Showing posts with label National Hockey League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Hockey League. Show all posts

Friday, November 27, 2015

Updated: Brandon Dubinsky Will have a Hearing for Dirty Cross Check on Sidney Crosby



There's no defending this bush league cross check by Columbus Bluejackets forward Brandon Dubinsky. I mean seriously, Dubinsky tries to remove Sidney Crosby's head from his body. This dirty hit is worthy of a suspension. If you're a fan of the NHL, there's a chance you're embarrassed that  Dubinsky was only given a two-minute minor for this egregious act of violence. Now will the league step up?

Just for the record, I am not a fan of the Penguins, but I don't want to see the league's superstars knocked out of the game by a senseless, dirty, boneheaded hit.


Dubinsky will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Players safety.



Apparently, former NHL goon Matthew Barnaby didn't think that Dubinsky's cross check warrants a suspension. Wait, what?

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Monday, November 16, 2015

(Video) Jonathan Toews vs David Backes



Former Fighting Sioux All-American forward Jonathan Toews has been in a grand total of five NHL fights. Two of them have been against the same player, former Minnesota State Maverick David Backes. While fighting isn't Toews' role, he's fought twice already this season.
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Friday, November 13, 2015

Gabriel Landeskog Suspended Two Games For Hit On Brad Marchand



Apparently, you can get a two-game suspension for a hit like this in the NHL. So far, kneeing infractions have been okay.

Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog has been suspended by the NHL for this hit on Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Anyone what to defend this hit? Marchand was also fined $5,000 for popping Landeskog.


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Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Oilers Connor McDavid Suffers Upper-Body Injury



The Edmonton Oilers received some very bad news today. Their star rookie forward Connor McDavid will be out long term after sustaining a upper-body injury. Can we say fractured collar bone? The video is painful to watch. This is bad news for the NHL and the Oilers. So far this season, McDavid is leading rookie scorers with (5g-7a--12pts) in 13 games.


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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Zac Rinaldo Hit on Sean Couturier



Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Philadelphia Flyers forward Sean Couturier. Needless to say, Rinaldo's first game against his old team only lasted on period and he played only 2:53 minutes.

I don't think that this hit is suspension worthy, but the league will definitely take a look at it. Couturier was not on the bench to start the second period.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

T.J. Oshie Kisses His Stick



Classic T.J. Oshie... After scoring his third goal of the year and the fourth goal for the Capitals, Oshie kisses his stick.
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Thursday, October 08, 2015

Alexander Burmistrov’s Dirty Elbow on Patrice Bergeron



While we're suspending people for dirty hits. I believe that Alexander Burmistrov’s dirty elbow on Patrice Bergeron should warrant a suspension. This is definitely a violation of the NHL's Rule 48.

There's no defending this hit.
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Wednesday, October 07, 2015

NHL Alumni by NCHC School

Lot of players in the NHL that come from NCHC schools.

 North Dakota (14)
Taylor Chorney, D (Washington)
Derek Forbort, D (Los Angeles)
Matt Greene, D (Los Angeles)
Rocco Grimaldi, F (Florida)
Brad Malone, F (Carolina)
Brock Nelson, F (New York Islanders)
T.J. Oshie, F (Washington)
Zach Parise, F (Minnesota)
Chris Porter, F (Minnesota)
Dillon Simpson, D (Edmonton)
Drew Stafford, F (Winnipeg)
Jonathan Toews, F (Chicago)
Chris VandeVelde, F (Philadelphia)
Travis Zajac, F (New Jersey)

Denver (9)
Beau Bennett, F (Pittsburgh)
Tyler Bozak, F (Toronto)
Matt Carle, D (Tampa Bay)
Joe Colborne, F (Calgary)
Matt Donovan, D (Buffalo)
Nick Shore, F (Los Angeles)
Paul Stastny, F (St. Louis)
Patrick Wiercioch, D (Ottawa)
Jason Zucker, F (Minnesota)

Minnesota Duluth (8)
J.T. Brown, F (Tampa Bay)
Justin Faulk, D (Carolina)
Justin Fontaine, F (Minnesota)
Jason Garrison, D (Tampa Bay)
Matt Niskanen, D (Washington)
Dylan Olsen, D (Florida)
Mason Raymond, F (Calgary)
Alex Stalock, G (San Jose)

Miami (7)
Dan Boyle, D (New York Rangers)
Andy Greene, D (New Jersey)
Alec Martinez, D (Los Angeles)
Reilly Smith, F (Florida)
Chris Wideman, D (Ottawa)
Tommy Wingels, F (San Jose)
Jeff Zatkoff, G (Pittsburgh)

Colorado College (4)
Curtis McElhinney, G (Columbus)
Nate Prosser, D (Minnesota)
Jaden Schwartz, F (St. Louis)
Mark Stuart, D (Winnipeg)

Western Michigan (4)
Kevin Connauton, D (Columbus)
Danny DeKeyser, D (Detroit)
Mark Letestu, F (Edmonton)
Matt Tennyson, D (San Jose)

St. Cloud State (2)
Matt Cullen, F (Pittsburgh)
Matt Hendricks, F (Edmonton)

Omaha (1) Andrej Sustr, D (Tampa Bay)

(s/t NCHC Hockey)
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Sunday, October 04, 2015

Raffi Torres Has not Learned his Lesson, Ejected for Brutal Head Shot

While he's not considered a repeat offender per the CBA, this hit could land Sharks forward Raffi Torres a long suspension.




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Sunday, July 05, 2015

Brandon Dubinsky not a Fan of Mike Reilly

One has to wonder if this wasn't a drunk tweet or something along those lines. That being said, Columbus Blue Jackets isn't a fan of former Gopher Mike Reilly. 

 Obviously, Reilly isn't the first college hockey player to go this route to the NHL, but I can see how Dubinsky and his Blue Jackets teammates might not be that impressed with the ex-Gopher's decision. Dubinsky has since deleted his tweet. 



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Sunday, June 28, 2015

Mike Commodore goes off on Pierre McGuire

Former NHLer and University of North Dakota defenseman Mike Commodore took to twitter to express his displeasure with Pierre McGuire. He's not alone, there are many fans that can't stand McGuire. I see a lot of NHL fans expressing their thoughts about McGuire on social media often, many of them aren't very flattering. So, what do you think of big Mike's thoughts?






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Thursday, June 18, 2015

Matt Cooke is Waived, Twitter Responds

Today is a very good day. Since my least favorite player in the NHL was finally waived from the Minnesota Wild, I thought I would celebrate by posting some of the Tweets that I found on Twitter.









See, it's not just me. Many other fans feel the same way. And yes, I agree Cooke is one of the dirtiest players ever to play the game of hockey. He makes Ulf Samuelsson look semi-clean.


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Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Video: Kris Versteeg Goalie Interference



Check this out. Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg was assessed a two-minute minor for goalie interference. It's almost humorous.

In my opinion, this is a blown call. If you watch the video you will see that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman actually helps Versteeg into the goal post.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

This is the season, change change change

by Redwing77

Ok, first I see my Red Wings bow out early.  That's ok, I didn't expect them to make the playoffs (none of the pundits did either).  Now... lots of change.

First, Hakstol bolts for the Flyers.  Ugh.  I don't like the Flyers.  Better there than Buffalo or Toronto, perhaps, but still....  it stinks.  I never saw it coming.  That being said, I talked to Hakstol in Kearney, Nebraska while the Tri City Storm (with UND recruit Chris Wilkie) faced off in what would turn out to be the season ending game for the Omaha Lancers (with UND recruit Shane Gersich).  He was a great guy and a splendid ambassador for North Dakota.

I still love to think about the Haters.  I mean, Hakstol couldn't win it all in his 11 seasons with North Dakota even with stacked rosters and a bucket load of tradition (which, by the way, never makes saves nor scores goals but whatever).  So, obviously, Hakstol shouldn't be considered worthy of anything, right?  Or perhaps just worthy of a head coaching gig in the NHL.  Not even the NoDak godcoach Dean Blais garnered that post... or perhaps he turned them all down to get an associate head coaching gig with the Blue Jackets?  Whatever.

Nevertheless, I don't know how it will work out for Hakstol in the NHL.  I hope he's successful.  It's a different world in the pros.  A TON of entitlement and "me first" attitudes prevail in that league.  Maybe he'll be able to convince Ron Hextall (of all people to say what's next) that GOALTENDING might actually be a CONCERN for Philly?  Hmm???  Seriously!  2 career backups and 1 30 something year old rookie isn't going to win you much.

Anyways....

And now Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock will head to Toronto to be the head conductor aboard the second biggest train derailment in the NHL (behind Buffalo).  Ok, there were rumors abounding regarding this pre-season but still!  This is a good deal for Toronto.  I mean, stealing assistants from Detroit didn't necessarily work out (see San Jose) so why not steal the head coach himself?

In any regards, the front runner for the Detroit gig is former WMU head coach Blashill.  Blashill knows the system Detroit runs and has lead the Wings in developing many of the younger stars currently on the Wings roster.  I don't know if this will thrust the Wings back to the Finals but it's not exactly a dumpster hire either.

If he's hired, it may also be good for college hockey.  In the past, I got the feeling that Detroit really didn't have much faith in the NCAA (despite Nyquist, Abdelkader, Howard, and a few others).  They typically invested a lot more in the Scandenavian hockey markets and major juniors as well.  Perhaps there is a shift in hockey town towards a find the best no matter where mentality that will include the NCAA now?  Who knows.

In any case, I haven't the foggiest idea what will happen in Detroit and Philly next season or two.

Final Random Musing:

However, in Toronto, the scuttlebutt is that Babcock's hiring is BAD NEWS for one named Kessel.  Babcock likes solid play at both ends and a complete buy in to the system.  He might be able to do that (much like Trotz did with Ovechkin), but many amateur pundits (including myself) suggest that Kessel should pack his bags in time for Draft Day because he'll be moving out of Toronto.
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For Those That were Wondering

I had a few people ask me this week what was going on with Zane McIntyre. Some wondered if the change at the head coaching position would make any difference. It will not make a difference.

One more to go.

Obviously, we're still waiting for Jordan Schmaltz as well.  According to Andy Strickland, it sounds like there's a chance that Schmaltz could be back this fall. We will see how that develops and plays out. For those that wondered, and I saw a few of the comments from fans, Strickland is a credible hockey source and is up on what's going on with the St. Louis Blues.



Related articles
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The Hamburglar gets a Raise

Last season, former Bowling Green State University goalie Andrew Hammond made a big splash with the Ottawa Senators. In his first season with the senators, Hammond was (20-1-2, 1.73 GAA & .943 SV%) in 23 starts.

For his efforts, the Senators are showing Hammond the money. Last season, Hammond made 750,000 with the Senators and is getting a pretty nice raise to 1.35 million.



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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Clayton Stoner Cross-Checks Andrew Shaw in the Face



Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner was very lucky that he's still in the game. Stoner cross-checks Marcus Kruger from behind, causing him to slide face first into the end boards. Kruger suffered a minor cut for his efforts.

But Stoner wasn't done. The Ducks defender goes on to perform oral surgery on Andrew Shaw.

To quote Brendan Shanahan, "this was a blatant attempt to injure an opponent." In other words, this was an egregious act that deserved a penalty. Also, I think that Shaw has an expectation to not be cross-checked in the face. The play is basically over.

If I was the commissioner of the NHL, these are the types of plays that would be highly punished. My question is, would this hit be worthy of a call from the Department of Player Safety. Is this suspension worthy?
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

UND Hockey Waiting on Two

The UND hockey team received some good news in the last couple of days. Troy Stecher is coming back for his junior season.

The good news didn't stop there. Leading scorer Drake Caggiula is going to return for his senior season. With these developments, UND should again be one of the top teams in the NCHC based on who's staying and who's coming in.

Now, UND is waiting on two players to make their decision. Jordan Schmaltz and Paul LaDue have yet to make their intentions known. It was thought that Schmaltz was signing with the Blues, but he's not tipped his hand as of yet.

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Sunday, May 10, 2015

USA Phenom Auston Matthews to Spurn North American Hockey?

by Redwing77

I read Eric Burton's Sin Bin Article about how US NTDP phenom and future NHLer Auston Matthews may sign with a team in the Swiss Leagues.

This is baffling news to be sure.

Eric states in his article that he doesn't think that "anyone should be shocked by these revelations."

I beg to differ.  I think there should be two entities and one eyebrow raised at a third that should be shocked.

First, USA Hockey.  USA Hockey prides itself on developing solid American players for North American hockey, be it NCAA or Major Juniors with the aim at marketing that player towards a career in the NHL.  Auston Matthews going to Europe in anything less than the typical (rookie contract expires and does not get re-signed or ages out of NCAA/CHL without a pro contract opportunity) is a slap in the face to USA Hockey.  No way around that.

Second, and most stingingly, to the CHL.  It's rarely news when a top flight prospect, be it Canadian or American, goes to the Major Junior leagues from the position Matthews sits in now.  They parade around the interweb crowing that it is the dream of "every North American and most European" teenager to play for the CHL before they make their pro debut.  But it IS news when they are spurned, not for the NCAA, but for EUROPE and by a NORTH AMERICAN player nonetheless.  I think it stings them more than the NCAA because, in that regard, Eric is right.  No way was Matthews going the NCAA route.  No way.

The eyebrow being raised is by the NHL.  Now, I doubt that this move would really hurt Auston's draft stock, but it isn't going to endear him to the NHL either.  Here's why:

1.  When the NHL drafts a European player (and sometimes even before that player is drafted), that player is pressed to come to the US or Canada to get into North American's style of hockey.  It is very different over in Europe.  It has been stated in the past that those skaters from Europe who refuse such pressure are deemed more of a risk than otherwise.  How will this impact Matthews?  I'm not sure it will because he comes from North American style hockey to begin with.

2.  The Swiss Leagues is hardly a juggernaut in European hockey.  I mean no disrespect to the Swiss Leagues.  Many former UND players have gone there to play.  Switzerland also is a beautiful country with extremely nice and polite people in it.  However, it's not the "go to" avenue in Europe to get to the NHL.  It's considered that the best path in that regard runs through the Elite leagues of Scandinavia: mainly Finland and Sweden.   The Swiss Leagues are mentioned enough in North American to warrant the same notoriety with the DEL (German) and the Czech Leagues.  To be fair, I'd put even the KHL as a better path than the Swiss Leagues if it weren't for the financial peril the KHL finds itself in.

So I want to know:  Why Swiss Leagues?  Is it financial?  If it is displeasure over the WHL team who owns his rights, why not do the typical and use the NCAA as leverage?  Heck, why not just stay in the USHL until his draft year and ask the team who drafts him their advice?  There's every bit of likelihood that whomever drafts him will want him to get seasoned a bit back into the North American leagues and that would mean Major Juniors once he signed... assuming that he doesn't jump immediately into the NHL.

As for that, though, in my armchair scout opinion, I think this move DOES hurt Matthews.Getting used to the pro game AND reacclimated to North American hockey is a lot for a 17 or 18 year old to do.

It's not going to make him drop in the draft any, but I do think it will impact how long it takes him to get to the NHL... by a few months.
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Sunday, May 03, 2015

Minnesota Wild: Vanek Victim of Poor Officiating



Minnesota Wild forward Thomas Vanek was assessed a two-minute minor for goalie interference. You can watch this play all day long and it's still not a penalty. The on-ice officials in this game should be ashamed of themselves. This is brutal, and some of the worst officiating that I have seen in some time.



You can see that Vanek didn't agree with the call either.
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