Is Chris Osgood worthy of the Hall of Fame?

I think the table has been set for the discussion that is about to follow. Chris Osgood is 10th all time in wins, most of the people above him on the list are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lets break it down further - (3) Thee Stanley Cups 1997, 1998, 2008, (400) four hundred wins, Osgood has played in 742 NHL game has a .905 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Osgood has played in 129 games .916 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.09. Just for comparison sake Grant Fuhr played in 868 games had a not so impressive 3.38 goals against average and .887 save percentage and he was inducted into the hall of game in 2003. In my opinion it kind of sounds like Osgood had a NHL Hall of Fame career to me...

1 MARTIN BRODEUR 607
2 Patrick Roy 551
3 Ed Belfour 484
4 Curtis Joseph 454
5 Terry Sawchuk 447
6 Jacques Plante 437
7 Tony Esposito 423
8 Glenn Hall 407
9 Grant Fuhr 403
10 CHRIS OSGOOD 400
[ESPN]

Maybe it's not so easy, Colorado Avalanche - Claude Lemieux

Cal Clutterbuck made quite the impression this past week (December 23rd 2010) when the Wild faced and beat the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. Apparently, Cal Clutterbuck rattled the Colorado Avalanche so much that their Denver Post beat writer went off on a Cal Clutterbuck diatribe in a fashion that would mirror a fan blog type rant, minus the profanity, fine for fan blog but it does seem out of character for beat writers of a major news paper. Here is what Adrian Dater had to say about the NHL's hit leader.

All THINGS AVS ---- Clutterbuck is who he is. A hit-and-run artist. A trash talker. A guy who has no problem catching you with a big hit, as long as your back is turned or you have no time to react from the front. If you want to get him back, he’s going to cover up, play possum, and hope you draw a penalty. And a lot of his defenders point out that he leads the league in hits every year, but also has low penalty minutes – which kind of makes my point. He’s trying to artificially jack up his hit total, but doesn’t want to back anything up with a fight or two.

Like I said, he’s good at it. But it still doesn’t change that ultimate truth about Cal Clutterbuck: that he doesn’t stand up for himself, that he wants to hit and run and cower. Teammates hate those kinds of guys, because it means their guys are going to be targeted right back since he won’t fight his own battles. These teams will meet again soon, and we’ll see if Cal is clucking as loudly that night.

Personally, I find it funny because the Avalanche don’t have the moral high ground in this situation. One could say that the Av's fans have short memories eh? Rewind to 1996 when the Colorado Avalanche employed one of the most disgusting players to ever wear a uniform in the NHL, that pukes/hacks name was Claude Lemieux. On May During the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs Lemieux hit Chris Drapper face first into the dasher causing him to suffer a broken jaw, broken nose, broken cheekbone, and a concussion… I don’t remember an incident where Cal Clutterbuck has committed an act of aggression like that in the NHL… To top it all off, for the Av’s fans that have short memories, Claude the Fraud never apologized for his transgression against Chris Draper. Yeah, that’s something I would be proud of if I was an Avalanche fan. So don’t come pointing your finger at the Wild and their players because your franchise had one dirtiest, disgusting players to ever put on a uniform.

First example;Claude Lemieux turtles as Redwings tough guy Darren McCarty delivers a beat-down… [click to view video]

Second example; after delivering a bush league high stick to Cam Neely Claude the Fraude turtles again... [click to view video]

Lucic 'happy' he didn't warrant a suspension

For those that said the Meyer hit on Milan Lucic wasn’t high or dirty think again. The NHL disciplinarian Mike Murphy thought otherwise and decided not to suspend Milan Lucic for his punch on Freddy Meyer. The rematch in Atlanta on Thursday night should could (since no one attends Thrasher games) be a barn burner as the Bruins and Thrasher are starting to become a bit of a rivalry. Here is the box score to the game in question. [Box Score] Check out what Joe Haggerty had to say about the matter.

SUNRISE, FL. – Milan Lucic called the Sunday disciplinary call with NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy a “slap on the wrist” while talking about it following Monday’s morning skate at Bank Atlantic Center.

Lucic said he was ecstatic about avoiding a suspension.

The Bruins’ top left winger was slapped with a match penalty in the middle of the line brawl in the third period of win over the Thrashers, and some assumed he’d end up with a one-game suspension after the incident.

Instead, Murphy and the NHL took into account the dangerous nature of Meyer’s hit that precipitated the entire chain of events -- and Lucic’s contrition after the fact certainly didn’t hurt his cause.

“That’s basically what it was: a slap on the wrist,” said Lucic. “They made it clear it’s something that shouldn’t be a part of the game, and I feel the same way. Looking back on it it’s something I shouldn’t have done, but sometimes you do things that you don’t mean to do once you get your adrenaline going.

“I’m just happy it wasn’t a game suspension and I’ll take the fine. We were looking back at some previous sucker punches and mine was more of a straight jab. I didn’t cock my hand back or anything like that. You can look at the Scott Walker/Aaron Ward incident where he brought his hand fully back for a haymaker where mine was a jab.”

The big power forward admitted wrongdoing while talking about the punch thrown to Freddy Meyer’s head, and the middle finger he “accidentally” extended out at the Atlanta bench as he was escorted off the ice.

Lucic was fined a total of $3500 by the NHL for both the punch and the obscene hand gesture, and chalked it up to a matter of basically seeing red.

“I didn’t feel anything on kind of hit to my chest. That was straight to the head area,” said Lucic. “He’s a lot shorter than me and he did leave his feet.

“I took it right on the head and the chin, and that’s why we reacted as a group. It was great to see that all of the guys had my back. We all had each other’s back on the ice. It’s a great feeling to know the other guys have your back no matter what the situation.”

Freddy Meyer came in high with a hit on Lucic in the third period that the refs deemed an “elbowing” penalty, and the 22-year-old said Meyer’s hit was very reminiscent of a Bryan Berard hit during his rookie season that knocked Lucic out for five games with a concussion.

With his mouth bleeding and his anger stirred, Lucic went at Meyer after he was tackled by Andrew Ference – and eventually found him with a right-handed jab that decked the surprised Meyer after refs had begun regaining order in the scrum. Lucic said he’d be ready if the Thrashers come looking for revenge against him when the Bruins travel to Atlanta on Wednesday night.

WCHA shines in USA WJC win...

What an exciting game; or what I saw of it because the feed from the broadcast was substandard, I guess I would expect more from the NHL network. None the less, the opening game for the USA WJC turned out to be a great night for WCHA players; the Bulldogs’ freshman defenseman Justin Faulk got the first goal for team USA that was followed up by Denver University forward and Wild Draft choice Jason Zucker, he got the second USA goal and the game winner in overtime by Minnesota forward Nick Bjugstad…

Team USA got some bad news as Jeremy Morin might be done for the WJC because of an injury, if true that is bad news for the Americans.

Sources say Team USA winger Jeremy Morin, on loan from the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL farm team in Rockford, apparently suffered a shoulder injury that could be significant.[TSN.CA]

Video link for the Canada and Russia WJC game [click for link]

Phaneuf versus Kovalchuk

I don’t think it’s an understatement to say that this isn’t a very good fight between Dion Phaneuf and Ilya Kovalchuk I think the biggest statement is the fact that no one from the New Jersey Devils comes to the aid of the Devils super star.

Ilya Kovalchuk who signed in the offseason for 100,000,000.00 has had a tough go of it in 34 games he has (8g-10a-18pts) and is an unimpressive -26 maybe the New Jersey Devils should ask from some of their money back.

After Knocking Out Matt Cooke, Evander Kane Says Milan Lucic Texted Him

I came across this article on the NESN site. I would have also liked to have thanked Evander Kane for knocking out that gutless puke/POS Matt Cooke, heck I would have bought him a steak dinner. Evander Kane did the hockey world a favor...

BOSTON -- Most opposing players come into the Garden expecting to be treated like the enemy.

But Atlanta forward Evander Kane might just be the exception to that rule as far as Bruins fans are concerned.

The Garden faithful certainly don't want to see Kane lighting up the scoreboard when the Thrashers take on Boston on Thursday night, but Kane should get a warm reception regardless of what he does.

That's because last year, Kane did what most Bruins fans wanted to see one of their own players do, when he delivered a devastating knockout punch to Pittsburgh cheap-shot artist Matt Cooke. Kane administered the beatdown on April 10, just over a month after Cooke knocked out Marc Savard with a blind-side head shot on March 7.

Thursday will be Kane's first game in Boston since that fight, but he's already heard from some of the Bruins. They certainly appreciated what he did to Cooke, even though it wasn't actually his intention to avenge the cheap shot on Savard.

"I know when it happened, I got a couple phone calls from the guys," Kane said after Thursday's morning skate. "I know it got a lot of buzz throughout the league. It just so happened to be Matt Cooke, who did that to Marc Savard earlier on in the year. I wasn't really looking for payback for that. It was more for myself and for my team, but I guess it worked out."

Kane's KO of Cooke was especially gratifying for Savard's longtime linemate Milan Lucic.

Looch will not be suspended for pounding Freddy Meyer...

Boston Bruins got some good post Christmas news today as they found out that the Bruins tough guy Milan Lucic will not be suspended for punching former BU Terrier Freddy Meyer... Watching the video you will see that Lucic while being tied up by a linesman punched Freddy Meyer who was also tied up by a linesman. Lucic was given a match penalty for the punch to the side of Meyers head. In my opinion I believe it was the right call and no other discipline was warranted at this time…

WILMINGTON -- Bruins coach Claude Julien said general manager Peter Chiarelli told him after practice at Ristuccia Arena that forward Milan Lucic would not be suspended for his actions in Thursday's 4-1 Bruin victory over the Thrashers at TD Garden. Lucic received a game misconduct and a match penalty after a fight with Atlanta's Freddy Meyer (a BU grad). Lucic is expected to comment tomorrow.

Chiarelli then issued a statement: “The NHL has informed us that Milan will not be suspended as a result of the match penalty assessed to him during our game against the Thrashers last Thursday. He will be fined $2,500 for the punch thrown in the scrum and $1,000 for making an obscene gesture directed at the Thrashers bench. He will join the team on the flight to Florida and be available for Monday’s game against the Panthers.”

That makes the line juggling much easier for Julien, as the Bruins head to Florida to start a five-game road trip. "For me, all I need to know is he wasn't suspended,'' said Julien.
"It's great to see he's going to be in our lineup tomorrow night.''

Merry Christmas from Goon's World... (Gift included)

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year... Go Fighting Sioux..
So for Christmas I have a gift for everyone. I uploaded the interview Scott Williams did with the WCHA Commissioner Bruce McLeod during the historic BSU and UND series; unfortunately for some reason I could only down load the interview in 36 second increments, so there will be four parts... Enjoy...

Part one Scott Williams interview of Bruce McLeod [Click to view]

Part two Scott Williams interview of Bruce McLeod [Click to view]

Part three Scott Williams interview of Bruce McLeod [Click to view]

Part four Scott Williams interview of Bruce McLeod [Click to view]

Permission was granted by Lakeland Public Television and BSU Hockey 

Cal Clutterbuck: It’s just too easy

Surfing the net this morning; I found this blog post from the Denver Post Avalanche beat writer to be remotely entertaining, it’s worth a look. Recently, I have had this on going discussion with a friend of mine in the hockey media about fan bloggers and how some of them let emotions drive their blog posts, I am probably a little guilty of that… Fast forward to this gem, this is a blog post from a beat writer for a national newspaper that writes for an NHL hockey team… This is my text book definition definition of blatant homerism. This is like Michael Russo writing Av’s goon David Koci (114 games 2-1-3, 388 pims) is a untalented hack that can barely skate, lucky to be in the NHL and basically a punching bag…

All things Avs --- There are some players I just have to laugh at in this game, though, and Cal Clutterbuck is one of them. Nothing against the guy at all. He’s good at what he does, which is drive you crazy with the game of “I hit you first, then try to draw the penalty with your retaliation hit against me.” These guys have been in hockey for time immemorial.

That’s fine, I respect that. It’s a game. You have to play every angle, and if being the agitator who gets the opposition to lose their minds and, hence, the game is what you need to do to succeed, then by all means do it, especially if you’ll be paid a million dollars for it.

But, and part of me hates saying this in a way, because I really don’t care either way. But, Cal Clutterbuck is a cowardly hockey player. He’s Bill Laimbeer on skates, folks.

Again, if it works for you and you have success being that type of player, then you’ll actually get grudging respect from me. Anything that makes you a winner, we can all admire that in the end.

But Clutterbuck is a coward. I mean, come on, did the Wild forward really talk a lot of smack about the Avalanche tonight, after a December 3-1 victory? Really, he did?

In fact, he did. Here’s what was in the estimable blog tonight of Michael Russo, the ace reporter of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and one of my better friends among the hockey writer zeitgeist.

Clutterbuck clucked: ““There’s some guys over there, two guys in particular, I’m shocked they’re still even playing in the league. If they’re going to take a penalty, take a penalty.

“We’re on the road, we’ll take a power play any day of the week. If they want to flaunt their egos, they want to show how tough they are, well, guess what, we’re going to beat you, and we’re coming for them in the standings.”

Let’s just establish a couple of islands or irony first, before we move on. Clutterbuck talking smack after a 3-1 win over an injury-ravaged team in December, is bathed in irony considering his team hasn’t made the playoffs for two straight seasons.

Cal Clutterbuck is an aggressive player that likes to hit, Cal is far from being Bill Laimbeer of the NHL… Bill Laimbeer was a diver and a hack Clutterbuck is not. Clutterbuck has played three season in the NHL and has a grand total of 150 minutes in penalties, each season his penalty minutes have declined as well, this season Clutterbuck has gooned it up so bad that he has a grand total of 22 penalties minutes.

Bruins line brawl... Lucic has hearing on Sunday

Wow what a game! Shawn Thornton and Eric Boulton started the game by dropping the gloves and fighting. I think this could turn into a pretty good rivalry.

This is my definition of a good old fashioned line brawl or Donny Brook and what a marvelous way to end a hockey game. I think that Milan Lucic reacted in the right manner the Trasher's Freddy Meyer hit Milan Lucic up high with a questionable hit to the head and kudos to the Boston Bruins for sticking up for their teammate. The league will review this play and possibly give Lucic a couple game suspension, in this situation I think this dirty hit had to be answered for so I think the consequences of the reaction to the hit are worth it…

It's nice to know if someone cheap shots one of the Boston Bruins that a teammate is going to have their back. Meyer will think twice about hitting Lucic or another Bruins like that again.

Boston Globe --- Last night in the third period, Andrew Ference was a step behind Milan Lucic when the left wing got popped under the chin by Freddy Meyer. Naturally, with one of the best views in TD Garden of the play, Ference’s first reaction was to shed his gloves, grab Meyer, and let the Atlanta defenseman know such hits would not be tolerated.

“It was a high hit. Without a doubt,’’ said Ference. “Looch is going down the boards. I was following right behind him, so I had a really good view of it. The guy just put his stick and his hands right in Looch’s head. It’s a high hit. No question about it.’’

If you hit someone in the head like Meyer did you're going to get this type of a reaction. This is how the Boston Bruins needed to respond to the Freddy Meyer hit. Edit: Milan Lucic will have a disciplinary hearing with the NHL on Boxing Day (Sunday) to see if he will receive any punishment for his beat down on Meyer.

One thing that did concern me from this scrum was Marc Savard getting into a fight, that’s one thing the Boston Bruins do not need, one of their top forwards who’s had concussion problems squaring off in a fight. In my opinion it was an ill advised move on Savard’s part. Thank God he wasn’t hurt…

Festivus - Airing of grievances...

This was one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes. I thought I would give hockey fans a chance "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength," and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles"....

Today I decided I would air a few of my personal grievances; 1.) is the poor quality of the officiating in the WCHA. 2.) the college hockey pollsters for picking teams number one that have no business being number one. 3.) the "mask" in college hockey time to go to the half shield. 4.) time to use the KRACH instead of the PWR to pick the teams for the NCAA tourney.

Go ahead and tell us a few of your grievances.

Lucia Article (by LGM)

The Star Tribune ran an article about Don Lucia and his struggles with health issues and the hockey team. Click HERE to read it.

I found it to be an interesting read. I'll be the first to fully admit that I have a huge bias against Don Lucia ever since he publicly stood up for Brian Shack and his actions towards Channing Boe a couple of seasons ago. You'll all remember that Shack came charging from across the ice to tackle Boe and didn't stop beating his head into the ice until he broke Boe's leg and had to be pulled off.

It is no secret that LGM is a big Channing Boe fan, thus these actions made me livid. Then to have Lucia stick up for Shack's antics several times made me lose all respect for the guy.

So, onto this article. After the above stated bias I will state my position. I think Lucia participated in this article as a last ditch effort to keep his job and have people feel sorry for him. Lots of excuses seem to go on in the article. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for what he's gone through but he should have taken a medical leave if he was so rageful for so long. Also, if he wasn't in the position to do so why didn't the UofM step in and have him take a leave? Really, they allow someone to be a "madman" (as he described himself) and just lets the assistant coach make excuses to players and other professionals? Total BS if you ask me. The U needed to grow a pair and put him on leave. Now they can live with their decision.

Yep, I know I'm going to get some mean comments on my position but that's fine. To each their own. I do hope the best for recovery for Lucia and he has gone through some horrible things...but there's also the aspect of professionalism, which I think both he and the U have lacked for years.

Merry Christmas John MacLean you’re fired…

It sounds like it’s not going to be a very fun Christmas/Holiday season in the John MacLean house this year. I had a feeling this move was coming when I watched the New Jersey Devils get dismantled by the Washington Capitals the other night 5-1. The Devils fans and beat writers had been calling for McLeans head only 20 games into the season.

New Jersey.com --- John MacLean's short and rocky tenure as Devils coach has come to an end, The Star-Ledger has confirmed.

MacLean, who coached the injury-riddled team to an NHL-worst 20 points and 9-22-2 record, is expected to be replaced on an interim basis by former coach Jacques Lemaire, an NHL official confirmed.

The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the decision.

During the capitals debacle the Devils all world goalie Martin Brodeur was shelled and left high and dry by their defense. It has been par for the course this season and every time I have watched the Devils play this season they have been playing a listless brad of hockey… Personally, I find it funny that the head coach is the one that usually gets the blame for a team’s failures and misgivings in the era of the entitlement hockey player. It also doesn’t help the New Jersey Devils when you take Zach Parise’s 80-90+ points out of the line up and the Devils have gone an unimpressive 6-13-1 since Zach’s injury.

Meaningless exhibition game?

Every time you put that uniform on it means something. Check out this video and the post game interview. This is why I love the game that Andrew McWilliam plays. When asked about his future team mate J.T. Miller, 'he plays like a Sioux and it's about time we get a player from the program (USDT) with some grit', you have to love Mac's analysis.

Second Half Preview (by Sioux 7)

Second Half Preview

WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….9-4-1…19
5. Colorado College…..8-6-0…16
6. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
6. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3


Michigan Tech
The Huskies have dug themselves a deep hole in the first (almost) half season only getting one win in twelve games. Simply put they need to score more goals in order to give themselves a chance to win some games in the second half. It’s already pretty safe to say they will be playing the role of spoiler after Christmas break.


St. Cloud St.
The Huskies will need to win all their games in January (they play MTU, BSU, and MSUM that month) if they want to make a real push for home ice. After that they have a grueling schedule, @ UNO, @ UMD, UND, UW and @ DU to wrap up the season. This team had high hopes going into this campaign and has been dismal to this point. But if they can go on a run in January, they can get back into the middle of the pack and compete for home ice.


Bemidji State
The Beavers are slowly adjusting to life in the WCHA, let’s face it, this league is a much bigger grind week in and week out than the old CHA. The Beavers played UMD tough with both games going into overtime and even swept UNO, so they are competitive, no question about that. The Beavers appear to have a relatively nice schedule in 2011 they only have to play a couple of the top teams again (UNO and UND). However, they are on the road for 4 series and host 3 series (SCSU, CC, UM) at the new Sanford Center.


Minnesota State
The Mavericks have league wins over CC, UAA, and UM(2) in the first half of the season. MSUM plays CC and UAA again in the second half too. The Mavericks need to get wins over the other teams in the bottom of the standings if they want to move up and compete for a home ice spot. In order to do that, they need to be more consistent on offense. Scoring two goals or so a game isn’t enough, they need to get to three or more to get wins. They can’t rely solely on the goal tenders to save their bacon game in and game out.


Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves are in the same boat as the MSUM Mavericks. However, the Seawolves have a tough schedule they host CC, @ DU, @UM, MTU, @ UND, UNO, and end the season @ MSUM. The Seawolves need to keep the games low scoring affairs if they want to win, since they have had problems producing goals. If UAA can get some timely goals and solidly consistent goal tending they could be in the hunt for hosting a first round playoff series.


Wisconsin
The Badgers, ah, were to start, they have been scoring goals, but they have been giving up quite a few too. I’ve seen a few of their games this year, and if they can cut down on some of the miscues they can be right in the mix for home ice. Well, if they don’t get hosed by the refs too much in 2011 (all the UW fans remember that horrible OT “lose” to UMD). UW just needs to create its own puck luck in the second half and they should end up in the top half of the league.


Minnesota
They got talent, but they can’t seem to put it all together at the same time. It looks like everyman for himself at times, and other times they have flashes of brilliance. The Gopher fans look to have a new number one in nets now with Patterson, but who knows, Kangas could make a comeback. They open the second half with some tough opponents and end with a softer schedule. Here is a look at the Gophers second half - @ UND, UAA, @ UMD, DU, @ UW, MTU, and @ BSU to end the regular season. The Gophers still control their own fate. But, if the wheels come of the bus, they will be riding one for the first round of the playoffs.


Colorado College
The Tigers have quietly moved up the standings, all the way to fifth place, and are two games over .500 in the league. They were on a six game winning streak until the last game before break, and they were shutout in that contest. The Tigers will need to get victories over the bottom half teams in the second half to keep their distance and home ice. The Tigers have also pitched four shutout games of their own; getting goal tending like that will also help them down the home stretch. Look for the Tigers to be in control of their own destiny the second half.


Nebraska-Omaha
The Mavericks started of the season on a red hot streak, winning 8 of their first 9 games. Since then they have cooled off and have a 4-4-1 record. UNO only has to make three road trips in 2011, with trips to UND, UAA, and UMD. Those will be a big games, especially when you figure they play the Bulldogs that last weekend of the season. The Mavericks have come back down to earth after that great start and might now have some confidence issues. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in second half, and see if they can survive the grind that is the WCHA.


Denver
The Pioneers find themselves in familiar territory this time of year, in the race for the league title. They have been flying under the radar while most people have been focused on the surprising UMD Bulldogs and UNO Mavericks. DU has quietly put together a good record, with quality wins over UMD and UND on the road. The Pioneers have been getting get goal tending which helps any team out. They just have to avoid any more injuries and they should be in title race the second half.


Minnesota-Duluth
The Bulldogs lead the WCHA most of the first half and only lost the lead in the last week of play. They have played bonus hockey, overtime, in 9 out of their 18 games. UMD fans will say the team steps up in OT and gets win, doubters will say they are living dangerously. The Bulldogs need to get more scoring from more than just the top line, and need to pick up the 5x5 scoring too. If they can improve those items they can make a second half run that goes deep into the playoffs.



North Dakota
The Sioux have rattled off 4 wins in a row while missing 2/3rds of their top line, not bad. That shows that they have the depth and determination to do whatever it takes to win games. If the Sioux can avoid injuries in the second half they should be just fine. UND is off to its best first half under the helm of Coach Hakstol. If they go on their typical second half run, they could win their 15th WCHA regular season title and second under Hakstol.

USA releases roster for WJC.

Here is the roster for Team USA.

GOALTENDERS
Jack Campbell, Windsor Spitfires, OHL (Dallas)
Andy Iles, Cornell University, ECAC

DEFENSEMEN
Brian Dumoulin, Boston College, HE (Carolina)
Justin Faulk, Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA (Carolina)
Derek Forbort, North Dakota, WCHA (Los Angeles)
Nick Leddy, Rockford, AHL (Chicago);
Jonathan Merrill, Michigan, CCHA (New Jersey)
John Ramage, Wisconsin, WCHA (Calgary)
Patrick Wey, Boston College, HE (Washington)

FORWARDS
Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota, WCHA (Florida)
Ryan Bourque, Quebec, QMJHL (N.Y. Rangers)
Chris Brown, Michigan, CCHA (Phoenix)
Mitchell Callahan, Kelowna, WHL (Detroit)
Charlie Coyle, Boston University, HE (San Jose)
Jerry D'Amigo, Toronto, AHL (Toronto)
Emerson Etem, Medicine Hat, WHL (Anaheim)
Chris Kreider, Boston College, HE (N.Y. Rangers)
Jeremy Morin, Rockford, AHL (Chicago)
Brock Nelson, North Dakota, WCHA (N.Y. Islanders)
Kyle Palmieri, Syracuse, AHL (Anaheim)
Drew Shore, Denver, WCHA (Florida)
Jason Zucker, Denver, WCHA (Minnesota).

Who didn't make it
Adam Clendening (Boston University)
Jamieson Oleksiak (Northeastern)
Philip Samuelsson (Boston College)
Connor Brickley (Vermont)
Rocco Grimaldi (USNTDP)(UND Recruit)
Matthew Nieto (Boston University)
Brandon Saad (Saginaw, OHL)

Links to the WJC

USA Hockey Twitter

U.S. announces World Junior roster [USA Hockey]

Forbort, Nelson make final cut for USA Hockey [Fighting Sioux]

NHL Network U.S. to broadcast USA quest for historic gold medal repeat at 2011 IIHF WJC [NHL.COM]

Kreider is hoping last year's luck carries over [NHL.COM]

U.S. junior team has 2005 blueprint as a guide [NHL.COM]

Buffalo News WJC Blog [BuffaloNews.COM]

USA hockey unveils its roster for world junior tournament [Toronto Star]

Canadian World Junior News. [Toronto Star]

Wild's Zucker, 5 Minnesotans make USA World Junior team [Russo's Rants]

TV Schedule for the World Juniors
[Click link for TV SCHEDULE]
Date Game Time (EST)
Sunday, December 26
Russia vs. Canada 4 p.m.
Finland vs. USA 8 p.m.

Tuesday, December 28
Canada vs. Czech Republic 4 p.m.
USA vs. Slovakia 8 p.m.

Wednesday, December 29
Norway vs. Canada 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 30
Sweden vs. Czech Republic 3 p.m.
Germany vs. USA 7 p.m.

Friday, December 31
Canada vs. Sweden 4 p.m.
USA vs. Switzerland 8 p.m.

Sunday, January 2
Quarterfinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2* 7:30 p.m.

Monday, January 3
Semifinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2* 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 5
Bronze-Medal Game 3:30 p.m.
Gold-Medal Game 7:30 p.m.

Uber Hack Matt Cooke is up to his old tricks...

Watch this video of uber hack Matt Cooke as he throws an elbow to the back of Keith Yandle head, there is no excuse for this kind of hockey, Matt Cooke should be suspended for this hit. I am so sick and third of this disgusting POS and his antics. Some day Matt Cooke is going to finally get what is coming to him, eventually someone is going to catch Matt Cooke with his head down and this hack is going to end up paying for his transgressions… You cannot skate up and down the ice throwing cheap shots at people without getting something in return. The Hockey Code demands it.

When this happens I am going to celebrate, sure Evander Kane handed it to him but he hasn’t learned his lesson. The old cliché what comes around goes around. I just hope I get to see it. I can't believe that the Penguins writer for the Bleacher Report said this;

Not only did Cooke provide a goal and kill penalties for the Pens, but it was a penalty that Cooke committed that may have been most important.

In the second period, with the Penguins leading 5-0 and on the penalty kill, Cooke went in on a forecheck and put a forearm to the head of Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle.

Cooke was sent to the box for two minutes for boarding, and that seemed to be that.

However, after the game the Coyotes were furious with the hit (which in no way appeared dirty to me), and Yandle said, "every guy on our team tried to fight him."

Seriously! You have got to be kidding me? Since when is a a fore arm hit to the head considered clean, that's not dirty to you? Talk about not having a clue... Matt Cooke deserves a beat down for that elbow and should have answered the bell when challenged, but Cooke is gutless puke.

WJC TV Schedule

2011 IIHF World Junior Championship - NHL Network U.S. Broadcast Schedule
Dec. 26 - Jan. 5, Buffalo, N.Y. [Click link for TV SCHEDULE]

Date Game Time (EST)
Sunday, December 26
Russia vs. Canada 4 p.m.
Finland vs. USA 8 p.m.

Tuesday, December 28
Canada vs. Czech Republic 4 p.m.
USA vs. Slovakia 8 p.m.

Wednesday, December 29
Norway vs. Canada 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 30
Sweden vs. Czech Republic 3 p.m.
Germany vs. USA 7 p.m.

Friday, December 31
Canada vs. Sweden 4 p.m.
USA vs. Switzerland 8 p.m.

Sunday, January. 2
Quarterfinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal #2* 7:30 p.m.

Monday, January 3
Semifinal #1 3:30 p.m.
Semifinal #2* 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 5
Bronze-Medal Game 3:30 p.m.
Gold-Medal Game 7:30 p.m.

Update on DU's Jesse Martin

Edmonton Journal Picture...



Here is an update from the Edmonton Journal on DU forward Jesse Martin, its good to see that Jesse Martin now has to halo off and is wearing a neck brace. This article kind of puts life in perspective; that there is more to life than sports and that your family is one of the most important aspects in a person’s life.

EDMONTON - It's little wonder Terry Martin and his family don't know what to give one another for Christmas gifts this year.

They have all they need: Each other.

The past year could have torn the Edmonton family of four apart. Terry's wife, Jacquie, was diagnosed with a brain tumour just before his daughter, Natasha, was injured in a car crash and required emergency surgery.

Then his son, Jesse, a 22-year-old senior who plays hockey for the University of Denver Pioneers, was injured in an Oct. 30 game against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and carried off the ice on a stretcher with a spinal cord injury. Three days after getting home from visiting with Jesse in the U.S., Terry had heart attack.

"We're all having a little trouble buying Christmas gifts this year," Terry says. "I mean really, what material things could we give or receive that could provide greater happiness than what we are experiencing by simply being together?"

It's the gift of family.

"The serious medical challenges each of us faced recently certainly tested us as individuals with respect to inner strength and character. But how we came through it all is also a testament to how closely knit our family is," Terry says.

Jesse's injury -- a crush against the boards when he was looking down -- got a lot of attention because of a YouTube video of the hit. As of Monday, the video had been watched 131,192 times.

"Like every family, we have had our ups and downs, but the common thread has been that we never forget that we are there for each other no matter what, and we are always able to lean on each other for support," says Jesse.

Poll Monday; 5th in USA Today Poll...

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Dec. 20, 2010]
1 Yale (34)11-1-0 510
2 New Hampshire 10-2-4 458
3 Minnesota Duluth 12-3-3 418
4 Boston College 11-5-0 410
5 North Dakota 13-5-2 403
6 Miami (Ohio) 10-5-3 308
7 Denver 12-5-3 282
8 Maine 8-4-4 247
9 Nebraska-Omaha 12-5-1 243
10 Michigan 10-5-4 195
11 Boston University 8-4-5 162
12 Notre Dame 11-6-2 156
13 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 9-4-3 124
14 Union 10-5-3 59
15 Wisconsin 10-7-3 43
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska, 22; Colorado College, 15; Merrimack College, 6; University of Minnesota, 6; Western Michigan University, 6; Ferris State University, 3; Robert Morris University, 3; Dartmouth College, 1.

I know these polls really don’t mean much because in the end the only poll(s) that matters is the RPI/PWR that is used to select the teams for the NCAA tourney. We can put Yale at the top of the polls all season long if we want but they still have to play and prove themselves in the end, I still think they are going to end up being another 2007 Clarkson that was a number one seed that got bounced from the tourney.

If there is a team that deserves some credit it would be RPI, they beat Boston University and still end up behind BU in the USA Today poll. I would also like to know why in the name of Zeus’s butt is Union still ranked in the top 15 after being swept by Western Michigan University this past weekend?