NHL Scoring: Is the Solution That Easy?

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My friend Ken Frank and I have had a few discussion about how the NHL can increase scoring. In other words, we would like to see more goals scored in the NHL. People don't come to watch Sidney Crosby being hacked, hooked, or held up and down the ice. They pay great wads of money to watch him score goal and make plays.

More specifically; let's push this point even further. It's not just about the regular season. I'd like to get more goal scoring during the Stanley Cup Playoffs? There's doesn't need to be a bunch of gimmicks to make this happen.

My buddies solution to the NHL's goal drought "BLOW THE F#(KING WHISTLE". Simple right? Call penalties when there are penalties. It's just a very simplistic solution. If the ref sees an infraction on the ice, i.e. a player takes his hand off of his stick to hold up an opposing player in any zone on the ice. Or if a player hooks another player with his stick going through the neutral zone. "BLOW THE F#(KING WHISTLE".

Well, I'll be damned, Adam Gretz from CBS Sports has this same suggestion in a recent blog post on how to increase scoring in the NHL.

1. Bring back the power play and call penalties

This is the most practical solution of them all when it comes to increasing scoring.

Just enforce the rules. It doesn't require any changes to the game. It doesn't require any changes to the equipment or the size of the ice. It's just a matter of enforcing what is already in the rule books.

There is a pretty direct relationship between the number of power plays teams get and the number of goals they score, and as goal scoring has plummeted in recent years, so to have the number of power plays. It's not a coincidence.

There it is. Just blow the whistle and call the penalties. Finally, don't have two rule books, one for the regular season and one for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. An obstruction penalty in October should be a penalty in June.

UND vs. MU Lines - Games Two

Will there be a traditional circle of sticks at the end of the game? There's only been one series sweep since UND and Miami joined the NCHC. Also, UND junior defenseman Paul LaDue is out of the lineup with an undisclosed lower-body injury. We will try to get a time table tonight.

Nick Schmaltz's Tic-Tac-Toe Goal

You can watch the video above, I dare you to only watch it one time. You can't do it. I find myself mesmerized by it. I have been watching college hockey for a very long time, I have never seen a goal like this, ever. In my opinion, this goal is worthy of an  ESPN Award of some kind.

The Puck was touched by no less than six players in four seconds. One could only describe it as tic-tac-toe highlight goal. I really enjoyed the call by Dan Hammer and Jake Brandt.

Are the Wheels Coming off in Philly?

I have been following coach Hakstol's Flyers since he was named head coach of Philadelphia. Since I have the NHL Center Ice, I have watched a fair number of the Flyers games. Frankly, I think they've deserved a better fate in a few of these games. If it wasn't for bad luck, they'd have no luck at all.

Sam Carchidi, Philly.com – Clearly, rookie coach Dave Hakstol's system, which relies on controlling the neutral zone to create odd-man rushes, isn't working.

"We've got some real talented offensive players, guys who have real tricky shots, real heavy shots that are tough to stop," said goalie Steve Mason, who faces the shooters every day in practice. "I'm obviously not a forward or a defenseman, but I think if you've had trouble putting the puck in the net, it might tend to wear on you a little bit. I think in this situation, all it will take is one goal - maybe going off a shin pad or something - to start feeling good. There's too much talent for this to carry on for too long."

Since beating the Boston Bruins 5-4 in overtime, the Flyers have lost eight-of-10 games. Three of these games have gone to overtime. The Flyers have won just one of them, a shootout win against the Rangers.

From reading the stories from the Flyers beat writers, it would appear that Flyers are returning to the basics. We have seen this before.

Sam Carchidi, Philly.com – One day after an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Colorado, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol turned into a drill sergeant.

The rookie coach put his team through rigorous one-on-one and two-on-two battle drills at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. The one-on-ones started behind the net, while the two-on-twos began about 25 feet from the goalie.

There was lots of intensity, lots of contact, lots of players sprawled on the ice after hits.

Miami vs. North Dakota (The Battle of the Hawks?)

I thought I would throw the Hawks reference in there. I know some have mentioned how hard it's going to be to call a hockey game with two sets of hawks on the ice. Good news for UND, they get Tucker Poolman back tonight.

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.

Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog has been suspended 2 games for an illegal check to the head of Boston's Brad Marchand. https://t.co/e0PHYMclPM

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 13, 2015

Gabriel Landeskog suspended two games for hit, Brad Marchand fined for punch (Video) https://t.co/9ihOmD0KnG #Bruins #NHL #Avalanche

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) November 13, 2015

Tech Dirt: UND Sending Out Trademark Letters To Parody Artist Over Logo

Interesting.

Timothy Geigner, Tech Dirt: As you may recall, we had written about the University of North Dakota getting trolled by a jackass over attempts to give themselves a new school team name. Once called The Fighting Sioux, the school bent to local tribes' requests and agreed to abandon that name and come up with a new one. After soliciting suggestions from the public, a guy who wanted the school to keep its old team name went ahead and registered for trademark all of the new possible team names. It was a move as annoying as it is ineffective since, as we pointed out at the time, this man would have to prove he was using those marks in the same marketplace as the school in order to allege any kind of trademark violation. UND was the victim of trademark bullying.

But now the shoe is on the other foot, as UND lawyers have sent cease and desist notices to a Denver UND alumnus who has created clothing featuring a parodied version of the old UND mascot logo. Here are the two logos side by side.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

November 09, 2015

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Providence	(29)	6- 0-1	962	2
2	Boston College	(17)	8- 1-0	941	3
3	North Dakota	( 1)	7- 1-2	859	1
4	Quinnipiac	( 3)	8- 0-0	849	5
5	Massachusetts-Lowell		6- 1-2	813	4
6	Nebraska-Omaha		8- 2-0	744	8
7	Harvard		3- 0-1	723	7
8	Denver		5- 3-0	575	9
9	St. Cloud State		6- 2-0	574	10
10	Yale		3- 0-1	539	12
11	Boston University		5- 3-0	505	11
12	Michigan		4- 1-1	426	13
13	Minnesota-Duluth		3- 4-2	415	6
14	Merrimack		5- 1-2	366	16
15	Bowling Green		4- 2-3	274	14
15	St. Lawrence		6- 3-1	274	15
17	Miami		5- 4-1	176	19
18	Notre Dame		4- 2-2	153	18
19	Clarkson		5- 2-1	95	17
20	Michigan Tech		5- 3-0	79	NR
Others receiving votes: Massachusetts 46, Robert Morris 24, Cornell 23, Minnesota State 21, Minnesota 11, Alaska-Anchorage 9, Rensselaer 8, Penn State 7, Colgate 3, Western Michigan 3, Michigan State 2, Wisconsin

 

UND was expected to drop in this week’s USCHO Poll, but they really didn’t drop all that far. I am sure there will be fans of other programs that will be unhappy about this.  As I have said in the past, the USCHO.COM poll is a lot of fun, but the only poll that matters is the final Pairwise Rankings one on selection Sunday.

Yet ANOTHER Nickname Post (RW77)

by Redwing77

Ok, here's another Nickname post, but I must chime in.  As Goon already stated, we're down to two nicknames:  Roughriders and Fighting Hawks.  NoDaks are now out of the equation so...

Eulogy for the NoDak nickname:

It surprises me how NoDak got as far as it did in this process seeing how little support it got in the voting process.  However, I don't think many of the detractors realize what NoDak would have gotten UND.

First, it would have been a unique nickname.  In fact, it was the only unique nickname in the final three and the only acceptable unique nickname in the final five.

Second, it would have given the no nickname crowd something to sink their teeth into.  No, the "Let's just be UND or North Dakota" crowd will forever be on the losing end, but this is the best nickname to keep that attitude alive.  So, the detractors for the UND crowd will inevitable justify its loss by saying "it's just childish and petty."  However, it gives everyone what they want.  The North Dakota no nickname faithful have a nickname they can forget about, hence giving them the ability to just say "North Dakota," and still give the institution a marketable nickname (as hypocritical as that seems) and give the "we want a new nickname" crowd what they want.

Third, it's PC neutral.  I know, we shouldn't pander to the PC crowd, but that's how society is these days.

What's Left:

Roughriders - Ok, not a bad nickname.  In fact, it's not bad at all.  There are, among the ranks of amateur and professional sports...from high school to pros 11 teams known as the Rough riders.  Including three high schools (Grand Forks Red River, Cedar Rapids High School in Cedar Rapids, IA and Roosevelt High School in Seattle, WA) found in a simple Google search (meaning, it would not surprise me at all if there were many more).

But this is the BEST option for those activists who are dying for a cause now that the Fighting Sioux nickname is dead.  Activists need something to complain about and having a benign nickname would simply not do.  Of the three options, NoDaks is the only one that is truly PC friendly.  Roughriders, though a good nickname and worthy, is an allusion to Teddy Roosevelt.  I could get on my soap box and wax cynical about this whole thing, but let's just stay on topic.  The activists want this nickname so they can raise a stink and cause more controversy.  Don't feed the trolls.

Fighting Hawks --

Nevermind the Redhawks or anything.  The Fighting Hawks gives many of the people desperate for a return to the Fighting Sioux at least half of what they want... They get the "Fighting" part of the name back.  It also is a cheap and easy way to keep the current colors... though you could just as easily do it with NoDaks as well.

What is a "Fighting Hawk?"  I thought hawks were birds of prey who feasted on opportunistic prey..such as fish that swim too close to the surface or an unlucky field mouse.

If we wanted to be a "Fighting" Hawk why not have us be the "Warhawks?" instead?

In the end...

Oh well.  In the end, we'll probably be the Fighting Hawks, yet another bird mascot fluttering around the arena.  But then again... it could be worse.  We could be the Sundogs.

The NFL Needs to Suspend Lamarcus Joyner

I am still fuming about this hit three hours after the game. There's no excusing Lamarcus Joyner's dirty, unnecessary hit on Minnesota Viking quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. You have a quarterback that is sliding and a defensive player that decides that he's going to light up a vulnerable player anyways.

I think this hit deserves a suspension, and I surprised that Joyner wasn't kicked out of the game. This is dirty no matter how you sliced it. Joyner hit Bridgewater in the facemask with his elbow. If you watched the game today, you would have seen that Teddy was knocked out on the hit. Joyner was given an unnecessary roughness penalty, but it's not enough in my opinion.

Obviosuly, the Vikings head coach is unhapy with the dirty hit.

"I would say that if we were out on the street, we would probably would have had a fight," Zimmer said.

It's Down to Fighting Hawks and Rough Riders

And then there were two nickname choices left. Yay! Right? I suppose we will just keep voting eh?

There are a few things that we know, Sundogs and Nodaks nickname options are out. There's a good chance that someone will file a lawsuit and try to prolong the agony.

Here we go again, the UND nickname vote is going to a redundant third and final vote. Meh!... And let's drag it out even longer. Again, we have to wait till the 12th of November to vote again. I think we should start voting tomorrow or Tuesday. This nickname fiasco has become a major league gong show.

Brandi Jewett, Grand Forks Herald --- A third round of voting will take place between Fighting Hawks and Roughriders to select UND’s athletic nickname after none of the three proposed nicknames failed to garner a majority of voter support.

The final runoff between these two names will be held for eligible voters beginning Nov. 12 at noon Central Time and concluding at 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Nov. 16.

The university announced Sunday that Fighting Hawks received 45.69 percent of voter support and Roughriders received 27.95 percent. With no option securing the majority, another vote will take place between the two frontrunners.

Nodaks received the least support with 26.36 percent of votes and is now out of the running.

In my opinion, the assinine thing is the fact that we're even having a third vote. I am sorry, but 45.69 - 27.95 is a statistically significant difference.

After all that time and energy spent trying to find a unique nickname, UND will most likely be the 29th version of a hawk in college sports.

— Brad E. Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) November 8, 2015

North Dakota had multiple chances to pick a 100% unique nickname (SunDogs, NoDaks). Now they're going to be just another school with a bird.

— Jack Hittinger (@jackhitts) November 8, 2015

Caggiula has Filthy Mitts

Senior forward Drake Caggiula was suspended for Friday’s game and had to watch from the stands.

Like his teammates, Caggiula didn’t like what he saw on Friday night. No one on the UND hockey team did. Caggiula returned to the lineup on Saturday night after a one-game hiatus and added a much-needed spark.

“Watching yesterday was real tough,” Caggiula said. “It’s been a tough week, not being able to take a regular shift in practice, and having to watch yesterday which, (last night) wasn’t our best game.”

Caggiula continued, “I was the only one with fresh legs today. So, I knew I had to create a spark. I tried to do whatever I could, to do that. It took us… I think it was 35 shots before we could crack one again. We keep pushing and pushing.”

UW vs. UND Game 2

Game two tonight, UND will look to get the split tonight against the Badgers. Last night's game didn't sit well with the team's leaders.

“They outworked us, it comes down to that,” Troy Stecher said. “We talk about it every day – playing with pride – playing with heart. In the first two periods, I don’t think we had that. It was really disappointing. Obviously, coming home after being on the road for so many games and letting our fans down like that. And having a poor performance.”

“We didn’t get the start that we wanted,” junior defenseman Paul LaDue said. “The first two periods I thought we were sluggish out there. We didn’t make plays when we should have and there’s no excuse for that. We underestimated them, and they came out flying and deserved to win that game.”

UND will need a better effort tonight night if they want to avoid being swept.

HW: Arizona not an Attracitve Option for Young Players

According to JackVanThomme of the Hockey Wilderness, Arizona State isn't an attractive locale for young hockey players. Really? Apparently, JackVanThomme has never been to Tempe, where they can play golf year round and never have to worry about a snow storm, unless you're visiting  Flagstaff, AZ.

I can also imagine, NCAA Division I teams will probably line up to play a series against them. I know I have had many of conversations with UND fans that want to make the trip to Tempe to see a hockey team.

Certainly, ASU is a team which has, and will continue to struggle. It's not an attractive locale for young hockey players who are typically recruited by NCAA programs. It's too warm for outdoor ice, which would complement a nascent hockey culture by giving fans another way to engage with the sport. There are also few teams in the area, leaving no interstate rivalries, and the idea of a border battle has a very different meaning in Arizona. It's not any aspiring college athlete's dream program, but the students and fans of ASU have done a wonderful job embracing their team.

Currently, while there's only two NHL players (former and current) from the state of Arizona, to suggest that it's not an attractive local is short-sighted. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the five players from Arizona currently on the ASU roster.

2 Drew Newmeyer Jr D 5-11 185 94 Scottsdale, AZ / Indiana Ice (USHL)
4 Edward McGovern So D 5-10 216 93 Scottsdale, AZ / Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
23 Jordan Young Sr D 5-11 175 92 Cave Creek, AZ / Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
68 Anthony Croston Fr F 6-0 190 94 Phoenix, AZ / Rio Grande Killer Bees (NAHL)
94 Cody Gylling Fr F 5-11 185 94 Chandler, AZ / Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)

Currently, there're only two NHL players (former and current) from the state of Arizona, to suggest that it's not an attractive local is short-sighted. Youth hockey programs are springing up in all kinds of non-traditional markets. California is a perfect example of this. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the five players from Arizona currently on the ASU roster.

5 Brock Krygier Jr D 6-0 190 93 Novi, MI /  Previous College: Michigan State (2014-15)
12 Dylan Hollman Jr F 6-1 190 94 Red Deer, AB Previous College: UMass Lowell (2014-15)
14 Jake Montgomery So F 6-2 200 94 Oakdale, MN /Previous College: Omaha (2014-15)
15 Wade Murphy (NSH) Jr F 6-0 190 93 Victoria, BC / Previous College: North Dakota (2014-15)
16 Ryan Belonger Jr F 5-10 175 92 Green Bay, WI / Previous College: Northeastern (2013-14)
21 David Norris Jr F 6-2 205 93 Calgary, AB / Previous College: American International (2014-15)
74 Connor Schmidt Jr D 5-11185 93 New Boston, MI /Previous College: Ferris State (2013-14)
91 Garrett Peterson Sr F 5-11 196 91 Manhattan, IL / Previous College: Notre Dame (2014-15)

UW vs. UND lines

Here's the lines for tonight's game. As you can see, freshman goalie Matej Tomek will dress for the first time.

Jack Eichel Goal Against the Lightning

Bufalo Sabres forward Jack Eiche is good at hockey. Check out this goal. Here's the fifth goal of his career.

Obama: Teams should drop Native American mascots

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Alright then, our dear leader President Obama has spoken.

Jordan Fabian, The Hill --- "Names and mascots of sports teams like the Washington Redskins perpetuate negative stereotypes of Native Americans, President Obama said Thursday.

Speaking at the White House Tribal Nations Conference, Obama said it’s important to “break stereotypes, I believe that includes our sports teams.”

“If you’re living in a society that devalues your culture or perpetuates stereotypes, you may be devaluing yourself,” Obama added. “We all need to do more to ensure that our young people feel supported and respected.”

The president praised sports apparel company Adidas for announcing a new initiative to help schools change Native American names and mascots by offering to design new logos and paying for part of the cost of new uniforms.

Patrick Kane will not face rape charges

In America you innocent until proven guilty. Chicago Blackhawks All-Star forward Patrick Kane has been cleared and will not face criminal charges for rape. Now, Kane and the Blackhawks can move forward.

Jared S. Hopkins and Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune --- Blackhawk's star Patrick Kane will not face rape charges after a three-month investigation into a woman's claim that prosecutors concluded was "rife with reasonable doubt."

In a strongly worded statement Thursday morning, Buffalo-area prosecutors offered a withering assessment of the woman's allegation, saying there was no proof that she had been raped. They also suggested that Kane never behaved as if he had committed a crime — though he never spoke with authorities and has maintained an unusually low profile since the investigation began.

Without providing details, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III said there were "significant material inconsistencies" between the woman's claims and those of other witnesses. He also said the physical evidence and forensic evidence "tend to contradict" her allegation that a rape took place in Kane's bed — where she apparently said it occurred.

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.

Coach McLellan says @cmcdavid97 has an upper-body injury that will keep him out long term.

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 4, 2015

Connor McDavid expected to have surgery to repair fractured clavicle.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) November 4, 2015

Is Midco On the Way out for UND Hockey?

I am going to make a prediction here, either Midco allows UND hockey to be on Fox College Sports or some other television option, or Midco will no longer be doing UND hockey broadcasts after the contract is up.
I say, enough is enough, UND hockey fans want to be able to watch their team play hockey. Especially if they don't live in the regional area. This is very good news for UND hockey fans.

Brad E. Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald --- In the past, UND has put nearly every home game on Fox College Sports and DirecTV. But for the past two seasons, Midco has allowed Fox College Sports to pick up only five games.

Midco is trying to move into the Fargo market and realizes that Cable One subscribers may be able to get games on Fox College Sports. They’d prefer those subscribers to have to cancel Cable One and move over to Midcontinent in order to see UND games.

That’s understandable from Midco’s point of view, but when UND’s hockey fan base is a national one that expects to see nearly every game, this is unworkable.

If Midco continues to control how many games are distributed nationally, it’s doubtful that UND will be able to continue the partnership, no matter how much it may want to.

Again, UND hockey fans don't want to watch a hockey game on the web, they want to watch hockey games on television without having to monkey with computers and connections. As we saw last weekend, not all is equal when it comes to NCHC.TV. Some NCHC schools aren't as good as others. I have been told that WMU's online broadcasts will be much improved this season.