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Outdoor Hockey Mania On Horizon

Dec 10

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

Today in Detroit, we received the first significant amount of snowfall this fall/winter. This is usually the first sign that warm weather has taken a back seat until spring. This is also the beginning of what appears to be an excellent winter of outdoor hockey games being played across the United States and Canada.

Today is also the first day that tickets went on sale for the 2011 Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic, a game that will take place February 20, 2011 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta between Montreal and Calgary. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster annd range between $111.95 and $269.45 Canadian.

Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on HBO will be the primere of 24/7: Penguins/Capitals. If you have never seen or heard of 24/7, it is a documentary-style series that will take viewers inside and outside everything going on in Pittsburgh and Washington leading up to the Bridgestone Winter Classic on January 1. 24/7 has done previous series on athletes such as Jimmy Johnson, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao. The four-part series has even affected Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, as leading up to the 24/7 series he’s had to put money into a jar every time he swore in team meetings to help curb his use of foul language on television. He mentioned in an article he didn’t want to have his family see the foul language on television that New York Jets coach Rex Ryan used during the summer on the HBO series Hard Knocks.

However, the biggest (both figuratively and literally) game of the weekend will occur Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Arby’s Big Chill at The Big House is a college hockey game that will be contested between Michigan State and the University of Michigan at Michigan Stadium. Over 110,000 tickets have been sold for the event, which will easily break the attendance record for a hockey game. The two teams originally set the attendance record in 2001 with the Cold War game that took place at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. That game ended in a 3-3 tie. Tomorrow’s game is guaranteed to have a winner as the CCHA uses the shootout to award an extra point in conference games. The success of that game is what led to subsequent events such as the Winter Classic, Frozen Fenway, Frozen Tundra Classic, and the Camp Randall Classic.

Nearly 78,000 fans showed up to watch Germany upset the Americans 2-1 at the 2010 World Championship.

The record from the Cold War was broken earlier in 2010 with the opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Championship between Germany and the United States. It was played at a soccer stadium in Gelsenkirchen, where Germany upset the United States 2-1 in front of 77,803 fans.

Check back Sunday for photos and a recap of the festivities from Ann Arbor. Both Matt and myself will be attending the game. Keep an eye on our Twitter account for live tweeting during the game, and other action leading up to The Big Chill. Below is a list of the 12 most attended hockey games in history leading up to tomorrow’s The Big Chill at the Big House. The list includes projected attendance for The Big Chill, 2011 Winter Classic, and 2011 Heritage Classic in BOLD.

Attendance Name Date Location Main Event Game
110,000 The Big Chill 12/11/2010 Ann Arbor Michigan vs. Michigan St.
77,803 2010 World Championship 5/7/2010 Germany Germany vs. USA
74,554 Cold War 10/6/2001 E. Lansing Michigan vs. Michigan St.
71,217 2008 Winter Classic 1/1/2008 Buffalo Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo
65,000 2011 Winter Classic 1/1/2011 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh vs. Washington
57,167 Heritage Classic 11/22/2003 Edmonton Edmonton vs. Montreal
55,031 Camp Randall Classic 2/6/2010 Madison Michigan vs. Wisconsin
55,000 1957 World Championship 3/5/1957 Russia Soviet Union vs. Sweden
46,000 2011 Heritage Classic 2/20/2011 Calgary Calgary vs. Montreal
40,890 Frozen Tundra Classic 2/13/2006 Green Bay Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
40,818 2009 Winter Classic 1/1/2009 Chicago Chicago vs. Detroit
38,472 Frozen Fenway 1/8/2010 Boston Boston College vs.
Boston University
38,112 2010 Winter Classic 1/1/2010 Boston Boston vs. Philadelphia
37,592 2010 Frozen Four Final 4/10/2010 Detroit Boston College vs. Wisconsin
34,954 2010 Frozen Four Semis 4/8/2010 Detroit Boston College vs.  Miami
Wisconsin vs. RIT

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Hockey Hodge-Podge: Minors, College, Juniors

Nov 13

Posted by Eddie in News | 1 Comment

It’s the time of the year when football is starting to wind down for the colleges, the professionals are mid-way through their season, and hockey is starting to find its way. Teams in the NHL and other leagues have played anywhere between 15-20 games. At this time of the season, teams are starting to figure out who they are and what they can do to improve.

Looking across the hockey landscape, here’s some interesting things I came across:

Minors:

  • Grand Rapids Griffins goalie Daniel Larsson is one step closer to playing for the Detroit Red Wings. The big club called up Larsson today to backup Jimmy Howard as Chris Osgood has missed the last two games with the flu. The Red Wings played Wednesday and Thursday night and the recall happened this morning. This could mean Osgood might be out for a while.
  • On February 20, the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators are playing an outdoor hockey game. It’s the first in the history of the AHL, and a politician is trying to make it an annual event to “bring luster to central New York”. Can we say a P.R. move to gather votes for 2010? Charles Schumer (D-NY) is up for re-election next November.
  •  Everybody and their brother has now seen the video of Louisiana Ice Gators head coach Brent Sapergia throw everything in sight on the ice in protest of a call. I think I would he just as angry if I found out I had to coach a hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League. I do give him credit, his team was down 5-1 at the time before a rally of goals resulted in a 5-4 loss.

 

College:

  • Defending national champion Boston College is 2-5 and 1-4 in conference play this season. That’s not good for the Eagles. Last season, they had six overall and five Hockey East losses all season.
  • Miami is showing why they are the no. 1 team in the nation as they swept Michigan last weekend. Wolverines head coach Red Berenson was so disgusted that he said  “I’m embarrassed.” “We played like a bunch of spoiled brats, and we’ve gotta suck it up.” When your team takes 51 penalty minutes in the third period of Saturday’s game, that’s what spoiled beats who need to suck it up play like.
  • My alma mater, Ferris State University, is off to its best start since the 2002-03 season. That year, Chris Kunitz was a Hobey Baker finalist when he led the Bulldogs to the CCHA regular reason championship and a first-round win in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs swept three straight home series for the first time in school history when they swept Bowling Green. The team is 7-3 overall and will play at Miami this weekend. Tonight’s game will be shown on the NHL Network at 7:30.
  • The second-largest college in the nation is letting its students in for free because they struggle to fill the seats at its over-sized arena. Ohio State plays in the 17,500 seat Value City Arena. The attendance so far has been averaging 1,604 fans. For those keeping score at home, that’s 9.2 percent. When the NHL franchise in the same town is in competition for the hockey dollar a fringe hockey market, you play second fiddle. Maybe the Buckeyes should play the first month or so on the road, so they will get people to come when football season ends and the Blue Jackets are in last place.

 

Juniors:

  • This year’s World Junior Championships will be held in Saskatoon and Regina, Alberta beginning December 26. For our friends in Saskatchewan, you will be able to enjoya ticket to the United States-Switzerland game December 27 in Saskatoon with purchase of a pre-tournament exhibition game between Switzerland and Austria in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan December 21.
  • In an effort to get women to hockey games in Saginaw, Michigan, the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit is hosting a “Ice Hot Girls Night Out” tomorrow night vs London. The event will feature a fashion show, prize packs, and display tables from local salons and spas.
  • The PEI Rocket of the QMJHL has to postpone gamesthis weekend vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Shawinigan Cataractes because a number of players showed symptoms of the H1N1 virus. Hockey fans might have to get used to this as the season progresses. While players and teams are trying their best to sanitize and keep the players as healthy as possible, once a player or team staff contracts H1N1, it will be a matter of time before it spreads due to the close quarters hockey players are in.
  • The holiday season is around the corner. Several junior and minor league teams will hold various charity drives and fundraisers to support the local community. One of my favorites is the Teddy Bear Toss, where when the home teams scores its first goal, fans get to throw a stuffed animal on the ice. The toys are then collected and donated to charity,usually a childrens hospital. Where else can you throw something on the ice during a game and not get kicked out? No where! I’m personally making a note to attend the Plymouth Whalers’ Teddy Bear Toss game vs Sault Ste. Marie on December 5.

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College Hockey Preview: Part 2

Oct 6

Posted by Eddie in Prospects, Season Previews | 1 Comment

Editor’s Note: Part 1 of the College Hockey Preview can be found here.

Yesterday the “small” three conferences were previewed. Today, the “big” three conferences are previewed.

Hockey East: Terriers Hope to eat Competition Again

Boston University won the National Championship in one of the greatest hockey games you will ever see. With an extra-attacker on the ice and trailing Miami 3-1, the Terriers scored twice in the final minute and took the title 11:47 in the first OT period to win the title for the first time since 1995. In one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the Terriers received six of the 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll. In addition to the Terriers, look for UMass-Lowell and  Boston College attempt to dethrone Boston U with Vermont leading the rest of the teams in the conference.

CCHA: Both Coaches and Media Hail to the Victors in Michigan

Michigan forward Louie Caporusso hopes to lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four at Ford Field in April.

Michigan forward Louie Caporusso hopes to lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four at Ford Field in April.

For the first time in four years, both the coaches and media agree on the same team in the preseason poll. The Wolverines are always a favorite in the conference, as they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 19 years in a row. That is quite an astonishing streak considering the amount of turnover due to graduations and players turning professional. Like Michigan State in basketball, Michigan hockey has the chance to play for a national title in its own backyard as it’s only 44 miles from Yost Ice Arena to Ford Field. Look for Miami and Notre Dame to challenge Michigan at the top of the standings, with Miami taking the tournament championship.

WCHA: Pioneers are Head of the Class

Denver finished last season with a bad taste in its mouth. One of the top teams in the nation, they lost to #5 seed Minnesota- Duluth in the WCHA Championship game. The following weekend they lost in the first round to eventual runners-up Miami. The Pioneers look to bounce back in what was a down year for the league as only three teams qualified for the tournament. A sharp contrast compared to 2005 when five teams qualified and all Frozen Four participants came from the WCHA. There’s several teams that can challenge the Pioneers, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Look for the Badgers to take the conference title this season.

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College Hockey Preview: Part 1

Oct 5

Posted by Eddie in Prospects, Season Previews | 2 Comments

The NHL started its season last week. This week, the collegians begin the 2009-10 season as 58 teams will try to achieve the same goal: compete for a National Championship at the 2009 Men’s Frozen Four at Ford Field in Detroit. There are several teams that are always in contention for the title. Teams such as Minnesota, Michigan, Miami University, and defending champion Boston University almost always qualify for the 16-team NCAA Tournament like basketball counterparts Duke, Michigan State, UCLA, Kansas and North Carolina. Here’s a preview of what to expect in each of the three small conferences. Check back tomorrow for previews of the three big conferences: CCHA, WCHA, and Hockey East

ECAC: Bulldogs are Favored in Both Polls

Last season, Yale won both the regular-season and conference championships. They earned a #2 seed in the East Regional before losing in the first round to Vermont. Both the coaches and media are picking the Bulldogs to repeat. They return virtually all of their offense as each of their top-ten scorers return for this season. While Yale is the favorite, don’t sleep on contenders Cornell and Princeton.

Atlantic Hockey: Air Force Looks to Keep Flying High

Air Force has qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. Last season, they tied for the regular-season championship with RIT, but it was the Falcons who not only won the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, but upset #4 seed Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons are picked to win the conference again this season, but expect the Tigers and Mercyhurst Lakers to take a shot at knocking down the Falcons.

Bemidji State will have to go through Niagra if they want to achieve the same magic as last season.

Bemidji State will have to go through Niagra if they want to achieve the same magic as last season.

College Hockey America: Beavers and Purple Eagles Split Final CHA Preseason Poll

In the final season of College America, Bemidji State and Niagra are head of the class while Robert Morris and Alabama- Huntsville follow behind. With four teams in the conference, it feels like a band going out on tour one last time before disbanding. The Beavers are going to the WCHA next season, while Robert Morris and Niagra are moving to Atlantic Hockey. The Chargers are still looking for a conference after being denied by the CCHA over the summer. The Beavers were the Cinderella team last season, advancing to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. as a #4 seed. Only one team will come out of this conference, will the Beavers qualify again? Will the Purple Eagles want some of the Cinderella magic the Beavers had this season? Expect Bemidji State to take the conference title again.

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