All I can say is... (Redwing77)

WOW!!!!

I'll be the first Red Wing fan to say, "I'm surprised and amazed." San Jose fans will be the first to say, "And we were part of those mocking Boston last year? Uh...."

Down 3 games to none, I pegged Detroit as done. They played San Jose pretty close, but, in my opinion, they lacked the finishing ability to make San Jose pay. Sure, on paper, they have plenty, but in reality, they'd seem to dominate and all that would happen is that Detroit would have the puck a lot. We made Niemi look absolutely incredible. To be truthful, Niemi is good and he should not feel bad about the turn of events. However, Detroit's defense has been porous and their risks exploited by San Jose up until Game 4 and, even in Game 4, we barely clawed out a win.

So, imagine my nonsurprise to see Periods 1 and 2 tonight. Detroit pretty much dominating the first 40 minutes and unable to finish. Then, to win, we score 3 goals in 20 minutes and only give up 1. Wow.

To be truthful....

The first period featured officiating that, I thought, reminded me of WCHA officiating. Dan Boyle gets a checking from behind or boarding penalty....no wait. The ref forgot to raise his arm. However, he remembers to call Boyle a few seconds later for a tickytack holding call. Total make up call. Remember, folks, you don't need make up calls if you just call the game the way the rule book says. But these are the playoffs and the rulebook somehow changes. Oh well.

And Detroit scored the 3rd goal as a gift. San Jose was right. We had too many men on the ice. Sure, the angles don't show when Filpula got off the ice and match it with when Helm touched the puck, but I counted 6 and Helm, to me, was skating up ice while Filpula was still technically on the ice. It would have made the last 40+ seconds unbelievable if the refs got it right and put San Jose up a man.

However, I stand by my previous statement: San Jose went up 3-0 and has only to win 1 of the next 4 games to move on. Detroit has just taken up all the slack and play San Jose has to make it a big game. San Jose could still very well pull it off. And they have the guy in net who knows the feeling. It took 7 games to beat Philly for Niemi to raise the cup. Howard is in untested waters. Sure, he's not played poorly throughout, but Niemi still holds the edge.

What if...

If San Jose wins Game 7, as a Red Wings fan, I'll be bummed for sure. However, I will not blast Detroit for choking or yellow trickling down the leg. I would have had they bowed out in 4 or 5 games, though.

Go Wings, beat the Sharks. Then beat the pesky Canucks!

Ice Edge pulls out of Coyotes deal ahead of City Council vote

Here is the latest in the never ending saga...

PHOENIX - Ice Edge Holdings has withdrawn its minority interest in the proposed purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes ahead of a Glendale City Council vote that would put off finalizing any deal by as long as a year.

Ice Edge CEO Anthony LeBlanc said Tuesday that his organization had been involved in the process with the Coyotes "long enough."

Ice Edge once had tried to buy the team as the majority owner but accepted minority status when Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer entered the picture.

Hulsizer's efforts to buy the team from the NHL have stalled in the face of a threatened lawsuit by the conservative Goldwater Institute watchdog group over terms of a lease agreement worked out with Glendale for the team to continue to play in Jobing.com Arena.

LeBlanc said his company would concentrate on its minor league hockey operations in Thunder Bay, Ont. He also plans to run for political office there, he said.

The move has no serious implications for the bid by Hulsizer, whom LeBlanc said would be "a terrific owner."

But Hulsizer's efforts have hit a logjam that may be impossible to break, since he has indicated he has made his last, best offer and the Goldwater Institute vows to sue if the city follows through on the deal. The institute is concerned that the generous terms of the lease violate the state's constitutional ban on subsidizing private enterprise.

The TV Schedule for the Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning series.

1. Saturday May 14th, 2011 Boston – 7:00 pm Central. (Versus)
2. Tuesday May 17th, 2011 Boston – 7:00 pm Central. (Versus)
3. Thursday May 19th, 2011 St. Petersburg – 7:00 pm Central. (Versus)
4. Saturday May 21st, 2011 St. Petersburg – 1:30 pm Central. (NBC)
5. Monday May 23rd, 2011 Boston – 7:00 pm Central.* (Versus)
6. Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 St. Petersburg – 7:00 pm Central.*
7. Friday May 27th, 2011 Boston – 7:00 pm Central.* (Versus)

The Bruins and the Lighting will begin play on May 14th...

Herald Opinion Page; Lawmakers assumed responsibility for nickname

I think this opinion piece from Tom Dennis brings up a good point, that I am going to expound on just a little more; why aren't our elected leaders from “Team North Dakota” (Kent Conrad, John Hoeven, Rick Berg) also involved in this process as well? Why not give the North Dakota's elected leaders congressional a call and ask them; here are the phone numbers, Senator Conrad’s office: 701-232-8030, Senator Hoeven's office: 701-239-5389 or Congressman Berg's office: (701)-224-0355. Remember, if you call them be respectful, I have found in the past Senators Conrad's staff to be very polite and easy to work with.

Tom Dennis for the Herald, Grand Forks Herald ---- “You break it, you own it.” That’s the Pottery Barn rule, said former Secretary of State Colin Powell. It’s also the warning Powell gave to President George W. Bush on the eve of the invasion of Iraq.

Today, Gov. Jack Dalrymple and North Dakota legislative leaders should remember the Pottery Barn rule as they weigh their options regarding the Fighting Sioux nickname.

By passing a law forcing UND to keep the nickname, the Legislature and governor took responsibility for the issue. That means they now have a duty to minimize or eliminate any harm to UND.

And that, in turn, means they should act to bring about a positive outcome rather than passively observing what happens next.

“Be a player who makes things happen,” smart coaches often tell their athletes. It’s good guidance for the governor and legislative leaders, too, if they’re looking for advice on what to do next.

For UND and the State Board of Higher Education were on their way to settling the issue when the Legislature and governor intervened. Now, the best outcome — convincing the NCAA to relax its upcoming sanctions against UND — very likely will demand the governor and lawmakers’ leadership and active involvement.

They’re the elected officials with the status and clout that offer the best chance of persuading the association. They’re the leaders with the stature to ask North Dakota’s congressional delegation to join the effort, thereby presenting a united front of impressive strength to the NCAA.

Edit: The Bisonville faithful are at it again...

EDIT: This is the kind of crap that you see on the message board from our neighbors to the south on a regular basis. That's why I refer to this objectionable message board as Belligerentville.... Just for the record; while the cartoon in question was posted by an alleged Bison fan Notorious, the actual cartoon in question was drawn by this artist Marty G. Two Bulls.

Here is my question to the readers; I want to make sure that I am getting this right. Are we to believe that Govenor Jack Dalrymple is a KKK Clansman because he signed a bill that had great support from the people of North Dakota to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname?

From what I have gleaned from reading the political blogs and various newspaper articles around the state of North Dakota, it was kind of inferred that the Governor of North Dakota “wasn’t” all that crazy about signing this bill in the first place and might have after receiving a lot of pressure from people around North Dakota.

Lawmaker group wants attorney general's opinion on Fighting Sioux bill

But of course!!! I have a feeling that this is why the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education also voted 7-1 to direct the University of North Dakota to cease transitioning away from the Sioux nickname and logo. I bet that they knew that these lawmakers would be coming forward with this challenge. Stay tuned this summer could prove to be interesting.

BISMARCK — A group of lawmakers want Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem to decide whether it's legal for the Legislature to order the University of North Dakota to keep its Fighting Sioux nickname and American Indian head logo.

The 10 lawmakers sent a letter to Stenehjem today asking for his opinion on the issue.

It was written by Grand Forks Democratic Rep. Lonny Winrich and signed by eight other Democratic lawmakers and Fargo Republican state Rep. Kathy Hawken.

The letter asks whether the bill that orders UND to keep its nickname and logo is unconstitutional, because it interferes with the Board of Higher Education's administrative power.

It also asks whether the Legislature can overturn an agreement between the NCAA and UND that resulted in the decision to drop the nickname and logo.

Jeremy Roenick tells it like it is.

Apparently these comments by Jeremy Roenick offended some that were watching the post game on Versus last night. Personally, I don't have a problem with them what-so-ever; I think that Jeremy Roenick's comments were an honest assessment of a player that he noticed not to be playing as good as he could. It is what it is; Jeremy Roenick challenged Patrick Marleau level of commitment and effort that’s all.

I mean think about this; according to Cap Geek, Patrick Marleau is paid 6.9 million dollars a year to play hockey for the San Jose Sharks. In your opinion are the San Jose Sharks getting Patrick Marleau's full potential with (2g-3a-5pts) in 11 games and has a grand total of "ZERO" points in the second round of the playoffs against the Redwings, personally in my opinion that's unacceptable for an elite player in the NHL.

I am going to break this down further. What's wrong with telling it like it is and straight talk? Jeremy Roenick is paid by Versus/NBC to give his opinion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and to break down the games that he is watching from the perspective of a former NHL hockey player. I mean seriously, what is wrong with that? Have we become so thin skinned that we can't listen to an honest critique of a particular player(s) and or of a hockey? I hope we are not going down that road to being a nation of whiny ninnies that are so afraid to listen to an honest but relevant opinion.

Higher ed board stops process to drop UND nickname bill

In case anyone is keeping track or watching this issue. Personally, I think that the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education is going to step back and plan their next move and I have a feeling that we will see them again. You can almost bet on it, I can't see them letting this go without a fight.The Fact that UND is in the transition from Division II to Division I still probably plays a factor.

BISMARCK — The North Dakota Board of Higher Education voted 5-3 today to ratify the chancellor’s recommendation to continue merchandising of Sioux nickname apparel for the 2011-12 season.

The board also voted 7-1 to direct the University of North Dakota to cease transitioning away from the Sioux nickname and logo.

Board President Jon Backes said he expects the board will discuss at its June meeting whether it’s appropriate for the board to challenge the action taken by the Legislature requiring UND to keep the Sioux nickname.

“We have a state law and that state law is presumptively valid until it is determined to be otherwise,” Backes said.

Good News for Vikings fans; Minnesota Vikings Stadium: Minneapolis Produces A Plan

This is the latest from the state of Minnesota on the Vikings stadium. Hopefully; we will get the new Vikings stadium details worked out soon so the Minnesota Vikings fans won't have to worry about hearing any more rumors about the Vikings relocating to another city.

Just days after Ramsey County announced that they were very close to a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to bring the team's proposed new stadium to the site of the old Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills and the Farmer's Market site near Target Field took themselves out of consideration, it sounds like the city of Minneapolis might want in on the action after all.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the city of Minneapolis will announce a proposal today to build a new Vikings' stadium on the site where the Metrodome currently sits, and says that the city will pick up 25% of the cost. This comes with just two weeks left in the 2011 Minnesota Legislative Session.

The Star-Tribune is reporting that the plan would use sales taxes from the city's convention center, and would also provide money for renovations to the Target Center, the home of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Pavel Datsyuk the magician...

This one is for my buddy Redwing77, this play by Pavel Datsyuk is a thing of beauty and from what I have read it sounds like that Pavel Datsyuk is playing hurt and was a game time decision because he has a injured wrist. Pavel Datsyuk is one of the best two way forwards in the NHL, if the Redwings advance to the Stanley Cup might get some love as Hart Trophy.

Joe Thornton should be ashamed of himself with this shameful dive.

h/t to Puck Daddy.. This is absolutely shameful and unbelievable, the league officials are starting to look like a joke when they let this stuff go on... Joe Thornton should be fined by the NHL for embelishment and should have been given a 10 minute misconduct for this despicable behavior. I mean seriously, are we to believe that little love tap from Johan Franzen would cause a big man like Joe Thornton to crumble to the ice like he had been shot. In looking at the video I am not sure Franzen even touched him. If I was Franzen I would be upset as well.

Dirty Hit By Sami Salo

,

I'm pretty sure that it's just not cricket to put your elbows behind a guys head and drive him into the boards.

I say this is suspension worthy considering how Salo made sure to put his entire body weight behind the hit.

Goon's Edit: Thanks to the Whistler for adding this hit. No word yet if the NHL is going to review this hit or not but I think we can assume that it's worthy of a look due to it's dangerous nature.

NHL to crack down on "divers" Canucks Diving team might be in trouble

Global Image

My buddy Redwing77 will like this article as he has been an outspoken critic of players both in college and the professional ranks that over embellish infractions and leap to the ice like they have been shot every time they are hit to draw penalties so their team can go on the power play. Personally, I have to admit that I am sick and tired of these antics as well and I am pointing the finger at the Vancouver Canucks players especially, we know who they are -> Alex Burrows. If you want to act like you’ve been shot every time you’re touched go play soccer or hockey in Europe.

Eric Francis; Calgary Sun --- Colin Campbell is tired of seeing his officials embarrassed by players throughout these NHL playoffs and isn’t going to stand for it any more.

Due to the increasing number of players diving and embellishing throughout these playoffs, Campbell and director of officiating Terry Gregson have instructed officials to crack down on players who snap their heads back to sell a call.

Teams and players have been warned to cut it out or referees will be handing out diving calls as well as “two and twos,” tagging both the victim and the perpetrator.

While diving generally increases in the post-season, what complicates the issue this year is the heightened desire to protect players from head-shots, leading players to prey on this and act as if anything coming close to their noggin makes contact, a la Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo and teammate Maxim Lapierre.

This topic has kind of come to a head in round two; watching the Vancouver Canucks Hockey frauds/diving team and how they flail around on the ice every time they are hit, it’s like most of their players went to drama school and will have a career in acting after they are done playing hockey.

I don’t know if the over embellishment is a result of their General Manager Mike Gillis whining about the reffing being one sided in Chicago’s favor during round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs or not? None-the-less, the topic of diving has become a hot button issue and has generated a lot of discussion on how the Canucks players throw their heads back every time they are hit or tapped by a Predators player. Apparently, the Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa thinks that diving can cross a line. I agree…

Seriously, I think diving is poor sportsmanship and this needs to stop now in all level of hockey, if I was a head hockey coach and I saw one of my players embellish on the ice in attempt to draw a call, like I have seen on the ice this past season, that player would sitting on the end of the bench until he learned that North American players don’t play hockey like soccer players.

Is it gloom and doom for UND?

The Grand Forks Herald has an interesting series of articles on the Fighting Sioux nickname in this mornings Sunday paper, the articles focus on the impending August 15th deadline for the University of North Dakota to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname and the possible outcomes for UND not being compliant. I am going to forewarn you, there going to be a lot of articles like this from the Grand Forks Herald and other newspapers and television channels from around the area covering this story.

The first fallout?
Since UND is not eligible for NCAA postseason play in all sports but hockey for the upcoming year, the 2011-12 season is relatively manageable for the department. But there will be challenges, starting with women’s hockey.

“If women’s hockey is a top-four seed for the first-round (NCAA) playoff games next season, and they were knocking on the door this past season, they potentially would be the first team to be impacted by the inability to host a game on home ice,” Faison said.

There are other challenges as well, not directly related to the NCAA sanctions.

Recruiting in all sports could be affected as schools may use the NCAA sanctions against UND to their advantage.

Scheduling is another issue. One of the perks of the move to Division I in 2007 was the thought of scheduling Minnesota in more than just hockey.

“Minnesota did pull back on a cross country meet in the fall,” Faison said. “And we’ve been discussing future football scheduling (with Minnesota). But they’ve pulled back that discussion for now. They’re in a holding pattern. They don’t want to commit to anything until everything is sorted out here.”

And it doesn’t appear anything will be sorted out any time soon, leaving the department and its coaches to forge ahead without knowing the outcome of the controversy.

By state law, UND will be known as the Fighting Sioux. And the state Legislature won’t meet again until January of 2013. Potentially, UND could be known as the Fighting Sioux for two more seasons.

Will UND remain the Fighting Sioux forever?

“I don’t really have an answer for that,” Faison said. “I do know that it will stick around for another year.”

Bruins close out Flyers with 5-1 win; Bergeron has concussion...

I glad that I can finally say that the Boston Bruins have made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1992. Yeah I do remember the Bruins that year. Last year the Boston Bruins had a comfortable series lead of three games to nothing and were leading in game seven 3-0 when the roof came down on top of them.

So the Boston Bruins finally exercised the demons of last season and now will move on to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will play the Tampa Bay Lightning… I think that it's safe to say that this season was different than last, there have been no four game collapses (to date) and the Bruins put their boot on the neck of the Flyers and this time they didn’t take that foot off… This year’s team seems like it has something to prove to both themselves and to the fans. I think it’s safe to say that, the Bruins have played with a chip on their shoulder all season long. I would also describe this years Bruins team as being very gusty and a hard working team and after two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs… Now we are down to two teams remaining teams in the eastern division.

Last night’s series win didn’t come without a cost as the Bruins leading scorer during the Stanley Cup Playoffs Patrice Bergeron (2g-10a-12pts) went down with an undisclosed upper body injury which today is being reported as being a concussion by Steve Silva and Kevin Paul Dupont. So Boston Bruins fans are now holding their breath that Bergeron won’t be out very long.

MPR links up MacTavish blog post...

I thought it was interesting so posted it.

4) THE NEW WILD COACH IS...?

The Star Tribune and other sports outlets are reporting that former NHL player and coach Craig MacTavish is the favorite to be the next coach of the Minnesota Wild.

That presents an immediate PR problem -- maybe -- for the Wild. MacTavish killed a woman while he was driving drunk years ago on the main drag north of Boston, where he played as a member of the Bruins. Vehicular homicide in Massachusetts carried a 20-year prison term. He got a year in a minimum security prison and his release from the Bruins to go play for somebody else.

Is that a problem? One hockey blogger -- Goon's World -- says it is:


While I am sure that some of you will say but that it was a long time ago and what's the big deal Goon, however, I ask you to look at this way, think of the victim and her family, Kim Radley would have been 53 years old today if her life hadn't have been cut short by a selfish drunk driver. I am being serious, do we really want a coach of the hometown team the Minnesota Wild to be a former felon that committed vehicle homicide? Which in my opinion was a very preventable and unnecessary death. If I am missing the point, please tell why, I also imagine that I am not the only one that feels this way.


MacTavish got his master's degree in business last year

Claude Giroux hit on Patrice Bergeron...

Here is the video to the hit that injured Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron. I don't think it was a dirty hit by the Flyers Claude Giroux, I have watched the hit about 5 times I don't see any thing that was out of the ordinary, it appears to be a legal and hard hockey check... I am hoping that Patrice Bergeron doesn't have a concussion and that he left the game as a pre-caution.

A couple UND early departures and MTU has a new coach.

Brett Bruneteau moves on

According to Brad Schlossman UND Junior Forward Brett Brueteau will be transferring to UVM of the Hockey East. Best to luck to Brett Bruneteau as he starts graduate school... Nice to see our athletes getting their graduate degrees. We wish Bruno the best in everything that he does.

UND sophomore forward Brett Bruneteau is graduating from UND after two years and will attend grad school in Vermont, where he will play hockey alongside his younger brother, Nick.

Bruneteau, an Omaha native, played in four games as a sophomore and finishes his time at UND with one goal, four assists and five points in 31 career games.

Michael Cichy to transfer to a new NCAA team - Destination unknown

One of the more puzzling moves is Junior Forward Michael Cichy is transferring to an unknown college. This is according to Jason Hajdu of the UND SID office.

Another junior-to-be, Mike Cichy, is also transferring. Destination not yet official. Best of luck to @MikeCichy!

To me this move is a bit of a "HEAD-SCRATCHER" because you would have to think that Michael Cichy is really close to playing in the line up on a regular basis and being a major contributor on the score sheet, because Cichy shown glimpses of greatness in his two short season at UND. The bad thing for Mike is that he is going to have to sit out for a whole season before he can play at his new college. We wish him the best of luck.

MTU has their coach

The Michigan Tech University Huskies now have a new head hockey coach. Below is the official release from MTU. Best of luck to former MTU Husky player and former Michigan Wolverines assistant coach Mel Pearson as he takes the next step his career.

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech athletic director Suzanne Sanregret has appointed former Huskies' player and assistant coach and long-time University of Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson to the position of head hockey coach. Pearson, who spent the last 23 years at Michigan helping the Wolverines to a 667-243-71 record, 11 Frozen Fours and two national championships, will be introduced at a press conference Tuesday (May 10).

"I'm very excited and grateful for this opportunity," said Pearson. "Michigan Tech was the school that gave me my first chance not only as a player but as a coach, and I'm looking forward to working with the University, alumni and community in bringing back the winning tradition."

"I'm thrilled that our search has led us to someone with the quality background of Mel," said Sanregret. "He has extensive experience in all aspects of college hockey, but his reputation as a recruiter made him our top candidate. He has contacts within all of hockey from juniors to the professional ranks, and he's well connected to our alumni."

Pearson, a former winner of the Terry Flanagan Award which honors an assistant coach's career, has been hailed as one of the best recruiters in the nation. He was credited with landing the bulk of the players on Michigan's 1996 and 1998 NCAA championship teams, and has recruited dozens of All-Americans and several Hobey Baker finalists during his time in Ann Arbor. A total of 54 Michigan players have gone on to play in the NHL since 1988.

SNY POINT BLANK TV: DAVE HAKSTOL North Dakota coach on Nelson and Gregoire

I know this is a little old and I just found it, however, UND Fighting Sioux hockey coach Dave Hakstol was on with Chris Botta on April 27th, 2011, Chris runs an independent Islanders blog that has a lot of good information on the New York Islanders.

No thank you to Craig MacTavish as the next coach of the Minnesota Wild!!!

Sportsnet.ca

According to Michael Russo the beat writer from the Star Tribune for the Minnesota Wild hockey teams says that Craig McTavish is an emerging candidate to be the head coach of the Minnesota Wild. All I can say is; that I hope not, seriously, I don’t think McTavish is a good role model for youngsters and there are other better candidates for this head coaching job that the Wild can select from.

If you don't remember or maybe you weren't alive yet, former Boston Bruins Craig MacTavish struck and killed a young woman while he was driving his car under the influence of alcohol, he plead guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail. Kim Radley died as a result of a senseless incident and MacTavish got a mere slap on the wrist as he lived in dormitory like conditions at the Lawrence Correctional Alternative Center. Hardly a fitting penalty for MacTavished, you can barely call it a jail type setting.

“Hockey players have not been the only victims, either. Craig MacTavish, a player at the time and now the coach of the Edmonton Oilers, pled guilty to vehicular homicide in 1984 after killing a woman in a car accident while he was impaired. He spent a year in jail, and spoke against drunk driving as part of his community service. “

While I am sure that some of you will say but that it was a long time ago and what’s the big deal Goon, however, I ask you to look at this way, think of the victim and her family, Kim Radley would have been 53 years old today if her life hadn’t have been cut short by a selfish drunk driver. I am being serious, do we really want a coach of the hometown team the Minnesota Wild to be a former felon that committed vehicle homicide? Which in my opinion was a very preventable and unnecessary death. If I am missing the point, please tell why, I also imagine that I am not the only one that feels this way.

Michael Russo, Star Tribune ----With the Wild in the early stages of its deliberate search to find a replacement for Todd Richards, veteran coach Craig MacTavish has emerged as a strong candidate.

According to multiple league sources, the former Edmonton Oilers coach has had a handful of conversations with Chuck Fletcher and was recently interviewed by the Wild general manager at a Toronto hotel.

The 52-year-old MacTavish, who coached the Oilers from 2000 to '09, has been unwilling to talk about any of the NHL coaching vacancies other than to say he's "recharged" and ready to return to coaching.

"He's one of my favorites," Los Angeles Kings veteran forward Ryan Smyth, coached by MacTavish for six seasons, said in a phone interview Thursday. "He knows and understands the game very well and was exciting to play for. He understands the players very well. He knew me more than I did at times."

MacTavish, who guided the eighth-seeded Oilers to within one game of a Stanley Cup in 2006, would bring instant credibility to the Wild bench. He won four Stanley Cups in his 19-year playing career player -- three with Edmonton and one with the New York Rangers.

One of the great defensive centers, the well-spoken MacTavish brought that same acumen to his coaching. He's known as a defensive-oriented, technically sound coach, one who's a shrewd in-game bench manager and good communicator.

Keith Ballard Hip Check Jordin Tootoo

This happened back on April 28 during game one of the Vancouver and Nashville series. Check out this awesome hip check by former Gopher defenseman Keith Ballard, I have watched video quite a few times and there is no reason in my humble opinion why this should be a penalty. Ballard

Former NHL player Jim Thomson wants to ban fighting in the NHL.

We live in a gladiator society and majority of NHL fans love watching a fight between two willing combatants; fighting in hockey is also an aspect of the NHL that I like. Two people square off and fight it "usually" solves the problem and it "usually" ends right there.

As far as an out right ban on fighting in the NHL, I also don’t think the NHL GM’s, coaches and players would probably ever go for it. Here is the way I see it, it you take fighting out of hockey, how in the heck are you going to police the game? You can’t count on the Colin Campbells of the NHL to protect the players on the ice, nor can the referees do so as well. Also, if there is no threat of player ever having to fight on the ice in the NHL you will see more acts of violence from the Matt Cooke type players around the NHL…

TORONTO — If it was Chicago, it might be two bottles of wine. They always seemed to have tough guys in Chicago, scary guys who would keep Jim Thomson awake the night before a game, and the extra wine at dinner helped to fortify him for what lay ahead.

Sometimes the anxiety led to more self-medication, pills that helped him get over the fear of being knocked unconscious in front of 20,000 fans. He was a fighter.

“As a fighter in hockey, you live in fear,” Thomson said.

He lived on the margins of the roster, protecting Wayne Gretzky one year, playing for the Phoenix Roadrunners the next. Thomson logged dozens of fights over a 115-game career, and when it ended, he suffered.

“I went through periods of depression,” he said. “I’m a recovering alcoholic. I believe a lot of my demons, if you will, came from hockey ending and the head blows and certain things that I wasn’t aware of.”

Now 45, Thomson said he “easily” suffered five or six concussions. During one stretch in the American Hockey League, he was punched so hard in a fight on Friday that he cannot remember what he did on the ice during Saturday or Sunday’s games.

On Wednesday, Thomson was among a collection of current and former athletes gathered at the Hockey Hall of Fame to promote a website (stopconcussions.com) designed to help educate athletes on the cause, effects and consequences of concussion. Retired NHL star Keith Primeau was the keynote speaker, but Thomson delivered perhaps the most radical solution to reducing the risk on the ice.

The former fighter would like a blanket ban on fighting in hockey.

“Get it out,” he said. “I mean, come on, why do we need it?”

He referred to it, more than once, as “bare-knuckle fighting.”

2011-2012 Fighting Sioux Hockey Schedule...

Brad Schlossman has posted the Tenative Fighting Sioux Hockey schedule. Thanks Millsy for the correction...

2011-12 TENTATIVE
Oct. 7 -- ICEBREAKER
Oct. 8 -- ICEBREAKER
Oct. 14 -- MAINE
Oct. 15 -- MAINE
Oct. 21 -- at Wisconsin
Oct. 22 -- at Wisconsin
Oct. 28 -- ST. CLOUD ST.
Oct. 29 -- ST. CLOUD ST.

Nov. 4 -- at Minnesota
Nov. 5 -- at Minnesota
Nov. 19 -- at Bemidji
Nov. 20 -- at Bemidji
Nov. 25 -- COLO. COLLEGE
Nov. 26 -- COLO. COLLEGE

Dec. 2 -- at Anchorage
Dec. 3 -- at Anchorage
Dec. 9 -- OMAHA
Dec. 10 -- OMAHA
Dec. 16 -- FERRIS
Dec. 17 -- FERRIS
Dec. 30 -- HARVARD
Dec. 31 -- HARVARD

Jan. 7 -- Winnipeg game
Jan. 13 -- MINNESOTA
Jan. 14 -- MINNESOTA
Jan. 20 -- at St. Cloud
Jan. 21 -- at St. Cloud
Jan. 27 -- WISCONSIN
Jan. 28 -- WISCONSIN

Feb. 10 -- at Duluth
Feb. 11 -- at Duluth
Feb. 17 -- MICH. TECH
Feb. 18 -- MICH. TECH
Feb. 24 -- at Denver
Feb. 25 -- at Denver

Mar. 2 -- MSU-MANKATO
Mar. 3 -- MSU-MANKATO
Mar. 9-11 -- WCHA first rd
Mar. 15-17 -- WCHA Final Five
Mar. 23-25 -- NCAA regionals (Worcester, Bridgeport, St. Paul, Green Bay)

Ut...Oh... (Redwing77)

It's been a while since my last rant so here goes...

Poor Poor Bettman

NHL Ninconpoop Gary Bettman is now demoralized again. First, his beloved Pens were eliminated. Next, he finds out that Crosby was holding out on him on his condition (so all along Gary held onto the hope that Crosby would be back just in time for naught). Now, his second favorite team (albeit red headed stepchild indeed) is gone. Tampa Bay eliminated the Craps in 4 games today. This behind 75 year old Dwayne Roloson's stellar play. Hey Wild fans, Roloson is in the Eastern Conference Finals. At least one former Wild is enjoying life right now.

In any case, I can revert back to being a general hockey fan now that the Craps are gone too. Perhaps we'll get to see what the NHL PR department has up its sleeve now that they have to try to promote someone not named Ovechkin or Crosby and not teams like Pittsburgh or Washington. I can't wait to see their creative juices flow.

Finishers anyone? Maybe finished is the better term.

Yup, I'm calling out the Red Wings. They've played San Jose close. Too bad they've rarely played San Jose well. They seemed lackadaisical at times and almost over confident. This OT was the first time I saw Detroit actually taking it to San Jose... only to see the D abandon them once again.

They now find themselves down 3-0 to San Jose. The big question, from my seat, is thus: Will Detroit end their season being swept or will they at least take one game? Right now, they seem to be unable to finish. San Jose seems to find finishers when they need it the most. Oh, and weak goals are great, right Howard? Setoguchi's second goal was W-E-A-K. Detroit's stupidity at D helped San Jose tie the game.

It's a stupid charge but... if Detroit wants to prove something, they're going to have to win Game 4 in big fashion... like by 3+ goals. I'm not saying Howard has to pitch a shutout, because with the D in front of him, that's like asking positive thinking along to stop mudslides from occurring in California. It's just not going to happen. Game 3 was a must win. They lost. buy a lottery ticket folks, you have a better chance at winning than Detroit has to move on. Stats and odds be darned.

Win or you're considered a pretender not a contender. I'm not going to say that Detroit has to win out to prove themselves because, this Red Wings fan thinks that there's now way Detroit advances. But if they want to have ANY respect at all from me, they're going to have to challenge San Jose more than they already have.

Color me a pessimist, but I doubt it.

And before anyone calls me out for daring point to a bunch of hockey players and call them pretenders or losers and then cite how I vehemently defend UND and collegiate hockey players know this: Datsyuk isn't an amateur. Howard isn't an amateur. Detroit isn't a member of the NCAA. These guys are PROs. They are being paid hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars per year to push their team towards the Stanley Cup. Detroit, further more, isn't the Atlanta Thrashers or Florida Panthers. They shouldn't just be happy to have made the playoffs.

Play like you want to be there or dress all your young players so they can get playoff experience and pack it in.

Oh, and last but not least...

Anyone want to earn some notoriety? I hear they're looking for a goaltender in Philadelphia. They've got plenty of backup goaltenders ready to push for your starting job so there is some pressure involved. The good news is, if you can stop a beach ball from going behind you, you have a pretty decent team in front of you. With Pronger on the ice, your team may even injure enough players to make it even if it isn't!

Sean O'Donnell vs Nathan Horton

You don’t see as many fights during NHL Stanley Cup as you do during the regular season because of the instigator rule, but down by a few goals and trying to spark his team Sean O'Donnell started a fight with Nathan Horton. If you look at this way, it was a smart move by the veteran Sean O'Donnell because he takes a more skilled player off the ice with him.

Can the NHL survive in smaller markets in Canada?

In reading that article my first question is; are we to believe from reading this article that NHL is better off struggling in markets like Phoenix and Atlanta than the small Canadian markets like Quebec City and Winnipeg. Some my next question would be; are we to glean from the article that it would be a down grade if one of these two Canadian cities were able to have an NHL franchise again?

Let’s break this down further; the Phoenix Coyotes drew an unimpressive average of 12,208 fans per game this past season, this ranked the Coyotes 29th out of 30 teams. Also, the Atlanta Thrashers were a little better, but not much, as the Thrashers averaged an also unimpressive figure of 13,403 fans per game, that’s good enough for 27th out of 30 teams… If you don’t’ believe me click on the attendance number yourself and look at the numbers.

OTTAWA, May 4 /CNW/ - The market conditions in Québec City and Winnipeg have improved since National Hockey League (NHL) franchises left about 15 years ago— but both cities face additional challenges to make new NHL teams sustainable, The Conference Board of Canada concludes in its third publication on the pro sports market in Canada.

"Compared to the mid-1990s, when their respective teams departed, Quebec City and Winnipeg have higher populations and increased per capita disposable income, and Canadian franchises enjoy a loonie at parity with its U.S. counterpart. The prospective teams in both Quebec City and Winnipeg would unquestionably be in small markets, but the NHL's player salary cap would give them a chance to stay competitive with teams in larger cities," said Mario Lefebvre, Director, Centre for Municipal Studies, and co-author of The Four Market Pillars at Work: The Case of the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets.

"Whether the overall conditions are sufficient to bring back a team to the passionate fans in either city remains debatable. Quebec City has a very small corporate presence. Winnipeg's fans would face a challenge of supporting both NHL and Canadian Football League teams. Overcoming these hurdles will require a lot of work and dedication from all stakeholders."

The Conference Board's previous publication in its Playing in the Big Leagues series identified four market factors - market size, income levels, corporate presence and a level-playing field - that help to explain why NHL teams departed from Quebec and Winnipeg in 1995 and 1996, respectively.

Both the Québec City and Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Areas now have populations over 750,000 - they both stood at roughly 680,000 in the mid-1990s. As discussed in the previous briefing in this series, Defining the Market Conditions for Success, the Conference Board estimates that the population of a market must match the potential total number of tickets sold in a season. Thus, a successful NHL franchise in Canada requires a minimum population of approximately 800,000 people. This conclusion is based on a review of the sports economics literature and the Conference Board's hypothesis on key market-based factors.

Income levels have also improved in both cities. Winnipeg moved from sixth in the 1990s to fifth in 2009, in terms of per capita income levels among Canada's nine largest cities (population wise). Québec City's per capita income ranking improved from eighth to seventh place during the same time period.

The biggest change in favour of a return of NHL teams to Canada is the evolution of a more level playing field. The Canadian dollar is now hovering around parity with its U.S. counterpart, and the Conference Board forecasts that the loonie will remain in that range for the foreseeable future. As a result, Canadian teams are no longer paying an exchange-rate premium on player salaries.

In addition, a player salary cap has been established. While the NHL could do more when it comes to revenue sharing, the salary cap gives some assistance to smaller-market franchises in competing with larger centres.

Goon's in studio on 1310 KNOX - Thursday from 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Listen to the Goon live on the R.J. Richards Show at 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm on 1310 AM KNOX on Thursday May, 5th, 2011. R.J. and the Goon will be talking about NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs... If you live out of town you can listen live by clicking on this web link... [Click to Listen]

Call in 701-775-5559, 1-866-KNOX-1310, email: Live@KNOXRADIO.com

Glendale pays NHL $25 million for Coyotes losses

The city of Glendale should send Gary Bettman the bill for the Coyotes losses.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The NHL has exercised its option to take $25 million from the city of Glendale to cover losses by the Phoenix Coyotes this season.

The city had placed the money in escrow a year ago at the NHL's insistence to cover such losses if the sale of the team had not gone through by the end of this season.

The city says the NHL took the funds on Monday.

The NHL bought the team out of bankruptcy in September 2009 with the intention of finding a buyer to keep the team in Arizona.

The proposed sale to Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer has been stalled by the threat of a lawsuit by the Goldwater Institute, a conservative watchdog group.

After leaping into the boards Adam McQuaid has a sprained neck...

In case you were wondering, Brendan Hall from ESPN is reporting that Adam McQuaid has a sprained neck that he suffered from attempting to check Mike Richards during Monday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers. McQuaid is listed as day to day.

BOSTON -- Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid has a sprained neck and is day to day, coach Claude Julien said on Tuesday.

McQuaid slammed headfirst into the boards late in the first period of Monday night's Game 2 overtime win over Philadelphia and lay motionless on the ice for several minutes before skating off with the help of teammates Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic. He also received help getting to the locker room.

The defenseman was taken to Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia but flew back to Boston Monday night with the team.

"Everything so far has come out negative," Julien said of testing. "He's a day-to-day player right now."

Dion Phaneuf smokes Simon Mose with a hard check

Holy Cow does Dion Phaneuf tattoo Simon Mose from Switzerland with a hard, vicious, and what appears to be a legal check in my opinion. Using Google Translate I was able to come up with this gem...

www.hockeykanalen.se ---- Canadian Dion Phaneuf tackled Simon Moser so badly that he fainted from the bench in the middle of the second period between Switzerland and Canada. According to TV10's expert, he swallowed his tongue and the judge had interrupted the match for a while.

- This does not look good, "says TV10's expert Calle Johansson.

The incident occurred in the second period when Switzerland was in the lead with 1-0. Canadian Dion Phaneuf tackled Simon Moser hard - but the rigging looked cool even if the blast was powerful. Bang took offense, but Moser took still get out to the stall.

- He receives a huge bang. Phaneuf get on proficient in melee combat, says TV10's expert Calle Johansson.

Drama

Moser's condition deteriorated quickly and it was dramatic.

- He is in pain and is almost faint. It does not look good, he looks completely out, "says Calle Johansson.

A few seconds later, television pictures showed how he passed out of the stall. The leaders agreed with him and tried to keep his head up. And as TV10's expert, he swallowed his tongue and the referee stopped the match for a while. 22-year-old witty spirit, however, and was taken to hospital.

Fred Pletsch hired as CCHA commissioner

The CCHA now has a new commissioner to replace Tom Anastos who was hired as the head coach of Michigan State.

USCHO.COM ---- CCHA schools have picked Fred Pletsch to lead the conference through a key period in its history.

Pletsch, who has been serving as interim commissioner since March 23 after Tom Anastos became Michigan State’s coach, had the interim tag removed from the title on Monday.

He joined the league in 2001 as director of communications, then became associate commissioner in 2008.

The CCHA lost Nebraska-Omaha to the WCHA in 2010 and will lose three more members — Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State — when the Big Ten Conference starts sponsoring men’s hockey in 2013.

“Fred steps into the commissioner’s role at an important time for the CCHA,” Greg Christopher, chair of the CCHA Council and athletic director at Bowling Green, said in a statement.

“He has been integrally involved in the direction of the conference for nearly a decade, and understands the details of the position along with the broader vision necessary to lead the CCHA. All 11 institutions have confidence in Fred and believe that he is the right person to help us navigate the future.”

The vote was taken last week at league meetings in Naples, Fla.

Heck yeah it was in - David Krejci's Overtime goal; Bruins lead series 2-0

I will be the first to say that the Flyers could of won this game tonight. Talk about an all world goaltender steeling a game for a hockey team, that is what happened in Philly tonight. The Boston Bruins were out shot 54-41 and Tim Thomas was nothing short of amazing as the Philadelphia Flyers had a lot of jump and had the Boston Bruins back on their heels as times during tonight's game. I have no idea how the refs and the goal judge didn't see the puck go in without a review.

Edit: Adam McQuaid misses Mike Richards

I thought I would post this in case you haven't seen it yet, this attempted check by Adam McQuaid on Mike Richards, it didn't end well for Adam McQuaid... You can bet that the Bruins players would love to get a piece of Mike Richards but you have to play under control and pick your spots. Apparently McQuaid was taken to Jefferson Hospital for evaluation, no word on his status for game three.

Lineup decisions for Philly...

According to The Bruins Blog Flyer head coach Peter Laviolette will again go with sieve goalie Brian Boucher as their starting goalie for game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal. That could be good news for the Boston Bruins.

PHILADELPHIA — Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette left no doubt about who his starting goaltender will be tonight against the Bruins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series at the Wells Fargo Center.

Brian Boucher, the Game 1 starter who was pulled in the second period of Boston’s 7-3 win, will get another chance to solve Boston’s offense.

Also, according to the Boston Herald Flyers Thug Defenseman Chris Pronger is a scratch for game two and will not play tonight. I guess the Bruins forwards don't have to worry about being hacked by Pronger the lumberjack.

PHILADELPHIA — Late word from the Flyers camp that cornerstone defenseman Chris Pronger will not play tonight, due to a new, undisclosed injury incurred in Saturday’s series-opener. There was no confirmation on his ailment, but it was believed to be in the lower back, upper leg or perhaps both. Pronger returned from a broken hand to play the final two games of the Flyers’ first-round series vs. Buffalo, and played 19:45 in Game 1 against the B’s.

Doug Smail interview on the Illegal Curve



Check out my card

 David Minuk from the Illegal Curve hockey blog has a nice interview on former Fighting Sioux forward Doug Smail. Doug was a member on UND's 1980 NCAA championship team.

He played over ten seasons with the Winnipeg Jets from 1980/81 until the 1990/91 season when he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars. He came to the Jets undrafted from the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux where he played 3 years in the WCHA, ending his collegiate career with the 1980 Frozen Four tournament. He helped the Sioux win the National Championship (breaking a 17 year drought), as they won the Tournament with a 5-2 victory over Northern Michigan University.

While playing for the Jets he was known for his exceptional speed. He was a gifted two-way hockey player, who was often used in a penalty killing role by Winnipeg. For those IC readers who may not be old enough to recall the 80′s, if I had to compare him to a current NHL player, you could draw a parallel to St. Andrews Manitoba’s Darren Helm, a center for the Red Wings, who has speed aplenty and is often used by the Wings to kill penalties.

Doug currently resides in Colorado where he is the head coach of the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U-15 AAA squad. He was nice enough to take some time to answer some questions for fans of NHL hockey in Winnipeg.

IC: You came to Winnipeg as an undrafted free agent straight from college after winning a National Championship with UND and joined the Winnipeg Jets who only won 9 games that year. How difficult was that first year of pro hockey for you?

Doug: It was thought of as a horrific year by many…and believe me it was not fun. But Fergie and Mike Doran thought they had to begin to gut the organization from a player standpoint and totally rebuild it. I knew it would be tough the way they threw some of us rookies to the wolves in a baptism by fire means, but we also lost a ton of games that year by only a goal…and were quite close to having a pretty decent record if the one goal games had just a little bit more maturity in the lineup. [read the rest of the story]

Atlanta Thrashers Will Likely Be Sold For $110 Million

For 110.00 million you can be a proud owner of an NHL franchise…

blogs.forbes.com --- The group that owns the Atlanta Thrashers is looking for $110 million for the NHL club from investors that include former Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine.

We valued the money-losing Thrashers at $135 million in December. The Thrashers have made the playoffs only once in their 11 seasons and averaged just 13,403 at Philips Arena this past season, 27th in the league. The attraction for a buyer is that the NBA’s Hawks, who share Philips Arena with the Thrashers, are responsible for the arena’s bond payments. The hockey team is debt-free and under the terms currently being discussed would pay a flat rent that would net the team about $7 million in non-ticket revenue while the owners of the basketball team ran the arena.

New rule on head shots getting results?

Here is an article by C.C. Tigers beat writer Joe Pasley of the Colorado Spring Gazette that was in yeterday's Gatette; the newspaper article has some interesting tidbits that you might want to take a look at. Personally, I found some of the comments by Greg Shepherd and Bruce McLeod to be interesting as well. While there were only 27 five-minute majors for contact to the head were recorded, how many of them were missed?

Gazette.com --- Only 27 five-minute majors for contact to the head were recorded this past season, though it seemed like far more were called.

“The perception is there were a lot more,” said Greg Shepherd, the league’s head of officials. “We did a good job making sure the coaches and players were aware, especially during the first month.”

Tigers coach Scott Owens knew the problem had to be addressed and was happy with the new rule and how it was handled.

“It’s had a positive impact,” he said. “The officials spent time explaining it to (the coaches) and we passed it on to the players. They made a lot of calls early. It’s definitely a problem. When you look at the (NHL Channel news) ticker, at least a third of it deals with concussions.”

Here something else from the article that I found interesting.

The severity of the five-minute major, which included either a game misconduct or game suspension, proved an effective, immediate deterrent that also made things easier for the league office. Whether a player missed the rest of the game or the rest of that game and the next was up to the on-ice official, which is how the league wanted it.

Pekka Rinne's amazing save in O.T.

This is one of the reasons why Pekka Rinne's is a finalists for the Vezina Trophy this season. Check out this amazing game saving stop in overtime of last night's game with the Vancouver Canucks. The Predators won the game 2-1 in double overtime. The Vancouver Canucks' fan base is now in full meltdown mode.

Yahoo.com --- Roberto Luongo led the Canucks to the league’s best record and the lowest team goals-against average (2.20). Luongo was 38-15-7 in 60 appearances, and his goals against average was 2.11.

Pekka Rinne was 33-22-9 with a 2.12 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and six shutouts.

Tim Thomas rebounded from offseason hip surgery, and the ’09 Vezina winner was 35-11-9, with a .938 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average. He had nine shutouts.

Having a bad day?

Here is Carl Pavano's meltdown in case you have seen it. Pavano takes out his frustrations with a baseball bat on a garbage can. Pavano has been unimpressive this season going 2-2 and has a ERA of 5.12. Maybe Carl Pavano should concentrate on pitching better and getting the W's so he won't have to take out his frustrations on the garbage cans in the Twins dugout.

David Krejci scores for the Boston Bruins... Bruins win 7-3

David Krejci got the first goal and the Bruins never looked back winning the first game of the best of seven Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3. David Krejci was nothing short of amazing as he paced the Boston Bruins with 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points. Krejci was also a plus 3 as well. Also having big game for the Boston Bruins were Patrice Bergeron 3 assists and Nathan Horton with 1 goal, 1 assist for two points.

Flyers goaltending is brutal...

The Flyers got what I would classify as brutal goaltending from Brian Boucher 5 goals on 23 shots and rookie goalie Philadelphia Flyers Sergei Bobrovsky 2 goals on 10 shots. I just don't think there is any other way of saying this, the Flyers goaltenders were just horrible, on the shot clock this was a close game but the Bruins' goaltender Tim Thomas (2 goals against on 33 shots) was heads and tails above the Flyers two sieves goalies and if it wasn't for Thomas the game could have had a different outcome.

Chris Pronger slash

Watch this two handed slash from Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger as he hacks Boston Bruins forward Daniel Paille. In looking at the video I thought that warranted more than a two minute penalty.

Remaking the image of Matt Cooke...

Does anyone believe him? Color me cynical and forgive me if I don't believe him. What is with the media trying to remake the image of Mat Cooke, his image is what it is... Matt Cooke is one of the dirtiest and most despised players in the NHL. Does anyone think that Matt Cooke will no longer be a head hunter on the ice looking to take out another opponent with a dirty hit? I will be the first one to applaud him if he can change.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ---- Penguins general manager Ray Shero made it clear Friday that left wing Matt Cooke will remain with the team next season.

Cooke made it clear he is a new man and will become a new player.

A week away from the team — which Cooke requested when his 17-game suspension for elbowing New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was announced — was apparently an eye-opening experience for the NHL`s reigning poster child for dirty play.

Although Cooke did not offer specifics regarding his time away from the team, he requested help of some nature.

"It`s something I did on my own," said Cooke, who talked publicly for the first time since March 21. "After it happened, I asked Ray and ownership if I could leave for a little while. They were OK with it. Everyone has times in their lives when you need help or you need to talk to somebody. I`ve had the chance to work with some people. I spent a week specifically dealing with those things."

Cooke, who has two years remaining on his contract, vows that his days of being suspended are over.

Tim Thomas is consistently inconsistent?

hockeyindependent.com

Check out this scouting report on Tim Thomas by Philly.com . I tell you one thing that the Boston Bruins have a huge edge on the Flyers in net, it's not even close. The Flyers have a stable of horrid goalies, the Boston Bruins have a Vezina Trophy winner in Tim Thomas and an awesome back up in Tuukka Rask as well. 

GOALTENDING

Flyers: When Peter Laviolette drew up his game plan for Buffalo back on April 14, do you think he really included starting three different goaltenders? Despite the circus, Brian Boucher did not have an awful series for the Flyers. He gave up 10 goals in more than 14 periods worth of work, including two brutal goals in a span of 3 minutes. Erase those goals - scored from the corner and behind the net - and his goals against-average is under 2.00 and his save percentage jumps to 94.7 percent. You can't argue with those numbers. Boucher, a New England native, is now Laviolette's guy unless he proves otherwise.

Bruins: Tim Thomas is consistently inconsistent. He is easily the NHL's most unorthodox goaltender, making saves in a variety of ways that make coaches and players scratch their heads. Thomas, who has again reinvented himself after a mediocre season last year following his 2008-09 Vezina Trophy-winning campaign, somehow finds a way for the puck to hit him. There is little technical work involved. The knock on him, though, is that teams can figure out a way to beat him when steadily facing his tendencies throughout a series.

EDGE: Bruins

Scott Hannan finishes his check on Simon Gagne

Hockey if a physical game and injuries will happen on the ice in the NHL, or any hockey league that has contact, sometimes injuries just happen. Let's hope that Simon Gagne is going to be OK and he doesn't have another concussion.

Update from the American Hockey Coaches Association meeting

H/T to ExileOnDaytonStreet for posting a link to this article on his blog.

NAPLES — While most of the convention attendees agreed that the popularity of the sport is on the upswing, some said one of the best ways to maintain the momentum is to keep the players healthy. Just like their professional counterparts, college hockey officials are trying to reduce the number of concussions and other serious injuries through rule changes and stiffer penalties for multiple offenders.

ECAC Director of Officials and former NHL player and referee Paul Stewart said the topic of hits to the head has been at the forefront of the convention.

“It’s the No. 1 topic for everyone at all levels of hockey,” Stewart said. “Player safety is a very important part of the game and through rules, coaching and punishment I think it’s something that can be improved.”

I would have guessed that this would be an hot button issue that will get a lot of discussion during the American Hockey Coaches Association meeting... I wonder if college hockey will come up with the rule where a player has to go to "quiet room" for 15 minutes if they receive a shot to the head?

Here we go with expansion again, maybe we should find a home for UAH before we start talking about adding more programs to the college hockey landscape. Seriously, what league would a team like Florida Gulf Coast play in? I would hope the topic of realignment is going to come up this spring. I think that College hockey in general needs to focus on the teams already in college hockey before we go tripping all over ourselves to add more college hockey teams... Do we really need another watered down college hockey conference taking yet another bid away from a team that is worthy of receiving an at large bid.

In addition to coaches from all levels of NCAA hockey, several club coaches are also in attendance at the event. One of the topics is how to turn popular club teams, like the one at Florida Gulf Coast University, into self-sustaining NCAA scholarship teams.

Joe Battista, the associate athletic director at Penn State, is currently overseeing the school’s transition from club to Division I. He said that when he’s asked about the transition, it always comes down to one topic — money.

“There are a lot of challenges when you try to start a program but it’s really hard to do if you don’t have the funding,” said Battista, whose school received an $88 million donation from Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula to revive the hockey program last year. “But it all starts with finding someone who is passionate enough to go out, knock on doors and do whatever it takes to make it happen.”

So is Tim Thomas off the mark when it comes to the Habs' P.K. Subban?

So after reading the quotes from Tim Thomas do you agree or disagree? Like I mentioned earlier that there was going to be some hurt feelings no matter who won this heated series. Looking back just a few days later this was an epic series and an instant classic in my opinion. That being said, there has been a lot of whining and complaining from the press and fans in Montreal (some of it was warrented) most of it has started when Zdeno Chara hit on the Canadiens' Max Pacioretty then it continued when the Boston Bruins brutalized the Canadians in a lopsided game on March 24th 2011 by a 7-0 score; during that game the Bruins beat the Canadians on the scoreboard but also beat the crap out of them on the ice as well.

On to P.K. Subban, like I have said before, P.K. Subban is an amazing talent and I believe he is an up and coming super star in the NHL but he is a bit of a “punk” or some might say a “show boat.” In my opinion someone needs to sit him down and have a serious heart to heart talk with him and remind him to act like you have been there before, not ever goal requires an over the top celebration. I personally don’t have a problem with Tim Thomas’ comments because Thomas is a class act.

Montreal Whine Feast --- In the moments after his team's 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday, and for part of a Boston sports-radio interview on Thursday, Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas did speak gracefully about Canadiens counterpart Carey Price:

"He battled hard from start to finish in that series," Thomas said. "I've got to give him a lot of credit. . He pushed me to be as good as I could be. I kept waiting for him to break and it just never happened. . My hat's off to the kid."

(Price had lauded Thomas the night before: "Timmy played great, he should win the Vézina Trophy in my opinion. . He's the best goalie in the NHL.")

Then the radio hosts got to chuckling as they asked Thomas about Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban, whom they said of a first-period scrum with Boston's Gregory Campbell "falls down like he's had a brick dropped on his chest and clearly he might have been flailing around there a little bit."

The way their question was posed to Thomas wasn't unlike the way Mark Recchi, M.D., was led by a different pair of Boston radio hosts to better diagnose the concussion of the Canadiens' Max Pacioretty.

Thomas, usually one of the more polished pieces of cutlery in the drawer, was all kinds of tarnished in his reply.

"I had respect for the Canadiens and the way they played that series and the way they battled," he began. "But to be completely honest, I don't have respect for actions like that.

"That's a travesty to the game. It's not the way the game is supposed to be played. . It can be infuriating, you know?

Zdeno Chara has a Coke and a smile on the Bruins Bench...

I have never seen anything like that before and I have to wonder if drinking Coke led to his dehydration? As a former athlete I have never seen anyone drink a pop on the bench that was actively in the contest. Chara missed game two against the Montreal Canadians because of a bout with Dehydration.

Why wouldn't a best of three series work in the first round of the NCAA tourney?

Huskier Mike's blog post got me thinking about this subject even more.

Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald threw his support to a switch in the NCAA hockey tournament, making the first round a best-of-three series on the home ice of the higher seed. (H/T: Goon) Looking at the attendance of the regionals, it's obvious the current format isn't working with neutral ice. Take a page from baseball and play it on home ice where the fans can watch. And a best-of-three series lessens the impact of a bogus call in overtime. (Yes, Weasel fan: no matter what you say, those replays were inconclusive.)

With the finality of the one and done NCAA hockey tourney it’s almost a travesty to watch a team that was a number one seed and probably a division winner during the regular season lose their first game of a one and done tourney.

Why not have the first round match up at the home arena of the higher seed? What is the harm, the teams would still be picked from the Pair Wise Rankings. This would alleviate number one seeds having to play a four seed in their home arena. I get the argument that Miami needed to get it done if they wanted to move forward, but maybe they deserved better than the fate they got. Maybe one questionable controversial goal wouldn't be as hard to swallow and said team would live to fight another day. Imagine the boat load of money this format would also make a boat load of money for the NC$$.

Of course you get these kinds of flawed arguments in respond to Brad's proposal.

I agree with the school sites for the higher seed for attendance but a best of three series will pretty much ruin the chance of any small school of winning but it does benefit UND and other super teams. The single game elimination gives any team a chance which may not sell as many tickets at the actual events, but makes it a lot more interesting than having UND, Michigan, one of the Boston teams and Denver every single year in the Frozen Four.

By having to win two out of three games in the first round, that would actually make the team that won in the first round more legit in my mind. I don’t buy this logic of the smaller teams would suffer. Last time I checked the University of Minnesota Duluth was a small school that is division one in college hockey only… Minnesota Duluth’s other sports (football, basketball, golf etc) play in the NSIC which is a division II conference. The fact that UMD won the title this season, proves that the small schools can still win the NCAA title and that they are still relevant, a swing and a miss on that point.

I also think that if Union have had to travel to Duluth to play in the first round of the NCAA tourney we probably still would have had the same results. I don’t by the logic that the NCAA tourney needs to stay in a empty neutral site for the small schools to remain relevant.

Also, in case anyone was keeping track, there was only "one" Big Ten School that made the NCAA playoffs this season. The Frozen Four included two teams that had never won an NCAA title (Notre Dame and UMD). I don’t buy that argument that the same four teams will be in the frozen four every year if we have the first round games in the higher seeds home arena.

Like I said earlier; "If this proposed format would do anything it would probably poke holes in the PWR/RPI rankings and prove that certain teams rankings were way over rated."

Herald; NCAA should consider altering hockey playoff format

Brad Schlossman has an awesome article in today's Grand Forks Herald title; the NCAA should consider altering hockey playoff format. I couldn't agree more with the premise and I hope the NCAA goes that route. One snag that could keep the Fighting Sioux from hosting a best two out of three series is the Fighting Sioux nickname if the NCAA doesn't change it's policy.

Grand Forks Herald --- This afternoon, Division I hockey coaches and administrators will meet in Naples, Fla., to discuss the NCAA tournament, and they should consider a new format that was proposed at last year’s meetings.

At that time, they discussed changing the first round of the tournament to a best-of-three series in the home building of the higher seed. Then, there would be two super regionals at neutral sites (two games at each site) to determine which teams make the Frozen Four.

This is better than the current format for several reasons: It rewards teams for having good regular seasons, the games will be played in better environments and it will be more profitable for the NCAA.

TV Schedule for the Bruins and Flyers...

Game 1, at Philadelphia, Sat. April 30, 3 p.m. (NBC)
Game 2, at Philadelphia, Mon., May 2, 7:30 p.m. (VERSUS)
Game 3, at Boston, Wed., May 4, 7 p.m. (VERSUS)
Game 4, at Boston, Fri., May 6, 8 p.m. (VERSUS -- joined in progress)
x-Game 5, at Philadelphia, Sun., May 8, 3 p.m. (NBC)
x-Game 6, at Boston, Tues., May 10, TBD (VERSUS)
x-Game 7, at Philadelphia, Thu., May 12, TBD (VERSUS)
x-if necessary

Andrew Ference will not be suspended by the NHL.

According to John Bishop aka BISH...

Chiarelli on Ference: "No suspension."^BISH

Looks like the matter is closed. The fans in Montreal wont be happy and they will claim their is a conspiracy because Colin Campbell's kid plays for the Boston Bruins. The fact remains that Mike Murphy, senior VP of hockey operations was the one that made the decision; Colin Campbell had to recuse himself from the ruling because of his son playing Boston. I know some fans are going to make comments about crickets chirping in the back ground.

This is what Peter Chiarelli had to say on matter at his morning press conference.

Boston Globe --- Andrew Ference was not suspended for his hit on Jeff Halpern. Ference had a disciplinary hearing this morning with Mike Murphy, senior VP of hockey operations. "I thought it was just incidental contact," Chiarelli said of his first reaction. "When I took a closer look, I saw where the league's concerns lie. When you look at the whole play, we turned the puck over at our blue. When that happens, the D is supposed to close off the rim around the wall. [Ference] was moving that way. What Andy said was that he just saw [Halpern] off his shoulder as he was moving. Looking up as he saw the turnover, his motion and the player's motion ran into each other."

They Said what? A couple of quotes...

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

I think this is a good explanation of how a lot of Bruins fans including me feel about show boat and the ever-so-cocky P.K. Subban. Let me be clear, the kid is an amazing talent that God has blessed with amazing athletic ability, however, it does appear that the good Lord given him a two cent brain... P.K. Subban yaps and runs his mouth all game long and then runs and hides behind the refs and turtles when called to the carpet. My advice to the young man is that not everyone is impressed with your antics, less theatrics and more hockey, lets see more highlight goals like the one above, but act like you been there before.

Montreal Gazette --- Montreal defenceman P.K. Subban, who may be the most disliked man in Boston, sent the game into overtime when he scored a power-play goal at 18:23 of the third period.

Subban, who was described by one Boston writer as “a puck, a whiner and a diver,” scored on a shot from the point after Patrice Bergeron went off for high-sticking James Wisniewski.

Damien Cox from the Star had an interesting perspective of how the Bruins "beat" the Montreal Canadian this season. I would say that his point of view is from a Canadian and not someone covering the Boston Bruins. Reading this you would have thought the Boston Bruins were a bunch of ruffians or goons.

Just a year ago, the Habs were money in seventh games, upsetting Washington and Pittsburgh. But in the same way the Blackhawks tied Game 7 against Vancouver late in regulation but lost in overtime, the Habs forced OT Wednesday on a late goal by P.K. Subban, but were then vanquished in the extra session by Nathan Horton’s slapshot goal that was redirected past Carey Price for a 4-3 Boston win.

This, after everything that happened between the Habs and Bruins in the past two months, will be a bitter pill for the Canadiens and their legions of fans to swallow. Not only were they eliminated by Boston, the Habs were brutalized by the Bruins all season.

It started with the controversial Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty, included one brawl-filled contest, continued into the sixth game of this series with Milan Lucic’s vicious hit on Jaroslav Spacek and in Game 7 included Andrew Ference’s dirty headshot on Jeff Halpern that went unpenalized.

The Bruins did this year what the Caps couldn’t last year, and that was use their superior size to bully the smallish Habs.

montreal canadiens tickets

Jack Edwards post game seven analysis...

I really like this one, I know that there are many people that don't like Jack Edwards but I really like this guy and what he brings to the table, Edwards also adds a lot of color to the Boston Bruins television broadcasts.

The Bruins are moving on. Ference to face spin of the Wheel of Justice

The Boston Bruins closed out the Montreal Canadians last night in overtime of game seven after being down 2-0 to start the series. I felt at times the Bruins were lucky to be in this series as the Speedy Habs were all over the Boston Bruins and beating the Bruins to the puck only to be stoned by the Boston Bruins all-world goalie Tim Thomas. At other times the Bruins looked like they were a much better team. I thought all around this was a sloppy series and the breaks for the most part went Boston's way as the Bruins won three games in overtime. The fact that the Bruins beat the Habs again in the Stanley Cup playoffs makes this win even more special.

Power Play outage

The thing that is hard to phantom is that he Boston Bruins didn’t score a power play goal the whole series against the Canadians and were able to win the series. Also the Bruins gave up a shorthanded goal tonight. The Bruins went 0-21 on the power play against the Canadians.

Andrew Ference to face the Wheel of Justice

Andrew Ference has a conference call with the NHL disciplinarian for this hit on the Habs forward Jeff Halpern during the third period of last night's game. Based on what some players have been allowed to get away with during the first round of the NHL playoffs, it's hard to imagine what kind of a punishment that Andrew Ference would get.

NESN.COM ---- Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference may not be with the Bruins on Saturday afternoon when they open up their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Ference will have an 11 a.m. phone hearing with the NHL on Thursday to discuss his hit on Montreal's Jeff Halpern. The hit in question took place in the third period of the Bruins' 4-3 win over the Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round series.

Halpern fell to the ice and eventually had to be helped off after apparently colliding with Ference's shoulder. The hearing will likely center around whether or not Ference leaned into Halpern to deliver the blow.

As McKenzie pointed out in a later tweet, it will be interesting to see what the league does for a guy like Ference who was critical of teammate Daniel Paille after Paille received a four-game suspension February for his hit on Dallas' Raymond Sawada.