Bettman upholds Thornton's 15-game suspension

The Ruling has come down. The NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has upheld Shawn Thornton's 15-game suspension.


NEW YORK -- Commissioner Gary Bettman today upheld the 15-game suspension that was assessed to Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton by the Department of Player Safety for punching and injuring an unsuspecting opponent, Brooks Orpik of the Pittsburgh Penguins, in NHL Game No. 438 at Boston on Dec. 7.

Commissioner Bettman heard Thornton's appeal at a hearing in New York on Friday, Dec. 20. The original decision was assessed Dec. 14.

The incident occurred at 11:06 of the first period. Thornton was assessed a match penalty for violating NHL Rule 46.15.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Thornton will forfeit $84,615.45. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Click here to view Commissioner's complete ruling (PDF)

Time to ban fighting in Hockey?

After watching the first game of the season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. I could have predicted we would see more articles like this. I am sure that we will see more of them as the weeks wear on as welll. Wild tough guy Zenon Konopka was interviewed by Michael Russo and he said some interesting things that are worth a look too.

Larry Brooks, New York Post -- The point has been made here repeatedly. These aren’t your fights from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s or ’80s. Fighters today are massive, weight-trained punchers who do damage with every blow to the head they land.

And, far more often than not, today’s fighters are designated to play that role, whereas in the old days — the days that established the NHL’s so-called tradition and, ugh, code — the best players in the league invariably were the ones to drop their gloves.

Let’s be honest here: It is not called the Donald Brashear Hat Trick.

It simply is intellectually dishonest to claim commitment to reducing the number of concussions in hockey by legislating against checks to the head while blithely permitting players to punch each other in the head. The brain does not necessarily distinguish between punishments absorbed.

What do you think of the call to ban fighting in the NHL? Former UND All-American forward Zach Parise thinks that fighting has a place in the game of hockey and I have to agree with him.

“A lot of times it keeps everything in check,” the Wild’s Zach Parise said. “You can’t just run around and know you’re being protected by the rules and protected by the officials.” [Mike Russo, Star Tribune]

I agree with Zach. I am going to say that Parise is one of the players that would probably face a lot of more scrutiny if the NHL got rid of fighting. Without that deterrent, star players would face more targeted violence from the "Rats" in the NHL.

NHL Hockey: Time to drop the puck

A little humor to put you in the mood before the season begins.

NHL Hockey: Phil Kessel to re-sign with the Leafs?

It appears that former Boston Bruins and Minnesota Gopher forward Phil Kessel is close to re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. If Kessel had waited till next summer, he would’ve been a hot commodity on the open free agent market.

Getting a sense Phil Kessel's contract extension in TOR could get done as early as Tues. Leafs and Kessel's agents working towards that.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 1, 2013

But no one has confirmed it's done yet. So we'll see. If it's done, I would expect it'll be $8M per year, give or take $500K, for 7 or 8 yrs

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 1, 2013

Neither Leafs nor Newport Sports (Kessel's agent) is commenting on extension speculation, however, sense is there will be news tomorrow.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 1, 2013

NHL Hockey: Salary Cap Could Rise to $80 million in next four years

After reading this, here, here, and here, I must wonder, what the hell did we have a lockout for? We lost 34 games last season to hear that eventually that the cap will be right back up to 80 million dollars. I don’t think that anyone doubt the source either, Elliotte Freidman is dialed in.

TheScore.com—The NHL's salary cap could go up to $80 million within the next four years, according to Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports.

Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The Fan's "Prime Time Sports", Friedman said some within the sport expect the cap to rise to that level prior to the 2017-18 NHL season.

The salary cap currently sits at $64.3 million heading into the 2013-14 season, a factor that has caused the NHL free agent market to slow down since the initial rush back in July.

Does this make anyone else upset? I am not real happy after reading this, the beginning of last winter was miserable without the NHL. If the salary cap rises to 80 million over the next four years it will also allow teams to balloon their payrolls again. This basically means that the NHL is going to be right back where they were before the Lockout.

Is the Canadian Medical Association Part of the Anti-Fighting Cabal?

Bruins vs. Devils 2/13/09 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ Zdeno Chára is a Slovakian professional ice hockey defenceman and team captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While I reading this article, as a matter of fact, I was rolling my eyes. Where do you even begin with this one? You might as well just go ahead and take hitting out of hockey as well. Or better yet, why not just go ahead and just ban hockey?

Andre Picard, Globe and Mail – Canada’s doctors are delivering a body blow to National Hockey League owners, saying they are too accepting of violence in the sport.

Delegates to the Canadian Medical Association annual meeting on Wednesday voted to “condemn the complacency” of NHL owners.

“The owners have a financial interest in tolerating and promoting violence and we need to be a counterweight,” Dr. Pierre Harvey, a physician from Rivière-du-Loup, Que., told the gathering.

He pointed specifically to an infamous incident from March 2011, when Montreal Canadiens player Max Pacioretty suffered a fractured neck and concussion after a violent hit from Boston Bruins player Zdeno Chara.

Dr. Harvey said it is clear that hockey is a rough game but what doctors object to is violence like blows to the head and hits from behind that lead to serious injuries like concussions and spinal cord injuries.

Seriously, where do these people get off? Hockey is an escape from the reality, for many people, including me. Now we have the Canadian Medical Association acting the National Hockey League. Yikes! This isn’t going to play out well in Canada.

Also, MMA is one of the most popular sports in North America; there is no way that it’s going to be banned. I wish some of the pointed headed experts would keep their noses out of our business. We live in a gladiator society and demand our sports; we don’t need the nanny state getting in the way.

Former Sioux Toews: 'Naive' to think PEDs aren't in NHL

English: Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews during warm up prior to a National Hockey League playoff game against the Calgary Flames, in Calgary. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I found this article in the Chicago Tribune and I think it brings up an interesting point. I have often wondered if NHL players are using PEDS as well. With the trouble that Major League Baseball is currently happening, it’s only a matter of time before the finger will be pointed at the National Hockey League. Thoughts?

Sports Xchange --- Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews told Toronto radio station Sportsnet 590 The Fan this week that it is "naive" to think that performance-enhancing drugs are not being used by NHL players.

"I think it would be naive to say that there's no one in the NHL that is trying to get the edge in that fashion," he said. "But at the end of the day, whether you get caught now or not, down the road at some point those sort of things come out as we've seen in Major League Baseball and cycling. v

"Eventually ... someone is going to save their own butt and throw you under the bus. And that's your legacy. That's what people remember: that you're a cheater and you took performance-enhancing drugs.

Tuesday at the Links

UND Hockey: Remembering the ‘Old Ralph’ Engelstad Arena [Click to view]

NDSU Football: NDSU player Beck pleads guilty in resisting charge, wants to 'put this behind him,' says lawyer [Click to view]

MEN'S HOCKEY: UND to have hockey TV show this season [Click to view]

Former UND hockey players Tim Skarperud wins Grand Forks men's all-city golf tournament [Click to view]

Should the NHL ditch their “loser point” system? [Click to view]

Hackel: NHL still wrestling with expanded video replay [Click to view]

Shooter: Wild could leave Minnesota?

Over on Kukla’s Korner, there was a blog post this morning making reference to a report that the Minnesota Wild could be leaving Minnesota. Of course, the story was written by Charley Walters, aka. Shooter. If you go to the story, it appears to that the article has already been edited, because if you go the link you will not see the article text that is mention in this blog post... WTF? Hum, interesting.

Reports are out that the Minnesota Wild have recorded a $30 Million loss this past season; according to Charley Walters of TwinCities.com out of St. Paul.

Is the State of Hockey at risk of losing their second National Hockey League Franchise?

It has been 20 years, nearly to the day, that the Minnesota North Stars packed up and moved to the sunbelt and became the Dallas Stars; and low attendance and lost revenue during seasons where the team did not play up to the standards of their fan base.

The NHL granted Minnesota the Wild in the 2000-01 Season (though announced back in 1997 that the team would be part of the expansion); and after finally making the playoffs this season after not qualifying for the past four seasons. The lockout may be in part to blame for the $30 Million loss this past season. If the season had started on time than there would have been more revenue generated – but also more money paid out to employees’ and game day crew. Another hit to the books for the Wild would be the $10 Million bonuses’ for each Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The two big ticket UFA’s from last summer where each awarded a lockout proof bonus.

A short term financial fall has hit the State of Hockey: the questions that remain to be answered is if it is just a case of spending money to make money or if this hit is just the start of a financial mess with economic down times across the country? or may Minnesota lose another NHL franchise in the coming years? Time can only reveal the answers to these questions.

The Candiens sign Michael McCarron

Also, from the developing news department, the Montreal Canadiens have signed their first round draft choice Michael McCarron to a three year entry level deal, meaning he will forgo his college eligibility and play with the London Knights of the OHL. So, the NCAA vs. CHL debate will heat up even more with this defection. This also means that there were no college hockey recruits selected in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Level Draft.

MONTREAL (July 11, 2013) – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced today the signing of forward Michael McCarron to a three-year contract (2013-14 to 2015-16).

In 55 games with the USHL’s US National Development Team in 2012-13, McCarron, 18, collected 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists). Six of his goals were scored on the powerplay and he tallied two winning goals. He led his team with 180 penalty minutes and maintained a +6 plus/minus differential.

The 6-foot-5, 237-pound right winger added five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in seven contests with Team USA at the 2013 IIHF U18 World Championship held last April in Sochi, Russia.

A native of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, McCarron was selected in the first round, 25th overall by the Canadiens at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He took part in his first Canadiens’ development camp last week

From the Hockey Writers

The London Knights are run the former NHL player’s Dale and Mark Hunter and in the past they’ve been pretty successful getting top American hockey players to decommit from their college commitments, to go play junior hockey for the London Knights. Last season, the Knights had two former NCAA players and a former NCAA recruit on their roster (Dakota Mermis, Anthony Stolarz, Alex Broadhurst).

This is a big loss for the Western Michigan Broncos.

Tuesday at the Links… Fore

Matt Cooke & Pascal Dupuis celebrate OT Goal (Photo credit: wstera2)

My friend Cornelius Hardenbergh from Stanley Cup of Chowder has an interesting and thought provoking piece on Matt Cooke wanting to wear Derek Boogaard’s number 24.  Matt Cooke's Legacy: Graverobber?

Sounds like Matt Cooke has been given the blessing to wear Derek Boogaard’s number by the Boogaard family. Matt Cooke gets blessing of Boogaards to wear 24…[Russo’s Rant’s]

After signing with Minnesota, veteran Matt Cooke still trying to shed rough-stuff reputation [Start Tribune]

Former Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck signed a four year deal worth 11 million dollars. That’s 2.75 million a year for Clutterbuck. [New Yorks Islanders]

Here are some possible selections for the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2013; Brendan Shanahan, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Chelios, Pat Burns, Eric Lindros [Globe and Mail]

There are not many former WCHA or college hockey players on the Minnesota Wild’s Development Camp Roster. There’s a grand total of seven. Also on the roster is former Fighting Sioux hockey recruit Miles Koules. [Click to view]

Apparently, Devin Setoguchi found out that he had been traded to Winnipeg Jets from Zenon Konopka while he was in Mexico. [Illegal Curve]

Related articles

• Cooke seeks Derek Boogaard's parents' blessing to wear late son's number (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Dear Minnesota, Please Give Matt Cooke a Chance (thehockeywriters.com)
• Minnesota Wild fans react to the Matt Cooke Signing... (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Minnesota Wild: Breaking down Matt Cooke's Suspension History (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• There is no way of sugar coating it the Wild's Matt Cooke is a P.O.S. (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Updated Free Agent Moves....

Jul 8 Matsumoto, Jon C San Jose, Florida, n/a 1 n/a
Jul 8 Gilroy, Matt D NY Rangers, Florida, n/a, 1 n/a
Jul 8 Mueller, Chris C Nashville, Dallas, n/a 1, n/a
Jul 8 Strachan, Tyson D Florida, Washington, n/a, n/a, n/a
Jul 8 Corvo, Joe D Carolina, Ottawa, $900K, 1 $900K
Jul 8 Yonkman, Nolan D Florida, Anaheim, $600K, 1 $600K

Pretty light day on the free agent front so far.

Goon the Magnificent Carnac: Ballard to the Wild

Back in May I was suggesting that the Minnesota Wild pick up Keith Ballard and yesterday the former Gopher defenseman was signed by the Minnesota Wild. Also, two players that I wanted to see gone from the Wild roster are no longer here.  I am thinking, I need to go out and buy a lottery ticket this weekend. Below is what I wrote...

Based on what I have seen during the past season, I would say that the Minnesota Wild are challenged defensively, after the first defensive pairing of Ryan Suter and Jonas Brodin, the Wild are thin on defense and need some help.

Granted, Jared Spurgeon is a great up and coming offensive defenseman and Marco Scandella proved to be a nice surprise during the Wild's short playoff run. After that, Justin Falk proved that he's a defensive liability and at times look like a big green road cone. Former Badgers defenseman Tom Gilbert looked to have taken a step back this past season and I was unimpressed with his play as well because he was a defensive liability.

In my opinion, the Minnesota Wild could use a solid stay-at-home defenseman or two. Former Minnesota Defenseman Keith Ballard "could" be a candidate for an amnesty buyout in Vancouver and might be available to come to the Minnesota Wild at a reduced rate.

I know people get lucky sometimes but here is what I submitted for the season grades for Tom Gilbert and funny how things worked out for the Minnesota Wild.

Tom Gilbert: D

The former Wisconsin Badger Tom Gilbert is an utter disappointment in my opinion, that Wild are being cheated, he’s not worth the money he’s being paid. Gilbert is being paid a hefty four million a year to be a turnover factory and an unimpressive top-six defenseman. If I was a general manager for a day, he would be the first Wild player out of Minnesota; Justin Falk would be number two. The Wild should consider his four million dollar contract for an Amnesty buyout this summer as well. If they Wild could trade him for a bag of wood hockey sticks I would urge them to consider the deal. One positive is that he can’t play any worse than he did this season. Nowhere to go but up for Gilbert, I don’t think he can play any worse. Looking at the stats, in the plus/minus department, -11 is brutal.

Updated: Free agent frenzy has begun…

DATE	NAME	POS	FROM	TO	Total	Years	Avg/Yr
								Jul 5	Weber, Yannick	D	Montreal	Vancouver	$650K	1	$650K
Jul 5	Nystrom, Eric	LW	Dallas	Nashville	$10M	4	$2.5M
Jul 5	Khudobin, Anton	G	Boston	Carolina	$800K	1	$800K
Jul 5	Filppula, Valtteri	LW	Detroit	Tampa Bay	$25M	5	$5M
Jul 5	Ellis, Dan	G	Carolina	Dallas	$1.8M	2	$900K
Jul 5	Hendricks, Matt	LW	Washington	Nashville	$7.4M	4	$1.85M
Jul 5	Weiss, Stephen	C	Florida	Detroit	$24.5M	5	$4.9M
Jul 5	Guenin, Nate	D	Anaheim	Colorado	$600K	1	$600K
Jul 5	Cullen, Matt	C	Minnesota	Nashville	$7M	2	$3.5M
Jul 5	Stalberg, Viktor	LW	Chicago	Nashville	$12M	4	$3M
Jul 5	Clarkson, David	RW	New Jersey	Toronto	$36.75M	7	$5.25M
Jul 5	Bozak, Tyler	C	Toronto	Toronto	$21M	5	$4.2M
Jul 5	Rozsival, Michal	D	Chicago	Chicago	n/a	2	n/a
Jul 5	Aucoin, Keith	C	NY Islanders	St. Louis	$625K	1	$625K
Jul 5	Mottau, Mike	D	Toronto	Florida	n/a	1	n/a
Jul 5	Danis, Yann	G	Edmonton	Philadelphia	n/a	1	n/a
Jul 5	Joensuu, Jesse	LW	NY Islanders	Edmonton	n/a	2	n/a
Jul 5	Hannan, Scott	D	San Jose	San Jose	$1M	1	$1M
Jul 5	MacArthur, Clarke	LW	Toronto	Ottawa	$6.5M	2	$3.25M
Jul 5	Scuderi, Rob	D	Los Angeles	Pittsburgh	$13.5M	4	$3.375M
Jul 5	Clowe, Ryane	LW	NY Rangers	New Jersey	$24.25M	5	$4.85M
Jul 5	Horton, Nathan	RW	Boston	Columbus	$37.1M	7	$5.3M
Jul 5	Bouchard, Pierre-Marc	RW	Minnesota	NY Islanders	$2M	1	$2M
Jul 5	Labarbera, Jason	G	Phoenix	Edmonton	$1M	1	$1M
Jul 5	Ribeiro, Mike	C	Washington	Phoenix	$22M	4	$5.5M
Jul 5	Benoit, Andre	D	Ottawa	Colorado	$900K	1	$900K
Jul 5	Gordon, Boyd	C	Phoenix	Edmonton	$9M	3	$3M
Jul 5	Handzus, Michal	C	Chicago	Chicago	$1M	1	$1M
Jul 5	Komisarek, Mike	D	Toronto	Carolina	$700K	1	$700K
Jul 5	Greiss, Thomas	G	San Jose	Phoenix	n/a	1	n/a

First off, in what world is Victor Stalberg worth 3 million dollars a year? Nice to see nothing has changed and teams are still over paying free agent players.

Tyler Bozak gets a pretty big deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The State of Hockey Loses Matt Cullen, not a big shock to Wild fans, but tough to see him go.

The Boston Bruins are going to be looking for a new back-up goalie.

Is the NHL closer to sending its players to 2014 Sochi Olympics?

100 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let’s hope that they can get it done soon that will send the NHL players to the 2014 Olympic games in Sochi, Russia. It does sound like a deal is very close.

NEW YORK — NHL players are just a slap shot away from returning to the Olympics next year.

While a deal hasn't been reached yet between the NHL, the union and the International Ice Hockey Federation, to send the league's players to Sochi, a long meeting Monday pushed the sides much closer to an agreement.

"Things are moving along," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

Bettman, union leader Donald Fehr and IIHF President Rene Fasel met for more than five hours Monday at league headquarters to work on a deal that would allow NHL players to compete at the 2014 games in Russia. This would be the fifth Olympics for the NHL.

Not everything has been agreed to and the various sides need to meet internally to sign off on any pact. Still, Bettman called Monday's session a "constructive meeting," adding there are still "some I's to dot and T's to cross."

"I think it's fair to say that we're not quite ready to announce it's done," Bettman said.

63 College hockey players drafted during 2013 NHL Draft

There were 63 players connected to college hockey that were selected during the 2013 NHL Entry Level Draft.

Rd. 5 Overall Team First Name Last Name 2012-13 Team College

1. 25 MTL Michael McCarron, US NTDP, Western Michigan

2. 31 FLA: Ian McCoshen, Waterloo (USHL), Boston College

2. 35 BUF J.T. Compher, US NTDP, Michigan

2. 38 BUF Connor Hurley, Edina HS, Notre Dame

2. 42 NJ Steven Santini, US NTDP, Boston College

2. 46 MIN Gustav Olofsson, Green Bay (USHL), Colorado College

2. 47 STL Thomas Vannelli, Minnetonka HS, Minnesota

2. 61 WSH Sanford Zach, Islanders (EJHL), Boston College

3. 65 NYR Adam Tambellini, Surrey (BCHL), North Dakota

3. 66 CAR Brett Pesce, New Hampshire, New Hampshire

3. 70 NYI Eamon McAdam, Waterloo (USHL), Penn State

3. 74 CHI John Hayden, US NTDP, Yale

3. 76 NYI Taylor Cammarata, Waterloo (USHL), Minnesota

3. 77 PIT Jake Guentzel, Sioux City (USHL), Nebraska-Omaha

3. 87 ANA Keaton Thompson, US NTDP, North Dakota

4. 92 FLA Evan Cowley, Wichita Falls, (NAHL) Denver

4. 97 FLA, Michael Downing, Dubuque, (USHL), Michigan

4. 98 FLA Matt Buckles, St. Michael's (OJHL), Cornell

4. 100 NJ Miles Wood, Noble's (PREP), Brown

4. 104 WPG Andrew Copp, Michigan, Michigan

4. 106 NYI Stephon Williams, Minnesota State, Minnesota State

4. 109 DET David Pope, West Kelowna (BCHL), Nebraska-Omaha

4. 113 EDM Aidan Muir, Victory Honda (MWEHL), Western Michigan

4. 118 LA Hudson Fasching, US NTDP, Minnesota

4. 119 PIT Ryan Segalla, Salisbury, Connecticut

4. 120 BOS Ryan Fitzgerald, Valley (EJHL), Boston College

4. 121 CHI Tyler Motte, US NTDP, Michigan

5. 123 COL Will Butcher, US NTDP, Denver

5. 127 WPG Tucker Poolman, Omaha (USHL), North Dakota

5. 128 EDM Evan Campbell, Langley (BCHL), UMass Lowell

5. 129 BUF Cal Petersen Waterloo, (USHL), Notre Dame

5. 132 PHI Terrance Amorosa, Holderness (PREP), Undecided

5. 133 PHX Connor Clifton US NTDP Quinnipiac

5. 134 CHI Luke Johnson, Lincoln (USHL), North Dakota

5. 137 MIN Carson Soucy, Spruce Grove (AJHL), Minnesota Duluth

5. 140 NSH Teemu Kivihalme, Burnsville HS, Colorado College

5. 141 SJ Michael Brodzinski, Muskegon (USHL), Minnesota

5. 143 BUF Anthony Florentino, South Kent (PREP), Providence

5. 144 WSH Blake Heinrich, Sioux City (USHL), Minnesota Duluth

5. 147 ANA Grant Besse, Benilde-St. Margaret's HS, Wisconsin

5. 148 LA Jonny Brodzinski, St. Cloud State St., Cloud State

5. 150 BOS Wiley Sherman, Hotchkiss (PREP), Harvard

5. 151 SJ Gage Ausmus, US NTDP, North Dakota

6. 153 COL Ben Storm, Muskegon (USHL), St. Cloud State

6. 157 CGY Tim Harrison, Dexter (PREP), Colgate

6. 159 BUF Sean Malone, US NTDP, Harvard

6. 161 OTT Chris Leblanc, South Shore (EJHL), Merrimack

6. 162 PHI Merrick Madsen, Proctor (PREP), Harvard

6. 164 PIT Dane Birks, Merritt (BCHL), Michigan Tech

6. 167 MIN Avery Peterson, Grand Rapids, HS Undecided

6. 168 OTT Quentin Shore, Denver, Denver

6. 174 WSH Brian Pinho, St. John's (PREP), Providence

6. 175 VAN Mike Williamson, Spruce Grove (AJHL), Penn State

6. 179 PIT Blaine Byron, Smiths Falls (CCHL), Maine

6. 181 CHI Anthony Louis, US NTDP, Miami

7. 185 NSH Wade Murphy, Penticton (BCHL), North Dakota

7. 192 PHI David Drake, Des Moines (USHL), Undecided

7. 193 PHX Jedd Soleway, Penticton (BCHL), Wisconsin

7. 195 CBJ Peter Quenneville, Dubuque (USHL), Quinnipiac

7. 197 MIN Nolan De Jong, Victoria (BCHL), Michigan

7. 198 CGY John Gilmour, Providence, Providence

7. 201 SJ Jacob Jackson, Tartan HS, Michigan Tech

7. 209 PIT Troy Josephs, St. Michael's (OJHL), Clarkson

s/t USCHO.COM and College Hockey Inc.

NHL plans to "overdo" the outdoor game experience

Wow! Just for the record, I do think overdo is appropriate word in this case by definition. Per the dictionary - overdo to do too much, or to excess Remember when one outdoor game a season used to be sufficient? Now there is going to be two games alone at Yankee Stadium and the Rangers are going to play in two of the games in one season.

Pat Leonard, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – The Bronx is freezing.

The NHL is planning an outdoor Stadium Series for next season headlined by two Rangers games at Yankee Stadium, one against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 26 and another against the Islanders on Jan. 29, the Daily News has confirmed.

TSN first reported the planned series, which is not yet contractually finalized but would include six outdoor games total, beginning with the Jan. 1 Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.

I am not really a fan of the outdoor game. But like a good car accident, I like to take look. I can imagine that beer sales will be very good for the two game event. I mean what next? Do we have a block of 10 outdoor games?

EDIT: Sharks' Torres Scheduled for hearing for hit on Kings' Jarrett Stoll

EDIT: I don't know... Raffi Torres doesn't leave his feet, he keeps his elbow in and he attempts to hit him in the torso, I think this call is based on reputation. Just for the record, I am not a Sharks fan by any stretch, I think the Chris Kelly elbow on James van Riemsdyk was worse and there wasn't a suspension for that hit. I am not saying that Torres doesn't deserve a suspension, but in this case I think the league is piling on and is going to make an example out of Torres like they did with Matt Cooke.

@goon48 25 games last yr for hit on hossa - same hit. he has a request for an in person hearing. minimum 5 games as such.
— HiMaui (@HiMaui) May 15, 2013

Based on his past history, you have to guess this hearing won’t end well for Sharks' forward Raffi Torres. In looking at the hit, while it's a hit to the head, and I can see a game or two suspension for this hit, I have seen worse hits not get scrutiny, this past season. I don't think that this hit is worthy of a big-time suspension. The fact that the hearing is in-person means that the suspension could be five game suspenior longer for this hit.

TSN.CA STAFF -- San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing for his hit on Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 on Tuesday.

The league has offered an in-person hearing, meaning Torres could be suspended for five or more games.

Just for the record, I am no way an apologist for Raffi Torres, but I at like to see the Wheel of Justice spin equally for all involved. I am wondering what others think of this hit. Is the league going to throw the book at Torres?

UPDATED: Former College Hockey Players in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs (5/14/2013)

Here is the list of NHL hockey players that are currently playing in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffsthat have played college hockey (Division I & III).

The players are listed by their NHL team. These are players that have played in at least “one” Stanley Cup Playoff game during in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I have also listed their point totals as well.

This list doesn’t include players that are currently injured or that on their teams roster, but haven’t played at least one Stanley Cup Playoff games yet.  I will update the list weekly.

Former Wisconsin Badgers forward Joe Pavelski, leads all former college hockey players with (4g-4a—8pts). What’s impressive is that he did this in only four games.

Anaheim Ducks (Eliminated 4-3 by the Detroit Red Wings)

Kyle Palmieri, F, Notre Dame, 7GP, (3g-2a—5pts)

Nick Bonino, F, Boston University, 7GP, (3g-1a—4pts)

Andrew Cogliano, F, University of Michigan, 7GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Ben Lovejoy, D, Dartmouth, 7GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

David Steckel, F, Ohio State, 7GP, (1g-1a—2pts)

Daniel Winnik, F, New Hampshire, 7GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Boston Bruins

Richard Peverley, F, St. Lawrence University, 5 GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Matt Bartkowski, D, Ohio State, 2GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Sharp, F, Vermont, 5GP, (5g-1a—6pts)

Duncan Keith, D, Michigan State, 5GP, (1g-4a—5pts)

Jonathon Toews,F,  North Dakota, 5GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

Victor Stalberg, F, Vermont, 5GP, (0G-1A—1pts)

Nick Leddy, D, Minnesota, 5GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Brandon Bollig, F, St. Lawrence, 3GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Detroit Red Wings

Brendan Smith, F, Wisconsin, 7GP, (1g-1a—2pts)

Gustav Nyquist, F, Maine, 7GP, (1g-1a—2pts)

Patrick Eaves, F, Boston College, 6GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Justin Abdelkader, F, Michigan State, 5GP, (2g-1a—3pts)

Danny Dekeyser, D, Western Michigan, 2GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Jimmy Howard, G, Maine, 4-3, .911 SV%, 2.65 GAA

LA Kings

Alec Martinez, D, Miami, 4Gp, (0g-2a—2tps)

Dustin Penner, F, Maine, 4GP, (2g-0a—2pts)

Rob Scuderi, D, Boston College, 6GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Jonathan Quick, UMass, 6GP, 4-2, .944 SV% 1.58 GAA

Minnesota Wild (Eliminated 4-1 by the Blackhawks)

Matt Cullen, F, St. Cloud, 5GP, (0g-3a—3pts)

Jason Zucker, F, Denver, 5GP, (1g-1a—2pts)

Charlie Coyle, F, Boston University, 5GP, (0a-2a—2pts)

Zach Parise, F, North Dakota, 5GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Torrey Mitchell, F, Vermont, 5GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Tom Gilbert, D, Wisconsin, 5GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Ryan Suter, D, Wisconsin, 5GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Montreal Canadiens (Eliminated 4-1 by the Senators)

Rene Bourque, F, Wisconsin, 5GP, (2g-1a—3pts)

Brian Gionta, F, Boston College, 2GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Jeff Halpern, F, Princeton University, 3GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Max Pacioretty, F, Michigan, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

New York Islanders (Eliminated 4-2 by the Penguins)

Kyle Okposo, F, Minnesota, 6GP, (3g-1a—4pts)

Matt Moulson, F, Cornell, 6GP, (2g-1a—3pts)

Colin McDonald, F, Providence, 6GP, (3g-1a—3pts)

Keith Aucoin, F, Norwich University, 6GP, (0a-3a—3pts)

Brad Strait, D, Boston University, 6GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Marty Reasoner, F, Boston College, 1GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Brock Nelson, F, North Dakota, 1GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

New York Rangers

Carl Hagelin, F, Michigan, 7GP, (2g-2a—4pts)

Brian Boyle, F, Boston College, 6GP, (2g-1a—3pts)

Derek Stepan, F, Wisconsin, 7GP, (2g-0a—2pts)

Ryan McDonagh, D, Wisconsin, 7GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Darroll Powe, F, Princeton, 3GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Chris Kreider, F, Boston College, 3 GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Ottawa Senators

Kyle Turris, F, Wisconsin, 5 GP, (3g-2a—5pts)

Erik Condra, F, Notre Dame, 5GP, (1g-3a—4pts)

Cory Conacher, F, Canisius College 4GP, (3g-0a—3pts)

Eric Gryba, D, Boston University, 3Gp, (0g-0a—0pts)

Patrick Wiercioch, D, Denver, 1GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Pittsburgh Penguins

Chris Kunitz, F, Ferris State, 6Gp, (2g-a—5pts)

Paul Martin, D, Minnesota, 6GP, (1g-5a—6pts)

Mark Eaton, D, Notre Dame, 4GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

Douglas Murray, D, Cornell, 6GP, (2g-0a—2pts)

Craig Adams, F, Harvard, 6GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Tanner Glass, F, Dartmouth, 4GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Beau Bennett, F, Denver, 3GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Matt Niskanen, D, Duluth, 6GP, (0g-1a—1pts)
Brooks Orpik, D, Boston College, 4GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

San Jose Sharks

Joe Pavelski, F, Wisconsin, 4GP, (4g-4a—8pts)

Dan Boyle, D, Miami, 4GP, (1g-3a—4pts)

Tommy Wingels, F, Miami, 4GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

Justin Braun, D, UMass, 4GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Matt Irwin, D, UMass, 4GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Tim Kennedy, F, Michigan State, 1GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Adam Burish, F, Wisconsin, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

T.J. Galiardi, F, Dartmouth, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

St. Louis Blues (Eliminated 4-2 by the L.A. King)

David Backes, F, Minnesota State, 6GP, (1g-2a—3pts)

T.J. Oshie, F, North Dakota, 4GP, (2g-0a—2pts)

Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Boston University, 6GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

Chris Porter, F, North Dakota, 6GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Jaden Schwartz, F, Colorado College, 6GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Jordan Leopold, D, Minnesota, 6GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Andy McDonald, D, Colgate, 6GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Brian Elliott, G, Wisconsin, 6GP, 2-4, .919 SV% 1.90

Toronto Maple Leafs (Eliminated 4-3 by the Boston Bruins)

James Van Riemsdyk, F, New Hampshire, 7GP, (2g-5a—7pts)

Phil Kessel, F, Minnesota, 7GP, (4g-2a—6pts)

Jake Gardiner, D, Wisconsin, 6GP, (1g-4a—5pts)

Matt Frattin, F, North Dakota, 6GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

Tyler Bozak, F, Denver, 5GP, (0g-2a—2pts)

John-Michael Liles, D, Michigan State, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Ryan O’Byrne, D, Cornell, 6GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Michael Kostka, D, UMass, 1GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Joe Colborne, F, Denver, 2GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Vancouver Canucks (Eliminated 4-0 by the Sharks)

Ryan Kessler, F, Ohio State, 4GP, (2g-0a—2pts)

Kevin Bieksa, D, Bowling Green, 4GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Andrew Alberts, D, Boston College, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Chris Higgins, F, Yale, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Mason Raymond, F, Duluth, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Andrew Ebbett, F, Michigan, 2GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Jason Garrison, D, Duluth, 4GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Cory Schneider, G, Boston College, 2GP, 0-2, .880 SV%, 4.62 GAA

Washington Capitals (Eliminated 4-3 by the New York Rangers)

Jay Beagle, F, Anchorage, 7GP, (1g-0a—1pts)

Jack Hillen, F, Colorado College, 7GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Steven Oleksy, D, Lake Superior State, 7GP, (0g-1a—1pts)

Matt Hendricks, F, Saint Cloud, 7GP, (0g-0a—0pts)

Cross-Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.