The first real action of the year starts next week, as the Thrashers' prospects travel to Michigan, but thankfully not Detroit, to compete in the annual Traverse City Prospects Tournament.
Thanks go out to Rawhide for putting out word that the tournament will be available for us on TV for the first time this year. Isn't the NHL Network great? The doldrums of August are behind us and we get to watch Zach Bogosian start his NHL career on TV in a matter of days.
In addition to televising games for the first time this year, the tournament has also grown since years past. Check out the link below for a list of the marquee players to watch from the participating teams.
More on the tournament as it unfolds next week.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=381513
Thursday, September 11, 2008
According to That Las Vegas...
The 2009 Stanley Cup odds, according to VegasInsider.com and via Dr. Mirtle:
What a joke. I mean, the Leafs more likely than the Oil or the Coyotes?
Twenty on Jokinen, Mueller, Doan, Jovanovski, and Bryzgalov.
| Team | Odds | |
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4/1 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 11/2 |
| 3 | San Jose Sharks | 10/1 |
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 10/1 |
| 5 | Dallas Stars | 12/1 |
| 6 | Anaheim Ducks | 12/1 |
| 7 | New York Rangers | 15/1 |
| 8 | Ottawa Senators | 15/1 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Flyers | 15/1 |
| 10 | Washington Capitals | 18/1 |
| 11 | New Jersey Devils | 20/1 |
| 12 | Carolina Hurricanes | 22/1 |
| 13 | Minnesota Wild | 22/1 |
| 14 | Colorado Avalanche | 25/1 |
| 15 | Boston Bruins | 30/1 |
| 16 | Buffalo Sabres | 30/1 |
| 17 | Calgary Flames | 30/1 |
| 18 | Nashville Predators | 30/1 |
| 19 | Vancouver Canucks | 30/1 |
| 20 | Chicago Blackhawks | 35/1 |
| 21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 40/1 |
| 22 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 45/1 |
| 23 | Edmonton Oilers | 50/1 |
| 24 | Florida Panthers | 50/1 |
| 25 | Atlanta Thrashers | 60/1 |
| 26 | St. Louis Blues | 60/1 |
| 27 | New York Islanders | 75/1 |
| 28 | Phoenix Coyotes | 75/1 |
| 29 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 75/1 |
| 30 | Los Angeles Kings | 100/1 |
What a joke. I mean, the Leafs more likely than the Oil or the Coyotes?
Twenty on Jokinen, Mueller, Doan, Jovanovski, and Bryzgalov.
New Third Jersey
Be warned that I have not been able to verify the validity of this post from our friends over at The Chicken. But enough rumors have been floating around out there to make me think if this is not it, then it will be pretty close.
This saddens me. When you click on the link you will see that our new third jersey (if this is true) really kind of SUCKS!!! Oh well, I like our other ones so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. On a side note, the Canes new third is great!! They should drop their other ones and go with this one all the time. Sharp.
Click here to see several teams third jersey.
This saddens me. When you click on the link you will see that our new third jersey (if this is true) really kind of SUCKS!!! Oh well, I like our other ones so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. On a side note, the Canes new third is great!! They should drop their other ones and go with this one all the time. Sharp.
Click here to see several teams third jersey.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
08-09 Final Standings Predictions
Mark my fucking words. Playoff teams in red. Teams that just barely miss the playoffs in green.
Pacific
1. San Jose Sharks
2. Dallas Stars
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. Phoenix Coyotes
5. Los Angeles Kings
Northwest
1. Calgary Flames
2. Edmonton Oilers
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. Minnesota Wild
Central
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Columbus Blue Jackets
4. St. Louis Blues
5. Nashville Predators
Northeast
1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Boston Bruins
3. Ottawa Senators
4. Buffalo Sabres
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
Atlantic
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New York Rangers
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. New Jersey Devils
5. New York Islanders
Southeast
1. Washington Capitals
2. Atlanta Thrashers
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
5. Florida Panthers
Here at the Chronicle we have a reasonably liberal comments policy, but be warned: any "Thrashers in the playoffs you must be fucking crazy/stupid/blinded by your fandom" comments will be deleted and their authors set on fire.
Pacific
1. San Jose Sharks
2. Dallas Stars
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. Phoenix Coyotes
5. Los Angeles Kings
Northwest
1. Calgary Flames
2. Edmonton Oilers
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Colorado Avalanche
5. Minnesota Wild
Central
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. Columbus Blue Jackets
4. St. Louis Blues
5. Nashville Predators
Northeast
1. Montreal Canadiens
2. Boston Bruins
3. Ottawa Senators
4. Buffalo Sabres
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
Atlantic
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New York Rangers
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. New Jersey Devils
5. New York Islanders
Southeast
1. Washington Capitals
2. Atlanta Thrashers
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
5. Florida Panthers
Here at the Chronicle we have a reasonably liberal comments policy, but be warned: any "Thrashers in the playoffs you must be fucking crazy/stupid/blinded by your fandom" comments will be deleted and their authors set on fire.
News and That
Will the Sedins be broken up? How will Daniel and Henrik perform on their own? Will their powers dry up the minute they're separated? Impossible to determine.
Chris Chelios signs contract to play for Detroit through his 104th year.
Speaking of Detroit, Hossa thinks he'll win his Cup there. As the 1990s used to say: Ya think?
I have to admit: He looks pretty good in a Red Wings uniform.
Strange. I had a dream about Brad Boyes last night.
Eric Staal determined to be thorn in our Collective Ass for years to come.
The two most absurd stories of the off-season finally converge. It had to happen, I guess.
Whatever.
^---click.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
08-09 Pacific Division Predictions
Offense
1. San Jose
2. Anaheim
3. L.A.
4. Phoenix
5. Dallas.
Yup. You heard me.
Defense
1. Anaheim
2. Dallas
3. San Jose
4. Phoenix
5. L.A.
Goaltending
1. San Jose
2. Phoenix
3. Dallas
4. Anaheim
5. L.A.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
1. San Jose
2. Anaheim
3. L.A.
4. Phoenix
5. Dallas.
Yup. You heard me.
Defense
1. Anaheim
2. Dallas
3. San Jose
4. Phoenix
5. L.A.
Goaltending
1. San Jose
2. Phoenix
3. Dallas
4. Anaheim
5. L.A.
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
08-09 Northwest Division Predictions
Offense (if Sundin goes to Vancouver)
1. Vancouver
2. Calgary
3. Edmonton
4. Minnesota
5. Colorado
Offense (if Sundin refuses to be parted from his Swedish pony)
1. Calgary
2. Edmonton
3. Vancouver
4. Minnesota
5. Colorado
This division is actually quite strong on offense. The Oilers have a fabulous top six who would murder in most other divisions; it's just that Vancouver's top six could include Mats Sundin, Pavol Demitra, and the Sedins. And Steve Bernier.
And Calgary has that Jarome Iginla and that high-scoring defenseman.
Minnesota has a great goal-scorer in Marian Gaborik, and Colorado has some great centers in Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic. If Sakic has a Sakic season, then this ranking looks very different indeed. Again, there are so many variables it's ridiculous to try to predict these things. Nevertheless, let's continue the game:
Defense
1. Calgary
2. Colorado
3. Edmonton
4. Minnesota
5. Vancouver
Goaltending
1. Vancouver
2. Calgary
3. Minnesota
4. Edmonton
5. Colorado
I hate to rank the Av's so low, but again, if Joe Sakic stays healthy all bets are off.
1. Vancouver
2. Calgary
3. Edmonton
4. Minnesota
5. Colorado
Offense (if Sundin refuses to be parted from his Swedish pony)
1. Calgary
2. Edmonton
3. Vancouver
4. Minnesota
5. Colorado
This division is actually quite strong on offense. The Oilers have a fabulous top six who would murder in most other divisions; it's just that Vancouver's top six could include Mats Sundin, Pavol Demitra, and the Sedins. And Steve Bernier.
And Calgary has that Jarome Iginla and that high-scoring defenseman.
Minnesota has a great goal-scorer in Marian Gaborik, and Colorado has some great centers in Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic. If Sakic has a Sakic season, then this ranking looks very different indeed. Again, there are so many variables it's ridiculous to try to predict these things. Nevertheless, let's continue the game:
Defense
1. Calgary
2. Colorado
3. Edmonton
4. Minnesota
5. Vancouver
Goaltending
1. Vancouver
2. Calgary
3. Minnesota
4. Edmonton
5. Colorado
I hate to rank the Av's so low, but again, if Joe Sakic stays healthy all bets are off.
08-09 Central Division Predictions
Offense
1. Detroit
2. Detroit
3. Detroit
4. Detroit
5. Detroit
6. Chicago
7. St. Louis (Brad Boyes, dude)
8. Columbus (Nash won't be getting serious help this year)
9. Nashville
Defense
1. Detroit
2. Detroit
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. St. Louis
6. Nashville (Big Greg)
7. Columbus ("they were never the same after they lost that Ron Hainsey")
Goaltending
1. St. Louis
2. Columbus
3. Nashville
4. Chicago
5. Detroit
Stick that in your pipe, etc. etc.
1. Detroit
2. Detroit
3. Detroit
4. Detroit
5. Detroit
6. Chicago
7. St. Louis (Brad Boyes, dude)
8. Columbus (Nash won't be getting serious help this year)
9. Nashville
Defense
1. Detroit
2. Detroit
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. St. Louis
6. Nashville (Big Greg)
7. Columbus ("they were never the same after they lost that Ron Hainsey")
Goaltending
1. St. Louis
2. Columbus
3. Nashville
4. Chicago
5. Detroit
Stick that in your pipe, etc. etc.
08-09 Northeast Division Predictions
This seems increasingly pointless, doesn't it?
Doesn't matter. My predictions:
Offense (in theory)
1. Ottawa
2. Boston
3. Montreal
4. Buffalo
5. Toronto
Offense (in practice)
1. Boston
2. Montreal
3. Ottawa
4. Buffalo
5. Toronto
Foolish? Perhaps. But that's my honestly-to-the-God-come-by prediction for next year. I say Boston outdoes Ottawa on offense, as does Montreal.
Defense
1. Montreal
2. Boston
3. Buffalo (defense will be improved by the presence of Craig Rivet)
4. Toronto
5. Ottawa
Goaltending
1. Buffalo
2. Montreal
3. Toronto
4. Boston
5. Ottawa
Ho ho.
Doesn't matter. My predictions:
Offense (in theory)
1. Ottawa
2. Boston
3. Montreal
4. Buffalo
5. Toronto
Offense (in practice)
1. Boston
2. Montreal
3. Ottawa
4. Buffalo
5. Toronto
Foolish? Perhaps. But that's my honestly-to-the-God-come-by prediction for next year. I say Boston outdoes Ottawa on offense, as does Montreal.
Defense
1. Montreal
2. Boston
3. Buffalo (defense will be improved by the presence of Craig Rivet)
4. Toronto
5. Ottawa
Goaltending
1. Buffalo
2. Montreal
3. Toronto
4. Boston
5. Ottawa
Ho ho.
08-09 Atlantic Division Predictions
Following up on this post, here are my goddamn predictions:
Offense
1. Penguins
2. Rangers
3. Flyers
4. Devils
5. Islanders
Defense
1. Flyers
2. Rangers
3. Penguins
4. Devils
5. Islanders
Goaltending
1. Devils
2. Islanders
3. Rangers
4. Penguins
5. Flyers
This division is actually pretty damn strong in goal-tending. It's strong in just about everything, unless you count the Islanders.
Offense
1. Penguins
2. Rangers
3. Flyers
4. Devils
5. Islanders
Defense
1. Flyers
2. Rangers
3. Penguins
4. Devils
5. Islanders
Goaltending
1. Devils
2. Islanders
3. Rangers
4. Penguins
5. Flyers
This division is actually pretty damn strong in goal-tending. It's strong in just about everything, unless you count the Islanders.
Ennui, Predictions, Etc.
Dark clouds are gathering over Midtown (and probably other places as well) and hockey season still hasn't started. Big Shooter has reported that he's received an email from his new ticket rep about the year ahead; I can confirm I received the very same email. I'll be a happy and hopeful Horatio when my season tickets arrive in the mail.
Since no one has been following through on the Season Preview stuff (perhaps we've hit a snag because no one wants to write about the Dallas Stars' upcoming season), I'll motion that we shouldn't group this stuff by division. I would move from the Pacific Division to the Northwest and begin writing about some of those teams, but I don't want to anger Monsieur Catalogues by writing about the Vancouver Canucks. And I don't want to anger Shooter by writing about the Edmonton Oilers. Or Razor by writing about the Colorado Avalanche. That leaves the Flames and the Wild, both of whom I'm not terribly interested in writing about.
Not that I don't like the Flames. It's just that I can already predict their season: they'll make the playoffs. They will ALWAYS make the playoffs so long as they have a leader like Jarome Iginla. How far they get this time around will depend on Mikka Kiprusoff. I'd love it if Kipper had a great post-season, and I wouldn't be against seeing a re-match with Nabokov and the San Jose Sharks.
As for the Minnesota Wild...well, who knows? Marian Gaborik is a beast, but he seems to vanish in the post-season. I'm not sure who else plays for the Wild these days, so I guess I'll move on to a new subject...
Not much in the way of hockey news today. As I'm sure you've all seen, Puck Daddy has been writing a series of hilarious Season Preview posts (in alphabetical order, perhaps a better organizing principle than our divisional hokum). The yearbook theme is a great idea...and a nice way of acknowledging that pre-season predictions rarely pan out in real life. Anyway, check it out if you haven't already. Agree with P. Daddy or disagree, it's a million times better than TSN's soul-flatteningly boring analysis.
Can't wait to see John Tortorella and Ray Ferraro on TSN. I hope to see Torts fly into a rage and start gnawing on Mike Milbury's head.
Since no one has been following through on the Season Preview stuff (perhaps we've hit a snag because no one wants to write about the Dallas Stars' upcoming season), I'll motion that we shouldn't group this stuff by division. I would move from the Pacific Division to the Northwest and begin writing about some of those teams, but I don't want to anger Monsieur Catalogues by writing about the Vancouver Canucks. And I don't want to anger Shooter by writing about the Edmonton Oilers. Or Razor by writing about the Colorado Avalanche. That leaves the Flames and the Wild, both of whom I'm not terribly interested in writing about.
Not that I don't like the Flames. It's just that I can already predict their season: they'll make the playoffs. They will ALWAYS make the playoffs so long as they have a leader like Jarome Iginla. How far they get this time around will depend on Mikka Kiprusoff. I'd love it if Kipper had a great post-season, and I wouldn't be against seeing a re-match with Nabokov and the San Jose Sharks.
As for the Minnesota Wild...well, who knows? Marian Gaborik is a beast, but he seems to vanish in the post-season. I'm not sure who else plays for the Wild these days, so I guess I'll move on to a new subject...
Not much in the way of hockey news today. As I'm sure you've all seen, Puck Daddy has been writing a series of hilarious Season Preview posts (in alphabetical order, perhaps a better organizing principle than our divisional hokum). The yearbook theme is a great idea...and a nice way of acknowledging that pre-season predictions rarely pan out in real life. Anyway, check it out if you haven't already. Agree with P. Daddy or disagree, it's a million times better than TSN's soul-flatteningly boring analysis.
Can't wait to see John Tortorella and Ray Ferraro on TSN. I hope to see Torts fly into a rage and start gnawing on Mike Milbury's head.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Anaheim Ducks
(updated below)
(updated again below)
This post will double as one of the Razor Catch Prey-sponsored NHL Guide posts and as one of the Big Shooter-sponsored 08-09 Preview posts. Now that I think about it, writing two separate posts on the San Jose Sharks is a bit excessive. But this is an excessive blog. And I am an excessive Peacock.
At any rate...
There's this team called the Anaheim Ducks. They live in sunny Orange County, just a few smog-choked miles down the freeway from the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Kings. The Battle of Los Angeles is a lop-sided one, to be sure, but there are signs that it could even out in the coming years.
With youthful talent like Patrick O'Sullivan, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, and Wayne Gretzky already making names for themselves, the Kings will only get better in the next few seasons. This should be celebrated.
There are credible signs, I'm sad to say, that the Anaheim Ducks might be on the decline. Not an immediate one; they'll still be in a hyper-talented battle with the Sharks and the Stars for the Pacific Division crown for a few years. But think about their roster:
Future Hall of Famers Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne (one of my and Monsieur's favorites ever) are surely going to retire after this season, and it remains to be seen how they'll perform. I predict Selanne goes out with a bang; the elder Niedermayer is more of a wild card.
Then there's Chris Pronger. He's still awesome, and he will be for a while, but he ain't gettin' younger no how. His point total last season (43) is his lowest in ten years (not counting 02-03 where he scored four points in five games). He could go on a rampage this year, but...what if Pronger IS on the decline?
What then? WHAT THEN?
Well, everyone knows the REAL story with the Ducks these days is their youth: Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Both wicked, wicked players, and they're only going to get better. Perry is a solid, slippery winger and he scores goals and whatnot, but I wonder how effective he'd be without a true master like Getzlaf. I love watching Getzlaf play; he's a great puck-handler, he can trick the opposing team and make weird and wonderful passes, and he scores lots of weird and wonderful goals. He's one of the best centers around; the only reason you don't hear more about him is because of the glut of even more talented Canadian centers like Savard, Crosby, Thornton, Lecavalier, and rookie phenom Wayne Gretzky.
I didn't get to watch any of the World Championship this summer (from here on known as the Kovalchuk Cup) aside from a few clips on YouTube, but from what I read Getzlaf was a mighty center to Rick Nash and Dany Heatley. Apparently he had a particular chemistry with Nash...God, I wonder if anyone is going to beat Team Canada in 2010...I CAN'T WAIT FOR 2010!
Now then. Who else plays for the Ducks? Well, there's your goalie, J.S. Giguerre, who is no slouch, and that Swiss fellow. To be honest, I really don't see this team getting to the Stanley Cup again. They're a great team, but their finest players are getting old. Getzlaf and Perry are young, and maybe they'll be enough to carry the team in the future, but...
Hell, I won't even pretend to predict how things will go for them next year. As for my personal feelings about the Ducks as a team:
I like the Ducks. I like them a hell of a lot more than the Stars, but not as much as I like the Sharks, the Kings, and the Coyotes. I still like them though. The Pacific is probably my favorite division. That and the Northwest. The story of the Niedermayer brothers--Scott coming over to help Rob win the Stanley Cup--is one of the most touching in hockey. Love the Niedermayers, love Selanne, love Getzlaf, like Perry a lot. Now let's shut up and watch the Finnish Flash:
You have to love him. He treats his stick as a rifle AND as a sword.
UPDATE: I forgot that the Ducks now have Brendan Morrison as well. He'll do wonders...you know, now that I think about it, they COULD make it to the Cup Finals again. And win. Possibly. Put Morrison and Selanne together, I say. Alright, The End.
UPDATE UPDATE: The Ducks will also have a much-touted rookie next year: American winger Bobby Ryan, the dude who was drafted second behind Sidney Crosby in the 2005 draft. He looks pretty damn good, and a top six of Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry/Kunitz-Morrison-Selanne (or some other combination thereof) will be awfully hard to keep up with. With whom it will be awfully hard to keep up, I mean to say.
(updated again below)
This post will double as one of the Razor Catch Prey-sponsored NHL Guide posts and as one of the Big Shooter-sponsored 08-09 Preview posts. Now that I think about it, writing two separate posts on the San Jose Sharks is a bit excessive. But this is an excessive blog. And I am an excessive Peacock.
At any rate...
There's this team called the Anaheim Ducks. They live in sunny Orange County, just a few smog-choked miles down the freeway from the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Kings. The Battle of Los Angeles is a lop-sided one, to be sure, but there are signs that it could even out in the coming years.
With youthful talent like Patrick O'Sullivan, Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, and Wayne Gretzky already making names for themselves, the Kings will only get better in the next few seasons. This should be celebrated.
There are credible signs, I'm sad to say, that the Anaheim Ducks might be on the decline. Not an immediate one; they'll still be in a hyper-talented battle with the Sharks and the Stars for the Pacific Division crown for a few years. But think about their roster:
Future Hall of Famers Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne (one of my and Monsieur's favorites ever) are surely going to retire after this season, and it remains to be seen how they'll perform. I predict Selanne goes out with a bang; the elder Niedermayer is more of a wild card.
Then there's Chris Pronger. He's still awesome, and he will be for a while, but he ain't gettin' younger no how. His point total last season (43) is his lowest in ten years (not counting 02-03 where he scored four points in five games). He could go on a rampage this year, but...what if Pronger IS on the decline?
What then? WHAT THEN?
Well, everyone knows the REAL story with the Ducks these days is their youth: Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Both wicked, wicked players, and they're only going to get better. Perry is a solid, slippery winger and he scores goals and whatnot, but I wonder how effective he'd be without a true master like Getzlaf. I love watching Getzlaf play; he's a great puck-handler, he can trick the opposing team and make weird and wonderful passes, and he scores lots of weird and wonderful goals. He's one of the best centers around; the only reason you don't hear more about him is because of the glut of even more talented Canadian centers like Savard, Crosby, Thornton, Lecavalier, and rookie phenom Wayne Gretzky.
I didn't get to watch any of the World Championship this summer (from here on known as the Kovalchuk Cup) aside from a few clips on YouTube, but from what I read Getzlaf was a mighty center to Rick Nash and Dany Heatley. Apparently he had a particular chemistry with Nash...God, I wonder if anyone is going to beat Team Canada in 2010...I CAN'T WAIT FOR 2010!
Now then. Who else plays for the Ducks? Well, there's your goalie, J.S. Giguerre, who is no slouch, and that Swiss fellow. To be honest, I really don't see this team getting to the Stanley Cup again. They're a great team, but their finest players are getting old. Getzlaf and Perry are young, and maybe they'll be enough to carry the team in the future, but...
Hell, I won't even pretend to predict how things will go for them next year. As for my personal feelings about the Ducks as a team:
I like the Ducks. I like them a hell of a lot more than the Stars, but not as much as I like the Sharks, the Kings, and the Coyotes. I still like them though. The Pacific is probably my favorite division. That and the Northwest. The story of the Niedermayer brothers--Scott coming over to help Rob win the Stanley Cup--is one of the most touching in hockey. Love the Niedermayers, love Selanne, love Getzlaf, like Perry a lot. Now let's shut up and watch the Finnish Flash:
You have to love him. He treats his stick as a rifle AND as a sword.
UPDATE: I forgot that the Ducks now have Brendan Morrison as well. He'll do wonders...you know, now that I think about it, they COULD make it to the Cup Finals again. And win. Possibly. Put Morrison and Selanne together, I say. Alright, The End.
UPDATE UPDATE: The Ducks will also have a much-touted rookie next year: American winger Bobby Ryan, the dude who was drafted second behind Sidney Crosby in the 2005 draft. He looks pretty damn good, and a top six of Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry/Kunitz-Morrison-Selanne (or some other combination thereof) will be awfully hard to keep up with. With whom it will be awfully hard to keep up, I mean to say.
08-09 Southeast Division Predictions
I need to go to sleep soon and wake up in six hours, but I'm having trouble calming down after the Hockey Mom's speech to the troops.
Perhaps some hockey-blogging therapy will help.
This is NOT a prediction of end-of-the-season standings, but of
Offense
1. Tampa Bay
2. Washington
3. Atlanta
4. Carolina
5. Florida
Defense
1. Carolina
2. Florida (at least until Bouwmeester leaves)
3. Atlanta (yes, better than the Caps: Enstrom, Havelid, Hainsey, Bogosian, and uhhhh...)
4. Washington
5. Tampa Bay
Goaltending
1. Florida
2. Atlanta
3. Carolina
4. Washington
5. Tampa Bay
May God have mercy on us.
Perhaps some hockey-blogging therapy will help.
This is NOT a prediction of end-of-the-season standings, but of
Offense
1. Tampa Bay
2. Washington
3. Atlanta
4. Carolina
5. Florida
Defense
1. Carolina
2. Florida (at least until Bouwmeester leaves)
3. Atlanta (yes, better than the Caps: Enstrom, Havelid, Hainsey, Bogosian, and uhhhh...)
4. Washington
5. Tampa Bay
Goaltending
1. Florida
2. Atlanta
3. Carolina
4. Washington
5. Tampa Bay
May God have mercy on us.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Liveblog! Hockey Mom Night at the RNC!
8:41- Meg Whitman of that eBay contraption spoke a few minutes ago. Right now it's another female CEO, Carly Fiorina, famously ditched by the Hewlett-Packard Board of Directors a while back. Whitman talked about how Obama will tax you, your children, and your dachshund into beggary. Fiorina is instructing us about the American Dream and how McCain supports it, etc.
8:53- Seems to be an emphasis on the economy tonight. Smart move, I reckon. Shots of those Red Wings/Elephants-jerseyed Michigan folk in the audience.
9:07- Mitt talking about the relocating the sun to Alaska. There really is something comical about a massively wealthy former CEO and Massachusetts governor railing against those damn "Eastern elites."
9:08- Mitt for torture! No hockey references yet.
9:10- Mitt is FOR the American people! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
9:11- Son of wealthy CEO and Michigan governor talking about heroic risk-taking and daring initiative.
9:12- Something about China as "Adam Smith on steroids." WHAT?
9:13- Mitt has coined a new word! "Moribundant." Wonderful.
9:13- "Stand up to the TYRANNOSAURUS!!!!!!" WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:13- Jesus, the man leaves no cliche behind. Al Gore's jet dragged out for the ten billionth time.
9:14- Why don't they just run Ronald Reagan's ghost? McCain will defeat radical Islam in its entirety, Mitt says. By the end of his first term, or will that take two terms?
9:18- Mitt retreats to the wings. Sorry about that, readers; I just couldn't resist having a thorough rip at Mitt.
9:21- More hockey jerseys! DANCING IN SEPTEMBER! Having wrong thoughts about Young Republicans! So many
9:23- Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews looking very grave. Folks on the floor, including folk in hockey jerseys, continue to dance to "Dancing in September." I wonder what a hockey dance party would look like...
9:26- Mike Huckabee, a true Tom Sawyer type if ever there was one, takes the stage. He's probably never watched a hockey game. Or has he? Is it possible?
9:27- What is all this bullshit about the "elite media?" The same elite media that employs Huckabee and lionized John McCain?
9:29- Huckabee congratulates Obama on his historic candidacy, etc...Weak applause. Much as I dislike Huckabee's fundamentalism (saying he'd change the Constitution to bring it more into line with the Big Man, etc.), he seems like a sincere guy. And he's undeniably funny. In an uber-corny sort of way.
9:32- Heroes in Hope, Arkansas while growing up? "Jesus, Elvis, and FDR. Not necessarily in that order." Nice line, gets some laughs, some faces clearly appalled at the friendly words about FDR. Obligatory rabble-rousing line about the wickedness of "European ideas."
9:34- Dig at Joe Biden. He just can't get no respect. McCain will protect voters from the evil menace of gays in legally recognized monogamous relationships.
9:36- Did you know that John McCain was a POW?
9:41- Keith says Huck's dig at Joe Biden (that more people voted for Sarah Palin for mayor of Wasilla than voted for Biden for President) is actually untrue. Oh, Huck. Such a kidder.
9:50- Men cleared from front of the floor. Women everywhere. If they're serious about getting the hockey vote, they need to fill the place with those Red Wings folk. Or give everyone hockey jerseys. And to think the Minnesota Wild play there...
10:01- Rudy Giuliani.
10:02- I agree with him on the "this is the most important election like EVARH" thing.
10:03- Oh God. America is controlled by Keith Olbermann and George Clooney. Break your chains, Americans! USA! USA!
10:05- Did you know John McCain was a POW?
10:07- "Community organizer...what?" HUH HUH HUH. "Chicago." BOOOOOOOO! People in the crowd chanting something incomprehensible.
10:09- The President needs to be the Decider. Complexity of thought is so not Deciderish. USA! "No legislation." What? Untrue, for God's sake.
10:12- Rudy really is a master of the rhetorical gross-out. "It's like Obama so doesn't have a strategy. He just talks about hope and shit."
10:14- McCain will reduce government? Would that include cuts to the Pentagon and the CIA?
10:15- A bunch of fat white men shouting "DRILL BABY DRILL!" in unison.
10:16- John McCain will eat terrorists Over Here and Over There.
10:17- Woman in crowd holding up sign: HOCKEY MOMS FOR MCCAIN. Could this be the beginning of something big?
10:18- Giving up on Iraq is like so giving up on America OMG.
10:19- Giuliani is correct about Obama's reversals on wire-tapping and public finance. Signs of his pragmatism, sure, but Obama's vacillating is a gift to demagogic idiots like Giuliani.
10:21- Obama wants to talk to Palestinians. BOOOOOOOOOO!!! McCain, on the other hand, will piss on Vladimir Putin's shoes and dine on Iranians. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
10:22- McCain and Palin will "open up the party" to new folk. That might be true. I'd like believe the GOP is a Reaganite big tent, but the evidence seems to show that you have to be either a rabid militarist or an evangelical Christian to flourish in today's GOP.
10:24- When the hell has Obama ever uttered a word about the cosmopolitanism (or lack thereof) of Palin's hometown? Crowd stirred up and screaming about their guns and Jesus.
10:25- Question: would Rudolph Giuliani ever live in Wasilla, Alaska? Does he spend much time hunting?
10:26- Rudy and the Republicans continue to just make shit up. I defy him to name ONE liberal commentator that's criticized Palin for abandoning her children to work as the VP. NO ONE OUTSIDE THE TABLOIDS IS MAKING THESE CRITICISMS! The problems serious people have with Palin are elsewhere. God I fucking hate this guy.
10:28-
10:29- Hockey Mom takes the stage.
10:31- Crowd still cheering.
10:32- Lots of HOCKEY MOMS 4 PALIN signs.
10:33- Still waiting for a hockey reference in the Governor's speech.
10:34- "There's a time for politics, and a time to put our country first." Well what the fuck are you doing? Did the convention drag all those women to the front of the arena to fight terrorists?
10:36- Young Bristol's hockey-playing fiance looks profoundly uncomfortable.
10:40- Still no hockey.
10:41- Something about being proud of America, unlike that angry Negress Michelle Obama.
10:42- FINALLY! "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." The folks yuk, the Red Wings fans go wild. Sarah Palin has introduced hockey to the United States, not unlike Dolly Madison introducing feathered turbans.
10:43- Heh, heh, "community organizer." They help dirty poor Negroes. Mayors in Alaska help white people!
10:44- The obligatory San Francisco reference. Obama despises working people.
10:47- She took on the good old boys! She's a reformer! She supported the Bridge to Nowhere!
10:50- She prides herself on using executive power to erase popular legislation.
10:50: SHE'S LYING! SHE SAYS SHE DIDN'T SUPPORT THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE WHEN SHE DID!
10:53- Sarah Palin wants to drill through the skull of a baby caribou.
10:54- Strangely, she doesn't mention nuclear power as a possible alternative source of energy. Obama did. France does it.
10:55- Lying again. Obama passed an ethics reform thingy and a thingy that makes government spending transparent for all to see. He's also authored legislation that would clamp down on the nuclear arms trade, though it hasn't passed.
10:56- What is it with Republicans and the Greek columns? Have they ever been to Washington DC? She's criticizing the roaring crowd that cheered Obama and absorbing cheers and roars from her own roaring and cheering crowd.
10:57- Lie, lie, lie, lie about Obama's energy policy and foreign policy. Say it enough times and it becomes true.
10:57- Accused "terrorists" don't have any rights! They're not human! HOORAY FOR TORTURE! Except for what happened to McCain, of course. The people who tortured McCain were sinister Fu Manchu Communists; we're Good People.
11:04- McCain was in the military, which means he should be President. Which means John Kerry and George McGovern should have been President. Which means...wait, serving in the military doesn't AUTOMATICALLY qualify you for the Presidency?
11:08- It's over. Wow. Three or four outright lies (I lost count) in one long batshit-crazy rant for the drooling base. She's gone from adorable moose-hunting hockey mom to total frothing-at-the-mouth tool in Mortimer Peacock's personal universe.
She likes to ban books. And she slashed funds for unwed teenage mothers. Class.
I reiterate:
Good God, Big Shooter's favorite man in the world, John Rich, is onstage with Cowboy Troy and Gretchen Wilson. I would so have that.
8:53- Seems to be an emphasis on the economy tonight. Smart move, I reckon. Shots of those Red Wings/Elephants-jerseyed Michigan folk in the audience.
9:07- Mitt talking about the relocating the sun to Alaska. There really is something comical about a massively wealthy former CEO and Massachusetts governor railing against those damn "Eastern elites."
9:08- Mitt for torture! No hockey references yet.
9:10- Mitt is FOR the American people! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
9:11- Son of wealthy CEO and Michigan governor talking about heroic risk-taking and daring initiative.
9:12- Something about China as "Adam Smith on steroids." WHAT?
9:13- Mitt has coined a new word! "Moribundant." Wonderful.
9:13- "Stand up to the TYRANNOSAURUS!!!!!!" WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:13- Jesus, the man leaves no cliche behind. Al Gore's jet dragged out for the ten billionth time.
9:14- Why don't they just run Ronald Reagan's ghost? McCain will defeat radical Islam in its entirety, Mitt says. By the end of his first term, or will that take two terms?
9:18- Mitt retreats to the wings. Sorry about that, readers; I just couldn't resist having a thorough rip at Mitt.
9:21- More hockey jerseys! DANCING IN SEPTEMBER! Having wrong thoughts about Young Republicans! So many
9:23- Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews looking very grave. Folks on the floor, including folk in hockey jerseys, continue to dance to "Dancing in September." I wonder what a hockey dance party would look like...
9:26- Mike Huckabee, a true Tom Sawyer type if ever there was one, takes the stage. He's probably never watched a hockey game. Or has he? Is it possible?
9:27- What is all this bullshit about the "elite media?" The same elite media that employs Huckabee and lionized John McCain?
9:29- Huckabee congratulates Obama on his historic candidacy, etc...Weak applause. Much as I dislike Huckabee's fundamentalism (saying he'd change the Constitution to bring it more into line with the Big Man, etc.), he seems like a sincere guy. And he's undeniably funny. In an uber-corny sort of way.
9:32- Heroes in Hope, Arkansas while growing up? "Jesus, Elvis, and FDR. Not necessarily in that order." Nice line, gets some laughs, some faces clearly appalled at the friendly words about FDR. Obligatory rabble-rousing line about the wickedness of "European ideas."
9:34- Dig at Joe Biden. He just can't get no respect. McCain will protect voters from the evil menace of gays in legally recognized monogamous relationships.
9:36- Did you know that John McCain was a POW?
9:41- Keith says Huck's dig at Joe Biden (that more people voted for Sarah Palin for mayor of Wasilla than voted for Biden for President) is actually untrue. Oh, Huck. Such a kidder.
9:50- Men cleared from front of the floor. Women everywhere. If they're serious about getting the hockey vote, they need to fill the place with those Red Wings folk. Or give everyone hockey jerseys. And to think the Minnesota Wild play there...
10:01- Rudy Giuliani.
10:02- I agree with him on the "this is the most important election like EVARH" thing.
10:03- Oh God. America is controlled by Keith Olbermann and George Clooney. Break your chains, Americans! USA! USA!
10:05- Did you know John McCain was a POW?
10:07- "Community organizer...what?" HUH HUH HUH. "Chicago." BOOOOOOOO! People in the crowd chanting something incomprehensible.
10:09- The President needs to be the Decider. Complexity of thought is so not Deciderish. USA! "No legislation." What? Untrue, for God's sake.
10:12- Rudy really is a master of the rhetorical gross-out. "It's like Obama so doesn't have a strategy. He just talks about hope and shit."
10:14- McCain will reduce government? Would that include cuts to the Pentagon and the CIA?
10:15- A bunch of fat white men shouting "DRILL BABY DRILL!" in unison.
10:16- John McCain will eat terrorists Over Here and Over There.
10:17- Woman in crowd holding up sign: HOCKEY MOMS FOR MCCAIN. Could this be the beginning of something big?
10:18- Giving up on Iraq is like so giving up on America OMG.
10:19- Giuliani is correct about Obama's reversals on wire-tapping and public finance. Signs of his pragmatism, sure, but Obama's vacillating is a gift to demagogic idiots like Giuliani.
10:21- Obama wants to talk to Palestinians. BOOOOOOOOOO!!! McCain, on the other hand, will piss on Vladimir Putin's shoes and dine on Iranians. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
10:22- McCain and Palin will "open up the party" to new folk. That might be true. I'd like believe the GOP is a Reaganite big tent, but the evidence seems to show that you have to be either a rabid militarist or an evangelical Christian to flourish in today's GOP.
10:24- When the hell has Obama ever uttered a word about the cosmopolitanism (or lack thereof) of Palin's hometown? Crowd stirred up and screaming about their guns and Jesus.
10:25- Question: would Rudolph Giuliani ever live in Wasilla, Alaska? Does he spend much time hunting?
10:26- Rudy and the Republicans continue to just make shit up. I defy him to name ONE liberal commentator that's criticized Palin for abandoning her children to work as the VP. NO ONE OUTSIDE THE TABLOIDS IS MAKING THESE CRITICISMS! The problems serious people have with Palin are elsewhere. God I fucking hate this guy.
10:28-
10:29- Hockey Mom takes the stage.
10:31- Crowd still cheering.
10:32- Lots of HOCKEY MOMS 4 PALIN signs.
10:33- Still waiting for a hockey reference in the Governor's speech.
10:34- "There's a time for politics, and a time to put our country first." Well what the fuck are you doing? Did the convention drag all those women to the front of the arena to fight terrorists?
10:36- Young Bristol's hockey-playing fiance looks profoundly uncomfortable.
10:40- Still no hockey.
10:41- Something about being proud of America, unlike that angry Negress Michelle Obama.
10:42- FINALLY! "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." The folks yuk, the Red Wings fans go wild. Sarah Palin has introduced hockey to the United States, not unlike Dolly Madison introducing feathered turbans.
10:43- Heh, heh, "community organizer." They help dirty poor Negroes. Mayors in Alaska help white people!
10:44- The obligatory San Francisco reference. Obama despises working people.
10:47- She took on the good old boys! She's a reformer! She supported the Bridge to Nowhere!
10:50- She prides herself on using executive power to erase popular legislation.
10:50: SHE'S LYING! SHE SAYS SHE DIDN'T SUPPORT THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE WHEN SHE DID!
10:53- Sarah Palin wants to drill through the skull of a baby caribou.
10:54- Strangely, she doesn't mention nuclear power as a possible alternative source of energy. Obama did. France does it.
10:55- Lying again. Obama passed an ethics reform thingy and a thingy that makes government spending transparent for all to see. He's also authored legislation that would clamp down on the nuclear arms trade, though it hasn't passed.
10:56- What is it with Republicans and the Greek columns? Have they ever been to Washington DC? She's criticizing the roaring crowd that cheered Obama and absorbing cheers and roars from her own roaring and cheering crowd.
10:57- Lie, lie, lie, lie about Obama's energy policy and foreign policy. Say it enough times and it becomes true.
10:57- Accused "terrorists" don't have any rights! They're not human! HOORAY FOR TORTURE! Except for what happened to McCain, of course. The people who tortured McCain were sinister Fu Manchu Communists; we're Good People.
11:04- McCain was in the military, which means he should be President. Which means John Kerry and George McGovern should have been President. Which means...wait, serving in the military doesn't AUTOMATICALLY qualify you for the Presidency?
11:08- It's over. Wow. Three or four outright lies (I lost count) in one long batshit-crazy rant for the drooling base. She's gone from adorable moose-hunting hockey mom to total frothing-at-the-mouth tool in Mortimer Peacock's personal universe.
She likes to ban books. And she slashed funds for unwed teenage mothers. Class.
I reiterate:
Good God, Big Shooter's favorite man in the world, John Rich, is onstage with Cowboy Troy and Gretchen Wilson. I would so have that.
Hockey is Politics
So I'm watching coverage of the Republican National Convention on MSNBC (because I hate America and want to be ruled by an Islamic caliph who's also somehow a Marxist) and one of the floor correspondents is interviewing a self-described "hockey mom" from Michigan. Apparently most of the Michigan delegation are wearing Red Wings-style jerseys emblazoned with elephants.
Keith Olbermann says something about how Michigan folk love their hockey.
See, Anonymous? You can't separate the two.
In other news: Puck Daddy's getting hammered by witless goons who think that nothing ever has to do with anything else.
In other other news: Cops in St. Paul display nearly-Olympian tactics, "liberal media" doesn't pay much attention.
Keith Olbermann says something about how Michigan folk love their hockey.
See, Anonymous? You can't separate the two.
In other news: Puck Daddy's getting hammered by witless goons who think that nothing ever has to do with anything else.
In other other news: Cops in St. Paul display nearly-Olympian tactics, "liberal media" doesn't pay much attention.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
08-09 Preview: San Jose Sharks
You were expecting someone else to beat me to it? I'd actually love to hear from the other Chroniclers on the Sharks (that's what the comments section is for, I reckon), but for now:
The Sharks are at once predictable and unpredictable. Assuming that Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov don't have a total meltdown, they'll still be awesome this coming season. It'll be mighty interesting to see how the change of head coach will affect their play, both in style and in results (victories, losses, how far they make it in the play-offs). I'm a big Ron Wilson fan, and I'm still in official denial about him going to coach the Maple Leafs (simply isn't happening; the real Ron Wilson is enjoying Pina Coladas on the beach at Hilton Head), but it does look like he was having an adverse effect on the play of captain Patrick Marleau.
I predict Marleau will have a good season; I'll even be so bold as to predict he plays on the first line as Jumbo Joe's left wing instead of centering the second line. That job will probably go to young American Joe Pavelski. I feel bad about not mentioning him in my NHL Guide post on the Sharks, but I admonish you now, readers: Pay attention to Joe Pavelski. He's not dissimilar to Erik Christensen in that he's awesome on the shoot-out and is capable of some truly stunning goals...but he's young and it's uncertain just how good he'll become. In the cases of both Christensen and Pavelski, I predict sheer excellence this season. I can't wait for Pavelski to play for the USA in 2010.
Another young Shark to watch is, of course, Ryan Clowe. The simple fact is that Clowe is a beast: he body-checks and he scores quite a lot of goals when he's healthy. If Clowe can stay healthy, the Sharks are going to have serious scoring depth.
Milan Michalek is only going to get better. He's a guaranteed 20 goal scorer, and depending on which line he's on I think he's capable of 30.
Jonathan Cheechoo is something of a wild card because his success depends on A) him staying healthy and uninjured (he played a substantial portion of last year with a broken thumb, which tells you all you need to know about his commitment) and B) whether or not he plays with Joe Thornton. I didn't understand it when Ron Wilson split JT and JC up for a few games last year; they clearly have great chemistry and Thornton elevates Cheechoo's game like whoa.
Mike Grier will continue to be Mike Grier, and I predict another stellar season for the Greatest Man on the Planet, a.k.a. Jeremy Roenick. I can't wait for JR to have another campaign of dramatic/goofy game-winning goals. Hopefully at the end of the season we'll see Patrick Marleau pass him the Cup.
The Sharks have lost their top defensive pairing by trading Craig Rivet to Buffalo and losing Brian Campbell to free agency (not that there was ever a strong chance he'd stay). But they do have Dan Boyle, who while no Brian Campbell is a fine puck-shooting defenseman, and most importantly, they have Rob Blake.
It's going to be extremely interesting to see where Rob Blake fits into things this year. The main reason, perhaps the ONLY reason, Blake is there now is to win the Stanley Cup. Rob has a few already, and I think Doug Wilson is banking on him leading the (totally Cup-less, I think) team all the way through the post-season.
The rest of the Sharks defensive corps is pretty strong, I think: Vlasic, Ehrhoff, Murray, and some other people. And they have the finest and most tireless defenseman in the League in goal.
I predict the Sharks do finally make it to the third round of the play-offs this year. There, they'll probably face either the Red Wings or the Stars. Whether or not they win and move on the Stanley Cup Finals really depends on their veterans. It's all up to Rob Blake and Jeremy Roenick.
As it happens, I think these might be the lines:
Marleau-Thornton-Cheechoo
Michalek-Pavelski-Clowe
Shelley-Mitchell-Grier
Setoguchi-Goc-Roenick
That, ladies and gentlemen, is depth.
The Sharks are at once predictable and unpredictable. Assuming that Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov don't have a total meltdown, they'll still be awesome this coming season. It'll be mighty interesting to see how the change of head coach will affect their play, both in style and in results (victories, losses, how far they make it in the play-offs). I'm a big Ron Wilson fan, and I'm still in official denial about him going to coach the Maple Leafs (simply isn't happening; the real Ron Wilson is enjoying Pina Coladas on the beach at Hilton Head), but it does look like he was having an adverse effect on the play of captain Patrick Marleau.
I predict Marleau will have a good season; I'll even be so bold as to predict he plays on the first line as Jumbo Joe's left wing instead of centering the second line. That job will probably go to young American Joe Pavelski. I feel bad about not mentioning him in my NHL Guide post on the Sharks, but I admonish you now, readers: Pay attention to Joe Pavelski. He's not dissimilar to Erik Christensen in that he's awesome on the shoot-out and is capable of some truly stunning goals...but he's young and it's uncertain just how good he'll become. In the cases of both Christensen and Pavelski, I predict sheer excellence this season. I can't wait for Pavelski to play for the USA in 2010.
Another young Shark to watch is, of course, Ryan Clowe. The simple fact is that Clowe is a beast: he body-checks and he scores quite a lot of goals when he's healthy. If Clowe can stay healthy, the Sharks are going to have serious scoring depth.
Milan Michalek is only going to get better. He's a guaranteed 20 goal scorer, and depending on which line he's on I think he's capable of 30.
Jonathan Cheechoo is something of a wild card because his success depends on A) him staying healthy and uninjured (he played a substantial portion of last year with a broken thumb, which tells you all you need to know about his commitment) and B) whether or not he plays with Joe Thornton. I didn't understand it when Ron Wilson split JT and JC up for a few games last year; they clearly have great chemistry and Thornton elevates Cheechoo's game like whoa.
Mike Grier will continue to be Mike Grier, and I predict another stellar season for the Greatest Man on the Planet, a.k.a. Jeremy Roenick. I can't wait for JR to have another campaign of dramatic/goofy game-winning goals. Hopefully at the end of the season we'll see Patrick Marleau pass him the Cup.
The Sharks have lost their top defensive pairing by trading Craig Rivet to Buffalo and losing Brian Campbell to free agency (not that there was ever a strong chance he'd stay). But they do have Dan Boyle, who while no Brian Campbell is a fine puck-shooting defenseman, and most importantly, they have Rob Blake.
It's going to be extremely interesting to see where Rob Blake fits into things this year. The main reason, perhaps the ONLY reason, Blake is there now is to win the Stanley Cup. Rob has a few already, and I think Doug Wilson is banking on him leading the (totally Cup-less, I think) team all the way through the post-season.
The rest of the Sharks defensive corps is pretty strong, I think: Vlasic, Ehrhoff, Murray, and some other people. And they have the finest and most tireless defenseman in the League in goal.
I predict the Sharks do finally make it to the third round of the play-offs this year. There, they'll probably face either the Red Wings or the Stars. Whether or not they win and move on the Stanley Cup Finals really depends on their veterans. It's all up to Rob Blake and Jeremy Roenick.
As it happens, I think these might be the lines:
Marleau-Thornton-Cheechoo
Michalek-Pavelski-Clowe
Shelley-Mitchell-Grier
Setoguchi-Goc-Roenick
That, ladies and gentlemen, is depth.
Take A Look At This Great Read...
Sorry to knock our friend Monsieur Catalogues off the front page so soon (glad to see you posting!), but I wanted to make everyone aware of a surprising statistic.
Surprising to me at least. Just what am I talking about? Our friend Rawhide has written a wonderful post. Kind of funny that people have been kicking us all off-season and now we read something like this. I wouldn't have guessed it in a million years.
Surprising to me at least. Just what am I talking about? Our friend Rawhide has written a wonderful post. Kind of funny that people have been kicking us all off-season and now we read something like this. I wouldn't have guessed it in a million years.
Preview: Coyotes
I don't know. You know? I really like these guys. Mainly I like Peter Mueller alot. What's not to like about the Coyotes. I mean some famous hockey player is the head coach. I forget his name on occasion, maybe it'll come to me later. Anyways. You got guys like Shane Doan, Steven Reinprecht, Ed Jovanovski, Derek Morris, Peter Mueller, and our old friend from the Panthers Olli Jokinen. Also Ilya Bryzgalov ain't too shabby either.
Maybe we're in a new era of Coyotes. Old Winnipeg Jets if you recall, they just haven't been kickin it lately. Some of my favorite players in the NHL have been connected to the Coyotes one way or another: Teemu Selanne (obviously never played for Coyotes, but we do know what he did with the Jets), my personal favorite player Jeremy Roenick, and our once mercenary, Keith Tkachuk. So I have an affection to this team.
So can this team go far next year? Maybe. Getting Olli was pretty cool. I mean they're no Sharks or Red Wings or even Blackhawks in my opinion. But the Coyotes are the kind of team I really like. They were in that area last year like Edmonton and the Blackhawks, those "mid level" West Coast teams that are just so damn fun. Also, we can only hope the players can take a tip or two an tap into their head coach. What's his name........? I just can't remember. Wayne something or another.
I can only wonder who will do the Sharks post on here....hmm........
Maybe we're in a new era of Coyotes. Old Winnipeg Jets if you recall, they just haven't been kickin it lately. Some of my favorite players in the NHL have been connected to the Coyotes one way or another: Teemu Selanne (obviously never played for Coyotes, but we do know what he did with the Jets), my personal favorite player Jeremy Roenick, and our once mercenary, Keith Tkachuk. So I have an affection to this team.
So can this team go far next year? Maybe. Getting Olli was pretty cool. I mean they're no Sharks or Red Wings or even Blackhawks in my opinion. But the Coyotes are the kind of team I really like. They were in that area last year like Edmonton and the Blackhawks, those "mid level" West Coast teams that are just so damn fun. Also, we can only hope the players can take a tip or two an tap into their head coach. What's his name........? I just can't remember. Wayne something or another.
I can only wonder who will do the Sharks post on here....hmm........
2008-2009 Preview
Now that September is upon us, I thought it might be fun to take a look at one team each day and do a little preview of how they might look this year. This is similar to Razor's idea of taking a team a day and telling you our thoughts on them. But instead of a biased look at each team, this will be an honest preview of their talents. Just to show all of you how little we know about hockey.
If my fellow blog partners are on board, we will start with the Pacific division and work our way to the Southeast, ending with the Thrashers. If they aren't on board, then I'll just do it all myself!!
LA Kings:
With every team, it starts and ends with goaltending. That is why the Kings are set for life with Kelly Hurdey. Wait... what? It's not 1993, Hurdey isn't playing... he's been on TV the last 10 years! Melrose is coaching ANOTHER team in black? Gretzky doesn't play for us anymore, he is the coach of the Jets? What, the Jets are the Coyotes and they play in Phoenix?
Sadly for Kings fans, that is the reaction of the ownership in LA. They have been sleeping since '93. The Kings goalie issues remind me of our early years here in Atlanta. Perhaps they have finally found their goalie in Jonathan Bernier, problem is he just isn't ready yet. As everyone speculates, I suspect them to land the Bulin Wall. Seems like a perfect fit for one year anyway.
Defense they have young guns like Jack "Banana Pancakes" Johnson, and of course Doughty. I also really like Matt Greene, they got him in a trade with Edmonton. He will be solid. All in all, they got some real talent, but will have to wait a while to see the results.
Too bad they had to trade Mike Cammalleri, I'd love to have him on the Thrashers. Again, on offense the Kings have talent like Dustin Brown, O'Sullivan, and Kopitar. That is what you call building blocks. They just don't have the depth (sound familiar?). Dean Lombardi, in my opinion anyway, is a good GM but he makes sure to do things the slow way. Much of the Sharks success can be traced back to him. Hopefully he can do the same for the Kings, it just isn't going to be this year.
For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.
If my fellow blog partners are on board, we will start with the Pacific division and work our way to the Southeast, ending with the Thrashers. If they aren't on board, then I'll just do it all myself!!
LA Kings:
With every team, it starts and ends with goaltending. That is why the Kings are set for life with Kelly Hurdey. Wait... what? It's not 1993, Hurdey isn't playing... he's been on TV the last 10 years! Melrose is coaching ANOTHER team in black? Gretzky doesn't play for us anymore, he is the coach of the Jets? What, the Jets are the Coyotes and they play in Phoenix?
Sadly for Kings fans, that is the reaction of the ownership in LA. They have been sleeping since '93. The Kings goalie issues remind me of our early years here in Atlanta. Perhaps they have finally found their goalie in Jonathan Bernier, problem is he just isn't ready yet. As everyone speculates, I suspect them to land the Bulin Wall. Seems like a perfect fit for one year anyway.
Defense they have young guns like Jack "Banana Pancakes" Johnson, and of course Doughty. I also really like Matt Greene, they got him in a trade with Edmonton. He will be solid. All in all, they got some real talent, but will have to wait a while to see the results.
Too bad they had to trade Mike Cammalleri, I'd love to have him on the Thrashers. Again, on offense the Kings have talent like Dustin Brown, O'Sullivan, and Kopitar. That is what you call building blocks. They just don't have the depth (sound familiar?). Dean Lombardi, in my opinion anyway, is a good GM but he makes sure to do things the slow way. Much of the Sharks success can be traced back to him. Hopefully he can do the same for the Kings, it just isn't going to be this year.
For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Who are "Atlantans" and why do they hate hockey?
Minnesotan assembles a list of the Best and Worst Fans of the NHL, ranked from #30 to #1.
He's already pissed off several fan bases, it appears, ranging from the disciples of the Carolina Hurricanes to the beleaguered fans of the Detroit Red Wings. I'm not really interested in where Atlanta ranks (#26) or where anyone else ranks, for that matter. What interests and appalls me is that commentators like Derek Felska (Minnesotan's name) talk about fan attendance and "hockey markets" in a vacuum, as if there are no external factors that influence fan turn-out or local press coverage.
OF COURSE it's significant that Atlanta, Florida, Carolina, Phoenix etc. are "non-traditional hockey markets" somewhat unused to the game. And of course a losing record will keep fans away in a town where the press doesn't cover the hockey team very well. But this kind of "analysis" fails to take into account non-hockey factors like the state of the economy, the decline of newspaper readership and the downsizing caused by it, and the nearly parallel decline of local radio markets vis-a-vis satellite's world conquest. This holds true especially in a place like Detroit, where decades of economic decay have put a few dents in the Red Wings' attendance. But since the economic problems Detroit has faced for a long time now have become the entire country's problems, I suspect ticket sales around the country will take a serious hit this season. Not that they haven't taken a hit in the last few.
Perhaps the AJC would cover the Thrashers more if people still bought newspapers. Hockey is never going to be as big as college football around here; even if the Thrashers won the Stanley Cup the majority of the sports coverage would still go the Bulldogs. That's just a cultural difference between the American South and, say, Ontario. Atlanta does have plenty of hockey fans living in and around the metro area, though, and they would be more than enough to subsidize the AJC's coverage of the Thrashers if newspaper weren't in such a bad way right now. More than in a bad way; they're on an irreversible decline. As newspapers dry up, so dries up Thrashers coverage in the traditional media. The same is true of radio.
But there's hope, hockey fans. You see, I've heard about this new invention called the Internet, and I'm aware there's a serious market for hockey coverage thereabouts. I suggest you look into it.
He's already pissed off several fan bases, it appears, ranging from the disciples of the Carolina Hurricanes to the beleaguered fans of the Detroit Red Wings. I'm not really interested in where Atlanta ranks (#26) or where anyone else ranks, for that matter. What interests and appalls me is that commentators like Derek Felska (Minnesotan's name) talk about fan attendance and "hockey markets" in a vacuum, as if there are no external factors that influence fan turn-out or local press coverage.
OF COURSE it's significant that Atlanta, Florida, Carolina, Phoenix etc. are "non-traditional hockey markets" somewhat unused to the game. And of course a losing record will keep fans away in a town where the press doesn't cover the hockey team very well. But this kind of "analysis" fails to take into account non-hockey factors like the state of the economy, the decline of newspaper readership and the downsizing caused by it, and the nearly parallel decline of local radio markets vis-a-vis satellite's world conquest. This holds true especially in a place like Detroit, where decades of economic decay have put a few dents in the Red Wings' attendance. But since the economic problems Detroit has faced for a long time now have become the entire country's problems, I suspect ticket sales around the country will take a serious hit this season. Not that they haven't taken a hit in the last few.
Perhaps the AJC would cover the Thrashers more if people still bought newspapers. Hockey is never going to be as big as college football around here; even if the Thrashers won the Stanley Cup the majority of the sports coverage would still go the Bulldogs. That's just a cultural difference between the American South and, say, Ontario. Atlanta does have plenty of hockey fans living in and around the metro area, though, and they would be more than enough to subsidize the AJC's coverage of the Thrashers if newspaper weren't in such a bad way right now. More than in a bad way; they're on an irreversible decline. As newspapers dry up, so dries up Thrashers coverage in the traditional media. The same is true of radio.
But there's hope, hockey fans. You see, I've heard about this new invention called the Internet, and I'm aware there's a serious market for hockey coverage thereabouts. I suggest you look into it.
Un Coup d'Etat Toujours Abolira le Hasard
NEWS!
- Big Shooter reporting August has officially ended.
- Mats Sundin trying to come to terms with himself. All Vancouver prays; everyone else taps their right foot.
- The Finnish Flash tells us (in Finnish) that he will play another year in Anaheim. Hooray! One more chance for me to see both him and Joe Sakic in action.
- Gustav a bastard but not a totally calamitous motherfucker. So far.
- Hanna to Georgia? Look out Savannah.
- Then there's this tropical storm.
- Not to be confused with tropical 'strom.
- American Falange, in Anno VIII of its existence, holds giant party in front of giant TV screen showing image of giant American flag.
- Methods of Big Event security in the United States of America and in the People's Republic of China continue to converge.
- I'm trying to restrain myself from writing about Sarah Palin's daughter. Thing is, it's not relevant to anything, is it? I feel bad for Bristol, and I hope the father is a suitable young man. I just wonder what this says about the supposed virtues of abstinence-only classes...Anyway, I find this infinitely more disturbing:
Q: Are you offended by the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?
- Big Shooter reporting August has officially ended.
- Mats Sundin trying to come to terms with himself. All Vancouver prays; everyone else taps their right foot.
- The Finnish Flash tells us (in Finnish) that he will play another year in Anaheim. Hooray! One more chance for me to see both him and Joe Sakic in action.
- Gustav a bastard but not a totally calamitous motherfucker. So far.
- Hanna to Georgia? Look out Savannah.
- Then there's this tropical storm.
- Not to be confused with tropical 'strom.
- American Falange, in Anno VIII of its existence, holds giant party in front of giant TV screen showing image of giant American flag.
- Methods of Big Event security in the United States of America and in the People's Republic of China continue to converge.
- I'm trying to restrain myself from writing about Sarah Palin's daughter. Thing is, it's not relevant to anything, is it? I feel bad for Bristol, and I hope the father is a suitable young man. I just wonder what this says about the supposed virtues of abstinence-only classes...Anyway, I find this infinitely more disturbing:
Q: Are you offended by the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?
PALIN: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.
God help us.- And finally, my favorite story of the day, possibly the decade: Jogger attacked by kangaroo. Currently in hospital.
Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead...
August that is. The only thing better than ringing in September is ringing in October. Well, we aren't quite there yet, but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Training camp is a few weeks off yet, and even that isn't all that exciting to me. But it is something at least.
I suspect we will make some sort of trade during training camp. Isn't it amazing how one player (Sundin) is holding up so much action? I still say if he plays he goes back to the Leafs. Maybe when that happens we can pick off someone on a team in cap trouble. I think as of right now we have an improved team, and will possibly compete for a playoff spot, but I think most of us would be happy with a least one more move (assuming it is a good one of course!).
Just out of curiosity, has anyone been to the Taco Mac at the arena yet? I've heard it is pretty cool, and I plan on spending my share of time there this year!
I suspect we will make some sort of trade during training camp. Isn't it amazing how one player (Sundin) is holding up so much action? I still say if he plays he goes back to the Leafs. Maybe when that happens we can pick off someone on a team in cap trouble. I think as of right now we have an improved team, and will possibly compete for a playoff spot, but I think most of us would be happy with a least one more move (assuming it is a good one of course!).
Just out of curiosity, has anyone been to the Taco Mac at the arena yet? I've heard it is pretty cool, and I plan on spending my share of time there this year!
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