Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts

Monday, May 20, 2013

(VIDEO) Viktor Stalberg misses check on the wings Jakub Kindl



Ouch! That has to hurt... This is the end result of Viktor Stalberg’s attempted check on Detroit defenseman Jakub Kindl, as you can see by the video, the Red Wings defenseman moved at last second and Stalberg whiffed on the attempted hit.
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Sunday, April 14, 2013

(Video) Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk blows up Andrew Shaw



Talk about a violent hit as St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk blows up Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw with a good clean hit. There was no penalty on the hit, nor should there have been. The game during the first period was a very physical and hard hitting game.
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Monday, February 18, 2013

My Impressions of the Hockey City Classic


Sunday, I was able to take in both games of the Hockey City Classic that was played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois from my living room.

I have to say that I was highly impressed and entertained by the event and thoroughly enjoyed both games. So, I am going to give the Hockey City Classic props.

In my opinion, the Hockey City Classic appears to have gone off without a hitch.

Obviously, I didn’t have any dog in the fight, as my favorite team was on a bye week, but it was a good way to pass the time.  I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon, watching college hockey from the comfort of my living room with my DVR Recorder at the ready.

Did I mention, the best way to watch an outdoor hockey game, is from the comfort of your living-room. There are no poor sight lines and you’re never very far from the action. You also have the benefit of a replay and you can re-watch whatever you want to watch.

Normally, I am not a big fan of the outdoor games, and I think that we have been over saturated with them the last four or five years. I also think that they’re a bit of a gimmick, but if both teams agree to them, I am all for it. Even if it's for league points during a championship run.

I think that maybe the outdoor games need to be played during the month of December and January and not during the month of February.

Outdoor games can also be very unpredictable, because we can’t control the weather, mother nature has us at her mercy. But like any good traffic accident or train wreck, we all have to take a look, even though we shouldn't.

I have seen where some have said, that they thought the ice was worse in Chicago, than it was in Omaha. I don’t think that is a very accurate statement, seriously, it was 28 degrees in Chicago and a balmy 40-plus all day long in Omaha. I don’t know if the temperature got below 40 degrees during the course of the game.

Let’s not forget that the start to the UND versus Nebraska-Omaha game had to be delayed for two-plus hours, so the ice could freeze back up and be hard enough to play on, after the sun had melted it, making the ice unacceptable to play hockey on.

Historically, I think that the Frozen Fenway games have been the best college hockey outdoor games, but I am partial to the city of Boston and Fenway Park is a historical gem.

That being said, I was genuinely impressed with what I saw yesterday.

While I have seen a lot of grumbling from Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey fans on Twitter and on the fan message boards, I think we can call the event a huge success as 52,051 people showed up to watch the two game event and many more probably watched it at home on their televisions as well. I am sure if the Minnesota Gophers had won their game, their fans would've had a different view of the Hockey City Classic.

Obviously, Soldier Field is much better for a football game but I think yesterday’s event turned into a pretty good made for TV event.

If I had one complaint, it would be the team’s uniforms; I was not a fan of any of them.

Let's give credit where credit is due

There are a couple of things that I have seen that I find troublesome. First off, Gopher fans should give the Wisconsin Badgers a little credit; I see their fans blaming the ice surface for the reason their team lost the game yesterday.

The reason, the Minnesota Gophers lost the hockey game was that the Wisconsin Badgers scored one more goal than the Gophers. Both teams played on the same ice surface. I have seen moronic comments along the lines on how if the Gophers had played in the Kohl Center they would have been guaranteed a victory. We don't know that.

I mean seriously, you have to give credit where credit is due, the Badgers are well coached hockey team and Mike Eaves is a very good hockey coach and his teams always play a solid team defensive scheme and yesterday they cashed in on the Gophers mistakes. That’s hockey, and the best team doesn’t always win. Just ask Brendan Morrison. You need to give your opponent some respect.

I also think that the Golden Gophers beat writer Roman Augustoviz said it best.
Those knuckleheads ripping Don Lucia for agreeing to play outdoors have their head buried in the sand. It was not the Gophers giving up a home game, it was Wisconsin.
So the Gophers lost. What do you expect? They have swept ONE series in the WCHA all season. And that was against last-place Alaska-Anchorage. As Lucia said recently, it is amazing his team is in the conference race at all.
Cross Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine 
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Monday, July 02, 2012

Gary Bettman reduces Raffi Torres suspension

s/t to George Malik of Kuklas Korner. This action by Gary Bettman really makes my blood boil. Raffi Torres is a multiple time offender and was given the correct number of games, now Bettman decides to reduce the Torres Suspension by 4 games.
From TSN’s Darren Dreger: It appears that Raffi Torres won’t serve the 25 games he was slated to sit out for concussing Marian Hossa:

Sources say Gary Bettman has reached a decision on Raffi Torres suspension appeal.

Expected to reduce suspension by 4 games. 12 down to 8. ... Torres was suspended 25 games after a hit on Chicago’s Marian Hossa in game 3 of 1st round of the playoffs. ...

To be clear, my math shows Torres had 12 games remaining in suspension. Reduction by 4 and 8 games remain next season
So the NHL is saying by reducing this suspension that they don’t care about “Player Safety.” If not, what statement are they trying to make? You have a player in Raffi Torres that is the poster boy of what is wrong with the NHL. Torres is a dirty player that skates all over the ice taking runs at players and many times making contact with the head.
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Friday, April 20, 2012

Torres disciplinary ruling to be announced Saturday

Marian Hossa during pre-warm-up at HP Pavilion...
Marian Hossa during pre-warm-up at HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This ruling by the NHL seems to be a bit of a head scratcher. Makes you wonder what kind of a ruling is coming down the pike tomorrow. I still think that Raffi Torres is going to get long suspension for his brutal hit on Marian Hossa.
NHL.COM --- National Hockey League Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan will announce Saturday whether the NHL Department of Player Safety will assess further supplemental discipline to suspended Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres.

Torres was suspended indefinitely Wednesday, pending an in-person hearing held today at the NHL's New York Office, for a hit on Chicago forward Marian Hossa 11:42 into the first period of Game 3 of the teams' Western Conference Quarterfinal series in Chicago on Tuesday, April 17.
On the surface this decision would seem like a slam dunk, Raffi Torres is a repeat offender that has been suspended twice in the last 13 months. To me this case seems to be an easy 5-10 game suspension. Shanahan could easily suspend this guy and make it hurt, but maybe there is more to it than meets the eye.  Only thing I can think of is that NHL Vice President of Player Safety, Bredan Shanahan is consoling with other hockey minds from around the NHL.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Henrik Sedin elbows Dustin Brown


This has been the talk of twitter tonight, Vancouver Canucks forward  Henrik Sedin elbowed Los Angeles forward Dustin Brown. Don't expect the league to look at this play; there are two sets of rules in the NHL, there are one set of rules for star players like the Sedin twins and then another set of rules for the tough guys and goons.

To me this seems kind of hypocritical that either of the Sedin's twins would play this way espeically after Daniel  hasn't played since March 21 because of a concussion he suffered after being elbowed by Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith would elbow someone in a game. The blood on Brown's face was from the puck according to Elliotte Friedman.



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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Stephane Matteau gets some bad news

100 px
100 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Former Fight Sioux recruit Stefan Matteau will not be on the U18 team this spring.
Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com --- The International Ice Hockey Federation ruled Thursday that Chicago native Stefan Matteau is ineligible to participate for U.S. at the upcoming World Men's Under-18 Championship.

Matteau, who is regarded as one of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, is the son of former NHL player Stephane Matteau. According to Kevin Allen of USA Today, the ruling is based on the fact Matteau hasn't played two consecutive seasons in the U.S. after the age of 10.

Allen explains that although Matteau spent his first nine years in the U.S., he was living in Canada when he joined the U.S. program in March 2010. However, he didn't play a game for the team until September in that year.
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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Chicago's Bolland rips the Sedins


Chicago's BlackhawksDave Bolland rips into the Sedin twins during a radio show and really has nothing nice to say about the Vancouver Canucks, no offense but I can't stand the Canucks either and I have said in the past, "that the Vancouver Canucks are one of the most unlikable teams in the NHL next to the Montreal Canadians."

SportsDirect ---- Chicago Blackhawks center Dave Bolland didn't have too many complimentary things to say about Henrik and Daniel Sedin - or the city of Vancouver, for that matter.

In fact, he referred to the Sedin Twins as "sisters" on two occasions on a recent appearance on Chicago-based WGN Radio.

When asked if he'd welcome them on the Blackhawks - should a deal arise - Bolland was fairly blunt with his response.
Related Info

"Well, they'll never become 'Hawks," he said. "I don't think we'd let them on our team. We'd be sure not to let them on our team. And, yeah, they probably still would be sisters.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Dan Carcillo suspended for two games...


Ironicall, this is the first time that Chicago forward Dan aka "Car Bomb"Carcillo  has never been suspended by the National Hockey League for an "illegal hit" during his NHL career. It seems like the 2 game suspension is a standard suspension NHL nowadays.
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Saturday, June 04, 2011

Bolland: Canucks Are ‘Like A Little Girl’

A picture of Vancouver Canucks forward, Alex B...Image via WikipediaLooks like the War of Words is continuing between the Blackhawks and the Canucks; I also have to say that I agree with Chicago Blackhawks Center Dave Bolland and what he had to say about the Vancouver Canucks, “Typical, pulling hair and biting people. Sort of like a little girl.”
CBS Chicago ---- “It does get pretty painful watching and seeing that team in it,” Bolland told Fred Mitchel, of the Chicago Tribune.

“It sucks seeing them there.”

The Canucks took the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals with a goal by Raffi Torres with 18.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Torres was the same player who delivered a hit to Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook’s head. It was a hit that kept Seabrook out of two games of the Blackhawks-Canucks first round series.

And the fact that Vancouver’s Alex Burrows appeared to bite the finger of Bruins center Patrice Bergeron in the first period didn’t take Bolland by surprise.

“Typical, pulling hair and biting people. Sort of like a little girl,” Bolland said. “But things happen during games. Stuff like that isn’t meant for hockey. So some of those things have to be taken care of.”

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