Seabrook banned for three games

None of us should be surprised that Brent Seabrook suspended three games by the National Hockey League.

NEW YORK -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook has been suspended for three games for interference and charging against St. Louis Blues forward David Backes during Game 2 of the teams' First Round Stanley Cup Playoffs series in St. Louis on Saturday, April 19, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 15:09 of the third period. Seabrook was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for charging.

Brent Seabrook on the hit.

“It wasn’t my intent,’’ a contrite Seabrook said regarding his check that leveled Blues forward David Backes and earned Seabrook a game misconduct. “I was just trying to make a play on Backes. I thought the puck was there. I was on [Alexander] Steen. I was just coming down the wall and I just tried to finish my hit.’’

Former UND forward Chris Porter on the Seabrook hit.

When (Backes) went down like that, I thought it gave us a little bit more push to finish it off …" winger Chris Porter said. "He's our leader. We'll do whatever it takes to get him back. If that's winning a couple of games more, then so be it."

Former All-American goalie Ryan Miller said this.

“I didn’t like it,” Miller said. “I don’t think a lot of people who are hockey fans and have seen they way they’ve been calling things should like it. I imagine the NHL will have something to say about it but it’s not up for the players to decide. We’ll see what they do with it. But it certainly was not what we want to see.”

(Video) Hockey Night In Canada 2014 Playoff Opening

What an awesome video. Hockey is the greatest game on the planet. The Stanley Cup is also the pinnacle of the NHL's season. Should be a good run. This is one downside of having DirecTV, I no longer get CBC.

Two Games Without Heater and Two Wild Wins

For the first time in his career Saturday, Dany Heatley was a healthy scratch for the Minnesota Wild as they played Phoenix, in what quite possibly was the biggest regular season game for the Wild to this point.

Being demoted to the fourth line this season, Heater hasn't done much for the Wild, but I still will say the trade to San Jose to get him was one worth while. It got rid of a Martin Havlat who really didn't do much of anything for the Minnesota Wild.

However, is the offensive fuel for Dany Heatley running on empty? I think these past two games have shown that. His veteran presence in the locker room is probably one that is well liked, but his lack of production on the ice is one I think the fans won't miss.

Maybe Heatley was the thorn in the side as of late, keeping guys like former UMD Bulldog Justin Fontaine off the ice and I'm sure many will agree to this, and because of this, I don't see Heater getting much, if any, playing time until the playoffs, if he even gets any there.

Tough Road Trip Ahead for Minnesota

After last night's head shaker, the Minnesota Wild now find themselves leaving home on what could be their toughest road trip of the season. On this trip, the team will make stops in St. Louis, Phoenix, LA, and their last stop is at the Madhouse on Madison against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Tonight two huge points are on the line as the green and white invade Scottrade Center in St. Louis to play the first place Blues. In the two teams last meeting at Xcel, Minnesota would rally for one point as they would fall in the shootout. However, many positives would come from this game. One, this proved that the Wild are capable of skating with the top dogs in the NHL. Two, they are able to overcome adversity coming from behind, tying the game in the third, and sending it to overtime and eventually the shootout.

Tonight's game may be a little different though. Minnesota, who just played last night, is coming into St. Louis after a 5-2 loss against the Vancouver Canucks.  Yes they would throw 31 shots on goal, but had major struggles to capitalize on premium scoring chances, and had a few costly turnovers. I would expect Ilya Bryzgalov to get the call in St. Louis tonight as the Wild look to get the much needed two points and remain the top wild card team.

After tonight, Minnesota travels to face a Phoenix team who sits just three points behind the Wild for the top wild card spot. This is probably the biggest game of the season for Minnesota, and a must win in regulation. The Coyotes are a team that not many talk about, so there is no pressure on them making their season a lot less stressful on this team.

From the desert the Wild will travel to Hollywood as they face-off against the LA Kings at Staples Center. Minnesota really has not done too well in LA in recent history, but need to change history in order to keep their playoff push strong. LA is also the new home to the first ever Minnesota Wild draft pick Marian Gaborik. Although Gabby would have many injury problems towards the end of his time in Minnesota, New York, and Columbus, he is always a threat to score when he is on the ice and makes this LA offense that much more lethal. The Minnesota defense is going to have to be at the top of their game or LA will blow this one wide open.

Finally, from LA Minnesota travels to the Windy City to play the Chicago Blackhawks. These two teams have had a lot of history in the last two seasons, including last year's playoffs, and look to have another tight battle on the ice. Minnesota has found some success playing in Chicago this season and lets hope they can continue to have it.

The road doesn't get much easier as the season draws to a close for Minnesota, but this tough end of season schedule might be just what this team needs to prime themselves for the playoffs. It is looking like right now the Wild will be playing the winner of the Pacific Division, provided no major changes in the standings between now and the second week in April.

Who's to Blame for Home Loss?

Not much can be said about tonight's game for the Wild, except, well I can't think of anything to say. This game left me with no words and scratching my head wondering what they need to do to find the net.

The Minnesota Wild would control much of the play in tonight's home game against Vancouver, but would find themselves surrendering the first goal to David Booth. However, just over a minute later, Charlie Coyle would find the twine when he would flat out snipe Eddie Lack. The teams would go into the locker room tied at one, but Minnesota probably should have been up by two goals for how much they controlled play. They just were not getting the bounces they needed.

As the game went on, things were still being controlled by the Wild, but the flood gates would open up in the third for the Canucks. A couple of power plays and bad turnovers later, the game was quickly 5-1 in favor of the bad guys. Nino Niederreiter would put one late goal in for the Wild, but that's exactly what it would be, too little too late.

Outshooting the Canucks 31-19 tonight, the Minnesota Wild and fans like me are left scratching their heads wondering what they could have done different tonight. More often then not, they did not get any second or third quality chances in the offensive zone, even though they were controlling most of the play.

Another thing that would cost them is too many costly turnovers. The Canucks are a team you can't make these kind of mistakes against or they will find the back of the net and tonight was a good example of this.

Goalie Darcy Kuemper also looked a bit off tonight, however, each and every Vancouver goal was scored from a high percentage scoring area, or off of a deflection. Kuemper can't be completely to blame for this loss. That being said, five goals against on 19 shots isn't that good at any level of play, and improvement is needed.

The gist of it all is that our key guys need to contribute more consistently in key games like tonight, and on the upcoming road trip. With guys like Parise, Pominville, and Moulson not finding the net as much as they should, it leaves playmakers like Koivu and Granlund sitting in the dust getting ridiculed because they aren't producing points either.

It's time for the veteran leaders to take charge and lead this team into the playoffs. They can't keep missing out on key points coming down the stretch, otherwise they could be sitting on the outside, much like the Toronto Maple Leafs are right now in the east.

If NHL Playoffs Started Today....

With just two and a half weeks left in the NHL season lets have a little fun and see how the playoffs would match-up if they were to start right now. Remember, the playoff format has been changed from last season. The top three finishers in each of the four divisions will make the playoffs along with two wild card spots for each conference. The top division winner in each conference will play the second wild card team, as the other division winner plays the top wild card team. This then leaves the second and third place teams in each division. These two teams will meet in the first round, just enhancing the inner division rivalries.

We will start out east. Sitting at the top of the conference, and the Atlantic Division, the surging Boston Bruins look like they are the favorite to come out of the East. However, Pittsburgh is always tough and the Rangers seem to be finding their stride down the stretch, so things could be very interesting as the season out east begins to wind down.

As of right now, the three teams making it in the Atlantic Division would be the first place Bruins, second place Canadians, and third place Lightning. Tampa is on their longest point streak dating back to when they won the Stanley Cup in the 2003-2004 season. The Montreal Canadians made a splash at the trade deadline to grab scorer Thomas Vanek from the Islanders to add a little more depth to their line-up for the stretch run. No explanation is needed for the Boston Bruins. They are about as deep as they come from top to bottom. They are my favorite to come out of the East, but the competitiveness of the NHL today anything can happen.

In the Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins are leading the charge, like they have for much of the season. Making the late charge after a horrible start, the Flyers are now finding themselves in the playoff mix sitting in third place in the division. Captain Claude Giroux has found his scoring touch and the rest of the team has followed his lead. The New York Rangers are the hottest team in the division right now on a four game winning streak, and with the trade deadline addition of Marty St. Louis, they look for a little more playoff experience, and a little bit more scoring then Ryan Callahan provided.

Finally we have the two wild card teams. There are four teams tied with 80 points, but the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are the two teams shown in the two slots. People laughed at me before the season started when I picked the Blue Jackets to make the playoffs, or just be in the playoff hunt. Lets just say I will take my apologies at anytime from all who laughed at me. Still in the hunt, however, are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and I will go as far to include the New Jersey Devils who are sitting at 75 points right now.

My pick to come out of the east needs to be the Boston Bruins. The only team that comes close in the east to match their depth is the Penguins. However, you can never count anyone out in the NHL.

Moving west, this is the superior conference in the NHL and it looks that barely anyone out east will be able to compete with anyone in the west. With three teams over 100 points, and likely to be four or five by seasons end, my Cup winner will be out of the west this year.

Starting in the ever so tough Central Division, we have the red hot St. Louis Blues leading the charge at 103 points. In a division where everyone thought that the Blackhawks, who are in second, would win outright this season after their amazing cup run last year, the St. Louis Blues are only a little bit of a surprise to the NHL community this season. Probably the biggest surprise coming out of the St. Louis camp would be the play of Alexander Steen this season. Having a career year, Steen, along with usual suspects in Backes and Oshie, are leading the charge. Probably the biggest surprise in this division is the third place Colorado Avalanche. New head coach, and my pick to win the Jack Adams award for coach of the year, Patrick Roy grabbed the bull by the horns and utilized this young and talented team, making their opponents look like fools this season.

In the Pacific, we have the usual suspects at the top with San Jose, LA and Anaheim. The Sharks currently occupy the top spot in the division, but the Ducks are breathing down their neck just two points back right now. At points of this season, the Ducks were considered the best team in the NHL and, in my opinion, are a very good favorite to come out of the west this year, or at least make it to the west finals. Finally, we have the Kings quietly doing their thing in third place in the division. With their cheap deadline deal with the Blue Jackets acquiring Marian Gaborik, this team is always a threat to score. If Gaborik can stay away from the injury bug that has plagued him for nearly his entire career, the Kings look to bring themselves back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Now for the two wild card teams in the west. First we have the streaky Minnesota Wild. The Wild would add Matt Moulson at the trade deadline to make what should be three complete lines that should be a threat to put the puck into the net. However, this is not the story. Coach Mike Yeo is having trouble in finding chemistry within his lines, but saw a ray of hope in their overtime victory Sunday night in Detroit. You also can't talk about the Wild without talking about Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper has taken over the number one role between the pipes with injuries to Josh Harding and Nik Backstrom and has ran with it. Sitting in the second wild card is the Phoenix Coyotes. With the Stars not too far behind, the margin for error is not that big for Phoenix. One thing that might trouble the Coyotes is the injury to their goalie Mike Smith. One can only wonder how far they can go without their number one.

As to who is coming out of the west, this is going to be very difficult. However, I am going to have to take the Chicago Blackhawks because with the majority of the team from last season, they know what they have to do to get the job done. They are also my pick to win the Cup and win the first back to back since the Red Wings did it in 1997-1998.

Wild and Bruins Battle for First Time in Two Years

Tonight the Minnesota Wild will face the East's best Boston Bruins at the TD Garden in Boston. The match-up will be the first time the two teams have met since February of 2012 because of last season's half season lockout.

The B's come into tonight's tilt as the hottest team in the NHL with an eight game win streak. During that streak, the Bruins have scored 32 goals, plus one extra added because of a shootout victory, which averages out to four goals a game. Teams scoring like that don't lose that often.

Tonight also is the first game that Jarome Iginla would play against his former division rival Minnesota since being traded to the Eastern Conference last season. Iginla, a known Wild killer, has scored more goals against the Wild than any other player in the NHL since the Wild would come into the league in 2000. In His last five games, Iginla has five points with four of those being goals. He also leads the Bruins in goals with 23 and looks to pad his totals tonight against a team where he has had great success against.

As for Minnesota, they find themselves in a little bit of a late season funk, and wins haven't been that easy to come by for the Wild. Since the beginning of March, the Wild are 2-1-3, which isn't terrible, but could have been a lot better if they could hang on to some leads. Having leads in the games against Edmonton and Dallas, they would sit back and watch their wins slide away from them, missing out on key points this late in the season.

Forwards Jason Pominville and Zach Parise, need to keep the offense going and lead this team to victory once again. Pominville, who also has five points in his last five games, and scored the only goal in the Wild's last game against Columbus, seems to be one of the only consistent things offensively as of late. The same can be said for Parise as well.

Minnesota goalie Darcy Kuemper has played virtually lights out hockey since the Olympic break ended, aside from the two speed bumps in Dallas and at home against Edmonton. In his last five games, Kuemper has posted an outstanding .925 save percentage and a goals against of 2.20, solid numbers for any goalie in any league.

People are wondering why Minnesota can't seem to finish games as of late then, and I say it's simple. They aren't playing that puck control hockey they were playing when they were having success. I know this is stating the obvious here, but chances are you control the play with the puck, you control the outcome of the game. Not only that, but Minnesota can't seem to catch a bounce as of late either. A good example of this is the two posts they hit Saturday night against Columbus.

Tonight is West vs. East and we will see if the West hast their continued dominance against the East, or if the hot play of the Bruins can shut down a Minnesota Wild team who can't seem to find a way to finish games as of late. One thing on Minnesota's side tonight is that Boston has not beat Minnesota since 2009. Will this slump end and the Bruins stay hot, or will the Wild finally find a way to finish a game off?

USA Hockey Development: Stupid is as Stupid does.

@GF_Ballerz American developement is a joke,all the top players are coming from CHL and Sweden. Why do you think americans come to Canada ?
— Tyler Vincent (@TV_Muscle) January 9, 2014

USA Hockey and US college hockey is so bad that it developed 30 plus for the 2014 Olympic games. From College Hockey INC.

Country/Player Pos. Current Team NCAA Team

Austria

Brian Lebler F EHC Linz (AUT) Michigan Thomas Pock D KAC Klagenfurt (AUT)Massachusetts
Mattias Trattnig D Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) Maine
Thomas Vanek F NY Islanders (NHL)Minnesota

Canada
Duncan Keith D Chicago (NHL) Michigan State
Chris Kunitz F Pittsburgh (NHL)Ferris State
Patrick Sharp F Chicago (NHL) Vermont
Jonathan Toews F Chicago (NHL) North Dakota

Latvia
Ralfs Freibergs D Bowling Green

Sweden
Carl Hagelin F NY Rangers (NHL)Michigan

United States
Jimmy Howard G Detroit (NHL) Maine
Ryan Miller G Buffalo (NHL) Michigan State
Jonathan Quick G Los Angeles (NHL)Massachusetts
Justin Faulk D Carolina (NHL) Minnesota Duluth
Paul Martin D Pittsburgh (NHL)Minnesota
Ryan McDonagh D NY Rangers (NHL)Wisconsin
Brooks Orpik D Pittsburgh (NHL)Boston College
Kevin Shattenkirk D St. Louis (NHL)Boston University
Ryan Suter D Minnesota (NHL) Wisconsin
David Backes F St. Louis (NHL) Minnesota State
Ryan Kesler F Vancouver (NHL) Ohio State
Phil Kessel F Toronto (NHL) Minnesota
T.J. Oshie F St. Louis (NHL) North Dakota
Max Pacioretty F Montreal (NHL) Michigan
Zach Parise F Minnesota (NHL) North Dakota
Joe Pavelski F San Jose (NHL) Wisconsin Paul Stastny F Colorado (NHL) Denver
Derek Stepan F NY Rangers (NHL)Wisconsin
James van Riemsdyk F Toronto (NHL)New Hampshire
Blake Wheeler F Winnipeg (NHL) Minnesota

NHL Hockey: Sharks Hosed by Blown Call in San Jose Last Night...

s/t Duck Daddy. Check this out, the San Jose Sharks got hosed last night, it appears that the Sharks did in fact score the game-winning goal. I am surprised that this wasn't reviewed by the war room in Toronto. The Buffalo Sabres would go on to win the game in a shootout, that was only the third win of the season for the Buffalo Sabres.

I know NHL is going to get destroyed for no-goal in SJ, but neither broadcast had it quickly and BUF's didn't show it at all. If ref says...
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 6, 2013

no-goal on-ice, I'm not sure how that one is getting caught. Not a great moment...but I can see how it happens. Ugh.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 6, 2013

Sabres Hack John Scott Pounds Bruins Forward Loui Eriksson in the Head

Last night, Buffalo Sabres pylon, hack, one-dimensional forward, John Scott hit Boston Bruins forward Loui Eriksson in the head with one of the dirtiest hits I have seen this season. It doesn't appear that the players are learning anything. Scott's teammate Patrick Kaleta is already serving a 10-game suspension for his dirty hit on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson. That suspension was appealed by the Sabres and upheld by the NHL today.

In what is becoming a nightly thing, another night, another dirty hit. In my opinion, the NHL has no choice but to throw the book at this clown, this is unacceptable. According to Joe Haggerty, Eriksson is suffering from a concussion. Scott has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL pending a in-person disciplinary hearing.

There's no way that you can defend this hit.  Again, I am all for tough guys and for fighting in the NHL, but this guy is a clown that can barely skate and he's on the ice to hurt people. I want the NHL to throw the book at this P.O.S., he's a player that plays four to five minutes a game.

Claude Julien used the phrase "pretty severe" at one point when talking about the concussion Loui Eriksson suffered last night #BruinsTalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) October 24, 2013

#BruinsTalk Scott to meet with NHL's Shanahan over Eriksson hit ... By @HacksWithHaggs ... http://t.co/A5rSlJMqqI
— CSNNE.com (@CSNNE) October 24, 2013

NHL to use new Nets

The NHL is going to use a new net this season. Here's a picture of that new net. I wish sometimes they would just leave the game alone and just play hockey.

NHL.COM --- Gone is the traditional rounded "elbow" of the goal cage and now, replaced by a shorter angle according to the NHL, which gives the net a squared look.

The padding inside the apron of the net has also been trimmed, allowing officials a better look at pucks that may have approached or just crossed the goal line. The NHL thinks this change will allow for better efficiency in real-time goal calls and also in video reviews, which were sometimes hindered by thick padding inside the net.

It's been two days of practice with the new-look nets, and though there are multiple small changes, the one thing that some players mentioned is how they look to a shooter's eye.

"I think the biggest thing is that it looks like a bigger net, to be honest with you," Nick Foligno told BlueJackets.com

NCHC Hockey: Total of the Early Departures

With the hockey season approaching, I would think that the NCHC is done with its early departures.

Colorado College (0)

None

Denver (3)

Scott Mayfield So. D NY Islanders (NHL), April 5
Juho Olkinoura So. G Winnipeg (NHL), April 7 (FA)
Nick Shore Jr. F Los Angeles (NHL), April 12

Miami (0)

None

Minnesota Duluth (1)

Chris Casto So. D Boston (NHL), March 26 (FA)

Nebraska-Omaha (2)

Andrej Sustr Jr. D Tampa Bay (NHL), March 21 (FA)
Tony Turgeon Jr. D San Antonio (AHL), July 18 (FA)

North Dakota (1)

Derek Forbort Jr. D Los Angeles (NHL), April 5

St. Cloud State (1)

Nick Jensen Jr. D Detroit (NHL), May 2

Western Michigan (1)

Danny DeKeyser Jr. D Detroit (NHL), March 29 (FA)

Related articles

• NCHC Hockey: Top Stories Surrounding New League (thehockeywriters.com)
• Nchc Championship Tickets on Sale Now to General Public (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• NCHC UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE - NCHCHockey.com (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

NHL Hockey: In the Wake of the NFL Settlement, is the NHL Next

English: A faceoff in the New York Islanders' first game of the 2009-10 NHL season, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t know about this? I think that when an athlete plays a contact sport they assume a certain amount of risk and that participant should have to sign a waiver to play.

The Globe and Mail — Like the NFL, the NHL had had its feet held to the fire in recent years over the manner in which it deals with the incidence and severity of head injuries, both their prevention and monitoring. The Boston University Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy has found evidence of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in the brains of several former players. CTE is a degenerative disease caused by repeated brain injuries.

Several high-profile players, including Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, have missed large amounts of playing time with concussions and the league has rewritten rules and changed their interpretation in response.

Frank Brown, a spokesman for the NHL, said the league would not comment on the settlement.

The NFL, which generates an estimated $9-billion in annual revenue, will not be compelled to share internal documents that would indicate how much the league knew about concussions and when it knew. That is one reason why Paul Echlin, a Burlington, Ont.,-based sports-medicine specialist and an expert in the field of concussion research, said the NFL settlement serves the economic interests of each side without having much of an influence on the bigger picture.

In sports like racing, hockey, football, MMA, you’re playing in a sport that the next play could be your last. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that you could suffer a fatal injury and be killed. I do have a problem with football players turning around and suing the NFL, especially the ones that have made a lot of money to play a kids game. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel for their plight if they’re injured in a questionable play.

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.

Time for a National College Hockey pay per view television package

English: Logo for DirecTV (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As most of you know, as of right now, home UND Hockey games are not going to be on DirecTV anymore.  As of right now, there will be “no" UND Hockey games shown outside of the regional area unless the games are on CBSSN… So, going forward, you will have to use the webcasts if you want to watch the games live.

Now, here’s what we “could” do, I suggest that we flood the lines at DirecTV 1-800-531-5000 and tell them that we would like to have MidcoSportsnet.com from Midcontinent Communications on DirecTV. I would even suggest that you’re willing to pay extra so you can have those games on your DirecTV programming. 

Also, let's start a campaign to call MidcoSportsnet at (605)-274-7638 and flood their lines as well.

College hockey needs to have a hockey television packed like the NHL does. Recently, I touched on some of these issues at the Hockey Writers. 

Obviously, the Big Ten has the Big Ten Network, which is a financial gold mine. The NCHC has a new television deal with CBS Sports Network. In its current form, the WCHA has no current television deal.

Without a current television deal, the WCHA will get little exposure on the national level.

I am not sure, how a web deal is going to do much for national exposure. Hooking up a desktop computer or laptop to your home television can be a bit difficult, if you’re not very tech savvy.

During the 2012-13 NHL Lockout, college hockey played a major role in filling the gap left by the NHL lockout, especially in the USA. NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network allowed college hockey fans to see firsthand that Division I college hockey is a viable game and gave them an option to the NHL. Some hockey fans, decided to stick with the NCAA Hockey after the NHL lockout ended.

If you have DirecTV package – with the sports package – you can watch many regional broadcasts of college hockey. This season, thanks to DirecTV, I watched both Monday’s of the Beanpot Tournament, as well as both games of the 2013 Hockey City Classic.

Why not develop a college hockey television package like the NHL and the NBA have? I know many fans that would pay extra money to subscribe to a college hockey television package 

#NCHC will launch new website, announce full schedule for CBS Sports Network broadcasts on July 15 #CCTigers
— Joe Paisley (@Paisleyhockey) July 2, 2013

Will Mandatory visors for new NHL players portends fighting’s demise

This didn’t take long for the anti-fighting cabal to be jump on this one. Fighting isn’t going away in the NHL. If you took fighting away in the NHL, the Matt Cooke type players in the NHL would flourish. Again, I suggest getting rid of the instigator penalty.

The Globe and Mail – We may be too optimistic. Perhaps an enterprising enforcer will invent an ejectable visor. Or fighters will throw off their helmets (at least until someone dies when falling backward on his head). But visors are bound to cover more and more of the face. Players will wonder why they are protecting their eyes and not their jaws. The right to punch the other fellow into oblivion will fade away.

Hockey at all levels is working to reduce or eliminate headshots. It makes no sense that punches to the head are still permitted. The end of fighting won’t come all at once, but gently, when today’s grandfathers have said goodbye to the game.

What you’re going to see is more fights with two guys punching each other in the shield. Also, the AHL already has a mandatory visor law, so does the CHL, as well as the USHL and other junior hockey leagues. That hasn't stopped fights from happening. What do you think?

The new Dallas Stars Jerseys

#NewStarRising twitter.com/DallasStars/st…
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 5, 2013

Here are the new Dallas Stars jersey's so, do they look familiar to you?

Av's Brad Malone's first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames

Former Fighting Sioux forward Brad Malone scores his first goal of his NHL career for the Colorado Avalanche against the Calgary Flames. That is the third point in 15 NHL games for Brad Malone (1g-2a—3pts).

(Video) End of the Wild and Sharks game

Since when is it now permissible to cross-check your opponent multiple times in the NHL? The refs in this game should be punished the NHL’s head of officials for their performance at the end of this game. After re-watching this video, I am more upset because the NHL officials are supposed to be the best in the world and should be held to a higher standard. This is kind of bushleague officiating is unacceptable, and their not calling penalties led to this ugly incident.

If you don't believe me, go back and watch the video again.

I included the play leading up to the exchange between Heatley and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. If the refs were doing their job, you might not have the play leading up to the slashes in question, because the players in question might have already been sitting in the penalty box. I am also not opposed to the NHL’s Department of Players Safety giving  Minnesota's Heatley a fine as well, after re-watching the video a few times, because if he connects with Vlasic, he could have done a lot of damage as well.

(VIDEO) Taylor Hall cheap shot on Cal Clutterbuck

First off, this is a text book knee-on-knee hit, it's a bush league hit, it's dirty and it deserves a suspension. I do not care that Taylor Hall is a super star.

I also, find it hilarious that Edmonton Oilers fans are defending this hit on twitter tonight. Second; would the NHL referees, please stop rescuing the players that do these hits on the ice. Whenever Matt Cooke or some other hack does something like this, the refs and linesman immediately come to their aid, don't. Screw-em  they deserve what they get. They just hurt someone, they deserve what they get. Hall didn't care about Clutterbuck as he was trying to end his season with that dirty leg check.

Let the players have some say on the ice before you throw them in the box or send them to the locker room. The hockey code demands that an act this be answered to, if not this kind of stuff will fester for a very long time, until you end up with Todd Bertuzzi type incidents.

First point of contact on Hall vs. Clutterbuck after replay showed in press room. Knee on knee
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) February 22, 2013

Brodziak on Hall: "First thing I did was ask the refs if it was dirty. They said yes. We just hope (Clutterbuck's) all right."
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) February 22, 2013

Buffoon of the day (from a comment on Sports Net)

tbizz17 Feb 22, 2013 9:54 AM in response to: sportsnet_ca Re: Oilers' Hall delivers questionable hit

Clutterbuck's one of the dirtiest players in the league...he deserves every bit of that. If the guy didn't bail out at the last second that's a clean hit...it's when guys start jumping out of the way that knees get tangled...a guy like Clutterbuck should have his head up all the time....he would have done the same thing to Hall if it's the other way around. I'm not a fan of either team, but sometimes you reap what you sow and Cal learned that. He won't miss a game...it's his thing to role around on the ice for a while after a hit...