All Entries Tagged With: "NHL"
Pre-Season Power Rankings: Middle of the West
After two installments of the Pre-Season Power Rankings I’ve looked at the bottom of the Western and Eastern Conferences. The third installment moves back to the West to see who is stuck in the middle.
Here is a quick refresher of who bottoms out the West. The signing of Antti Niemi by the Sharks did alter [...]
Welcome to St. Louis Jaroslav Halak
Overcast with a chill in the breeze. Hockey season is around the corner. A day better than today couldn’t be found to introduce the city to the new Starting Goalie for the St. Louis Blues, Jaroslav Halak.
Today’s Press Conference was very similar to the event held to welcome Paul Kariya to town three years ago. [...]
Dan Ellis Slinks Away From Twitter
Most of you have probably followed the Danellisgate over the last few weeks and I won’t rehash it here, but last night the result of the social media fiasco was that Lightning goaltender @33dellis left the Twitter community after being battered and bruised by many fans and bloggers.
His final tweets read like quotes from the [...]
The Past and Present of the Forgotten Masked Man
By all accounts, Rick DiPietro is a good and decent fellow. He seemed to have the world at his feet not all that long ago. A former first overall pick of the Islanders, DiPietro — who in some circles has become Long Island’s forgotten man — is more then likely finding things both exciting and [...]
NY ISLANDERS – A General Team Assessment For 2010/2011 Season
Ahh, had a few weeks off for some rest, relaxation…ok, none of those really. Working for a new company and doing some real exciting stuff that you will see the results of later this Fall. It will eat into my blogging a tad. So be forewarned. However, our Tony Stabile is in the Isles Blog [...]
DAILY RUMORS: Shooting down a Dustin Penner to the Kings rumor
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
With fall comes a new start
Who ever thought the fall would bring about a new start? This year, it seems to be the case — for me and the Isles!
The new season is about to begin and there has already been prognostications of all kinds. The Islanders are moving to Quebec…no Kansas City….wait, Saskatoon…or is it Hamilton? The other popular [...]
Oh Brewer, My Brewer…
Eric Brewer.
A name that invokes a substantial emotional response amongst many St. Louis Blues fans. Whether it’s in his relation to the loss of Chris Pronger or his Plus/Minus rating, fans love to take their shots at the captain of the St. Louis Blues. At a trouble season’s end many of his detractors hoped that [...]
Cam Janssen’s agent Scott Norton unveils “Make My Day Mondays”
When it comes to helping the less fortunate, contributions can go beyond simply donating money to a charity or giving cash to a homeless person. That is the focal point of sports agent Scott Norton’s new program called “Make My Day Mondays.”
Better late than never: CBA perspicuity arrives after Kovalchuk decision
It is ironic to pause on Labour Day and analyze what the NHL and NHLPA have finally accomplished. More than five years after the current CBA was finalized and now, approximately two years before its expiration, the two sides have finally completed a drawn-out, laborious process to partially rectify what they failed to get done during bitter [...]
$5 Million Well Saved
With training camp just a few weeks away, it appears George McPhee is content with entering the 2010-2011 season with essentially the same roster as a season ago. The core groups remains; Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Alex Semin. The Caps still hold one of the deepest rosters in the league as all [...]
The Niemi Blame Game
Finally Antti Niemi has a new home and it’s time to share some final thoughts on his departure.
There are many Blackhawk fans which believe every salary shedding roster move made this summer will work out just fine. Some find reasons to justify why certain players won’t be missed. Maybe all will be fine in the [...]
The Two Line Pass: Breaking it down with Cam Janssen
This week’s guest on The Two Line Pass is Blues’ tough-guy Cam Janssen.
DAILY RUMORS: No Big Trade Coming For Leafs For A Scoring Center
We at HockeyIndependent.com want to be your resource and filter for what is going on in the NHL. We try to disseminate the noise in the blogosphere. We don’t look to to attack those sources, but to question the veracity of the rumor with cold logic, hockey smarts and knowledge. To do that… we have [...]
Preseason Power Rankings: Eastern Bottom Five
Last Sunday I introduced my Preseason Power Rankings and submitted for the hockey world’s approval my Western Conference Cellar Dwellers. Thanks for the feed back from those who commented.
Today’s installment moves across the continent to the Eastern Conference. The home of the oldest teams, rabid fan bases, and easy travel.
Here [...]
Player Agent Scott Norton Introduces “Make My Day Mondays”
For most of us who use Twitter, we saw the unveiling of Make My Day Mondays a few days ago when NHL player agent Scott Norton of Norton Sports Management introduced it. One of his clients, St Louis Blues enforcer Cam Janssen, got into right away when he tweeted: “Dinner at Indian rest. Walked out and [...]
10 Tidbits on the Hockey-n-Wrestling Connection
The ties that bind us…linking NHL teams like the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and LA Kings (among others) with legends of the ring, like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Curt Henning and several others. Even a Stanley Cup connection!
Latest Lightning Lowdown
While I was off looking for Jamaican hockey players and ice rinks in the Cayman Islands, the Tampa Bay Lightning continued their quest to build a world class organization. In case you missed it…here is the latest Lightning goings on!
Lightning Hire COO
The Bolts named former Orlando Magic vice president Steve Griggs chief operating officer. [...]
Five things to love about Jeff Skinner
By now we all know who Jeff Skinner is but why is there an exceptional amount of hype around this kid? Probably some sort of family lineage tying himself to Chuck Norris– a title usually reserved for most Leafs prospects (all hail the mighty Kahdri).
Without further adieu, why you too should love Skinner:
Leading his team [...]
No Tag Day Needed For Niemi
In what has been a whacky NHL summer it appears the craziness hasn’t stopped.
It has been reported by Hockey Buzz that Antti Niemi is close to agreeing to terms with a new team. Unless something goes upside down the story appears accurate. More important, and somewhat of a surprise is that my whispers indicate Niemi [...]
Muž za Maskou (The Man Behind the Mask)
Born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia and drafted late in the 2003 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens, goaltender Jaroslav Halak has been a brick wall between the pipes wherever he has played.
ANALYSIS: Solid brainstorming, no firm commitments at World Hockey Summit
One question that was repeatedly asked by many fans in the lead-up to last week’s World Hockey Summit was, “Will they or won’t they?” as in: will the NHL, NHLPA and IIHF come to an agreement during the four-day event in Toronto on further NHL participation in future Winter Olympics?
The answer was neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no’.
The World [...]
Crimes of Fashion
Mercifully September is right around the corner, and as I prepare to flip my calendar from Christopher Higgins and Sean Avery to Henrik Lundqvist, I’m looking forward to finally having something to talk about. Today several of the New York Rangers participated in pre-training camp workouts. The Traverse City tournament starts on September 11th [...]
Blues Q&A 8 Results: Pietrangelo vs Halak
Blues Pre-Season Q&A wrapped up question number 8 last week. Thanks to all that voted on Facebook and Twitter.
Question: Pietrangelo or Halak? Who are you more excited to see in a Bluenote?
Pietrangelo – 50%
Halak – 50%
I’m Excited to See?
I have a soft spot for offensive defensemen. Which would lead you to believe that I would [...]
World Hockey Summit ends, steering committee hopeful for future
The World Hockey Summit in Toronto came to a close last Thursday evening with pledges from the steering committee to continue to “work together” to “grow the game”. The four-day conference brought together global hockey leaders and public stakeholders from North America and Europe to discuss pertinent issues currently challenging the growth of the game. [...]
Preseason Power Rankings: Western Cellar Dwellers
“Is it hockey season yet?”
The quote repeated (and re-tweeted) daily by the faithful fans from Vancouver to Minnesota to Carolina to New York. Everyone is ready for training camps, preseason games and another opener in Europe.
All three are still close to a month (or more) away. How do hockey fans find their fix in the [...]
Paul Kariya Out for the 2010-11 Season
A few days ago I cut a trade in my keeper league to acquire Luca Caputi and Paul Kariya for a 2nd and 3rd round pick in our 2011 Entry Draft. I insisted that the trade be conditional to Kariya signing by November 1st.
Little did I know that those conditions would be [...]
10 Tidbits on Kings dman Willie Mitchell
Get to know the LA Kings newest defenseman, Willie Mitchell. It’s a story featuring pickles, long sticks, Don Cherry and the value of endorsements. All made possible due to injuries to Matt Greene and several blueline prospects.
World Hockey Summit Day 4: PM session: Growing the Game
The World Hockey Summit in Toronto is officially over but delegates, panellists and the steering committee were in agreement that the hard work begins now. Maintaining or achieving excellence in national programs and encouraging youth to continue pursuing hockey in the face of competing sports and recreational interests will be vital in growing the game at the amateur and professional level.
NHLPA’s Ouellet denies Don Fehr has been confirmed as new leader
Despite several reports indicating that former Major League Baseball Players’ Association leader Donald Fehr has been named executive director of the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA), Mike Ouellet, chief of business affairs at the NHLPA, called the reports “a little premature given the process. No recommendation has been made to the executive board yet.” He also refused to comment on whether Fehr was the leading candidate for the union’s top job.
World Hockey Summit Day 4: AM session, audio from Wickenheiser, Ruggiero
Under clouds of concern for the viability of international women’s hockey due to the huge competitive disparity between North America and the rest of the world, Canadian star and featured speaker Hayley Wickenheiser described the frustrating challenges in growing women’s hockey outside North Amreica while American star and panellist Angela Ruggiero was more hopeful about the future [...]
World Hockey Summit Day 3: Gary Bettman media conference
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did a public Q and A session on Day 3 of the World Hockey Summit hosted by TV broadcaster Pierre McGuire then took more questions from the media for an additional ten minutes, covering predictable topics such as NHL involvement in the 2014 Olympics, the Kovalchuk case and the potential for placing a franchise back in Quebec City. The full audio of the media conference is inside.
World Hockey Summit Day 3: PM session, audio from KHL Pres. Medvedev
Brian Burke’s legendary temper boiled over during contentious discussions on the hot-button issue of whether the NHL will send its players to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The Toronto GM, who has also been involved with USA Hockey for many years, was adamant that all factors must be carefully considered instead of making an “emotional issue” out of the Winter Games.
Interview With Michael McKinley, Author Of Hockey: A People’s History
When I was approached to conduct an interview with Michael McKinley about his 2006 book, Hockey: A People’s History, I was excited for the opportunity, but slightly hesitant about reading the book. Most of us, as hockey fans, think we know anything and everything there is to know about the sport we like to call our [...]
World Hockey Summit Day 3: AM session, audio from Jamie Langenbrunner
Inside: coverage of events during the morning session of Day 3 of the World Hockey Summit at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto. All the speakers and panellists were in agreement that after Vancouver 2010, the NHL should continue sending its players to the Olympics. Ten minutes of audio with New Jersey Devil Jamie Langenbrunner also featured.
NHL Summer School with Ambroz and Nieto
Last week NHL VP Brendan Shanahan invited 33 of the top prospects for the 2011 NHL Draft to Toronto so they could participate in the NHL’s Research and Development camp. Basically, players were there to test out some propsed rule changes. Hear from two players that were on the ice, get their impressions and opinions on what they liked and disliked. Plus a few notes on who looked impressive.
Letters to BJ: Hockey Summit
Hello sports fans, and thanks for tuning in to Letters to BJ. Today, we have some great questions from a few popular faces at this year's World Hockey Summit. Let's see what we have in our bag of goodies.
Our first letter today is from Slavomir Lener, the hockey director of the Czech National teams, and [...]
World Hockey Summit Day 2: PM session, audio from USA Hockey’s Jim Johansson
Day 2 of the World Hockey Summit has finished. IIHF President Rene Fasel reiterated his desire to see NHL players at the 2014 Winter Olympics but indicated he would strongly resist any potential NHL efforts to expand into Europe. Slavomir Lener of the Czech Republic showed some grim statistics on the drain of many young, not-ready European players to the CHL. Audio clip of interview by this writer with Jim Johansson of USA Hockey also inside.
World Hockey Summit Day 2: AM session, audio from Shanahan, Dr. Mark Aubry
The World Hockey Summit Day 2 morning session has concluded. A summary of the discussion on Player Skill Development and audio clips from Dr. Mark Aubry and Brendan Shanahan.
World Hockey Summit Day 1: audio from Fasel, Alfredsson, Krupp
A summary of Day 1 of the World Hockey Summit in Toronto including brief audio clips from IIHF President Rene Fasel, Ottawa Senators’ captain Daniel Alfredsson and former Stanley Cup winning NHL defenceman and current German national team head coach Uwe Krupp.
The Two Line Pass: Blues’ offseason recap and prospect preview
My first guest for the 2010-2011 season of The Two Line Pass is Producer Kevin Lorenz “The Non-Gay”. Kevin produces and hosts The Late Night Score on 590 The Fan KFNS from 10 pm to midnight.
Meet Mr. Timely
Born Timothy Oshie Jr., TJ Oshie is developing into a big time playmaker for the Saint Louis Blues.
Blues Q&A #7: The Johnson-? Pairing
Blues Q&A #7 wrapped up this weekend. Thank you to all who voted on Twitter and Facebook. Feel free to leave comments on this blog to vote as well.
Question: Who should start the season paired with Erik Johnson? Barrett Jackman, Eric Brewer or Carlo Colaiacovo.
Jackman – 46%
Brewer – 0%
Colaiacovo – 54%
I am not surprised that [...]
World Hockey Summit comes to Toronto August 23-26
The city of Toronto will welcome the world to a comprehensive four-day event starting tomorrow night that promises to generate attention, new ideas and debate on how to improve hockey at all levels and in every hockey-playing nation. The Molson Canadian World Hockey Summit will take place from Monday, August 23, 2010 until Thursday, August 26, 2010 at various [...]
Penguins take a low-cost flyer on a gritty ex-Flyer
The puzzle that is the forward group of the Pittsburgh Penguins became slightly clearer on Friday evening when the club signed a gritty veteran away from their cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers. Arron Asham, 32, who gave Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia a boost from its third line by scoring 4 playoff goals last spring, inked a one-year $700,000 contract [...]
