Yardbarker: National Hockey League

Jaroslav Halak's Agent Points Out Carey Price's Struggles on Twitter, Hilarity Ensues

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:15:00 -0500

by Adam GretzFiled under: Canadiens, NHL FansOh Twitter, you glorious and brilliant avenue for information and trouble. Following the Montreal Canadiens' 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, a game that saw Carey Price take the loss after giving up three goals on 21 shots, Allan Walsh, the agent for Canadiens backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak, created some havoc and controversy on his Twitter account when he pointed out Price's record in his past 42 starts. Predictably, thi...

Cam Ward remains in hospital; out 'fairly long period of time'

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:00:51 -0500

Update this morning on Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward(notes), whose left leg was lacerated by the skate of Columbus Blue Jackets star Rick Nash(notes) (video here) last night, via Chip Alexander of the News & Observer: He'll remain in a Columbus hospital for another day, and GM Jim Rutherford is looking for outside help between the pipes. From Canes Now:"We'll have to see how it goes," Rutherford said today of Ward's injury and recovery time. "It appears it...

Jason Williams Suffers Broken Leg In Loss to Toronto

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:20:00 -0500

by Adam GretzFiled under: Red Wings, NHL Injuries, NHL VideosNot only did the Detroit Red Wings suffer a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, ending a three-game winning streak, they also lost yet another forward when offseason acquisition Jason Williams slid awkwardly into the end boards and fractured his right fibula. According to head coach Mike Babcock, he could be out for as long as eight weeks, joining forwards Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula who are also out of th...

Darryl Hunt: WorSharks Iced by Penguins 2-1

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:36:00 -0500

For the first time all season the Worcester Sharks were totally outplayed by an opponent, but some key saves by rookie netminder Alex Stalock kept the WorSharks in the game all night. Unfortunately the offense couldn't keep up with the goaltending as Worcester dropped a 2-1 decision to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in front of 3,597 fans. The Penguins would get all the offense they needed while Dan DaSilva served a well de...

First Fifth Review

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:07:45 -0500

The first fifth of Capitals’ season leaves the club with a 10-3-4 record, 24 points, and first-place place tie for the the conference lead with the archrival Penguins. But is the Capitals position in the standings reflective of an authentic Cup-contending team? At the moment, Washington is the streakiest team in the league and has been incredibly inconsistent through 17 games. After two wins to start the season, DC lost four in a row, then won six consecutively, followed by three straight los...

What Ranger Jerseys Can You Comfortably Wear?…

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:34:00 -0500

What Ranger Jerseys Can You Comfortably Wear?...

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:34:00 -0500

I started compiling this list after I was at the Ranger-Islander game at the Coliseum last Wednesday and saw Nikolai Zherdev and Lauri Korpikoski standing next to each other. Of course, it wasn't actually them, but two people who paid a combined $360 for the jerseys of two players who no longer play on the Rangers.

Yet, some players no longer play in New York, but you can still wear their jersey and be proud of it. And even further, there are some players who play here whose jersey should not be worn, and if it is, you should be ridiculed.

Think you're safe? Check the list...

Good (Wear Proudly)
Jaromir Jagr #68 (had a great resurgence in NY; since he didn’t win a Cup, you have about 2 more years with this jersey before you should move on)
Brendan Shanahan #14 (I would never fault someone for having a Shanny jersey)
Henrik Lundqvist #30
Blair Betts #15/19; Jed Ortmeyer #41 (you can wear there jerseys for years and they would be appropriate)
Nigel Dawes #10 ; Petr Prucha #25 (it’s not your fault they were traded)
Sean Avery #16
Dan Girardi #5; Brandon Dubinsky #17; Marc Staal #18; Ryan Callahan #24; Artem Anisimov #42
Mike Del Zotto #4; Matt Gilroy #97 (buy with no hesitation; there two will be around a while)
Marian Gaborik #10
Steve Rucchin #20 (because I have one, and every once in a while, I still wear it)
Petr Nedved #93
Brian Leetch #2; Adam Graves #9; Mark Messier #11; Mike Richter #35
Jeff Beukeboom #23 (or mostly any member from the 1994 Cup team)
Ales Kotalik #12; Vinny Prospal #20; Martin Straka #82; Michael Nylander #92 (not the superstar of the team, but they compliment a Jagr or Gaborik well)
Eddie Giacomin #1; Rod Gilbert #7; Andy Bathgate #9; Ron Duguay #10 (or any other number he wore); Phil Esposito #77 (if you were old enough to watch these players play)

Iffy (Wear Cautiously)
Darius Kasparaitis #6; Pavel Bure #9; Theo Fleury #14 (I don’t mind the players, but it’s time for a new one, don’t you think?)
#28 Colton Orr (had a solid season last year, but there weren’t other choices?)
#99 Wayne Gretzky (can’t fault a Gretzky jersey, but it has been a decade since he left and he was in the twilight of his great career here. If he won a Cup, that would be different, of course.)
Alex Kovalev #27 (hey, he still might come back, and after all, he did win the Cup here as a rookie)
Chris Drury #23 (you obviously bought it during the summer of 2007 when you thought he’d be a superstar in New York, but he plays hard enough most of the time to warrant wearing him on your back... sometimes)

Bad (Give Them Away to the Garden of Dreams Foundation)
(Before you ask, yes, I have seen all of these jerseys recently.)
Dale Purinton #5 (seriously, I once saw one)
Andy Bathgate #9 (if you were born after 1955, you should not wear a Bathgate jersey. If you have seen him play in person, go for it.)
Lauri Korpikoski #29; Fedor Tyutin #51 (while it’s not your fault they were traded, it’s your fault for buying one in the first place)
Wade Redden #6 (must’ve been a present)
Ivan Baranka #21 (one NHL game and you have a jersey?)
Steve Valiquette #40 (you got it to be different, admit it)
Michal Rozsival #33
Eric Lindros #88 (Only one other jersey makes me madder, and I even have a Lindros jersey... safely in my closet. While Lindros, the player, wasn't awful, this jersey symbolizes a horrible stretch of time in Rangers history and wearing it only brings up good memories. No one goes, "Oh, the Lindros Era! What a jolly time!")
Luc Robitaille #20 (he wasn’t here long enough/didn’t play good enough to warrant having his jersey still 10 years later)
Chris Higgins #21 (until he proves otherwise)
Nik Zherdev #13
Markus Naslund #91
Ryan Hollweg #44 (Yes, I have one - I got it after his great 2005-06 season - and no, I’ll probably never wear it again, even though about 15 players have signed it)
Tom Poti #3/16
Dan Blackburn #31 (by this logic, you should’ve gotten a Lundqvist when he first came up)

And the worst Rangers jersey to wear...
Scott Gomez #19 (You bought it when he was signed. He never did anything in New York except play well against them. Everyone sighed when he was finally traded. Yet, you continue to wear this on your back when real players like Prospal and Gaborik actually show up to play. If you have a Scott Gomez jersey, please don't wear it. No one wants to see it, no one wants to remember him.)

Saturday's Three Stars: Nabokov blanks Pens in rout

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:20:37 -0500

No. 1 Star: Evgeni Nabokov(notes), San Jose SharksThe Sharks netminder was solid against the defending champions making 26 saves for his 49th career NHL shutout during a 5-0 San Jose victory. After facing just three shots in the first period, the Penguins tested Nabokov with 24 shots in the final two periods. Having taken a 4-0 lead early in the second period, Nabokov fought off a desperate Penguins team trying to break the shutout. No. 2 star: Antero Niittymaki(notes), Tampa Bay LightningAno...

Rangers lose Drury as Flames win third straight

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:53:50 -0500

CALGARY, Alberta(AP) Jarome Iginla scored the go-ahead goal and Miikka Kiprusoff made 32 saves as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Rangers 3-1 Saturday night for their third win in a row.

Nabokov, Sharks blank short-handed Penguins

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:53:50 -0500

SAN JOSE, Calif.(AP) Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist in his first game back from the injured list and Evgeni Nabokov made 27 saves and the San Jose Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins for the seventh straight time at home, 5-0 Saturday night.

Pavelski, Sharks handle short-handed Penguins

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:48:15 -0500

Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist in his first game back from the injured list and Evgeni Nabokov made 26 saves and the San Jose Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins for the seventh straight time at home, 5-0 Saturday night.

Rangers lose 2 centers as Kiprusoff lifts Flames

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:47:25 -0500

Jarome Iginla scored the go-ahead goal and Miikka Kiprusoff made 32 saves as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Rangers 3-1 Saturday night for their third win in a row.

Nabokov, Sharks blank Penguins

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:06:50 -0500

Nabokov perfect, Sharks rip five goals on Penguins

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:05:00 -0500

Boston Bruins' David Krejci set to return to practice Monday after dealing with swine flu

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:03:56 -0500

Bruins center David Krejci is scheduled to work out Sunday and then join the team for practice Monday for the first time since he was diagnosed with H1N1,coach Claude Julien confirmed to ESPNBoston.com after Boston's 4-2 win over Buffalo Saturday night.

Wings' Williams breaks fibula, may miss 2 months

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:39:49 -0500

Detroit Red Wings forward Jason Williams could miss two months after fracturing his right fibula in a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. Williams crashed hard into the boards during the second period. The 29-year-old right winger was on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the dressing room. Williams was off to a relatively slow start with two goals and seven points through 14 games, but was still fifth on the team in scoring.

Cam Ward And Clint Malarchuk

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:18:09 -0500

When I saw this: var flashvars = { logo: 'http://joshqpublic.com/wp-content/plugins/proplayer/players/watermark.png', mute: 'false', file: 'http://joshqpublic.com/wp-content/plugins/proplayer/playlist-controller.php?pp_playlist_id=10534-0&sid=1257657492', enablejs: 'true', javascriptid: '10534-0', backcolor: '111111', frontcolor: 'cccccc', ...

Hurricanes goalie Ward hurt, leaves in first

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:54:23 -0500

Carolina goaltender Cam Ward was helped off the ice in the first period of the Hurricanes' game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Ward knelt for a couple of minutes on the ice before he was attended to by team trainers. As he was being helped off, drops of blood hit the ice. Ward stretched to make a save while the Blue Jackets' Rick Nash was skating through the crease at the 7:35 mark. It appeared Nash might have nicked Ward in the groin area with a skate.

Nylander Put on Waivers

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:45:51 -0500

Michael Nylander has been put on waivers, Capitals Insider reports. This means the veteran Swede has agreed to waive his no-movement clause. Any team can claim him until noon tomorrow, but if no GM picks him off the wire it’s still no guarantee he’ll be put in the minors, writes Tarik. The Capitals are trying to free up some cap room in similar fashion to what Pittsburgh did last year with struggling forward Miroslav Satan. Nyls’ $4.875 million cap hit will come off the boo...

Plenty to 'see' from Steven Stamkos this season

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:15:00 -0500

Through the first 35 games last season, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos(notes) scored just four times. Shackled to the bench and not seeing much ice time under then-Lightning coach Barry Melrose, it wasn't the type of start the 2008 No. 1 overall pick was looking for, especially after a summer of hype by the Lightning through their "Seen Stamkos" promotion. When Rick Tocchet replaced Melrose in November, it wasn't until mid-February when Stamkos began to be 's...

The 10 most brutal NHL injuries of the last decade

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:24:59 -0500

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn't technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we've had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it's time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)Some of these all-decade lists are lighthearted, nostalgic compilations of the last 10 years of NHL hockey; and some of them are what you're about to read. The NHL has s...

Darryl Hunt: Groulx, Stalock Lead Worcester To 2-1 Shootout Win Over Manchester

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:06:00 -0500

The Worcester Sharks, continuing to play with four of their key players in San Jose on recall, defeated the first place Manchester Monarchs 2-1 in a shootout at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts Friday night. Just like in last Saturday's meeting, with so many front line players not in the line-up for the WorSharks and Manchester having allowed the fewest goals in the AHL so far this season, it would be important for Worcester to not fall behind early. And just like in last Satur...

Friday's Three Stars: Monster goalie efforts; Avs top Hawks

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:55:33 -0500

No. 1 Star: Jonas Gustavsson(notes), Toronto Maple LeafsCongratulations to the Leafs, who are now clearly the 29th-best team in the NHL after defeating fellow cellar-dweller the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, with a three-goal rally (video). Gustavsson was outstanding on several of his 34 saves, including 18 he made in the third period against a still-determined Canes team. No. 2 star: Chris Stewart(notes), Colorado AvalancheAnother marathon shootout for the Avs and the Chicago Blackhawks, who we...

Some Much-Needed Flyers Hockey...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:03:59 -0500

I try not to complain about two things when I post about hockey on this site—"weak" penalties and the schedule. I try, but I fail. Miserably. Lately it seems like there's a week between brief spurts of action for the Flyers, two games around a weekend, off for three, four, five days. Coming off of the massive bender that is a 162-game Phillies season, followed by the insanity of a playoff run, it seems like the Flyers play about as often as the Eagles. In the end though, all the...

McDonald's hockey cards will cause Senators fans indigestion

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:36:16 -0500

Outdated sports cards happen. Always have, always will. That's why traded sets became a cottage industry during the 1980s in baseball cards. The latest set of Upper Deck hockey cards available at McDonald's around Canada are no exception, as Saku Koivu(notes) is presented as a Montreal Canadiens captain and Dany Heatley(notes) of the San Jose Sharks is featured on three cards: Twice as an Ottawa Senators winger, once as one of the prides of Canada. Koivu is listed as an Anaheim Ducks ...

Penguins Power Play Hasn't Overcome Loss of Gonchar, Malkin

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0500

by Adam GretzFiled under: PenguinsThe power play unit for the Pittsburgh Penguins hasn't exactly been a model of consistency since the start of the 2008-09 season, finishing 20th in the league a year ago, and currently residing in the 22nd spot through their first 13 games of this season.Take the unit's quarterback, Sergei Gonchar, and arguably the team's best player, Evgeni Malkin, out of the lineup, and it goes from maddening inconsistency to complete disaster.Penguins Power Pla...

Thursday's Three Stars: Kopitar Kings the Pens

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:48:36 -0500

No. 1 star, Anze Kopitar(notes), Los Angeles Kings:The league's leader in points scored two more goals on Thursday night to help the Kings pin the first road loss of the season on the Penguins, who had won seven straight on foreign ice. Kopitar has 13 goals and 26 points in 16 games as Los Angeles is riding its longest points streak of eight games (6-0-2) since November of 2000. After scoring just 27 seconds after the opening faceoff, Kopitar's second of the night tied the game 2-2 6...