Yardbarker: Kristian Huselius

Blue Jackets Place Forward Kristian Huselius Injured Reserve, Recall Forward Alexandre Picard from AHL's Syracuse Crunch

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:17:00 -0500

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed forward Kristian Huselius on Injured Reserve retroactive to November 3 and added forward Alexandre Picard to the roster on emergency recall from the Syracuse Crunch, Columbus' American H...

Western Canada Road Trip…

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:00 -0500

Western Canada Road Trip...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:00 -0500

Ah, the dreaded Western Canadian Road Trip. Remember last time, in January of 2008 when they got 1 points in 3 games?

They ran into a red-hot Calgary team featuring Kristian Huselius, who had 4 points in the 4-3 game, including a goal from behind the goal-line that somehow sneaked past Henrik Lundqvist.

Steve Valiquette had no offense in a 3-0 loss to Vancouver.

And if not for Chris Drury scoring with 7 seconds left to force overtime, they would've left with 0 points instead of 1 (Edmonton was monstrous in the shootout in '07-'08, partially because then-rookie Sam Gagner was unstoppable in the tiebreaker).

Last night against Vancouver felt like that trip all over again. The Rangers applied little pressure, even in the 2nd period when the shot-counter went in their favor. Sure, they fired 14 shots in that frame, but how many were legitimate scoring chances? Two? Maybe just one?

They ought to have pounced on Vancouver, especially in the 3rd. They had, what, 4 power plays in a row, including a double-minor to end the 2nd period? And they couldn't do anything with it. Vancouver was shorthanded for 8 minutes, had good players in the penalty box, had Henrik Sedin and Willie Mitchell playing at 40% because of injuries, and still, no good opportunities. Other than Chris Higgins, who worked hard for Goal #1, there were a handful of Rangers who actually showed up. Matt Gilroy was one of them; he looked fantastic. Mike Del Zotto wasn't a standout but played good. Ryan Callahan played hard, again, and couldn't score, again. And Brandon Dubinsky... is on the trading block?

You would have thought that the big brawl would have fired them up, but it really just jazzed up the Canucks as it seemed the Rangers were content bringing the game to overtime and settling for a point - or a shootout.

* * *

I love that Dane Byers is in the lineup. As opposed to Evgeny Grachev or Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Byers is never going to light it up in the NHL, so he doesn't need to "dominate the minors before becoming an NHLer," and the old "it's better to play 20 minutes a night in the AHL than 7 minutes in the NHL" adage doesn't apply to him.

I would rather have Byers in the lineup over Donald Brashear any night. Maybe Brashear of 2003 or 2006, but not the 2009 version, where he is slow, shows the same hockey sense as Colton Orr, and doesn't fight - and when he does, he loses. Byers showed fire last night. Sure, he didn't win the fight, but he was out there battling, starting stuff, and showing that he belongs in the NHL. Even John Tortorella gave him a "good game" en route to the locker room - although Tortorella's good game pat fell in an awkward spot.

* * *

Last time Edmonton faced the Rangers, the Rangers lost in a shootout as well. They fired 42 shots on net and scored on only 2 - on a backup goaltender. Ah, the Tom Renney era...

Well, tomorrow, the Rangers meet Tom Renney again, and while not many current players were there for a lot of his reign (Lundqvist and Michal Rozsival were the only ones there from his first full season in 2005-06), it should be an emotional night for him. Imagine if the game were at Madison Square Garden?

While I rip on Renney a lot here, I do think he was a very good coach, and I'm sure he will be sometime soon. There are a few coaches who will "always be a Ranger," no matter where they wind up coaching or working. Mike Keenan, though he only had 1 season, is one of them. Renney is another.

No coach could have done what he did after the lockout. He took a team destined to fail -at least according to the experts - and brought them into the playoffs, one point away from winning the division. He got 123 points out of Jaromir Jagr - a man who would have refused to return to the NHL if he wasn't playing for Renney in New York, he once said. He turned a team of veterans - Rucchin, Jagr, Straka, Rucinsky, Kasparaitis, Nylander - and young no-names - Jay Ward, Ortmeyer, Dom Moore, Hollweg, Orr, Prucha, Betts - into a contender.

I still say that if not for the Olympics, the Rangers could have gone far that year. Jagr and Lundqvist came back injured - Jagr with hip and groin problems, Hank with headaches from grinding his teeth. And then there was Sandis Ozolinsh, who seemed like a good trade at first until he came apart in the Devils' series and cost the team 2 games.

Still, Renney was a huge part of the rebuilding process. While they rebuilt, he brought them into the playoffs. He just wasn't a good fit for the team last year and going forward. His style had stopped working, and he continued to play people based on their paychecks rather than skill (see: Wade Redden on the power play while Petr Prucha sat in street clothes).

For all the good he did, he will be remembered for 2 things: being fired when the team couldn't score and for Game 5 in Buffalo, where Fedor Tyutin and rookie Dan Girardi were on the ice with 30 seconds left with a 1-0 lead. When they iced the puck, Tyutin and Girardi had to stay on, they couldn't clear the puck, and Chris Drury scored.

Besides that being the one game that still upsets my stomach (and the only time I ever lost sleep over a sports event), you know that if they won that game and went up 3-2 in the series, they would not have lost Game 6 at MSG. I'm not saying they would have won the Stanley Cup - hell, they might not even have beaten Ottawa in the Conference Finals - but they would have beaten Buffalo. And maybe Chris Drury never would've been signed the following summer, and maybe everything would've been different.

But this is how it's played out, and I wish Tom Renney the best in Edmonton - no matter how often I make fun of his healthy scratches or his power play.

Wednesday Morning NHL Papers: Western Conference

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:04:20 -0500

This morning in the Western Conference, Ken Hitchcock not happy with Kristian Huselius, Jarome Iginla and Olli Jokinen reunited, KHL looking to scoop Peter Forsberg, Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen to return tonight and much more after the jump.

Second-period flurry helps Jackets get past Canucks

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:01:06 -0500

Kristian Huselius, Rostislav Klesla and Nikita Filatov scored over a 3:44 span early in the second period to chase star Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo and lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 victory against the Canucks on Monday night.

Huselius Wins Bronze with Team Sweden

Sun, 10 May 2009 18:00:00 -0500

May 10, 2009 - Blue Jackets prosepct Sergei Mozyakin won a Gold Medal with Team Russia at the 2009 World Championships. Forward Kristian Huselius won the Bronze Medal with Team Sweden. Team Russia defeated Team Canada 2-1 in the Gold Medal Ga...

THE PENS SALVAGE PITTSBURGH'S EVENING

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:54:10 -0500

BLUE JACKETS 4
PENGUINS 3
SHOOTOUT

I had high hopes for Thursday night, what with Pitt in a winnable first-round matchup with West Virginia and the red-hot Pens making a short trip to Columbus, Ohio. And as I saw my beloved Panthers' hopes of appearing in roughly their 100th Big East Championship game this decade go down the tubes in a little over two hours, the Penguins were behind three goals in the third period. This night was not going as planned.

Fortunately, the Pens' apparent deal with the devil is still intact, which means they somehow picked themselves off the mat for a team hat trick in a 3:25 span of the third period and stole a coveted point on the road, ultimately falling to Columbus 4-3 in a shootout.

Sergei Gonchar started the comeback eight and a half minutes into the final period with a Sid-and-Kunitz assisted power play goal, Pascal Dupuis added a big one 1:20 later, and Max Talbot brought them all the way back two minutes after that. Marc-Andre Fleury sealed the point with a big-league save in the closing seconds, ensuring that the Penguins would once again be contributing a point to their playoff fund.

The overtime was scoreless (although Kunitz did hit the crossbar), and the shootout didn't feature many offensive fireworks other than the lone goal by Columbus' Kristian Huselius. Wunderkind Jackets goalie Steve Mason turned away Letang, Crosby, and Malkin in succession, and the overflow crowd of 19,167 (105.7% full) could say they got to witness a pretty entertaining contest. It was the largest crowd in Blue Jacket history.

The atmosphere was quite festive considering the proximity of the cities and the success Columbus has generated with their play this season. In fact, this very game tied a franchise record for wins (35). As the Pens' announcing team mused, it's a shame that we don't get to build on this rivalry very often.

The Penguins will now return home for a well-deserved eight-game(!) homestand, featuring Ottawa and Boston this weekend, the Colby Armstrong Show on Tuesday, and LA on Friday. In the meantime, they can pat themselves on the back for saving the collective psyche of an entire city.

Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

Gage?n The Canucks: Grasping At Straws

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:28:55 -0500

When you somehow manage to surpass the ineptitude of your Franchise’s 1970 expansion team (a team that played in an era where those watching at the Rink on Renfrew were just happy if their team was able to chip the puck across their own blueline), and you do it with a team that appears to [...]

Fedor Tyutin vs David Backes

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:34:02 -0500

David Backes has proved to be a pretty good NHL hockey player and a decent fighter. The fight is the result of a questionable hit that former MSU-M player David Backes puts a on Columbus player Kristian Huselius. You wonder if Backes will be disciplined by the NHL league office? I don't think in the end he will,it he is it wont be that long of a suspension. Backes isn't known for being a dirty player.

Check out the write up on the Columbus site:
Notes: Blues forward David Backes drew a game misconduct with about five minutes left in the first after apparently cross-checking Kristian Huselius in the mouth, although Murray thought only both players' sticks made contact. Huselius was hit after stopping just short of a check only seconds after Backes and Jackman sandwiched Nash on an open-ice hit. ... Tkachuk has 87 power-play goals with the Blues in parts of eight seasons, passing Garry Unger for fourth on the franchise career list. ... Nash has 10 points, eight assists, in the last five games.

Could Next Year Be Close in Columbus?

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:14:36 -0500

Browns Fan: After their sixth consecutive season at or near the bottom of the standings, the Jackets hired a new GM in 2007, to go with their fourth (fifth if you count the interim coach in 2006) coach since 2000. The new GM inherited a team in disarray, devoid of talent. Sound familiar? Cavs Fan: The Jackets only have one bona-fide star in left-winger Rick Nash, and are currently trying to build a team around him to loosen up a stagnant offense and thus entice him to sign a contract extensi...

Fantasy Hockey 101: These Three Turkeys...

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:34:51 -0500

The turkeys are fresh back from vacation....and some old and new faces appear!!

The NHL Goes Up In Flames

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:58:57 -0500

The Calgary Flames seem to have found their groove, and as a result have yet to lose a game in regulation in the month of December. If they can keep getting All-Star level play from Iginla, Huselius, and Phaneuf, and if Kiprusoff can show up every night the may become one of the favorites in the Western Conference.

Kristian Huselius is Greg Loughanis, The NHL is the Angry Ukranian Judge

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:03:36 -0500

The NHL is not doing enough to crack down on diving. The majority of diving calls are actually reversed by the league office. Great vote of confidence to see the NHL de-legitimizing its own officials, and allowing scoring to be even more inflated. It's sad to see the NHL devolving. A bunch of guys who couldn't even keep the league afloat for a year are changing the rules of a game that has flourished for more than a century.