Going Further East

Yesterday, we took a look at the opening games for the Western Conference in the 2011 KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs. One team, SKA Saint Petersburg, had already moved on to the second round after sweeping Spartak Moscow, but the other three series were still on-going. I didn't look at the four series in the Eastern Conference that began on Thursday, so tonight would be an appropriate time to update those skirmishes. One of these teams will represent the Eastern Conference in the Gagarin Cup final, so let's take a look at who is marching towards glory!

(1) Avangard Omsk Oblast vs. (8) Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk

Avangard was the top team in the KHL this season after having amassed 118 points in 54 games, so there wasn't much hope for Neftekhimik when this series started on Thursday night as 43 points separated these teams in the standings. However, an early goal by Igor Polygalov put the underdogs up just nine minutes into the game! Neftekhimik battled hard and refused to give up any chances through most of the game, but Avangard finally broke through just 54 seconds into the third period. Alexei Kaluzhny scored for Avangard, and the game was tied at 1-1. The two teams continued to play stingy defence, and we were off to overtime after sixty minutes. Just 4:19 into the extra frame, Igor Polygalov notched his second of the night past former NHL goaltender Karri Ramo, and Neftekhimik recorded the 2-1 overtime victory in Game One!

Game Two went on Friday night, and we saw more of the same defensive play in the second act of this series. In fact, both teams held each other at bay through all three periods, sending the game to overtime tied 0-0 as both Karri Ramo and Neftekhimik's Ivan Kasutin were perfect through sixty minutes! It didn't takevery long to decide a winner once overtime started, though. Avangard's Dmitry Semin put the puck behind Kasutin, and Avangard recorded the 1-0 overtime victory in Game Two to even the series at 1-1.

With the series heading back to Omsk on Sunday, there was some concern on the Avangard side about their play. More goals would be needed if the team was to succeed, and we got to see a few more in Game Three. Niklas Persson opened the scoring for Neftekhimik with a shorthanded marker just 2:52 in, but that deficit would be erased by Igor Volkov six minutes later. Renat Mamashev put Neftekhimik up by one goal 2:15 into the second period, but Avangard responded five minutes later when Yegor Averin wired home his first of the playoffs. With less than three minutes left in the second period, Neftekhimik's Libor Pivko deposited another puck behind Karri Ramo as Neftekhimik closed out the period up 3-2. Solid defence was played the rest of the way, and Neftekhimik closed out Game Three with the 3-2 victory to go up 2-1 in the series.

Game Four saw one of the poster children for the KHL come alive. Avangard's Jaromir Jagr, who had been held pointless in the first three games, set up two goals on this night. Avangard's Roman Cervenka also added a pair of helpers as three different scorers found the back of the net for Avangard on Monday. Pavel Brendl was the only player to beat Ramo on this night, and Avangard skated to the 3-1 victory. Once again, the series was tied, and the 2-2 deadlock meant that this series was now a best-of-three!

Game Five of this series is set for Wednesday, March 3, and Game Six appears to be scheduled for Friday. If a Game Seven is necessary, we're looking at a Saturday or Sunday date for that game.

You have to think that Avangard will break pout of their funk and start scoring some goals on Neftekhimik. However, I really like the job that Neftekhimik is doing in neutralizing Avangard's scorers, especially Jaromir Jagr. If Neftekhimik can keep this up, we might see another upset! I'm pulling for Neftekhimik in this one just to see if I can predict both first-seeded teams eliminated in the first round!

(2) Ak Bars Kazan vs. (7) Barys Astana

Kazan are the defending Gagarin Cup Champions, and are looking to make it three KHL Championships in a row! Standing between them and glory are Barys Astana from Astana, Kazakhstan. Game One, like the series above, was a defence-first game as the two teams combined for one goal. Yep, just one. Barys' Vitaly Yeremeyev played an outstanding game, but he was the goaltender who allowed the one goal. Kazan's Jarkko Immonen scored at 13:34 of the first period, and it was all the offence that Petri Vehanen needed as he shut the door on Barys. Ak Bars Kazan win the game by a 1-0 score, and go up in the series 1-0.

Game Two on Friday saw Kazan treat Barys in the same fashion as they did in Game One. Goals by Alexei Morozov, Marcel Hossa, and Alexei Tereshchenko powered Kazan to a second straight victory. How was this game the same, you ask? Petri Vehanen pitched his second straight shutout in backstopping Kazan to the 3-0 victory. It doesn't look promising for Barys when they have yet to record a goal in two playoff games. Kazan jumps ahead 2-0 in the series with the victory.

Sunday's Game Three saw Kazan rolling again as they took Barys to the woodshed. Kazan hung half a dozen goals on Barys as Janne Pesonen, Danis Zaripov, Jarkko Immonen, and Grigory Panin all scored singles while Alexei Morozov recorded a pair of goals. Morozov finished the night with four points, and Evgeny Medvedev had a pair of helpers. Petri Vehanen was looking for his third straight shutout, but his bid to open a playoff series with three straight blankings ended when Lukas Kaspar scored a powerplay goal at 3:04 of the third period for Barys. If you're keeping track at home, that 163:04 of shutout hockey that Vehanen had going. Kazan rolls to the 6-1 victory in Game Three, and Barys found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 series deficit.

Game Four has already been completed, and I can tell you that the champs are marching onward. Kazan jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Danis Zaripov and Alexei Tarashchenkov, but Barys made this one interesting. A powerplay goal at the end of the second period by Maxim Khudyakov made it a 2-1 game, and then a shorthanded marker 4:33 into the third period from Roman Starchenko squared the game at 2-2. Less than two minutes later, Zaripov scored again, and Kazan was back up 3-2. With 32 seconds remaining and Barys' Jeff Glass sitting on the bench for an extra attacker, Kazan iced the game and series when Niko Kapanen scored into the vacant net. Kazan wins Game Four by a 4-2 score, and sweeps the series against Barys Astana.

No additional games or predictions are needed as Kazan now gets some precious time to rest up and get ready for the second round as they look to three-peat as KHL Champions!

(3) Salavat Yulaev Ufa vs. (6) Sibir Novosibirsk

Salavat and Sibir may have finished third and sixth in the conference, but the 26-point difference between the two teams became obvious as this series progressed. Game One on Thursday night saw Salavat build a 5-0 before Sibir woke up. Two goals each by Petr Schastlivy and Igor Grigorenko along with a single by Vladimir Anitpov had Salavat up 5-0 with 18 minutes to play. A couple of late goals by Sibir only took some shine off the win as Salavat cruised to the 5-2 victory, and moved to a 1-0 series lead.

Game Two on Friday night saw Sibir jump out in front as Stepan Sannikov scored 4:20 into the second period to open the scoring. That would be the last lead in the game that Sibir would have as Petr Schastlivy, Igor Grigorenko, and Kirill Koltsov scored for Salavat to lead them to a second straight win. Former LA King netminder Erik Ersberg stopped 25 of 26 shots for his second win as Salavat moved to a 2-0 series advantage. Former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov had a pair of assists for Salavat on the evening.

Game Three had Salavat at home, and they continued to roll. Alexander Radulov had a goal and three assists, Robert Nilsson scored twice and added a helper, Patrick Thoresen record his fourth and fifth assists of the series as Salavat thumped Sibir by a 6-2 score. Alexander Kutuzov had a goal and an assist for Sibir, but it clearly wasn't enough as Sibir's Liv Stefan allowed five goals on 32 shots before being relieved by Yuri Klyuchnikov. With the win, Salavat pushed Sibir to the brink as they led the series 3-0.

With Sibir facing elimination on the road, they would need a substantial effort to get out Ufa and back on home ice. It didn't start well on Monday as Alexander Svitov opened the scoring for Salavat just 2:37 in. Viktor Kozlov made it 2-0 before the opening period was done with his second goal of the playoffs. The hole got deeper for Sibir in the second period as Alexander Radulov scored his second goal of the series with five minutes left in the second. Just to make it a little worse, Svitov scored his second goal of the game and playoffs two minutes later. It was all but over when former NHL star Vyacheslav Kozlov added his first goal of the playoffs midway through the third period. Erik Ersberg shut the door on Sibir as Salavat recorded the 5-0 win, ending the series in a sweep.

Much like the Kazan-Barys series, no additional games nor is a prediction needed as Salavat wrapped up the series this evening. Salavat now awaits to find out who their opponents are in the next series.

(4) Metallurg Magnitogorsk vs. (5) Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk

While these two finished right next to each other in the standings, there was a clear divide in terms of talent when looking at the standings. Metallurg finished 13 points ahead of Yugra in the standings, so there seems to be a clear favorite in this series. Game One seemed like Metallurg had an advantage as they got goals from Juhamatti Aaltonen and Oleg Kvasha over a six-minute span in the second period. However, a powerplay goal by Ivan Khlyntsev pulled Yugra within one goal again. Another powerplay goal by Evgeny Blokhin just 19 seconds into the third pulled Yugra even. However, goals by Metallurg's Petri Kontiola and Enver Lisin less than a minute apart put Metallurg up for good. Georgy Gelashvili closed the door the rest of the way, giving Metallurg the 4-2 victory and the 1-0 series lead.

Game Two in Yugra's hometown of Khanty-Mansiysk saw the home team score first midway through the second period. Ivan Khlyntsev's second goal in as many games put the home squad up 1-0. Former NHL star Sergei Fedorov evened the score less than six minutes later as his shot found its way past Yugra goaltender Edgar Masalskis. 7:50 into the third period, Yugra would jump ahead again as Alexei Pepelyaev notched his first marker of the series. Masalskis would stop everything else thrown his way as he recorded saves on 37 of 38 shots while preserving the 2-1 win for Yugra. With the win, Yugra pulled the series even at 1-1.

Game Three would see another game decided by that one-goal margin. Yugra wasted no time in the opening frame as they got goals from Alexei Pepelyaev, Andrei Sidyakin, and Kirill Petrov to put Metallurg in a 3-0 hole. Juhamatti Aaltonen began chipping away at the deficit with his goal two minutes into the second period. Mikhail Tyulyapkin then restored the three-goal margin 40 seconds later for Yugra. Four minutes later, Enver Lisin drew Metallurg within two again with his second of the series. Sergei Fedorov tacked on another goal for Metallurg five-and-a-half minutes later, making it 4-3 for Yugra through two periods. Both goaltenders held their ground in the third period, giving Yugra the 4-3 victory to put them up 2-1 in the series.

The Monday game was another low-scoring affair. Stanislav Chistov opened the scoring for Metallurg at 18:21 of the first period. Yurga drew even 4:17 into the second period as Dmitry Altaryev beat Georgy Gelashvili to even the game at 1-1. The game-winner was scored at 7:29 of the third period on a penalty shot! Yurga's Dmitry Altaryev hauled down Metallurg's Denis Platonov on a breakaway, so Platonov got a chance to do it all over again. On the penalty shot, he made no mistake as he buried the puck behind Edgar Masalskis. That goal on the uncontested breakaway was the winner, and the 2-1 victory pulled Metallurg even in the series at 2-2.

Game Five goes Wednesday night, Game Six is scheduled for Friday night, and it appears Game Seven will go sometime on Saturday.

As for predictions, I really like Metallurg simply because of their legacy of producing strong teams and great players. While Yurga is an intriguing pick simply due to their underdog status, I have to go with Metallurg.

There are the Eastern Conference series up to this point. I'll try to update these on the weekend to round out who is moving on and who is going home. Of course, we'll check my fearless, albeit uneducated, prognostications and see how I fared with my limited KHL knowledge.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Over In That Other League...

While we approach and anticipate the NHL Trade Deadline in North America tomorrow, there's a big event going on in the NHL's rival league as the KHL began the Gagarin Cup Playoffs on Wednesday. Sixteen teams qualified for the playoffs, and there are some definite favorites that could go all the way to Gagarin Cup final, so we'll break down this look at the KHL's "second season". There have definitely been a couple of surprises so far in the playoffs, so let's break down each series and see who the favorites are based upon the already-decided games.

We'll start with the Western Conference series today, and tomorrow will have the Eastern Conference series showcased.

(1) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl vs. (8) Dinamo Minsk

Lokomotiv saw three former NHL stars pace them to a victory as Josef Stumpel had three asissts, Pavol Demitra had a pair of assists, and Josef Vasicek had a goal and two assists. Jeff Platt pulled Dinamo Minsk to within a goal late in the second period as Lokomotiv led by a 5-4 score, but two third-period goals by Lokomotiv sealed the deal as they won Game One on Wednesday by a 7-4 score.

Game Two was played on February 24, and there was definitely a different feeling about this one. Jeff Platt had himself a great game for Dinamo Minsk as he chipped in a goal and two assists. Had it not been for a Pavol Demitra goal on a penalty shot with less than three minutes to play in the game, Robert Esche would have recorded the shutout. However, Dinamo Minsk tied the series at 1-1 with a 4-1 victory.

Game Three was played last night, and Dinamo Minsk continued to roll. Four different scorers put pucks past Dimitrij Kotschnew, including Jeff Platt's third goal of the series. Robert Esche stopped 37 of 38 shots sent his way, and Dinamo Minsk took the 2-1 series lead on the strength of a second 4-1 victory.

Game Four was already completed today, and the series is now even at two games apiece. Alexander Kalyanin had two goals to give him four in the series, and Andrei Kiryuhin's first of the series was the game-winner as Lokomotiv drew even with a 4-2 victory.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday night, and Game Six is set for Thursday, March 3. If a seventh game is necessary in this series, that will most likely be played on Friday, March 4.

I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and say that I like Lokomotiv's offence, but Dinamo Minsk does have solid goaltending with Robert Esche between the pipes. Defence, as you know, wins in the playoffs, so I'm calling an upset here as choosing Dinamo Minsk to advance!

(2) Dynamo Moscow vs. (7) Dinamo Riga

Wednesday night saw this series open in thrilling fashion. Both teams battled hard defensively, not allowing for many opportunities to be had. Mark Hartigan opened the scoring midway through the second period for Riga. With less than five minutes to play, Leo Komarov even the game with his unassisted goal. With the way that this game had been played over the previous 56 minutes, you had to know that overtime was coming. However, just 2:43 into overtime, Oskars Cibulskis wired a shot past Michael Garnett to give Riga the 2-1 overtime victory and the early 1-0 series lead.

Game Two on Thursday was the polar opposite of the opening game in this series. Scoring came fast and furious as the two teams combined for twelve goals! Former NHL bruiser Chris Simon had a pair of goals for Dynamo Moscow as Moscow hung eight goals on the Riga goaltending tandem of Mikael Tellqvist and Chris Holt. Dynamo Moscow ties the series at 1-1 with an 8-4 victory.

Saturday saw Game Three played in Moscow. Riga's Leo Komarov scored his third goal of the series in as many game, and forward Brock Trotter put three helpers on the board for Riga. Mikael Tellqvist looked like himself again as he only allowed one goal in this one as Riga took Game Three by a 5-1 score to go up 2-1 in the series.

Much like the series above this one, the results for Sunday's game have already been posted. Game Four was another nail-biter as this game needed extra time as well. Dmitry Pestunov scored 7:51 into the first period for Moscow. Riga responded 12:18 into the second period as Girt Ankipans notched his first goal of the playoffs. The third period was played scoreless, so we were off to the second overtime game of this series. It took nearly a full period, but Riga's Krisjanis Redlihs scored a powerplay goal in overtime after Moscow's Alexei Kudashov was sent off for roughing. Sandis Ozolinsh picked up his fourth assist of the series on the game-winner, and Riga found themselves up 3-1 in the series after the win on Sunday.

Game Five will be played on Tuesday, March 1. If necessary, Game Six appears to be scheduled for Thursday while I would assume Game Seven, if necessary, would happen on Friday to wrap up this series.

I have to go with Riga in this one. Mikael Tellqvist, aside from the Game Two blowout, has only given up three goals in the other three games, and the Riga defence has really been stingy in terms of scoring chances. Overall, Riga has been the better team thus far, and they deserve to move on.

(3) SKA Saint Petersburg vs. (6) Spartak Moscow

Wednesday night saw this game go down to the wire as well. This game had a number of former NHL players hit the scoresheet, and the game went back-and-forth before a winner was crowned. Evgeny Artyukhin scored for SKA, and it was matched by Spartak's Branko Radivojevic. Anton But and Alexei Yashin put SKA up by two goals, but they were erased by Kirill Knyazev and Radivojevic once again. With no winner after sixty minutes, overtime was needed. 7:31 into the extra frame saw SKA's Mattias Weinhandl score the game-winner to give SKA the 4-3 victory and the 1-0 series lead.

Game Two went Thursday night, and it seemed almost like a replay from the night before. Denis Denisov opened the scoring for SKA on the powerplay, and Maxim Sushinsky made it 2-0 for SKA. Before the end of the first, Oleg Piganovich cut the deficit in half for Spartak as his goal made it 2-1. Petr Cajanek made it 3-1 eight minutes into the second, but Stefan Ruzicka scored shorthanded at 13:46 to close the gap to one goal again as the period closed with SKA up 3-2. 12:53 into the third period saw Spartak complete the comeback as Alexander Yunkov scored his first goal on the powerplay to make it 3-3. There was no winner after sixty minutes, so we were off to overtime for the second straight game. And for the second time in two nights, Mattias Weinhandl ended the game, this time at 6:43 of the overtime period. With their second 4-3 overtime victory, SKA led the series 2-0.

Game Three was much different as SKA's former NHL stars came to play. Mattias Weinhandl scored in the first period for a change, Petr Prucha added his first goal, and Maxim Afinoganov had a pair of goals. Alexei Yashin and Denis Grebeshkov each recorded one assist while Petr Cajanek had two assists. There was no comeback on this night as SKA recorded the 5-2 victory over Spartak to go up 3-0 in the series. Spartak, backstopped by Dominik Hasek, now face elimination if they can't pull off four straight victories over SKA.

Game Four was played today, and there was certainly some energy in the air as SKA could close out the series as home. While Spartak got the first goal from Stefan Ruzicka, Maxim Sushinsky and Petr Prucha put SKA up 2-1 before the end of the first period. Two goals by Kirill Knyazev canceled out Matias Weinhandl's second period marker, and the teams would go into the last twenty minutes tied 3-3. 8:28 into the third period, Petr Prucha would convert a Sergei Brylin pass to put SKA up 4-3, and Prucha's third goal of the series would stand as the winner as SKA would close out this game and series with a 4-3 victory.

No other games are necessary, and there's no needed predictions here, so I'll leave you with this quote from 93 year-old Dominik Hasek after his team was eliminated in four straight games: "I need two or three weeks to decide about my career. I will think about my family. I hope that if I will continue my career, it will be in the KHL. It is the best league in Europe."

Maybe the 45 year-old stopper isn't done just yet.

(4) Atlant Moscow Oblast vs. (5) Severstal Cherepovets

The fourth series to start Wednesday featured Atlant and Severstal. Atlant has three former Vancouver Canucks on their roster, and all of them figured into the scoring in their first game. Kirill Lyamin and Vadim Shipachev scored for Severstal while Igor Musatov and Jan Bulis had goals for Atlant. However, nothing was settled through sixty minutes, so extra time was tacked on for a winner to emerge. It took 13:22, but defenceman Jaroslav Obsut finally gave Atlant the 3-2 overtime win. Obsut also added an assist on Bulis' second-period goal, and former Canuck Fedor Fedorov recorded an assist on Obsut's game-winner. Atlant was out to the early 1-0 series lead.

Severstal and Atlant clashed again on Thursday evening, and there was fire behind the Severstal lads. Severstal jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old as Yury Trubachev and Andrei Shefer scored their first goals of the playoffs. Fedor Fedorov closed the gap to 2-1 before the period ended, but the second period was all Severstal. Another goal early in the second period by Josef Straka chased Atlant goaltender Konstantin Barulin as he was replaced by Vitaly Koval in the blue paint, but that change didn't help. Goals by Vadim Shipachev and Sergei Soin made it 5-1 as the second period closed. Atlant got a third period goal from Edward Lewandowski, but Severstal cruised to the 5-2 victory to knot up the series at 1-1 again.

Game Three on Saturday was all about three: three goals in three periods. Ivan Nepryayev scored for Atlant in the first while Severstal got goals in the second and third periods from Evgeny Ketov. Vasily Koshechkin stopped 37 of 38 shots for Severstal in the victory as Severstal skated to the 2-1 victory for the 2-1 series lead.

Game Four on Sunday saw Atlant break out of their scoring funk in a big way. Oleg Petrov recorded a natural hat trick in the first period in three minutes, and Atlant had staked themselves to a 5-0 victory after the first frame! Had it not been for a second period goal by Alexei Tsvetkov on the powerplay, this would have been a whitewashing with a shutout! Instead, Petrov had three, Fedor Fedorov had two, and Atlant skated to a dominant 8-1 victory over Severstal to even the series at 2-2.

Game Five is scheduled for Tuesday evening, and Game Six has been set for Thursday night. If Game Seven is necessary, I'm guessing Friday would see this series wrap up.

As for predictions, this is a tougher series, but it seems as though Atlant has too much firepower to be held down for four games out of seven. While Severstal has done an excellent job in their two wins, Vasily Koshechkin has seen a lot of rubber already in this series, and we've only played four game. I have to think that Atlant will eventually dispose of Severstal, but it doesn't look to be an easy task.

Those are all the games thus far from the Western Conference of the KHL. The Western Conference is made up of eleven teams in two divisions: the Tarasov Division and the Bobrov Division. If you're counting, that's eight of eleven teams making the playoffs, meaning only CSKA, Vityaz Chekhov, and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod missed the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Tomorrow, we'll look at how the Eastern Conference has been faring on their side of the bracket in the KHL Gagarin Cup Playoffs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 14

The two-time defending champions rolled through MTS Centre this past week as Antler Banter looks at the two-game set between the Hershey Bears and the Manitoba Moose! There was some controversy stirred up by a local reporter with regards to jerseys the Bears wore earlier this season, but there was really only one thing for the Moose to focus on: four points in the standings. We'll also have a look at a special event that the Moose held on Sunday! Make sure you check out the Moose website for all your Manitoba Moose news and information. If you're interested in attending a Manitoba Moose game, please click here for seating information, ticket pricing, and availability. The Moose get three games against bear species in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Showing Their Teeth

The Hershey Bears saw a few key departures occur in their lineup over the off-season, but they are still a very talented team. They showed off some of that talent on Friday night as they jumped out to a very early lead, putting Manitoba in a hole just 2:09 in. Could the Moose and Eddie Lack rally over the Bears and ex-NHL goaltender Dany Sabourin?

I thought Nolan Baumgartner had a strong game on Friday night. The Moose captain recorded an assist on Mark Flood's third period goal, and he ended the night with a +2 rating. I'm not sure why this happens with Baumgartner, but he seems to pick up his game considerably around the AHL All-Star Game break each year. Maybe Baumgartner needs to start playing hockey in July to be ready for October? I kid, of course, but the captain is looking much better since being paired with Mark Flood, and is making a difference once again on the scoreboard at both ends of the ice.

Sergei Shirokov continues his hot streak as of late as he scored a first period goal to extend his point streak to nine games. Shirokov's play has also earned him a place on the Western Conference roster at this year's AHL All-Star Game in Hershey, Pennsylvania, so congratulations go out to Shirokov on his selection for his second All-Star Game in his professional career!

The Herd's penalty killing units took a bit of a hit on Friday as the Bears scored a couple of powerplay goals in this game, including the game-winner with the man-advantage. While the Moose worked hard while playing a man down, you can't give good teams opportunities to score goals. Powerplay success certainly determines where you can end up in the standings, and tonight was no exception as the Moose penalty kill missed out on propelling the squad into first place in the North Division.

While all the blame can't be laid at the feet of the penalty killing units, the final two goals by the Bears were scored on the powerplay, including the game-winner as the Bears took the opening game of the two-game set by a 4-3 score. The Moose have two options if they want to correct this: stop taking penalties against good teams, or get back to shut-down mode on the PK. I'm sure the latter will be explored in depth by the Moose coaching staff, but the loss on Friday drops the club to 20-12-4 on the season.

Moose Fly Past Ursa Minor Penalties

The Moose and Bears met again on Saturday night as the homestand continues for the Herd. After losing the night before, Manitoba looked to rebound with a better performance, especially on special teams, as they tried to salvage the series with Hershey. This game saw goaltender changes on both sides as the Bears sent Braden Holtby to the blue paint while the Moose dispatched Tyler Weiman to their net.

Manitoba's powerplay showed up in a big way on Saturday. After going oh-fer-six on Friday night, Manitoba spent over a period playing with the man-advantage as the Bears were caught breaking the rules 12 times in this game! Manitoba responded with a 25% success rate as they scored three times on the powerplay in this game. I've been preaching all season about how important powerplay situations are and how good teams capitalize on them. The Moose got three goals with the man-advantage, and it was clearly the big factor on this night.

Nolan Baumgartner continued his impressive play on Saturday, putting together back-to-back impressive performances. Baumgartner was on the ice for all four Manitoba goals on Saturday, recording two assists and a +1 rating. Baumgartner, who logs a considerable amount of minutes for the Moose, looked strong with the puck, and really communicates well with linemate Mark Flood. Keeping these two men together should provide the Moose with great results as they continue to develop good chemistry on the blueline.

Sergei Shirokov had himself a "yin and yang" game on Saturday. The good part was that he scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season, extending his point streak to ten games. The bad part was that he ended the game as a -2 after having played some excellent defensive hockey over the last few weeks. While Shirokov isn't entirely responsible for the goals-against, it's a team effort in keeping the pucks out the net, and Shirokov's line was victimized twice in this game. While I like the offensive contributions, Shirokov still has to be responsible when he doesn't have the puck on his stick as well.

It would be easy for me to give Marco Rosa some credit for his game-winning, powerplay goal in overtime, but I was more impressed with Rosa's work in finding open spaces on the ice all night long. Rosa led the Moose with seven shots - a game-high total - and finally was rewarded for his hard work with the powerplay goal in overtime. Rosa has looked like a completely different skater since rediscovering his confidence and goal-scoring, and he's returning to his consistent ways of last year as well. Well done, Marco Rosa, and keep up the hard work and effort!

The Moose led 3-1 midway through the second period before the Bears battled back to send the game to an extra period. Sean Collins' blatent trip in overtime sent the Moose to the powerplay, and they made the Bears pay. The 4-3 overtime victory gave the Moose two important points as they keep pace with the Hamilton Bulldogs, and they improve to 21-12-4 on the season.

Moose Entertain More Bears

For the third straight day, the Moose met up with a team of bears as the Moose visited Kirkfield-Westwood Community Centre in Winnipeg's west end for an outdoor practice! The KW Kodiaks earned the right to host the Moose's outdoor practice in 2011 by winning second prize in last season's Manitoba Moose Community Jersey Contest! I highly encourage you to check out the Manitoba Moose Community Jersey Contest for your local community club. Your team and community club might be hosting the next outdoor practice!

Needless to say, the event gave the Moose a chanced to practice in front of their fans, and that upbeat 30-minute practice was followed by a shinny game that featured the Moose and 11 year-old Kodiaks team joining forces! Overall, the day was a lot of fun for both the Moose players and the KW Kodiaks players and parents!

"All the guys, even the kids, there were a lot of smiles today," Winnipegger and Moose forward Kevin Clark said to Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press. "It's not much time out of your day and it gives you a warm heart to see these kids and what it means to them."

Huge kudos go out to the Moose for continuing this tradition for the third consecutive year. I can tell you that the fans love it, the kids love it, and it sounds as though the players do too.

Coming In From The East

The Moose will face a team that seemingly has their number over the years as the Milwaukee Admirals roll into town for games on Thursday and Saturday against the Moose at MTS Centre. In their only meeting of the season thus far, Milwaukee beat up on the Moose by a 6-3 score on December 1. The Moose, however, have been playing much better, and look to take the series lead with this two-game set.

Milwaukee comes into the series with a 7-3-0 record in their last ten games, and sit second in the AHL West Division. They trail first-place Peoria by a single point, but have played more games. These points will be important for Milwaukee to keep pace with the Rivermen, so the Admirals will play with a purpose.

Following that series, the Toronto Marlies visit MTS Centre on Tuesday, January 18 and Wednesday, January 19. Divisional match-ups are important, especially when the team visiting is trailing you in the standings. The Moose and Marlies have yet to play one another this season - another of the AHL's scheduling quirks - so we'll get our first looks at this division rival next week.

The Marlies sit one point back of Manitoba today, but have played four more games than the Moose at this point. They haven't fared very well in their recent games, going 4-3-3 in their last ten contests. The Marlies desperately need the wins with Manitoba having a potential eight points still to determine through those four games in-hand, so the Moose need to be ready to play in each of the next four games.

One Man Down

Some breaking news came the way of the wire tonight as Tim Campbell of the Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Jonas Andersson has left the Moose and is looking for employment in the KHL. Andersson, who played with Dynamo Minsk last season, is reportedly going to sign with Ak Bars Kazan in the near future after walking away from the Canucks and Moose.

In 20 games with the Moose this season, Andersson had five goals and six assists, but has suffered two concussions this season to keep him from everyday duty. The Swedish winger is listed as "day-to-day" with his injury at the moment, but it appears his North American season is done. He played three games with the Vancouver Canucks, but recorded no points with the NHL club.

Personally, I liked the addition of Andersson to the Moose roster as he brought speed and skill to the lineup, but his injuries have limited his abilities this season. While it's tough to see a player of Andersson's ability ride off into the sunset with no one there to replace him, it might be better for both him and the Moose as the Moose can now fill his veteran roster spot with a more resilient player. I wish Andersson well, and hope he does well in Russia or where ever he lands after clearing waivers!

Four games coming up over the next week with important points waiting to be earned. The Moose can put some space between them and the Marlies, and continue to try to overtake the Bulldogs ahead of them. DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

HBIC YIR - Part One

Time certainly has flown this year as we're two days away from recycling those 2010 calendars hanging on walls and posted on desks. Hockey has seen some great things this year, and we've also lost some icons that made the sport much better with their presence. We've seen players emerge as superstars and we've seen superstars fall to below-average play. All of this is actually a statement about the game - it's fluid, and it's constantly changing and evolving through each shift, each game, and each season. Today, HBIC looks back on the first six months of the year, and the important stories that came from January to the end of June.

January Highlights

• January 1: We start every year off right with the NHL's Winter Classic, and the January 1, 2010 game was certainly memorable as the Philadelphia Flyers visited the Boston Bruins in historic Fenway Park. What a great day of hockey!
• January 2: Switzerland's World Junior Championship team pulls off a massive upset as they defeated Russia 3-2 to beat the Russians for the first time in history at the WJC.
• January 5: The 2010 World Junior Championship is decided in overtime as American John Carlson ends Canada's streak with his goal to give Team USA the gold medal. Great game, and a very impressive showing by America's best young hockey talent.
• January 21: If you've been following this blog, you know I'm a big fan of Frank McClelland's newest equipment invention. January 21 was the first time I was lucky enough to speak to Frank and bring to light what would eventually be his Skate Fenders product. A very interesting story to see how the plastic skate guards got started!
• January 23: I arrive in Minneapolis for the US Pond Hockey Championships, and the weather was very un-winter for the tournament. Strange weather is nothing new on the prairies, but January is rarely a month known for rain. Great uniforms seen at the tournament, and a few great stories!
• January 25: I express my disappointment with the NHL's stance on protecting its players after a major incident in the QMJHL.
• January 29: I bring to light the story of Alton White, the first professional black hockey player to record 20 or more goals in a season as well as the first professional black hockey player to record a hat trick in a professional game. Since it happened in the WHA, no one seems to care that he doesn't get this recognition. But I do.

February Highlights

• February 5: The hockey world stops for a few moments to grieve the loss of Brendan Burke, Brian Burke's son. Brendan worked as student manager for the hockey team while attending the University of Miami (Ohio), but made headlines when he announced to the world that he was a gay man. And I still believe in my words: "Being gay doesn't change who he is or how much respect I have for him. Nor should it change you."
• February 13: Phil Hecken of Uni Watch Blog and I take a look at what each team will be wearing at the Olympics. Some uniforms are good. Others are not.
• February 14: I discuss some of the ways that women's hockey at the Olympics can fix blowouts between the elite teams and the rest of the field. I still feel that getting more women involved from the other countries will make the game stronger.
• February 21: Team USA plays a much more complete game in the round-robin at the Olympics and beats Canada soundly. I'm hard on Canada and praise the Americans. And this will only set up the inevitable.
• February 28: The Goal. Need I say anything more? I take a look at the 2010 Winter Olympics as a whole, and celebrate "The Goal.

March Highlights

• March 4: Frank McClelland returns with some updates on his Skate Fenders. I'm truly a fan of Mr. McClelland's and LSSU's work, and this product is something that players should really look into for their own health.
• March 11: HBIC renews its commitment to the Vancouver Olympics by giving the sport of sledge hockey as much coverage as possible. I really like this sport, and there have been some excellent games as of late as a number of countries have improved in this sport.
• March 18: One of the countries that has improved? Japan. They defeated the heavily-favoured Canadian squad by a 3-1 score in the semi-final to earn a berth in the gold medal final. If you haven't seen a game of sledge hockey in your life, you're missing out.
• March 21: The 2010 Women's Frozen Four wrapped up in style as there were some incredible games played by the NCAA women. Congratulations go out to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs who captured their fifth NCAA Championship!
• March 30: The 2010 CIS Men's Hockey Championship wrapped up, and the Canadian collegiate champions are the Saint Mary's Huskies! Canadian collegiate hockey, while not as prolific as NCAA hockey, is certainly one of the places where NHL teams can find some hidden talent. There are lots of good players studying across Canada!

April Highlights

• April 4: The Alberta Pandas, the women's CIS hockey team, pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the CIS as they defeated the McGill Marlets in the CIS Championship game to be called "Canada's best".
• April 5: Columbus Blue Jackets' forward RJ Umberger calls out the Washington Capitals, and makes a prediction for the playoffs about the Capitals' chances of going all the way. A number of people wrote Umberger off, but read his comments. Hockey players know hockey.
• April 10: The Boston College Eagles defeat the Wisconsin Badgers and capture the 2010 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship. The win was a great effort for a team that many didn't pick to win the championship, but the Eagles captured their fourth championship!
• April 18: I'm fairly harsh towards Hockey Canada and the effort put forth at the World U-18 Championships. I like Canadian hockey, but I hate lack of effort.
• April 27: The NHLPA decides to change the Lester B. Pearson Award to the Ted Lindsay Trophy. More hockey history is being killed, and I'm not happy about it.
• April 30: In the same fashion I criticized Hockey Canada's efforts in the U-18 Tournament, I rip the Washington Capitals for their lack of hard work. Another exit far too early in the playoffs, and the Capitals spend more time on the golf course.

May Highlights

• May 3: The KHL crowns a champion as Ak Bars Kazan won their second KHL Championship in consecutive seasons. While there are still major differences between the NHL and KHL, it appears that Kazan is becoming the "Detroit Red Wings" of the KHL.
• May 7: I found a great article in Popular Science from 1935 about the game of hockey! It's a very good read with lots of pictures, but it goes to show that some magazines were covering hockey before it was popular!
• May 14: A reader by the name of Chelsea sent me a great email about head trauma suffered by hockey players. She makes some excellent points in her email, and there are several NHL players who echo her sentiments.
• May 23: The Czech Republic snaps the Russian's 27-game winning streak at the World Championships, and captured the World Championship title! Jaromir Jagr's reason for winning? "They had stars and we had guys who play in the Czech Republic, but this shows that talent doesn't matter - you have to work hard." Hard work, kids. I can't say it enough.
• May 25: I still have no clue as to what happened to the Charlie Conacher Memorial Trophy that was awarded annually to an NHL player. Any ideas?
• May 28: Damian Cox goes absolutely loopy with his suggestion that the Chicago Blackhawks change their logo because it's offensive. Cox stirring the pot? Nothing new.

June Highlights

• June 1: A fabulous video from the National Film Board of Canada shows off a ton of Quebec Nordiques history. This video is amazing!
• June 7: More videos are posted, this time of the WHA in all its spectacular glory. I really wish I had more WHA video. Note this foreshadowing. It will come in handy next week.
• June 9: The Chicago Blackhawks are your 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions. They dispatched the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to capture their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. To the victors go the spoils!
• June 14: The AHL's Hershey Bears stand atop the pile of AHL teams as they capture the 2010 Calder Cup as AHL Champions! The Bears defeated the Texas Stars in six games to capture their second consecutive Calder Cup. Well done, Bears!
• June 22: In what seems like a crime against humanity, the Hockey Hall of Fame finally allowed women to be eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Women's hockey has its detractors, but the pioneers of the sport deserve their kudos as much as the men.
• June 28: More amazing hockey video is found through the National Film Board of Canada's website as we see the UBC Thunderbirds heading to China to help grow the game in the Communist country. This is another amazing video that shows how significantly-different cultures can work together to grow the game.

So there are the highlights from the first six months of HBIC's 2010. I really had a great time writing this year, and the interactions with you, the readers, are what makes this so rewarding. I love reading other opinions and ideas, and I encourage you to continue to email, comment, friend me on Facebook, and whatever else you to do to send me your hockey thoughts.

More tomorrow as we review the year that was from July to December!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Across The Pond

The second international hockey tournament of this holiday season actually started yesterday, but Team Canada doesn't hit the ice until later today at the 2010 Spengler Cup. Each year, HC Davos of the Swiss Elite League hosts five other teams as the invitational tournament showcases some of the best teams in the world from Europe's most prestigious leagues. Last season saw the KHL emerge victorious from the tournament as HC Dinamo Minsk captured the 2009 Spengler Cup as they defeated the hosts in HC Davos in the final.

Canada started sending a team to the Spengler Cup in 1984 made up of players playing in Europe who were not playing for any of the invited teams. They also get some help from AHL clubs and free agents who want to play, but the vast majority of the roster is made up of Canadians plying their hockey trade overseas. Often there are a number of former NHL players who suit up for Canada at the Spengler Cup, so it's nice to see how these players have fared once they left the spotlight in North America. This year's squad is no exception as they have six to eight players that should be recognizable by name alone.

The Canadian nets will be guarded by Tyler Moss and Jeff Deslauriers. Deslauriers, as you may remember, played with the Edmonton Oilers for two seasons since 2008. He's currently playing second fiddle to Martin Gerber in Oklahoma City as the Oilers sent him to the AHL. Moss, on the other hand, is playing for Swiss team Langnau. Moss has literally bounced around North America during his playing career, stopping in places like Saint John, New Brunswick with the AHL Flames, Kansas City with the IHL BLades, and had a cup of coffee with Carolina for the NHL's Hurricanes. Most recently, Moss has been a KHL player as he has suited up for Spartak Moscow and Khabarovsk Amur before jumping to the Swiss League's Langnau. And those two men will be the Canadian goaltenders for this year's squad. I fully expect Moss to be the starter, but Deslauriers could surprise people.

The defencemen that Canada has enlisted for this year's tournament all play in the Swiss Elite League, and all have dabbled in the NHL and AHL during their careers. Marc Popovic (Lugano), Joel Kwiatkowski and Travis Roche (Bern), Duvie Westcott and Cory Murphy (ZSC Zurich Lions), Micki Dupont (Kloten), Brendan Bell (Biel), and Curtis Murphy (Langnau) make up the blueline for Canada, and there's some continuity for this team. The majority of these men played for Canada last year at the tournament, so there should be some familiarity with each other in terms of playing together. Having four of the players play together during their respective Swiss League seasons also helps immensely. This familiarity should be a strength for Canada in the long run as this tournament progresses.

Up front, Canada looks to be a "lunch pail" gang as they have decent speed and a solid work ethic. Again, all of the players come from the Swiss Elite League, but there are certainly recognizable NHL names on this squad. Dominic Pittis (ZSC Zurich Lions), Serge Aubin (Gotteron), Brett McLean (Bern), Josh Holden and Glen Metropolit (Zug), Mark Bell (Kloten), and Curtis Brown (Biel) are your former NHL players with some name caché, but none of them were known for their scoring exploits in the NHL. And that's fine. The large ice surface requires hustle, determination, and a doggedness that most don't give enough credit to, but these men bring that attitude to the ice. Rounding out the forwards are Pascal Pelletier, Mike Iggulden, and Brendan Brooks (Langnau), Eric Landry, Yanick Lehoux, and Martin Kariya (Ambri-Piotta), JP Vigier (Bern), and Blaine Down (ZSC Zurich Lions).

Canada's coaching staff is quite interesting. Former NHL coach Craig MacTavish guided the team to a 2-2 record at last year's tournament, but failed to reach the final as they finished in fourth-place. MacTavish opted not to return, so the search was on for a new head coach. Doug Shedden returns behind the bench, but he'll be serving as an assistant coach to one of the most intimidating men on the planet as he will guide the Canadian team through the Spengler Cup: Mark Messier.

Messier's coaching career is limited to just four international games at the Swiss Challenge and Deutschland Cup last month, and his record is 2-2 as a coach. The 49 year-old former NHL star has stated that he has a better appreciation for how difficult the job of coaching is.

"I always had a lot of respect for the coaches who do it well and I have a better appreciation now," Messier said Saturday to Shi Davidi of The Globe & Mail. “It's exciting coaching, there's a lot going on, there are decisions that have to be made and monitored continuously."

With that, Messier expressed that his team will work hard and will not tolerate cheap, dumb penalties. It sounds to me like Messier is bring his style of play to his coaching style.

"I expect the team to play with a lot of heart. I like an aggressive game, a puck-pursuit game, but I also like a very disciplined game and players who play to win.

"When you combine those things, we want a puck-control game, we want to have some systems in place where we can defend as a team and then hopefully let our talent work its way into the offence."

Serge Aubin has been chosen to captain the Canadian team with Josh Holden and JP Vigier serving as alternate captains. As for the goaltending duties, it appears the job will be split, but Messier gave no indication of who would start against Spartak Moscow in today's game.

That being said, you can watch all of the action on TSN today as the broadcaster will carry the first game of the Spengler Cup on the national carrier. TSN2 will take over after the first game and have the rest of the coverage. You can find the broadcast schedule here for more information.

Canada last captured the Spengler Cup in 2007, and are looking to improve on the fourth-place finish from last year. It all starts today, and I'm looking forward to another excellent international tournament!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

St. Petersburg Will See Stars

The building to the left is probably a little "foreign" to most readers on this side of the pond, but Russians, and people from St. Petersburg in particular, will recognize it as the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Get it? Foreign to North Americans because it's in Russia? Anyway, the 2011 KHL All-Star Game will take place in St. Petersburg this year, and it will feature Team Jagr's team of international stars battling with Team Yashin's squad made entirely of players from Russia. We're less than two months away from this game, so let's check the particulars of what is happening at this year's KHL All-Star Weekend.

If you're marking this on your calendars, circle February 5, 2011 as the date of this year's KHL All-Star Game. While I've been hunting for English-based channels that may be carrying the game, I have yet to find any. However, the KHL All-Star Game will be broadcast live on "Russia-1" while the skills competition will be broadcast on "Russia-2". Behind-the-scenes reports and interviews will be carried throughout the day on KHL TV, the official league channel.

Now you're probably saying, "Teebz, I don't have Russian television programming". I'll be honest: I don't have it, either. But all is not lost as the KHL TV feed does work for free for all KHL regular season games and the 2011 All-Star Game! All you need to do is click here to get to KHL TV so you can watch your favorite former NHL stars kick a little butt over in Russia!

If you are reading this from somewhere in the vicinity of St. Petersburg or have the inclination to travel to St. Petersburg during the month of February, I'm happy to report that tickets to the KHL All-Star Game are quite reasonably priced! Tickets range from 190 rubles, or $6 USD, to 1900 rubles, or $60 USD, and will be available for purchase shortly at the KHL's official All-Star Game website. Honestly, they have cleaned up that website very nicely, and it looks like it could be a great source for news and information as we near the event's date.

It's just a short entry today on an event that was pretty entertaining last season. If you can, try to check out a game or two of KHL action on the KHL TV site, and make sure you check in at that site on February 5, 2011 for all your KHL All-Star Game fun!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

No International Peace

Today was the first day of the KHL-NHL agreement that saw two NHL teams travel to Russia to compete against KHL teams. While it was just the early afternoon here, the final wraps were being put on the game between the Carolina Hurricanes and SKA St. Petersburg. While the agreement between the two leagues appears to moving along quite amicably, the game between these two teams was anything but amicable. We'll take a look at the not-so-friendly game between these two clubs.

SKA St. Petersburg has already played 11 KHL games this season, so they are finding their mark in the Russian league. They boast a number of former NHL players in Evgeni Nabokov, Denis Grebeshkov, Vitaly Vishnevsky, Andrei Zyuzin, Mattias Weinhandl, Maxim Afinogenov, Alexei Yashin, Petr Cajanek, and Sergei Brylin. While they aren't everyday NHL superstars, all nine men were very serviceable NHL regulars. The only problem? SKA St. Petersburg has stumbled out of the gate, posting a 6-3-2 record to sit fourth in the Western Conference and eighth overall. With the Hurricanes coming to town, St. Petersburg was looking to make a statement against the NHL club.

Carolina will close out their preseason schedule with this game in Russia, and will open the regular season against the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland on October 7. It appears that the Hurricanes have their roster set, but Sergei Samsonov did not make the trip overseas. Losing the Russian speedster doesn't help the Hurricanes, but they are hoping their young talent may bolster the roster and make up for the loss of Samsonov.

From the opening faceoff, this game had a very nasty edge to it, and that theme would continue throughout the night as SKA and Carolina dropped the mitts on a few occasions. While I was surprised with what I saw in the highlights, it appeared that some of the Russian players were throwing some questionable, low hits, and this prompted Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice to end a few of his stars' nights early.

Konstatin Panov opened the scoring just 1:51 in when his pass deflected off Joni Pitkanen's skate and beat Hurricanes' goalie Cam Ward through the five-hole. SKA increased the lead to 2-0 at 19:54 when Maxim Rybin deflected a shot from Maxim Afinogenov past Ward. It looked as though he may have deflected the shot with his skate, but there's no instant replay in the KHL, and the referee's decision stood. SKA was out in front after 20 minutes by a 2-0 score.

The second period saw Tuomo Ruutu put the NHL club on the board. Just 1:50, Ruutu chipped home a rebound past Evgeni Nabokov, and St. Petersburg's lead was down to 2-1. 92 seconds later, Patrick Dwyer shoveled home a rebound past Nabokov, and the Hurricanes had tied the game 2-2 at the 3:22 mark.

Cam Ward would be pulled in favor of Justin Peters near the 6:30 mark so that the youngster could get some playing time, and St. Petersburg would capitalize. Defenceman Jamie McBain turned the puck over at his blueline to Alexei Yashin for a breakaway, and the former NHL sniper got Peters out of position before firing the puck home for a 3-2 lead at 6:53.

The Hurricanes would respond before the break, though. On the powerplay, Joni Pitkanen fired a low, hard pass to Jeff Skinner in front of Nabokov, and the youngster made a nice play by kicking the puck from his skate to his stick before firing it between Nabokov and the post on the stick-side to make it a 3-3 game with 5:08 to play in the period.

"This guy is a great player," Maurice said of Skinner to Paul Branecky. "I love watching this guy play. I would buy tickets to come see him play, and he’s 18. I think this guy is going to be a great player for us for a long time."

Just 1:14 into the third period, Tuomo Ruutu was sent to the penalty box for tripping, and St. Petersburg went to work on the powerplay. It didn't take them long as SKA captain Maxim Shushinskiy slammed home a rebound past Peters from the doorstep at 1:47, and SKA was back on top by a 4-3 score. And Shushinskiy wasn't done there. Less than five minutes after his powerplay goal, he found some open ice on a backdoor pass from Alexei Yashin, and tipped the puck past a helpless Peters to make the score 5-3 at the 6:35 mark while playing four-on-four.

While the score would remain the same through to the final buzzer, it was clear that there was a difference in the number of penalties being handed out by the KHL referee. I'm not sure if the KHL allows low-bridge hits, but it seemed as though both Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner had their lower bodies targeted by the SKA players.

After a questionable hit by Alexei Petrov on Eric Staal, several Hurricanes came to the captain's defence. Tim Gleason paired off with Petrov, but the Russia player wanted nothing to do with fighting. However, after wrestling with Petrov for a minute, the gloves came off and Gleason pounded Petrov to the ice. Both received fighting majors and game misconducts, but there was nothing for the dangerous low hit thrown by Petrov.

"I liked it a lot," Maurice told Dan Rosen in regards to Gleason's protection of Staal. "You can argue if you like fighting or not, but when you've got guys coming awful close to players' knees with no repercussions, if you don't sort it out that way then there is going to be a lot of stick work and a lot of garbage."

Overall, it wasn't the prettiest game to watch, but there were some pretty impressive displays of talent. Alexei Yashin had a particularly strong game in the offensive zone, and Jeff Skinner looks to be the real deal for the Hurricanes. Both were named as Player of the Game for their respective team, and I concur with those honours as both played extremely well.

Phoenix and Dinamo Riga will battle on Wednesday before the Coyotes take on the Boston Bruins to open their season in Prague, Czech Republic. HBIC will have more chatter on that NHL vs. KHL game coming up this week!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

KHL Olympic Hero

This image to the left probably won't be a memorable moment from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, but the man making the stop has himself a place in hockey lore. Andrei Mezin, the Belarussian goaltender, is best known for his 2002 Olympic performance against Sweden in the quarterfinals, but he has carved out a pretty good career over in Russia playing in the Russian Super League and the KHL. Today, I want to take a look at the highlights of Mr. Mezin's career after he was named as one of the KHL's Players of the Week for the last week.

Born in Chelyabinsk on July 8, 1974, Andrei Mezin bounced around North America from 1993 until 1998, playing in the ECHL, the Colonial Hockey League, the IHL, and the UHL in those six seasons.

In 1995-96, he starred with the Flint Generals of the Colonial Hockey League where he played 40 games with the team. He finished with a stellar 27-9-2 record despite having a 3.49 GAA and a .883 save percentage. He helped the team finish first in the East Division, and the Generals tore through the playoffs to win the Colonial Cup!

The following season saw Mezin star with the team again as he led them to first in the East Division again, this time with a 19-4-1 record, a 2.46 GAA, and a .902 save percentage. The Generals ploughed through the playoffs once more, but ran into an upstart Quad City Mallards team that had finished second overall in the CoHL. The Mallards downed the Generals in six games, but Mezin shone all season long.

The Generals finished second overall in the inaugural season of the UHL in 1997-98 on the strength of Mezin's 21-5-0 record. He regressed in his stats, posting a 3.47 GAA and a .885 save percentage, but the Generals marches their way to the UHL Final to face the Quad City Mallards once again. This series was much closer than the previous year as the series went back and forth. Quad City won all of the odd-numbered games, while Flint took all the even-numbered games. In Game Seven, it took overtime, but the Mallards finally prevailed by a 3-2 score. Bryan McMullen logged the majority of games in the playoffs, but the Generals had finished strong once again.

The 1998-99 season saw Mezin jump to a new locale as he began a career in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers. He backstopped the Ice Tigers to first overall in the DEL, and carried them into the playoffs where they were stopped in the final by Adler Mannheim. The 1998-99 Ice Tigers still hold the best record for a Nürnberg DEL team.

After playing one season with Nürnberg, Mezin moved to the Berlin Capitals for three seasons. While he never experienced the same success as he did with Nürnberg, Mezin played no less than 54 games in each of his three seasons with the Capitals. However, with the Capitals experiencing financial problems in 2002, the team dropped to a lower-tiered German league as they worked to re-establish itself. With that, Mezin moved closer to home.

Of course, 2002 was Mezin's shining moment as he led the the winless Belarus team into the quarterfinals against the 3-0 Swedish team at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Mezin was brilliant in the game, stopping 44 shots, and he provided the Belarussians with a chance to win. And that's exactly what they did when a Vladimir Kopat shot from 70-feet away was misplayed by Sweden's Tommy Salo, landing in the back of the net for a 4-3 Belarus lead with 2:24 to play.

"For sure, it is a miracle for us," Belarus goalie Andrei Mezin said to CNNSI.com at the time. "But sometimes a gun without bullets can shoot, and that was us. We've made our place in history."

Belarus would lose their next game to Canada, but Mezin's heroics made him the darling of the 2002 Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament.

Mezin's next stop after the Berlin season ended was for Russian superpower Ak Bars Kazan. Kazan, however, used him as a backup only, and he appeared in only one game with Kazan. Kazan finished fourth in the RSL, meaning they had no chance of winning the championship as the top team through the season was awarded the trophy. After spending one year watching from the bench, Mezin was on the move again.

HC České Budějovice in the Czech Extraliga was where Mezin landed for the 2003-04 season, but his record suffered. Some of this may be attributed to his lack of playing time in Russia, but a 4-9-2 record didn't reflect his 2.98 GAA and .904 save percentage. Mezin didn't find many opportunities to play in the Czech Republic, and he was on the move again for the next season.

The Russian Super League would be where Mezin established his career over the next few seasons. He started with SKA St. Petersburg in 2004-05, but the team finished in the bottom half of the standings. Salavat Yulaev Ufa would be Mezin's next stop in 2005-06, and he would stick around Ufa for two seasons. Ufa increased its standing between the two seasons, but Mezin would play a smaller role in the second season than in his first season. Once again, Mezin would be on the move in 2007-08.

2007 saw Mezin move to the northern reaches of the Russia as he joined Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Through this season, Magnitogorsk would battle with Mezin's former team in Ufa for top spot in the RSL. At the end of the season, though, Metallurg Magnitogorsk would fall six points short of Ufa as they finished in second-place in the RSL. Mezin's record wasn't kept, but he did finish with a 1.84 GAA through 35 games - a clear indication that he wasn't done being an elite goaltender.

The 2008-09 season saw a major transformation as the Russian Super League transformed into the Kontinental Hockey League. Mezin stuck with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and faced the NHL's New York Rangers in the inaugural Victoria Cup on October 1, 2008. Mezin showed he was certainly a very capable goaltender as he stopped 44 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. However, he would only play 26 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk that season, posting a 2.82 GAA. He would appear in six games in the KHL Playoffs as well.

In 2009-10, Mezin jumped to Minsk Dynamo, but he joined a fairly weak KHL team. Mezin appeared in 41 games, posting a record of 10-20-5, but his 2.67 GAA and .902 save percentage are evidence that the Belarussian goalie hasn't lost his moxie. Minsk Dynamo finished seventeenth in the 24-team league, though.

Thus far, Minsk Dynamo has seen a major push to start the 2010-11 season. Mezin has posted a respectable 5-2-0 record with a 2.21 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Last week, Mezin was named as the KHL's best goaltender for the week. In three games, Mezin posted three wins, a .917 save percentage, and allowed an average of two goals per game.

Congratulations go out to Andrei Mezin for his work this past week! He's still one of the biggest stories I've witnessed in my time thanks to his heroics at the 2002 Olympics, and he is the only reason I own a Belarus hockey jersey. Thanks to Mezin, hockey in Belarus saw a huge spike, and we could see more Belarussians in the NHL in the upcoming years!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Getting Caught Up

After taking Labor Day off, I think it would be a good time to get caught up on some of the emails that are filling up my inbox. There have been a number of interesting emails sent in the last couple of days, and I'm glad to bring these stories and images to light with hockey season less than one month away. Of course, there are always other things I could write about today, but I need to bring these stories to light. The hockey history of Houston - nice alliteration there! - will come tomorrow, and it is a great look at the old WHA days, the former IHL days, and the current AHL days. Lots of great photos and some interesting stories on-tap for tomorrow, so hit this site up again. Today, however, we have a variety of pictures and stories. Let's go!

• One reader, Bill W., sent me images of the new centre line being painted on at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. As seen earlier this summer, HBIC examined the ads on the boards around the ACC, so it seems appropriate to show off the new paint on the ice. The Maple Leafs are adding maple leaves! The centre line splits the logo down the middle, so there will be maple leaves all over the ice this season. It remains to be seen if the team can duplicate the efforts of the paint on the ice (ZING!). More photos found here!
• Terry Melia sent on an article he wrote on the Upper Deck Blog. Terry wrote a piece on the 2010 NHLPA Rookie Showcase that some of the industry insiders attended, and there are some great photos on the Upper Deck Blog. However, one picture really caught my attention: what's with the TV numbers on Mats Zuccarello Aasen's jersey? You can see it in the picture I posted last week as well. I guess the numbers have to be up much higher to accommodate the sleeve stripes, but it looks horrible.
• The KHL kick off their 2010-11 season tonight with defending champion Ak Bars Kazan traveling to Moscow to play Dynamo Moscow at the Megasport Arena. Updates will come shortly from the first week, but there appears to be a large celebration taking place in conjunction with the first game of the season. Updates shortly!
• The KHL has launched a new website to promote their upcoming exhibition games with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes. SKA St. Petersburg will play host to the Carolina Hurricanes on October 4, while Dinamo Riga will battle the Coyotes on October 6. Visit the new site here, and check out the History links for each club.
• Speaking of SKA St. Petersburg, they unveiled their newest players for the coming season. Denis Grebeshkov and Evgeni Nabokov were introduced by KHL President Alexander Medvedev, and both players took questions from the gathered media. It appears that Grebeshkov will wear #73 this season while Nabokov will wear #20. As he states in the interview, Nabokov's father wore #20 while playing in Russia as well! At the bottom of the article, note that Maxim Afinogenov's status as to being a player with SKA St. Petersburg is also confirmed!
• There were also a couple of notes about teams that would potentially play in the KHL this season. First, Czech-based Hradec Králové hockey club Lev was denied entry into the KHL by the Czech Ice Hockey Federation. The members of the Czech Federation voted unanimously to prevent the hockey club from leaving the Czech League, thus HC Lev will remain as a team in the Czech League.
• Secondly, Budivelnik of Kyiv, the second team that was to join the KHL for the 2010-11 season, announced that they will not be joining the KHL due to their inability to construct a suitable arena for KHL play. The loss of a major team in the Ukraine is a blow to both Ukrainian hockey and to the KHL's pan-European dream. Thus, no expansion for the KHL for this season.

There are your updates for a Tuesday in September. Tomorrow, I'll add some thoughts on Houston's hockey scenario, and I'll have the first of our guest writers up this weekend for some reader-based articles!

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Calendar Notes

With the summer months rolling into the autumn season, there are a lot of things to consider in terms of time. As you may be aware from reading this blog, I'll be away for the entire month of September, but this blog will not stop. Instead, I've already lined up some excellent writers to do a few pieces for me while I'm away, and they will receive the schedule this week. There are also some notes on the AHL and KHL calendars for important dates, and we'll take a look at these dates this evening. We can't be missing these events from other leagues not named "NHL", so I want to be sure you're up-to-date on your calendar with all of these events.

September 8th sees the KHL season kick off as the two-time Gagarin Cup Champion AK Bars Kazan meet the newly-named OHC Dynamo, the merged team of last year's finalist in HC MVD and the folded Moscow Dynamo. If you remember, it took Kazan the full seven games to finally knock off HC MVD, so this game should be a great start to the third KHL season.

St. Petersburg, Russia will have all eyes on it as the KHL All-Star Game festivities take place there on February 5th and 6th. The KHL season will end on February 20th, and the Gagarin Cup Playoffs will begin on February 23rd. If the Gagarin Cup Final goes the distance, the last game in the KHL season will be played on April 20th.

The AHL finally released their schedule for the teams in the circuit, and I am already looking forward to a few games on the Manitoba Moose schedule. But we'll start with the unhappy news.

The Moose have two ugly road trips this season: one that spans seven games, and another that sees eleven games played consecutively on the road. The Moose play six three-games-in-three-nights scenarios this season. While some teams thrive on this setup, the Moose have maintained that it is something they would like to see changed in the future.

"There’s no way to avoid them," Moose GM Craig Heisinger told Jim Bender of The Winnipeg Sun. "We don’t have too many of them. Some teams that bus from city to city can’t get enough of them."

While those are the blemishes on the schedule, there are some bonuses. The Moose get to play their North Division rivals a total of eight times per team. Abbotsford, Hamilton, Toronto, and Rochester will play four games in Winnipeg, and the Moose will visit those teams' respective buildings four times as well. The Moose will tangle with the Lake Erie Monsters four times as well - twice at MTS Centre and twice at Quicken Loans Arena. The expansion Oklahoma City Barons visit Manitoba on December 3 for the first time in their history.

Looking at the Eastern Conference, the Moose get to battle their nemeses in the Hershey Bears and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins once again this season. They will play these teams twice in Manitoba, and twice in their respective arenas.

The Moose open the season on the road against the Peoria Rivermen on Friday, October 8. They travel to Rockford for the second half of their two-game road trip to start the season on October 9 for a date with the IceHogs. The Moose hold their home-opener on October 15 against the Grand Rapids Griffins. After a pair of games against the Griffins, they welcome the Hamilton Bulldogs to MTS Centre.

As for special dates, the Moose will host the Chicago Wolves for the third time in fifteen years on their New Year's Eve game. The Moose get their CBC airtime on the brand-new "AHL on CBC" program when they battle the Abbotsford Heat on Sunday, January 23. They follow-up those games with a CBC airing of a Toronto-Manitoba on February 27, another Abbotsford-Manitoba affair on March 27, and close out the CBC AHL schedule with a Toronto-Manitoba battle on April 3. The January 23 and March 27 games will be broadcast live from the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.

Looking at the AHL's overall schedule, the opening weekend on October 8 will feature a home-and-home throwback series between the AHL's most storied clubs. From the AHL site: "The Providence Bruins will take on the Springfield Falcons (Oct. 8 and 9), the Lake Erie Monsters will square off against the Syracuse Crunch (Oct. 8 and 9) and the Hershey Bears will face the Rochester Americans (Oct. 10 and 16) while wearing throwback uniforms that will hark back to the earliest days of the American Hockey League. Providence, Springfield, Cleveland and Syracuse were among the league’s charter cities in 1936, with Hershey coming aboard in 1938 and Rochester hitting the ice in 1956."

The AHL will also see the WBS Penguins and the Hershey Bears clash on December 30 at the brand-new Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh as a part of the build-up to the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic. The XCel Energy Center in Minneapolis will play host to a game between the Houston Aeros and the Peoria Rivermen on February 12 as a part of "Hockey Day In Minnesota" festivities.

The 2011 AHL All-Star Classic will take place on January 30 and 31. The Hershey Bears are playing host to this year's event, and the event reverts back to an East-vs-West format for the first time since 1942, and all of the players in the game will wear throwback sweaters from that year.

Lots of great news from the AHL and KHL, so start marking your calendars! I'm especially excited for the 75th Anniversary activities that the AHL is planning!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Chicago Continues To Purge

While Chicago had a very good team last season as they left the other 29 teams in their wake en route to the Stanley Cup, there was a lot of concern about how they would keep all of their good, young talent within the salary cap. After a few management blunders, it was obvious that they were not going to be able to keep this team together for very long. Antti Niemi, pictured to the left, was one of the reasons this team was very good down the stretch last season, but he won't be wearing a Blackhawks jersey next season. After being awarded just shy of $3 million annually, the Blackhawks opted to walk away from Niemi's services despite leading the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup.

While the Hawks did go out and sign Marty Turco to a contract, it will be interesting to see where Niemi lands. He's a solid, young goaltender, but is saddled with big success in a limited amount of time. I'm not saying he will be the next Jim Carey or Felix Potvin, but Niemi's success can partly be attributed to the Blackhawks solid defensive unit last season. Yes, he still had to stop the pucks, but the Hawks' blueliners gave him a ton of help.

Where will he end up? No clue at this point, although some think that Washington is a great fit. I don't think that he will do well in Washington, and the Capitals are pretty amped about their two horses in Varlamov and Neuwirth. Some have said San Jose, but I think they're pretty set with Niittymaki and Greiss. In truth, there could be as many as five more teams vying for his services at $2.75 million per season.

Another option for the former Blackhawk netminder would be the KHL. Niemi is Finnish, so the jump to Russia isn't that far from his home country, and it would be a major coup for the KHL to have the reigning Stanley Cup Champion goaltender playing in their league. The arbitration number at that point would fly out the window, and Niemi could be signed for more or less, but there's no doubt that Niemi's price tag would be around $3 million per if he was to sign in Russia.

All in all, this is the eighth player from the NHL's defending Stanley Cup Champion to find a new home this summer. That's more than one-third of their roster which, for all intents and purposes, would signify a rebuild if it weren't for the established talent on the Hawks' roster. The core gorup of players are still intact, though, so this team has the raw ability to compete. But when paring down rosters to their raw talent, it's normally the role players and depth guys that play a huge role.

For instance, Andrew Ladd, who was moved to Atlanta from the Blackhawks this off-season, has been a winner where ever he has landed. Ladd scores big goals, checks like a demon, and plays the game with an edge. He is twice won the Stanley Cup, and provides character and grit. Ladd's intangibles are hard to find in a younger player who may not have the same drive as Ladd.

Will Chicago be good next year? Most likely. They may not experience the same success as this year through the regular season, but it appears that they will be on-track for another Stanley Cup Playoff berth. However, the loss of a major piece of the puzzle in Antti Niemi, the goaltender who led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, may prove to be huge.

On the other hand, Marty Turco might just make everyone forget about Niemi's success if he can lead Chicago to the Promised Land once again.

Just as an aside, I'll address the late posts from this weekend on Tuesday's post. It appears I was a little insane in setting times and dates for the posts to appear. Someone - me - was in holiday-mode long before they started.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Maverick Or Genius?

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to the man that might just be the smartest hockey man on the planet if it weren't for him being in charge of the second-best league on the planet. Alexander Medvedev, pictured to the left, is the head honcho when it comes to the KHL. He calls the shots, he makes the rules, he is "the man". However, Medvedev's offer to free-agent-in-limbo Ilya Kovalchuk today should have a few heads turning as players no longer just laugh off the KHL as some "old-timer league".

While Kovalchuk is still the biggest diamond available on the market, Medvedev decided to drop a bombshell of an offer in trying to lure the Russian sniper back to the Motherland. While the NHL and NHLPA slap each other around in front of an independent arbitrator at some point in the future, it could all be moot if Kovalchuk took Medvedev's offer as seriously as he did Lou Lamoriello's offer.

Medvedev floated this offer across the pond to Ilya Kovalchuk and his agent, Jay Grossman: a seventeen-year contract, and the ability to play where ever he chooses. As for money? Well, Medvedev really isn't hurting when it comes to his financial statement, so I'm quite certain that the $102 million that is up for grabs in the NHL would be delivered by Medvedev to Kovalchuk if he chooses the Russian offer.

Now, let me make something very clear here: Kovalchuk has stated time and again that his interest is playing in the NHL. However, with the contract he signed with the Devils being disputed by the NHL and NHLPA, the financial security that he was searching for may not be there if the arbitrator rules on the NHL's side. So if the arbitrator rules that the 17-year, $102 million is invalid as per the NHL's salary cap rules, there is absolutely no reason why Kovalchuk couldn't accept Medvedev's offer as the highest bidder.

In that scenario, Kovalchuk gets financial security in a relatively tax-free environment, he gets to play at home in Russia, and he is the poster boy for everything KHL. Not a bad deal, I'd say, and one that Kovalchuk may actually consider if the NHL wins the grievance.

The key in all this is that Medvedev would have secured the best player available on the free agent market by simply doing what the NHL wouldn't. If Kovalchuk doesn't sign with the KHL, Medvedev is out nothing and can continue on as if nothing happened.

If the KHL really wants to stick it to the NHL, this is how it can be done. It's savvy, it's intelligent, and it is all within the IIHF-NHL transfer rules since free agents can sign anywhere they like. For all the animosity between the NHL and KHL, this is probably the craziest move that could pay off in a big way that we've seen yet.

Kovalchuk, meanwhile, is in the best win-win situation he could ever hope for as long as he is open to moving back home. If he doesn't get $102 million from the New Jersey Devils, he can get it from the KHL. The NHL loses one of its marquee stars while the KHL secures its "Sidney Crosby"-like player to market and promote their league.

Alexander Medvedev could be just crazy enough for this offer to work. All it will take is selling Kovalchuk on the beauty of the Siberian winter over the New Jersey swamps. $102 million could be the price in that sale.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More