All Entries in the "Columbus Blue Jackets" Category
Rink Recollections: Jeff Odgers, NHL, 1991-2003
By Brian D’Ambrosio Jeff Odgers played every NHL game as if it were his final. He never took a game for granted –scared that his career could fade away at any moment. Odgers scrapped and gritted his way onto the roster and he made sure he never provided his coaches with a sufficient reason to [...]
Honey, I Lost the Kids (part 2 of 2)
In the first part of this epic, we promised three pieces of evidence to explain how Garth Snow does things with the sole intention of job preservation. We pointed out how he is relatively awful at drafting in part one. Part two will speak to other shortcomings, starting here: Two- Garth Snow uses salary cap [...]
Honey, I Lost the Kids – part one of two
It’s almost like a reflex when you ask hockey fans about the best way to build a winner “It’s the draft!” Drafting allow you to develop players or trade for established ones. Since the Isles have had no playoffs since 07-08, they’ve been in rebuild mode. We’re going to look at this draft rebuild with [...]
Hockey Myths Exposed – Defensemen Need Time to Develop
Anyone who has watched more than a handful of hockey games gets serenaded with statements that are undisputed in the hockey world, but in reality it doesnt make a lot of sense. We’ve already disproved the myth that power forwards need years to develop in our article “Ninogate,” in which we use the “talent is [...]
Jim Agnew: Ex- NHL Tough Guy Turned Missoula, Montana Sheriff
By Brian D’Ambrosio Jim Agnew is a man in uniform who is most deeply proud of being a wholehearted team player. These days, he buttons up a beige and brown shirt before excitedly starting his work time as a deputy sheriff in Missoula, Montana. In earlier years, he wore another type of distinguishing outfit, [...]
Mike Hartman, NHL Tough Guy, 1986-1994
By Brian D’Ambrosio Mike Hartman was a resilient, keen, scrappy winger who played in 397 regular season NHL games during a career which spanned 1986-1994. At 6′ 1″, 190, Hartman once established the Buffalo Sabres’ team record for penalty minutes in one season (316). Selected in the seventh round, 131st overall, by the Buffalo [...]
Destination Unknown, part 2
Part Two: Does it feel drafty in here? Snow inherited a team that made the playoffs with regularity, and had a polarizing but successful head coach. Theorizing that the playoff team handed to him was underwhelming, Snow started what is lovingly referred to as a rebuild by fans, and a disaster by anybody else’s standard. [...]
Hockey Independent Roundtable: Preseason Stanley Cup Predictions
Hello everyone and welcome again to the Hockey Independent Roundtable. In today’s piece, five HI writers will provide you all with their early picks for the playoffs ad the Stanley Cup. This piece will double as Part III of my five-part 2013 NHL season preview. Part I –> Northeast Division Preview Part II –> Eastern [...]
Jay Wells: Rugged Defenseman Reflects on Scrappy 18-Year NHL Career
By Brian D’Ambrosio Jay Wells selflessly battled numerous enforcers of substantial note: Bob Probert, Jay Miller, Dave Brown (a few times) and Marty McSorley, among the list. One of the game’s exemplary teammates, his career spanned from 1979 to 1997, a period in which Wells stood up to the roughest individuals to ever to patrol [...]
Hockey’s Christmas: 10 Predictions For 2012 Free Agency
In many ways, July 1 and the opening of unrestricted free agency is much like Christmas for hockey fans. Puck heads wake up early and rush to their living rooms early in the morning. But instead of checking underneath a Christmas tree, they’ll make a beeline straight towards the nearest computer. As the clock strikes [...]
Hockey Independent Offseason Predictions: Four Proposed Deals For Rick Nash
Members of the Hockey Independent crew have come together again for another series of offseason articles for your reading pleasure. The contributing authors to today’s piece will be Cris Cohen (New York Rangers), Seth Levin (New Jersey Devils), Alex Muscat (Detroit Red Wings) and myself, Benjamin Woodward (Boston Bruins). Each of us have taken on [...]
2012 Hockey Independent Mock Draft: Final Wrap-Up
The Hockey Independent crew has come together again; this time to piece together a 2012 NHL Mock Draft for your reading pleasure. The contributing authors to today’s piece will be Cris Cohen (New York Rangers), Seth Levin (New Jersey Devils), Alex Muscat (Detroit Red Wings), Bill Philp (Tampa Bay Lightning) and myself, Benjamin Woodward [...]
2012 Hockey Independent Mock Draft: Selections 1-5; The Future Stars
The Hockey Independent crew has come together again; this time to piece together a 2012 NHL Mock Draft for your reading pleasure. The contributing authors to today’s piece will be Cris Cohen (New York Rangers), Seth Levin (New Jersey Devils), Alex Muscat (Detroit Red Wings), Bill Philp (Tampa Bay Lightning) and myself, Benjamin Woodward (Boston [...]
Boston’s Case For A Blockbuster
With Nathan Horton being sidelined indefinitely with a concussion, and no timetable for a return after a “set back” occurred two weeks ago the Bruins were really put in a bad spot without their top-line right wing. Now, as news broke this morning that Horton’s replacement on the first line, Rich Peverley, has suffered a [...]
GameDay: B’s And Rangers Faceoff At TD Garden Plus Thoughts On Rick Nash Rumors
On Tuesday evening the best two teams in the Eastern Conference will clash for the second time this season. Henrik Lundqvist and the first-place New York Rangers will travel to Boston to take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins at the TD Garden. Boston is coming of a thrilling come-from-behind victory against the [...]
Five Deals That SHOULD Be Made Before The Deadline
As the late February NHL trading deadline approaches rumors have began to surface in every corner of the hockey world. From buyers to sellers and rentals, a plethora of deals always seem to be made this time of year. This year, as a few top-tier players are slated to become Unrestricted free agents at year’s [...]
Fast Five: Predictions For the NHL’s Second Half
As we hit the all-star break this weekend with the Fantasy Draft kicking things off this evening at 8 P.M., the 2011-’12 NHL season has officially reached it’s mid-point. There have been many surprises — and equally as many disappointments — across the league this season on both an individual and team basis. In anticipation [...]
CONCUSSIONS KILLING HOCKEY
Speed and offense are now the kings in the present day NHL. A focus on players with those very attributes took over drafts and team on-ice strategies. Slower skaters have slowly been fazed out, especially those pugilistic specialists who all too often didn’t quite have the same skill sets and strides of their respective teammates. [...]
B’s Struggle, But Scratch Out Shootout Win Over League-Worst Columbus
There is a reason the National Hockey League is the greatest and most competitive hockey league in the world. It is nearly impossible for any one team thoroughly dominate it’s opponents on a consistent basis. Very rarely can a team go through a an extended stretch of time without facing adversity. After reeling off six [...]
The Quest For Seven: Hapless Jackets Visit Red-Hot Bruins
On Thursday evening, the Boston Bruins (9-7-0 (18 Points)) will conclude their five-game home-stand as they play host to Rick Nash and the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets (3-13-1 (7 Points)). Thursday’s match-up features two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum. Boston, who has recovered from a 3-7-0 start to the season by reeling off [...]
