All Entries Tagged With: "Rick Tocchet"
Pens Winter Classic Sweater: What Is There To Say?
The Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled their 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic Jersey this afternoon following practice. The reception has been negative, about 80/20 on Twitter. For those who pay attention the unveiling is confirmation of images we’ve had for a few weeks. However it doesn’t make the sweater an less ugly in my opinion. The first thing [...]
The quest for NHL head coaches about to begin for four teams
TAMPA BAY Now that the Tampa Bay Lightning have hired their new GM in Steve Yzerman earlier this week, they are ready to start their quest in order to find their new head coach for the upcoming season. Yzerman is in no hurry to name his new head coach as he first wants to talk [...]
Vinik Flexes Muscle: Fires GM Lawton And Coach Tocchet
The Tampa Bay Lightning have fired GM Brian Lawton and Coach Rick Tocchet. In a letter posted on TampaBayLightning.com, owner Jeffrey Vinik stated the the Lightning needs a “fresh start” and that the CEO, GM and Coach hirings will be completed prior to the June NHL draft. If I had to speculate on it, I [...]
Ladies And Gentleman, Children Of All Ages, Welcome To The Lightning Circus!
The Tampa Bay Lightning circus has not left town yet. Strange doings are taking place under the St. Pete Times Forum Big Top. Today started off with rumors swirling that head coach Rick Tocchet was going to be replaced. As the day went on, we learned that this wasn’t the case…for now. The Lightning announced [...]
Tocchet To Be Replaced?
According to Lyle Richardson of Spector’s Hockey: “A reliable source claims the Tampa Bay Lightning could announce Jim Johnson replacing Rick Tocchet as head coach, possibly in next 48 hours.” Nothing has been heard from the Tampa media. This would be a very strange move at this time. Stay tuned!
The Fabulous Finn On Fire!
Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Antero Niittymaki made 39 saves on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks to lead the Lightning to a 3-1 win. The Turku, Finland native stopped all but one of Vancouver’s shots. The lone goal scored by Vancouver came in the second period by Ryan Kesler. The Lightning defense again provided little support [...]
Hockey Bay Happenings
The Lightning is 19-20-10 with 48 points. They are 4th in the Southeast Division with 127 goals scored and 154 goals against. The Bolts’ power play percentage is 18.91, while the league average is 18.61. Their penalty kill percentage is 79.40, while the league average is 81.34. Tampa Bay is four points out of the [...]
Tick-Tocc…Is The Clock Running Out On The Bolts’ Coach?
Tampa Bay Lightning fans and bloggers alike are a fickle lot. After the circus antics of the new Hollywood cowboy ownership group and the Barry Melrose fiasco, many were screaming for “stability!” The Lightning decided to pass the coaching mantel to Rick Tocchet and they came out of the gate this season inspiring hope with [...]
He’s Back…Vinny Leads The Way
Okay. I’m back and so are the amazing vanishing Lightning stars. Coach Rick Tocchet had to go all the way to the Arizona desert to find his three lost souls. Last night versus the Coyotes, captain Vincent Lecavalier escaped from the NHL witness protection program and scored twice and added an assist. Alex Tanguay netted [...]
Is James Wright the Right Answer for Lightning’s Woes?
The Background Story: Following a decent 2-1-2 start to the season, the Lightning have lost two straight with a 7-1 shellacking from the Ottawa Senators and a 4-1 loss to the Penguins. Though the goaltending was shaky at times and the defense was far less than decent, the biggest concern for the Lightning would have [...]
Early Estimations: Bolts Under The Magnifying Glass
It’s not time to panic or lose hope, but they’ve given us no real reason to think playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning is 1-1-2 in the first four games of the 2009-10 season. Here are my impressions of the Bolts’ early season performance. Goalie Mike Smith is not right. He has been solid…even amazing at [...]
Shootout Drought
The Tampa Bay Lightning are ridiculously inept in shootouts. Tuomo Ruutu netted the goal to clinch the shootout victory for the Carolina Hurricanes after former Bolt Jussi Jokinen scored his team’s only goal in regulation as the ‘Canes won 2-1 Tuesday night, extending the Lightning’s RBC Center losing streak to seven games. Carolina’s Sergei Samsonov [...]
Hockey Bay USA Season Preview And Prediction
2008-09 Recap: Dismal The Lightning finished 2008-09 last in the Southeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference with a poor 24-40-18 record and 66 points. They had four players that netted 20 or more goals and six players in total that had double-digit goals. Martin St. Louis (30 goals. 50 assists and 80 points) [...]
Are You A Bolts Believer?
In Hockey Bay, it seems there are two types of fans. You’re either with the team or you are against them. Black and white…err blue. There’s no fence to sit on. Each of these fanatics views the Bolts world quite differently. Preseason impressions from the Lightning optimists: The fans that expect a positive outcome: The [...]
Bolts Still In Overtime Purgatory
I know it’s only preseason. I know it shouldn’t matter, but the Lightning have continued a disturbing trend from last years dismal season…losing in extra time. For the third time in five preseason games the Bolts lost in extra time. The Coyotes Peter Mueller won it in the third round of the shootout, beating Lightning [...]
Smith Takes It Like A Man
Lightning goaltender Mike Smith stopped 32 of 33 shots and played 60 minutes on the way to a 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in Everett, Washington. This was good news for Lightning followers, but even better news was that the Bolts backstop was run into by his teammate. Huh? Yep. Big Ryan Craig inadvertently [...]
Smitty Just Being Smitty
While I didn’t attend the Bolts tilt versus the Thrashers last night, I watched the tape and did what I’m sure all of the Lightning fans, players and management did…focused solely on returning goalie Mike Smith. The thing that I have always liked about Smith is that he is not a just a goalie, but [...]
Encouraging!
He was on the ice for 27 minutes and 15 seconds, four and a half minutes longer than anyone else. He skated skillfully and with purpose. His coach Rick Tocchet said, “If I had to say who tried and played hard…(he) would be in my top, absolutely.” I know, you’re thinking Marty or maybe Vinny. [...]
Pre-season prospecting – Luca Caputi
Pittsburgh Penguins pre-season games began Tuesday night when the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions skated onto Mellon Arena ice and defeated Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in overtime. With one game under their belts, today will be the fifth full day of pre-season training camp. Last post, I promised to analyze some of the players in camp [...]
Newer, “New-Look” Lightning Have Big Questions to Answer
The 2009-10 NHL hockey season is sure to be a big one for the Tampa Bay Lightning. There is much to prove and the stakes are high for this team, which hasn’t shown its fan-base that it can be competitive for two straight seasons now. With a new management, scouting, and coaching system firmly in [...]