Thursday Dreaming: Hockey Season is Here

Change is the theme around the UND locker room this year.

#hockey UND Hockey: A Season of Change http://t.co/X2hf6MQbg2
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) October 3, 2013

The Minnesota Wild have resigned Jason Pominville to a nice contract.

Jason Pominville signs 5-year extension with the Minnesota Wild http://t.co/GU1rctfwM4
— Hockey Wilderness (@hockeywildernes) October 3, 2013

Why he's great MT @FaberBrandon: Jonathan Toews spent today sharing the Stanley Cup w/ 200+ residents @ Misericordia pic.twitter.com/6IdaEAGzuz
— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) October 3, 2013

It's officially hockey season UND fans! I talk to Hakstol, Rocco, Simpson, Mark Mac, Saunders, and Mattson here>> http://t.co/bFPEqSfC1l
— Dan Corey (@DanCorey8) October 3, 2013

Simpson is UND's youngest player to wear the "C" since Greg Johnson in 91-92 (10th youngest in UND history)
— Dan Corey (@DanCorey8) October 3, 2013

Today's story on @UNDMHockey as they prepare for their first year in the @TheNCHC http://t.co/ZQfVptMaGM
— Beth Hoole (@bethhooleVNL) October 3, 2013

Related articles

• Jason Pominville Trade Shouldn't Factor in Extension Talks (hockeywilderness.com)
• Is Charlie Coyle Destined for Greatness? (thehockeywriters.com)
• Feeling Minnesota: Why not Phil Kessel? (hockeywilderness.com)

REA has Discontinued Shuttle Service for Hockey Games

English: Ralph Engelstadt Arena at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota. *Personally photographed by the undersigned May 8, 2007. Elcajonfarms 03:46, 3 July 2007 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SHUTTLE SERVICE

The UND shuttle service from the parking ramp to Ralph Engelstad Arena has been discontinued for the 2013-2014 season. In place of the UND shuttle service, UND will provide additional paid parking options in the following new locations for the 2013-2014 season: UND Nursing School lot and the UND Medical School lot.

In addition to the new paid parking options, UND will continue to provide paid parking options in all of the same parking locations as last season, including the UND parking ramp and behind Archives Coffee Shop on Harvard Street. For a full listing of off-site parking options, including game-day shuttles from local businesses to the arena, visit www.theralph.com.

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Remembering the 'Old Ralph' Engelstad Arena (thehockeywriters.com)

UND Hockey: New look to UND's on ice appearance

Green pants and helmets at home. #undhockey pic.twitter.com/ke30qjsc87
— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) October 2, 2013

The UND hockey team is going to have green hockey pants and green helmets at home. On the road will be the same as last season. I am kind of excited of them returning to the old look, of years past.

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Two Cousins set to make Debut for UND (thehockeywriters.com)
• NCHC Hockey: Top Stories Surrounding New League (thehockeywriters.com)
• UND Hockey: Remembering the 'Old Ralph' Engelstad Arena (thehockeywriters.com)
• College Hockey: Tallying up the College Hockey Outdoor Games (thehockeywriters.com)

NHL Hockey: Anti-Fighting Cabal uses Parros Incident to Push Agenda

Last night, newly acquired Habs tough guy George Parros while fighting fellow Leafs Pugilist Colton Orr, slipped and fell awkwardly on to the ice, landing on his chin.  The violent fall knocked the Habs tough guy out. Fortunately, Parros wasn’t seriously injured and this is the tweet that George put on twitter account this morning.  [Video of incident]

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone #classyfollowers
— George Parros (@GeorgeParros) October 2, 2013

Now, the anti-fighting cabal which never lets an incident go to waste, immediately jumped on the Parros injury to make their call to ban fighting from hockey. Almost on cue, the tweets and articles to ban fighting in hockey started showing up from the usual suspects, you know who they are. Proving once again, that the people that write about hockey probably never played the game, ever. 

Fact: fighting in NHL will be banned some day. Question: will it happen before or after a funural? http://t.co/e1rkrBC0eC …
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) October 2, 2013

Whether you want to admit it or not, fighting is part of the game of hockey, that’s a historical fact, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Sure, Fighting is not legal in college and most levels of youth hockey, but it’s part of the "culture" of junior hockey and the professional game. Let the hand wringing begin. Checking one of my favorite hockey blogs this morning, I found a few very predictable examples of the anti-fighting cabal’s stance on the issue. Obviously, they just can't help themselves. 

There's also an emerging theme starting to reappear almost every time the topic of fighting comes up in the Eastern Conference. Team are getting tougher because they're tired of getting beat up by the Boston Bruins. I kid you not.

Michael Grange, Sports Net -- With modest skills, he was smart enough to recognize that at six-foot-five and 230 lb. his best chance to make it to the NHL was as a fighter. He took boxing lessons (fighting is not allowed in college hockey) and fought every chance he could in the American Hockey League. He made his NHL debut in 2005–06 and has been in the league ever since, amassing 141 fighting majors and earning about $4 million.

This season he’s part of an arms race of sorts that threatens to make play in the Atlantic Division something like a UFC card on ice.

Parros’s name was added to the Canadiens’ lineup in part in response to the presence of rugged types like Orr in the Leafs’ lineup. The Leafs added fighters under head coach Randy Carlyle because he thought the club he inherited from Ron Wilson was too easily intimidated by the likes of the Boston Bruins, who won the 2011 Stanley Cup and were the toughest in the league.

Here's a few of the examples that I was talking about.

Pierre LeBrun, ESPN.com -- Everyone who reads me understands that I believe the game could survive without fighting. My belief is simply based on my fear that one day a player will die in a fight on the ice. Pure and simple. I say that because Don Sanderson did die in a Senior A Ontario game fight in 2009.

Am I concerned how the game would look if the "rats" in our game weren’t policed? Yes, I am. And I don’t have a good answer for that other than I’d hope the refs would police it as well as they could.

And you cannot discount the emotional lift that some fights do provide in games. The Habs seemed buoyed by Parros’ first fight with Orr, as well as Travis Moen taking on Mark Fraser.

I totally understand that and do not argue that fights in games have an impact. No question, they do.

But I come back to my one and only concern, the only one I’ve ever held on the sensitive subject: I’m worried we’ll have a tragic incident one day, because today’s players are just stronger and bigger than ever.

I believe that LeBrun is right about one thing, the NHL can't let the "Rats" in the NHL run wild. If the NHL takes fighting out of the game of hockey, the Patrick Kaletas and the Matt Cookes of the NHL will flourish and will run wild. Unchecked these players will be free to take runs at the leagues star players without the fear of retribution. You might want to ask Sidney Crosby if he want's the leagues "Rats" to have more freedom to take runs at him if fighting was banned from the NHL. To me, that's unacceptable. 

You must read this one, below is a blurb from the Hockey News, the anti-fighting hockey web page. It's almost like you have to be have an anti-fighting bias to write for them. 

Adam Proteau, the Hockey News -- In one respect, the injury could have happened on any play; it was an unexpected shift in weight and momentum that could’ve happened on a body check, as we saw with Kevin Stevens in 1993. As always, the standard disclaimer about how the game will never be 100 percent safe has to be issued, lest the straw-clutchers in the comment section get riled up.

But there’s no arguing one point: if Orr and Parros had been ejected from the game after their first fight in the first period, there’s no way Parros is hospitalized tonight. Tell me again why there shouldn’t be an automatic ejection for NHL fights?

To do so would allow fans of fighting and those who see it as a stress release valve to still watch fights. They just wouldn’t get to see the same guys punch each other repeatedly, repeatedly. Given what we’re learning about the long-term risk regular fighters such as Parros and Orr may face after their careers are over, the least we can do is acknowledge the toll one fight can take on them and not make them face two or three fights in the same night.

This is the nuance many fight fetishists can’t wrap their minds around. They throw out empty arguments such as the classic “you want to ban fighting”, when, at least for most people I know, that isn’t true at all. You can no more ban fights in hockey than any other sport. But you can punish it appropriately. And in all other sports, a fight gets you ejected.

We can’t have the anti-fighting debate without Adam Proteau chiming in. Proteau is a one of the founding members of the anti-fighting cabal. Proteau is a dove that hates fighting,  and sees no use for any fighting what-so-ever, in the game of hockey. Of course he’s right as well, Parros’s injury could have occurred even if he hadn't been in a fight. How about all of these grotesque checking from behind calls that aren't punished to the full extent of the rule book? I am more concerned about those kinds of hits. 

We can't forget Damien Cox from the Toronto Star. I used to follow this guy on Twitter but I had to unfollow him because I got tired of reading his political views in my twitter feed. Again, hockey is an awesome escape from the realities of real life. I don't care what these Canadian sports writers think of our countries flawed political system. Just write about hockey.  

But I digress.

Cox is another member of the anti-fighting cabal, that never misses an opportunity to slam the NHL's stance on fighting. I wonder sometimes if he wouldn't be happier covering baseball or figure skating. Hockey is a contact sport, people are going to get hurt no matter what. Injuries are a fact of life in the NHL. One NHL hockey player got hurt eating a stack of pancakes in his home. 

Damien Cox, Toronto Star -- After a summer in which the Bettman adminstration fiddled with silly rules like tucking in hockey jerseys and made changes to icing into a debate worthy of the Meech Lake Accord, of course it was the elephant in the room that made itself heard on opening night of the 2013-14 NHL season.

Fighting. The dangerous, pointless, bloody shame of fighting in the NHL, the combination of a league terrified to let the sport stand on its own two feet and a union that refuses to protect its workers.

In his 211th professional fight, Montreal’s George Parros went down for the count on Tuesday night, missing Maple Leafs enforcer Colton Orr with a wild haymaker and awkwardly hurling himself face-first into the ice as the bloodthirsty Bell Centre crowd, so thrilled with its new goon, roared.

And then went deathly, eerily silent.

Lastly, no one wants to see anyone get killed on the ice, that would be a travesty. However, fighting only accounts for about 10-percent of the on-ice concussions. Personally, I am more concerned about the dirty head shots, and the God awful, dangerous, checking from behind calls that need more scrutiny. Why doesn't the anti-fighting cabal members show as much disdain for these acts of violence as well?

Stop with the "let's ban fighting in hockey" non-sense following George Parros' unfortunate injury. The guy just lost his balance. #Habs
— Fred Poulin (@FredPoulin98) October 2, 2013

Related articles

• Montreal Canadiens' George Parros knocked out in scary hockey fight (with video) (o.canada.com)
• Habs' Parros carted off after nasty spill (cbssports.com)
• Parros concussed in first game with Habs (espn.go.com)
• Canadiens' Parros leaves on stretcher after fight (timesleader.com)
• Mirtle: Hockey doesn't need designated fighters (theglobeandmail.com)

George Parros injured in fight with Colton Orr

First off, I hope that George Parros is not seriously hurt, he was taken to a Montreal hospital for further evaluation. Parros appears to get tripped up, and hits his head on the ice while engaged in a fight with Maple Leafs tough guy Colton Orr.

London Knights Max Domi suspended 4-games by the OHL (Video)

Max Domi of the London Knights, was suspended 4-games by the OHL for this dirty hit on Guelph Storm's Brock McGinn. As you can see from the video, Domi targeted the head of McGinn, and one could make the argument that Domi deserved more than a 4-game  suspension.

Max Domi suspended four games.
— Ryan Pyette (@RyanatLFPress) October 1, 2013

NHL Hockey: Time to drop the puck

A little humor to put you in the mood before the season begins.

UND Hockey: Dillon Simpson on 2013-14 Preseason All-CHN second team

The University of North Dakota senior defenseman Dillon Simpson made the CHN Preseason All-CHN Team.  

First Team

F John Gaudreau, Jr., Boston College

F Austin Czarnik, Jr., Miami

F Michael Mersch, Sr., Wisconsin

D Shayne Gostisbehere, Jr., Union

D Michael Matheson, Soph., Boston College

G Jon Gillies, Soph., Providence

Second Team

F Kyle Rau, Jr., Minnesota

F Greg Carey, Sr., St. Lawrence

F Ryan Walters, Sr., Nebraska-Omaha

F Matt Leitner, Jr., Minnesota State

D Dillon Simpson, Sr., North Dakota

D Jake McCabe, Jr., Wisconsin

G Connor Hellebuyck, Soph., Massachusetts-Lowell

It's official: Kessel re-signs with Leafs.

Well, my scheduled post was little out of date. So, the Leafs have re-signed their prized forward to a fat 8-year deal worth $ 8 million a year. Also, a no trade clause in his contract.

MHL.COM -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to announce Tuesday a new contract for star scorer Phil Kessel, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

The reported eight-year contract, which would start with the 2014-15 season, will have an average annual value of $8 million, and include a limited no-trade clause.

Kessel is in the final season of a five-year contract he signed after being acquired by the Maple Leafs from the Boston Bruins and would become an unrestricted free agent if not signed before July.

The 26-year-old led the Maple Leafs with 20 goals and 52 points last season, a total that tied for seventh in the League. He led the team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with four goals, including two game-winners.

Kessel had at least 30 goals in his first three seasons with the Maple Leafs, and in seven NHL seasons with the Bruins and Maple Leafs, he has 185 goals and 379 points in 504 games.

Well, my scheduled post was little out of date. So, the Leafs have re-signed their prized forward to a fat 8-year deal worth 8 million a year. Also, there is a no trade clause in his contract. With Kessel signing of this lucrative deal, the expectations for him in Toronto are going to go up. Toronto is a tough town to play in and I expect him to be the whipping boy if things don’t go well for the Leafs this season.

NHL Hockey: Phil Kessel to re-sign with the Leafs?

It appears that former Boston Bruins and Minnesota Gopher forward Phil Kessel is close to re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. If Kessel had waited till next summer, he would’ve been a hot commodity on the open free agent market.

Getting a sense Phil Kessel's contract extension in TOR could get done as early as Tues. Leafs and Kessel's agents working towards that.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 1, 2013

But no one has confirmed it's done yet. So we'll see. If it's done, I would expect it'll be $8M per year, give or take $500K, for 7 or 8 yrs

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) October 1, 2013

Neither Leafs nor Newport Sports (Kessel's agent) is commenting on extension speculation, however, sense is there will be news tomorrow.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 1, 2013

NHL Hockey: League to use Hybrid icing for 2013-14 season.

There is some really good new that emerged today. The NHL is going to use the hybrid icing, similar to the one that the NCAA uses for their games. This rule change should make the game safer, and hopefully would prevent more violent collisions into the end boards. The types of hits have the potential to cause major injury to the players. 

Former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster ended up breaking his leg in one of these dangerous and violent collisions, into the end boards on March 19, 2008, during a game against the Sharks in San Jose.   

Related articles

• Hybrid icing approved for regular season (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Hybrid Icing Approved by NHLPA, Will Go Into Effect for 2013-14 Season (nesn.com)

USCHO Poll: UND seventh in first poll

No problem with the first USCHO Poll, seventh place is fine with me.

ESPN Predicts the NHL Finish

Wow, the ESPN writers picked who they think will win the various divisions (Atlantic, Pacific, Metro, Central Divisions) and these same writers also picked who they think will end up being the Stanley Cup. I am a bit surprised there isn't more love for the Detroit Redwings, only four of the writers picked the Redwings. I also have them penciled in to win the Stanley Cup.

Related articles

• Montreal Canadiens: The Most Overrated Franchise In NHL History? (thehockeywriters.com)
• College Hockey Presence in NHL (insidehockey.com)

SCSU Hockey: St. Cloud State launching 24-hour sports channel

Alternate St. Cloud State Husky logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, if you live in Minnesota and you get Charter Cable, you will be able to see the Saint Cloud State University Huskies play hockey and other sports on your television. In my opinion, this deal is kind of like Midco.net, although Midco is in more states (South Dakota, North Dakota and a good chunk of Minnesota).

Dave Aeikens, Associated Press — St. Cloud State University plans to debut high-definition, televised sports and news coverage in October, and with it comes a statewide, 24-hour all-Huskies sports channel on Charter cable.

The $4.8 million in technology upgrades St. Cloud State is completing will make it equal to or better than most universities that train broadcast journalists in the country. The dedicated high-definition sports channel is unprecedented in Minnesota and rare for universities in the country, the St. Cloud Times reported (http://on.sctimes.com/183kQCq).

It means enhanced coverage for St. Cloud State hockey, the school's only Division I program, and regular television appearances for men's and women's basketball, football and other lower-profile sports.

"This is a platform that not even the University of Minnesota has. This is a television channel that anybody that gets Charter will have access to content from St. Cloud State University," said Joel Larsen, interim assistant athletic director for marketing and promotion. "We have a great opportunity to showcase St. Cloud State University from many angles, and that is not just athletics."

Workers have been remodeling broadcast studios and installing equipment since July.

St. Cloud State's television technology matches most professional broadcast studios. High-tech cameras that cost $100,000 are the same that are used by sports giant ESPN.

Chicago Blackhawks: Stanley Cup RIngs

Here's what the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Rings are going to look like. Actually, they're pretty nice, if you're a Hawks fan.

(Video) UNO's new multi-purpose arena

Here's the video of UNO's new multi-purpose arena that will be used for hockey, basketball and volleyball. I have to wonder what the ice conditions will be like in a multi-purpose arena? This is one of the reasons that I like the REA, it's for the most part used solely for the UND men and women's hockey team. It's obviously going to be a very nice hockey arena.

Brock Nelson having a good training camp with the Islanders.

I have been following the Islanders on Twitter during the preseason, and Brock Nelson has had a pretty solid preseason. It would appear that Nelson has a shot at making the Islanders. In five games with the Islanders during training camp Nelson has scored (1g-3a—4pts). It would also appear that Brock has improved on his post-game interviews. I remember him being one of the toughest guys to transcribe when he was with UND.

#IslesOTT The horn sounds to end the 2nd period. #Isles lead 4-1 after Pulock & Nelson tally in the middle frame.
— NYIslanders (@NYIslanders) September 30, 2013

#IslesOTT #Isles Goal! Brock Nelson adds to the lead with a goal from a partial breakaway. Bruton fed Nelson as he crossed the blue line.
— NYIslanders (@NYIslanders) September 30, 2013

#IslesOTT #Isles starters (F) Nelson-Regin-Bouchard (D) Reinhart-Carkner & (G) Evgeni Nabokov
— NYIslanders (@NYIslanders) September 29, 2013

Related articles

• Nelson and Donovan Shine in Isles 6-4 Win (insidehockey.com)
• Bridgeport Sound Tigers: 2013-2014 AHL Season Preview (thehockeywriters.com)
• Nelson has a shot at Islanders' lineup (newsday.com)
• Sunday at the Links: Hockey is on my Mind (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Sunday at the Links: Hockey is on my Mind

#IslesOTT #Isles starters (F) Nelson-Regin-Bouchard (D) Reinhart-Carkner & (G) Evgeni Nabokov
— NYIslanders (@NYIslanders) September 29, 2013

Granlund, Coyle, Niño, Fontaine, Dumba all staying for #mnwild; Zucker, Dowell reassigned. Roster at 22
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) September 29, 2013

Looks like former UMD Bulldog forward Justin Fontaine has made the Minnesota Wild. Former DU Pioneer Jason Zucker has been sent to the Iowa Wild.  With the injury to Mike Rupp, it looks like Fontaine will be used as a fourth line forward for now.

Josh Harding’s toque goalie mask is the coolest mask of the season (Photo) - http://t.co/mTDdkA3kNx
— Sean Leahy (@Sean_Leahy) September 29, 2013

Puck Daddy Takes a look at Josh Harding's goalie mask, it's pretty sweet.

NCAA Hockey: Focus on Obstruction Calls http://t.co/7HlSFDNGGA
— Hockey Wilderness (@hockeywildernes) September 28, 2013

A few things that came out of the WCHA Media Teleconference this past Wednesday. The WCHA and the rest of the NCAA is going to focus on the obstruction and checking from behind calls. I know, I know, we have heard this all before right. We will soon see if they can execute it correctly.

WCHA Hockey: League Partners with American One to Showcase League Play http://t.co/lb7Atq6lud #hockey
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) September 26, 2013

The Calgary Flames have acquired former Boston Bruins and DU Pioneer forward Jumbo Joe Colborne. To be honest with you, Joe could have used a few more years in college instead of bolting early for the professional ranks.

If you missed it, the #Leafs traded Joe Colborne to the #Flames for a 4th Rd pick in 2014: http://t.co/j1i1fOKgc0 #NHL
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 29, 2013

I am the Amazing Carnac Does Justin Fontaine have a chance of making Wild Roster? http://t.co/nmz9z8CGEG @hockeywildernes @BReynoldsMN
— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) September 30, 2013

I guess the Minnesota Wild will be giving Justine Fontaine a look after all, I wrote this article earlier this summer and while I am not ready to be the Amazing Carnac, I do think that Fontaine is a good option. Last season during their brief playoff run, the Wild's fourth line looked very slow and now they have added some speed on that forth line. This is the Wild's current fourth line as of today. Mitchell-Konopka-Fontaine...

Related articles

• Joe Colborne Seeks Fresh Start After Leafs/Flames Trade (thehockeywriters.com)
• The Curious Case Of Leaf's Prospect Joe Colborne (thehockeywriters.com)

UND Hockey: Both games of the UND vs. DU Hockey Series will be on DirecTV

There is some very good news for UND hockey fans. Today, while I was reading the Let’s Go DU fan blog, I came to the revelation that both hockey games will be on DirecTV when UND travels to DU on January 24 and 25, 2014. The same thing happened last season when the two teams played in Denver last February.

Game one of the two game series, between UND and DU will be on CBS Sports Network. Game two of the series, will be on ROOT Sports, Rocky Mountain.

So, if you get DirecTV and the sports pack, you will be able to watch both games. ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain HD is on DirecTV 683. Also, CBSSN is on DirecTV 221. You don’t need the sports pack to get CBSSN.

DENVER – The University of Denver Division of Athletics and Recreation and ROOT SPORTSTM announced today that the network will broadcast six regular season Denver hockey games, six men's basketball games and one women's basketball game this season. This marks the 13th consecutive year, and 20th season overall, that the network has been the official television partner of the Pioneers.

Pioneer hockey coverage begins Friday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. MT, when DU hosts Western Michigan. The Pioneers' television schedule also includes matchups against Air Force (Nov. 23), Brown (Jan. 3), St. Cloud State (Jan. 10), North Dakota (Jan. 25) and Miami (March 7).

This is good for UND hockey fans that aren’t able to travel to the games.

NCHC's Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup; How Big is It?

Here’s an example of how big the NCHC’s trophy the Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup is... You can see that it's a very big trophy and going to be fun watching the players lift it up and pass it around. s/t Matt Christians. Also, thanks to Matt for letting me use this picture.

NCAA Hockey: Focus on CFB's

Each year, we hear what the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee wants the on-ice officials to focus on. This year is no different. This season, the NCAA wants the officials to project the puck carrier and focus on checking from behind penalties. During the WCHA preseason teleconference, Greg Shepherd, the Head of Officials for the WCHA talked about this.

This is what Greg Shepherd had to say during the WCHA preseason media teleconference on the checking from behind calls.

"Last year in the WCHA we had 47 majors and games for checking from behind," Greg Shepherd said. "If you see a player, his numbers and you hit him from behind into the boards, I don't care if the player gets up or not, thank God that he does. It's going to be five and a game. There's no gray area. The officials will be held accountable to make that call. "

So, my question is, how long will the refs call the checking from behind calls tight before they back off? Thoughts?

UND Hockey: Dillon Simpson named Captain of the UND Hockey Team

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Men’s Hockey Coach Dave Hakstol announced today that senior defenseman Dillon Simpson has been named team captain for the 2013-14 season. Hakstol also announced that junior forwards Michael Parks and Stephane Pattyn will serve as assistant captains.

Simpson, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, has collected nine goals and 43 assists in 114 career games. Last season he was named UND’s Most Improved Player after leading the team’s defensemen with a career-high five goals and 19 assists in 42 games. In his three years as a collegian, Simpson has helped lead UND to three straight NCAA regional championship game appearances and a 2010-11 berth in the NCAA Frozen Four.

A managerial finance and corporate accounting major, Simpson was a three-time All-WCHA Academic Team selection and a two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete. He was a fourth-round draft pick (92nd overall) of the Edmonton Oilers in 2011. Simpson’s father, Craig, won two Stanley Cups with Edmonton during a 10-year National Hockey League career that also included stops in Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

Parks, a native of St. Louis, Mo., was UND’s Rookie of the Year in 2011-12 when he collected 12 goals and 10 assists in 42 games. Last season he scored seven goals and one assist in an injury-plagued season that limited him to just 25 games. A general studies major, Parks has received UND’s Engelstad Family Foundation Endowment in each of the last two seasons. He was selected by Philadelphia in the fifth round (149^th overall) of the 2010 NHL draft.

Pattyn, who hails from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, has missed just one game through his first two seasons at UND, amassing six goals and five assists in 83 games. Last season, both of Pattyn’s goals came against top-12 opponents, while three of his four goals as a freshman in 2011-12 were game-winners. An entrepreneurship major, Pattyn has previous captaincy experience having served as team captain for Portage in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in 2010-11 before arriving at UND.

UND takes to the ice for the first time on Sunday, Oct. 6, when it hosts the University of Manitoba in exhibition action. The regular season begins the following weekend when non-conference foe Vermont visits Ralph Engelstad Arena Oct. 11-12.

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Remembering the 'Old Ralph' Engelstad Arena (thehockeywriters.com)

Calgary Flames: Corban Knight Scores Against Mike Smith

Snipe! Watch @CorbanKnight beat Mike Smith in the 3rd period (VIDEO) ~ http://t.co/QvalJyW1H7 #CGYPHX
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) September 26, 2013

Former UND Hockey Players sent Down

Former UND Hockey Players Corban Knight and Danny Kristo have both been sent down to the AHL from their parent clubs.

The #Flames have reduced their training camp roster by four players --> http://t.co/JZ9gYdTzyx
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) September 26, 2013

RT @NYRangers: #NYR assigns following players 2 @WolfPackAHL F: Haley, Kantor, Yogan, Kristo D: Hughes, Johnson, McIlrath, Syvret G: Talbot
— Jim Cerny (@JimCerny) September 25, 2013

Here's my story as #NYR send 9 back to @WolfPackAHL including @dkristo7 & @dylan_mcilrath http://t.co/XqTpPveeDH
— Jim Cerny (@JimCerny) September 25, 2013

NHL Center Ice: It's cheaper if you buy it now

NHL Center Ice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just renewed my NHL Center Ice the other day. NHL Center Ice for DirecTV subscribers is 39.99 X 4 = $160.00.  Here's something interesting that I found on Puck Daddy.

 iN Demand:

MULTI-SCREEN MOSAIC: The popular rotating mosaic of multiple screens that shows all the live action games being played around the League, along with score, time clock and channel location, is back for another season. The multi-screen mosaic can be found on the “Game 14” channel of the system’s package lineup.
SAME DAY REPLAYS: Each live game is re-aired beginning approximately one hour after live play ends so that fans can see games they might have missed. Each game will replay in its entirety, repeated continuously overnight and the next day, on the same channel, until the following day’s live games begin. Replays are available in both SD and HD (varies by system).
DUAL FEED TELECASTS: Whenever possible, iN DEMAND delivers both the home and visiting team broadcasts of the same game so that fans can choose which telecast and home-team announcers they want to watch.
STAT CHANNEL: NHL CENTER ICE EXTRA™: A live source for scores, statistics, game previews, game recaps and schedule information. This can be found on the “Game 13” channel of the system’s package lineup.
HD GAMES: The package also offers many games each week in high definition. HD availability varies by system.

2013-14 Atlantic Hockey Pre-Season Poll

I know this is late, I forgot to put this up. Niagara was picked to finish first in the AHA this season by the AHA's coaches. Niagara lost to UND in the first round of the 2013 NCAA West Regional that was held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2013-14 Mankato Free Press WCHA Men's Hockey Pre-Season Coaches Poll

2013-14 Mankato Free Press WCHA Men's Hockey Pre-Season Coaches Poll

Rank Team First Place Votes Points
1 Minnesota State 9 81
2 Ferris State – 65
3 Michigan Tech 1 64
4 Bowling Green – 58
5 Alaska – 54
6 Northern Michigan – 40
7 Bemidji State – 35
8 Lake Superior State – 25
9 Alaska Anchorage – 18
10 Alabama Huntsville – 10

Predicted order of finish (first-place votes in parenthesis). Based on a 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale; coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Forward Phil Kessel Suspended for the Rest of the Pre-Season

Well, that was swift, the wheel of justice has been spun. I think Kessel's suspension should be longer, because this is the second stick swinging incident for the Leafs star forward in the pre-season. That's unacceptable and that needs to be addressed going forward. We don't want the NHL to start resembling the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation or the movie Slap Shot. Apparently, the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres has been fined an undisclosed amount for his players selection that led to this event.

NEW YORK -- Buffalo Sabres head coach Ron Rolston has been fined for player selection and team conduct as a result of events that took place at 10:01 of the third period during NHL preseason game No. 61 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on Sunday, Sept. 22.

The events took place during the face-off after Buffalo forward Corey Tropp fought Toronto forward Jamie Devane. Buffalo forward John Scott initiated an altercation with Toronto forward Phil Kessel, whom he was lined up against on the face-off, resulting in several fights. In total, 211 penalty minutes, including three game misconducts, were assessed due to the various altercations.

With all of the altercations that have transpired in the pre-season, it should be a good exciting and emotional regular season. I also think that NHL's department of Player Safety has set the tone early and sent the playes in the NHL a message that they're not going go easy on players that cross the line.

Team Canada Jersey's

Apparently, these are the team Canada Olympic jersey's. They've been leaked today. I must admit, that I am not a fan of these at all.

Phil Kessel Light Saber Gif... (Humor?)

s/t to Next impulse sports and to my friend @scofarr

2013-14 ECAC Pre-Season Coaches and Media Polls

2013-14 Pre-Season ECAC coaches Poll

1. Yale (4) – 103

2. Rensselaer (2) – 102

3. Quinnipiac (2) – 93

    Union (2) – 93

5. Cornell (1) – 89

6. Harvard – 67

7. Dartmouth (1) – 64

8. Brown – 46

9. Colgate – 44

10. St. Lawrence – 43

11. Princeton – 26

12. Clarkson – 22

2013-14 ECAC Pre-Season Media Poll

1. Rensselaer (18) – 367

2. Yale (5) – 224

3. Quinnipiac (6) – 292

4. Union (3) – 287

5. Cornell (1) – 238

    Dartmouth – 238

7. St. Lawrence – 212

8. Brown – 188

9. Colgate – 125

10. Harvard – 108

11. Princeton – 102

12. Clarkson – 83

2013-14 WCHA Pre-Season Media Poll

Results

Team (First-Place votes) Total Points

1. Minnesota State (22) 244

2. Ferris State (2) 218

3. Alaska 168

4. Bowling Green 149

5. Michigan Tech 144

6. Northern Michigan 137

7. Lake Superior State 117

8. Bemidji State (1) 108

9. Alaska Anchorage 54

10. Alabama Huntsville 36

Hockey East Pre-Season Poll

2012-13 HOCKEY EAST MEN'S PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team (1st Place Votes)		Pts.
1.	Boston College (9)	90
2.	UMass Lowell	74
3.	Boston University	73
4.	New Hampshire (1)	63
5.	Maine	56
6.	Northeastern	44
	Providence	44
8.	Merrimack	38
9.	Massachusetts	35
10.	Vermont	23

NHL Hockey: Did John Scott Break the Hockey Code?

As I suspected, David Clarkson has been suspended by the NHL for 10 regular-season games for leaving the bench to join a fight/altercation. This is the second 10-game suspension of the pre-season already. The think that it's funny; the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only ones in this whole mess that will face any time on the beach. The Leafs Phil Kessel has a phone hearing fo rhis stick swinging incident.



I am not usually a fan of Damien Cox, but he does bring up some good points here. I was thinking about this as well.

Damien Cox, Toronto Star -- But the question NHL hanging judge Brendan Shanahan needs to ask himself is whether justice will be done if Kessel is suspended and the Buffalo Sabres don't receive any sanctions at all, not even a token fine.

If Shanahan chooses that option, he will be in effect opening the door to a strategy in which enforcers can jump star players on opposing teams without the league coming down hard on them. The league should protect its marquee players, although it seldom makes that a priority and instead allows the Patrick Kaletas of the world to run wild. You can say Kessel did wrong, but you better have a explanation as to how he should have handled a 6-foot-8 goon who had already dropped his gloves.

You can argue the goon in question, John Scott, did nothing overly wrong under the rules of the game, other than breaking them and getting a penalty. But in combination with Buffalo coach Ron Rolston, Scott instigated the entire affair by doing what most NHL people would argue is completely against the culture and spirit of the game, and that's menacing a skill player who had done absolutely nothing to provoke Scott.

I know that there’s going to be a few people that think that Phil Kessel had a beat down coming. But I ask you; think about it this way. Interchange Leafs forward Phil Kessel with Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, Zach Parise or even Jonathan Toews. Now I got your attention, right? Do we really want a two-bit goon like John Scott beating the bejesus out of a star player? Do we want him to just take liberties against marquee players? First off, I am not a dove by any stretch of the imagination. I love a good bare knuckles brawl, but the head coach of the Maple Leafs bares some of the blame in this situation.

Here’s a couple of questions that I will pose to the readers. Should Goons be going after skilled players? How’s a skilled players like Phil Kessel supposed to respond in this situation? Again, you can interchange your favorite skilled player with Kessel. Are skilled players just supposed to accept their beat down? I don’t know. Imagine the outrage if Scott had lined up again Sid Crosby or Patrice Bergeron, both players have had concussion issues. Do we want a cement head like Scott pulverizing the franchise player? You have to expect a player like Clarkson to jump off the bench and come to their aid.