All Entries in the "NHL" Category
Weber Named a Norris Finalist
The National Hockey League announced today the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, given to the defensive player “who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all around ability in the position.” They are: Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators; Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators; and Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. For the second [...]
Blackhawks Need Change… But How Much?
Chicago – On Wednesday at the United Center, Blackhawk players had exit interviews with the coaching staff and cleaned out their lockers. GM Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville were on hand to meet with the media as did some players. You could see the disappointment on the faces of all who spoke. It was an [...]
Joel Ward The Hero As Caps Win Game Seven, Eliminate Defending Champion Bruins
BOSTON, Ma– They had been here before. They knew how to handle this situation. They had the experience. They had the talent. They had home-ice advantage. It simply wasn’t enough. For the first time in four seasons, the Boston Bruins were unable to advance past the first round of the playoffs, becoming the second straight [...]
The NHL’s Television Problem
The recently completed NHL regular season saw expanded television coverage for U.S. viewers on Versus (now the NBC Sports Network) and NBC. That coverage brought more games into the homes of viewers in the States, and that was welcome news for hockey fans and the game of hockey, as viewership increased significantly in the just [...]
GameDay: B’s And Caps Ready For Winner-Take-All Game 7 At The TD Garden
Just a quick hit to get you all ready for Game 7 tonight at the TD Garden. If you’d like my full write up on tonight’s pivotal match-up, you can read my “Five Predictions For Game 7″ piece. Series: Tied 3-3 Location: TD Garden Time: 7:30 P.M. (EST) TV/Radio Info: NBC Sports Network (Emrick, Olczyk, [...]
The Grandest Stage In All Of Sports: Five Predictions For Game 7
The two most notorious words in sports: Game Seven. The mere mention of the phrase is enough to kick-start the heart of hockey fans across the globe. It’s the most entertaining event in sports for fans with no vested interest in either team playing. But for people who have pledged their allegiance to either of [...]
Mike Smith Was Outstanding And Hawks Not Good Enough
Chicago – In front of 21,636, the Phoenix Coyotes advanced to the second round of the playoffs by shutting out the Blackhawks 4-0 at the United Center Monday night. Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith wasn’t only the finest goalie in the contest; he was also the best player in the game by a wide margin. The [...]
Blackhawks Try Hard but this isn’t the Cup-Winning Team
Chicago – The fact the Blackhawks can’t seem to play with the same effort throughout a game makes them an interesting but frustrating club to follow. From night to night or period to period, even shift to shift the Hawks can appear a scattered group. My view is the will to win of the team [...]
Seguin The Savior As B’s Force A Game Seven Back In Boston
Tyler Seguin‘s first tally of the postseason 3:17 into the first overtime period of game six in this first round series has lifted the defending champion Bruins to a 4-3 road victory and has forced a game seven back in Boston on Wednesday evening. It was a beautiful move by the B’s sensational sophomore, created [...]
GameDay: With The Season On The Line, Can The Bruins Respond?
Facing the possibility of becoming the second consecutive defending Stanley Cup champion to fall in the first round of their title defense, the Boston Bruins will take to the Verizon CEnter ice on Sunday afternoon with their season on the line. Series: Washington Leads 3-2 Location: Verizon Center, Washington, DC Time: 3:20 P.M. (EST) TV/Radio [...]
Hawks Win in 5th Straight OT Game as Series Goes Back to Chicago
Chicago – The Blackhawks showed the will of a winner in Phoenix Saturday night and defeated the Coyotes 2-1 in overtime. With the victory, the two clubs will square off for Game 6 on Monday at the United Center. The Hawks weren’t perfect but they did play their best game of the series. When everything [...]
Brouwer’s Late Tally Pushes Boston To The Brink Of Elimination
BOSTON, MA– The Boston Bruins will be up against the ultimate test of character in the most dire of situations on Sunday afternoon. Facing the threat of elimination after a 4-3 defeat in Saturday’s game five, they’ve run out of room for mistakes. Troy Brouwer’s tie-breaking second tally of the series came at the most [...]
Red Wings Eliminated by Predators. So What’s Next in Hockeytown?
The Detroit Red Wings were the first team in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs to get eliminated in the opening round as they lost to the Nashville Predators 2-1 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at the Bridgestone Arena. It was the Red Wings earliest playoff exit since 2006 when they were ousted [...]
Julien Looks To Ignite Offense With Mass Overhaul Of Forward Lines
While it’s quite impressive to see that the Boston Bruins have received a bevy of contributions from their bottom-six forward group, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that without consistent production from their top players, they may not make it out of this first round. In an effort to help his team break out [...]
Same Ole Blackhawks Fall in OT, Now Face Elimination
Chicago – The Blackhawks face elimination after dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime at the United Center. The game marked the sixth consecutive overtime playoff game dating back to last season for the Blackhawks which is a NHL record. The loss may lead to consecutive first round eliminations for a club which some thought was [...]
WEIRD WEIRD WEST: Powerhouses On the Brink
Before the season started, if you had asked anyone to list the top five teams in the Western Conference, you’d get the same five teams in varying order: Vancouver, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, San Jose Maybe a Los Angeles thrown in occasionally, but you get the idea. Now the first round of the NHL playoffs [...]
Caps Even Series As Holtby, Semin Lead Washington To 2-1 Game 4 Victory
WASHINGTON, DC– In hockey, perhaps the scariest proposition for any team – no matter how strong – going into the postseason is the possibility of running into a hot goaltender. Much to the chagrin of Black and Gold supporters hoping for the chance to seal the series on Saturday, the B’s were stopped cold in [...]
GameDay: Bruins Look To Take Control In Game 4 At The Verizon Center
WASHINGTON, DC–On Thursday afternoon, the Boston Bruins will have an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Washington Capitals with a win in game four of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series. After a bit of late-game heroics lead the B’s to a 4-3 victory on Monday evening the team will look to [...]
Depth Once Again Proving To Be Boston’s Most Important Playoff Asset
WASHINGTON, DC— Throughout the 2011 playoffs, the number one factor in the Boston Bruins’ capturing of Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time since Ed Westfall and Derek Sanderson donned the eight-spoked “B” was their incredible depth that spread throughout the roster. Fourth year bench boss Claude Julien’s front-line arsenal was stacked with three fully [...]
Intent and Extent: A Fool’s Errand; an Impossible Standard
Brendan Shanahan has drawn the ire of hockey fans across the National Hockey League as he and members of the Department of Player Safety have been busily handing out suspensions for dangerous and questionable hits in the first round of the playoffs. The anger has come not so much from the fact that a player [...]
