maybe so, but they've been working on getting Bondra for what seems like months now.

But the first thing they said after the Heatley trade was that they now didn't have the money for any big signings like Bondra with the money they added plus signing Kovachuk. Now, a couple of days after Kovalchuk says he's leaning toward staying in Russia, they sign Bondra. May be that the extra money to get the job done is coming from what they thought they'd pay IK.

500 people packed a local arena and many were turned away to watch Flames' prospects on a weekday afternoon. Thank God the first exhibition game is on Friday or people around here would start going postal.

So I guess the 4 on 4 League that I saw in July here in Minnesota with NHL'ers, NCAA and Junior players wouldn't cut it either?

Penguins expect to lost $7 million this season and that figure is based on the Pens making the 2nd round of the playoffs according to Mario Lemieux.


Saw this on Kuklas,

Go Richter!

I'd like to see Richter in the studio. In every interview or appearance I've seen he always comes across as an intelligent, likeable guy. I still love that NHL commercial he did back in the day with Tim Robbins. Never failed to get a chuckle out of me.

Ronnie Francis retires.

great article here
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=136299

including a mention of how Stevens, Messier, Francis, McInnis and Larionov will all be eligible for the 2007 HOF class, with a maximum of 4 inductees each year.

Well we know who's not getting in from that group.

Trent Klatt better get in, dammit!

Next time I see Trent, I'll let him know he has a fan! :D

Klatt. Pshaw.

Another Flyer injury, Sami Kapanen has shoulder surgery and is out 10 weeks.

The NHLPA has filed a grievance for Owen Nolan.

Every preseason game will have a shootout regardless of the score. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=136421

Not really. I'm only interested in something that matters, like the NHL. I'm not enough of a hockey fan to want to follow lesser leagues or NHL players mixed with amateurs in a non-NHL setting. Just give me back the NHL and I'll be happy.

Ok, I missed this when it happened, but ran across it in the TSN NHL preview capsules:

''Justice!'' - Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, the moment the Penguins drew the top selection in the NHL Draft Lottery.

SI

Good reviews so far on Crosby. He had 3 assists in the first training camp scrimmage playing with Recchi and Leclair.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2162877

article about Nash's injury, check the headline hehe

Free Forecaster hockey preview/fantasy magazine for anyone who's interested:

http://magazine.forecaster.ca/hockey2005/

For existing/previous readers of the hockey annual, there is no newsstand edition this year, due to early advertising deadlines and the NHL's late start, but the digital version has all the content the print version would have. We'll be back in print next year.

Acrobat reader 6.0 required...download is about 8 megs.

Very nice find....im reading it now...printed it at work, glad the boss didnt find out..hehe......Brad Richards will lead the league in scoring, with 108 points

I didn't "find" it per se...I work for the company that publishes it. :)

well nice work publishing it then....lol......i cant say i agree with everything ive read so far, but its a fun read

hopefully, you don't work in the server maintenance department...

Mirror, for those unable to reach the server. :)

http://www.fantasysports.ca/TSFHocke...06-Generic.pdf

No, I'm in HTML, not server stuff....the Hockey mag has always been our flagship product, but NONE of us were expecting the kind of response we got. Maybe the 5-10 phone calls a day the last month or so should have tipped us off, but once the pre-reg e-mails went out, and news hit some of the bigger message boards (HFBoards, fanhome.com, etc.), we were caught a little off guard.

looking forward to checking it out (when I'm on a compuer that has acrobat installed)

Blues' Tkachuk fails physical, suspended

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9373190/

ST. LOUIS - Things are not off to a good start for Keith Tkachuk and the St. Louis Blues.

According to a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday, Tkachuk was suspended by the Blues after failing his physical.

“He failed his physical and he’s been suspended,” Blues general manager Larry Pleau told the newspaper. “That’s all I’ll say.”

Also, in case of you hockey fans are interested, my wife took some photos at the Thrashers' training camp this past Wednesday...

Thrashers' camp photos

And here I was getting all excited to see a picture of Paul Kariya in drag :(





;)

Good pics :)

SI

Too many donuts during the lockout?

SI

According to the TSN SportsDesk anchors last night, he was described as "grossly overweight" and "grieviously overweight".

Why does Mike Dunham look like Steve Carrel to me?

Wow. I didn't notice that until now. Maybe you aren't used to seeing Dunham's face? I know I am often surprised about goalies because I rarely see their faces.

I just snagged a couple of tickets to the Flames home opener for $314 US off of eBay - midway through the second deck, just off the blue line. It's roughly the same price I paid for four other games during the year (Nashville x2, St. Louis and Anaheim). On-line sales started today but all the good games were gone so eBay was the only place.

I've never paid that much before for a single event but I just HAD to get tickets for the opener. I'm sure it will be worth it. :D

:eek:

Glad I live a little north. I paid $320 for 8 games during the year, (mid-way up in the second deck of Rexall), plus $70 for 4 others (in the upper upper bowl of Rexall).

I'll probably fork over a few more dollars to get tickets to the home opener and the night they retire Paul Coffey's number. Or maybe I can get them free from work. :)

edit: Okay, maybe I won't be going to Coffey's game. It's already sold out.

Vanek has 2 goals last night for the Sabres, looking forward to the game on Tuesday here in Minnesota I just got 4 free club tickets from a friend.

yup Vanek looked good, hopefully Miller plays lights out next time because it's MILLER TIME! :D

For those who get HDNet, their NHL schedule up to November 26 was released today:

http://www.nhl.com/news/2005/09/234932.html

Day Date Visitor Home Time (ET)
Wednesday 5-Oct Coyotes Canucks 10:00PM
Thursday 6-Oct Red Wings Blues 8:00PM
Saturday 8-Oct Bruins Penguins 7:30PM

Thursday 13-Oct Predators Coyotes 10:00PM
Saturday 15-Oct Lightning Penguins 7:30PM

Thursday 20-Oct Rangers Islanders 7:00PM
Saturday 22-Oct Hurricanes Capitals 7:00PM

Thursday 27-Oct Blackhawks Red Wings 7:30PM
Saturday 29-Oct Hurricanes Penguins 7:30PM

Thursday 3-Nov Capitals Flyers 7:00PM
Saturday 5-Nov Stars Avalanche 9:00PM

Thursday 10-Nov Flames Coyotes 9:00PM
Saturday 12-Nov Capitals Devils 1:00PM

Thursday 17-Nov Canucks Kings 10:30PM
Saturday 19-Nov Avalanche Kings 10:30PM

Thursday 24-Nov Kings Predators 8:00PM
Saturday 26-Nov Canucks Coyotes 10:00PM

Thanks for posting that, with ESPN not having hockey, HDNET is my only option for HD hockey.

So far the scoring appears to be up in the early preseason games. Not sure if that is a fact of calling more penalties, more minor leaguers or the new rules.

Cards - OLN will produce games in HD this season. Not sure what provider you use, but I would expect Comcast/TWC to have those games on InHD, and DirecTV may broadcast them on the special events channel like the baseball games.

Datsyuk is on his way to Detroit to sign a 2 year, 7 mil deal.

I think he is worth 3.5 a year, and I am glad to see he's back. I hate how it went down but he took money I think a lot of people will feel is apropriate, now lets see him earn his mega deal for when he becomes a UFA.

Isles v. Rangers on TV tomorrow! I'm psyched the fuck up!!!!

I have TWC and get the HDNET channel. So, OLN will send those HD games to InHD too? That would be great.

Has there been any shoot outs yet in the pre season. I'm curious how it is implemented and how much more ppg has there been this year?

Every preseason game has a shootout.



Buccigross again brings teh funny (its from a parody of an internet chat he was doing).

Is that compared to pre-season games from past years or regular season games from last year ? You'll have to factor in that a lot of the teams are playing prospects and AHL players in these games.

I think $3.5 million is right and given what some of the earlier deals were like (see: Mike Rathje), I think it could turn out to be a bit of a bargain, assuming Datsyuk actually does something in the playoffs (assuming, of course, the Wings make it to the post-season). It seems like the RFAs who hung around til the end, like Smyth and Datsyuk, are quickly realizing that their options are very limited and there is only so much salary left. There were some predicting that teams would be going after other team's RFAs under the new CBA since the draft pick penalties weren't that bad and draft picks have lost some value (due to the "must sign picks within 2 years" rule and the lowering of the UFA age), but that hasn't seemed to happen.

riz,

Not a scientific studay at all, just seeing the scores on the bottom line on ESPN. There were lots of 5-4 types and I saw an 8-6 game with the Flyers on Saturday plus the Wild scored 7 goals.

Todd

Nothing confirmed yet, but the rumor mill suggests that InHD will have the OLN games in HD. I guess we'll find out in 2 weeks.

Looking at the scores, I've noticed that PPG is up by an avg. 0f 2-3 ppg.

I know the exhibition season can be pretty wild & wooly with teams using odd lineups & such, but I have to tell you, after the ridiculous 8-6 game the Thrashers lost a few nights ago, my enthusiasm for this Saturday night's game is diminished a lot from where it was even a couple of weeks ago :(

If I want to see games with no defense, I'll just drive down to Macon & watch low minors hockey for $10 a ticket.

No you won't.

That franchise folded. As far as I know, there will be no professional hockey in Macon this year.

Oopsie ... you're right Tekneek. Looking back through the newspaper archives, it appears I was out of town when the guy who was going to salvage them for another season pulled the plug back in April.

So anyone have a guess what I'll be watching on TV when I get home from class tonight? :D

I know the guy who was trying to put together a new ownership group. He was lied to and jerked around by the previous ownership (the same guy who runs that league). That's why it fell apart. In fact, the notice went out that the franchise was folding about 3 days before the deadline he had been given. Not to mention that the fellow was really overpricing the team.

I almost wish I lived in Iowa or Nebraska or what have you. The USHL is so much fun to watch

Isles-Rags game was great to watch!

About a half dozen penalties in the first period, then the players caught on! Saw time after time where would-be hooks, clutches, and/or grabs simply didn't happen. Loved the 2-line pass; penalized offensive zone turnovers more.

Great hockey!

~rpi-fan

Went to the Wild game tonight, saw Vanek get a couple of points but the Wild did win. That line of Vanek-Briere-Dumont should be fun to watch.

USHL hockey is fun to watch, lots of future stars in that league.

Indeed. One of my best friends is playing for Cedar Rapids this year. I'm trying to get down there for his home opener October 8th

Name, please. It is a little more interesting to have someone to look for in the stat reports. A player for Chicago the past couple of years was the younger brother of a player we knew in the ECHL, so it gave me a reason to look at USHL stats. He should have moved on to Ferris State now.

Yeah, give us the name and I'll tell you how he has done in my NHL EHM 2005 soak test if he has been included in the DB :D

I've seen Stalock and Wehrs play many times, Stalock stood on his head one year at the State Tourney and took his team to the finals and Wehrs is a undersized D-man that can really skate and create.

Dustin Cloutier.

Dustin Cloutier, ha. I doubt he's in the new DB but do add him haha/

He has only played 1 of 3 possible games so far. Did he join the team late or miss time?

Sorry to disappoint you. He's already in out DB with Cedar Rapids :D

I'll let you know tomorrow if he was in my soak test game I have running at the office.

He was there but he was in a rotation early on. He's playing in the opener and is on their PK unit now.

Adam Deadmarsh retires due to problems with concussions.

That's a shame. Despite his Wing-killing ways and deep association with the Forces of Darkness(tm), I liked the guy. A good, hard-nosed player with skill. Though it ended up hurting his career, I love the fact that the night he returned from his first big concussion (suffered as a result of a solid punch during a fight with Jovonkoski), he gets into another fight with Jovo for payback. I think he suffered another concussion in that fight.

Didn't find Dustin Cloutier around anymore in my soaks in 2013+ as he probably only had a short career in college before fading out of the game. But as I said, he is in the database, rated and everything, ready to be drafted if you want to get him to the big leagues :D

Since this had fallen to the 2nd page, I figured I'd bump to brag that I can get my Khabibulin in Blackhawks gear card free next week. So far, the only two weeks I've remembered, I've gotten Gonchar and Heatley.

http://sports.upperdeck.com/hockey/showcase/

SI

Why are all the hockey superstars retiring before this season. They are needed now more than ever.

Because they can't find jobs.

Which makes sense... I love these guys, but they're mostly in the 42-45 range and in the new, more open, offensive* NHL there isn't much room for those guys. (Except for Stumpy Thomas, who I hope makes the Leafs for nothing other than sentimental reasons.)

*No, Martha Burke, I mean the other kind of offensive.

Is Stumpy Thomas a double-entendre?

No.

You're thinking of "Ron Tugnutt".

Well, just got home from my first live look at the new NHL.
Thrashers 4-2 exhibition win over Carolina

I dunno what that was, but it sure didn't resemble major league hockey for long stretches of the night.

from the linked article:
There were 25 penalties in the game -- 14 by Atlanta -- in keeping with the league's mandate to cut down on obstruction and create more scoring chances.


Well, it sure manages that goal pretty well ... the 2nd period started with, give or take, 1 minute remaining of a Carolina powerplay. The teams finally managed to play five-on-five after just under 15 minutes of play in the period. Yep, that's right, it's was either 4-on-4 or powerplay hockey for 15 of the 20 minutes. And that produced a whopping ONE goal combined.

Other random observations/thoughts from the game:
Mike Dunham looked very solid in goal, albeit against an offense that didn't look very good ... Bondra looked much quicker than I expected for a guy his age (2nd oldest player on the Atlanta roster, behind Scott Mellanby) ... Hossa seems to play "quietly", you don't notice him for stretches & then BAM he makes a nice move or something & he's suddenly back on your radar ... Thrashers top 4 D's are noticeably better than last year, but 5+ still looks pretty weak ... Surprising to me was that it looked like the younger players were having more trouble adapting to the rules changes than the older players, especially with regard to the defensive changes, I would have thought it would be the other way around ... waaaaaay too many bad passes right now as players try to hit the long bomb. The new rules make it legal to go long but unfortunately the rule changes couldn't bring along any judgement about when to try it. ... not talked about much in the off-season, but I believe one of the biggest impact changes will be the no-line-change-when -you-ice-the-puck rule. Looked like both teams tried to take advantage of that situation when it came up & the difference in fresh vs tired was noticeable ... I had to work very hard not to gag when they decided to showcase the new shootout rules for the fans afterwards (complete with an explanation on the video screen courtesy of EA Sports NHL 2k6 - yes, they use video game footage to explain the rules)

Still, all in all, I actually didn't hate the new look quite as much as I expected to, but pre-season or not I came away feeling like the game looks a lot sloppier than I'm used to seeing. Between the outrageous number of penalties & the Hail Mary offensive tactics, it's was like watching a couple of run-and-
shoot teams playing each other ... minus anything resembling a top flight QB or WR.

The reason the young guys have a problem is because the game has been distorted for so long that they've grown up being told to "tie up" their man. The old guys grew up learning the game a little more purely, so they are able to turn back the clock.

The players, and especially entire teams, that learn how to make the best use of the two-line pass the fastest will really score a lot of goals. By what I have read, the Islanders have it down really well at this point. I expect some lopsided games in their favor early in the season.

The outrageous number of penalties is because of violations by the players. If players keep doing it over and over, should they just swallow the whistle and forget about it? I know the NFL takes that stance, but I hate it.

I agree, the Isles have put together a terrific team for the new rules. They actually didn't do too much 2-line passing vs. the Rangers, but looked phenomenal in the neutral zone.


See, I think you're missing the point. The idea isn't to create more scoring via the powerplay. That is just a symptom of the new rules being enforced. The overall goal is to have more scoring because there's more open ice and skating room during 5 v. 5 hockey -- the penalties are just a necessary evil until the players & coaches "get it".

~rpi-fan

The reports from their intra-team games out in Nova Scotia said there were some very good passes made, particularly from Dipietro, to players in the neutral zone that would have been whistled back in previous years. I want to see some of that in the game. These changes will keep the puck in motion, which is what everyone should want to see. Constant action is a good thing, not a bad thing. Once players stop trying to clutch and grab, these games will be more fun for everyone.

Oh, I know that. Apparently my sarcasm didn't come through when posting so late.


But what I got for my $160 ($80x2 that is) last night was 4-on-4 hockey or man-advantage hockey. Maybe it'll change, or maybe it was because it was two average (I'm being kind) teams, but frankly it was pretty bush-league looking stuff with the exception of rare flashes.

I'm not suggesting they swallow the whistle, I'd far prefer they abandon this homesick abortion of a rule-change package. That ain't gonna happen of course, but they'll probably end up losing my interest in the end.

If I want to see numbers changing in a blur, I'll go pump gas, which is one of the few things cheaper than to do on Saturday than the NHL.

You went to a pre-season game, i dont know what you were expecting? Wether its team Canada vs. Team Russia in an exhibition game, or the Thrashers vs. whoever, its preseason, alot of experimenting, still some lesser players, and less effort from the established players....its a warm up

Actually, with the exception of the unsigned Kovalchuk, a slightly dinged up Exelby, and an injured/out-of-shape Lehtonen (and Dunham looked as good last night as any #1 we've had here) that was pretty much the regular season Thrasher lineup out there last night.

Nobody was short-shifted significantly, the majority of the cuts were made earlier in the week, and I don't expect the players to magically have a lightbulb come on with regard to the new rules in just a matter of a few days of pre-season left.

Sorry J93g, but I believe that was pretty damned close to what the regular season is going to look like with they drop the puck for real. 2 weeks ago, I'd give your take a lot more credence (and the ugly scores are there to back it up), but not at this point.

It's still unclear to me if this is a legitimate crackdown. Clarke and Sinden have already made their displeasure known. On the other hand, Risebrough has indicated that players who haven't adapted by the start of the season, won't be playing.

I remember reading that fines were supposed to be dolled out by the league for any public criticism; I guess it might be done behind closed doors.

If this is the 'new' NHL, you can forget about overtime marathons. Playoff games will be decided on the powerplay.

If they back off of it, I'm finished. I'm teetering on the edge anyway.

Eventually the will back off some, how much is the Million Dollar question.

I think with the redline gone and once you see players get used to being able to open up the passing game it will look like a much better game with players being able to skate up and down the ice a lot more then what we were seeing in the last NHL season.

A (somewhat) serious question: if what matters is watching 'em skate up & down the ice, why not just watch speed skating?

I guess it depends on what kind of hockey you like to watch. I would say most Minnesotans would agree with me when I make the statement above. It doesn't mean we want the hitting out of the game, but what the NHL was selling before, clutch and grab just isn't hockey to us. A big reason why HS and College hockey is so popular here is because we want hockey with a flow and you do see that on that level. One of the best games I have ever seen in person is a State HS Semi that went 5 OT's, tons of scoring chances and yes, great checking too.

C4E - Maybe that's the difference somehow. I exponentially prefer 2-1, 3-2, 2-0 typical scores & the clutch-grab-trap et al tends to work toward keeping it that way. 5-4, 6-3, 7-2, etc is what I expect to see in the NHL this year & that really isn't likely to hold my interest very long. The goals will be plentiful but they seem very cheap to me and, for whatever reason, diminishes my interest a lot.

I think the "flow" difference is also a matter of perception (or something like that), to me there was a flow or at least a rhythm of sorts -- I guess I just prefer the action in the neutral zone to repetitive end to end rushes, the latter being way too much like the NBA for my taste (actually, last night reminded me quite a bit of the NBA in some ways).

to me there's a big difference between baseball 2-1 scores (which I like) to hockey 2-1 scores (which I don't like). It's that usually there's a lot of skill sitll involved in the baseball score where there isn't in the hockey one due to any good being able to clutch and grab.

I don't mind a 2-1 final score if they combine for 100 shots on goal.

Hockey is a game about skills, whether it be skating, shooting, passing or checking. I just went to a USA Hockey Coaching clinic on Friday night, and that was one thing that was really impressed upon us, work on skills, skills, skills. I just don't think clutch and grab is a skill.

I'm pretty sure you are going to the extreme, but I think we are on the same page here. Lots of scoring chances, doesn't matter what the score ends up being.

I agree with you. Clutching and grabbing is a way to defeat skill, but takes no real hockey skill to implement. Interesting that someone wants to see that sort of tactic in a sport. It would be like never calling holding on the defense in a football game. Surely it makes it more of a defensive struggle, but I don't think it will be too exciting or really reveal who the best players and teams are.

Well, consider that Skydog would like to ban the forward pass. Some people like strange things.

I love it. The end of the QB and WR. If he doesn't like the forward pass, why not just watch Rugby instead?

Too British.

Are you familiar with this kid Tekneek?

Joseph Brock
9/5/87
Cumming, GA

Guess it's just a personal preference... I think "cheap" goals will be less meaningful in the new NHL. In the past, bad bounces seemed to decide half of the games. Now, you need to make a real play to get on the board as there aren't going to be huge crowds in front of the net.

I think every goal in the Isles-Rags game on Tuesday was a pretty one -- good stuff.

Nope. Hockey player, I suppose? :D

I only know of two guys from Georgia making it to any high level... David Caruso with Ohio State and Brad Miller who should be in with North Dakota this year. Caruso was a transplant, but his family still lives in Roswell. Brad Miller is a real "Georgia" kid who has made his way to Division I hockey.

I don't count Jean-Marc Pelletier or Eric Chouinard, although they were both born in Atlanta.

So, who else is getting NHL Center Ice this year?

I'm getting it, along with a new TiVo just for it.