USA Hockey: Campus calling

Here's a good read about US college hockey and the percentage of former college hockey players that end up in the NHL.  

Ryan O'Leary Campus Calling -- Once seen as an “also ran” when compared to other NHL feeder systems (the CHL and Europe to be specific), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey, whose season starts up this month, is becoming a premier destination for young hockey talent and one of the largest pipelines directly to the pro ranks.

According to College Hockey Inc., a record 305-college alum played in the NHL during the 2013-14 season – equating to 31% of league personnel. That’s 11% more former NCAA players in the NHL compared to the year 2000.

The recently held 2014 NHL Entry Draft featured 65 U.S. born players, the most since 1991 (67), of which 47 are currently playing NCAA Hockey or are committed to play at a college or university in the future.

In fact, College Hockey Inc. reports that NHL Drafts have featured at least 60 current or future college players for 13 years consecutively.

CTV News: Gary Bettman won't apologize for NHL lockouts during his tenure

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This is an interesting article about NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman. Apparently, he's not going to apologize for the NHL's previous lockouts. Personally, I have always thought that Bettman is an unlikable figure that gets booed in almost every NHL city that he shows up in. That being said, if the owners didn't want him, he would have been gone already.

Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press -- Gary Bettman was walking down a Toronto street recently when a fan approached him.

"Some guy walks up to me and says, 'I really don't like you,"' the NHL commissioner recalled. "And I said, 'But you don't know me.' And he says, 'Yeah but I don't like work stoppages, and I go, 'Well neither do I, so we have that in common."'

Bettman will forever take a popularity hit for three lockouts during his tenure, but he won't apologize for them. Ten years after the league ground to a halt and the 2004-05 season was cancelled, he maintains it was necessary for the health of the sport.

NHL proactive about off-ice conduct, Gary Bettman says.

Pointing to the '04 Stanley Cup final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames in which the team to score the first goal won each game of the series and contrasting that with the 2013 playoffs and its unpredictability, Bettman believes the on-ice product is better than ever.

To get to this point, though, Bettman said implementing the salary cap -- which came out of the 2004-05 lockout -- was essential.

"We had teams with 80-, 90 million-dollar payrolls and we had teams with 20-million-dollar payrolls," Bettman said at a recent Canadian Club luncheon. "And I would talk to the managers and coaches of the 20-million-dollar teams and go, 'How are you doing this?' And they would say to me, to a man, 'We clutch, we grab, we hook, we hold and we do everything possible to neutralize skill for 50 minutes and then we try to steal the game.'

San Jose Sharks Pugilist Scott Adds Security

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According to CapGeek.com, former Michigan Tech Husky defenseman John Scott is paid $700,000.00 a year to skate around the ice and beat people up. Scott plays an average of 6.44 minutes a game. Other than fighting abilities, Scott has no other hockey talents. His Corsi numbers aren't that good either. That’s quite the racket.

Kevin Kurz, CSCNBAYAREA.COM --"It was just one of those things. He hit my guy, I didn’t really care for it,” Scott said. “I gave him a little nudge. He slashed me and I kind of went after him. Cooler heads prevailed, and we went our separate ways.”

Todd McLellan said: “I thought it was a really good moment for our team. Taylor finished a teammate really hard and John stepped in. He let everybody know what his job was. Taylor responded well. We didn’t need to wound or injure anybody. They handled it very well, and we moved on.”

Scott's role is clearly defined. He’s not going to play every night, and even when he’s in the lineup, his minutes will likely be limited. In 56 games with Buffalo last season, Scott had one goal and 125 penalty minutes – including five fights – while playing just 6:45 per game.

Sounds like the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, Todd McLellan has said that Scott is going to be an insurance policy, or extra security. I wonder if Scott will be in uniform when the Leafs and Sharks play?

Penguins Unveil New Third Jersey

Looking at these jersey's I am having flashbacks of the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs finals where the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Minnesota North Stars four games to two, to win the Stanley Cup. The Penguins will wear their new third jersey 12 times this season.

UND Hockey: 25 Former UND hockey Players on NHL Training Camp Rosters

The list has been updated, there were a few omissions.

Arizona Coyotes: Matt Smaby, Buffalo Sabres: Drew Stafford (A); Calgary Flames: Corban Knight; Carolina Hurricanes: Brad Malone; Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews (C); Edmonton Oilers: Dillon Simpson; Florida Panthers: Rocco Grimaldi; Los Angeles Kings: Derek Forbort, Matt Greene (A); Minnesota Wild: Zach Parise (A); Montreal Canadiens: Joe Finley; Nashville Bredators: Brian Lee; New Jersey Devils Darcy Zajac, Travis Zajac (A); New York Rangers: Danny Kristo; Philadelphia Flyers: Brett Hextall, Chris Vande Velde; Pittsburgh Penguins: Taylor Chorney; San Jose Sharks: Aaron Dell, Evan Trupp; St. Louis Blues: T.J. Oshie (A); Chris Porter; Toronto Maple Leafs: Matt Frattin, Andrew MacWilliam.

Currently, UND has six players wearing letters.

Some have mentioned that Adam Tambellini is in camp with the New York Rangers. Personally, I could care less. Tambo left the team and his teammates halfway through his first season to go to the WHL, so in my opinion, he’s a Calgary Hitman. It is what it is.

NHL Might Not Publish Offenders Names

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According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, the NHL might not publish the names of the offending divers. Sounds like this is a work in progress so far. I say embarrass the divers, make their names public. Let's have a weekly report exposing the frauds that dive up and down the ice.

DIVE RIGHT IN

Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, told the Daily News via email on Friday that the NHL’s new fines for players and coaches for excessive diving will be determined after each game by video review, regardless of the call on the ice. In other words, just because a player isn’t called for embellishment in a game doesn’t mean the league can’t charge him for it later. The NHL hasn’t determined whether it will publicize its decisions, Daly said.

I am serious about this, college and professional hockey have a problem with players that embellish calls to draw a penalty. It's time to expose the fraudsthat flail all over the ice and act like soccer players. Diving cheapens the game and is a form of cheating.

NHL Bans the Spin-o-rama

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The NHL has banned the spin-o-rama. I think this is actually a good rule. Thoughts. Here's what former NHL official Paul Stewart has this to say on his blog.

Paul Stewart, Hockey Buzz -- Rule 24 – Penalty Shot The 'Spin-O-Rama' move, as described in Section 24.2 of the 2013-14 NHL Rule Book, will no longer be permitted either in Penalty Shot situations or in the Shootout.

There is a longstanding rule about not a shooter being allowed to move the puck backwards in such situations. As such, there is a justification for declaring the spin-o-rama illegal in penalty shots and shootouts.

From a broader perspective, however, isn't the supposed purpose of the shootout for added entertainment value to decide regular season games in lieu of ties? There's a slippery slope here in banning a certain move.

My question is this: How many people were actually clamoring for this new rule in the first place, apart from some goaltenders and coaches of teams that scored upon on a penalty shot or shootout? I know plenty of traditionalists who argue to this day that the shootout itself should be scrapped. By comparison, what's the population of shootout enthusiasts who were pushing for a spin-o-rama ban?

From Sportsnet.CA

In shootouts, coaches no longer have to submit a list of their first three shooters. Players are also no longer able to do a "spin-o-rama" on penalty shots or in a shootout.

Mike Yeo: Wild starting job in goal wide open

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As we make our way towards the NHL season there's more hockey news starting to emerge. The Wild are going to have a stable of goalies this season. According to Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo, the position is wide open.

NHL Insider -- The Minnesota Wild will enter training camp next month with three goaltenders, Josh Harding, Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper, competing for the starting job. Wild coach Mike Yeo said each will have a chance to win the No. 1 job.

"I have to say we're kind of open right now, to be honest with you," Yeo told Michael Russo of the Star Tribune on Wednesday during an appearance at the Minnesota State Fair. "We're going to have some scrimmages … but we're going to have to pretty quickly determine who we want to give a greater workload to after that. That's going to be a good challenge."

Obviously, they Wild are going to  need to sign Darcy Kuemper who remains an unsigned restricted free agent. There's also many questions about Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding's health. Neither has been able to play a full season the last two years.

Related articles

• Trib: Leave the hockey coverage to Russo

NHL Hockey: Four More Teams by 2017?

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According to Chris Peters of CBS Sports, the NHL could add as many as four more teams by 2017. The more you look into this deal, the more it looks like a possibility. The NHL in Las Vegas could be a big draw.

Chris Peters, CBS Sports -- Here's why it's not completely outlandish to envision Vegas as a future NHL city. For one, they have two open spots in the Western Conference to even things out and bring some competitive balance. The Eastern Conference currently has 16 teams, while the West has 14. If the NHL expanded to the most long-rumored top candidate of Seattle, that would help even things out. It's definitely not as simple as that, though.

Another barrier for Las Vegas would have been an arena, but that may no longer be an issue. The city has been home to minor-league hockey for years, but now Vegas is in the process of building a new arena however with the aim of bringing either an NHL or NBA team to Vegas.

MGM and AEG, owner of the Los Angeles Kings, are teaming up on the project that broke ground in Las Vegas in May. The new arena is due to open in 2016 and will have 20,000 seats, but a projected capacity of 17,500 for hockey. The company building the arena, ICON, is also building the Edmonton Oilers' new arena. Kings great Luc Robitaille was on hand at the ground-breaking.

The markets listed seem like good choices. I do like adding more teams in Canada. One city that stands out is Toronto. 

NHL expansion – four teams added by 2017, Quebec City, Toronto, Seattle, and Las Vegas $1.4b in expansion fees — Howard Bloom (@SportsBizNews) August 27, 2014

43 Days until the NHL season - Links...

There are 43 days until the NHL season begins.


UND football starts in two days and six - nine freshmen could end up having their red shirts pulled.


The UND football insider has the two-deep depth chart for the UND football team.


The UND Hockey team took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. To date, that's the best one that I have seen.


Apparently, the Penguins aren't in a hurry to re-sign their goalie.


Talk is starting to emerge about the NHL in Seattle.

NHL Hockey:Forty Four Days

Checking out the calendar, there's 44 days until the hockey season begins.

NHL Hockey: Top UFA's

Checking out Cap Geek, there's not a lot out there as far as Unrestricted Free Agents. Lot of over 30-year old players out there looking for a team.

Can San Jose Live Up To Lofty Expectations In 2014-2015?

s/t to Guest Writer Mitchell Sansader.

For the last few seasons, the San Jose Sharks have been one of the most successful teams in the Western Conference in the NHL. They have a lot of talent on offense and defense, but they have been unable to break through and actually win a Stanley Cup up to this point. While there are many people expecting them to have success this upcoming year, there are reasons to be a little bit concerned.

 

Everything looked good last year when they were able to accumulate 111 points in the regular season. However, a 1st round playoff exit definitely has people a little bit worried about the future. They have plenty of fantasy hockey talent, but they are in the middle of a tough stage. They are not exactly rebuilding, but they are trying to make a few

 

The biggest thorn in the side for San Jose has been the Los Angeles Kings. For the last 2 seasons, the Western Conference rival has not been out of the playoffs. The potential is definitely there for San Jose to get by Los Angeles, and it all starts with fantasy hockey standouts Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. They need to be better players in pressure situations in order for everything to come together. The Pacific division is definitely not going to get any easier anytime soon, so it will take an entire team effort to have success.

 

There will certainly be some optimism surrounding the squad, but there is really no reason to be optimistic about what they bring to the table. It is much easier to count on other teams in the Pacific division that have had success in the playoffs before. San Jose needs to prove themselves before they can truly move into that elite team status.

Penguins' Crosby healing nicely

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The NHL and it's fans are breathing a sigh of relief. The face of the NHL is healing and hopefully, he will be okay when the NHL season begins.

NHL.com -- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said Friday he is pleased with the way his injured right wrist has responded to treatment.

"It's good," Crosby told The Associated Press in Estero, Fla., where he has been working out. "You want to see how things progress throughout the summer once you start skating and get back to that regular routine. You want to see how it reacts, so I'm happy with the way it's gone."

The Penguins in early July said Crosby had been receiving treatment for a wrist injury he sustained last season. Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Crosby opted for an injection rather than surgery, which was not ruled out. Brisson said Crosby was injured in March.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said in July that Crosby would be ready for training camp.

After leading the NHL in scoring during the regular season with 104 points, Crosby had one goal and eight points in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He did not have a point in the Penguins' final three games, all losses, after they took a 3-1 series lead against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Second Round.

NHL to Seattle?

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From Nicholas Goss of NESN.com. It would appear that the city of Seattle could be in the running for getting an NHL franchise. To me, Seattle seems like a logical home for an NHL franchise and could become an instant rival with the Vancouver Canucks.

According to King 5, Coleman has met with several important people involved with the NHL and the City of Seattle.

“It’s clear Coleman has the support of the NHL. One league executive describes him as “the real deal,” and he was flanked by the NHL’s top leaders during a clandestine meeting in Seattle back in May,” King 5’s Chris Daniels writes.

Getting a new arena built in Seattle appears, at least at the moment, dependent on the existence of an NBA tenant, and there’s no indication that pro basketball will be returning to Seattle anytime soon.

Daniels also reports that Coleman and Chris Hansen, who wants to bring an NBA team to Seattle with a new arena, have spoken. (NESN.com)

NHL Hockey: Most Hated Team...

These maps have been making it's way around the internet, is there really any question who the fans hate? My question is, how are the Detroit Red Wings so hated in the West? There's no question who the fans in Canada hate.

Stanley Cup coming to UND, Ralph Engelstad Arena

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Matt Greene is bringing Lord Stanley's Cup to Grand Forks, ND.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup, the oldest championship in North American professional team sports, is coming to Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The iconic trophy will accompany former University of North Dakota men’s hockey captain Matt Greene to Grand Forks on Tuesday, Aug. 12 for a public viewing at Engelstad Arena. Greene and his Los Angeles Kings captured their second Stanley Cup championship in three years when they defeated the New York Rangers in five games in the Stanley Cup Finals in June.

The Cup will be on display in the main lobby of Engelstad Arena from 12-3 p.m. Central. Fans will have the opportunity to take photographs with the Cup and take home a free special commemorative flyer. A video highlight package featuring Greene and the Kings will also run on the video screens in the lobby.

Greene, an assistant captain with the Kings, played at North Dakota 2002-03 through 2004-05. He captained the 2005 Fighting Sioux team to the NCAA Frozen Four championship game in Columbus, Ohio. In his three years at UND, Greene appeared in 122 games, collecting three goals and 28 assists.

 

Subban Remains Unsigned

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P.K. Subban is still a restricted free agent without a contract. The Hab’s defenseman isn’t saying anything about his contract negotiations either.

“I’ll answer one question about the negotiation,” Subban told a media scrum at Royal Montreal Golf Club.“It’s been kept pretty quiet the whole time and it’s going to remain that way until a deal is done.” (Brenda, Branswell, Habs Inside/Out)

“As of right now today I’m sitting here and trying to just enjoy the day. Just not thinking about anything,” he said. Apparently, Subban wants to remain a Hab for life.

"Obviously I remain adamant on remaining in Montreal and being a Montreal Canadien, and not just for a long time but hopefully for the rest of my career, and be a lifer there," Subban told Breakfast Television in Toronto earlier this week. "I really enjoy playing there." (NHL.COM)

It looks like Subban could get one of the most lucrative contracts in the Montreal Canadiens history.

We're talking, of course, about P.K. Subban and what's sure to be the most lucrative deal in franchise history. One that will likely bring the defenseman $10 million a season—or more—at some point during the agreement. (Allan Muir, Sports Illustrated)

Fox Sports, Group of San Jose Sharks fans outraged over team's recruitment of 'Ice Girls'

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Seriously? You've got to be kidding me? Now Ice Girls are offensive? Doh-kay! Here's the facebook page link.

Brent Smiley, Fox Sports -- A coalition of San Jose Sharks fans have formed the group "Say No to Sharks Ice Girls" in response to the team's proposed uniform change for its co-ed ice team.

Previously, members of the Sharks ice team wore full outfits that did not expose any skin, while this year's uniforms for the ladies "May be form fitting with some skin exposure." Males would not expose their possibly hairy midriffs.

At least 1,108 persons and counting think the proposed change for women and not men is offensive, sexist and "reinforces a negative double-standard where men are taken seriously but women are sexualized and objectified."

Claude Giroux busted for grabbing cops buttocks

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Ruh, roh! Claude Giroux was arrested for grabbing the buttocks of an Ottawa police officer. This is a story made for the tabloid news. Also, alcohol was a factor.

Danielle Bell,Ottawa Sun -- Philadelphia Flyers star Claude Giroux has been released from jail after being arrested for allegedly grabbing the buttocks of a police officer.

Sources say Giroux was arrested for repeatedly grabbing the male police officer's butt during an incident at a downtown Ottawa bar. Alcohol is believed to have been involved.

A witness and sources say the incident occurred at The Great Canadian Cabin in the Byward Market club district.