on an interference call that I had no idea how he could call that. It changed the game. It sucks right now for teammates who are battling 60 minutes to win a hockey game because every two points are so huge, are so important. And because of a guy's ego, it just blows everything out of proportion and the refs - they're making bad calls and the fans are paying for it and we're paying for it."

Burrows, who also had two goals in the contest, continued to lay into Auger until the Canucks' PR staff intervened to stop him.

Burrows claimed that Auger's calls were pre-meditated.

"He comes into the game and he knows he's going to make a call against me to give Nashville an advantage and I don't think that's fair for my teammates and for the fans," said Burrows.

The 28-year-old said he exchanged more words with Auger as the game was winding down.

"After my second penalty, I skated by him and he said, 'If you say a word, I'm going to kick you out,' so I didn't say a word because I still thought we could come back and win the game. But with three seconds left and a faceoff outside the zone, I thought I could tell him what I thought about him.

"I think he should stay out for the rest of the year making calls like that that are making us look bad. Every two points are so important in this league. We just blew two points because of his officiating tonight."

Burrows asked if he was afraid of possible repercussions for his comments.

"Maybe, but at the same time, I don't think it's fair for the fans, I don't think it's fair for my teammates, and I don't think it's fair for everyone to deal with that. Let's say we miss the playoffs by one point at the end of the year; that might be the game that will cost us the playoffs so it's important."

Auger and Burrows have indeed crossed paths before. Auger kicked the Pincourt, Quebec native out of a game last season in Montreal.

As for Monday night's game, Roberto Luongo said the calls were simply unprecedented.

"I'm not the type of guy to make excuses - I mean, that's not who I am, but I've never seen anything like it in my whole career," Luongo said. "That was the first time I've seen calls like that, especially when the game is on the line."

Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault weighed in after the game with some candid thoughts.

"There's a history there. We're definitely going to look into that," said Vigneault. "If those (allegations) are true, then they need to be brought up and we'll see.

"Does he (Burrows) have a legitimate case and how many times has this happened with this individual?"

Former NHL official Bryan Lewis, who hired Stephane Auger, said on Tuesday it is unheard of for a referee to tell a player he will pay him back for a previous incident.

Appearing on TSN's Off The Record on Tuesday, Lewis said officials put too much time and energy into making it to the NHL to risk it all by exacting revenge on a player.

"I can' think of anybody that's worked long and hard to get into the National Hockey League, or pro hockey in general, putting themsleves at peril by not doing their job properly," said Lewis

The Leafs are really beginning to piss me off!:censored:

Oh wait...they already pissed me off with their play this year. Now I am really pissed off! They played Carolina, and got beat 4-2. Wilson needs to get fired, and fired soon! He cannot coach his way out of a paper bag. The way he called out players(particularly Kessel) last week cemented this for me. He...has...to...GO!:censored:

Again, from tsn.ca:

DREGER: REFEREE AUGER WON'T BE DISCIPLINED BY NHL

As far as the NHL is concerned, it's case closed.

Stephane Auger won't be fined or suspended by the National Hockey League for allegedly threatening Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows.

The evidence isn't there.

At worst, Terry Gregson, the NHL's director of officiating, will remind Auger that approaching a player before the game - as Auger clearly did on Monday night prior to the Canucks' match-up with the Nashville Predators - is never a good idea.

Canucks fans may be outraged by this information, combined with the fact the only form of discipline to emerge from this potentially scandalous game is a $2500 fine that Burrows received for publicly questioning the integrity of an NHL official.

Burrows was fined the maximum amount allowed under the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

Understandably, the NHL has great respect for its on-ice officials and considers Auger one of its best, so without concrete proof that any threat was made, the league has no reason to pursue the matter any further.

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

Now, I am not a huge Canuck's fan by any stretch, but I believe what Burrows said to be the truth. It is obvious to any real fans of NHL hockey that this sort of crap goes on with the reffing. Now, this is a first that a ref will go and tell the player that he is going to do it, but there is a first for everything, right?

This isn't the first time this ref has tried crap, as he was the one who claimed that Shane Doan hurled racial slurs his way(which was dropped as there was no proof). The NHL says there is no proof in this case either, yet the proof is in the pudding. The pudding being the fact that he skated beside Burrows despite the fact that he had NO reason to do so. Burrows is neither a Captain or an Alternate Captain of the Canucks, so Auger had no reason to do what he did. Plus, the penalties were beyond a joke to call. He also called back a goal that the Detroit Red Wings scored earlier in the season as he "had intent to blow the whistle" even though the puck was already in the freakin' net(and I am not a Red Wing's fan either, so I am not being biased).

The NHL showed what a joke they are yet again. With not having equal punishments for stars and non-stars alike, and basically showing that the refs are untouchable(even the ones full of shit) shows how poorly this league is being run. Bettman needs to go, his lap-dog Campbell needs to go, and so does Daly.

Auger is going to screw over Burrows again, somehow, and if the Canucks end up missing out of the playoffs by 1 point I think that someone(and this is something I don't condone) will take retribution out on Auger(some fans take things a little too personally. For example, the father who killed the ref because he didn't like the way his son got a penalty. He killed him right on the ice, right in front of his son! Auger is a weasel, but I hope that no one takes it too far.)

Here are the scores from Jan 12th's games:

1. Carolina beat Toronto 4-2. As I mentioned earlier(a couple of posts ago), this team is beyond frustrating. I am getting sick of them being outplayed in almost every fashion. I don't think they are playoff worthy(not any more), but I also don't think they are a team that is in last place(which looks like it will happen!). WAKE UP TORONTO!!!:censored:

2. The Islanders beat Detroit 6-0. I was shocked at this one. Howard actually got pulled from this game, and it was his first poor outing in quite a while. Osgood was put in, and let in 3 goals in 11 shots. Osgood is junk, even my friends who are Detroit fans think that. Detroit was also badly outshot 31-16. Just an all-around bad game by Detroit. On a positive note, Zetterberg is back for Detroit.

3. New Jersey beat the Rangers 1-0 in the shootout. This was an amazing goaltending duel, and I bet it was a real treat for the fans. The Rangers outshot the Devils 51-46, so it wasn't a boring game regardless of the score sheet! Both goalies deserved to win, but only one of them could. Ironic that the only goal scored(as the Devils were 1-4 and the Rangers were 0-4 in the shootout) happened in the shootout. This game would be one that deserved to end in an tie! It will be interesting to read what dauls has to say about this game, and whether or not he agrees that it was a good game or not. Patrick Elias got the shootout goal. Another note worth mentioning is that out of 36 skaters, only 5 of them did not register a shot. The shots were flying in this one!

4. Philadelphia beat Dallas 6-3. Philadelphia put this one away in the second period when they scored 4 times. The Flyers are soaring right now, so it looks like any issues they had before are a thing of the past. Marty Turco(Dallas goalie) was pulled in this one, and this marks just one of the fairly large number of goalies pulled tonight. For the record, this is goalie pulling #2(with Howard being #1).

5. Atlanta beat Ottawa 6-1. If there is any team that is in worse trouble than the Leafs right now, it is Ottawa. They are getting poor goaltending and their offense has dried right up. In the past three games they have had 0-1-1 goals. You are not going to win many games that way, especially when your own goalie gives up 6 goals of his own. For the record, this is goalie pulling #3(Leclaire).

6. Tampa Bay beat Washington 7-4. This was a weird one. Lots of scoring, and BOTH starting goalies getting pulled(I told you it happened a lot tonight!:eek:). Tampa had a 4-1 goal advantage after 1 period, but Washington got close at 4-3. However, it was all Tampa after that and they never really looked back. Ovechkin had two assists, Green had two goals(his 11th and 12th...how the hell was he left off the Olympic team?!?), St. Louis had a goal and 2 assists, and Stamkos had 2 goals and 1 assist. Stamkos is looking like the player Tampa was hoping for when the chose him as #1 in last year's draft. Stamkos now has 25 goals and 22 assists. Not bad!
For the record, this is goalie pulling #4(Neuvirth) and #5(Smith).

7. St. Louis beat Columbus 4-1. Looks like Columbus is back to their losing ways, as they got beat yet again. St. Louis had a 3-0 advantage after the first period. From the looks of it, St. Louis would love to play Columbus every day(of course, who wouldn't the way Columbus is playing right now). For the record, this is goalie pulling #6(Garon).

8. Nashville beat Edmonton 5-3. Not much to say about this besides the fact that Edmonton losing is like a broken record(much like it is with Columbus and Toronto). Edmonton didn't really put any pressure on Nashville until the third period and by then it was too late(Nashville was ahead 4-0 at that point). I wonder who will get fired first? Wilson(Toronto), Hitchcock(Columbus), or Quinn(Edmonton). I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, that's all I know.
For the record, this is goalie pulling #7(Drouin-Deslauriers).

9. San Jose beat Phoenix 3-1. Even though Phoenix was ahead in shot total(33 to 32), they did not look like they were even close in this game. They did not get their goal until the third period was almost done, and all they did was break up Nabokov's shutout. Marleau had 2 goals and an assist, while Heatley had a goal and an assist).

Time to do a happy dance, But only a small one as Tampa also won
:yes:Jerseygirl Jen

If a referee really wanted to punish a player during a game and get away with it, don't tell the player before the game.:no:

I saw this picture... is it Stephane Auger realising the mistake of speaking to Alexandre Burrows before Monday's game?;)

shadows, losing to the Hurricanes has to be the most depressing thing the 2009/10 NHL can serve up.

I didn't get to see the Devils-Rangers game tonight, ESPN-UK showed an NCAA Basketball double-bill.:censored:

:eek: 96 shots in a scorless game. Can't have been a boring game. When the goalies are on form what can you do?

And to think Brodeur conceded 3 out of 7 before the lights failed against Tampa on Friday. 51 saves and blocking 4 rounds in the shootout. What a way to earn shutout #107.

It had to be Patrik Elias scoring the only goal.:respect:

Henrik Lundqvist also bags a shutout and still loses, crazy.

It deserved to be a draw, at least the Rangers get a point for the SO loss, imagine if the NHL changed the rules and OT/SO losses got zero points.

What if it had been a post season game?
How many periods of OT would this one have lasted?:eek:

Yeah, but I get the feeling that Auger is full of himself, and he didn't figure that Burrows would actually say anything(for fear of getting a fine or suspension). Burrows getting a fine and NO suspension shows me that there is some belief in the NHL front office that Auger may have said those things.

He better not officiate another Canucks game ever, as ANY penalty he issues will be over-scrutinized by all.

I think, with the large amounts of shots-faced, that it probably would have ended during the first overtime(since they are actually full periods then). But you never know. Refs tend to "put their whistles in their pockets" from the third period on during the playoffs(unless it is something so obvious it HAS to get called), so who knows how long it would go? Goalies(at least the elite ones) seem to thrive when facing more shots(goalies tend to let in a soft goal when the majority of the action is in the other end) than when they face very few. It would be a good game to see, just to see how long it would go.

If Buttman ever said that overtime/shootouts meant nothing then there would be a lot of pissed off players. Going that long and you get nothing?

The game was the best scenario for me(for my pool). Lundqvist got 5 points for the shutout(he would have gotten 7 if he won as well), but the Rangers did not win(since the Rangers are at least close enough for the Leafs to catch if they ever decide to wake up).

The Leafs need a coaching change. Wilson is not the man for the job.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven and the league office should have taken Burrows seriously and done a proper investigation. I also don't agree with fining a player for speaking his mind about the officiating. That also stinks worse than a skunk. Actions like this are going to make the fans too cynical.

I don't think there is much more that Buttman can do to make the fans cynical. If there is a bone-headed decision to make, he leaps into it with both feet forward. The sooner that treasure-troll gets turfed, the better it will be for us fans.

Being a little hard on the commish. He has done lots of great things for the league. Let me just mention a few

1) .................
2) .................
3) .................
4) .................
5) .................
6) .................
7) .................
8) .................

I'll have to think awhile to come up with some more.

Oh never mind.

LOL! Nice one, Captn!:respect:

Didn't he extend the league to include all the southen teams like Tampa and come up with the shoot out rules for overtime
Oh sorry you were looking for good things he did never mind me bad
:lol: Jerseygirl Jen

You're bad all right. Perhaps you should be punished?:innocent::yes::);)

Hey tieing people to a chair and forcing them to watch Tampa play Alanta is cruel and unusual punishment and not allowed
:eek: Jerseygirl Jen

I could never submit you to that sort of evil punishment, Jennifer!:no:

No you wouldn't you would force me to listen to 6 straight hours of Barry Mannilow oh the horror

:eek: :eek: Jerseygirl Jen

Here are the scores from Jan 13th's games:

1. Minnesota beat Vancouver 5-2. It was a close game, tied 2-2, until the third period. The wheels then fell off for Luongo and he ended up being pulled. There didn't seem to be any fallout from the Burrow's incident, but there were a fair number of penalties called(including 2 minors for Burrows). Vancouver has now lost 3 in a row.

2. Washington beat Florida 5-4 in a shootout. Florida had a 4-1 lead at one point(which caused Neuvirth to be pulled for the second straight day), but they fell apart totally. I am not sure if Jen will be sad because Washington won or if she will be happy because Florida lost. What say you, Jennifer?;)

3. Pittsburgh beat Calgary 3-1. It seems that Calgary is back to their low-scoring ways, which is not something they want to start doing again. It didn't help that Pittsburgh got more PP opportunities than Calgary in the second period(5-2 to be exact). Auger was officiating in this one, I believe. Since he couldn't get Vancouver, maybe he settled for a Canadian team instead? I jest, of course...somewhat.:eek:

4. Anaheim beat Boston 4-3. Smc will be most displeased with this one. Boston had a 3-2 lead at one point, but they could not hold it. I predict teeth being gnashed in fury.

No, I would only submit you to something that you would actually enjoy as well.;) I'm not a sadist, after all.;)

Well, I guess I could show you the (non-existant) high-lights of the Leafs this year...:p:lol:

The NHL powers that be all need to pack up and take a long vacation from the sport.. A VERY LONG VACATION!!.. Bettman and his cronies have always been pretty wishy washy in their dealings with suspensions and fines. There are a precious few exceptions to the rule.. Bertuzzi's punishment being one that showed some balls for a change.. There isn't any of the pro sports, in my book, that are much better when it comes to doleing out the proper punishment!!.. The NHL game has changed, but the bullshit remains where it concerns the refs and the So called lords of the show!!.. Giving out super stiff fines and multi game suspensions for the real bad trangression by the players is the only way to send the message that all the excessive crap will not be tolerated.. as for the refs.. Most of them should take a much needed respit too.. I've seen far too many crappy calls in the games I have watched this season!!.. and in the past... This "intent to blow the whistle"..What the hell is that ?????.. That was never an issue early on even when replay on goals was made the norm!!.. If you haven't actualy blown the whistle.. the play isn't done and it's a goal!!!!..Plain and simple.. cut and dried!! To think these fools get paid more in a season than I can make in 2 years of solid work!!.. Guess I should have studied the rule book more so I could don a hockey helmet and get paid to be a complete and utter doofus!!
In my book Auger should be suspended until a proper investigation is completed BY AN OUTSIDE SOURCE..Not Bettman and his henchmen... Officials are not the protected "gods" they portend to be or are claimed to be by the NHL.. They are fallible human beings and should not be given any special treatment and the same goes for the upper echelon stars of the sport.. or any sport for that matter!!
If he did skate by and tell Burrows what has been talked about here, then he should be tied to a goal and let a few angry players take slap shots at his ass!!!.. .. Maybe that's a bit too strong but I think you all can catch my drift here!!.. I am really tired of seeing the officials treated like supreme beings that are untouchable.
The game of hockey is tough enough as it is!!.. The teams shouldn't have to battle a few crazed officials in the process..
I must admit.. I do love it when an offical is at the boards and in the wrong place at the wrong time when 2 plaers, hell bent for leather, suddenly appear and the official ends up taking a good pice of the action himself!!.. I sit back and laugh!!!.. .You just know that the players leave that spot snickering to themselves

Off my soap box for now!!!.. Good luck to the US Hockey Team in the coming Olympics!!

That kind of torture gives me bad flashbacks to my childhood.:no::no::no:

My mum was a Manilow fan and her car was full of his tapes. Everywhere she drove, she played his :censored: tapes on a non-stop rotation.:no::no::no:

She used to think I didn't like my grandparents. I loved them, it was the Manilow torture on the drive over and drive back I couldn't take.

I was so happy when I could afford to buy myself a cheap walkman (not a Sony) and limit the torture to the gaps between the tracks on the tapes I was listening to, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Police, Madness, The Jam, etc.


:frown: Torture from ESPN-UK, the last NHL game was on Saturday 9th and then nothing till Monday 18th.

Is this bar in your neck of the woods? :lol::lol::lol:

Guess i was lucky my mom played groups like Cheap Trick, Rolling Stones, Beatles and the Kinks

:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

No wonder you turned out so cool, yet dauls turned out to be such a lemon!:cool::lol:

(yes dauls, that is because you posted the picture in your previous post:p:lol::p)

Proably because my mom was in her early 30s when she had me and her and my dad were former hippies
:yes: Jerseygirl Jen

It's even worse than that: just knowing that there are professional hockey teams in places like Tampa and Atlanta is cruel and unusual punishment.

Of course, last week Atlanta was a place where ice occurred naturally, but still, really, gimme a break!

What the Bruins are up to ...
 

Here's a clue: it's not hockey.

On Tuesday, Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman kicked off the third annual Bruins Pajama Drive at a local BJ's Wholesale Club.

This is a nice charitable effort that collects money to buy pajamas for kids. But I can't help but wonder whether the timing is meant to coincide with the Bruins seeming to be in their pajamas, especially during the third period when they are in the lead.

And it's even worse that Atlanta had a team and lost it then got another one while hockey mad Canadian cities can't get one. Damn the NHL headoffice and those in charge!!!!!!:frown::frown::frown:

It is Buttman, plain and simple. He is called Buttman as that is where his head resides most of the time. No wonder so many hockey fans call him a shit-head!:eek:;):lol:

There are only two games that are still playing, so I will give tonight's report with all the others.

Here are the scores from Jan 14th's games:

1. Toronto beat Philadelphia 4-0. I am not going to gloat at all, especially since Jennifer didn't gloat when Philadelphia beat Toronto 6-2 the last time they played. Toskala actually looked sharp and ended up making 38 saves towards the shutout. Kessel woke up a little and got 2 assists and Bozak(who was recently called up to be on Kessel's line) got 1 goal and 1 assist. If this keeps up, I think Bozak will be staying on(as Kessel got an assist in the previous game as well)! Seemed like it was a pretty well-behaved game as there were no fighting majors to be found, and all of the penalties were minors. :hug::hug::hug: for Jen.

2. Ottawa beat the Rangers 2-0. I guess if you want to stop a losing streak stop into MSG and play the Rangers. Mike Brodeur was in net for Ottawa as Leclaire was injured in practice(a shot hit him in the shoulder) and he played well for them again.

3. Buffalo beat Atlanta 2-1 in overtime. Miller continued his stellar play in net for Buffalo and Kovalchuk continued his torrid points streak with another goal. I wonder if Kovalchuk is going to remain with Atlanta or if he is going to be traded by the deadline?

4. Montreal beat Dallas 5-3. Happy dance for Ila, the Habs won the game! Dallas is in a little bit of a funk right now. Price got the start in net for Montreal, and Cammalleri got a goal and an assist(he has been held off the scoresheet for a while now before this game).

5. Florida beat Tampa Bay 3-2. No way that Jen would be happy about this game no matter who ended up winning it.;)

6. Detroit beat Carolina 3-1. Good. We need to make up some more ground on those pesky Hurricanes!

7. St. Louis beat Minnesota 1-0. From the looks of it, it was a boring game. Minnesota only had 19 shots on net. Backstrom had 36 saves in the loss, so he kept the game close at least.

8. Chicago beat Columbus 3-0. Another hot streak started for Chicago? No way to tell yet, but they played well tonight. Huet got another shutout and Columbus lost yet again. Only 4 minors called all game, and none were called in the third period. Garon started again for Columbus so I wonder if there is anything wrong with Mason.

9. Phoenix beat New Jersey 4-3. The Devils outshot the Coyotes, but they could not get the equalizer. The turning point in the game occurred when Daniel Winnik scored the 3rd goal for Phoenix and was hit with a high stick while scoring it. A minor was given to the Devils and Phoenix scored their 4th goal on that PP. The Devils scored a goal after that, which would have made it 3-3 if not for that ill-timed penalty. Dauls will be sad about this one.

10. Pittsburgh beat Edmonton 3-2. The Penguins won this game even though neither Crosby or Malkin got a point, and after being down 2-0. A tale of two different directions for these teams.


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

The last two games are: Anaheim VS LA: LA is ahead 4-0 with about 2 minutes left in the 3rd.

San Jose VS Boston: They are tied 1-1 and regulation just ended. Overtime is coming!

The last two games from Jan 14th are now finals.

1. LA beat Anaheim 4-0.

2. Boston beat San Jose 2-1 in the shootout. Zdeno Chara scored the winner, which isn't really a surprise considering how good of a shot he has for a defenseman(even though he is having an "off year" this season). Smc will be quite pleased I am sure.;)

Urrggghhh well at least Tampa also lost
:frown:Jerseygirl Jen

And you got some hugs from me.;)

Thanks i need em
:frown: Jerseygirl Jen

I've always got some to spare.:)

Oh, the Bruins are still playing? ;)

Another shutout for Brodeur, but the Devils lose 3-4 to Phoenix. :confused:

I was distracted by the odd info above and for a while I forgot about the annoying loss, and the 4 goals on only 19 shots, what a come down from a 51 save shutout.

Senators' rookie, Mike "distant cousin" Brodeur, what a tough surname for a young goaltender to live up to in the NHL. But he's 2-0-0, so maybe he's determined to get out of the minors.

But imagine trying to start a career in the NHL now if your name's Gretzky?:eek:

Yep. Maybe I'll start rooting for them after the shitty showing the Leafs gave last night.:censored:

Only two games(well, one really can't be called a game since only one team decided to show up. Here's a hint....it wasn't the f:censored:ing Leafs!:no:) last night.

Here are the scores from Jan 15th's games:

1. Washington beat Toronto 6-1. Well dauls, I think I have you beat. Toskala went from a 38 save shutout to giving up 6 goals off 24 shots the next night. Nice 1 game winning streak you loafers! Kessel had another assist, so at least there is ONE ray of sunshine in this crappy-ass team right now. He is starting to heat up again. Toskala went back to being his cardboard-pretending self and decided that the pucks reminded him too much of beachballs, and everyone knows he cannot stop beachballs...:rolleyes:

*sigh* And the damned crows are back, trying mightily to shit on me when I walk outside during my patrols. Thankfully the little shit-hawks have failed in their mission, though not for lack of trying.:censored:

All in all, last night was not a good night for me.:(

2. Nashville beat Calgary 1-0. So, one game was decidedly one-sided and the other one was really close. Calgary held a 22-21 shot advantage, so it can't even be said it was an entertaining game. Iginla was held pointless for the 6th straight game, and Calgary is 1-4-1 in that span. Just like Lundqvist with the Rangers, I am sure that Kiprusoff is getting pissed off at the lack of scoring that is costing the team wins(as he has been stellar in net for the most part this season).

Sounds like the Devils copied the Leafs for 40 minutes on Saturday night. Lemaire said, "the team lacked energy until the 3rd period". For the last 18 mins of the game they only trailed 2-1, conceding the 3rd in an empty net with about 10 seconds left. If only they'd tried to earn their pay in the first two periods.

I hope the injury to Patrik Elias early in the second period isn't as bad as it sounds, wheeled off the ice strapped to a backboard with head and neck injuries. I wonder how many games he'll miss?

Devils shutout 4-0 by the Islanders.:censored:
What do you expect with a shot count of 46-20 in favour of the Islanders.:censored:

Three losses in a row since that 'double shutout' 1-0 shootout win against the Rangers last Tuesday. Lemaire admits tonight was their worst game of the season. He also said he "was a little concerned", and "could see the team slipping a bit."

OK they've had 3 straight losses, but they're 4pts clear of the Penguins, who've played 3 games more than the Devils. So why all the concern? The Devils don't have a long list of injured players.

That's the end of a five game road-trip (record 2-3), back home for the Panthers on Wednesday and a return to winning ways.:innocent:

smc, sounds like your Bruins didn't fair any better tonight against Ottawa.:(

:eek::eek::eek: Meanwhile in Nashville the visitors are 3-0 inside the first 10 minutes. :eek::eek::eek:

I think he is concerned because once the team starts slipping it can sometimes be hard to right the ship. Frustration mounts, stupid penalties are taken, discipline gets tossed to the wayside, losses start to mount...it's like a stone rolling down a mountain...it has the potential to become an avalanche.:eek:

It is a long season and all teams have peaks and valleys. I didn't look at the schedule to see who all they played, but I think it was mostly a western road trip. If they play a western team the game doesn't start until 10:30 Eastern Time, so that can play havoc with your internal clock.

Did anyone watch the Blackhawk - Red Wing game on Sunday? Too bad it went to a shootout. The overtime period was fantastic, both goalies made great saves. I am actually suprised it went to a shootout. I am sure if they had a 10 minute overtime with 4 on 4 that it would have ended before the SO. End to End action.

Got a long report tonight!:eek:

Here are the scores from Jan 16th's games:

1. Chicago beat Columbus 6-5. Chicago beating Columbus is not the surprise, but almost blowing the game is. Neither goalie looked particularly sharp in this one.

2. Dallas beat Detroit 3-2 in the shootout. A little bit of controversy in this one, as some people feel that the goal Ott scored in the shootout should not have counted. The ref positioned behind the net waved the goal off, and it ended up going to video review in Toronto. Toronto said it was inconclusive(which is supposed to mean the original call stands, which was no goal), yet the other two refs suddenly said that it was a goal even though their view was not as good as the ref behind the net. I am not a Detroit fan by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems like they got screwed in this one. For the record, I could not see a definitive angle that would allow me to say one way or the other.

3. Colorado beat New Jersey 3-1. While Brodeur only gave up 2 goals in this one(the 3rd goal was an empty netter), he was outplayed by Anderson this game. Anderson played great, and he kept the Devils from getting anything more than the single goal. If Anderson plays like this in the playoffs(assuming they make it there), then they have the potential to go far.

This was also the game where Patrik Elias was injured when he was on the receiving end of a hard check. Judging from the video clips I saw, and from what the Devils coach himself said, I do not think it was a dirty hit at all. Elias may not have even been hurt, but he raised his shoulder at the last moment which may have contributed to it. According to ESPN.com he has a possible concussion and neck injury. He had lost conciousness when he hit the ice, but I am uncertain if this was caused by the hit or when he fell to the ice. I hope he makes a full recovery, and that his injury is not too serious.

4. LA beat Boston 4-3 in the shootout. Again, Boston squandered a lead and gave up two goals in the middle of the third period to allow LA to tie the game. One positive that Boston can take from this game(and there isn't a lot, to be honest) is that Milan Lucic is back and he garnered an assist on Boston's first goal. Having Lucic back can only help Boston's offense, something that is sorely needed right now. LA scored on 2-3 of their chances in the shootout, and Boston was 0-2.

5. San Jose beat Edmonton 4-2. Nothing much to say about this one, as Edmonton just continues to fall(this is their 7th loss in a row) and San Jose continues to shine. David Setoguchi(who is having a poor season so far as he had 31 goals and 34 assists last year in his second year) potted two goals. Just what their opponents needed to face...another dangerous skater on the ice. He's only 23 years old, so he should only get better as the seasons go by.

6. Ottawa beat Montreal 4-2. Another win for Mike Brodeur. I am sure he will falter as the season wears on(he is only a rookie after all), but for now he is playing some stellar hockey! Montreal was never really out of this game, as the fourth goal was an empty netter, but they just could not find the equalizer. I think it is safe to say that Ottawa missed Daniel Alfredsson and are very glad that he is back, as he had 1 goal and 2 assists in this contest.

7. The Islanders beat Buffalo 3-2 in the shootout. The Islanders had a 2-0 lead at one point, and let Buffalo back into this game. The goalies weren't particularly sharp in the shootout as Buffalo was 3-8 and the Islanders were 4-8. Tavares got his 7th goal in this game. After a fairly strong start to the season he has tapered off a little.

8. Florida beat Tampa Bay 5-2. The second of a home-and-home series, but this time it was Florida that beat Tampa Bay instead of the way the first game ended up.

9. Atlanta beat Carolina 5-3. Atlanta got very lucky to pull away a win here, as they gave up a 3-1 game and let Carolina tie it 3-3. Atlanta scored their fourth goal of the game, and then got an empty netter to finish it off. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist in this one, as did Nik Antropov. I wish that he was still a Leaf, as I always liked him when he was on their team.

10. St. Louis beat the Rangers 4-1. A pretty ugly game for the Rangers, as it was yet another game where they could not score goals. They have Gaborik and not much else, and that will hurt them if they make it into the playoffs.

11. Phoenix beat Minnesota 6-4. Phoenix almost blew this one. Minnesota scored 3 times in the third period which had made it 5-4 for Phoenix. Luckily for the Coyotes they scored their 6th goal in the last minute of the game. Bryzgalov did not look sharp in this one, and hasn't in a little while now. That could spell a lot of trouble for the Coyotes as the season goes on.

12. Vancouver beat Pittsburgh 6-2. Even though they played against a rookie goaltender, the Canucks did what they were supposed to do. Pile it on versus a rookie and hope he lets some pucks in. You cannot let up, ever, or you can be made to look like a fool when you get beat by that same goalie who gets a shutout against you. John Curry, the goalie, gave up 5 goals and ended up being pulled. The Penguins then put in a 19 year old Russian who did not even get paid for this game(he was signed to a 1-game contract)! He also had to use Marc-Andre Fleury's equipment as he was not sure if his goaltending equipment was legal for NHL play. He ended up giving up 1 goal off 13 shots, so he played fairly well for his first NHL game. Will he get another chance? Who knows, but I think they should give him another one. Fleury is out because he has a hairline fracture in his hand. He is listed as day-to-day, so he shouldn't be out too long.


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

Here are the scores from Jan 17th's games:

1. Chicago beat Detroit 4-3 in the shootout. Detroit rallied to tie it up at 3, but again they were undone by the shootout. I think they are getting tired of losing in it, that is for sure. Chicago played another shaky game.

2. Washington beat Philadelphia 5-3. Perhaps it can be chalked up to the fact that Emery played in net for the first time since he had his surgery a while back. Talk about a trial by fire! Your first game back against a high-powered offense like the Capitals! Ouch. Not a good day for Jen.

3. The Rangers beat Montreal 6-2. This one was bad. Montreal had a 2-0 lead at one point, which should have been safe against the Rangers since the Rangers could not seem to score goals very often this season. However, the wheels totally fell off in this one. Montreal seemed to ease off(they had 20 shots on net in total) and the Rangers capitalized. They did not look back and scored 3 goals in the second, and 3 goals in the third. Avery was his normal agitating self and ended up with 9 minutes of penalties(surprisingly it did not hurt the Rangers!). Halak gave up 6 goals off of 34 shots on net. Ila is probably pretty angry about this one.

4. Anaheim beat Calgary 5-4. An ugly game by Calgary. They came back from 3-1 to take a 4-3 lead and then coughed it up and gave up 2 unanswered goals.

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

Here are the scores from Jan 18th's games:

1. Ottawa beat Boston 5-1. Remember what I said last game about Ottawa missing Alfreddson? Well, I was right. He had a hat-trick in this one. Boston was totally outplayed in this one judging from the score, as neither team had more than 30 shots(Ottawa had 26 and Boston had 23). Thomas gave up 3 goals off 9 shots and that was it for him. Not a good night for Boston, so they need to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start playing good hockey again. Otherwise smc will give them a good tolchukking!

2. The Islanders beat New Jersey 4-0. Yep, this one was fugly. The Devils managed just 20 shots and gave up 46. I am not sure why they pulled Brodeur in this one, as he only gave up 4 goals off 32 shots. The Islanders had 18 shots in the first period and 14 in the second(as opposed to just 11 in the same span for the Devils). Fugly, fugly game.:eek:

3. Tampa Bay beat Carolina 3-2. I am happy with this just for the fact that it gives the Leafs 2 more points in breathing room for the bottom of the Eastern barrel.

4. Columbus beat St. Louis 4-2. Not much to say about this one either, except it was a game between two teams that are pretty much struggling with all facets of the game.

5. Buffalo beat Phoenix 7-2. Remember how I said in the earlier portion of this report that Bryzgalov was struggling? Well, here is more proof. He gave up 3 goals off 13 shots. That being said, his replacement was just as crappy. He gave up 4 goals off 18 shots. Not a good night for Phoenix's goaltending. Will they recover? They better, otherwise any fanbase they have coming to their games this year will go away yet again.

-end of part 1-

-part 2-

(I ran out of room in the previous post)

6. Florida beat Atlanta 1-0. This one was the complete opposite of the previous game mentioned. A blowout vs a 1-goal game. Which one would have been preferable to see?

7. Toronto beat Nashville 4-3. Yep. You read that correctly. Toronto finally won a game! It didn't look like they wanted to win for a while there, as they gave up a 3-0 lead and let Nashville tie it up 3-3. Thankfully Kessel got a goal and they were able to skate away with the victory. It looks like Kessel is heating up again, and that could help the Leafs immensely. Finally, one of us can do the happy dance! It was looking quite grim for us all for a while there.

8. Dallas beat Minnesota 4-3. Again, it was a case of too-little, too-late for Minnesota. They tried desperately to make a comeback but they could not get the tying goal...again.

9. Colorado beat Edmonton 6-0. Eighth loss in a row for the Oilers. As frustrated as I am about the Leafs this season, I can at least take solace in the fact that things aren't as horrible as they are for Edmonton. I predict that Edmonton will end up in last place by the end of the season. I feel sorry for their fans.

10. San Jose beat Calgary 9-1. This was just an old fashioned beat-down! Calgary was outshot 46-22 and totally dominated the game from start to finish(with 3 goals in each period). Calgary is playing horribly right now, and it doesn't look like their poor offense will get better any time soon. Setoguchi had a goal and an assist in this one, so it looks like he is continuing with his improved play of late.

Whew! This was a long one! My fingers are tired!;)

They tried their best to lose the game after a fantastic opening 9 minutes.:eek::lol::p

Leafs scored 3 from 8 shots in the first 9 minutes, the Predators replaced their goalie and the Leafs only had another 14 shots in the next 51 minutes.:no:

shadows, that can't have been a comfortable game for Leafs fans to watch.
At 3-3 I expected your next hockey post to include a long string of :censored:s, but Kessel saved the day.

It almost was, my friend, it almost was.:eek:;)

Speaking of ugly...this is an example of a dirty hit.:eek: The article is from tsn.ca.

CORMIER EJECTED FROM QMJHL GAME AFTER HEAD SHOT ON OPPONENT

Team Canada's world junior captain Patrice Cormier was ejected from a QMJHL game in overtime on Sunday when he delivered a head shot to Quebec Remparts defenceman Mikael Tam.

Cormier, a forward for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, came off the bench for a line change and cut through the faceoff circle at centre ice, laying an elbow on Tam in open ice.

Video of the hit can be found here.

Following the hit, Tam was convulsing on the ice before being taken off on a stretcher. The 18-year-old defenceman suffered trauma to the skull and brain and lost many teeth.

He is now in stable condition in hospital and is expected to be released Tuesday morning. A Remparts spokespesron said a brain scan was taken after the game, and a second scan Monday showed "everything normal."

The Remparts' official team website says fans can send "get well" messages to Tam.

On Monday, TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie took to his Twitter account, writing, "This Cormier elbow is sickening on so many levels. I have never been so discouraged about the game of hockey as now."

Cormier, a native of Cap-Pele, New Brunswick, was traded to the Huskies on January 7th. The 19-year-old was playing in just his third game with the team.

The Quebec Provincial Police are now handling the incident and have collected several testimonies.

The QMJHL released a statement on Monday saying that the incident is under review.

Commissioner Gilles Courteau says he won't be commenting on the situation today, but the statement said that once the disciplinary process has been completed, the Disciplinary Prefect, Raymond Bolduc, will announce the sanctions.

In 31 games this season with the Rimouski Oceanic and the Huskies, Cormier has 11 goals and 20 assists, as well as 64 PIM.

He had two goals and three assists at the World Junior Hockey Championship, where he captained Team Canada to a silver medal.

In a pre-tournament exhibition game, Cormier elbowed Sweden's Anton Rodin and bloodied his nose.
Canada went on to lose to the United States in the final.

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


He deserves to get the book thrown at him. He was the Captain of Team Canada at the World Juniors and he threw a freaking elbow there as well. Disgusting. I am sure you'll agree if you see the video.:(

Link to the video didn't seem to work in my previous post. It can be found here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAoFY...layer_embedded

It happens about a minute in. Just a warning, it is pretty graphic!

It is also in french.

Thanks for the link, shadows. That hit was gruesome. I hope the league and the law come down heavily on Cormier. There was no need for what he did. One of the sad aspects to this is that they were playing good hockey up to that point.

That was pretty scary, eh?:eek: That poor kid was convulsing and you didn't know what was going to happen.:no: I am now going to post the newest article about this.

This is the latest article about the dirty elbow hit from Patrice Cormier on Mikael Tam. Again, it's from tsn.ca.

TAM OUT OF HOSPITAL AFTER TAKING CORMIER HEAD SHOT

QUEBEC -- Mikael Tam flew home to Quebec City on Tuesday but it remains uncertain how long the Quebec Remparts defenceman will be out of action after a nasty hit to the head from Rouyn-Noranda Huskies centre Patrice Cormier.

Remparts spokesman Nicole Bouchard said Tam is walking normally and appears to be clear-headed, even though he has no memory of the elbow to the face from Cormier that floored him during Quebec's overtime win in Rouyn-Noranda on Sunday afternoon.

She said the team is holding off showing him video of the incident for the moment, although it was being shown frequently on several television channels. Tam is to be examined by the team's doctor and a specialist to determine the extent of his injuries, which included brain trauma and damage to several teeth.

It is too early to guess how long he will be off skates, she said. The team plans to hold a news conference with Tam and the medical team on Friday in Quebec City.

The hit has been widely criticized as a cheap shot around the hockey world, including among NHL players, and even drew a reaction from Quebec premier Jean Charest in the National Assembly.

"There are messages that perhaps have not got through that need to be sent again," said Charest. "Hockey can be played without resorting to that kind of behaviour. It's shocking."

Cormier, who served as captain of Canada's team at the world junior championship, has been suspended indefinitely by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and is awaiting word on further discipline. A league spokesman said a decision is expected Thursday or Friday.

The league denied a report that its decision may be delayed because commissioner Gilles Courteau is attending the Top Prospects game in Windsor, Ont.

In overtime of Quebec's 3-2 shootout win in Rouyn-Noranda on Sunday afternoon, Cormier crossed the ice to drop Tam with an elbow while the Quebec rearguard was skating through the neutral zone.

The 18-year-old went into convulsions before he was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher and taken to hospital, where he underwent two brain scans before he was released on Monday night.

The Remparts filed a complaint and Quebec provincial police in Rouyn-Noranda are investigating whether there are grounds for criminal charges against the 19-year-old Cormier.

Cormier was drafted in the second round in 2008 by the New Jersey Devils and it seems that if he makes it to the NHL one day, he'll have a name players remember.

At the Montreal Canadiens training facility in Brossard, Que., enforcer Georges Laraque called it one of the worst hits he's seen in hockey.

"But one thing I can say about Gilles Courteau is that he's always been good about giving suspensions and it doesn't matter the name on the back (of the player's jersey)," said Laraque. "I'm pretty sure he'll be fair with that suspension.

"I'd be surprised if that kid (Cormier) played another game this year. When you look at kids that young, they're not even in the NHL yet and they have their whole future ahead of them and they're shaking on the ice like that. That's pretty scary. It's important to send a message to the youth coming up."

In Vancouver, Canucks forward Tanner Glass called it "one of the ugliest hits I've ever seen.

"It was premeditated. He had the elbow up good and early. It's disappointing to see a kid that's trying to play a gritty game, to be a tough player to play against, take liberties like that because it always comes back to haunt you."

His teammate Ryan Johnson said the hit was "completely uncalled for.

"Whether the kid gets up and plays the rest of the game or goes down and convulses, for me, it's not about the result, it's the act."

A statement posted Monday night on the Huskies website said the team wished Tam a quick recovery and return to the ice. It said Cormier was pained by the incident and was following news of Tam's recovery closely. However, it said both Cormier and the team's coach and general manager Andre Tourigny would not comment on the matter.


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

Regarding the last paragraph of the article...I imagine that the "pain" that Cormier is feeling about the incident(as they call it, I call it a gutless play) is NOTHING compared to the pain that Mikael Tam is in. He could have had permanent brain damage for :censored: sake! Cormier needs to be gone for the rest of the entire season AND playoffs...and even longer if need be!:no:

It would be bad enough if this was the first time he's thrown an elbow like that, but it wasn't! He is a repeat offender who obviously has NO respect for his fellow players(teammates or not).:censored:

I agree with your assessment about the pain Cormier is feeling. I hope he is out for the rest of the season and maybe longer.

It's possible that Tam may not be able to play professional hockey or possibly even any hockey again. We'll never know what his potential was. I do hope Tam makes a full recovery.

I'll post any new articles when they are posted on TSN.

Surprise, surprise! The Leafs blew another one!:rolleyes:

They had a 2-0 lead and lost 4-2.:censored:

I :censored: hate Toskala!:censored:

If you hadn't posted this I would've probably missed the whole story.

Three seconds on the ice before trying to knock an opponent's head off, is about as premeditated as you can get. If a similar assault took place with witnesses on the street you'd expect jail time. That's what he deserves, why should the laws of the land cease to exist once you hit the ice.
Jail time and a very long suspension (why not a lifetime suspension?) should make all hockey players (young and NHL) think about the full consequences of their actions.

As a victim of a serious head injury that stopped me playing rugby, would've stopped me playing hockey and kept me out of football for a few years, I hope the damage to Mikael Tam's brain isn't serious enough to stop him playing.

At least he has no memory of the incident, (same goes for me, I have no memory of the assault that fractured my skull, and can't remember about 3 hours before the incident and maybe 15 more after it).
However, Tam will eventually get to see it on TV, and I'm sure when he watches it, he won't see the victim on the screen as being himself, it will look like it happened to someone else. If he did remember the incident it would be a lot tougher to watch the clip.

As for Cormier being "pained by the incident and was following news of Tam's recovery closely", what bullsh:censored:t. He's only hoping Tam recovers fully because he might get away with a softer punishment.

If Tam does make a full recovery that shouldn't lessen the punishment, the act of violence should be punished, he's just lucky Tam isn't in an induced coma.

He deserves to be a marked man if he ever makes it to the NHL. And if he plays with the Devils I won't be cheering him.

Well said, dauls.:respect: