Former UND Goalie Aaron Dell penciled in as Sharks backup

According to Kevin Kurz of CSNBAYAREA.com, former Fighting Sioux goalie Aaron Dell is "currently" the San Jose Sharks number two goalie. It will be interesting to see if he ends up being the number two goalie on the Sharks opening day roster.

2015-16 year in review: In his first full season in the American Hockey League, Aaron Dell seized the number one job on the Barracuda by posting a 17-16-6 record, 2.42 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 40 games. That earned him a two-year, $1.25 million contract extension with the Sharks this offseason, and he’s currently penciled in as the backup to Martin Jones on the depth chart.

Dell’s extension also fulfills the Sharks’ obligation to expose at least one goaltender under contract for the upcoming expansion draft next summer, allowing them to protect Jones.

2016-17 outlook: It’s difficult to predict just how Dell will fare in what is expected to be his first taste of NHL hockey, but the University of North Dakota product is much older than your standard NHL rookie, so it’s unlikely his game will drastically change at this point in his career. By all accounts he was outstanding with the Barracuda last season, so he’s earned a chance to make his NHL debut.

SCF, Game 5: Sharks and Penguins Scrum

It took five games but it appears that neither team likes the other very much. I want to ask the non-Penguins fans a question. The Penguins seem to do a lot of yapping on the ice and then turtle or look for the refs to bail them out. Is that an accurate assessment?

If I was playing against Penguins forward Patrick Hornqvist, it would be very hard not to retaliate against him. San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns appeared to get his pound of flesh against Penguins forward Carl Hagelin.

Sharks' Patrick Marleau WIll Not Be Suspended for Hit on Bryan Rust

Last night, in the third period of game one, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau's was given a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head on Penguins forward Bryan Rust. Following the hit, hockey fans took to Twitter to discuss the hit. Rust briefly returned to the game, before leaving  the game to go to the quite room. Rust is listed at day-to-day.

I think this is the right call by the NHL's Department of Players Safety. I don't think that Marleau was intentionally trying to injure rust.

(1/3) Dept of Player Safety determines no Supplemental Discipline is warranted for Patrick Marleau’s hit on Bryan Rust in Game 1 of the SCF.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 31, 2016

(2/3) Main points of contact: shoulders, chest. Rust low, off-balance, reaching.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 31, 2016

(3/3) Marleau does not “pick” the head, elevate or extend. Head contact is with Marleau’s back.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 31, 2016

NHL Bans Raffi Torres 41 Games (Suspension History)

When I first saw this story emerge on twitter I thought it was a miss print. The NHL's Department of Player Safety has hammered on Raffi Torres, and rightfully so. The San Jose Sharks forward will miss the first half of the 2015-16 NHL season. Some feel Torres has been given enough chances and he should be given a life ban from the NHL. His next transgression might actually end his NHL career.

First, the standard has been set, targetting the head will not be tolerated this season. Right? We will soon see. I remain skeptical. This suspension should open some eyes. It should put the dirty players that have trouble playing within the rules on notice.

Now, will the NHL's Department of Player Safety remain vigilant against the dirty head shots or will they continue to pick and choose who they suspend. Below, I laid out Torres' suspension history.

May 28, 2013, Missed the last 6 playoff games (suspended by NHL).
May 16, 2013, Suspended by the NHL for the remainder of Round 2 against the Los Angeles Kings.
Feb 02, 2013, Missed 8 games (suspended by NHL).
May 22, 2012, Missed the last 13 playoff games (suspended by NHL).
Apr 21, 2012, Suspended by the NHL for 25 games.
Jan 02, 2012, Suspended by the NHL for 2 games.
Apr 17, 2011, Missed the last 2 games of the regular season and 2 playoff games (suspension).
Apr 07, 2011 Suspended by the NHL for four games.
(s/t TSN)

Long suspensions, not prospect of having to fight, is only thing that stops guys like Raffi Torres from doing what they do.

— Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell) October 5, 2015

Watch this @NHLPlayerSafety video from the two-minute mark on. It's unbelievable that teams keep signing Torres. http://t.co/xnqNUgyhC4

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 5, 2015

The NHL is a better, safer place without Raffi Torres, writes @SportsnetSpec http://t.co/FzrYdhPKaA pic.twitter.com/1PhcNb21iO

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 5, 2015

John Scott Has a Hearing Today

It will be interesting to see how many games will San Jose Sharks pugilist John Scott gets for his latest transgression. There's no defending this type of thuggery.

What's your prediction? Also, I have read where some fans think that Tim Jackman was embellishing. According to all of the posts and articles that I read, Jackman was actually knocked out.

San Jose's John Scott will have a phone hearing tomorrow afternoon for punching an unsuspecting opponent, Anaheim's Tim Jackman.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 24, 2014

#sjsharks Are the Days of the Enforcer Numbered in the NHL? - After watching San Jose Sharks forward John Scott pe... http://t.co/pbPzWkS1MZ
— THW_Sharks (@THW_Sharks) December 24, 2014

Related articles

• Sharks' John Scott knocks out Tim Jackman(cbc.ca)

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John Scott Buttends Tim Jackman, Should Be Suspended

This act of stupidity that should land John Scott a nice long suspension. Keep in mind that Scott is a repeat offender. Seriously, I don't how he's not suspended after this. There's no place in hockey for this kind of crap. There's no way to defend this kind of thuggery. The San Jose Mercury News refers to John Scott as an enforcer. He's an untalented hack that can barely skate and is taking up a roster spot. What's even more shocking is that Mr. Anger Management wasn't even penalized on the play. This played was a blatant attempt by Scott to injure Jackman.

I want to be clear, I am all for playing tough and sticking up for your teammates, I also like fights in hockey. This is just plain ridiculous. I don’t think players like Scott should be taking up a roster spot in the NHL anymore. Feel free to defend this play if you would like.

San Jose Sharks Pugilist Scott Adds Security

#483142281 / gettyimages.com

According to CapGeek.com, former Michigan Tech Husky defenseman John Scott is paid $700,000.00 a year to skate around the ice and beat people up. Scott plays an average of 6.44 minutes a game. Other than fighting abilities, Scott has no other hockey talents. His Corsi numbers aren't that good either. That’s quite the racket.

Kevin Kurz, CSCNBAYAREA.COM --"It was just one of those things. He hit my guy, I didn’t really care for it,” Scott said. “I gave him a little nudge. He slashed me and I kind of went after him. Cooler heads prevailed, and we went our separate ways.”

Todd McLellan said: “I thought it was a really good moment for our team. Taylor finished a teammate really hard and John stepped in. He let everybody know what his job was. Taylor responded well. We didn’t need to wound or injure anybody. They handled it very well, and we moved on.”

Scott's role is clearly defined. He’s not going to play every night, and even when he’s in the lineup, his minutes will likely be limited. In 56 games with Buffalo last season, Scott had one goal and 125 penalty minutes – including five fights – while playing just 6:45 per game.

Sounds like the head coach of the San Jose Sharks, Todd McLellan has said that Scott is going to be an insurance policy, or extra security. I wonder if Scott will be in uniform when the Leafs and Sharks play?

Former Wild Forward Devin Setoguchi signed by the Calgary Flames

Former Minnesota Wild forward Devin Setoguchi has been signed by the Calgary Flames. It would appear that the Flames got a bargain signing Setoguchi for $750,000. One could make the argument, that his is a smart contract, especially if he recovers from the miserable season that he had last season and scores 20 goals. That would be a big win for the Flames.

CGY signs Devin Setoguchi. One year. $750K AAV.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) August 23, 2014

Sharks sign Road Cone John Scott

#483142281 / gettyimages.com

Western Conference team beware, especially if you're one of those players that skates with their head down. The San Jose Sharks have signed UFA road cone John Scott. The former Michigan Tech Husky inked a one year deal worth 750 thousand dollars.

One thing Scott will never be accused of is being dumb. Anyone that is this bad of a hockey players, and has been able to get paid this much money to play hockey in the best league in the world, has to be a genius.

Scott who has no redeeming quality other than he can fight, has played in 236 NHL games and scored a minuscule (2g-4a—6pts) and racked up an impressive 430 penalty minutes. In his second to last game of the season, Scott was assessed 24 minutes in penalties. Good thing that the Mr. Anger Management has a degree from MTU to fall back on when he's done with hockey.

SAN JOSE, CA - San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has signed free agent forward John Scott to a one-year contract. Scott, 31, ranked 13th in the NHL with 125 penalty minutes in 56 games during the 2013-14 campaign, leading the Buffalo Sabres in that category."John brings a physical, no-nonsense element to our lineup," said Wilson. "As we integrate more younger players to our team, John's presence alone can act as a deterrent and help keep teams and opposing players honest."

Ducks Kings Series 20 Years in the Making

Well they are separated by 30 miles and have been division rivals for the last 20 years, but this would be the first time that the Anaheim Ducks and the LA Kings would ever meet in the playoffs. 

LA, who came into the series rattling off four straight wins to eliminate the San Jose Sharks, came into the series on a mission to keep on rolling. A big part of that success was goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick struggled in the first game of the first round, but would improve his numbers in every single game of the series against San Jose. In the Kings five game winning streak they are currently on, Quick has looked like the Quick of the 2012 Stanley Cup team. If this trend continues, I'd expect the Kings to sneak their way into the Cup finals. 

As for the quack attack, they came into game one off of a very hard fought six game series against the Dallas Stars. However, they are starting to turn into the Vancouver Canucks in these playoffs with all of their goalie drama that is occurring as of late. With Fredrick Anderson getting pretty much all the game play in the first round, usual number one, Jonas Hiller, is left on the sidelines leaving the fans scratching their heads. One would assume that Hiller would be the guy for the Ducks in the playoffs, especially since he has the most experience. That was not the case in round one, but he would get the call for game one in round two. Hiller would play decent in this game stopping 33 out of 36 shots faced, but the Ducks would lose on home ice and look for revenge tonight in game two. 

Both of these teams have  big bodies who like to be physical, a good amount of skillful players, and excellent puck moving defensemen, but the key difference in this freeway series is the goalies. Quick is on a different level than both Anaheim tenders and will be the deciding factor in LA taking this series. 

I expect the rest of this series to be very fast, very physical, and no love lost between these longtime rivals. It is still very hard to believe that this is still the two franchises first ever playoff match-up in the 20 year existence of the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks. It's playoff series like this that make already existing rivalries that much greater, the hate between players much stronger and the same can be said between these two very passionate fan bases as well. 

Mr Elbow Dustin Brown says that Joe Thornton is a dirty player

So, L.A. Kings forward Dustin Brown, AKA Mr. Elbow is calling Sharks forward Joe Thornton a dirty player. Sure he got run last night and check with a dirty leg check, but Karma is a bitch right? This is comedy gold, this is coming from a player that has several questionable plays a week. All you have to do is go to Google Dustin Brown and dirty hit. How many times has he hit someone with one of his patented, lead with his elbow hits? Many... So, when I hear him make this statement I have to laugh.

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(Video) Justin Williams controversial goal in game six

At the 11:56 mark of the third period, L.A. Kings forward Justin Williams scored the go-ahead goal. It was one of those calls where it looked like the ref was going to blow his whistle and then decided that he let the play stand. Per the NHL rules, you can't review this play. Most times, you would have had a whistle and a face-off. But the Whistle didn't come.

(Video) Joe Thornton Knees Dustin Brown

"Mr Elbow" Dustin Brown suffers what some would call karma when he's gets kneed by Jumbo Joe Thornton. The call on the play, was a two-minute kneeing penalty on Thornton.

Raffi Torres, "Social Media making Cooke out to be a serial killer"

I find this quote by Sharks forward Raffi Torres to be interesting. Torres much like Cooke has cleaned up his act and has been a major contributor to the San Jose Sharks.

Nicholas Goss, NESN ---  (Matt) Cooke’s history of dirty hits, fines and suspensions has made him one of the most hated players in the league among fans. San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres, who also has multiple suspensions on his NHL resume, doesn’t like all the criticism Cooke has received since Monday’s incident. “I think he’s done a heck of a job the last couple of seasons to re-establish his game,” Torres said.

Tuesday, per ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun. “But with the media getting involved and especially social media, they make him out to be a serial killer. It’s kind of painful when you have to read that kind of stuff. I’m sure his family and close friends have to read that kind of stuff.

r/

(VIDEO) Mike Richards spears Logan Couture

L.A. Kings forward Mike Richards spears San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture in the mid-section.

14:44 LAK Mike Richards Spearing - double minor - 4 min against Logan Couture

My NHL Stanley Cup Predictions - Bruins win Rematch over the Blackhawks

Zach Hawkins has made his predictions for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, here's mine. Feel free to chime in with your picks.

(Video) Sharks and Leafs blown Call - Tommy Wingels No Goal

Last night, San Jose Sharks forward Tommy Wingels fell victim to the infamous intent to blow the whistle by the referee call. In my opinion, this is a horrible call. Looks like it should have been a goal.

Situation Room Blog --- At 9:37 of the first period in the Toronto Maple Leafs/San Jose Sharks game, the Situation Room initiated a video review because the puck entered the Toronto net. The referee informed the Situation Room that he was in the process of blowing his whistle to stop play while the puck was under James Reimer's body in the crease. According to Rule 78.5, apparent goals shall be disallowed "when the Referee deems the play has been stopped, even if he had not physically had the opportunity to stop play by blowing his whistle." This is not a reviewable play therefore the referee's call on the ice stands - no goal San Jose.

Team Canada 2014 Olympic Roster

Centres Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks and Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks face-off during a game on December 16, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Forwards

Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Jeff Cater, L.A. Kings
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh Penguins – Ferris State
Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Rich Nash, New York Rangers
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Patrick Sharp, Tampa Bay Lightning – Vermont Catamounts
John Travares, New York Islanders
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks – North Dakota

Defenseman

Jay Bouwmeester, St Louis Blues
Drew Doughty, L.A. Kings
Dan Hamhuis, Vancouver Canucks
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks – Michigan State University
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks
Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Goaltenders

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes

Snubs from Team Canada – Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning, Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks, Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes, Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers, Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks - Miami University

Pavelski backhand goal gif

Sweet goal by the former Badger  Joe Pavelski, that's goal number 14 of the year.

(Video) Boston Bruins: Shawn Thornton Suspended 15-games

Update: The NHL has thrown the book at Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton for his attack on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton is suspended 15-games for his attack on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik. That means that Thornton will not be eligible to return to the ice until January 11, 2014 against the San Jose Sharks. Developing.

Thornton gets 15 games. #TSN
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) December 14, 2013

Chiarelli: "We respect the process including the ability to attend and present our case in person. At this time, we will decline comment..."
— Bruins Daily (@BruinsDaily) December 14, 2013

Boston Bruins issue statements regarding the suspension of Shawn Thornton. Read: http://t.co/s7xLfTAG57 ^BB
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 14, 2013

Via a team press release, Shawn Thornton says he'll discuss suspension with team, NHLPA and his reps, will address publicly after that.
— Matt Pepin (@mattpep15) December 14, 2013

Related articles

• Doesn't look good for Shawn Thornton (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Throw the Book at Shawn Thornton (thehockeywriters.com)
• Settling the Debate: Thornton Hit Worse Than Neal Knee (thehockeywriters.com)
• The Character Assassination of Brooks Orpik (thehockeywriters.com)
• VIDEO: Loui Eriksson concussed after hit from Brooks Orpik: Shawn Thornton Attacks Orpik (ndgoon.blogspot.com)