(Video) Patrice Bergeron wins Game 7 in OT

What an exciting night of hockey... The Boston Bruins scored two goals by Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron 31 seconds in the waning minutes of the third period to force the overtime period. At one point in the third period, the Boston Bruins were down 4-1 and it looked like Boston's season was over.

You could tell by the body language of Maple Leafs that the game tying goal was a back breaker and I had a feeling that the Bruins were going to take the game in the overtime period. And they did. Patrice Bergeron took the team on his back and at the 06:05 mark of the overtime period he scored the game winning goal sending the TD North Garden into a frenzy.

The game winning goal was Bergeron's second goal of the game and the third goal of the series. Bergeron's series clinching goal sends the Boston Bruins to the second round of the playoffs to face the New York Rangers. This is the first time the Rangers and the Boston Bruins will meet in the  Stanley Cup Playoffs in forty years (1972-1973).

RT @bruinsdaily: Bergeron with the Ranger Jacket twitter.com/BruinsDaily/st…
— Tim Rosenthal (@_TimRosenthal) May 14, 2013

(Video) James Reimer save on Shawn Thornton

Check out this amazing save by Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer on Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton. This is just how the last three games have gone for the Boston Bruins. Can't get a goal when they need one. Not burying the chances when they are presented to them.

David Krejci scores the Game Winner in Overtime for the Bruins

Boston Bruins forward David Krejci scored a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs, including this game winning goal. With the win tonight, the Boston Bruins also take a 3-1 series lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring three goals in 15 minutes period during the second period, before the Toronto Maple Leafs evened the score. Krejci scored the game winning goal at the 13:06 mark of the overtime period. The Bruins can end the series on Friday night in Boston.

Dion Phaneuf’s High Hit On Daniel Paille

Obviously, we have heard of no hearing or potential suspension upcoming for Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf’s high, questionable hit on Boston forward Daniel Paille during Game 2 Saturday night in Boston. The Bruins have to pick their spots against Phaneuf, because he really isn't known for dropping the gloves either, he likes to hide behind his half shield and the Bruins don't want to get an unnecessary penalty for taking a run at Phaneuf. Getting the win in the series is more important than evening a score against Phaneuf.

This is the reason that I want to see the instigator hit removed from the game of hockey. I think if a player had to answer for their hits on the ice more often. There would be less of these high hits to the head region. I no problem with players that want to play a hitting game – hitting is part of the game of hockey, but you can hit people hard without hitting them in the head.

Andrew Ference suspended for Game 2 for his elbow on

One game suspension for Ference, as expected RT @nhlplayersafety: Andrew Ference suspension video. bit.ly/ZqnxaU #BruinsTalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) May 2, 2013

Andrew Ference is lucky that it was during the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs or his suspension would have been longer, this was a violation of the NHL's Rule 48 and his like this are unacceptable. Even though I am fan of the Boston Bruins and Andrew Ference, this is the right call by the NHL.

(Video) Andrew Ference to have hearing for his elbow on Mikhail Grabovski

After I saw this elbow, I had a feeling that Andrew Ference was going to get some scrutiny from the Department of Player Safety for this elbow on Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovskiand, and he will. Ference has a hearing today with the Department of Player Safety. I have to think that he will be getting at least a game suspension for this hit.

Word out of Boston. #Bruins Ference will have an #NHL discipline hearing mid-afternoon 2day for his elbow on #Leafs Grabovski.
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) May 2, 2013

Related articles

• Andrew Ference elbow on Mikhail Grabovski (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Marchand get speared “in the privates”

It's pretty obvious why Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand wasn’t very happy with Maple Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk after Wednesday’s Game 1. Yikes, I am also happy that Marchand didn't connect with van Riemsdyk, that might have ended up being a suspension.

Bruins vs. Leafs

Tyler Seguin during a game against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2010-11 season (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Boston 28-14-6 vs. Toronto 26-17-5 

Season Series: The Bruins had a 3-1 record against the Maple Leafs this season. 2-0 in Boston and 1-1 in Toronto.

For the first time in nine seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That’s right, last time the Maple Leafs made the Stanley Cup Playoffs was during the 2003-04 season.

So, starting tonight, the Leafs are trying to shed the label as the Make Me Laughs. Looking at the history books, the Maple Leafs are also the last “Original Six” team to win a Stanley Cup Championship (1967). That means If my math is correct, that 46 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. The Bruins ended a 39 year drought when they won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

One of the stories lines is former Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel, who was traded to Toronto and the struggles he has had against his former team scoring (3g-6a—9pts) in 22 games against the Bruins. Kessel also didn't want to talk to the media in Toronto this week, either.

Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun – Phil Kessel has managed the impossible — he’s pulled a disappearing act before the playoff series begins against the Boston Bruins.

And in doing so, refusing to fulfil his contractual obligations and meet with the media, he wound up embarrassing team management in the process.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” said general manager Dave Nonis, when apparently informed of Kessel’s unwillingness to play meet the press on Monday afternoon and doing his best to explain why. Nonis was clearly unimpressed with Kessel’s silence.

“We’ll deal with it internally,” said Nonis, who added. “Our players will be available on a going forward basis.”

Lets hope that the Boston Bruins make young Nazem Kadri eat his words, I don't know about you, but that looks like bulletin board material to me.

Nazem Kadri: "This is a very, very winnable series."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 1, 2013

NHL plans six outdoor games next season, report says

This morning on my way to work, I was listening to SiriusXM NHL Center Ice. Apparently, there’s going to be six outdoor games, including the Winter Classic next season.

Seriously!

There are going to be a grand total of six outdoor games. Talk about an overkill.

Personally, I think there comes a time when the NHL has overdone the outdoor game, this might be an instance of this. How many outdoor games do we need to have during the course of a season? I also think the outdoor game can be a bit of a crap shoot with the weather, one of these game is almost assured of having disastrous ice conditions. Lastly, I think that the outdoor games are a gimmick as well. Really, the frozen pond in California? Make sure to throw the palm trees in for good measure.

Kevin Cusick, Pioneer Press --- TSN, Canada's version of ESPN, is reporting that the league is planning five outdoor games in addition to the Jan. 1 Winter Classic previously announced for the University of Michigan's Big House."

"They're still ironing out a few of the wrinkles," reporter Darren Dreger said on TSN's "Insider Trading" program. "Contracts haven't been signed. But that's the grand plan."

Here's the schedule that the NHL is proposing for the 2013-14 season.

Jan. 1: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium.

Jan. 25: Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium.

Jan. 26: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium.

Jan. 29: New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium.

March 1: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks at Soldier Field.

March 2: Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks at BC Place (It apparently has a retractable roof now. Who knew?).

Joffrey Lupul's dirty hit to the head on Victor Hedman

This is an illegal hit to the head and a violation of rule 48. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joffery Lupul is going to get a call from the Department of Player Safety and if he isn't suspended, I will be very surprised. Apparently, this isn't the first time that Victory Hedman has been hit with a questionable and dirty hit this week. Zac Rinaldo also caught Hedman with a very questionable hit earlier this week, but he was able to go tonight.

s/t  cjzero for the cool gif.

Mikhail Grabovski does his best Alex Burrows impersonation

What is with these NHL players biting each other? This is ridiculous, last time I checked, aren't NHL players grown men? Do we not punish our children with consequences when they bite their friends and classmates in school. In my humble opinion, Mikhail Grabovski should have to sit for a game or two for his childish shenanigans. Grabovski has a hearing this afternoon with the department of players safety.

NHL.COM --- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski faces a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Sunday afternoon for an incident in Toronto's 6-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Grabovski received a 10-minute misconduct and a roughing minor for an incident during a scrum at the 11:30 mark of the third period. Grabovski was tangled up with Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty during the incident in question. Pacioretty was also issued a 10-minute misconduct on the play.

It's gut check time for the NHL. This is one of these cases where the NHL needs to make an example out of Grabovski and throw the book at him. Suspend him for a game or two, that would be okay with me. Heck, why not make it hurt and suspend him for three to five games.

Don Cherry Ramblings on college hockey players

If you haven’t seen this Youtube.com video from Don Cherry, it’s absolutely hilarious. First off, there are eight American players on the Toronto Maple Leafs current roster, that's just the way it is.  There are also 11 players with college hockey experience as well.

While there might not be any players from Toronto, there are four players from Ontario on the Toronto Maple Leafs, so I am not sure what he babbling about. There are roughly 14 Canadians on the Toronto Maple Leafs current roster.  

Ironically, Max Pacioretty the top scorer for the Montreal Canadians last year is an American born ex University of Michigan hockey player. The number two scorer from last season's Montreal Canadians was Erik Cole who was born in America as well and played his college hockey at Clarkson College of the ECAC.

I bet Grapes would like UND's roster because there are two Ontario natives on the current roster.  

Matt Frattin goal against the Capitals...

Seems like former Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin gets a lot of goals within 3-5 feet of the goal. Frattin got the game winner for the Leafs as they beat the Washington Capitals 3-2.  It proves the point that good things happen if you go hard to the net. Frattin (4g-2a—6pts) is tied for second on the Maple Leafs in scoring with Nikolai Kulemin (1g-5a—6pts).

Lastly, this is a text book example of a poor effort by the Washington Capitals defense as they looked like a bunch of pylons as the Leafs skated right past them.  It would be an understatement to say that the Capitals  as they were flat footed on that play.

Matt Frattin's slick goal against the Islanders

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matt Frattin didn't make the Maple Leafs roster out of camp but was the first one called up with the injury to Joffrey Lupul. Frattin was called up and dressed for tonight's game. One could say that Frattin made the most of his 2013 NHL season debut scoring(1g-2a--3tps).

Dion Phaneuf blast John Tavares from behind.

Not a good hit by Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneauf on Islanders forward John Tavares. I am also shocked that there was no penalty on the play as the referee was standing where he could see the play.

Matt Frattin Ties it With 9.5 Seconds Left

Former Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin scores this goal for the Toronto Marlies against the Rochester Americans with under 10 seconds to go to tie the game. The Marlies would go on to be the Rochester Americans 4-3 in a shootout. Frattin would also score a goal in the shootout for the Marlies.

Frattin missed 12 games to start the season recovering from knee surgery and has come back with a vengeance;  Frattin has 12 points in 12 games (8g-a--12pts)

Hump Day links... Just give me my hockey now!

English: NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman in 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well there are quite a few news stores of note this morning in the college and professional hockey world.

The NHL Labor mess continues on and is proving to be an absolute gong show and it appears that there is little evidence that a solution is forth coming.

Like my friend Chris Wassel said on Twitter, they should just cancel the season already, instead of dragging out the agony.

Seriously!

It's beginning to look like this is where the NHL owners led by the lockout commissioner Gary Bettman are going. I used to get excited every time someone would post a story with a theory about a possible solution to the lockout that is now in its 74^th day and chugging towards 80.

Just cancel the NHL season already. Sure the odds are headed that direction.
— Chris Wassel (@ChrisWasselTHW) November 27, 2012

Notre Dame head hockey coach Jeff Jackson was fined for his comments he made about the officials in the post-game news conference. I don’t like this because I think that if the officials blow a call a head coach should be able to relay his displeasure about the officiating within reason. Over the years in college hockey I have seen some brutal officiating in college hockey.

There is a great story about former UMD Bulldog J.T. Brown in Tampa Bay online.

There is also a great story in Grantland about college hockey that mentions the WCHA and Minnesota and Wisconsin leaving and also the formation of the NCHC hockey conference. Obviously, there are some points of interest in this story will bring up all kinds of emotions and feeling from college hockey fans around the spectrum.

Apparently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are worth 1 Billion dollars. Yeah! 

There is a really nice story in All Habs about UND forward Mark MacMillan; Up Close with Mark MacMillan: Habs Prospect with Discipline, Character.

The College Hockey Rink Report ranks the college hockey conferences. Currently the WCHA is ranked second in his rankings.

Chris M Peters from the United States of Hockey had a very nice piece on the B1G teams and their struggles so far this season.

Joe Haggerty CSNNE makes a pretty good point about where the blame for the 2012-13 lockout lies, it's not Bettman. Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is one of the big power broker owners that is driving this lockout and Haggerty is letting fans know where the blame lies. 

Related articles

• The only game in town? (thehockeywriters.com)
• Updated College Hockey Television Schedule (thehockeywriters.com)
• College Hockey takes center stage (thehockeywriters.com)
• Revised and Updated College Hockey Television Schedule (thehockeywriters.com)

Leafs Fan buys toilet for $5,300.00

This morning, I was listening to NHL Home Ice on XM-92 and this story was one of their lead stories. You would have to be one heck of a NHL Hockey fan to buy an old toilet for 5,300.00. Seriously, I can’t imagine spending that much money for a toilet no matter who sat on it.

TORONTO - An Ontario lawyer is now the proud owner of a toilet from the Toronto Maple Leafs' former dressing room.

Jim Vigmond, of Barrie, Ont., bought the unusual item for $5,300 at auction after the piece he really wanted—the 1967 Stanley Cup banner—got too expensive. The toilet was offered up along with more than 100 items from Maple Leaf Gardens, which was home to the NHL team until 1999.

Fifty-five-year-old Vigmond says his friends were skeptical about the purchase.

But the long-time Leafs fan says the item was just too good to pass up.

Vigmond says he was actually willing to spend up to $10,000 on the throne.

"They thought I had money to burn, and surely there was something that I could have better spent my money on," he said.

"They've got a point. But ... it's a part of an icon. I just thought ... what a rare piece and just think of all of the people that have spent time contemplating in that dressing room what lies ahead of them."

Vigmond plans on putting the toilet in his sports memorabilia room, where he wants to sit on it, light up a Cuban cigar, open a bottle of 30-year-old single malt, and hopefully, watch a Leafs game sometime soon.

Matt Frattin goal against Binghamton Senators

Former UND hockey player Matt Frattin scores for the Toronto Marlies in the closing minute of today’s game against the Binghamton Senators. That’s four goals in three games for the former UND forward. Frattin missed the first 13 games of the season with a knee injury. The Marlies lost the game 3-2 to the Senators.

Former DU forward Tyler Bozak's Halloween costume tweet

Oh good, a Leaf dressed as a black man who then deleted the tweet. RT @bozie42: Halloween!! instagr.am/p/RblQYWP9Sw/
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) October 31, 2012

Oh hey, the deleted pic is here. Sigh. wraparoundcurl.tumblr.com/post/346813764…
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) October 31, 2012

This is a picture that former Denver University and current Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak put into one of his tweets tonight about his Halloween costume, which is a picture of him dressing up as Michael Jackson. I can tell you that Bozak's Halloween Costume is not going to be well received. Actually the picture has gone kind of viral and Bozak has gotten beaten up pretty bad.

That's a tribute to one of my fave artists. For anyone saying its racist is crazy!
— Tyler Bozak (@Bozie42) October 31, 2012

Here is Bozak's response to the twitter picture that he has since deleted. I agree with the tweet below, I am going to mark this one up as a horrible mistake on Bozak's part.

"Racist" is a loaded word that implies intent. Doubt Bozak's racist, more likely just made a stupid mistake.
— draglikepull (@draglikepull) October 31, 2012