Yardbarker: Colorado Avalanche

Kicked in the Saku Koivu

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:08:14 -0500

I attended the first Leafs home game of the post-Kyle Wellwood era tonight. After the victory in Detroit on Thursday, Leafs fans were a little more (cautiously) optimistic about the Leafs team this year. Of course, there are the omnipresent Leafs fans who figure "This is the year" every year. They're the ones you see on TV all the time that give other more realistic Leafs fans a bad name and make people think that all Leafs fans are moronic sheep. Anyway, I hope tonight's game wasn't a more realistic indication of how the Leafs will do this year. Are they going to beat great teams like the Red Wings every time? Certainly not, but hopefully we won't see too many more 6-1 losses either. The Good Curtis Joseph played the third and didn't allow a single goal, much to the delight of the Joseph-loving Toronto fans. Strangely, one of the biggest ovations he got (with the crowd erupting into chants of "CuJo! CuJo! CuJo!") was after he was beaten by a shot that rang off of the goal post. A total of one penalty for both teams in the first period. Twenty of Canada's medal winners from the Beijing Olympics were there for the ceremonial faceoff. They got a well-deserved standing ovation, and then led the crowd of almost 20,000 in singing the national anthem a capella style. No matter what big musical star they could have gotten to sing the anthem, it couldn't have been any cooler than 20,000 people singing in unision. It was amazing. Mike Van Ryn made a very nice defensive move in the first, stripping a Montreal player of the puck. It was a play that Bryan McCabe could never have made, but of course you knew that already -- I did say it was a very nice defensive move. The Bad The Leafs were playing their second game of the season, and it showed. There were lots of missed passes and lots of shots that missed the net by a foot or more. It seemed that there were a lot of players just out of place all night. The Habs would take a shot and the rebound (whether off the goalie or the boards) would go straight to another Montreal player. The Leafs would take a shot and the rebound would either go straight to a Montreal defenseman or would coast all the way to the neutral zone because there were no Leafs players anywhere near it. The Habs played like it was their twentieth game of the season -- less missed passes, less players out of place, less penalties... though it's possible that Montreal is simply a better team. Penalty killing was awful. The Leafs had five penalties in the second period, leading to four Montreal power play goals. I suppose it improved in the third though, as the Leafs had four more penalties but no goals allowed. In the second period, Carlo Colaiacovo (I spelled that right without even looking it up first! < proud >) tripped over a Montreal player who was knocked down by another Leaf and limped off the ice in obvious pain. I thought maybe Captain Glass was injured again and would be out for a few weeks, but he returned in the third period, so maybe this should have been listed under "The Good". Toskala was shaky for the first two periods, though a few of the six goals he allowed weren't his fault at all. Toronto only scored one goal, and it wasn't even that nice a goal. They had another one called back because Antropov directed it in with his arm. This was on Montreal's backup goaltender -- they didn't want to waste Carey Price on Toronto. The Ugly Final score: Montreal 6 Toronto 1. 'Nuff said. The Leafs could really have used the scoring touch from their former number one center -- Kyle Wellwood. Or Darcy Tucker. Or that other guy, what's his name? You know, that Swedish guy? Anyway, the team is rebuilding and we all know that when a team is rebuilding, there are going to be some ugly games. But despite the final score, I don't think this was really one of them. A young rebuilding team was simply beaten by a more talented team. They put up a good fight and as Andy Frost mentioned in the post-game show on the radio, the Leafs did not mail it in in the third period, they came out and played hard. You gotta respect that.

Minnesota Wild 2008-2009 Season Preview

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:40:03 -0500

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the SameA Last season the Minnesota Wild won their first ever Northwest Division title but were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche.A The big question for the Minnesota Wild this season is the whether or not they picked up enough goal scorers to [...]

NHL Preseason Awards

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:13:24 -0500

Whether it's the division crown or the Hart Trophy, E. Spencer Kyte gives you his selections for what's going down this season on frozen pond.

Riding ShotGun with the Bus: NHL Western Conference Preview

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:52:00 -0500

The much awaited and anticipated part deux of the Bus's NHL preview is here.A Unlike the other highly credible street bums, or writers for this site, I for some reason made the life choice to continue with school.A Blogging is my sanitya??and now, the Western Conference. The Great: Detroit Red Wings - The defending Stanley Cup Champs [...]

NHL Team Predictions & Rankings

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:00:34 -0500

Now that the European part of the NHL schedule is over, let's get down to making some predictions for the upcoming season. We rank every team by conference and their chances of breaking into one of the eight conference playoff seeds.

15 Young Fantasy Hockey Guns to Watch for in 2008-09.

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:23:58 -0500

FantasyHockeyNetwork.com takes a look at 15 up and coming fantasy hockey prospects in the NHL.

Fantasy Hockey High Risk/High Reward Players for '08-'09

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:37:16 -0500

In fantasy hockey, some players are like a double-edged sword. They could have a tremendous upside… if it wasn't for their drastic downside. FIO writer Rob Edwards looks at some of this season's High Risk/High Reward fantasy picks.

2008 Fantasy Hockey Rankings: Goaltenders

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:36:18 -0500

Wrapping things up, FIO staff writer Tim Hays breaks down the Top 25 goaltenders heading into fantasy hockey drafts this season, including in-depth analysis about the Top 10 and some notes about the remaining players on the list... and don't forget some sleepers listed.

Back to the Real World...

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:18:56 -0500

I'm back from Las Vegas, and I'm in the black. Or in the red. Whichever one means I lost money. Little to nothing from my wish list of Things to Happen While I Was Away happened, except that the Islanders made a personnel move by hiring Scott Gordon. However, Mats Sundin, Brendan Shanahan, Teemu Selanne, and Joe Sakic are all still unemployed, not to mention hovering around age 40.

Did Glen Sather do anything whilst I was away? With limited cap

space and way too many forwards, he appears to be fishing down in South Carolina on Mark Messier's boat.

While I was gone, ESPN added the Jets to their upper-echelon of sports teams receiving non-stop coverage, joining the Red Sox, the Yankees, and the Patriots. For this week, Michael Phelps will also be in on the action - and deservingly so. He won a race by .01 of a second. That's a fingernail of a difference. That means he grew out his fingernails last week while the person he lost to had an ill-advised nail-biting session the day before the event, probably brought on by the stress of having to face Michael Phelps in an Olympic race.

I guess the big news that I missed while I was gone was Mike and the Mad Dog breaking up. This impacts Ranger and Islander fans in no way at all. I believe hockey got a total of 3 minutes a week on their show, while 3 out of every 5 minutes were dedicated to Alex Rodriguez. Now, I did like them, but I just never listened to them once I got XM Radio, complete with its own hockey channel, Home Ice 204. I think they did know their hockey well, but their audience always wanted to talk about ignorant morons like Stephon Marbury, Michael Strahan, and Archie Manning. (For the record, Marbury is one of the dumbest human beings ever born. In a Georgia Tech press conference declaring his intent to join the NBA, he was verbally-illiterate, meaning he couldn't even speak he was so stupid. Watch this please, and if you get bored of his linguistic fouls, fast forward to 57 seconds in.) Whenever they interviewed a hockey person, they knew their stuff, but it was very rare that they would have a Ted Nolan, Brian Leetch, or Neil Smith on the show.

I thought I had more to say, to be honest. Now that my Vegas vacation is over (I couldn't capitalize the word "vacation" because Chevy Chase wasn't on my trip with me), I have little to look forward to until training camp. Man, August really is a slow hockey month.

I hate summer. Give me winter any day.

View of my hotel, the MGM Grand, from the bridge

connected to New York, New York. MGM Grand will be holding a pre-season game in September, Avs vs. Kings.

ESPN Attempting To Fill The Vacant Hockey-Guru Spot

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:29:25 -0500

Color me surprised that ESPN decided to even fill their Hockey-guru role at all considering the amount of coverage the currently have. According to the Buffalo News, that person will be ex-NHLer and current Time Warner TV Show Host, Matthew Barnaby....

Former Buffalo Sabre Matthew Barnaby is expected shortly to be named as Barry Melrose's replacement as ESPN's hockey analyst, The Buffalo News has learned.

According to broadcasting sources, Barnaby and the cable sports network are finalizing details on the deal to replace Melrose, who left after last season to become the coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Barring a last-minute snag, Barnaby's hiring could be announced within a few days.

The 35-year-old Barnaby, who has teamed with former Sabre Rob Ray on a Time Warner cable show, "The Enforcers," also played for the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay in his 13-year NHL career.

I remember Barnaby as a player but I have no idea what he's like as an analyst. This obviously point back to the fact that ESPN might still be trying to get the NHL back on its stations, but you never know with those shifty folks.

Former Sabre Matthew Barnaby set to join ESPN (Buffalo News)
Matthew Barnaby to Join ESPN (Going Five Hole)

Caps Goalie Preview (9/18)

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:51:28 -0500

The Washington Capitals fans will have to get used to something for the first time in 18 years, the lack of presence of long time Cap Olaf Klozig in the net. With the trade for Cristobal Huet at the trade deadline last season

Where Art Thou Eric? Spectrum Salute Not Complete

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:07:49 -0500

Eric Lindros has informed the Flyers that he will not attend the Spectrum ceremonies on September 27th. According to Lindros, he had a previous committment which turned out to be a memorial service for a close friend's mother who recently passed away. Whether or not this is true, who knows? The fact remains that it's disappointing the Big E will not be there to celebrate the organiztion's history in one of hockey's great facilities. There is no disputing that Lindros revitalized the Flyers in the middle of their darkest era. Having missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, Russ Farwell orchestrated the trade to bring Eric to Philadelphia. Instantly, a buzz returned to Broad and Pattison that had been missing for years. He was a hulking force - a combination of size, skill and temper the hockey world hadn't seen since Mark Messier or Gordie Howe. He brought credibility back to a proud franchise that had lost its way. In the early days, there was the "Crazy Eights" line with Brent Fedyk and Mark Recchi. The thundering hits, overpowering shots and of course, plenty of injuries. You could go to a game, close your eyes and just know when he was on the ice from the sounds. How many players in any sport could you say that about? In his MVP season of 1994-95, Lindros was named captain, and both he and the team turned the corner. John LeClair and Eric Desjardins arrived from Montreal. There was a memorable 6-6 tie in his final game at Quebec. Eric scored a hat trick but the Flyers blew a three goal lead which led to a great Daily News cover the next day, "Nice Hat, Bad Tie." He tied Jaromir Jagr for the league lead with 70 points and led the Flyers back to the playoffs for the first time since 1989. During his acceptance speech after winning the Hart Trophy, Lindros broke down thanking the Flyers fans. How could you not love that! Flyers hockey was back! However, for many reasons, the Flyers never won a Cup during Lindros' tenure. His relationship with one-time mentor Bob Clarke deteriorated rapidly late in his Flyers career. Fans took sides and things got ugly all-around. Everyone knows this. No need to rehash details. Some people look back at the Lindros trade as a disaster for the Flyers. I never saw it that way. Would the Flyers have won anything with the players they traded away for him? Absolutely not. Would Peter Forsberg have been the same force he was in Quebec/Colorado as a Flyer? Probably not. Forsberg is a Hall of Fame player but had Sakic and Roy among others to help him out. Oh yeah, he also got hurt just as much as Lindros did. The draft picks they traded turned out to be Jocelyn Thibault and Nolan Baumgartner (Remember him?). How would Flyers history be better if the Lindros trade was never made? It wouldn't have. He was criticized for being brittle but it's not like he was missing games with a cold or a hangnail. His physical style took as much of a toll on him as it did his opponents. His departure from the organization was bitter and painful. Concussions. Bonnie and Carl. Choking situations. Scott Stevens. Ugh, enough said. Was he without blame? Of course not. Was Clarke? No way. What matters here is that one last Lindros appearance at the Spectrum would've brought a thunderous ovation and closure to a tumultuous chapter in Flyers history. There was so much more good than bad. Eric is a Flyer and should be saluted as one. Maybe he wasn't "The Next One," but Eric sure was fun to watch and a reflection on Flyers' history in the old barn won't be the same without him.

7 Habits of Highly Effective NHL Forecasting: Part VI

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:43:53 -0500

The final installment features the Northwest Division, which will come down to a very tight 3-horse race. That level of competitiveness which has existed among the Flames, Canucks, Oilers, Wild and Avalanche will eliminate their odds at a high seed in the West, but condition them nicely for playoff-style hockey.

Net issues

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:29:01 -0500

Hockey pundits, coaches and fans alike will tell you that you need goaltending in order to win the Stanley Cup. Last season, the Detroit Red Wings had Chris Osgood to rely on to make the big saves. The year before that, the Anaheim Ducks rode Jean-Sebastien Giguere all the way to their first Cup and before that, the Carolina Hurricanes had Cam Ward fresh out of junior hockey making big saves in Game 7 against the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Cup.

Mats Sundin to Ikea?

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:56:47 -0500

The one decision Mats was able to make this off season was to take his new bride Josephine Johansson out to do some shopping, swedish style. The problem a rose when they reached Ikea, Mats just couldn't decide, there were alot of great choices, I mean even if he could decide on a bed? Where would he put it? The salesrep was sure it was down to two choices: The first is a bed called the Hemnes which would be a perfect fit for the East Coast, classic style and cozy, that gives you that real close to home feeling. While The second one, Floro has a definite West Coast feel, looks like it could be made out of Bamboo, is lower to the ground perfect for cool, moderate climates. But just when we thought it was down to two a friend of his arrived one J.P. Barry who seemed to have some role in picking the furniture had this to say "I mean, if he has narrowed it down to two, that would be big news. At this stage, I would practically put out a press release if he's narrowed it down to two" The salesrep apparently a fan of Mats said "If you can't make a decision? How did you become a captain of an NHL team?" Mats replied easy,"It wasn't my decison" Fellow Swede, Peter Forsberg, had this two say "Personally I like to wait until two thirds of the shopping season is over then there are a lot less options open and then do my picking" He added "My ankle just can't stand the long grind of a whole season anymore, so Mats relax just get in before the Sale when what you do really starts to matter" Mats respectfully disagreed with Peter "my opinion has always been that you want to be there from the start of the season to be part of the group." In the end Mats was not able to decide, as you can see in the top picture the furniture decision has got Mats pretty perplexed, upon leaving the store he just kept looking over and over at the catalouge at the various choices, saying "maybe I won't make a decision until later in the season" confusing everyone considering his part of the group comments. Mats left us with this "I just hope people can respect that it's my right to make a decision, and I think I've earned that right. Were not arguing but when the summer catalogue was sent to your house 5 months ago and we knew you were looking hard through it all your options we just thought well you might make a decison before the Fall. Please take the time to view the orginal post it's so much better with all the pictures...