The Breakdown of the Hockey Rink

2013/14 breakdown of an NHL ice rink: pic.twitter.com/olU6tph8g7
— The Canadian Game (@ItsCanadasGame) June 26, 2014

This one is kind of funny, the break down of the NHL Hockey Rink. I would like to have one for college with the Wehr's Corner.

Summer Links, Hockey Offseason

It's been kind of an uneventful summer so far. In my opinion, this has been one of the quietest summers that I can remember to date. Maybe that's good news. Maybe not. Of course there's a lot of summer left.

Will Junior Hockey Ban Fighting? http://t.co/vUjtnlZmgj http://t.co/p1LwXCUz84
— Eric J. Burton THW (@goon48) June 24, 2014

Tonight is the NHL Awards and it's nice to see Patrice Bergeron get this award.

And the winner of the NHL Foundation Player Award is @NHLBruins Patrice Bergeron. #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/Y5hCNG9S1z
— NHL (@NHL) June 24, 2014

Make that two times for Bergeron who also won the Selke Award as well.

"This [Selke] Award goes to all my teammates." -Patrice Bergeron #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/IyHqIWlPVb
— NHL (@NHL) June 24, 2014

North Dakota Announces 2014-15 Freshman Class http://t.co/1Mjnq1UYae #THW
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) June 24, 2014

Matt Greene and the Kings are reportedly close to agreeing to a four-year contract extension http://t.co/hyasfj90ME
— Kevin (@iDoPorn4Netflix) June 23, 2014

UND Hockey: Semi-Committed recruits (Ryan Mantha)

Semi-committed recruits, I am going to give a s/t to my buddy Mafia Man for this one. If I was the coaching staff, obviously I am not, I would consider pulling this kids scholarship offer. Frankly I am bored reading his various quotes about how he's going to wait and see.

Does this kid not realize that 31 percent of the NHL is a former college hockey player, that's only going to increase in the future. If this doesn't think he's going to develop at UND, he's crazy. Dave Hakstol and his staff are highly regarded by the NHL coaches and General Managers.

Nate Sager, Buzzing the Net -- (Ryan) Mantha's next port of call could be contingent on which NHL organization takes a chance on him at the NHL draft this weekend in Philadelphia. The big defender is uncommitted to a NCAA school for this season. The Muskegon Lumberjacks have his USHL rights, while the Ontario Hockey League's Niagara IceDogs recently traded two priority selection picks for his rights."

"North Dakota has eight D returning," Mantha says. "I don't want to sit, I want to continue to develop. I'm keeping my options open right now. They haven't told me to go back. That's something I have to decide over the summer.

"I think they're going to decide," he says of a NHL franchise having influence on the decision of where to play as an 18-year-old. "Some teams say they won't but I think if someone has input on what is best for me, I'll really consider it."

If you don't believe me, all you have to do is watch some of the great UND hockey players currently playing in the NHL. The last three Stanley Cups have a former UND hockey players' name on it. After watching what happened with Adam Tambellini last season, I would walk away from anyone that isn't 100 percent all in. Playing time at the University of North Dakota is earned. I have watched enough practices to know that.

Related articles

• UND could end up losing recruit Ryan Mantha, depending on who drafts him
• UND recruit Ryan Mantha on the Pipeline show
• Ryan Mantha, traded from the Soo to Niagara
• UND Pounds Miami

UND recruit Ryan Mantha on the Pipeline show

#494906975 / gettyimages.com

UND recruit defensmen Ryan Mantha, at least for now, was on the Pipeline show with Guy Flamming. You can listen to the show by clicking on this link. Doesn't sound like he's all in, at least when it comes to going to UND. Where's Mantha going (UND or OHL), it will depend on what team drafts him. He'll decide where he's going after the 2014 NHL Entry Level Draft.

D-Man Ryan Mantha is up next - will he play in the @USHL next year on his way to @UNDMHockey or detour to @OHLHockey? I asked, he answered.
— Guy Flaming (@TPS_Guy) June 21, 2014

@fishfan51 he said. As of now still USHL/North Dakota but will talk to the team that drafts him.
— Guy Flaming (@TPS_Guy) June 22, 2014

Related articles

• Ryan Mantha, traded from the Soo to Niagara
• UND could end up losing recruit Ryan Mantha, depending on who drafts him
• UND Hockey: UND Recruits in the 2014 NHL Entry Level Draft

NHL Releases 2014-15 Schedule

#490588433 / gettyimages.com

Today, the National Hockey League released it's 2014-15 schedule. As soon as the NHL releases their television schedule, I will post some games of interest.

Perusing the schedules, I found a few items of interest. My two favorite NHL teams, the Boston Bruins and the Minnesota Wild will meet on October 28, 2014, at the TD North Garden. They two teams meet at the Xcel Energy Center on December 17,2014.

The Boston Bruins play the Winnipeg Jets on Friday November 28, 2014 at the Boston Garden. On Friday December 19, 2014 the Bruins play the Winnipeg Jets in at the MTS Centre.

The @NHL has announced the #NHLBruins 2014-15 regular season schedule. View the 82-game slate here: http://t.co/gz0BwxZ41J ^BB
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 22, 2014

#490242283 / gettyimages.com

The Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche kick off the regular season with a home-and-home series. This should prove to be interesting, because the Wild eliminated the Av's in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Also, this will be the first meeting between Matt Cooke and Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie. Cooke took out Barrie with a dirty leg check.

Hey #Avs, we'll see you Oct. 9 at @XcelEnergyCtr for the #mnwild opener: http://t.co/MKhIaqoR1V pic.twitter.com/2Bfw6QfKFn
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) June 21, 2014

Related articles

• Non Boston Bruins Fans: Why do you hate the Bruins?

More reasons to not like the Pittsburgh Penguins

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Former Pittsburgh Penguin defenseman Ulf Samuelsson was one of the dirtiest players to play the game of hockey, now he's in the running for the the Penguins head coaching job. More reasons to not like the Penguins.

TSN.CA -- New York Rangers assistant coach and former NHL defenceman Ulf Samuelsson is on the list of candidates who's interviewed for the head coaching job with the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.

Dreger reported on Tuesday that the Hurricanes sought permission from the Rangers to interview Samuelsson for their coaching vacancy.

Samuelsson played 16 seasons in the NHL with lenghty stints in both Pittsburgh and with the former Hartford Whalers.

Hockey Night in Canada: 2014 Final Montage

As we put the wraps on the 2014 NHL season, we say goodbye to Hockey Night in Canada as we know it. Rogers takes over the reigns of Hockey Night in Canada next season.

Rory Boylen, The Hockey News -- The closing montage of the 2014 season was especially emotional because it was the last CBC produced Hockey Night in Canada broadcast. The show will continue on the CBC for at least the next four years, but will be controlled by Rogers, the new national NHL right’s holders. And you get the feeling HNIC will never be exactly the same again.

HNIC has marked the passage of time for the past six decades of NHL history. It’s been a healthy slice of Canadian culture, nurturing an inspiration for the game. It’s been a religion for anyone who dedicated their Saturday nights to the broadcast and vividly remember even the most random playoff moments from two decades ago. All those Stanley Cups being handed out and passed down, broadcast into our imagination by HNIC.

Stanley Cup Humor, 0-3

pic.twitter.com/4Cx2yrpDpH
— NHL Humor (@TheNHLHumor) June 10, 2014

This one was pretty good. It's funny if you're a L.A. Kings fan and not if your cheer for the New York Rangers.

L.A Kings Justin Williams game winning goal.

L.A Kings forward Justin Williams scores the game winning goal in game one against the New York Rangers.

The Postseason rulebook (followup)/A wrapup of the final four NHL teams/Finals Preview (RW77)

#495445273 / gettyimages.com

The PostSeason Rulebook

Much has been said (and ignored) by the NHL about the postseason rulebook... and sadly most of the issues in round 1 went away in the subsequent rounds.  Why sadly?  Because it gives ammo to the NHL to simply dust it under the rug and ignore what is painfully obvious:

The Rulebook is wrongfully applied in the postseason...or is it the regular season?  Either way the rulebook used during the regular season has been replaced by a new rulebook that allows spearing, embellishment, roughing, boarding, slashing, and randomly allows/disallows interference and tripping.

Diving is a huge problem in professional sports.  HUGE.  It's on the rise in the NHL and NFL, it's pretty entrenched in the NBA, and it's an absolute PLAGUE on soccer/football.

Semifinal Reviews:

Montreal Canadiens

They weren't outplayed by New York.  They fell victim to two things:  Bad luck and Karma.  It was bad luck that Price got injured (for many reasons).  It was bad luck that Dustin Tokarski came in and played very well except for one game and will STILL be remembered as the guy who couldn't pull a Carey Price.  Montreal will be more known for their diving and embellishing than they will for the skill they put on the ice.

Carey Price played out of his mind.  I STILL do not believe that this is the norm.  Price STILL isn't an elite goaltender.  He's VERY good, don't get me wrong.  He had an EPIC postseason this year.  But in the end, PK Subban and Tomas Plekanec (among others) placed BAD KARMA on the Canadiens by flopping like fish when they were touched.

PK Subban is a GREAT fit for Vancouver because, like the Vancouver Candivers, he's EXCEPTIONALLY talented.  He's one of the best puck moving defensemen in the NHL... but he can't let his gameplay do the talking.  He has to showboat and dive.  The guy is the most visible minority hockey player in the NHL right now.  Sure, there are others (Wayne Simmonds, Johnny Oduya, Jerome Iginla, among others) but PK is the most visible.  And he's representing himself POORLY.  He reminds me a lot of Robbie Earl while he was with Wisconsin.  Robbie had a TON of talent.  He was fast, a great stick handler, a finisher... but you breathe on him wrong and he falls to the ice like he's been shot.  And, like Earl, the team representatives defend him (I still remember hearing UW blowhards talk about how Earl skates on the balls of his feet which causes him to be unstable on his skates... whatever...  when it suits him nothing knocks him off of his skates).

Anyways, ethical behavior amongst players in sports is almost dead anyways.

NY Rangers

Have they beaten any opponent outright?  Have they laid the smackdown at all this post season?  The answer is no.  They "got by" every opponent they faced.  Does it matter?  No.  Because, do you know what's the worst thing that could happen to the Rangers if they get by the Kings?  Nothing because they'd still be hoisting the Cup.  The truth is, the fact that they've had to fight through EVERY opponent they've  faced and dominated in the areas of goaltending and capitolizing on the other guys mistakes (they've done little to create their own victories really) means that they will once again have to slog their way through the LA Kings in the finals.  Good thing is that Lundqvist is a beast...well except for that one game where he looked epically awful.

Chicago Blackhawks

Tons of talent and no depth.  Oh, and Corey Crawford joins Marc Andre Fleury in proving that it doesn't take elite goaltending to win the Stanley Cup.  Crawford was singularly AWFUL for most of the series.  Game 7 was astounding to me.  Quick gives up a horrendous softie to Patrick Sharp and they can't win despite it?  If Chicago was all that great wouldn't 4 goals be enough to win a game?

Not with the Hawk D and Corey Sieve Crawford.  He looked SO MUCH like Cristobal Huet that I could've SWORE the French Sieve kidnapped the real Corey Crawford and undermined the Hawks.

Nick Leddy, I know you botched a block which resulted in the game winner for the Kings in Game 7, but don't feel bad.  In all likelihood the next shot the Kings would have made would have beaten Crawford anyways.

In the end, the Hawks focus on depth this offseason but they should focus on shut down D, a 2nd line Center, and training Crawford's replacement.

LA Kings

They outlasted the Hawks.  It is evident that they will be the favorites to win the Cup and I hope they do win, but they have a team eerily similar to the NY Rangers.  Good D, Great Goaltending, and mediocre Offense.  It's strange that the Kings boast a 4th line in Pearson/Taffoli/Carter that outscores their first line... or at least the commentators call that line the Kings' 4th line.  It's kindof like calling the Toews line the Hawks checking line.  Call it what you will but we all know that the first line that does almost no scoring isn't the first line and the fourth line that does most of the scoring is usually called the first line.  Whatever.

Prediction:  If LA is going to win it, they'll need to NOT see Game 7.  If Game 7 comes around, Quick's streak ends and the Rangers hoist the Cup.  My prediction:  Kings in 6.

NHL Records That Will Never be Broken

NHL Records That May Never Be Broken http://t.co/xVYpHGaH7c 3). 76 goals in a rookie season pic.twitter.com/CtWFAe4YHw
— Goalie Humor (@GoalieHumor) June 3, 2014

I don't seen anyone breaking this record. "The Finnish Flash" Teemu Selanne was a special player.

NHL 15 Cover Vote... #NHL15Bergeron

RT this if you're going to vote for #NHL15Bergeron as much as you can today. pic.twitter.com/CbR6Z4Vjif
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 1, 2014

It ends today. You can use this link to vote. Voting closes today.

Thomas Vanek Watch is Officially On

#494771299 / gettyimages.com

This was a story that I happen to come across on the Score. I would have to think that the Thomas Vanek watch is officially on. It will be interesting to see where he actually ends up. From the looks of it, it doesn't appear that his stay in Montreal was very memorable, either.

Thomas Vanek said he's excited for the opportunity to pick his own team for the first time, but for now most excited to see his family
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

"I feel we're both good players, just weren't on the same page" - Thomas Vanek on him and Tomas Plekanec
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Vanek said he feels the Canadiens could win, and they could be an option for him. Whether the feeling is mutual remains to be seen.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Thomas Vanek said his top priority on July 1 is winning. Was asked about Minny and simply said he lives and trains there.
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Vanek said he's not injured, just never found any chemistry once he was removed from top line. Lack of shots was due to lack of chemistry
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

"I could have made a difference and I just wasn't there" - Thomas Vanek
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) May 31, 2014

Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price back in full pads

Carey Price, in full gear, an hour before the team is scheduled to be on the ice. pic.twitter.com/dbxvvsI8q8
— SeanFitz_Gerald (@SeanFitz_Gerald) May 27, 2014

Ruh-roh! The New York Rangers might want to put the Montreal Canadiens away in game six or they could end up facing Carey Price in game seven. Price was at practice, wearing full gear, and did face some shots. Price also did some side-to-side drills. Are you thinking what I am thinking?

NCAA Hockey: Penalize the players who Embellish?

#1957662 / gettyimages.com

I am a subscriber to XM Radio, and I listen to the Hockey Night In Canada Radio a couple of times a week. Today, Hockey Night in Canada Radio had an awesome segment on officiating during the 3:00 p.m. hour.

Former NHL Official and current ECAC head of officials Paul Stewart was on with the HNIC co-hosts (Rob Pizzo and Elliotte Friedman), and he had some interesting things to say. One thing that caught my attention was his proposal that he made to the NCAA about punishing players that embellish. There's more coming on that this week.

Some of his proposal was to give players who embellish a five-minute misconduct penalty. After three five-minute misconducts, that player would sit for a game. After four five-minute misconducts, that player would sit for two games. Also, the linesmen and refs could make the call. I think it's a great idea.

Related articles

• (Video) Fraser: Making the call (again) on embellishment
• IIHF Hockey: Proposed Rule Changes

Are the Rangers and Habs gooning it up?

This is the series I expected the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins to have, but didn't. There three more hearings with the NHL's Department of Player Safety today. Shouldn't be too much longer and we will have the rulings from the league office. Suspensions are usually announced in the late afternoon after the hearings are over. This has been an emotional, hard fought series, and it's starting to show up on the score sheet.

That being said, the Rene Bourque cross check and the Derek Dorsett headbutt could end up costing both teams more games. John Moore is most definitely going to miss a game or two for his dirty hit on Dale Weise.

#nhl player security department is looking at an incident involving #canadiens Rene Bourque on Dorsett. And Dorsett headbutt too. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 28, 2014

NHL's Department of Player Safety will also be reviewing Derek Dorsett head-butting incident today.
— Katie Strang (@KatieStrangESPN) May 28, 2014

UND could end up losing recruit Ryan Mantha, depending on who drafts him

As a fan of the University of North Dakota, none of us are shocked by these revelations. We have seen it numerous times. We will see it again, probably sooner rather than later. 

[From the Hockey Writers] Ryan Mantha, Sioux City USHL, University of North Dakota, Elite Prospects Page

Def Ryan Mantha (Indiana Ice in @USHL) said whichever team drafts him will determine his fate: Either the UofNorth Dakota or Sault St. Marie
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) May 27, 2014

Related articles

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• UND Hockey: UND Recruits in the 2014 NHL Entry Level Draft

(Video) Michel Therrien Confronts Ulf Samuelsson During Practice

Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien is really a cry baby... Therrien did nothing but cry and complain during the second round series between the Boston Bruins and Canadiens as well. He confronts Ulf Samuelsson during the Canadiens team practice. Seriously, what are the Habs going to give away during their practice?

SNYRangers Blog -- Therrien’s quote on the subject was “There is always a gentleman’s agreement between two teams and the general manager that coaches are not allowed to attend practices between games. Game day is different. So when we saw those assistant coaches there, they were not supposed to be there, so we let them know.” (via the NHL)

#canadiens Michel Therrien was upset at Ulf Samuelson who was watching practice. A no-no when it's not a morning skate. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) May 24, 2014

(Video) Jonathan Toews scores a nice goal against Jonathan Quick

Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews knows how to get to the blue paint, this is a perfect example of this. Toews scored two goals in the first period of game three of the Western Conference Finals, but this one was a thing of beauty.

Toews pic.twitter.com/6dNEfKzfgy
— Tumblr Hockey (@TumblrHockey_) May 25, 2014

(Video) Rangers Daniel Carcillo Car Bombed by the NHL, Prust and Dorsett fight

Today, the NHL car bombed Daniel Carcillo. The Rangers pugilist has been suspended for 10 games for his abuse of an NHL official, I think the suspension should be 20 games. There's no excuse for pushing, hitting and or elbowing an NHL linesman or referee.

Looking at the video, this was in the first six minutes of the first period of game three. I included the P.K. Subban and Derek Dorsett exchange. It almost looks like a slew-foot. There was no penalty on the play.

The fight between Dorsett and Brandon Prust is per the hockey code. I don’t have a problem with this fight, and in this instance the code worked. Prust took out one of the Montreal Canadiens with a dirty hit, Dorset challenged him to a fight and Prust accepted the challenge.