Yardbarker: Calgary Flames

Exclusive: Jason Wiemer on his NHL career, the lockout, and the state of the league

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:29:56 -0500

Jason Wiemer played 14 seasons in the NHL and was well known for being a gritty center who worked hard and wasn't shy about sticking up for teammates when the occasion called for it. He sat down recently with RumorMeThis.com's Frank Mazzola to discuss the current state of the NHL and to share some perspective about his career.

Dealing with Crooks is Gary Bettmans's Fatal Flaw!

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:05:45 -0500

Bad judgment is like a disease, I believe this axiomatic. That Bettman has failed in numerous respects as a commissioner of the NHL is unto itself lacking the fatal qualities of his most recently publicized decisions.

NHL Futures, HNIC Song and Wild 3-Way\

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:59:18 -0500

As good as hockey talk gets in the middle of July. Cup Final prediction, Trade rumors and silly theme songs.

Create The Caption #245

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:19:06 -0500

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Yesterday's Winners....

"The Ace of Spades!"- Mark Mc

"Nice! I like that NYPD choke hold out in Center Field!"- Shackey316

"Yankee fans only like me for my barbed wire tattoos."- G-Money>

"DAMMIT!!! Cant get all the way through "Through the Fire And the Flames....goddamn Guitar Hero"- vhscola
_______________________________________

Are you funny enough to create a caption for this photo of the Boss riding around on the field last night?

Daily Links:

Congrats To The Ballhype Duo (Ballhype)
A Look Into The Early MLB Predictions (WSJ)
Dr.Z Remembers (KSK)
On Steve Phillips Atheist Comments (Primoz Forever)
Pittsburgh Pirates The Movie (Mondesi's House)
Tim Lincecum Is A Wuss (Rumors and Rants)
The Army-Navy Game Is On The Move (Merkin Sports)
Cricket Players Are Pretty Badass (Blog of Hilarity)
Chris Snyder Has Some New Equipment To Use (AZ Sports Hub)
All Star Wives! (Rotohog)

Elisha Cuthbert at the NHL Awards

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:31:15 -0500

Elisha Cuthbert attending this years NHL Awards with her boyfriend Dion Phaneuf. Some guys have all the luck.

Madden 2009 Soundtrack Released

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:12:48 -0500

I know a ton of you have rather eclectic music tastes which is why you should be happy with the music selections that the newest edition of Madden has come up with. The news doesn't stop there though. The artists are going to get the star treatment with a feature in Billboard Magazine and appearances on Kimmel Live starting August 4th. Via Kotaku....

EA seems to want to make it clear that the announcement of Madden 09's official soundtrack is an event, and music boss Steve Schnur told Kotaku about a few more promotions to drive the point home: First, Target's pre-order bonus for the game will be an iTunes card that lets you download ten of the soundtrack songs free. Second, an artist from the soundtrack will be playing nightly on the Jimmy Kimmel Show beginning August 4th, and third, both past and current Madden artists will play at the first-ever "Maddenpalooza," an all-day music and gaming event in conjunction with the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on August 11th.

Seems like an ingenious idea if you ask me. Many of the artists aren't as widely known and it will serve them as well as the game to be on a talk show nightly. Here's the list....

Airbourne- Stand Up For Rock 'N Roll
Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin- Park We Made It
Disturbed- Inside The Fire
Franz Ferdinand- Lucid Dreams
From First To Last- Worlds Away
Gym Class Heroes- I'm Home
Hollywood Undead- Undead
In Flames- The Mirror's Truth
Innerpartysystem- Don't Stop
Izza Kizza- Millionaire
K'NAAN- ABC's
Kardinal Offishall feat. Lindo P- Burnt
Kidz In The Hall- Blackout
KOVAS- Wax On, Wax Off
Mindless Self Indulgence- Never Wanted To Dance
Rev Theory- Hey Yeah
Senses Fail- Wolves At The Door
Shinedown- Devour
The All-American Rejects- The Real World (Demo)
The Fashion- Like Knives
The Offspring- Hammerhead
Trivium- Into The Mouth Of…We March
Tyga- Diamond Life
Underoath- Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Wale feat. Southeast Slim- Breakdown
Young Dre The Truth feat. Good Charlotte- Workin'

EA's Steve Schnur Explains The Hype Behind The Madden Soundtrack (Kotaku)

Wild Signs Owen Nolan

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:11:51 -0500

Adding some grit to their line-up after the departures of Aaron Voros and Todd Fedoruk, the Minnesota Wild signed veteran Owen Nolan to a 2-year deal worth $5.5 million. This is a nice pick-up that will add some veteran leadership that the team is in need of, but they still need to address the bigger issue of centers and the lack there of. Last season, Nolan posted 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 77 games with a +6 rating and notched 71 penalty minutes for the Calgary Flames. It will be interesting how the Wild depth chart will pan out this season with this being the fourth winger added via free agency.

Marian Hossa Stuns The World

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:27:01 -0500

Marian Hossa has signed a mind-boggling deal with the Detroit Red Wings. What could his decision making process have been, and where do the Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins go from here?

A successful day for Dale and the Hawks

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:16:16 -0500

Recapping the Blackhawks' first day of free agency activity, which saw them pick up Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet.

Blackhawks Bourque to Calgary

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:15:13 -0500

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today the team has acquired a future second round draft pick from the Calgary Flames in exchange for restricted free agent forward Rene Bourque.

Flyers Roster Moves Continue, Gauthier Waived

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:07:57 -0500

TSN is reporting the Flyers have waived defenseman Denis Gauthier. The Flyers acquired Gauthier at the trade deadline in 2006 from the Phoenix Coyotes. Gauthier failed to make the Flyers roster out of training camp last season and spent the 2007-08 campaign with the Philadelphia Phantoms in the AHL. This move takes his $2.2 million off the organization's books for the coming season. The Flyers announced that they have acquired defenseman Tim Ramholt from the Calgary Flames. Left wing Kyle Greentree was sent to Calgary in exchange for Ramholt. In 2007-08 Ramholt played in 77 games for the AHL's Quad City Flames compiling 4 goals 20 assists and 73 penalty minutes. He played in one game for the Calgary Flames last season. The Flyers are also reporting that newly acquired defenseman Janne Niskala has been traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 6th round pick in 2009.

So long, Janne. Flyers trade newly acquired d-man to Tampa

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:19:02 -0500

Guess Paul Holmgren finally got his fill of defenseman. Nearly a week after acquiring Janne Niskala from the Nashville Predators for Tristan Grant and a 7th round pick, the Flyers shipped Niskala to Tampa Bay for a 6th round pick. Essentially, the Flyers have turned Tristan Grant and a 7th round pick into a 6th round pick. This move comes hours after the Flyers acquired defenseman Tim Ramholt from the Calgary Flames, so perhaps the Phantoms had too many defensemen. All of these smaller moves could be leading to something bigger down the road, or it could simply be moves to create more depth and build assets. Stay tuned for more moves, there is no telling what else Holmgren is going to do.

Flyers make a trio of moves leading up to free agency

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:08:14 -0500

The NHL free agent frenzy begins tomorrow, but that hasn't kept the Flyers from being busy. After officially signing Jeff Carter on Friday, the Flyers made three more moves to help shore up their roster. First, the Flyers signed defenseman Steve Eminger, who they acquired from the Washington Capitals at the draft, to a one year deal worth a little over a million dollars. The Flyers view Eminger as a possible top six defenseman next year, considering his salary and how much they gave up to get him. Next, the Flyers waived defenseman Denis Gauthier, who spent his entire year last season with the Philadelphia Phantoms. Gauthier played parts of two seasons with the Flyers and was a strong presence on the blue line, unfortunately injuries and declining play have derailed his career. Waiving Gauthier and his 2.1 million dollar contract will lead to a buyout of his contract, which will cause only a 700,000 dollar cap hit. The Flyers also made a trade today, acquiring defenseman Tim Ramholt from the Flames for Phantoms forward Kyle Greentree. Ramholt spent last season in the AHL and tallied 24 points in 77 games. He appears to be more minor league depth for now, although he is only 23 and could develop into an NHLer with more experience. He was ranked as the 7th best prospect in the Flames system according to Hockeysfuture.com. Greentree was big and a little slow and his future is probably exclusively as an AHL player. After all of these moves, the Flyers have continued to add depth to their blueline and appear to be maneuvering themselves under the cap to make at least one free agent signing. While they won't be able to afford the big names like Brian Campbell, they should be able to get a solid d-man with their available cap space.

2008 NHL Free Agency Explosion

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:57:34 -0500

Why wait until July 1st? Read now where Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell, Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin, Ryan Malone, Sean Avery and all the other big free agents are going to sign when free agency kicks off in less than a week.

Tanguay Good For Montreal

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:07:07 -0500

On this past Friday--draft day--the Montreal Canadiens traded their first round draft pick--25th overall--along with their second round draft pick next season to the Calgary Flames for forward Alex Tanguay. Here are some statistics and an opinion on how Tanguay will affect the Habs.