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Archive for December, 2009

Wild on Fire, Literally

Dec 19

Posted by Eddie in News | 1 Comment

Lately, the Minnesota Wild have been on a hot streak. They have won 8 of their last 10 games. But today the team expected the type of fire no one wants, a real fire.

The team is on a road trip, where they faced the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night and is in Ottawa to play the Senators Saturday efirevening. But that’s currently in the air as the team’s equipment went up in smoke Friday afternoon when a truck carrying the team’s equipment from the Kanata Recreation Center (where the Wild practiced Friday afternoon) back to Scotiabank Place.

In a release, the team said it was still trying to assess the damage.

“Some of the Minnesota Wild’s equipment has been damaged,” the release said. “The Wild is in the process of taking inventory to determine the damage to our equipment.” Some of the equipment was reportedly salvaged.

Assistant Equipment Manager Brent Proulx, who travels with the team tonight, is going to board a plane back to Minnesota tonight. Proulx, Assistant Equipment Manager Matt Benz and Chris Pietrzak-Wegner will gather replacement equipment and load it onto a plane bound for Ottawa at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning.

The Wild’s team bus had departed the practice rink separately and dropped several players off at a local restaurant area. Head Coach Todd Richards was notified just as the bus pulled into the hotel parking lot. Richards returned to the scene with Assistant to the General Manager, Jim Mill, and PR coordinator, Ryan Stanzel.

The move is harder than it sounds, as most players need several hours on the ice to break-in new equipment. The pieces that are the toughest to break-in are skates, goalie catching gloves and pads. If they are able to pull off this miracle and win tomorrow, hat’s off to the Wild organization.

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Green Bay Gamblers Batting Down More Than Pucks

Dec 18

Posted by Eddie in Media | No Comments

I was working out at the gym Thursday afternoon trying to get toned, ripped and tan like those dudes on Jersey Shore when I saw this video on CNN. I wasn’t able to hear anything but I did see players swinging at a flying object. I tried to search it on Youtube but to no avail. Thankfully Puck Daddy was on my side like Nationwide with this story.

The Green Bay Gamblers Junior team was taking on Cedar Rapids when a bat came flying on the ice like he was Fan Man during the game. The game had to be halted but some Gamblers players was able to take teamwork to the next level when a couple players swung their sticks and knocked down the bat. As of now, no one had to get rabies shots like NBA star Manu Ginobili  when he bare-handed a bat during a Halloween night game.

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Winter Classic Rink Construction Video

Dec 17

Posted by Eddie in Media | 3 Comments

With the Winter Classic only 2 weeks away in Boston, below is a time-lapse video from the construction of the rink at Fenway Park.

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Marian Hossa Goal vs Tampa Bay

Dec 14

Posted by Matt in Media | 3 Comments

Marian Hossa with the magic stick against Tampa Bay. He catches the puck, tosses it down and takes a swing. Hossa actually hit the puck out of mid air and sent it flying into the goal. Just an absolutely sick play by Marian Hossa.

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Fantasy Fix-Up

Dec 14

Posted by EB in Fantasy | 8 Comments

HWB Fantasy Standings as of 12-14-2009.Whether you are leading the pack like Matt, or down in the dumps last place like Eddie, now is the time to address your fantasy teams needs. Here are a few helpers to get your team in tip top shape. (Some information specific to Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Hockey League)

Diversification: From your 401 k to everything, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Pick up players from different teams. On average only 2 to 3 goals are scored per team, so if you have 3 players on one team, the odds of picking up a point are working against you and not for you.

The News Knows: Pay attention to the little yellow news pad that relates to your players. The information usually gives you insight on who is producing, cold, injured or anything else that can help you make a better decision. If you are tired of checking every person and waiting for the pop up box, hover over “My Team” then click “My Player Notes”. Viola, now you have all your players news, as well as opponents and free agents which can come in handy.

Shop ‘em Baby: Sometimes you need an upgrade, and I am not talking Cialis. Contact some people in the league and see what people are looking for. Put up an offer, and see where it takes you. Trades are hard to pull off, but when done, usually helps you out. A big thing to increase your possibility for success, always respond to a trade offer with a counter or some communication. Ignoring people or trash talking a trade will not get you far, and most likely will close off all future trades no matter how good the trade is. Think Aretha Franklin, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

How Do You Size Up: I already used a Cialis joke, so straight to the jist of things. Use your “Head-to-Head Stats” feature. A brief summary of “Win-Loss” let’s you see which categories you could improve, while “Totals” let’s you see how you are doing overall. If you are low in a category, try to find a player that can improve your weaknesses. Be careful not to improve one category and drastically impact another category for the worse. And do not forget to check out the goalie stats.

Defense Goalies Win Championships: A skater may have a bad game and take a hit to your plus/minus rating, but if a goalie has an off night, there goes your goals against average and good luck bringing up your save percentage. Try to have a consistent goalie over a streaky one. Pay attention to who your goalie is playing. Also, make sure you meet minimum games played each week. And most important, pay attention to your match-up for the week. If you have the stats on lock and going into the last day, do not play your goalie. Nothing worse than losing a few categories knowing you could have benched your goalie and won them.

Plenty of Fish in the Sea: When looking at the free agency pool, do not only look at current rankings. Cross reference overall ranking with current rankings. Proven players over rookies usually. Solid players tend to be your best bet, so pick up guys who have consistent 1 point nights instead of the occasional 3 point nights. And lastly, the rankings do not take into account how many games have been played, so do not forget to look at season averages.

I’ve Got an Eye on You: Nothing more valuable than the “My Watch List”. Not sure who to pick up, who to drop, who to trade or trade for, use the watch list. Click the little flag next to their name, then compare and contrast to your hearts content all on one screen in your watch list. Now you can compare apples to apples.

Alright, now put this information to good use and start dominating your league. That is of course, as long as you are not in the same league as myself.

Easton EQ5 Ice Hockey Skate

Dec 13

Posted by Matt in Gear | 3 Comments

I love new product releases, in case you didn’t already know. I wish I could have a job as a product tester for a hockey company, that would make my life.

Anyway, Easton Hockey has been working on some great new products which we’ll be sharing over the next few days. First and foremost, the new Easton EQ5 ice hockey skate. There are already a number of NHL stars who have been seen in this skate, including Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings.

Easton EQ5 Ice Hockey Skate

We don’t have any info on tech specs for the skate quite yet, unfortunately. Be on the lookout for a retail release as we get closer to the Winter Olympics.

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Former NHL Player Updates From the KHL

Dec 10

Posted by Eddie in News | 5 Comments

Founded in 2008, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is the strongest league in Europe and is the second-best league in the world behind the NHL. The KHL is a spin-off of the former Russian Super League. The KHL features 21 teams located in Russia, with the other three teams in the league located in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Latvia.

Since the KHL was founded, it offers several benefits for players who are either in the middle or end of their NHL careers. They can get bigger paychecks and not have the tax restrictions like there are in the United States. While there have been a lot of players who have left for the KHL, the NHL should not take the KHL lightly. While most of the players are Russian or natives of the former Soviet Union satellite countries, there could be a slow influx of Canadians in the league if they can’t get picked up by a team in the NHL.

Here’s a list of players who formerly played in the NHL and now reside in the KHL this season. Several names will be familiar to you as profiled below.

Alexander Radulov, Salavat Ylaev Ufa

Former Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov is having a great season in the KHL. He is second in the league with 38 points in 31 games. The Russian was a big loss for the Predators when he left the team before the start of the 2008-09 season. The season before, he had a 58-point campaign and expected to be one of the top players for Nashville. His team is currently second in the Eastern Conference and have the third best record in the KHL.

Alexi Yashin, SKA St. Petersburg

Just like Radulov, Yashin is one of the top scorers in the league. His team, SKA St. Petersburg, has the second best record in the KHL. Yashin does lead the league in assists with 27 to go along with his 38 points in 31 games. Yashinhasn’t been in the NHL since 2007 when he finished his fifth season with the New York Islanders.

Marcel Hossa, Dinamo Riga

We’re familiar with his brother Marian, the younger Hossa is in his second season with the Latvian KHL team. Hossa is in his season in the KHL but before then he played in the NHL for 5 seasons with the Canadiens, Rangers, and Coyotes. Effective both on offense and with his physical play, Hossa recorded 44 points and118 penalty minutes in the regular season last year in 52 games. This season he has already eclipsed his goals total (23 this season in 33 games compared to 22 last season) and has a five-goal lead over the rest of the league.

Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow face-off in a KHL game

Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow face-off in a KHL game

Jiri Hudler, Dynamo Moscow

Former Detroit Red Wings left winger Hudler is continuing his increased offensive production in the KHL. Last season was his best in his NHL career when he recorded 57 points in all 82 regular-season games with the Red Wings. He was expected to be a contributing player for the team but left the Red Wings for more money despite being a restricted free-agent in the 2009 off-season. For Dynamo Moscow this season, Hudler is one of 16 players with 30+ points with 13 goals and 19 assists in 33 games. His team currently sits in 4th place in the Western Conference.

Sergei Federov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk

Wanting to fulfil his father’s wish of watching his two sons play on the same team, Federov signed a two-year contract to play in the KHL. This season, he has 22 points in 32 games. His plus-minus rating is just as high as his point total at +21, which is good for third in the league. His brother Fedor on the other hand, has been injured and only seen action in 19 games. Their team tops the league in points with 78.

Sergei Zubov, SKA St. Petersburg

One of the best blueliners in the history of the NHL, Zubovspent 16 years in the NHL before in injuries hampered his career each of his last two seasons in Dallas. In July, he signed the contract to play in the KHL and has been able to stay healthy as he’s played 33 games. With 22 points, his defense and goaltending from former NHLer Robert Esche has helped SKA St. Petersburg become one of the top teams in the KHL.

Vyacheslav Fetisov, CSKA

Currently the President of CSKA, Fetisov decided to take matters into his own hands and lace up the skates at the age of 51. The Hall of Famer signed a player’s contract for the remainder of the season due to injuries of several key defenseman. The news was announced today, and we will be sure to keep an eye on how he’s playing as he resumes his career after an 11 year layoff beginning tomorrow night against SKA St. Petersburg.

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Philadelphia’s Unclear Future

Dec 8

Posted by EB in Fantasy, News, Soap Box | 3 Comments

Life is tough when you are losing, or is it? Mike Richards enjoying the company of a porn star.

Life is tough when you are losing, or is it? Mike Richards enjoying the company of a porn star.

What seemed to be the year for the Philadelphia Flyers quickly turned into a year that might just make Flyer’s fans sick.

Off season acquisition of Chris Pronger, pickup of goalie Ray Emery who has everything to prove, and the winning bid for the outdoor game on New Year’s day started the season on quite a high. The team won their first 3 games and ended up 6-4-1 in the first month. Adjusting to their new lines, shaking the rust off, the Flyers had a good start to the hockey season. November looked brighter, as the Flyers came out winning their first 4 games. Yet the team still ended up slightly over .500 for the month with a 7-6-0 record, totaling 13-10-1 for the season. Jump forward to today, the team is 13-13-1, 5th in the Atlantic Division, and even worse, third to last for 13th position in the Eastern Conference.

So what is the problem? Was it the coaches fault? John Stevens has been fired and replaced by Peter Laviolette. Is it the leadership on the ice? Mike Richards has vocalized his position of captaincy after the firing of Coach Stevens. Or could it be the goaltending as Don Cherry has indicated? Ray Emery is near the bottom of goalie stats, but he does post a .900 save percentage and currently has  a winning record.

So what is the problem? I’m not sure, but when a coach is fired, a Captain in question, and you have Ray Emery in the locker room, all on a losing season, something internal is happening that we do not know about. The team is young and the Flyer’s season is teetering right now. On one side you have a change in the system that positively affects the team to start winning again with hopes it is not too late for a playoff spot. On the other end, the team self destructs and late night partying from young players is more frequent, the golf bags come out early this year, and next year a makeover of the entire team.

Time will tell. For me, I hope they turn it around. For now though, if you lack faith in a turnaround, dump your Flyers while you still are able to.  If you wait to long, you will be stuck shopping players at a reduced price.

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Daniel Carcillo One Punches Matt Bradley

Dec 5

Posted by Matt in Media, News | 2 Comments

Daniel Carcillo tried to provide a little energy for the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, but it ended up working against him big time. After Matt Bradley delivered a hit on Carcillo against the boards, Carcillo gave a few cross checks back to Bradley. Carcillo was quick to drop his gloves after that, and knocked Bradley down with one huge punch before Bradley’s gloves even hit the ice.

Bradley did not return to the game after the punch. The Capitals, however, avenged the punch as they scored three goals on the resulting power play. The game finished in a blowout as Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and four assists, and Mike Green added two goals and two assists in the 8-2 victory.

Update: Carcillo has received a four game suspension from the incident.

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Bauer Vapor X:60 LE Ice Hockey Skate

Dec 5

Posted by Matt in Gear | 1 Comment

I don’t know if you guys have been keeping track of Bauer’s product releases this year, but this is a pretty cool one. In addition to the Bauer Vapor X:60 ice hockey skate, they have also released a Bauer Vapor X:60 LE (limited edition) ice hockey skate.  It’s a top of the line skate, with the same features as the X:60, but the boot is all black and looks just like the boot on the Bauer Vapor RX:60 roller hockey skates.

Bauer Vapor X:60 LE

That’s a pretty slick looking set up that I wouldn’t mind sporting myself. The skates are priced like any other top level skate and will set you back $599.99. If you’re interested in these and have the money, you might want to jump on them quick. As with any other limited edition product, they will not be around forever. Check out IceWarehouse to get the Bauer Vapor X:60 LE ice hockey skate.

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