Looking ahead to the Olympics

Post by Shane Jenkins

Even though every single nation feels as though they have a chance to win the gold medal at the Sochi Olympics in hockey, most experts believe it will come down to the top three. Russia, Canada and The United States all have the depth and star power to make a deep run in the beginning of February. Most of their players will be taking a break from their fantasy hockey production in the NHL to represent their country. So how do the top three squads stack up against each other?

Host Russia had a disappointing 2010 Olympics in Canada. They will be hoping to reverse their fortunes now that they are getting the play on their home soil. They have perhaps the best individual talent in the world in Alex Ovechkin, but they also have some key players at other positions as well. If they can put up quite a few goals to give their defense a cushion, the home team could pull off the victory.

Defending champion Canada figures to be a very formidable opponent for any team that goes up against them. Not only do they have some of the best fantasy hockey players in the NHL, but they have plenty of depth as well. When you have all starts coming off your bench, you know that your team is deep overall. Just like Russia, they are also stacked with forwards who should be able to score quite often. Their defense is a little stronger, as Roberto Luongo will be asked to man the net in most of the important games.

Finally, the United States put up a valiant effort in 2010 only to come up short against Canada. They are considered to be the 3rd best team coming into the Olympics, but when playing well they can compete with anyone. Their goalie situation is a little bit up in air right now, but it appears as though Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick will share the duties. They will also need some big play from their best goal scorer Patrick Kane.

Brandon Saad's spin-o-rama sets up Patrick Kane goal

s/t to sporting news. What a dirty goal. This spin-o-rama move would make Dennis Savard proud. This goal in the third period gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-1 lead and broke the Minnesota Wild's back.

NHL players insist fighting still has a place in hockey

Here’s a really good article on fighting and the players wanting it to remain in the game. I think the point by the writer about Steve Yzerman and having Bob Probert protecting him, is another good point. The writer is right, he did enjoy one of the toughest players to ever play in the NHL protecting his backside.

Mark Lazerus, Chicago Sun Times – An NHLPA/CBC poll conducted in 2011-12 found that 98 percent of players were against banishing fighting. Ninety-eight percent. Some of that has to do with protecting the jobs of the likes of John Scott and Parros. But most of that’s simply the ingrained culture of the sport. To players, fighting is as much a part of the game as faceoffs. You can’t change that overnight. It’s going to take generations to get past that.

Yzerman’s concerns ring particularly hollow, given how glad he was to have legendary enforcer Bob Probert watching his back in Detroit. Yzerman rarely had to worry about being touched, because Probert was always lurking. At the very least, opponents would think twice before taking a run at him.

“That’s where fighting comes in, where you want to stick up for your teammates and you want to have tough guys who protect you so you’re not getting run out of the building every night,” Hawks star Patrick Kane said. “If you take it completely out of the game, and they don’t have to think twice about hitting skilled guys because they know they won’t have to fight someone, there’s no [price] for a cheap hit.”

There’s no easy answer. Yzerman proposed game-misconduct penalties (ejections) for all fights, but all that would do is embolden and encourage goons to try to goad star players into fights to take them out of the game. Full-blown suspensions for simple fights would effectively end fighting, but would lead to vigilante justice and serious injuries caused by guys hell-bent on defending their teammates in other ways. What the NHL needs to do is get rid of the useless fights — the staged ones at face-offs, the forced ones during blowouts, the ones where all a guy is trying to do is wake up a sleepy bench or a bored crowd. Players and fans might like those — as Kane put it, “From a fan’s perspective, there are probably three things you love in hockey: scoring goals, big hits, and the fights” — but they serve no real purpose. They police nothing, they solve nothing.

So do what the Ontario Hockey League did last year — create a quota system. Each player in the OHL now is allowed 10 fights, with the 11th and each one thereafter earning a two-game suspension. This forces players to pick their spots. Someone levels your teammate with a dirty hit? Fight him. Trailing 6-0 at the end of a game and just want to send a message? Not worth it.

I will have to admit that I like the staged fights too. I mean think about this, people go to MMA bouts or pay big money to watch them on pay-per-view and it’s one of the most popular sports on the blogsphere, but we have people that are offended about a bout between two hockey players on the ice. Why is that? Here’s my advice, don’t like fighting, don’t watch hockey. I am more grossed out about the pukes that won’t fight and skate all over the ice hammering people into the boards from behind.

Patrick Kane's Hat Trick sends the Black Hawks to the Stanley Cup Finals

And then there were two. You can bet that the 6'9" Zdeno Chara will be glued to Patrick Kane during the Stanley Cup Finals. You can also bet that "the little ball of hate" Brad Marchand will be in Jonathan Toews grill, much like Henrik Zetterberg was during the second round the playoffs.

So, here's how the Stanley Cup Finals shake out. Boston Bruins 28-14-6 regular season, 12-4 playoffs vs Chicago Blackhawks 36-7-5 regular season, 12-5 playoffs... Game one kicks off on Wednesday Night at 7:00 p.m. at the Mad House on Madison.

Patrick Kane goal; no penalty called on the play

This was the go-ahead goal by Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane, the L.A. Kings were unhappy and felt that there should have been a penalty called on the play. After further review, it might have been the right call on the play. That being said, the goalie needs to be ready at all time, regardless. Jonathan Quick struggled early in the game.

Replay appears to show Williams going down on his own. Good non-call.
— Steve McAllister (@yahoomac) June 9, 2013

Blackhawks vs Kings; Blackhawks lead series 3-1

The L.A. Kings lose for the first time at home during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Chicago Blackhawks make L.A. Kings all-world goalie Jonathan Quick look human, the goal by Hossa was an absolute blast, in fact, Quick is probably still looking for the puck.

Scoring for the Blackhawks: Bryan Bickell (8), Marian Hossa (7) and Patrick Kane (3) find the twine and score big goals for the Blackhawks. Scoring For the L.A. Kings: Slava Voynov(6) and Dustin Penner (3).

Bryan Bickell is an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and has had a big 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs scoring (8g-3—11pts), you would think that he’s going to be getting a big raise in the offseason. According to capgeek.com Bickell is  making $541,667.00

Kane apologetic over drinking escapade

It's been quite the summer for the Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane. Also, the Chicago Blackhawks are concerned about Kane's off the ice behavior. Apparently, the club suggested the young star seek help, as well. 

Kane apologetic over drinking escapade Kane made his first public appearance Friday since photos of him attending the Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison, Wis., on May 5 were published on deadspin.com showing the seemingly intoxicated 23-year-old cavorting with college students, apparently passed out at a bar and, in one, appearing to walk away after a confrontation with a police officer.

"We all saw the photos, they're pretty embarrassing," Kane said before the opening ceremony of the Blackhawks Convention. "It was the offseason and you're trying to have a good time but you have to realize the spotlight you're in no matter where you are. For me, the situation I'm in now is you always have to act like someone is watching you.

"I was looking for a good weekend with my friends and things probably got a little bit out of control. From seeing the pictures to the stories, it's not fun to see but hopefully it's something that can make me better as a person."

Kane has had well-documented incidents — including a confrontation with a Buffalo taxi driver in 2009 that led to his arrest and photos of him with teammates in the back of a limousine in Vancouver in '10 — that apparently involved alcohol. But the forward set to enter his sixth NHL season doesn't believe he has a drinking problem.

Now we can all rest better, knowing that Patrick Kane doesn't have a drinking problem. I like many are hoping that Kane doesn't in fact have a drinking problem and can have a great season going forward, next season. Kane is one of the rising young American hockey stars, that will hopefully be representing the US soon - especially if the Olympic allows the NHL stars to play in the 2014 Olympics again. 

Time for the Hawks to flush Kane

Dead Spin Photo

It would appear that Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane needs to grow up and start acting like an adult and not a punk. Also, maybe Kane could learn a think or two from his fellow teammate Jonathan Toews on how to behave in public and not some spoiled brat.

Chris Kuc, Tribune reporter --- After a subpar postseason series against the Coyotes during which he had four assists in the six-game loss and was off the ice in the final minutes of Game 6 following a misconduct penalty for, as Kane put it, "just kind of slashing (Coyotes) like Paul Bunyan out there," the offseason arrived.

Not more than a few weeks into it, photos of an allegedly intoxicated Kane attending the Mifflin Street Block Party on Cinco de Mayo in Madison, Wis., were published on deadspin.com. They showed Kane cavorting with college students, apparently passed out at a bar and, in one, appearing to walk away while talking with a police officer.

At first, it fueled more head-shaking and "that's just Kaner being Kaner" thoughts. Things suddenly got much more serious when the website began quoting anonymous sources alleging Kane choked a woman before being thrown out of a party and also hurled an anti-semitic slur during another altercation.

Personally, if I was the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks I would trade this punk and get rid of the distraction that comes with this clown, while Kane had a down season last year, the GM could still try to get a decent replacement that comes with less baggage than Kane.

This isn’t the first incident with Kane; he was arrested in 2009 for roughing up a Buffalo Cab driver when the cab driver didn’t have the correct change. Kane and his punk cousin James ended up beating up cabbie over 20 cents, no that’s not a misprint, he assaulted someone over 20 cent’s. It’s not like 20 cents was going to break him, he is rich from playing a kids game.

Most normal people can fathom beating up a cab driver over a minuscule amount like that – most normal people would have also landed in jail for an assault like that because most of us don’t the ability to buy an expensive defense team like Kane can. Seriously! Maybe Kane should learn to control his anger and stop acting like a spoiled entitlement kid; if I was in the Blackhawks front office I would put this punk on double secret probation and would cut him the next time he gets out of line and embarrasses the Blackhawks organization. There is no way you can excuse this type of behavior and I haven’t seen anyone doing so, yet.

NHL Network to host WJC till 2018

Image via WikipediaHere is the official announcement.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Hockey and the NHL Network U.S. have agreed to a long-term extension of their broadcast deal that will keep NHL Network as the exclusive home for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in the United States through the 2018 event.

NHL Network will provide exclusive live broadcasts and NHL.com will provide live streams of all U.S. National Junior Team games at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship taking place Dec. 26 - Jan. 5 in Alberta, Canada. NHL Network will also televise all medal-round games and five additional preliminary-round match-ups, airing a total of 15 games in high definition.

"We're extremely pleased to extend our partnership with the NHL Network," said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. "They're passionate about televising the World Junior Championship and fans will notice continued enhancements in their coverage of Team USA and the tournament overall."

“The IIHF World Junior Championship is not only a preeminent international hockey tournament, it has become known as the place to view future NHL stars," said Bob Chesterman, NHL Network vice president of programming. “Viewers will see a high level of skill and talent and intense match-ups between rival countries. The World Junior Championship is an excellent complement to our NHL programming.”

All Team USA games will be NHL Network original broadcasts. "NHL On the Fly," NHL Network’s signature highlight show, and NHL Live will provide intermission coverage and nightly analysis of the tournament.

The U.S. National Junior Team is coming off back-to-back medals in the IIHF World Junior Championship for the first time ever, having earned a bronze medal in last year's event in Buffalo, N.Y., and a gold medal at the 2010 World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask.

The tournament's popularity stems from its reputation as a showcase for the game's best up-and-coming young players from around the world. Many current American-born NHL stars have played in the tournament, including Patrick Kane, Jack Johnson, Zach Parise and Bobby Ryan, to name a few.

The U.S. National Junior Team will begin preliminary-round play against Denmark on Dec. 26 at 8 p.m. EST. A full Team USA and NHL Network television schedule is below.

2012 IIHF World Junior Championship
NHL Network (U.S.) Television Schedule

Date	Matchup	City *	Time (EST)
Dec. 26	Canada vs. Finland	Edmonton, Alta.	3:30 p.m.
	USA vs. Denmark	Edmonton, Alta.	8 p.m.
Dec. 27	Denmark vs. Czech Republic	Edmonton, Alta.	8 p.m.
Dec. 28	Finland vs. USA	Edmonton, Alta.	3:30 p.m.
	Czech Republic vs. Canada	Edmonton, Alta.	8 p.m.
Dec. 29	Canada vs. Denmark	Edmonton, Alta.	8 p.m.
Dec. 30	Czech Republic vs. USA	Edmonton, Alta.	3:30 p.m.
	Finland vs. Denmark	Edmonton, Alta.	8 p.m.
Dec. 31	USA vs. Canada	Edmonton, Alta.	8 p.m.
Jan. 2	Quarterfinal #1	Calgary, Alta.	5 p.m.
	Quarterfinal #2	Calgary, Alta.	9 p.m.
Jan. 3	Semifinal #1	Calgary, Alta.	5 p.m.
	Semifinal #2	Calgary, Alta.	9 p.m.
Jan. 5	Bronze-Medal Game	Calgary, Alta.	3:30 p.m.
	Gold-Medal Game	Calgary, Alta.	8:00 p.m.

Patrick Kane Goal!! Hey really guys I scored...

Here is the goal that ended 49 years of futility. It was kind of like, 'hey guys I scored, really I did.' What even makes me happier this season as a hockey fan is that Sidney Crosby wasn't on the winning team or in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This season it wasn't all about Alexander Ovechkin and much to Gary Bettman’s chagrin the NHL thrived with their two top stars or either of Gary’s favorite teams. The fact is that the Stanley Cup playoffs was as smashing success in spite of Bettman.

Big, burly and beautiful to Blackhawks

You have to wonder if the opposition teams like the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks are having nightmares of Dustin Byfuglien scoring goals against them in their sleep. The emergence of Byfuglien (8g-2a-10pts)might have something to do with playing on the line with Patrick Kane (7g-13-20pts) and Jonathan Toews (7g-16a-25pts).

CHICAGO - Here's how Dustin Byfuglien sees it: The puck always finds him when he is in the perfect position.

His Chicago Blackhawks teammates view it this way: Big Buff's easy to find when he's open because at six foot four and 257 pounds, he's hard to miss.

Whatever the reason, Byfuglien has emerged as a star for the young Blackhawks. He scored three game-winning goals during a sweep of San Jose in the Western Conference final that put Chicago in the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1992.

Like a big tight end clawing his way through defenders to get open or a linebacker crushing a running back with a block in the open field, Byfuglien's physical play, deft touch and ability to clear space have given his team another element in its quest for the franchise's first NHL title since 1961.

Put him on the same line with the team's most recognizable and publicized young stars, 21-year-old Patrick Kane and 22-year-old captain Jonathan Toews, and Byfuglien has really blossomed. He scored one goal in each game against the Sharks.

"I'm not really on any cloud right now," said Byfuglien (pronounced BUHF'-lihn). "I'm just doing work for the kids and finishing it up. I have faith in myself and I just kept going."

Byfuglien, who had a hat trick in a victory over the Canucks in the semifinals when he took up his customary role in front of goalie Roberto Luongo, showed his versatility against the Sharks. He had the game-winner in the opener with a wrist shot from the slot after Toews won a faceoff and Kane slid him the puck.

"With those two you never know what's going to happen," Byfuglien said.