French Connection Memories

It's always a tough day when the hockey world loses a legend, but it's even harder when that legend is one of the nicest men to ever walk the planet. Rick Martin, a Buffalo Sabres legend, passed away yesterday at the age of 59 from what was determined to be Hypertensive Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, which is related to high blood pressure and clogged arteries. Martin had suffered a heart attack while driving which forced him to be in a single-car accident. The former member of "The French Connection" was loved in the Buffalo area, and always seemed to have a smile on his face. The Sabres great will always be remembered as a team-first guy who loved his extended Sabres family as much as he did his immediate family, will always stand out as a fantastic hockey player.

"On behalf of the Sabre family and all his former teammates, friends, as being a guy that I've been in the community with now for 30 years, we lost a heck of a guy today," said Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said on Sunday. "He was a teammate, he was somebody I worked with as part of the coaching staff, somebody I played golf with. He was a great person. I think anybody that crossed his path would say the same. It's tough when you lose anybody, and we lost a real good person today. It's a tough one to take."

Channel 4 WIBV in Buffalo put together a really nice video about Rick Martin. I think this says a quite about how great Mr. Martin was as a person, teammate, and Buffalo Sabre.

I never had the opportunity to watch Rick Martin play before he retired, but there are lots of clips online that show Martin's abilities very well. The fifth pick of the 1971 NHL Entry Draft showed soft hands and great skill in a lot of his goals on The French Connection line when teamed with legends Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert, and there are some great clips of him in action. To the video!

Rick "Rico" Martin pots his first of two against the Soviet Wings in 1976.

And his second goal against the Soviet Wings.

Rick Martin vs. Phil Esposito on April 13, 1978 in the playoffs.

Marin still holds the team record of hat tricks as Sabre with 21, and he's still in top-ten for points scored as a Sabre with 695. His number proudly hangs from the rafters at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, and he has been immortalized as a Sabres legend by thousands of adoring fans.

Rest in peace, Mr. Martin. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. All my best go out to the Martin family during this difficult time.

Until next time, raise your sticks high for this legend!

Read More

More Negative Manitoba Hockey Headlines

I want to bring to light a very disturbing video that made headlines all over the news in Manitoba. Hockey, as I'm sure you're aware, is something about which Manitobans are very passionate. The fact that this made headlines on all of the newscasts in Winnipeg should tell you something about how high Manitobans hold the game. It may also show you an ugly side of the game that we need to be very open about when talking to the next generation of players.

I'll frame the game for you. It's a playoff series in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League between the Portage Terriers of Portage la Prairie and the Swan Valley Stampeders. The Terriers are leading the series by a 3-2 margin, and are up 4-1 late in Game Six. With about 16 seconds to play, we catch up with the video.

This is entirely what hockey needs to eliminate. Players like Jesse Enns, the Stampeder player who skated full-tilt into the corner, need to be removed entirely from the game.

I'm speechless, readers. Enns drilled Terriers' defender Tyler Harland into the boards head-first. It's an absolute miracle that Harland was able to skate off the ice under his own power. I'm stunned that he was even able to get up after a disgusting disregard for human life and safety shown by Enns.

I might be speaking emotionally here, but I feel that Enns should lose all privileges when it comes to playing the game. Ban him for life. Give the kid a lot of time to reflect on the absolute stupidity of his actions, the extremely poor decision he made when he took off from center ice and hurled himself into an unsuspecting player, and the opportunity to see the potential devastation he could have caused to another player, a family, and many lives. I see no other punishment that would fit the crime. And it's not the result that we're talking about here - I want the punishment to fit the crime committed.

MJHL Commissioner Kim Davis will undoubtedly be reviewing not only the hit by Enns on Harland, but the spontaneous fight involving the two coaches on the bench after the officials ended the game. Davis has been an advocate for cleaning up the game from his league's point of view, so I expect harsh penalties for all involved.

I love going to watch MJHL games when I get the opportunity, but this display left a bad taste in my mouth. And if Enns is let off the hook because Harland wasn't seriously hurt, I may just take to the streets and demand justice on this one.

What say you, readers?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Coyote Ugly Situation

I've had a number of people email me over these last few days as the situation surrounding the Phoenix Coyotes nears the boiling point. I've said it before and I'll say it again right here: I'm not going to comment on any team moving to any other city without seeing the moving trucks heading out of town. Could I make comments? Of course. However, it's far better to not let speculation, innuendo, and rumour whip people into a frenzy when nothing may come of it. Besides, I still have a team that I'm passionately following, and I think that the AHL's Manitoba Moose are perfect for a city of Winnipeg's size. So let's tone down the Phoenix-to-Winnipeg chatter for the next few weeks, and let's focus on some more important hockey news.

First, some great news out of Toronto where the efforts to raise funds for the Pat Burns Arena has now broken through the seven-figure mark! The Stanstead, Quebec arena should not only wear Burns' name as a tribute to the NHL coaching legend, but all that he embodied should be a part of that arena. There still is some work to be done, though, as the city of Stanstead has to raise the remaining $1.2 million to reach the goal needed to put this arena on the map. Good job in getting halfway there! You're almost there!

Next, I received an email with a very impressive link in it, and I want to give some credit to Mr. Mark Divver for his work in researching Alton White's career at Providence as a member of the AHL's Reds. As you may remember from my January 29 article last year, Alton White was the first black player to record a hat trick in professional hockey and the first black player to record a 20-goal season as part of the WHA! Mr. Divver has taken a small part of Mr. White's hockey career and expanded on it wonderfully in his article. Thank you, Mark, for sending me a link to your excellent work!

Lastly, there was a very scary hit in the NHL tonight, and one player looks like he may not return until next season. Let's go back to January 8, 2011 where Montreal's Max Pacioretty and Boston's Zdeno Chara appear to be developing quite the rivalry.

Pacioretty scores the overtime winner, appears to shove Chara, and then a fracas breaks out. Fast-forward to tonight's game, and it appears this rivalry just crossed the line.

Wow. Listen to what NESN's Andy Brickley says in his commentary on the play:

"You cannot finish your check. You gotta release him... when that puck is chipped by. Chara's gotta let him go there. And not only does he ride him into the boards, he puts him into that dangerous spot and that is a defenceless position for Pacioretty."

I fully agree with Brickley's assessment on this one. Pacioretty was trying to go wide, and Chara was trying to slow him up. That's a textbook case of interference, but the fact that he was destroyed by the stanchion only makes this look a lot worse.

The good news is that Pacioretty was awake when they finally got him off the ice on a stretcher, so that's positive. He did spend approximately five minutes on the ice, so there is certainly some concern as to his long-term health. It's a scary situation, but I'm not sure that anything can be done in this situation in regards to punishing Chara. This is the kind of hockey play that coaches teach everywhere.

Personally, I'd like to see a game or two for Chara just for the NHL to send a message to the players that this kind of play, while a normal hockey play 99 out of 100 times, needs to be controlled. Thoughts on this one, readers?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Champions Of Character

I was leaving school on Friday when I happened by a newspaper machine that was running a headline about local high school hockey. I appreciate the hard work that goes into high school hockey as kids juggle their school responsibilities with the demands and rigors of a hockey schedule and practices. Of course, being that the headline was about hockey, I stopped for a closer look. What I read left in a state that only the title of this article can describe. I want to give you my take on this story, and why I found the light at the end of the tunnel once I gave this story some thought.

There is an important quotation from Knute Rockne that needs to be prefaced here: "Win or lose, do it fairly". This is a very important quotation that I want you to keep in mind as I bring you this story about high school hockey from The Canadian Press. My comments will follow. Just as an aside, note that the two teams in this story are the Westwood Collegiate Warriors and the College Jeanne Sauvé Olympiens.

WINNIPEG - The coaches of a Winnipeg high school hockey team have been suspended after they pulled their goalie to throw a playoff game to eliminate a rival from championship contention.

"High school athletics are about the spirit of the game," said Winnipeg High School Hockey League president Mike Wake, who is also the principal of the offending school, Westwood Collegiate.

Wake planned to be on Westwood's bench Friday afternoon for a tie-breaker against the team it tried to bump from the semifinals, the Oak Park Raiders.

Yes, there's a conflict of interest, but I had to act," he said Friday.

The offending game happened Thursday.

There was a fair amount of consternation in the stands as parents, players and other coaches watched Westwood, ahead 3-2 in a game against College Jeanne Sauve, pull its goalie as time wound down.

Jean Sauve then scored the tying and winning goals and, with their relative positions in the standings, regular-season champion Oak Park was bumped from the A-Division series.

The Jean Sauve win ensured a rematch with Westwood in the semifinals, rather than Westwood having to take on Oak Park to move on to the championship.

Wake decided to let Jeanne Sauve retain the win and a spot in Saturday's semifinal and then have Westwood and Oak Park face off to decide the opponent. He said other schools in the 31-team league were consulted and agreed with his decision.

Westwood's volunteer coaches have been suspended for the rest of the season. None could be reached for comment.

Wake said no decisions have been made beyond that.

"Right now, I'm just trying to get through today."

He said credit goes to Westwood's players, who didn't like to see the game thrown and wanted to play the tie-breaker.

"These kids are winners already because they've stepped up and, as a principal, I'm very proud of them ... Unfortunately some adults got in the way of the kids.

"In the National Hockey League or the NBA or major league (baseball), if you've got a pennant clinched or a series wrapped up, yeah, maybe you don't put in your starting pitcher or starting quarterback," said Wake.

"Teams do do that. But to pull a goalie was just in total contradiction of what high school athletics stand for and what we stand for as a school."

Wow. This is a situation that's almost too bizarre to describe, and I'm shocked that it would happen in high school hockey game. But after reading and re-reading this story, there is definitely something I want to point out.

We've always looked at school as an institution where kids learn important lessons. The foundation of higher education and tomorrow's leaders is built on lessons learned in math, English, and history classes, but one of the most important things that children develop at school is character. Character isn't something taught specifically in any one class, but somewhere along the way there's always some sort of character that develops in students.

What is taught in high school sports is no different than what is taught in a classroom. Lessons are learned through winning, losing, and various experiences found between those two extremes. Children are constantly learning skills and behaviours that will help them in their future. They are, in some ways, just as important, and occasionally more important, in teaching children important life lessons and new skills.

"High school sports in general, we're an extension of the classroom," Westwood Collegiate Principal Mike Wake stated. "We really are and we promote that."

English philosopher and sociologist Herbert Spencer stated, "Education has for its object the formation of character", and the Westwood Collegiate hockey team deserves some credit for showing their character. I truly believe that there was some excellent character shown by the Westwood Collegiate hockey players in calling out their coaches for their decisions in this game. What the coaches did as mentors and teachers of these players is downright despicable.

In any sporting event, the spirit of competition along with good sportsmanship should be stressed when dealing with amateur athletics. There is no winner when someone does something so abhorrent as throwing a game in order to screw over another team, let alone a fierce rival. But to have a high school team - a team of students - instructed by their coaches to lose a game on purpose is the very definition of poor sportsmanship, terrible ethics, and a lack of respect for the game, its players, and the other teams in their league.

Principal Mike Wake stated that it was the players who called out their coaches over this ridiculous act, and I'm proud of them for it. It takes a lot of moxie to stand up to the men who are supposed to be teaching you how to play the game the right way, and it shows that the Westwood Collegiate hockey team is a team made up of students that have outstanding quantities of character, integrity, and principle. Now that's the kind of team with which I'd want to be associated. And a few volunteer coaches decided that those qualities - qualities that the institution of school is supposed to instill in children - were unimportant once the students laced up their skates.

That, to me, is absolutely disgusting.

Now, I do want to say that I think that coaches Ryan Butterfield and Jim West made a huge error in judgment. I don't think that they should be crucified or anything, and they have been suspended. I think that they saw an opportunity to better the school by having them play for a championship, and that opportunity overrode their commitment to the game. It's a mistake, and, like the students they were coaching, they will undoubtedly learn from their mistake. Unfortunately, the consequences of their decision will have ramifications for a long time for these two men.

As I read this story, it brought back memories of a movie that has had a great amount of influence on me in terms of moral and ethical challenges. I want to present a small clip of that movie in honour of the men who proudly wear the Westwood Collegiate hockey jersey. Listen to the words spoken by Academy Award-winner Al Pacino. The Westwood Collegiate men represent everything spoken in this clip.

The boys on Westwood Collegiate's hockey team have shown everything that Pacino said was important in our future leaders: integrity, courage, principle, and character. These are the things that, he stated, will make us proud one day as these young men head out into the world.

I'll tell you this: I'm already proud of them for making things right. They recognized that the spirit of the game was not being honoured, and they did something about it. What they did was the right thing, and it goes as a credit to their families, their teachers, their friends, and themselves for showing that they are excellent examples of a shining future.

Westwood Collegiate should be proud of these young men. I know I am. Win or lose against Oak Park, these young men are already champions.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Gillies Earns More Time Off

Wow. Not two days later after the article posted by Tim Ambler do I get another post from a reader. Just to make it even better, the two stories relate thanks to Trevor Gillies! I turn today's HBIC offering over to Peter Santellan, author of the awesome Pucks and Rocks blog (which you can find under the blogroll to the right). Peter is a Vancouver Canucks fan, a die-hard hockey lover, and a huge metal music fan. Today, Mr. Santellan takes aim at the most recent actions by Trevor Gillies after Gillies made his return from suspension. Of course, I'll have my comments at the end. Enjoy!

While thinking about what to write here, which seems rather slim, given so much can also be on my regular blog, I actually found something that can be written about that will encourage discussion (there's actually two things from today's wire, but I will discuss one in detail for this piece). I could talk about the findings from Bob Probert's brain scan, since it is big news, but that's not the thing that truly boils my blood. No, today, what boils my blood is one Trevor Gillies. What's that? You don't know who that is? Allow me to refresh your memory.

Gillies was the guy who blindsided Pittsburgh's Eric Tangradi in a February 11 game, and punched him while he was down. Before leaving the ice, he was last seen standing in the doorway, taunting Tangradi while he was down. "Shockingly", all of this only earned him a nine-game suspension.

Now, fast forward to the Islanders' home game against the Minnesota Wild, and Gillies' suspension being over. This happened in his first game back:

If you have seen the video of this at all, you will know that Gillies clearly went for the head of Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck. Why does Gilles make me angry? Besides the fact that he's nothing more than a hired goon (which the Islanders don't need any more of, with Zenon Konopka on the roster) and that he takes up a roster spot and only plays about 5 minutes a night, it is actions like last night that truly make him the despised figure in the NHL right now, and yes, that includes Sean Avery. More than that, just talking about Gillies is taking away from the Islanders' good run of late despite not being playoff contenders, and worse, is taking away from those who deserve the spotlight like John Tavares, Matt Moulson, and ex-Canuck (yes, I had to) Michael Grabner. All three are nearing the 30-goal mark, and those three are also the team's brightest hopes for the Islanders to get back to respectability. Unfortunately, as long as Gillies is still on the team, that respect will never be there. The Islanders and the NHL need to do something about this guy, as he's clearly hurting both opponents and the team's image with each cheap shot.

Thank you, Peter, for that article. It's always a pleasure to have such a talented and passionate hockey fan contributing something like this that is sure to generate discussion. So let's do that right now.

Gillies, in the game shown above, played three shifts before being given the night off by the officials for his blatant disregard for human life or health. The fact that he caught Clutterbuck in a very vulnerable position should tell you a lot about the guy's mindset.

Gillies did make a comment regarding the hit after the game: "I went over and finished my hit," Gillies told Newsday. "There was no intent to injure him. I saw him hit DiBo, and I made a hit on him. That's it."

Except that's not it. There was clear evidence that his check was entirely made on Clutterbuck's noggin, and that's a no-no. Whether or not Gillies intended to hurt Clutterbuck or not is not the issue here. Are we really supposed to believe that he'd admit to intending to hurt Clutterbuck? No, the issue is that he could have seriously hurt Clutterbuck by throwing a check that targeted his head, and that's the problem. I can't see why neither the Islanders nor Gillies see this side of the equation, but I'm guessing that they will when they appear in front of Colin Campbell for the second time in less than a month.

What I want to know, readers, is this: should the onus of making Gillies a more responsible player fall on the Islanders since it appears that Gillies has no intention of changing the way he plays the game?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

More Grapes, More Fashion

There was a nice little press release put out by the CBC today as they announced that Don Cherry will return next season as part of the Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts. Cherry, better known for his jackets and ties, has signed on through the 2012 season, and that's good for both hockey and HNIC. While he'll alays have his critics, Don Cherry is opinionated, brash, and funny - something the hockey world needs more of instead of having clichés and rhetoric spun everywhere. I'm glad Grapes is back, and he's sure to be entertaining next season.

"We're delighted to announce that the venerable hockey icon Don Cherry has signed on for another season and will continue to provide hockey’s liveliest and sometimes provocative commentary," says Kirstine Stewart, executive vice-president of CBC English Services. "Don has been a part of the CBC Hockey Night in Canada family since 1980, generating passion and debate among hockey fans everywhere. Hockey Night in Canada, with Don at the desk for its 59th season, will continue to bring the very best of hockey programming on all of its platforms to Canadians everywhere."

Wow. Cherry has been a part of HNIC since 1980? That's 32 years after next season! Of course, Don's run on HNIC hasn't been without controversy or the occasional threat of being fired, but Cherry has always come out of the fire with a renewed passion for the game he loves. However, here's a prime example of the controversial Grapes.

"We join millions of fans in congratulating Don on his new contract and wishing him continued success as the declarative voice of CBC's definitive hockey broadcast," says NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "Don's knowledge of the sport is exceeded only by his love for it and we are proud of his enduring connection with the game and the National Hockey League. He truly is one of a kind, and it is an honour to consider him a friend."

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, I'm glad that CBC has decided to bring back one of the best parts of the HNIC broadcast in Coach's Corner featuring Don Cherry. There is no doubt that Cherry's style has made him an icon, and, while he might be controversial, there is no doubt that he loves the sport of hockey.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Another CBC Gem

If you happen to live close enough to Canada, you might be lucky enough to get a television signal from CBC. If you do, you might have been lucky enough to catch an episode of Dragon's Den, a television program where entrepreneurs get a chance to throw their business ideas at five investors who are looking for new business ideas in which to invest. The catch is that the five investors - Jim Treliving, Kevin O'Leary, Arlene Dickinson, W. Brett Wilson, and Robert Herjavec - don't just give away their money to anyone on this show. Instead, they only invest their money in ideas that make themselves potentially richer!

I'll be honest: there are some incredibly unique ideas that have the potential to make millions of dollars on the market if they are realized. And the Dragons certainly recognize opportunity when it knocks in most cases as they help aspiring entrepreneurs pursue these dreams while taking a little off the top as they guide the men and women who appear in the Dragon's Den studio to success. In short, the Dragons get paid to help people get rich.

Season Five of Dragon's Den brought an interesting pitch from an small company as Episode Five saw Side Splitting Productions gear up for their encounter with the Dragons. Let's take a look at they get themselves ready to step into the Dragon's Den.

Yes, you saw that correctly: Clark Robertson becomes Don Cherry as Clark and Darlene Robertson from Calgary, Alberta prepare to enter the Dragon's Den as Side Splitting Productions to ask the Dragons for some capital in their business. The star of HNIC's Coach's Corner get parodied on CBC's Dragon's Den in this episode! While this primer may have had a few spoilers as to what happened in the actual episode, let's take a look at the fire felt by Clark and Darlene as they stared down the Dragons.

I gotta say that Clark Robertson does a pretty good job in portraying Don Cherry in these videos as he sold W. Brett Wilson in his pitch! He's got the look, he's got the voice, he's got the mannerisms... he could be Grapes if Mr. Cherry ever decided to retire!

Congratulations to Clark and Darlene as Mr. Wilson invests $30,000 in their production company! You can find more of Clark Robertson performing on their website, and you can follow the Robertsons via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! You've got a fan in Teebz and HBIC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Hockey Day In Canada

I'm not sure where these two had this picture taken, but today is a very big day for Whitehorse, Yukon as CBC sets up shop there for the 2011 version of Hockey Day In Canada! Of course, the two men in that image are Ron MacLean and Don Cherry, Canada's Abbott and Costello from Hockey Night In Canada's "Coach's Corner". It's also a big day for some lucky kids as well as they made the trek from New Brunswick to Whitehorse to take part in Hockey Day In Canada!

First off, a big congratulations goes out once more to the Petitcodiac/Salisbury Bantam "A" Flyers from New Brunswick who won the right to be the featured team on Scotiabank's Hockey Day In Canada. The 17 players and their "entourage" of coaches and parents will be treated to a great week of hockey and fun as the city of Whitehorse welcomes them to town!

This is such a great contest, and I'm glad that Scotiabank is helping young kids save money while promoting sports in Canada. I am truly envious of the players on the Flyers, and I wish them nothing but the best on Hockey Day In Canada!

As for Whitehorse, this glimpse into life in a northern town should show the sparkle about which many already know. I, for one, have always wanted to visit this city, and CBC has given us a quick look through a video. Check it out.

Not bad, right? I'd like to visit there. Sure, it's a little cold, but where is it NOT cold in the winter in Canada?

There are three games on today, and all of them feature Canadian teams squaring off. The early game at 2PM ET has Ottawa visiting Edmonton in a battle of non-playoff teams. The second game at 7PM ET has Toronto visiting "la belle province" as the Maple Leafs battle against the Montreal Canadiens. The late game at 10PM ET features the surging Calgary Flames heading west to Vancouver to battle the division-leading Canucks.

The best part of this entire day is that you don't need to be a CBC viewer or a Canadian to get the full schedule of hockey today. NBC Sports' ProHockeyTalk has a full line-up of the day's activities for American viewers and how to view the action! How cool is that?

Get your hockey fix on today, kids. There's approximately ten hours of hockey goodness for you to bask in!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Head Derails Career

It's tough to sit here and not be concerned about Marc Savard's long-term health after it was announced today that his season was over thanks to another concussion. This one was suffered on a devastating hit by former teammate Matt Hunwick as the Bruins and Avalanche clashed on January 22. This concussion was the second major head injury the shifty centerman has suffered within the last year after taking a major blow to the head from Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke ten months ago. For all intents and purposes, it might be time for Marc Savard to look to a future outside of hockey because I'm not sure his brain can sustain another major jolt without returning some sort of unrepairable injury.

The first thing I think we should do is look at what a concussion is and how it is caused. This is vital in knowing what we're dealing with in terms of how concussions are caused and how they can be prevented.

Jamie Hyneman explored this very subject on an episode of Mythbusters (yes, watching Mythbusters is a guilty pleasure of mine). He spoke to Dr. Wade Smith, the director of neuroscience at University of California-San Francisco, about concussions on an episode entitled "Concussion Confidential".

JH: So what exactly happens in a concussion?

WS: A concussion is when you transfer a force - external - through the skull to the brain. Think of the skull as a box, and you've got the brain inside that has the consistency of jello. When a concussion occurs and force is delivered to the skull itself, the skull moves relative to the brain. The brain stays in one place, and the skull moves against it. That can bruise the brain that's hitting the skull, and it can actually damage the brain opposite that.

Scary stuff, no?

Now, no one I've seen has come right out and called a concussion "brain damage" in the sense of what we imagine brain damage to be, but that's essentially what it is. The issue is that these bruises cannot be seen by the naked eye like a bruise on your arm or leg. And because the brain is a fairly important organ in the human body, the impact of a bruise on the brain can result in long-lasting problems from the sufferer.

Today, on NHL.com, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Dr. Reuben Echemendia, head of the NHL/NHLPA Concussion Working Group, sat down to answer some of the frequently-asked questions about concussions in the NHL. While this seems more like a PR-move than anything else, I am impressed with Dr. Echemendia's responses, although I'm sure they remain fairly scripted as a way to prevent any spin being put on them.

"We've done a lot of work to take a look at how our testing instruments function with our players across a number of different language groups, across a number of educational groups, and how well our tests are picking up these injuries when we examine the players post-injury," Dr. Echemendia told NHL.com. We've also begun to understand in greater detail how the concussions are being caused in the NHL and using video analyses, for example, that have led us to provide data to the League that has subsequently led to rule changes."

I was puzzled about Gary Bettman's next statement, though.

"Since the implementation of Rule 48 last March... we've seen a decrease in concussions and man-games lost resulting from blind-side hits to head. In addition, we have seen a decrease in concussions caused by hits involving the head that are deemed legal in our game."

Really? So you go from not tracking them to improve the detection of concussions, yet the number of concussions is decreasing? Why is the NHL the only sport on the planet where concussions are decreasing despite piles of evidence to suggest otherwise? However, Bettman contradicts himself one statement later!

"What I'm about to say is based on very preliminary data so you can't hold me to it down the road with precision, because we have to make sure it bears out. But I do want to emphasize what appear to be preliminary trends. For the 2010-11 regular season, concussions are up. Again, I want to emphasize it's preliminary.

"The increase in concussions appears to be in the area of accidental or inadvertent situations as most did not involve any contact whatsoever with the victim's head by an opponent. I'm not saying no concussions came from hits to the head, but it appears the increase is coming from somewhere else."

So accidental or inadvertent contact resulting in a concussion is different than intentional contact resulting in a concussion? Are you kidding me, Mr. Bettman?

Let me be very clear here: an injury is an injury regardless of how it happens. Therefore, a concussion should be tracked as a concussion, and not how it is caused. No one plans on getting hurt while playing the game, but it happens. That's just a fact of life when playing a contact sport.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the fourth biggest killer in the United States are accidents. Accidents result in nearly 37 people killed annually between the ages of 24 and 35 which, not surprisingly, is the demographic that hockey wants to own. Accidental deaths get the same weight as deaths due to diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasms, suicides, and homicides because the end result is all the same: someone died. No death is ranked better or worse, so why does the NHL differentiate between two causes of brain injuries when the end result in both cases is brain injury?

Dr. Echemendia didn't answer either of the questions that Mr. Bettman responded to, but he did weigh in on helmets. It appears as though there are no helmets that will effectively protect against concussions as this time, and Dr. Echemendia addressed that point.

"I absolutely agree with that. Given our current technology, there's nothing out there that is going to prevent a concussion, because in order to prevent a concussion, a helmet has to be able to absorb a significant amount of the blow as opposed to translating the force of that blow. The current polycarbonate shells that we have, those hard shells, they tend to just transfer the blow. They tend not to absorb the blow. And they do that for a very good reason, and that is the helmets that we have are very good at preventing what they're designed to prevent, and that is, as you say, depressed skull fractures, lacerations, significant head injuries. They were never designed to protect against concussion.

"As a matter of fact, there was some concern among the biomechanists that if we tried to make a helmet that prevents concussion; we may be going in the other direction and see an increase in skull fractures and these other types of injuries. So it's a complicated issue."

He also refuted claims that mouthguards help to prevent concussions. Some mouthguards make this claim, but Dr. Echemendia feels that this claim might not be so valid.

"There are no clinical data to suggest that mouth guards protect against concussion. They do a very good job at protecting against dental injury, and good mouth guards should be worn for that reason. But there's no indication right now that they're effective at preventing concussion."

So let's review: concussions are up in the NHL, Mr. Bettman says they are trending down, there are no proven pieces of equipment that prevent concussions, yet we're supposed to believe that the NHL doesn't have a concussion problem.

Is anyone feeling a little wool over their eyes?

Look, I wish nothing but the best for Marc Savard, but you have to wonder why the Bruins centerman is already talking about coming back to play hockey again. I get that there might be a macho aspect to his talk, but I was blown away by the following comment during his press conference:

"I'm obviously going to get more medial tests done and then I'll be able to make a clearer decision on what my future is but, right now, I'm hoping to continue at some point again," Savard said.

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but the best medical advice I can offer to you, Mr. Savard, is to take the next 12-18 months off, let your brain heal, and then see where you stand. As Dr. Smith said to Mr. Hyneman, your brain is the consistency of jello, so it probably doesn't take to being smashed against the inside of your skull very well. Since you had a major brain injury in the last calendar year, maybe it's time you give your head some rest and let your brain make itself right.

I'd say "give your head a shake", but I don't want to be responsible for any additional damage to your gray matter.

As for Mr. Bettman, how long will this charade about concussions in the NHL continue?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Goalies Gone Wild

You may not recognize this guy, but I'd say he's a pretty fierce competitor. He's the kind of guy that will kill you if you don't kill him first as far as I can tell from what I've seen and heard. So while he's probably a pretty good teammate, I'd imagine he'd be a pain in the rear to play against. The man we're talking about here is Ottawa Senators goaltender Robin Lehner. And Lehner seems to have the psychological aspect of the game of hockey down to a science. He showed it last night against the New York Islanders, and he's shown it in the past as well.

Let's go back to this year's World Junior Championship where Lehner was the starting goaltender for Team Sweden. I'll let the video do the explaining, but watch until the end of the clip where Lehner goes off on the officials during an interview.

Wow. Do you really think that the goal that put Russia up 2-0 was the deciding factor? And I'm sure that the officials base their calls on who is playing in the game. C'mon.

Anyway, we can see that Lehner is a little intense when he plays the game. However, last night saw Lehner take things to a whole new level as the end of the second period became bigger than the game.

Now, considering yesterday's post, I'm quite certain that the Islanders' goaltenders were told not to throw down the cheeseboard and glove for some old-fashioned disagreement-settling. Kevin Poulin wisely keeps his gear on, but what was Lehner thinking with the forearm shiver he delivered?

If Lehner was trying to get into Poulin's head, it really backfired as the Islanders won the game in the third period on the ensuing powerplay that resulted from Lehner's indiscretion at center ice. Rob Schremp scored the game-winning goal at 1:39 of the third period, and the Islanders skated to the 5-3 victory. So while it appeared Lehner was trying to get Poulin off his game, it appeared to fire Poulin up as he shut the door in the third period.

I like Lehner's tenacity and intensity, and his personality will certainly keep him as a fan favorite if he continues to push the envelope. I was thinking, though, that maybe Lehner was keeping an Ottawa goaltending tradition alive?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

A Recurring Theme

How many times do you have to get hurt doing something before you stop doing it? If you've been following Rick DiPietro's career since being drafted first overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, you know the guy is one knee twist, one fall down, or one over-stretch away from the intensive care ward. Honestly, the guy is a skating medical textbook with all the injuries he's had. Wednesday night, DiPietro added another chapter to DeePee's Anatomy when he suffered facial fractures and knee swelling after getting himself into a tussle with the Pittsburgh Penguins' Brent Johnson. So let's just run this down objectively to see where we're at in DiPietro's career.

I'm going on record as a fan of goalie fights. Normally, the two most-protected skaters on the ice rarely engage in fisticuffs due to the 200-feet of ice between them and the fact that they don't want to hurt themselves when chucking fists at the other's padded body. When it does happen, though, it's usually a pretty good bout.

Tonight's heavyweight scrap looked like a pretty even scrap as the two men - DiPietro and Johnson - decided to "git it on" in the Islanders' zone. Johnson stands 6'3" and weighs in at 200 lbs. DiPietro is 6'1" tall and weighs in at 190 lbs. Johnson has a slight advantage, but it's not like we're talking Chara-Rolston differences here.

Let's go to the video to see how this one played out as Brent Johnson skates 150-feet to engage the feisty Rick DiPietro.

And BOOM goes the dynamite. Johnson unloads a massive left-handed haymaker that wipes the smile off the face of DiPietro. Notice how Johnson is preparing to unleash hell in that image as DiPietro thinks this is going to be some sort of slap-fight? The result was a crumpled heap of Islanders humanity lying on the ice. Yet again. How many times have Islanders fans see this now?

If you don't think Johnson threw everything he had behind that punch, check out this animation and watch DiPietro's hair when he gets punched. Johnson devastated DiPietro with that punch! That, readers, is why this fight only went one punch long. When a goalie is throwing haymakers like that, get him out of the pads and onto the fourth line for some intimidation! By the way, this is DiPietro after the game. Do you think Johnson opened up a can of whoop-butt on him?

So now we find DiPietro on the injured list again, out 4-6 weeks with facial fractures and a knee tweak. Shall we look at the man-games lost by one player on the Islanders at this point? (The answer is yes.)

• Missed 60 games due to knee surgery.
• Missed 41 games due to a swollen knee.
• Missed 36 games (and counting) due to various knee injuries.
• Missed 13 games due to groin injuries.
• Missed nine games due to hip surgery.
• Missed eight games due to headaches.
• Missed three games due to personal reasons.
• Missed two games due to neck injuries.
• Missed two games due to illnesses.
• Missed one game due to a "lower body injury".
• Missed one game due to a concussion.

If you're doing the math, that 176 man-games (and counting) lost on Rick DiPietro's resumé. Putting that in perspective, that's two full seasons plus another 12 games (and counting) of time missed. Is there any wonder why this Islanders team finds itself at the bottom of the standings year after year when their designated starting goaltender is continually watching from the treatment room?

Look, there's no doubt that DiPietro is a world-class talent when he's healthy. It's that little part at the end, though, that makes it hard to put DiPietro in the upper echelon of goalies because he never plays long enough in a season to show off just how good he is. The Islanders need to find a way to keep DiPietro on the ice somehow, some way if they ever want to return to the playoffs.

DiPietro is good, but he's nothing to the Islanders if he's not on the ice.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 17

Antler Banter returns to the airwaves after the AHL All-Star break, and we find the Moose out in Pennsylvania this week as they start the second half of the AHL season. They closed out the first half of the season with games against Rochester and Toronto, so we'll take a peek into those games and who stood out for the Moose. And because it's a new week, we have another Manitoba Moose player making a splash in his NHL debut! Don't forget to visit 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. We shut down the first half of the season in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Beaten By The Bottom

The Manitoba Moose and Rochester Americans met for the third time this season as the Moose traveled to New York for a road game against the Amerks. Manitoba had won the previous two games in the comfy confines of MTS Centre, so they wanted to take their strong play against Rochester into the Amerks' barn against the AHL North Division's cellar-dwellers. It was an all-Swedish match-up in the nets as Eddie Lack and Jakob Markstrom stood two-hundred feet apart in this game.

It's always a bonus when one of your pluggers gets a goal, and it is especially big when your grinders chips a goal in while killing off a penalty. Kudos go out to Garth Murray on Friday as he netted his second goal of the season while shorthanded! Travis Ramsey's clearing attempt was blocked, but Murray grabbed the loose puck and raced down the ice on a breakaway before sliding the puck behind Markstrom.

While it's hard to be critical of the team's best player over the last month, Sergei Shirokov finished the game at a game-worst -2 on the night. He did have four shots on Markstrom during the evening, but ended the night with nothing to show for it except a couple of goals-against. That kind of night can kill a young player's career in the NHL, so Shirokov will have to take charge on his line for them to be better if he wants another shot with the Vancouver Canucks.

A fairly low-scoring, low-excitement game as eight minor penalties and one double-minor penalty was called over the 60 minutes. Jakob Markstrom was well-rested after the All-Star break, though, and he stopped all five Moose powerplays amongst the 33 saves he made in a 2-1 Amerks victory over the Moose. The Moose drop a game that they have to win if they want to keep pace with Hamilton, and fall to 25-14-6 on the season with the loss.

More Marlies, More Wins

The Moose didn't have much time to reflect on their loss to Rochester as they saddled up and headed north for a Saturday evening tilt against the Toronto Marlies. Manitoba had dropped the last two games, scoring only one goal against the Hamilton Bulldogs and Rochester Americans in the past two games. The Moose had to get themselves back on track to salvage the first half of this eastern road trip. Jussi Rynnas got the call for the Marlies while Eddie Lack took to the nets for Manitoba.

Ryan Cruthers was all over the scoresheet in this game as Cruthers recorded a "Gordie Howe hat trick"! Cruthers got started early in this game, wrapping up the legendary GHHT just 8:38 into the game. His third goal of the season came at 3:01, he added the assist on Jordan Schroeder's goal at 7:38, and Cruthers finished the GHHT by squaring off with Danny Richmond in a battle of fisticuffs exactly one minute later! That's quite a day at the office for #16!

Josh Aspenlind has been playing some inspired hockey since being recalled from the ECHL. Saturday night saw him pick up a couple of helpers on the first two Moose goals as he continued his solid play! In sixteen games thus far, Aspenlind has yet to record a goal, but his five assists and +1 rating are indicative of his solid play in shutdown and checking roles. With the Moose getting great contributions from the guys not normally relied on to score, they'll go far if this can continue!

Both teams seemed to play this game with a little less tenacity than we usually see from a Manitoba-Toronto game, and that might be expected as it seemed that both teams were looking forward to the AHL All-Star break for a little rest and relaxation. The Moose, however, closed out the first half of the AHL season with a 3-1 win over the Marlies, pushing their record to 26-14-6 on the season!

All-Star Tally

In case you missed the action, the AHL All-Star Game was played in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Monday, and the AHL Skills Competition went on Sunday afternoon. Sergei Shirokov was chosen as the lone Moose representative in this year's exhibition of talent, and Shirokov came away with his third AHL All-Star Game goal!

In the Skills Competition, Shirokov was first skater of the Western Conference team that won their heat in the Puck Control Relay challenge. He was also part of a scoreless three attempts in the Pass-and-Shoot challenge. And Shirokov put some razzle-dazzle on his
breakaway attempt by flipping the puck in the air before being stopped by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's John Curry in the Breakaway Relay.

Shirokov certainly showed off his talent and skill, and did himself and the Moose proud over this weekend!

Bringing Up Firepower

It wouldn't be an edition of Antler Banter without seeing another talented Moose player called up to the Canucks and making memories for himself. This time, Cody Hodgson was called up on January 31, and the skilled Moose centerman suited up against the Dallas Stars in his first NHL regular season game. However, Hodgson had to wait one game until late tonight to net his first NHL goal against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Way to go, Cody!

Just as a note, the final score in the Vancouver-Phoenix game was 6-0. What makes this 6-0 score so important to Moose fans is that all six goals were scored by players who got their starts in Manitoba. Hodgson, Mason Raymond, Jannik Hansen, Alex Burrows, and two goals by Ryan Kesler paced the Canucks to the win. How many NHL teams have seen all six goals in one game come from players that their AHL affiliate has developed? Not many as far as I can tell. Well done, current Canucks and Moose alumni! This says a lot about the Moose franchise as a whole, and Moose fans should be proud of the work the coaching staff is doing with these young players!

Tough Road Ahead

Manitoba has a tough finish to this seven-game road trip. The road through Pennsylvania isn't going to be fun or easy as the Moose have a couple of games against the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and a couple of games against their Eastern Conference rivals in the Hershey Bears.

The WBS Penguins come into the weekend sitting in first-place overall in the AHL standings. They are a league-best 36-12-0, and sit seven points better than the second-place Manchester Monarchs for AHL supremacy. The Penguins are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, and lost their last game against Binghamton by a 2-1 score. Leading scorer Dustin Jeffrey is currently playing for the NHL Penguins, so Nick Johnson and Brett Sterling will have to carry the load. The Moose need to keep their eyes on these two as they both have 35 points, as well as keeping tabs on AHL All-Star Eric Tangredi.

The Hershey Bears have recovered since their early season slow start. The Bears trail the Penguins in the East Division by 11 points, sitting in second-place with 61 total points. The Moose and Bears tangled in January, and the Moose won and lost in overtime in that two-game series. The Bears are home turf this time, and they have been playing well, going 7-1-2 since their battles with the Moose. Brian Willsie, Andrew Gordon, Keith Aucoin, and Kyle Greentree have been lighting the lamp regularly for the Bears, so the Moose will need to keep tabs on those four.

Four big games against potential Eastern Conference champions in this year's Calder Cup should show everyone whether the Moose are contenders for the AHL Calder Cup. If they can continue to have all four lines contribute and play well, the Moose should capture six of eight points on this Pennsylvania tour, and that will be good for Moose as they chase down Hamilton for top spot in the AHL North Division. As always, DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Musical Fun On Non-Hockey Friday

I have to admit that we've seen some good videos over the last couple of weeks. Lee Sweatt's first NHL goal was pretty solid, and the work done by HockeyGods.com is, in a word, impressive. They have some excellent music videos, and we're going to continue down that path today with another band that has made a very good parody video in a hockey theme. I was contacted via email about a band named Subplot A, a Calgary-based musical group that produce pop-rock tunes. Of course, this piqued my interest, so off to the Interwebs I headed as the email stated that Subplot A had "a song about hockey". Music is great, but music and hockey together are like chocolate and peanut butter - it's just so good together!

After checking out the Subplot A website, I discovered that they had a song entitled "Hey There Iginla". Being a Calgary-based musical group, I figured that this may just be some tribute song to their favorite Calgary Flame, but it turned out I was only partly correct. For you see, they have parodied "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's. And it's pretty darn good. Have a listen!

I have to admit that this tune is very catchy! After hearing it a few times, I found myself singing along in parts. Now I'm not saying that I'm some sort of musical guru - my good friend Michael can attest to that - but I find this parody to be very well done!

What say you, readers - yay or nay for "Hey There Iginla"? Let me know in the comments! I can tell you that they already have one "yay" from this writer.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

***Huge thanks to Wesley-Anne for directing me to this band! I'll be checking out more of their stuff as well!***

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 16

We're back for another week of Antler Banter, and we have a full schedule of stuff to report. Thanks to a morning game, we also get a Wednesday game update on a Wednesday! The Moose finished off their set against the Marlies, and we have a couple of games against the Abbotsford Heat to look at before the Moose take their show to Hamilton on the start of a seven-game road trip that sees them travel to Ontario, New York, and Pennsylvania. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Moose as they work their way into February! Head over to 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. It's an all-Canadian week in this week's Hardcore Hockey!

No Grief With The Baby Leafs

The Marlies and Moose finished their two-game set from last week on Wednesday night, and there was certainly some animosity between these two teams. The Marlies dropped a 4-2 decision on Tuesday, and desperately needed to beta Manitoba to keep pace. Manitoba, for their efforts, would put some distance between themselves and the Marlies, so the two points are big for both teams. Tyler Weiman got the call for the Moose while the Marlies sent James Reimer back to the paint.

Bill Sweatt showed that he's willing to step in in the absence of a number of Moose scoring threats. Sweatt potted a couple of goals on the night, and finished with a +2 rating and a game-high six shots on net. Sweatt showed great jump on a shorthanded two-on-one with Marco Rosa, and his toe-drag around the sprawled Marlies defender opened up James Reimer just enough for the puck to get through the goaltender. Sweatt also showed some elusiveness as he escaped coverage to chip home a rebound off Kevin Connauton's point shot. Keith Aulie was nowhere to be found as Sweatt burst past him and netted his second of the night. An excellent showing on this night by the younger Sweatt brother!

The top-rated penalty killing unit in the AHL had themselves another strong showing in keeping the Marlies at bay with the man-advantage. Manitoba went four-for-four in killing off man-advantages, and have not allowed a powerplay goal in the last 16 man-advantage situations. January 7 was the last day the Moose gave up a powerplay goal, and the Hershey Bears recorded two that day. Well done to the Moose PK units for their stingy play!

The Moose won by three goals on Tuesday night, and they pulled off the same trick on Wednesday night as they downed the Marlies by a 5-2 score. Tyler Weiman was solid in the net all night, and really gave the Moose a boost of confidence with his great play. With the win, the Moose improve to 24-12-5 on the season!

Where There's Smoke...

The Moose and Abbotsford Heat got themselves reacquainted at MTS Centre this past week as the Heat visited the Moose on a three-night, two-game stay. It's the first visit to Winnipeg for the Heat as all four games between these two teams have happened in Abbotsford thus far. Manitoba has won three of four games this season against the Heat, and look to improve on that record. The Moose sent Eddie Lack to the crease while the Heat responded with Leland Irving in this Thursday night tilt.

It's good to see Jordan Schroeder back on the ice for the Moose, and Schroeder wasted no time in re-introducing himself to the Moose faithful. Schroeder scored the game's opening goal on the powerplay with his only shot on net during the evening, and looked at home on the man-advantage. He seemed to be a little out of sync after missing 16 games and that's to be expected, but scoring a goal after that kind of layoff certainly bodes well for the young Moose forward.

I'll come out and say this right now: Eddie Lack played well, but could have been better. In the first period, he gave Chris Cunning a freebie. Cunning's shot from the neutral zone was gloved by Lack easily, but Lack misplayed the puck as he attempted to sweep it behind the net for his defencemen, and the puck slid slowly across the goal line for Cunning's eighth goal of the season. Penalty shots also hurt Lack as he was beaten once in regulation time on a nice move by Chris Cunning, and then twice in the shootout. Had Lack not donated the first-period goal to the Heat, the Moose would be two points better than Abbotsford on this night.

This tightly-contested match came down to the shootout as the Moose and Heat found themselves deadlocked at 2-2 after 60 minutes and an extra frame of overtime. Kevin Clark found the net behind Leland Irving, but Greg Nemisz and Jon Rheault beat Lack in the breakaway contest to lead the Heat to the 3-2 shootout victory. With the shootout loss, the Moose fall to 24-12-6 on the season.

See-Bee-Seeing Wins And Bobbleheads

The Moose had special guests at MTS Centre on Sunday as the Moose hosted the AHL on CBC on Sunday! The Moose also gave away Nolan Baumgartner bobbleheads to the first 5000 fans through the doors, so there was definitely a charge in the air as the Moose and Heat resumed battled. The Moose wanted a win on national TV and needed the two points to keep pace with Hamilton, and the Heat wanted to capture four points. The stakes were high, so you knew this was going to be a great game! Leland Irivng was back in the nets for Abbotsford, but the Moose opted to go with Tyler Weiman in the rematch.

It was a big day for Garth Murray as the tough-as-nails Moose forward was an assist away from the "Gordie Howe hat trick" in the first period! Murray scored his first goal of the season on national TV, and put the Moose up 1-0 just 4:46 into the game. Murray took a great pass from Bill Sweatt as he gained a step on the Abbotsford blueliners, and his backhander got through Irving as he drove the net. Later in the period, Murray destroyed Matt Keith with a textbook open-ice hit, and then scrapped with Stefan Meyer as Meyer tried to defend his teammate's honour. I'm calling the scrap a draw simply due to the fact that Meyer tied up Murray and wouldn't let him throw haymakers. This is the kind of swagger Murray needs to bring every night!

The second period belonged to Mario Bliznak as the shifty centerman picked up a couple of helpers by being aware of where his teammates were. First, he found Mark Flood on the blueline from the corner, and Flood blasted the puck home on the powerplay for his fifth of the season. Just 1:16 later, Bliznak's wrap-around attempt was less wrap-around and more pass. Irving slid across to block the wrap-around, but the puck went cross-ice to a wide-open Shawn Weller, and Weller had his eighth of the season. Bliznak's solid second period put the Moose up 3-2 with one period to play.

The third period was all about Desbiens. Guillaume Desbiens hasn't found the scoresheet often since being returned to the Moose by the Vancouver Canucks, but sometimes all you need to do is knock the gorilla off your back to get your confidence going. Desbiens started the period with a bit of luck as his cross-crease pass pinballed its way off a couple of Abbotsford players and past Irving. Desbiens wasn't done there, though, as the gritty forward closed out the game with an empty-netter for his third goal of the season. Desbiens played hard in this game, and he was finally rewarded with a bit of luck.

The two teams battled back and forth on Sunday afternoon, and the Moose had earned themselves a 5-3 victory after the dust settled. The CBC has to be happy with this game as both teams put on a good show. Thankfully, the hometown fans get to go home happy with their Nolan Baumgartner bobbleheads as the Moose improve to 25-12-6 on the season with the win!

Not A Morning Team

The Moose visited the Hamilton Bulldogs today for a very rare morning game as the Bulldogs hosted their first-ever "School Day" where youngsters from Hamilton could attend an AHL game! The 10:30am start is a bit of a shock to the system for players used to playing in the afternoon or night, so you do what you have to do. Tyler Weiman, having won his last six starts, got the nod for Manitoba while the Bulldogs sent former Moose netminder Curtis Sanford to the nets.

One player showed up for this game ready to play as Winnipeg-born Dustin Boyd put the screws to his former team. Boyd scored once in the second period and twice in the third period to record the hat trick as he now has 14 goals on the season. Having spent time with the Flames, Predators, and Canadiens, Boyd knows how to prepare for games, and he certainly looked good on this morning.

The penalty kill, which gave up two goals to the Abbotsford Heat on Sunday, responded by closing the door on Hamilton's powerplay. The Moose went four-for-four in killing off penalties, and the detail this unit is showing in doing the little things right has certainly been paying off. Well done to head coach Claude Noel and the coaching staff for improving this area of the Herd's repertoire this season!

Tyler Weiman was solid in only allowing two goals, but Curtis Sanford was better as the Bulldogs shutdown the Moose in front of their biggest crowd of the season. 10270 fans came out to see the Bulldogs shutout the Moose by a 3-0 score as Dustin Boyd recorded all three goals in the victory. Sergei Shirokov's point streak also came to an end in this game, and the Moose fall to 25-13-6 on the season with the loss.

One Up, One Down

I'm glad I posted this article late on Wednesday because we got to see another Moose player achieve a first in the NHL. After seeing Sergei Shirokov score his first NHL goal last week, Lee Sweatt made his debut with the Vancouver Canucks tonight, and he followed in Shirokov's footsteps.

#57 scores his first NHL goal, and it was the game-winner no less! Congratulations go out to Lee Sweatt for making the most of his call-up! Keep it up!

Time Waits For No Team

The Moose have a busy weekend as they play Friday in Rochester against the Americans, and then travel to Toronto on Saturday for a game against the Marlies. Two divisional games to finish off the week before the AHL All-Star Game should make for interesting times depending on the outcomes of these games.

Rochester is currently sitting in last-place in the North Division with a 19-23-5 record for 43 points. They come into the game 3-6-1 in their last ten games. Michal Repik leads the team in scoring by a large margin with 7 goals and 31 assists. Winger Michael Duco leads the teams in goals with 13 while both Scott Timmins and Kenndal McArdle have ten goals apiece. Neither Jakob Markstrom nor Tyler Plante are having particularly strong seasons thus far, but both have the talent to beat any team on any given night.

After having seen Toronto last week, the Moose are quite aware of what Toronto brings to the table. Toronto is now in fourth-place in the North Division, five points behind the Moose. They are 5-4-1 in their last ten games with two of those losses coming at the hands of the Moose. Toronto will be hungry in their barn, so the Moose will have to come out ready to play in this one.

The Moose will say goodbye to Sergei Shirokov after the Toronto game as Shirokov will make his way to Hershey, Pennsylvania for the 2011 AHL All-Star Game. Shirokov is the only Moose representative on the team this year, and this will be his second AHL All-Star Game appearance. I wish Shirokov all the best in this game, and I'll be watching the speedy Russian show off his skills on Sunday and Monday!

Two big games against divisional rivals, so you know those four points are important. After the lacklustre loss to the Bulldogs, the Moose need to bear down and DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Maybe The Fans Can Try?

I had visions of writing an article today on the shootout, and how this added bonus at the end of tied games send the fans home with a feeling of satisfaction or defeat. After all, hockey is a sport that prides itself on entertainment value, and no one really likes to go home unfulfilled after spending $500 on tickets, food, and souvenirs. Instead, I changed my focus once I came across an article that spoke of the longest shootout in hockey history, and one that network executive in North America would probably grumble about if it happened here.

We go back a few weeks to the Deutsche EisHockey Liga where the visiting Straubing Tigers played EHC München on December 22, 2010. Not much was out of the ordinary as the teams closed out the regulation sixty minutes tied 4-4. 4999 fans awaited the standard overtime period, and saw the two teams remain tied after the extra frame. So, as we see in most games today, a shootout was on-deck in this game.

The two goaltenders, Sebastien Elwing for München and Dimitri Pätzold for Straubing, have probably faced a number of penalty shots in practice, and I know some teams enjoy having a shootout competition at the end of practices as a little fun. I'm guessing both goaltenders have seen their fair share of penalty shots and shootout moves in their careers.

That being said, the game on December 22 may have doubled the amount of shootout attempts they have faced in their careers in one game. The shootout between Straubing and München went an incredible 21 rounds! The hockey game, including the shootout, lasted nearly three hours for the fans, players, coaches, and officials - a timeframe almost unheard of for professional hockey games.

There were goals in the third round of the shootout as Straubing's Justin Mapletoft and München's Martin Buchwieser each scored on their attempts to keep the shootout knotted at 1-1. Christian Wichart and Tobias Draxinger scored again in the fourteenth round to keep the shootout even at 2-2.

München captain Stéphane Julien appeared to score in the seventeenth round, but the goal was waved off by referee Lars Brüggemann after the video replay showed the puck did not fully cross the goal line. 34 skaters in, two goals, no winner yet. Will this game ever end?

As an aside, Lars Brüggemann is an interesting fellow. He is a former player from the DEL, and has now turned his sights on officiating in the German Elite League. Brüggemann played one season in the QMJHL with the Hull Olympiques in 1993-94, recording one goal, three assists, and 93 PIMs over 58 games. He left for the DEL after that season, but returned to North America to play in the ECHL three years later. He suited up with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings in 1997-98, scoring one goal, six assists, and spending 91 minutes in the penalty box over 49 games. The rest of his career played out in Germany. But back to this story....

Neville Rautert and Andy Canzanello exchanged goals in the eighteenth round, and both Martin Buchwieser and Tobias Draxinger scored again in the twentieth round as the two teams remained knotted at 4-4 through the shootout. But things were about to change in the 21st round.

Straubing’s Éric Meloche, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL, blasted a slapshot past Sebastien Elwing to put Straubing up by a 5-4 score. The game came down to Stéphane Julien, but the München captain was stonewalled Dimitri Pätzold as Straubing won the shootout by a 5-4 score and the game by a 5-4 score after 21 rounds of shootout.

The longest shootout in IIHF competition was 13 rounds between Belarus and France at the 2002 IIHF U-20 Championship. Belarus eventually won the game on Dmitri Mialeshka's goal in the 25th round as Belarus downed France. The NHL's longest shootout is still remembered between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals from November 25, 2005. I mean, how could anyone forget this goal?

Eric Meloche's name is the answer to the trivia question: Who scored the goal to end hockey's longest shootout in history?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More

Antler Banter: Volume 15

We're back with three games this week on Antler Banter! The Milwaukee Admirals visited Winnipeg and MTS Centre for two games over the weekend, and the Moose are in the midst of a two-game series with the Toronto Marlies. There has been a lot of movement between the Moose and the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, so we'll recap a little of that activity this week. And as always, we'll take a look ahead at next week's set of games as the Moose continue their quest for first-place in the North Division. Don't forget to 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. Here is this week's Hardcore Hockey!

Sinking The Boat

The Moose squared off against the Milwaukee Admirals on Thursday night to kick off a play-off-play series with the Admirals. The Moose and Admirals have Friday off before playing again on Saturday in one of those AHL schedule quirks, but both teams were hungry to kick this series off right. The Admirals won the only previous match-up by a 6-3 score this season, so the Moose were looking to even the series on this night. The red-hot Eddie Lack hit the ice for Manitoba while Mark Dekanich donned the pads for the Admirals.

While this seems to be a running theme over the last few weeks, Sergei Shirokov's night was pretty big on Thursday. His one assist and +1 rating don't tell the story. Instead, he tied the Moose franchise record with a point in his eleventh-straight game! Shirokov has really looked good in these last few weeks, and his point totals are showing just how much hard work he's putting into his game. We'll have more on Shirokov below, but he deserves credit for tying a franchise record!

The other man who made a big impact on this night was the man guarding the twine. Eddie Lack flashed the leather all night as he stopped all 27 shots he faced in blanking the Admirals. Milwaukee outshot the Moose in all three periods, so the Swede was definitely busy. If Lack continues to play this well, the Vancouver Canucks - once thought to be a goaltender wasteland - could be the new goaltender goldmine as Cory Schneider continues to fare well in Vancouver.

The Moose delivered a solid game at both ends of the ice on Thursday as they down the Milwaukee Admirals by a 3-0 score behind Lack's shutout. The Moose used the powerplay to down the Admirals as they scored twice with the extra attacker before scoring into an empty net. With the victory, the Moose improve to 22-12-4 on the season.

Admirals Salvage Their Ship

Saturday saw the Moose and Admirals renew their battle as the two teams met once again at MTS Centre. Could Sergei Shirokov put himself into the Manitoba Moose record book? Could the Moose take all four points from the Admirals? Could the Admirals finally break the goose egg that the Moose gave them on Thursday? Eddie Lack and Mark Dekanich were back in the nets for their respective teams.

The defensive combination of Ryan Parent and Nolan Baumgartner struggled while playing together on this night. Parent ended the night with one shot and a -2 rating while Baumgartner ended the night with one assist and a -1 rating. Where the issue lies is that both men were on the ice for the overtime goal. While Marco Rosa and Bill Sweatt were also on the ice, defencemen are paid to keep the puck out of the net. Especially when the game is on the line.

Sergei Shirokov will get one more mention as it took him all of 56 seconds to write his name into the Moose record books. Shirokov scored his 16th goal of the season early in the first period to extend his scoring streak to twelve games, eclipsing the mark set by Brett Hauer and Bill Bowler. You will see Shirokov's name once more on the article, but for a completely different reason than for what he's been doing in Winnipeg. Congratulations on the record, Sergei!

While the Moose jumped out to 2-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes, the Admirals chipped away before finally sinking the Moose in overtime by a 3-2 score. The Moose have to be happy with the three points, but can't be complacent when they have a team in a hole. Burying the Admirals would have been nice, but instead the Moose fall to 22-12-5 on the season with the overtime loss.

Stomping The Baby Leafs

It's always weird to see a divisional rival for the first time while being three months into the season, but this is the AHL. The Toronto Marlies and Manitoba Moose clashed for the first time this season on Tuesday night, and both teams were looking to climb the North Division standings. The Moose were playing without two of their better players as Sergei Shirokov and Chris Tanev are with the Vancouver Canucks, so the Moose needed a big effort from the supporting cast to keep the Marlies at bay. Tyler Weiman took to the nets for Manitoba while James Reimer, hot off his NHL debut, got the start for the Marlies.

Hometown boy Kevin Clark showed that he's willing to step up into a scoring role as the winger had himself a heck of a game! Clark finished the night with one goal, two assists, a +1 rating, and two shots on net. While he was on the ice for three goals total - two by the Moose and one by the Marlies - Clark's three points showed off his hustle and drive, and he certainly was a large part of Manitoba's offence on Tuesday.

The Moose powerplay got a little help from an unlikely source as Mario Bliznak cashed in with the man-advantage. With a lot of Manitoba's offensive stars either out with injury or playing in Vancouver, it's great to see a checking forward step up on the powerplay in letting his offensive skills shine. Bliznak recorded his sixth goal, and the Moose were off and running in this game thanks to Bliznak's tally.

Tyler Weiman had himself another strong game, posting his fifth win in his last five starts, as he stopped 29 of the 30 pucks that came his way. The Moose didn't have to be spectacular tonight as their lunchpail-like effort saw hard work turn into a win. I like this showing of work ethic by the club in their recent weeks, and kudos have to go out to the Moose coaching staff for holding the bar high each and every time the Moose hit the ice. With the 4-1 victory over the Marlies on Tuesday, Manitoba improves to 23-12-5 on the season!

Where Have I Seen You Before?

The Moose saw a lot of changes to their roster in a very short time as the Canucks, dealing with injuries of their own, came calling for a few bodies. Because of this shortage, GM Craig Heisinger began photocopying a number of PTO documents for new players to sign. Here are the roster moves over the last week:

• Chris Tanev: recalled by Vancouver.
• Sergei Shirokov: recalled by Vancouver.
• Dusty Collins: signed PTO with Manitoba.
• Andy Brandt: signed PTO with Manitoba.
• Cody Hodgson, Jordan Schroeder, Victor Oreskovich, Joel Perrault, Stefan Schneider: still injured.

The good news is that both Hodgson and Schroeder are close to returning, and both players could see a return to the lineup this weekend against Abbotsford if things go well. We'll have to see what head coach Claude Noel will do with his lineup as the weekend nears.

From Records To Firsts

I had to post this just because it's good to see that a young player's hard work is certainly paying off. Sergei Shirokov got his first action with the Canucks this season against the Colorado Avalanche. And wouldn't you know it, but Shirokov's point-scoring streak continued!

Congratulations, Sergei, and keep up the good work!

The Week Ahead

The Moose and Marlies renew acquaintances tonight as they finish off their two-game series at MTS Centre. The Moose inched closer to the Hamilton Bulldogs after their win on Tuesday while creating a larger gap between themselves and the Marlies. The Marlies, of course, want to salvage the series and restore the two-point gap between themselves and the Moose. This game should be a good one between two fierce division rivals!

The Moose then welcome the Abbotsford Heat to Winnipeg for two games on Friday and Sunday. The Heat currently sit in fifth-place in the North Division, but are a mere seven points out of first-place in the division. This divisional match-up should be another good match-up as the Moose look to move into first-place while the Heat work to catch the Moose in the standings. Abbotsford is 4-4-2 in their last 10 games, so the Moose will have to continue to show the same strong work ethic that we've seen over the last month to ensure victory.

If you're free on Sunday, make sure you get down to MTS Centre early for the game so you can pick up your free Nolan Baumgartner bobblehead! Baumgartner will follow in the steps of Mike Keane and Cory Schneider, becoming only the third Moose player to be bobbleheaded in franchise history! The first 5000 fans into the building will get themselves a smaller Nolan Baumgartner to take home!

Six points are on the line this week against divisional rivals, so get down to work, Moose, and DO IT!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Read More