Coyotes Devan Dubnyk's Goalie Mask

Devan Dubnyk's new desert-themed #Coyotes mask. pic.twitter.com/4PddIwVdfo
— NHL EXPERT PICKS (@NHLexpertpicks) September 7, 2014

Another nice looking goalie mask.

Trib Live: Free Agent Ryan Malone Might Sign with Penguins

#475447907 / gettyimages.com

This is actually a sad story. I was thinking of catchy title, but drug abuse and addiction is no laughing matter. So, the Penguins now have Car Bomb Carcillo, Steve Downie the hack and Ryan Malone, the same guy that was baffled when the Tampa Bay Police found a bag of coke in his back pocket. I actually hope the former Saint Cloud State Husky can clean up his act and have a successful season.

Jason Mackey, Tribune Live -- With forwards Steve Downie and Daniel Carcillo, the Penguins aren't lacking for potential projects.

Could the return of Upper St. Clair native Ryan Malone be next?

General manager Jim Rutherford isn't saying. But interest on Malone's part is tangible.

“There's a natural attraction there,” said Malone's agent, Mike Liut. “He grew up there. He played there. They lost in the (Stanley Cup) Final when he was there. There's that association.

“But management (now) is completely different. I have talked to Pittsburgh about him throughout the summer. They're kicking tires. They've expressed some interest, but it's just that. Which is fine.

“There isn't anything where I can say, ‘Hey, this is what we're going to do.' Hopefully I can next week.

Ryan Malone back to the Pens? He's in. Team? Maybe. My #TribHKY story from today: http://t.co/1AmpUcFIZU
— Jason Mackey (@Mackey_Trib) September 6, 2014

Jack Campbell Goalie Mask

I always liked goalie masks and some of the pictures that they have one them. This goalie mask is really sweet. It's a tribute to Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell with Lone Survivor.

.@DallasStars G Jack Campbell pays tribute to Marcus Luttrell with Lone Survivor goalie mask. http://t.co/uswwSPhweE pic.twitter.com/x5qc5YVU0u
— theScore (@theScore) September 5, 2014

Ryan Miller's New Goalie Mask

If you haven't seen it yet, sweet mask.

Exclusive first-look at the new #Canucks mask of @RyanMiller3039 #fancy #IsItOctoberYet pic.twitter.com/5MxmYKyOLg
— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) September 3, 2014

RMU Robert Morris OL Jon Hill talking some smack

Mr. Hill continues: "....we should be just fine because they don't pass rush very well at all." #potatobowltrashtalk
— Tom Miller (@tommillergf) September 4, 2014

Tonight, the University of North Dakota football team starts the Bubba Schweigert era in the Alerus Center. Turning the page, there's a lot to be positive about. Last week, I watched most of the first half and third quarter on my phone, I saw some things that UND is doing that gives me hope. Bubba seems to have brought a more positive attitude. The biggest problem facing UND is the age factor. There was a lot of underclassmen playing last weekend.

Programming note: Tonight's game, is on FCS and MidcoSN.

Apparently, RMU Offensive Lineman Jon Hill doesn't think much of the UND football team. When I played football, you did make comments like this.

Robert Morris OL Jon Hill on UND DL "This team is bigger but they're not as athletic, they're just kind of like trying to plug stuff up."
— Tom Miller (@tommillergf) September 4, 2014

Robert Morris plays @UNDfootball this Saturday at 6pm - watch @MidcoSN for all the action! @UNDsports pic.twitter.com/yNbPpNUvcc
— Midco Sports Network (@MidcoSN) September 3, 2014

Hockey News: Steve Moore/Todd Bertuzzi settlement proves NHL can’t justify culture of revenge

The Steve Moore and Todd Bertuzzi settlement has been reached. I thought this article was worth a read. For those that don't read the Hockey News, they're very anti-fighting and I refer to them as the Anti-Fighting Cabal.  That being said, this was an ugly incident.

Adam Proteau, The Hockey News -- Perhaps they’ll be able to shovel enough money toward future plaintiffs to convince all of them to settle prior to a trial as Moore has. But what keeps owners and league brass awake at night is the lingering fear lucrative payouts won’t protect them forever; that they’ll be called to account in public and under oath; and once that happens, all their empty chatter about “tradition”, “our game” and “the code” will be exposed for what it is: insular, anachronistic, indefensible bunk.

The biggest tragedy/irony of the Bertuzzi/Moore narrative is that both of its main actors were broken by it – Bertuzzi never was the same player – yet hockey and the NHL carried on unscathed despite creating and cultivating the conditions that led to it. The truth is, the game was broken long ago, and in a way that led directly to the events that took place when the Canucks and Avs squared off on March 8, 2004.

The money that’s been paid to Moore does nothing to fix that fissure. Sadly, all it does is leave open the possibility there will be more Todd Bertuzzis, Steve Moores and legal showdowns to come.

The Steve Moore/Todd Bertuzzi lawsuit is over, & @Proteautype says it shows the NHL can't defend its revenge culture: http://t.co/XwkPHG4TBt
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) September 5, 2014

UND Hockey: Dave Hakstol Supports the Gentleman's Agreement

Edit: At the current time the video appears to have been taken down. If you watch the video, at the 1:24 mark of the video you will see Dave Hakstol's answer.

Head coach Dave Hakstol was asked by the host Dan Hammer if they will still adhere to the gentleman’s agreement.

“Yes we are,” Hakstol said. “We had probably a fifth of our group leave our meetings in Florida this spring. They spoke on the record that they will not be honoring the gentleman’s agreement. But we have always adhered to that (agreement), and we will continue to as we go through this transition flux period. There are a lot of things that are changing in the recruiting world of college hockey. We are going to be very thoughtful as will go through this transition, and make sure we’re doing things that are smart for the University of North Dakota and the University of North Dakota hockey program.”

Related articles

• NCAA Hockey: Some Coaches Want to Discard the "Gentleman's Agreement"
• UND Hockey: Scoring from Defense Corps Tops in Conference
• UND Hockey: Long Video Review Confirms Goal

CBC: Gary Bettman shoots down NHL expansion talk

#451339220 / gettyimages.com

Of course he did... The NHL doesn't like others to break their news for them. I just don't believe it, the NHL stands to make a lot of money off of adding more teams to the league... I guess we will find out soon, right? Personally, for me, the more the merrier.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman shoots down expansion talk: Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday a repo... http://t.co/tZzhWwRh1F #NHL
— NHL (@NHLLinks) September 3, 2014

The Canadian Press -- Gary Bettman has vehemently denied the NHL is considering expansion.

But the commissioner said if it ever does, prospective owners may have to pay up big time.

Sports Business News reported via Twitter last week the NHL will expand into Las Vegas, Seattle, and Quebec City while adding a second franchise in Toronto by 2017.

On Wednesday, Bettman called the report a "complete fabrication," and took issue with the franchise fees cited in the story — $1.4 billion US, or $350 million per team.

'Nobody's moving. And speculation to the contrary not only is wrong, it's unfair to the team and their fans who are being speculated about.'

Ben Bishop's goalie mask

Sickest Tendy Masks http://t.co/bJgLGq4uRS4). Ben Bishop's Mask pic.twitter.com/58v1Qj7SIL
— Goalie Humor (@GoalieHumor) July 20, 2014

This is one sweet goalie mask.

Boston Bruins: David Krejci re-signed by the Bruins

#Czech media reports David Krejci has signed a 6 year, $43M extension with the #Bruins.
— NHL EXPERT PICKS (@NHLexpertpicks) September 3, 2014

Whew, the Boston Bruins have inked one of the key players to a nice long-term deal. Krejci signed a six-year, 43 million dollar deal. The Bruins still have to get their RFA Torey Krug re-signed.

D.J. Bean, WEEI --- According to a league source, the Bruins and David Krejci have agreed to a six-year, $43.5 million contract.

Krejci, 28, will carry a $7.25 million cap hit throughout the duration of the deal, which begins in the 2015-16 season. His salary breakdown will be $7.25 million for the first two years of the deal, $7.5 million for the next two and $7 million for the final two.

OHL Looks to Curtail Staged Fights

The OHL posted these rules on it's web site recently. The junior league is trying to curtail and cut down on the number of staged fights and head shots. Okay, that new rule sounds really good, but how does an official determine if a fight is staged or not? Except for the staged fights that take place off a faceoff, it's going to be hard determine what's a staged fight.

On-Ice Player Safety Initiatives

•The OHL will be augmenting the current staged fight rule whereby players receive an automatic game misconduct for a fight occurring immediately following the drop of the puck at the commencement of a period or game. Such rule has been expanded so as to include a fight which occurs immediately following any faceoff during the game. Should a staged fight occur, the player(s) involved shall each receive a game misconduct in addition to the major penalty and any other penalties assessed.

•If a player receives a third game misconduct during the season for a combination of any 5 minute major and game misconduct penalties for checking to the head, checking from behind, boarding, kneeing and clipping, for which suspensions have not previously been applied, he shall receive an automatic one (1) game suspension. For each subsequent game misconduct, the suspension shall be increased accordingly.

•If a player receives a third minor penalty for instigating during the season, he shall receive an automatic one (1) game suspension. For each subsequent instigating minor penalty, the suspension shall be increased accordingly.

•The number of fighting majors that a player can receive in a game before a game misconduct is assessed shall be reduced from three (3) to two (2).

•If a player receives a fourth minor penalty during the regular season in any one of the following categories, ie., checking from behind, checking to the head, kneeing, clipping or boarding, he shall receive a one (1) game suspension. For each subsequent minor penalty in any of the particular categories, the suspension shall be increased accordingly.

•Each OHL Member Team shall have a threshold of three (3) major penalties for fighting during each game. A disciplinary fine shall be assessed for each team exceeding such threshold.

Memo: College Kids Drink, 25 UMD Football Players Cited for Underage Drinking

For those that want to tar the two UND hockey players that were cited for underage drinking, maybe we should cut them some slack. Believe it or not, this is also an issue at other schools around the country. Even in scenic Duluth, Minnesota, college kids, including athletes were cited for underage drinking.
DULUTH, Minn. - About 25 University of Minnesota-Duluth football players were among 50 people cited for underage drinking at a party in Duluth’s East Hillside late Sunday.

Police were called to a large party at a house in the University of Minnesota Duluth area shortly before midnight Sunday, said Duluth Police Sgt. Jayme Carlson. Fifty people were cited for underage drinking, and the renter was cited for hosting the party where underage drinking occurred. All were cooperative with police, he said.

Bulldogs Coach Curt Wiese confirmed Monday evening that many — about 25 — of those cited were UMD football players.

“We did have quite a few of our players at a party last night,” Wiese said. “I’m extremely disappointed in their decision. We hold our players to a lot higher standard than these guys displayed last night.”

UND Hockey: Two Freshmen Cited for Underaged Drinking

The more things change, the more they stay the same. According to the Grand Forks Herald, two incoming freshmen forward Trevor Olson and backup goaltender Cameron Johnson were cited on August 23, 2014, for Possession/Consumption Of Alcohol By Person Under 21 years of age. That charge is a "B" Misdemeanor.

Checking the court records, both players will be making their initial court on September 10, 2014.  You can use this link to search for court records.

Related articles

• Three UND Hockey Players charged with Possesson of Alcohol
• Three UND Hockey Players Cited for Underage Drinking
• UND Hockey: End of season party lands five players in trouble with police

Minnesota Wild: Prospects Tournament Roster

Here's the roster for the Traverse City Prospects Tourney. You can see that the Wild have a few ex-college hockey players on the roster.

Forwards

82 Olivier Archambault 6-0 190 Left 2/16/93 Le Gardeur, Quebec Quebec QMJHL 38 19 27 46 37 INVITEE

80 Jessey Astles 6-2 205 Left 6/4/93 Coquitlam, British Columbia Tri-City WHL 50 11 9 20 67 INVITEE

62 Brady Brassart 6-2 196 Right 6/15/93 Vernon, British Columbia Calgary WHL 70 35 50 85 94 FA/14

49 Raphael Bussieres 6-1 198 Left 11/5/93 Longueuil, Quebec Iowa AHL 61 5 14 19 51 EN/12

75 Reid Duke 6-0 189 Right 1/28/96 Calgary, Alberta Lethbridge WHL 62 15 25 40 91 EN/14

53 Tyler Graovac 6-4 205 Left 4/27/93 Brampton, Ontario Iowa AHL 64 13 12 25 29 EN/11

63 Kurtis Gabriel 6-4 214 Right 4/20/93 New Market, Ontario Owen Sound OHL 60 16 35 51 99 EN/13

47 Reid Gardiner 5-11 185 Right 1/19/96 Humboldt, Saskatchewan Prince Albert WHL 70 22 22 44 39 INVITEE

57 Ryan Graham 6-2 205 Left 5/6/96 Calgary, Alberta Saskatoon WHL 70 15 8 23 37 INVITEE

81 Pavel Jenys 6-2 198 Left 4/2/96 Brno, Czech Republic Brno Czech 29 2 0 2 4 EN/14

76 Chase Lang 6-1 182 Right 9/13/96 Nanaimo, British Columbia Calgary WHL 68 10 15 25 52 EN/14

59 Zack Mitchell 6-0 184 Right 1/7/93 Caledon, Ontario Guelph OHL 67 31 52 83 40 FA/14

67 Andrew Ryan 6-3 202 Left 1/15/94 St. John’s Newfoundland Halifax QMJHL 56 27 28 55 52 INVITEE

71 Ryan Walters 6-0 190 Left 7/30/91 Rosemount, Minnesota Nebraska-Omaha NCHC 34 6 24 30 16 INVITEE

 

Defense

55 Matt Dumba 6-0 183 Right 7/25/94 Regina, Saskatchewan Minnesota NHL 13 1 1 2 2 EN/12

Portland WHL 26 8 16 24 37

73 Tanner Faith 6-3 211 Right 10/5/95 Terrace, British Columbia Kootenay WHL 10 0 1 1 9 EN/14

5 Christian Folin 6-3 210 Right 2/9/91 Gothenburg, Sweden UMass-Lowell HE 41 6 14 20 31 FA/14

34 Guillaume Gelinas 5-10 185 Left 6/14/93 Quebec City, Quebec Val d’Or QMJHL 67 23 69 92 81 FA/14

68 Alex Gudbranson 6-2 204 Right 9/3/94 Orleans, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie OHL 66 7 8 15 76 INVITEE

78 Dylan Labbe 6-2 194 Left 1/19/95 St. George, Quebec Shawinigan QMJHL 63 9 18 27 20 EN/13

23 Gustav Olofsson 6-4 191 Left 12/1/94 Boras, Sweden Colorado College NCHC 30 4 4 8 20 EN/13

79 Hunter Warner 6-2 202 Right 9/21/95 Eden Prairie, Minnesota Waterloo/Fargo USHL 50 2 10 12 127 INVITEE

 

Goalies

50 Alexandre Belanger 6-1 184 Left 8/19/95 Sherbrooke, Quebec Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL 52 28-18-3 1 3.23 .881 EN/13

31 Johan Gustafsson 6-2 202 Left 2/28/92 Koping, Sweden Iowa AHL 40 12-20-4 1 2.98 .903 EN/10

70 Brandon Whitney 6-5 208 Right 5/11/94 Kentville, Nova Scotia Victoriaville QMJHL 41 13-18-7 4 3.25 .906 INVITEE

Mike Yeo: Wild starting job in goal wide open

#462660157 / gettyimages.com

As we make our way towards the NHL season there's more hockey news starting to emerge. The Wild are going to have a stable of goalies this season. According to Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo, the position is wide open.

NHL Insider -- The Minnesota Wild will enter training camp next month with three goaltenders, Josh Harding, Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper, competing for the starting job. Wild coach Mike Yeo said each will have a chance to win the No. 1 job.

"I have to say we're kind of open right now, to be honest with you," Yeo told Michael Russo of the Star Tribune on Wednesday during an appearance at the Minnesota State Fair. "We're going to have some scrimmages … but we're going to have to pretty quickly determine who we want to give a greater workload to after that. That's going to be a good challenge."

Obviously, they Wild are going to  need to sign Darcy Kuemper who remains an unsigned restricted free agent. There's also many questions about Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding's health. Neither has been able to play a full season the last two years.

Related articles

• Trib: Leave the hockey coverage to Russo

Burton Family ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

My family did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge... I know, I know, someone is missing.

Hockey East: To Broadcast 25 Games

Hockey East announced their NBC Television Schedule today. The schedule includes six Hockey East match-ups. Notre Dame will have a 20 game schedule.

Friday, October 10 RPI at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Sunday, October 12 Minnesota at Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Friday, October 17 Lake Superior State at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, October 18 Lake Superior State at Notre Dame 6 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, October 24 Niagara at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Saturday, October 25 Niagara at Notre Dame 7 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, October 31 Vermont at Notre Dame 8 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, November 7 Boston University at Boston College 8 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, November 1 Vermont at Notre Dame 7 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Thursday, November 20 UMass Lowell at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Friday, November 21 UMass Lowell at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, November 28 Union at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Saturday, November 29 Shillelagh Tournament 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Friday, December 5 Boston College at New Hampshire 8 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, December 6 Maine at UMass Lowell 8 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, January 3 Union at Boston University 7 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, January 9 Dartmouth at New Hampshire 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, January 10 Western Michigan at Notre Dame 6 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, January 16 Connecticut at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, January 17 Massachusetts at New Hampshire 6:30 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, January 30 New Hampshire at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra

Saturday, January 31 New Hampshire at Notre Dame 6:30 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, February 13 Providence at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, February 14 Providence at Notre Dame 8 p.m. NBCSN

Friday, February 27 Boston College at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Saturday, February 28 Boston College at Notre Dame 6 p.m. NBCSN

AHL Hockey: Education, drug testing program implemented

I am actually surprised that they didn't have one already.

NEW YORK/SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... An education and drug testing program will be implemented for American Hockey League players, effective for the 2014-15 season, the National Hockey League and American Hockey League announced today.
The details of the AHL program, which was the result of a collaborative effort between the two leagues (NHL and AHL), the National Hockey League Players’ Association and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (which represents AHL players in collective bargaining), substantially replicate the collectively bargained policies already in place for NHL players.

The AHL drug testing program will be administered by the doctors who supervise the NHL/NHLPA Performance-Enhancing Substances Program and the Substance Abuse/Behavioral Health Program.

UND Hockey: Zane Gothberg legally changes surname to McIntyre

An interesting turn of events, UND goalie Zane Gothberg has changed his last name is now officially now Zane McIntyre. I am sure I will screw this up once or twice.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota junior goaltender Zane Gothberg announced today that he has legally changed his surname to his mother’s maiden name of McIntyre.

“My grandmother and my mother have been very influential in my life,” said McIntyre. “With the passing of my grandmother and my mother getting re-married, as well as my sister getting married, I’ve made the personal choice to carry on the family name in their honor.”

McIntyre, a sixth-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2010, went 20-10-3 last season and was a finalist for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s (NCHC) Goaltender of the Year award. He led the NCHC with a 1.99 goals against average and ranked second with a .926 save percentage. In 50 career appearances, the Thief River Falls, Minn., native is 29-14-6 with a 2.15 goals against average and a school-record .924 save percentage.

Who's the All-Time Greatest UND Fighting Sioux Hockey Player?

I am conducting a poll. All-Time Greatest UND Hockey Player... http://t.co/SiiSO0V6Nv
— Eric J. Burton THW (@goon48) August 28, 2014

I am conducting a non-scientific poll. Who is the Greatest All-Time Fighting Sioux Hockey Player?  There's multiple ways that you can vote.

1.) Vote at Sioux Sports, there's a link provided in the embedded tweet.
2.) You can post a comment on this blog post.
3.) Tweet my your vote on twitter to  @goon48, if you own a twitter account.
4.) Finally, send me an email at thegoon48@gra.midco.net ...