Yardbarker: Mark Bell

Mark Bell Traded to Rangers

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:12:49 -0500

From Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & The New York Rangers will have a new face behind the bench, when they meet the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, and a new face on the John Tortorella will make his debut as Rangers coach and his new team also picked up forward Mark Bell on re-entry ...

Rangers claim Mark Bell from re-entry waivers

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:06:59 -0500

via Mark?Bell?s roller-coaster tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs has come to an end as the New York Rangers have claimed the winger on re-entry The 28-year old Bell was originally acquired by the Leafs, along with goaltender Vesa?Toskala from the San Jose Sharks for draft picks ...

The Ups and Down Day

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:26:59 -0500

Tonight's Star Mitch Gaulton

The road to recovery for Mitch Gaulton (2008 6th) has bumpy but as the path smooths out there are signs about why the Rangers gambled on the Erie Otter defenseman.

Prior to his original elbow injury that led to his Tommy John Surgery, several scouts were projecting Gaulton to break out in the 2007-08 season on the offensive side.

On Wednesday with the Otters trailing 2-1 in the 3rd against the Niagara IceDogs, Gaulton fired a shot on goal that teammate Brandon Biggers was able to cash in on the rebound to tie the game up which sent the game to first overtime then to the shootout.

The Otters eventually won the game 3-2 to move into 6th place in the OHL's Western Conference. For Gaulton it was his 3rd point in 9 games (1-2-3) since returning to the Otter lineup.

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Evgeny Grachev (2008 3rd) scored Brampton's only goal as the Battalion saw their 12 game winning streak come to an end with a 3-1 loss to the Belleville Bulls. This was the battle of the OHL Eastern Conference Divisional leaders and the Battalion might regret this loss down the road.

The Battalion entered this game tied with the Bulls for the top spot in the conference but the loss moved the Bulls up by 2. The Battalion though have 2 games in hand but winning this one would have been a difference maker.

For Grachev, his goal was his 30th on the season which is tops among Ranger prospects, it also was his 4th straight game with a point to give him points in 16 out of his last 17 OHL games. Since returning to Brampton after the WJC, Grachev is 11-12-23 in 15 games and now is 30-28-58 0n the season.

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Tomas Kundratek (2008 3rd) and his Medicine Tigers can only blame themselves for losing in overtime 6-5 to the Prince George Cougars. The Tigers had a 5-2 lead 25 seconds into the 3rd period and from that point on the Cougars owned the game scoring 3 goals in the 3rd and then finished the Tigers off in overtime.

Kundratek had an assist in the loss as well as coming close to his first WHL fight when he took a roughing call in the first period. Over the last 2 Tiger games, we are seeing a more aggressive Kundratek that might not be a good idea for Kundratek's development.

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Chris Doyle (2008 5th) could make a claim that he is Ranger ready as his Prince Edward Island Rocket lost to the Drummondville Voltigeurs 10-3. There really is not much one can say about this other than to say, recall what happened to the Rangers last Friday and that is what you have here.

Doyle had an assist in the loss to remain the Ranger's prospect scoring leader at 23-37-60.

(Gaulton picture courtesy of Mark Bell/Erie Otters)

The Mark Bell Hit: Was it Clean?

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:41:01 -0500

The Senators may be in trouble even though they managed the squeak into the playoffs. No, it's not their goaltending woes (which are non-existent), it's their loss of both their Captain Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher to injuries. Both of the injuries occurred Thursday night in their 8-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and both came at the hands of Leafs forward Mark Bell. A recent TSN.ca poll has revealed 82% of viewers think that the Sens can't win in the playoffs without their captain. The injury to Fisher is not really arguable since it was only a small collision, which you cannot blame Bell for. His injury was a fluke. The hit that injured Alfredsson, on the other hand, has been quite the hot topic.

I believe it was clean. I'm probably one of the biggest Leaf "jokers" ("haters" is just too strong) around, so this determination is not biased whatsoever. I think that if Alfredsson got up uninjured, this hit would just be on the highlight reel of every sports station and not ripped apart like it has been. Of course the reason people say he got hurt was because of the way Bell hit him.

The way Mark Bell hit Daniel Alfredsson caused him to get injured.

That is absolutely correct.

Was the hit illegal in any way? Not at all. Bell caught Alfredsson in a vulnerable position and punished him the way any good NHL checker does. If that's dirty then so be it, hockey is a dirty sport by their standards.

We should be worried much more about REAL head shots (and the people who go around looking for them), hits from behind, and protecting the goaltenders. Hits like these can stay in my NHL.

**You can vote on whether it was a clean hit or not on the top right hand corner of this site**

The Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch: Fair and balanced

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:55:35 -0500

Ottawa sportswriter Bruce Garrioch was adamantly critical of the hit by Mark Bell that injured Daniel Alfredsson. But how did Bruce feel the same about the near-identical hit that the Senators' Chris Neil but on Chris Drury last year? Let's check the video evidence...

Hockey Around The Horn -- Gm/Exec Edition

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:38:52 -0500

The long awaited GM/Exec edition has arrived...this was some episode to say the least.

Eleven Blue Points - Toronto Maple Leafs Blog: Game 16: The Boys Are Back...And Stinkier Than Ever

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:57:31 -0500

Many thought that with the return of Mark Bell and Kyle Wellwood the leafs could triumph to victory and put the amazingly hot Senators in their place at Scotiabank...Those same people were completely wrong...read the full story...

Week 6 Waiver Watch

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:55:34 -0500

One of FIO's weekly fantasy hockey columns, staff writer Rob Edwards clues you in on some possible fantasy free agents to lookout for in Week 6 - check to see if any of these guys are on your league's waiver wire.

Nightmare Clients for the Week of August 12th-August 19th

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:29:24 -0500

1. Former San Jose Sharks forward Mark Bell has pleaded no contest to drunken driving and hit-and-run charges and will serve six months in a Santa Clara County jail, a prosecutor said Wednesday [Bell pleads no contest to DUI, hit-and-run charges]. Bell, who was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in June, had faced nearly four years in state prison if convicted of the original charges. He entered the plea Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, said prosecutor Cindy Seeley Hendrickson.The drunken-driving charge is a felony and the hit-and-run charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor as part of the plea agreement, said Bell's defense lawyer, Ken Robinson. A sentencing date has not been set, Robinson said, adding that Bell will serve his sentence during the summer months so it doesn't conflict with the hockey season. 2. Former All-Star Jose Offerman suspension for a bat attack in the minors will remain in effect until his legal case is resolved [Offerman to remain suspended for bat attack]. The independent Atlantic League issued the ruling Friday. Offerman was playing for the Long Island Ducks when he hit the opposing catcher and pitcher Tuesday night at Bridgeport. He was indefinitely suspended the next day. Offerman was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree assault. He is due back in a Connecticut court on Aug. 23. 3. Former Miami Heat player James Posey has agreed to plead guilty to reckless driving in connection with an incident in April on Miami Beach, prosecutors said Friday [Posey agrees to plead guilty]. Posey, who is unsigned, agreed to a deal involving lesser charges. He was originally arrested on drunken-driving charges after Miami Beach police pulled him over for stopping in the middle of a road April 9. Police said he was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and his breath smelled of alcohol. Posey refused to take a breath test. According to the plea agreement, Posey must perform 50 hours of community service and complete six months of probation. He also must pay court costs, a $250 fine, donate $25 to the Ryder Trauma Center and attend DUI school. -Andrew Bouthiller

Rest Easy Leaf Fans...

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:25:04 -0500

Another hot button article from the LS....detailing how Leaf fans should take it easy every so often.

Toskala: From Teal To Toronto

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 23:40:56 -0500

We knew this was coming...before Draft Day, Sharks had 2 starting goalies, ya only need one: they kept Nabby, parted ways with Vesa Toskala as well as Mark "you can ring my" Bell. Sharks got a conditional first round pick (San Jose's option for 2007 or 2008), and some other things. We're keeping Rivet, who didn't contribute much in my opinion. Perhaps something grand is in SJ's future: Drury?