All Entries Tagged With: "Duncan Keith"
Speed and Skill Trumped by Aggression and Intimidation in Today’s NHL?
The garage league is back, and with Matt Cooke in the good graces of the hockey gods it’s about time league owners like Mario Lemieux stood up once again and protected the people they employ before another body ends up motionless at center ice.
Keith Gets 5 Games as the NHL Struggles With Consistency
Make no mistake, my love of hockey can’t be questioned. The game is like no other as it combines speed, athleticism and physicality. On the downside, the sport is full of contradictions as the NHL rule book and those who enforce it need further scrutiny. Unlike some in the hockey media, it is against my [...]
Top 25 NHL defensive defensemen so far in 2011-12
One-third into the 2011-12 season, enough hockey has been played to give us a good idea of the best players so far this season. Now let’s have a look at the best defensive defensemen in the NHL this year. Those rearguards are often forgotten when we look at their team’s overall success, but they are [...]
Blackhawks Edge Red Wings 4-3 In Exhibition Rematch
Former Red Wing Marian Hossa scored the deciding goal at 8:58 of the third period on a 5 on 3 power play as the Chicago Blackhawks clip the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in Chicago. The two teams evened the preseason series one game each. It doesn’t matter now, but it will starting next week as [...]
Season Predictions Part 2: Canucks Poised For A Repeat?
Hello again, and welcome to Part II of my 4-Part NHL season preview. In part I, I gave you all my Eastern Conference Predictions. In part 2, I will give you my predictions for the Western Conference. I will approach these predictions a bit differently than I did those for the Eastern Conference. Today, [...]
3rd Time the Charm? Canucks vs. Blackhawks First Round Preview, Predictions
The hockey gods have wasted no time re-igniting the bitter playoff rivalry between the Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks, pitting the rivals opposite each other in a playoff series for the third year in a row.
Seabrook…*Done Deal
The exact terms have not been disclosed but it is official, Seabrook has signed a five year contract extension.* It was reported yesterday by Bob McKenzie the deal would be worth $29 million, which is a $5.8 million cap hit. *2/27/11….Released by the Blackhawk media department at 1:00 PM CST. ************************************************************************************** Bob McKenzie from TSN is reporting [...]
Hawks Find Correct Formula
Nashville is struggling to hold on and the Blackhawks are out to prove they belong in the playoffs. Last night the Hawks benefitted from a great game from Corey Crawford and a top effort from the defense. Really the entire team was effective for much of the night. The Predators made enough mistakes to lose [...]
2011 NHL All-Star Game Mock Draft
One day before the 2011 All-Star break celebrations, I participated in a NHL All-Star mock draft with a fellow Montreal Canadiens Blogger, James Usypchuk, from The Power Play. You can click here: 2011 NHL All-Star rosters to see the players that will participate in this year’s All-Star game in Raleigh, NC. James had the first [...]
Ducks Drop Six in a Row!(Updated)
The Ducks, who debuted their brand new third jerseys fell to the Defending Stanley Cup Champions at the Honda Center. This was their sixth straight loss and they are now 10-11-3 on the season. “It didn’t look like they had to work too hard to get their chances,” .“We gave away too much. It’s just not [...]
The longest contracts in NHL history
The new deal Ilya Kovalchuk signed earlier this summer with the New Jersey Devils is an incredible 15-year contract worth $100 million US, for a cap hit of $6.67 million, that will keep the Russian sniper in the Devils’ uniform until his 42th birthday. It’s not the first time a contract is that long in [...]
Blackhawks 2010-11: Questions At The Quarter Pole
A month ago the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks were leading their division. As they reach the quarter season mark, that picture has dimmed: the Hawks’ winning percentage is one of the worst in the NHL and they are firmly, some say floundering, in the middle of the pack. If the expectations were high, the trepidation level went through the roof. But is it any surprise? And have similar situations happened to Cup Champs, some of whom, by the way, bounce back as the season goes on? To paraphrase the NHL’s current ad campaign, “Questions Will Be Asked”.
The top 10 most expensive defensive corps in the NHL
Some GMs like to build their team with a lot of offensive punch (Washington Capitals), others with a strong goalie tandem (Boston Bruins), and finally some GMs prefer to build their team with a very deep defensive corps. One month into the 2010-11 season, let’s have a look at the top 10 most expensive defensive [...]
Bittersweet: Passing the Cup to a new but worthy champion
One week has elapsed since the end of the 2009-10 NHL season. Watching last Wednesday evening’s proceedings at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, I was reminded once again that one of sport’s most magical, frozen moments is when the captain of the newly crowned champions raises the Stanley Cup over his head. As 22-year old Jonathan Toews lifted [...]
Don’t feel guilty cheering for Chicago and Hossa, Pens’ fans
This time of year is never easy for a hockey fan whose favourite team has already been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. It is doubly difficult as a supporter of the Penguins to watch the action after having a rooting interest in the past two Finals and knowing that the championship belt, already taken away, will [...]
What Went Wrong: Analyzing Luongo, Questioning Character and What Needs to Change
IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. The Vancouver Canucks 2010 season has been a tale of two teams, and unfortunately for the Canucks their regular season performance was far superior in comparison to their playoff success.
Illusion of Goaltending
San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov has a wide spectrum of believers. Some, many of whom are Sharks fans, believe he is an elite goaltender in the NHL. Others believe he is an average goalie; a product of the system who benefits from being surrounded by talented teams. So far in the postseason, Nabokov hasn’t [...]
Sharks/Hawks: Ready For Game 1
The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks will finally meet for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. After sitting and watching the Eastern Conference unfold as the polar opposite of their conference, these two teams must be aching for some game-action. Things to look for in Game 1: Which team flicks off the rust [...]
BATTLE STATIONS: BLACKHAWKS-SHARKS WCF ’10
When Troy Brouwer scored the first goal of the Blackhawks’ 5-1 series clincher, he put the game of hockey in perspective. With his father recovering from surgery to alleviate a blood clot in his brain, Brouwer showed courage, coming back from his absence while he stayed with his father, and getting his game in focus. “It feels great,” he said. “Sitting out those couple games gave me a little bit of perspective and thankfully the coaches stuck with me. I didn’t want to disappoint them or the team or my dad.” Now the perspective switches to the Hawks’ second consecutive WCF and a first playoff meeting ever with San Jose.
This Conference Final brings together the number one and number two Western powers, whose final standings were separated by a single point. Tough to imagine two clubs more evenly matched.
The history between the Hawks and Sharks, then, is limited to their regular season contests, though there are some interesting relationships.
Never Say Die – Canucks Set to Battle Blackhawks; Extend Series at GM Place
The Canucks had no choice but to step up and prove their critics wrong, after talking about all the right things throughout the playoff series against the Blackhawks, the Vancouver Canucks executed their game plan to perfection, jumping on the favoured Blackhawks early and often on Sunday. After Brent Seabrook’s early wrist shot surprised Roberto [...]
