6 Week Hiatus

Just a service announcement:

I will be on vacation for the next 6 weeks or so. I just recently posted a few new articles that'll hopefully entertain my audience during my absence. One about this years playoffs, one about the safety of the NHL through the eyes of Paul Kariya, and one about the NHL if there's an NBA and/or NFL lockout. In the mean time, I know there are still free agents being signed and trades being made. I have been posting as best to my ability a team-by-team list of signings and trades. That list has been updated through Monday July 4th at 7 PM. Here's a link though from NHL.com that continuously is updating the list. http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=69926&intcmpid=nhln-button

So have an enjoyable summer.

2011 NHL Playoffs Recap

Note: In case you missed it, here is my summary of the 2011 NHL playoffs!

When thinking about what to write about these NHL playoffs, I realized how great they were this year. It had classic overtime thrillers and low scoring matches and there wasn’t a game that was lacking in action. In addition, there were four first round series that went the distance. 3 of the 4 7 game series were from the Eastern Conference. The one Western Conference series we saw the Blackhawks almost come back from down 3 games to none and forced a game 7 in Vancouver. That game 7 was probably the best game of the first round playoffs and saw a late game tying goal by Jonathan Toews to send the game to overtime. There, Alex Burrows scored the goal for Vancouver and the Canucks finally beat the Blackhawks in the playoffs (who have beaten them the previous 2 years in the first round).

The great first round series with the Canadiens and the Bruins was also an instant classic. The Canadiens too tied the game late on the powerplay and sent the game into overtime. There, Nathan Horton scored the goal for Boston and ended the series between these 2 great rivals.

The Penguins were leading the series against the Lightning 3 games to 1 before Steven Stamkos came alive and brought the Lightning back in the series before Dwayne Roloson shut out the Pens in game 7.

The Flyers also won their series in 7 games.

So the first round in all, their were 9 days in a row of overtime games and 14 games in all. This is 1 short of the record that was set in 2001 when there were 15 overtime games in the first round. Their four game 7’s were a rarity as well. 

Though the second round wasn’t as magical, it still had its moments. The Nashville Predators made everyone believe in them against the favoured Vancouver team. You wanted the series to go 7 games just so the Preds would have a chance at the upset but the Canucks were able to finish up their business in 6 games.

The Sharks almost choked again in the playoffs, this time almost blowing a 3 games to none lead against the Detroit Red Wings. The historic Red Wings battled well and just barely lost the game 7 in San Jose’.

The Eastern Conference series finished pretty quickly. The Capitals continued their playoff struggles and Tampa Bay walked all over them and swept the series.

Last year the Flyers came back against Boston from down 3 games to none and won the series. This year they found themselves down 3 games to none once again but Boston made sure to win the series in 4.

In the Conference finals, The Canucks and the Sharks were both facing ‘choking’ tendencies that they would have to overcome. The Canucks started off strong and won the first 2 games convincingly. The Sharks put up a fight for games 3 and 4 but only managed to win one of those games and Vancouver went on to win in 5 games.

The Lightning were hot and were on a 7 game winning streak going into the series with Boston. The series went back and forth with both teams gaining and losing momentum. At the end of the day, however, the Bruins were just too strong and beat the Lightning in 7 games.

This set up a historic Stanley Cup Finals matchup. The Boston Bruins, a team who won their last Stanley Cup in 1972, and the Vancouver Canucks, a team that hasn’t won a cup in their existence, since 1970.

Game 1 was very close and it took 59 minutes and 42 seconds for the first goal to be scored. The Canucks cast the first stone of the series. And now you suspected how the series was going to go. Most likely it would be a very low scoring series with great goaltender. If you thought that, you’d be correct with a little less than half of the games.

In game 2, it was still pretty low scoring. The teams went back and forth exchanging leads and the game eventually went to overtime. Just 11 seconds into the extra frame, Tim Thomas gives up a goal he would like to have back and Alex Burrows’ wrap-around gave the Canucks a solid 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 was when it all changed. Aaron Rome, a defenseman on the Canucks, leveled Nathan Horton of the Bruins. Horton wasn’t moving for several minutes and the Bruin fans were upset and once the game continued they rallied behind their team and perhaps gave them the extra push they needed.

And because of the change of attitude of the Bruin players and fans because of the giant hit (which resulted in the suspension of Rome, and the ‘severe’ concussion for Horton which ended his series), the Bruins routed the Canucks on home ice in games 3 and games 4 and outscored them 12-1 in those 2 games.

So now you’d think the Bruins will easily win the next two games and get the cup right?

Well the Canucks were able to muster up another 1 goal win on home ice.

So back in Boston, the Canucks struggled again and lost 5-2.

This set up a highly anticipated game 7 matchup. This game brought in the most views for a game 7 hockey game since 2003 where a New Yorkmarket team (the Devils) faced off against a Los Angeles market team (the Mighty Ducks). Not only that, THE VIEWS FROM CANADA DON’T FACTOR INTO THIS. The Canadian channel (CBC) was not connected to the views of that from NBC, the channel that had the game in America. So the fact that there was a Canadian team in the game and the viewers north of the border didn’t even factor into the equation is something remarkable for the NHL.  The reason for this climb was because of the lovely fans from Boston. In Boston, game 7 had a 43.4 rating and a 64 share (meaning that 64% of televisions in Boston were tuned in for game 7). This was the best rating for a hockey game in Boston AND, get this, it was the most viewed sporting program featuring a Boston team since the Patriot’s Super Bowl. And wait, it doesn’t stop there. The average views from the 7 games (INCLUDING the 2 games that was on Versus which is not a big market channel) were HIGHER than the average of the 7 games of the NBA finals when the Celtics were involved. Once again, another sign that hockey is making a comeback.

So back to the game. The first period of game 7 was one of the most action-packed periods of the playoffs. Vancouver did a pretty good job controlling play while both teams had their fair share of chances. Then the Bruins attacked. First it was Patrice Bergeron, and then eventually, the pest, Brad Marchand, got a goal as well. And before you knew it, the Bruins were ahead 4-0 and would go on to win the game.

And then of course there was celebrating on one end and rioting and sadness on the other.

So to sum up the last few weeks of playoff action I’ll say this:

There was goal scoring, there were great saves, there were hard hits. Also, there were some cheap shots, some suspensions, and some diving. But at the end of the day hockey is hockey. And this year, I truly believe, we saw hockey at its best.

Paul Kariya Announces Retirement; questions safety in the NHL

Perhaps one of my most read article on this site is the one I wrote about the role of fighting in the NHL. I hypothesized that the reason for this was because people who might not follow hockey so closely (or even people who are avid fans of the game) want a better understanding of why our sport is so violent. So in that article I tried to bring some light to the matter of this controversial topic.

Well the debate continues.

Paul Kariya recently announced his retirement from the NHL. He played 15 NHL seasons and averaged EXACTLY a point a game (989 points in 989 games). He was one of the most respected players in the league. The perfect combination of speed, skill, leadership, and love for the sport. He won 2 Lady Byng Awards for displaying proper sportsmanship while competing at a high level of play, he was in the All Star Game 6 times and even won the Olympic Gold Medal with Canada in 2002. He was a fan favorite in the cities he played in (Anaheim, Colorado, Nashville, and St. Louis) and demonstrated his skill throughout his career.

Unfortunately, Paul Kariya's career was filled with dirty hits and cheap shots that left him concussed multiple times in his career. He even openly criticized the NHL about their discipline for these matters. He even had to sit out the 2010-2011 season because he wanted to rehabilitate from the concussion symptoms he had from this unnecessary dirty elbow from Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta. Doctors told him his brain function was down to 50 percent at the beginning of the year and that led to the decision to sit this year out. But at the end of the season, doctors told him it'd be best to retire completely from the game. "After two-and-a-half months, I saw a 40-50 per cent improvement, but the scans were still showing braining damage. After five months, I was up to 80 cent. As spring came around, and teams started calling, I went back to the doctor, but he said, ‘Paul, there’s just no way you can play again. You’re still too vulnerable to another concussion.’”


Kariya went on to explain how concussions are unique injury in the sense that there are no visible problems with the person. The player can very easily say "I feel fine and I want to play" and there'd be no way of knowing if he was really in good enough condition to play (as evident to Nathan Horton this past Stanley Cup Final game 7). 


Now the NHL did make a rule change a few weeks ago. They changed the wording to a rule to try to make the game more safe. The rule now says “any hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is no longer permitted.” 


But Kariya still isn't satisfied. Patrick Kaleta didn't even receive a suspension when he injured Kariya. “If you start at 10-game suspensions and go to 20, that sends a message to the players. But if you start fining the owners and suspending the coach, then it’s out of the game.” 


To me Kariya is the perfect example of someone who has to work in the NHL office. He's been abused in the league for his size and has been on the wrong side of too many dirty hits (1998 from Gary Suter). And now he wants to change the game to make it more safe.


My fondest memory of Paul Kariya came in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals when his Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were taking on my New Jersey Devils. In game 6 with his team facing elimination, Kariya was decked by Scott Stevens in a controversial hit (according to the rules nowadays, it was a legal-ish hit. While it was late, and Kariya didn't have the puck, the rule book states "the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was unavoidable, can be considered." Kariya was tracking the puck after he passed it leaving him in a totally vulnerable state and he paid the price.). Well Kariya returned to the game after several minutes in the locker room and what he did can't be expressed in words. 

Simply one of the most magical moments in hockey fully equipped with the memorable "OFF THE FLOOR! ON THE BOARD" call. 


Well to sum it up, I would not be surprised if Kariya gets a job in the NHL offices to help deal with head shot issues. The NHL already has former NHL star Brendan Shanahan in the disciplinary committee and if Kariya joins him, a lot of good will be done for the league. 


Hockey is already a dangerous sport. Hopefully Kariya will help make it less dangerous.

What Hockey Has To Do In Case of Lockouts

To start off I’d like to say I’m a football fan and if there’s nothing to do on a week night, I’m a basketball fan as well. But I’m no bona fide expert in either sport and I have not studied the possibilities of either sport having a work stoppage in the 2011-2012 season. What I do know is that many people are worried that there WILL in fact be a lockout in at least one and or the other sport. So my job is not going to be to talk about the effect that will no doubt happen to the aforementioned sports. I lived through a lockout myself. When I was 10, I saw hockey go through a difficult time and the controversial lockout of their own. I remember how alone I felt in the world with nothing but EA Sports NHL 2005 to comfort me.

So to you die-hard football and basketball fans I will say this: I have an idea what you’re going through and I wish you luck. This article is nothing personal, but it’d be easier for me to write this as if it’s a fact that both football AND basketball have work stoppages for their upcoming seasons. That is all.

After the crippling 2005 lockout, the NHL has made a legitimate recovery. Rule changes to increase the scoring were made and they’ve been trying to make the game more likeable by the casual fan. Now while the true fans of the game, the fans that stuck it through the lockout, may not like the “new” NHL, I have to admit, they have made changes for the better. Their advertising has been ridiculously good and their new approach of “selling the players” has been flawless in drawing in fans. 

While what they’ve been doing has really increased the interest in the sport, they have an ideal opportunity for next year. It is no secret that the NHL and the NBA have been sporting rivals for a long time. They’ve been battling for fans for quite some time and the competition escalated with the ever famous Sports Illustrated cover in 1994. So now, if there’s no NBA or even NFL season, the NHL has got to improve their game even further. 

I think they already started improving. They changed their head of disciplinary actions to Brendan Shanahan and gave guys like, guys that played in the league themselves, more power of the head office. An example of a good change in the NHL was the most recent NHL All Star game. For those of you who don’t know, instead of having the usual meaningless East vs. West matchup, they instead appointed 2 captains and had a draft with all of the All Stars involved. The event was a complete success. Not only was the game itself exciting to watch, but watching the draft itself was an exciting event. You really saw the players’ personalities which is something the NHL should strive more. Players like Crosby and Ovechkin have such a big following because of their personalities AND because of their skills. People adore Crosby’s laid back/shy/humble-ish style while people adore Ovechkin’s sense of humor and showmanship. I may hate these players on the ice but I do respect what they’re doing to the league.

The most important thing for the NHL to think about though during the offseason is that too much change can be a bad thing. According to some, they over-changed the game after the 2005 lockout and the game isn’t as exciting (which has some truth to it). One unique aspect of the NHL that differs from basketball and other sports is that the players control the pace of the game. NBA games are constantly being controlled by the referees and at times can be irritating to watch. Players in the NHL are given enough allowance to fight back and the referees know when to break it up. The referees are allowed to use discretion in hockey for this reason, the game runs smoothly. The NHL has to continue giving the refs the leeway they need to continue doing their job.

I’ve been impressed with the growth of the NHL and the way they adapted to the new day in age. I’m sure they won’t mess up this opportunity.

Hayden Panettiere and ours

One last proof the NHL is better than the NBA though.

Where has you trophy been? We know where ours has.

Mark Cuban and their trophy

Team-By-Team List of Transactions

UPDATED THROUGH JULY 4TH AT 7 PM


Anaheim Ducks

-traded defenseman Andy Sutton to Edmonton for defenseman Kurtis Foster
-signed forward Andrew Gordon to a 2 year deal

Boston Bruins

-signed Benoit Pouliot with a 1 year deal

Buffalo Sabres

-traded for Christian Ehrhoff's negotiating rights to the Islanders with a draft pick

-re-signed forward Nathan Gerbe to multi-year deal

-traded away defenseman Steve Montador's negotiating rights to the Chicago Blackhawks for a draft pick

-signed defenseman Christian Ehrhoff with a 10 year deal

-re-signed forward Cody McCormick to a multi-year deal

-signed forward Ville Leino for 6 years

Calgary Flames

-re-signed forward Alex Tanguay to a 5 year deal

-signed defenseman Chris Butler to a 2 year deal

-signed defenseman Anton Babchuk to a 2 year deal

Carolina Hurricanes

-re-signed defenseman Joni Pitkanen to a 3 year deal

-re-signed forward Chad Larose to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Patrick Dwyer on a 2 year deal

-re-signed forward Jussi Jokinen to a 3 year deal

-signed forward Jiri Tlusty to a 1 year deal

-signed goalie Brian Boucher to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Alexi Ponikarovsky to a 1 year deal
-signed forward Tim Brent to a 2 year deal
-signed forward Anthony Stewart to a 2 year deal

Chicago Blackhawks

-traded forward Tomas Kopecky to the Florida Panthers for a draft pick

-traded defenseman Brian Campbell to the Florida Panthers for forward Rostislav Olesz

-traded forward Troy Brouwer to the Washington Capitals for a draft pick

-signed forward Andrew Brunette to a 1 year contract

-signed forward Jamal Mayers to a 1 year contract

-signed forward Brett McLean to a 1 year contract

-signed defenseman Sean O' Donnell to a 1 year contract

-signed defenseman Steve Montador to a 4 year contract

Colorado Avalanche

-re-sign forward David Jones to a 1 year deal

-traded defenseman John-Michael Liles to the Maple Leafs for a draft pick

-signed defenseman Jan Hejda to a 4 year deal

-traded 2 draft picks to the Washington Capitals for goalie Semyon Varlamov

-signed defenseman Ryan O'Byrne to a 2 year deal

-signed goalie Semyon Varlamov to a 2 year deal

-signed defenseman Chuck Kobasew to a 2 year deal

-signed goalie John-Sebastain Giguere to a 2 year deal

Colombus Blue Jackets

-traded for defenseman James Wisniewski's negotiating rights to Montreal for a draft pick

-traded Jakub Voracek and 2 draft picks to the Flyers for forward Jeff Carter

-signed defenseman James Wisniewski to a 6 year deal

Dallas Stars

-signed forward Michael Ryder to a 2 year deal

-signed forawrd Radek Dvorak to a 1 year deal

-signed defenseman Adam Pardy to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Vernon Fidler to a 3 year deal

-re-signed defenseman Brad Lukowich to a 1 year deal

-signed defenseman Sheldon Souray for 1 year

-signed forward Daniel Carcillo to a 1 year deal

Detroit Red Wings

-after showing interest in forward Jaromir Jagr, dropped out of the race for him today

-signed forward Mike Commodore to a 1 year deal

-re-signed forward Patrick Eaves to a 3 year deal

-re-signed forward Drew Miller to a 2 year deal

-re-signed defenseman Jonathan Ericsson to a 3 year deal
-signed defenseman Ian White to a 2 year deal

Edmonton Oilers

-traded forward Colin Fraser and a draft pick for forward Ryan Smyth

-re-signed Ladislav Smid to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Ben Eager to a 3 year deal

-signed defenseman Cam Barker to a 1 year deal

-signed defenseman Darcy Hordichuk to a 1 year deal

-signed forward Eric Belanger to a 1 year deal

-traded defenseman Kurtis Foster to Anaheim for defenseman Andy Sutton
-signed first round draft pick (1st overall) forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a 3 year contract
-re-signed defenseman Theo Peckham to a 1 year deal

Florida Panthers

-traded a draft pick to Chicago for forward Tomas Kopecky

-traded Rostislav Olesz to Chicago for defenseman Brian Campbell

-signed defenseman Ed Jovanovski to a 4 year contract

-signed forward Marcell Goc to a 3 year deal

-signed goalie Jose' Theodore to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Scottie Upshall to a 4 year deal

-traded 2 draft picks to Philadelphia for forward Kris Versteeg

-signed forward Tomas Fleischmann to a 4 year deal
-signed forward Sean Bergenheim to a 4 year deal

-signed forward Matt Bradley to a a 2 year deal

Los Angeles Kings

-traded forward Ryan Smyth to Edmonton for forward Colin Fraser and a draft pick

-traded forward Wayne Simmonds, forward Brayden Schenn, and a draft pick to Philadelphia for forward Mike Richards
-signed forward Simon Gagne to a 2 year deal

Minnesota Wild

-traded a draft pick to Philadelphia for forward Darrel Powe

-traded a draft pick and defenseman Brent Burns to San Jose' for forward Devin Setoguchi

-re-signed goalie Josh Harding to a 1 year deal
-signed forward Jed Ortmeyer to a 1 year deal
-traded star forward Martin Havlat to San Jose' for forward Dany Heatley

Montreal Canadiens

-traded negotiating rights of defenseman James Wisniewski to Columbus for a draft pick

-re-signed defenseman Andrei Markov to a 3 year deal

-signed goalie Peter Budaj to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Eric Cole to a 2 year deal

-re-sign forward Yannick Weber to a 2 year deal

Nashville Predators

-got in trouble with 7 players because it went against the CBA (or something) because of Qualifying Offers they made

-traded forward Matthew Lombardi and defenseman Cody Franson to Toronto for a minor league forward and defenseman Brett Lebda
-signed forward Niclas Bergfors to a 1 year deal

New Jersey Devils

-re-signed defenseman Andy Greene to a 4 year deal

-re-signed goalie Johan Hedberg to a 1 year deal

New York Islanders

-1 day after trading a draft pick FOR defenseman Christian Ehrhoff's rights, they trade them to Buffalo for a draft pick

-re-signed forward Marty Reasoner to a 2 year deal

New York Rangers

-signed forward Mike Rupp to a 3 year deal

-bought out the rest of forward Chris Drury's contract
-signed sought after forward Brad Richards to a 9 year deal
-re-signed forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a 1 year deal

Ottawa Senators

-signed goalie Alex Auld to a 1 year deal

Philadelphia Flyers

-traded Darrel Powe to Minnesota for a draft pick

-traded forward Jeff Carter to Colombus for forward Jakob Voracek and 2 draft picks

-traded forward Mike Richards to Los Angeles for forwards Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, and a draft pick

-signed goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a 9 year deal

-signed sought after legend forward Jaromir Jagr to a 1 year deal

-signed forward Jakub Voracek to a 1 year deal

-signed defenseman Andreas Lilja to a 3 year deal

-signed forward Max Talbot to a 5 year deal

Phoenix Coyotes

-re-signed forward Radim Vrbata to a 3 year deal

-signed goalie Mike Smith to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Raffi Torres to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Boyd Gordon to a 2 year deal
-signed goalie Curtis McElhinney to a 1 year deal
-signed defenseman Tyler Eckford to a 1 year deal

Pittsburgh Penguins

-signed forward Arron Asham to a 1 year deal

-offered forward Jaromir Jagr a 1 year deal but the Penguins eventually withdrew the offer and dropped out from the hunt to get him

-re-signed forward Pascal Dupuis to a 2 year deal

-re-signed forward Tyler Kennedy to a 2 year deal

-signed forward Steve Sullivan to a 1 year deal

St. Louis Blues

-re-signed forward T.J. Oshie to a 1 year deal

-re-signed forward Adam Cracknell to a 1 year deal

-re-signed forward Matt D'Agostini to a 2 year deal

-signed goalie Brian Elliot to a 2 year deal
-signed defenseman Kent Huskins to a 1 year deal

San Jose' Sharks

-re-signed forward Devin Setoguchi to a 3 year deal

-traded forward Devin Setoguchi to Minnesota for defenseman Brent Burns and a draft pick

-re-signed forward Andrew Desjardins to a 1 year deal

-re-signed forward Jamie McGinn to a 1 year deal
-signed defenseman Jim Vandermeer to a 1 year deal
-signed forward Michal Handzus to a 2 year deal
-traded star forward Dany Heatley to Minnesota for forward Martin Havlat

Tampa Bay Lightning

-sign defenseman Bruno Gervais to a 1 year deal

-re-sign defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron to a 2 year deal

-re-sign forward Adam Hall to a 1 year deal

-re-sign goalie Dwayne Roloson to a 1 year deal

-sign forward Michel Ouellet to a 1 year deal

-sign goalie Mathieu Garon to a 1 year deal

-signed defenseman Matt Gilroy to a 1 year deal

Toronto Maple Leafs

-signed forward Tim Connolly to a 2 year deal
-traded a minor league forward and defenseman Brett Lebda to Nashville for forward Matthew Lombardi and defenseman Cody Franson

Washington Capitals

-re-signed forward Brooks Laich to a 6 year deal

-traded a first round pick to Chicago for forward Troy Brouwer

-signed forward Joel Ward to a 4 year deal

-signed defenseman Roman Hamrlik to a 2 year deal

-traded goalie Semyon Varlamov to Colorado for 2 draft picks

-signed forward Jeff Halpern to a 1 year deal
-signed goalie Tomas Vokoun to a 1 year deal

Winnipeg Jets
-signed forward Tanner Glass to a 1 year deal
-signed forward Randy Jones to a 1 year deal
-signed forward Rick Rypien to a 1 year deal

Vancouver Canucks

-signed forward Marco Sturm to a 1 year deal

-re-sign defenseman Sami Salo to a 1 year deal

-re-signed forward Chris Higgins to a 2 year deal

-re-signed defenseman Andrew Alberts to a 2 year deal

-re-signed forward Maxim Lapierre to a 2 year deal

-traded negotiating rights of defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to the Islanders for a draft pick

Post Coming Up Later Today

Today is an extremely busing day with players being signed every few minutes seemingly. I'll hopefully have a list up later on today of all the trades and big signings from around the league.