What The Hasek? A Few Notes About The Spengler Cup

Just a quick update of what’s going on in Spengler Cup action.

• Despite getting TSN’s (more on them later) Highlight of the Night yesterday, Dominik Hasek hasn’t look like himself. Not saying every goal scored on him was his fault, but by the end of the route it looked like he was giving up.
• Today’s later, and very popular, game involving Canada and HC Davos will be over shadowed by Canada-Czech Republic in the World Juniors. Maybe it’s me, but a game with a hard-to-predict result is more interesting than one that’s 90% guaranteed to be a blowout.
• Back to TSN. I realize that the Spengler Cup is going to be treated like nothing compared to the World Juniors, but - at the very least - get a fact checker. Yes, Petr Sykora is playing in the Spengler Cup. No, it’s not the 2-time Stanley Cup winner, its the lesser-known a-few-games-with-Washington-after-the-lockout Sykora. Mind you I found the screw-up hilarious, but that’s just me.
• Yashin-led St. Petersburg won Group Torriani, getting a bye to the semi-finals. Geneve-Servette finished 2nd while Sparta Praha is last. Since Spartak Moscow finished last in Group Cattini, they will cross over and face Geneve-Servette in the Pre-Semifinals. The winner of Canada-HC Davos gets a bye while the loser will face Sparta Praha.

Saturday Night Hockey Doubleheader: World Junior Championship Predictions

It's rare that we get to do a half-decent post once a week, so consider this a Christmas Miracle that we are doing 2 post in one day! Here is our predictions on what will go on during the round-robin part of the World Junior tournament.

Group A - Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, USA (host)

BEK:                                MDK
1- USA                            1- USA
2- Finland                         2- Finland
3- Switzerland                  3- Switzerland
4- Slovakia                       4- Germany
5- Germany                      5- Slovakia


Group B - Canada, Czech Republic, Norway, Russia, Sweden

BEK:                               MDK:
1- Sweden                       1- Canada
2- Canada                       2- Czech Republic
3- Russia                         3- Russia
4- Czech Republic           4- Sweden
5- Norway                       5- Norway

Saturday Night Hockey: Spengler Cup Preview

Merry Christmas!

With no NHL or international games (that I know of) on today, I figure it would be a good time to look at the "lesser" of the two holiday tournaments. This year's Spengler Cup features 2 KHL teams (SKA St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow), two Swiss League teams (Geneve-Servette and host HC Davos), Sparta Praha from the Czech league, and Team Canada.

SKA St. Petersburg

Goalies: Mikhail Meyer, Maxim Sokolov, Jakub Stepanek
Defense: Denis Denisov, Johan Fransson, Denis Grebeshkov, Sergey Gusev, Igor Nikitin, Aleksey Petrov, Aleksey Semenov, Grigory Serkin, Vitaly Vishnevskiy, Dmitry Vorobyev
Forwards: Maxim Afinogenov, Evgeny Artyukhin, Sergey Brylin, Anton But, Petr Chaynek, Gleb Klimenko, Leonid Korolev, Artem Kryukov, Alexander Kucheryavenko, Tony Hans Martensson, Konstantin Panov, Maxim Rybin, Dmitry Shitikov, Maxim Sushinskiy, Mattias Weinhandl, Aleksey Yashin
Top Threat: With decent goaltending and some notable players on defense, their offense (led by Aleksey Yashin) should be able to dominate any opponent.
Weakness: Tell the forwards that it's the playoffs. Remember, this is a Yashin-led team.

Spartak Moscow

Goalies: Dominik Hasek, Alexey Yakhin
Defense: Ivan Baranka, Denis Bodrov, Alexander Budkin, Oleg Piganovich, Mikhail Ryazanov, Yakov Seleznev, Dmitry Vishnevsky, Grigory Zheldakov
Forwards: Yevgeny Fedorov, Oleg Gubin, Kirill Knyazev, Yevgeny Lapenkov, Roman Lyuduchin, Jurai Mikush, Branko Radivojevic, Stefan Ruzicka, Alexey Shkotov, Andrei Sidyakin, Alexander Suglobov, Alexander Yunkov, Mikhail Yunkov, Mikhail Zhukov
Top Threat: A few names stand out, but the biggest reason that this team will have at winning it will be goaltender Dominik Hasek. Even in his mid-forties he's still a dominant goalie.
Weakness: It's Hasek, try to get him to do the splits.

Geneve-Servette

Goalies: Ginaluca Mona, Tobias Stephan, Federico Tamo
Defense: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Goran Bezina, Robin Breitbach, John Gobbi, Martin Hohener, Larry Leeger, Jonathan Mercier, Brian Pothier, Daniel Vukovic
Forwards: Eliot Berthron, Jan Cadieux, Florian Conz, Thomas Deruns, Dan Fritsche, John Hennessy, Richard Park, Pierrick Pivron, Flurin Randegger, Christopher Rivera, Daniel Rubin, Tony Salmelainen, Paul Savary, Oliver Setzinger, Jeff Toms, Morris Trachsler, Eric Walsky
Top Threat: On paper, this doesn't look like a strong team. They are currently 8th in the Swiss National League. If they have any strength it would be their offense.
Weakness: Marc-Andre Bergeron is on their defense...'nuff said.

Sparta Praha

Goalies: Thomas Baumle, Tomas Popperle
Defense: Felicien Du Bois, Michal Gulasi, Jan Hanzlik, Patrik Husak, Petr Macholda, Doug O'Brien, Radek Philipp, Jiri Vykoukal
Forwards: Marek Bartanus, Michal Bros, Karel Hromas, Tomas Kurka, Petr Kafka, Tomas Krapov, Jakub Koreis, Ondrej Kratena, Lukas Lunak, Emanuel Peter, Daniel Pribyl, Radek Smolenka, Petr Ton, Yorick Treille, David Vyborny
Top Threat: Just like Geneve-Servette, this team is struggling. Their offense looks like the strongest point on this team.
Weakness: Struggling team, not going to be much of a challenge.

HC Davos

Goalies: Reto Berra, Leonardo Genoni
Defense: Rene Back, Charlie Cook, Beat Forster, Robin Grossmann, Zdenek Kutlak, Tim Ramholt, Lucas Stoop, Alan Tallarini, Jan von Arx
Forwards: Jaroslav Bednar, Paolo Duca, Peter Guggisberg, Mathias Joggi, Josef Marha, Joel Reymondin, Sandro Rizzi, Gregory Sciaroni, Peter Sejna, Janick Steinmann, Petr Sykora, Petr Taticek, Reto von Arx, Dino Wieser, Marc Wieser
Top Threat: Along with being the host of this tournament, they have been a good team this year (2nd in the Swiss National League). On paper they look like a fairly balanced team.
Weakness: Goaltending might be their weak spot.

Team Canada

Goalies: Jeff Drouin-Deslauiers, Tyler Moss
Defense: Brendan Bell, Curtis Brown, Micki Dupont, Joel Kwiatkowski, Cory Murphy, Curtis Murphy, Mark Popovic, Travis Roche, Duvie Westcott
Forwards: Serge Aubin, Mark Bell, Brendan Brooks, Blaine Down, Josh Holden, Mike Iggulden, Martin Kariya, Eric Landry, Yannick Lehoux, Brett McLean, Glen Metropolit, Pascal Pelletier, Domenic Pittis, Jean-Pierre Vigier
Top Threat: Mark Messier. Yes I know he's the coach.
Weakness: (Former) Oilers goalies, a few ex-Leafs, very little time to prepare, lack of interest from back home, et cetera-et cetera.

Showing Some International Love: U20 Division I and II Recap

The tournaments ended Sunday and (surprise, surprise) I'm a little late on recapping it. More than likely I'll be doing something for the WJC (and Spengler Cup) soon, so better late then never I guess.


U20 Division 1A

Final Standings
1 (Promotion)- Latvia      5W-0L- +18GD
2- Belarus                       4W-1L- +9GD
3- Great Britain               3W-2L- +2GD
4- Italy                           2W-3L- +5GD
5- Japan                         1W-4L- -6GD
6 (Relegation)- Ukraine   0W-5L- -28GD

Latvia earns top spot and a promotion for next year's WJC after beating Belarus 3-1. Both team started the tournament off strong before fading into close wins. Besides a blow-out lost to Latvia early on, Great Britain played close games and could have pulled out an upset if Belarus didn't comeback in their game. Italy and Japan stayed the course and ended up 4th and 5th respectively. Ukraine gets relegated after failing to show up for a game, their...uh..."best" lost was 5-1...TWICE.

U20 Division 1B

Final Standings
1 (Promotion)- Denmark     4W-1L- +21GD
2- Slovenia                         4W-1L- +17GD
3- Austria                           3W-1OTW-1L- +11GD
4- Kazahkstan                    2W-3L- -5GD
5- Croatia                          1W-1OTL-3L- -19GD
6 (Relegation)- Lithuania     0W-5L- -25GD

This group was tighter than I thought. Along with the win against Slovenia, Denmark advances due to having a greater Goal Difference (funny side note: both Denmark and Slovenia allowed 14 goals). Austria’s chance to advance pretty much ended after needing overtime to beat Croatia (regulation win = 3pts....overtime win = 2pts). Kazahkstan had a standard tournament, win against the weaker team, lost against the stronger ones (although they almost beat Slovenia until a 3rd period meltdown). Croatia’s last-day win against Lithuania keeps them up for another year. Lithuania gets sent back down to Divison II. 


U20 Division 2A

Final Standings
1 (Promotion)- France     5W-0L- +44GD
2- Netherlands                3W-1OTL-1L- +3GD
3- Spain                          3W-2L- -4GD
4- Belgium                      1W-1OTW-3L- -17GD
5- Estonia                       1W-4L- -13GD
6 (Relegation)- Iceland    1W-4L- -13GD

France had no challange what-so-ever, so lets skip them. Netherlands and Spain had good tournaments. Belgium stays in Division 2 thanks to an overtime win against the Netherlands, if that didn’t happen, they would have been knocked down. Even though Estonia and Iceland are tied, Estonia won their head-to-head match, bumping Iceland down to Division 3.


U20 Division 2B

Final Standings
1 (Promotion)- Poland    5W-0L- +51GD
2- Hungary                     4W-1L- +34GD
3- South Korea              3W-2L- -3GD
4- Romania                    2W-3L- -8GD
5- Australia                    1W-4L- -18GD
6 (Relegation)- China     0W-5L- -56GD

This group was over before it started (almost). Poland and Hungary were dominant throughout the tournament. Poland beat Hungary on the last day to advance. South Korea looked to have struggled against the weaker team, but managed to get the win. Romania and Australia stayed mediocre, which was enough to stay in Division 2. China didn’t stand a chance and will play in Division 3 next year.

Saturday Night Hockey

We have a few things to say here (even though there just links), time to celebrate!

Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News talks about a few prospects in the lower-tier U20's....that's good in my books.

Staying with IIHF stuff, Women's hockey outside of North America is about to get a boost.

In the "about damn time" news, Donald Fehr is the new head of the NHLPA.

The Phoenix Coyotes had to sign an amateur goalie this week for a game, does anything go right for that franchise?

And finally, HBO's "24/7" series kicked off with a nice little rant from Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau.

Line-up Notables

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Vancouver Canucks (wait...a Western game gets the early start?!?!)

Toronto: J-S Giguere and Mike Brown are out. Jonas Gustavsson gets the start.

Vancouver: Sami Salo, Rick Rypien, Mason Raymond, Peter Schaefer, Christian Ehrhoff, and Guillaume Desbiens are out. Roberto Loungo is expected to start.

Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Leafs West Flames

Minnesota: James Sheppard, Josh Harding, Guillaume Latendresse, and Clayton Stoner are all out, Matt Cullen might return for tonight's game. Niklas Backstrom will start.

Calgary: Just Daymond Langkow, Raitis Ivanas, and Steve Staios are on IR. Miikka Kiprusoff gets the start.

Showing Some International Love: The Home Stretch

With the lower U20 tournaments wrapping up this weekend, it's time to take a quick look at who's getting bumped up, and who is going to say goodbye.

U20 Division 1 Group A - Belarus (host), Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Ukraine

Current Standings:
1 (Promotion)- Latvia    3W-0L- +15GD
2- Belarus                     3W-0L- +10GD
3- Great Britain             2W-1L- +1GD
4- Italy                          1W-2L- +2GD
5- Japan                        0W-3L- -10GD
6 (Relegation)- Ukraine  0W-4L- -18GD

While Latvia currently has the lead because of Goal Differential, Belarus still has a chance to be promoted. They play on Sunday to determine who will move up. Great Britain has surprised me, and now they have an outside shot at placing first (although there lost against Latvia more than likely nullifies that). If Belarus and Latvia start collapsing, then a win against Belarus will give Great Britain the push up. Italy's lone win will probably keep them in the division. I'm almost ashamed of Ukraine, I thought they had a chance to play in the top division next year, now they are fighting just to stay in Division 1. Their game against Japan later today will decide who gets relegated.


U20 Division 1 Group B - Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Slovenia (host)

Current Standings:
1 (Promotion)- Denmark   3W-0L- +16GD
2- Austria                          2W-0L-1OTW- +9GD
3- Slovenia                        2W-1L- +14GD
4- Kazakhstan                   2W-2L- -3GD
5- Croatia                          0W-3L-1OTL- -22GD
6 (Relegation)- Lithuania   0W-3L- -14GD

Pretty much a clear-cut group here. Slovenia, Denmark, and Austria are still much alive. Austria and Denmark will meet Saturday to determine who gets promoted. Slovenia is in an interesting spot. Provided that they win their last 2 games (one against Austria) while Denmark would have to lose there two in order for Slovenia to advance (due to there surprising overtime win over Croatia - more on that latter - Austria only gets 2 points instead of 3). Kazakhstan's win last night puts them solidly in 4th, so they survive another year. The biggest surprise of the group (uh...score-wise) is that Croatia was able to force overtime (with a shorthanded tying goal no less) against a highly-regarded team like Austria. The single point they got from the game has them ahead of Lithuania with the two facing off on Saturday.


U20 Division 2 Group A- Belgium, Estonia (host), France, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain

Current Standings:
1 (Promotion)- France     3W-0L- +33GD
2- Netherlands                3W-0L- +6GD
3- Spain                          1W-2L- -6GD
4- Iceland                       1W-2L- -6GD
5- Estonia                       1W-2L- -8GD
6 (Relegation)- Belgium   0W-3L- -22GD

Well my predictions are shot to hell. France was expected to finish top 2 and will, most likely, be promoted. The Netherlands (again score-wise, it would be nice to find a feed to some of these games) haven't looked overly dominant and have relied on third period rallies to beat opponents. Out of the three, Spain has put up the most fight against the the top two. Iceland lost 5-1 against Netherlands, they have yet to face France. Estonia put up a fight against Netherlands, but were demolished by France. Belgium has a slim-to-none chance staying up.


U20 Division 2 Group B- Australia, China, Hungary, South Korea, Poland, Romania (host)

Current Standings:
1 (Promotion)- Poland      3W-0L- +34GD
2- Hungary                       3W-0L- +32GD
3- South Korea                2W-1L- -4GD
4- Australia                      1W-2L- 0GD
5- Romania                      0W-3L- -15GD
6 (Relegation)- China       0W-3L- -47GD

Poland and Hungary have shown no mercy, making their match-up Sunday very interesting. South Korea and Australia have been middle of the pack. Romania kept last night's game against Korea close, while China has been completely dominated during the tournament. It's safe to say that Romania win their game against China later, and keep playing in Division 2.

Showing Some International Love: The Lesser Known U20's

While yesterday was Canada's last intra-squad game, and while TSN* (and - to a lesser extent - other media outlets here) will be non-stop about the team until the damn tournament is over, we here are going to focus on the lower U20 tournaments (or as its known: the place where teams come from to lose 50-0 to Canada).

*Quick side note: TSN really needs someone with a smidge of international hockey knowledge to tell them that the U20's don't count in the world ranking. Stop with the "Swiss is top 7 material" in an essentially meaningless tournament.

U20 Division 1 Group A - Belarus (host), Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Ukraine

My Predictions:
1 (Promotion)- Belarus
2- Latvia
3- Ukraine
4- Italy
5- Japan
6 (Relegation)- Great Britain

While Latvia (the main tournament's relegation from last year) will prove some tough competition, Belarus has a shot to get promoted since they get home-ice advantage. The promotion will most likely go the winner of their game. On the other side of the spectrum, I expect Great Britain to fall back to Division 2, mostly because Japan and Italy are mainstays at this level.

U20 Division 1 Group B - Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Slovenia (host)

My Predictions:
1 (Promotion)- Austria
2- Slovenia
3- Denmark
4- Kazakhstan
5- Croatia
6 (Relegation)- Lithuania

The U20 Austria team is too much like there senior team: too good for Division 1, not good enough for the top division. I can see Slovenia making a push for the top with Denmark (and possibly Kazakhstan) as an outsider looking in. The battle for last will be between Croatia and Lithuania. I'm picking Lithuania to go back to Division 2 (admittingly I'm a bit bias on this one)

U20 Division 2 Group A - Belgium, Estonia (host), France, Iceland, Netherlands, Spain

My Predictions:
1 (Promotion)- Iceland
2- France
3- Estonia
4- Belgium
5- Netherlands
6 (Relegation)- Spain

France and Iceland will be the battle for the promotional spot. I'm giving Estonia third place mainly by default, Belgium would improve while the Netherlands slip because the competition seems higher than last year. Spain will get knocked down to Division 3.

U20 Division 2 Group B - Australia, China, Hungary, South Korea, Poland, Romania (host)

My Predictions:
1 (Promotion)- Poland
2- Hungary
3- Romania
4- Australia
5- South Korea
6 (Relegation)- China

Poland will regain its spot in Division 1, although Hungary might be able to put up a challenge. Between the other four, even though Australia seems likely to go back to Division 3, I've heard there program is improving. Romania had a decent showing last year, so it comes down to the two Asian teams. South Korea finished higher last year than China and I can't see that changing.

That's it for now, and unless I start caring about the top division, the next time you'll see something like this will be at the end of the month since the Division 3 (ya, that's as far as that goes) group starts in January.

Saturday Night Hockey: Invasion Time

Don't know about my plans today, if I'm around I'll get something done.

Line-up Notables

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Montreal: Andrei Markov is out for the season (still), Scott Gomez is questionable for tonight. Carey "The" Price "Is Right" will start.

Toronto: Mike Brown and Mike Komisarek are out with finger injuries, Jay Rosehill is doubtful for tonight. J-S Giguere is expected to start.

Invasion Game: Atlanta Thrashers vs. New York Islanders (damn, even the Nordiques are invading here)

Atlanta: Just Fredrik Modin is out. Ondrej Pavelec might start tonight.

New York: Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo, Milan Jurcina, Doug Weight, Mike Mottau, Tim Hunter, and Bruno Gervais are all out, John Tavares and Radek Martinek are game-time decisions. Rick DiPietro may start.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Vancouver Canucks

Tampa Bay: Vincent Lecavalier and Steve Downie are on IR, Mattias Ritola is a game-time decision. Mike Smith might start tonight.

Vancouver: Sami Salo, Rick Rypien, Mason Raymond, and Peter Schaefer are out while Mikeal Samuelsson, Christian Ehrhoff, Guillaume Desbiens, and Ryan Parent are all questionable. Cory Schneider gets the start tonight.

Saturday Night Hockey

Sorry for the lack of a post last week, it's been kind of hectic around here getting the house in order. I should have time tonight to get something written up. For now though:

Line-up Notables

San Jose Sharks vs. Montreal Canadiens (also known as the game were I can't sleep in!)

San Jose: Jason Demers is on the IR, while Devin Setoguchi, Niclas Wallin, and Kent Huskins are all game-time decisions. Antti Niemi gets the start.

Montreal: Andrei Markov is out the for season...In other news, Price is in net.

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Rogers Maple Leafs

Boston: Trent Whitfield is the only player out. Tim Thomas is expected to start.

Toronto: Mike Brown joins Dion Phaneuf on IR, Colby Armstrong is expected to play tonight. J-S Giguere gets the start tonight.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators

Buffalo: Rob Niedermayer is still on injury reserve, Tim Connolly and Craig Rivet are game-time decisions. Ryan Miller will get the start.

Ottawa: No Injuries to report. Brian Elliot might start tonight.

St. Louis Blues vs. Edmonton Oilers

St. Louis: Roman Polak, T.J. Oshie, and David Perron are all on IR. Jaroslav Halak might start.

Edmonton: Ales Hemsky is considered questionable for tonight. Nikolai Khabibulin will probably start.

Saturday Night Hockey

Line-up Notables

Calgary Flames vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Note: as I'm writing this its half way through the second, damn these early games.)

Calgary: Craig Conroy (day-to-day) joins the Injured 5 (Adam Pardy, Daymond Langkow, Raitis Ivanans, Ryan Stone, and Ales Kotalik). Miikka Kiprusoff is starting.

Pittsburgh: Jordan Staal, Alex Grant, and Casey Pierre-Zbotel are all on IR. Brent Johnson is in net.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators

Toronto: Colby Armstrong, Dion Phaneuf, and J-S Giguere are still out, Mike Brown is day-to-day. Jonas Gustavsson is expected to start.

Ottawa: Erik Karlsson sat out yesterday with the flu, but may play tonight. Brian Elliot will probably get the start.

Buffalo Sabres vs.  Montreal Canadiens

Buffalo: Drew Stafford and Rob Niedermeyer are out, Tim Connolly is day-to-day. Ryan Miller will probably start tonight.

Montreal: Andrei Markov...knee...that is all. Carey Price will start.

San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers

San Jose: Scott Nichol, Devon Setoguchi, and Jason Demers are all questionable for tonight. Antero Niittymaki might get the start tonight.

Edmonton: Nikolai Khabibulin is on IR while Ales Hemsky is expected to miss tonight's game. Devan Dubnyk may start tonight.

Toronto vs. Montreal Live Blog

7:42 - Habs win 2-0, Price gets the shutout. Wilson expected to sign an extension next week.

7:41 - 16 seconds left, still amazed how the Leafs didn't give a goal to the Habs after all those turnovers.

7:39 - Toronto pulls the goalie, Gionta almost scores from centre ice.

7:38 - Montreal dumps the puck, Toronto turns it over in the neutral zone, rinse and repeat.

7:34 - Gionta almost pulled a Cammalleri (in this game, it means one-time a beauty pass from a Leaf). This time Gustavsson made the save.

7:31 - Kessel just committed two more turnovers, I'm sure that it's in triple-digits now.

7:26 - Just under 9 minutes left and the Leafs looked like they're packing it in.

7:24 - Wild penalty kill by the Habs, admittingly they should have had another penalty a few times there.

7:22 - Gorges with an interference call, it looked like he was just playing the body though.

7:19 - Cammalleri scores. Habs 2 - Leafs 0. Assisted by Komisarek (literally)

7:16 - Mitchell gets 2 for high sticking, I'll agree that the Montreal guy embellished it.

7:14 - Montreal can't connect on chances, Toronto's Bozak with a nice shot, Price with the easy save.

7:12 - Lars Eller almost made it 2-0, couldn't poke the puck into an open net.

7:10 - Third period starting out much like the second.

6:58 - MDK thoughts: so far that Leafs suck. During one of the offside calls against the leafs and the face-off in the leafs zone. I was wondering "Why was the face-off in the Leafs zone after that offside?" It didn't make sense. Another thing, there was soo many Canadiens penalties that to me should be called. The refs are soo dumb, they are really dumb. thats my thoughts of the second period.

6:51 - After 2 periods it's Habs 1 - Leafs 0. If only I could talk dad and MDK into raising that bet over $5 (see blog post below)

6:48 - Question of the 2nd period: Should Healy be talking about reading e-mails (think NHLPA)

6:39 - Kessel with turnover number 11 (?), wonder what the record is for most turnovers in a game (and if Kessel is poised to break it tonight).

6:37- Toronto with the puck in the Montreal zone, just doing nothing.

6:33 - Another stupid rule that somehow helps: "intentional" offsides. After-match prediction (via our dad): "Wilson: we would have one if it wasn't for Kadri [being offside]."

6:31 - Montreal scores, Halpern with the tip on the penalty kill. Habs 1 - Leafs 0.

6:30 - Price with a great glove save. Bob Cole summed up my thoughts "Carey Price, what are you doing?!"

6:29 - Toronto on another powerplay. Stupid Lapierre.

6:27 - Price with a few good (and heart-attack inducing) saves, keeping it at 0-0.

6:23 - Montreal with the pressure, had some good shots, too bad Gustavsson is playing better. Still can't believe that it was Price who really broke up the Leafs 2-on-1 chance.

6:18 - Nice wrap-around attempt by Kostitsyn, still no team dominating this period.

6:14 - And we're back. Pretty back-and-forth in the first minute and a half.

5:54 - First period over, Montreal had some good chances at the end, Leafs still lucky.

5:51 - Schenn fans on the shot, Kostitsyn takes it the other way, shoots, HITS THE POST...someone call Toronto, that looked in....Never mind, pure post.

5:49 - Toronto playing their usual powerplay (pretend its a penalty kill), seriously, Montreal had two 2-on-1's and some good chances. Only problem is that the Leafs are playing defense.

5:47 - Montreal gets the penalty instead, damn.

5:46 - Toronto with the first penalty of the game, more to come...after these commercials.

5:43 - Gill with the amazing defensive play, poking the puck away from Kessel. Good thing his height helped, because his speed doesn't.

5:36 - Kulimin with a nice move, Price with the save...Komisarek with the shot, Price with the save. That's all I'm hearing right now.

5:33 - Toronto keeping up the pressure, Kessel keeping up his turnover count. For the past 2 minutes it looked liked the Habs were letting Toronto keep up the pressure on them.

5:28 - First post-whistle scrum, expect a lot of those.

5:27 - Habs with pressure early on, Gustavsson is making save after save, and Kessel just completed his first pass to nobody.

5:22 - Puck is just about to drop. Just to clarify, the last comment was a shot against the length of the ceremonies, they did a good job remembering Pat Burns.

5:15 - Welcome to our horrible attempt at live blogging, the game hasn't started yet, but since its in Montreal, the Vancouver game has a good chance at starting before this one.

*All times MST

Saturday Night Hockey: Something Later

Seriously, maybe even a live blog since MDK is here, but for now:

Line-up Notables

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens (a.k.a The game where I lose $40 to my dad and brother)

Toronto: Colby Armstrong and Dion Phaneuf are still on IR while J-S Giguere is out for atleast a week. Jonas Gustavsson is in net.

Montreal: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov is out indefinitely, Jaroslav Spacek is questionable for tonight, Carey Price will start tonight.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks

Chicago: No injuries to report. Corey Crawford may start tonight instead of Marty Turco.

Vancouver: Sami Salo, Gulliaume Desbiens, Alexandre Bolduc and Ryan Parent are all out indefinitely. Roberto Luongo gets the start tonight.

Saturday Night Hockey: We Got Something

Next Year, Every One Throws Their Sticks In The Middle And The Ref Will Separate Them

Thats the joke going around about the new all-star game format. Instead of staying with the East vs. West or going back to the World vs. North America format, the new way is now for players to vote for two captains. Those two captains will be able to choose the entire roster for their team. While it gets rid of the "vote for an unknown" or "vote for one team" tactics that fans have done for the past few years, the new format is more suited for a grade seven gym class. It's not like everyone knows that Crosby is pretty much guaranteed a captaincy, and I'm sure the wise choice for him is to pick everyone off Canada's Olympic roster from last year (with a few changes). Overall, I'm not a fan of it but I guess it's a "wait and see" thing. Now, onto the line-ups.

Line-up Notables

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens

Carolina: No one is injured. Cam Ward is going to start.

Montreal: No injuries to report of. Carey "How Is He Doing It?!?!" Price no doubt gets the start.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Vancouver: Sami Salo, Gulliaume Desbiens, and Alexandre Bolduc are out while Ryan Parent is listed as questionable for tonight. Roberto Luongo is expected to start.

Toronto: Colby Armstrong and Dion Phaneuf are still out for another month. Nazem Kadri and Keith Aulie were called up. J-S Gigure might start tonight.

Ottawa Senators vs. Boston Bruins

Ottawa: Filip Kuba, Brian Lee, and Brian Elliot are all game-time decisions. Pascal Leclaire will probably start.

Boston: Marco Sturm, Trent Whitfield, Marc Savard, and Johnny Boychuk  are still out, David Krejci is expected to return next week. It's still a toss up between Tukku Rask and Tim Thomas

Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks

Calgary: Just the usual list of injuries (Adam Pardy, Daymond Langkow, Raitis Ivanans, Ryan Stone, and Ales Kotalik). Miikka Kiprusoff will start tonight.

San Jose: Only Derek Joslin is out. Antero Niittymaki will more-than-likely get the start.

Saturday Night Hockey: Lineups Now, Rant Later

Again, sorry for not having something here, I'll get something done before the end of tonight's first game.

Line-up Notables

Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Buffalo: Nathan Gerbe is on the IR, Ryan Miller will miss another game, and Drew Stafford is questionable for tonight. Patrick Lalime (aka: Lalimius Five-Holeius) is expected to start.

Toronto: Dion Phaneuf is out with a lacerated leg. J-S Giguere is expected to start.


Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens (here we go again)


Montreal: Tomas Plekanec is ill so he probably won't play. Carey Price is in nets.

Ottawa: Filip Kuba and Milan Michalek are out. Brian Elliot might get the start tonight.


Detroit Red Wings vs. Vancouver Canucks

Detroit: Kris Draper and Brian Rafalski are on the IR while Chris Osgood is day-to-day. Jimmy Howard is expected to start.

Vancouver: Sami Salo, Guillaume Desbiens, and Alexandre Bolduc are on the IR. Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Parent, and Ryan Rypien (just done serving his suspension) are all questionable for tonight. Roberto Luongo gets the start tonight.

Saturday Night Hockey: There's Always Something

As the title hinted towards, this is another mailed-in SNH. I'll make sure that there will be something written for next week. Until then:

Line-up Notables

New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

New York: Three of New York's top forwords are out for a while (Chris Drury, Marian Gaborik, and Vinny Prospal), Derrick Boogaard and Mark Sauer are game-time decisions. As of now, it's uncertian if Henrik Lundqvist or Martin Biron will get the start.

Toronto: Colby Armstrong is out for at least a month while Kris Versteeg is listed at probable for tonight. J-S Giguere is expected to start.

Florida Panthers vs. Montreal Canadiens

Florida: Only Byron Bitz and Mark Cullen are out for Florida. Either Tomas Vokoun or Scott Clemmensen are going to start.

Montreal: No one is injured (well, that's if Markov is going to play as excepted). Carey Price is back in nets tonight.

Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators

Boston: Marco Sturm, Trent Whitfield, Marc Savard, and Johnny Boychuk are all out for at least a month. Tim Thomas is their starter tonight.

Ottawa: Filip Kuba, Milan Michalek, and Pascal Leclaire are out while Jason Spezza is expected to play tonight. Brain Elliot will get the nod in net.

Washington Capitals vs. Calgary Flames

Washington: Boyd Gordon, Tom Poti, and Semyon Varlamov are all on IR, Marcus Johansson is expect to play tonight. Michal Neuvirth is the starter tonight.

Calgary: Calgary's injury list grows to six as Adam Pardy is out along with Daymond Langkow, David Moss, Raitis Ivanans, Ryan Stone, and Ales Kotalik. Miikka Kiprusoff is expected to start.

Saturday Night Hockey: Too Late For A Rant

Got back late from a day in Calgary, so just the line-ups for now.

Line-up Notables

Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators (aka: copy and paste from last week)

Montreal: Andrei Markov still isn't back, god help the powerplay. Carey Price is in nets.

Ottawa: Filip Kuba and Pascal Leclaire are out while Jason Spezza is a game-time decision. Brian Elliot gets the start tonight.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Toronto: No injuries to report of for the Leafs. J-S Giguere is excepted in nets.

Philadelphia: Ian Laperriere, Matt Walker, and Michael Leighton are out while Ville Leino is a game time decision. Brian Boucher is getting the start tonight.

San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers

San Jose: Derick Joslin is the only notable injury. It's still a toss up between Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki on who gets the start.

Edmonton: J-F Jacques is still on IR and won't be back for a while. Nikolai Khabibulin is in nets tonight.

Saturday Night Hockey: It's Opposite Season

Ok, either I'm in a long dream or the Hockey Gods are in a week-long drink-a-thon (say that 10 times fast) because there are unnatural things going on. Carey Price making big saves, Edmonton winning, New Jeresy losing, Crosby not scoring, Phoenix about to get an owner and the biggest travesty of all: The Leafs are winning.

Ugh...after saying that I'm too depressed to go on, so just the line-ups right now:

Line-up Notables

Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens

Ottawa: Filip Kuba is still out while Pascal Leclaire has shown his glass-like qualities last game, meaning Brian Elliot gets the start tonight.

Montreal: Andrei Markov's back!...Well supposity, he's a game-time decision apparently. Carey “Win Every Second Game” Price is in nets.

Battle of Alberta - Part Deux: Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames

Edmonton: J-F Jacques is on IR after back surgery while Shawn Horcoff and Colin Fraser are more than likely going to play tonight. Nikolai Khabibulin will start.

Calgary: Besides the lengthy IR list, Raitis Ivanans and Rene Bourque are considered doubtful for tonight. Miikka Kiprusoff gets the start.

Saturday Night Hockey: HNIC Really Starts

Welcome to - what is hopefully going to be - an every Saturday night feature where the games with Canadian teams will be highlighted along with other news and notes. So enjoy...

I know, I know, technically Thursday is when it started but it's a Saturday thing nonetheless. Speaking of Thursday's edition, I think Cherry was right about Price. He has the potental to be a good goalie but there is too much pressure on him (I'm guilty of that too), but the (current) fact remains that Halak shouldn't have been traded.

Links

Zdeno Chara has signed a huge (get it?) extension with Boston.

Philadelphia goalie Michael Leighton will need back surgery.

The Calgary Flames has a new arena sponser. Now every player on the roster gets a free NHL tin can.

Atlanta Thrasher and former Cape Breton Screaming Eagle (BOOOOOO!) goalie Ondrej Pavelec is still in hospital after collapsing before a game against Washington.

Line-up Notables

Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Ottawa: Filip Kuba is really the only notable injury. Yes Spezza is too but more than likely he'll be playing tonight. Looking around it looks like Pascal Leclaire is expected to start.

Toronto: Brett Ledba and Jeff Finger (wait, he's STILL on the team?!?!) are out. J-S Gigure is expected to start.


Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Montreal: For the second straight season, Andrei Markov is out for a few months to start the season (ok, so last year he was injured in the first game, you get the point). Roman Hamrlik is out while Mike Cammalleri is schedule to make his season debut after his suspension. Carey Price is starting (and in other news, Crosby is expected to reach 50 goals tonight)

Pittsburgh: Jordan Staal is still out with an infected foot and Arron Asham has an injured shoulder. M-A Fleury is getting the start.


Retro Night: Los Angeles Kings vs. Vancouver Canucks

Los Angeles: Matt Greene (shoulder) and Scott Perse (groin) are the only notable injuries. Jonathan Quick is getting the start tonight.

Vancouver: Sami Salo, Alexandre Borrows, and Rick Rypien are all on IR. It looks like Henrik Sedin is going to be named captian, while Ryan Kesler is also in talks about getting the C. Roberto Luongo gets the start, but its like I needed to point that out.

NHL Predictions

While the season starts soon (and in an attempt to keep the once-a-month quota) we decided to get our predictions done, well, somewhat earlier than last year. This season though we plan on being more involved. We’ll see how that works out.

MDK Picks                                                                       

My Picks

Not Running With The Devils: Part Two (Somehow)

So, uh, that went well.

Ok, maybe waiting to see if ANYTHING would immediately happen after Kovalchuk went back on the market was a mistake. Other than the NHL "investigating" other long-term CBA-and-cap-bending contracts, there hasn't been much activity surrounding Kovalchuk. Actually, outside this, Kaberle staying in Toronto (who didn't see that coming?), and Comrie being one lucky bastard getting married, August is dead month for hockey.

So training camp can not start soon.

(Not?) Running With The Devils....Part One(?)

After nearly a month that included (deep breathe):

• Becoming a free agent
• Being on-off-on-off with the Kings
• Asking too much to become an Islander
• Signing a ridiculous contract to go back to New Jersey
• Having the NHL reject the contract
• Having the NHLPA file a grievance
• Going to arbitration

The Ilya Kovalchuk sega is still on-going, with the possiblity that it will finally end next week. Once that is all sorted out with, it might be the last chance for TSN to pull what its American knock off ESPN did for some guy in the NBA.

The only problem would be who get to interview/undress Kovalchuk with their eyes: Duthie or McGuire?

2010 NHL Award Results/Pre-Draft Thoughts

Awards

I wasn't able to catch the awards Wednesday night (I did try to catch the first bit on CBC Ottawa since it showed it earlier but it's reception was as bad as Jay Mohr's act.* HEYO!). So here are the results:

Hart - Henrik Sedin
Vezina - Ryan Miller
Norris - Duncan Keith
Calder - Tyler Myers
Lady Byng - Martin St. Louis
Selke - Pavel Datsyuk
Jack Adams - Dave Tippett
Bill Masterton - Jose Theodore
Ted Lindsay - Alex Ovechkin
Messier Leadership - Sidney Crosby
King Clancy - Shane Doan (we omitted this one during the predictions by accident...and we regret it)

BEK: 2/10
MDK: 4/10

*I don't know if they still have the same agent, but the NHL should have requested Frank Caliendo. How awesome would it be to see him try to impersonate Don Cherry.


Draft

Since the draft starts soon, here are a couple quick thoughts:

• Taylor Hall is going first, no questions.

• It has been mentioned that the L.A. Kings might pick a player that is Californian. This would be good publicity for the team but it's probably not the best choice (right Montreal? remember last year?)

• Speaking of Montreal, I know that they pick near the bottom of the first round, but please, please DON'T pick another damn American defenseman! Size up front is more important.

• Will Toronto move into the first round? Unlikely

2010 NHL Award Predictions

Another year, another awards ceremony, and its hosted by a guy who doesn't like hockey. Man, what other brilliant ideas will the NHL come up with next.


Hart Memorial Trophy
Finalist:
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)

B: Sidney Crosby
M: Sidney Crosby


Vezina Trophy
Finalist:
Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)
Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
Ilya Bryzgalov (Winn...um...Phoenix Coyotes)

B: Ilya Bryzgalov
M: Ryan Miller


Norris Trophy
Finalist:
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)
Mike Green (Washington Capitals)
Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)

B: Duncan Keith
M: Mike Green


Calder Trophy
Finalist:
Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche)
Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres)
Jimmy Howard (Detroit Red Wings)

B: Matt Duchene
M: Jimmy Howard


Lady Byng Trophy
Finalist:
Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Brad Richards (Dallas Stars)
Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)

B: Martin St. Louis
M: Brad Richards


Selke Trophy
Finalist:
Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Ryan Kesler (Vancouver Canucks)
Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh Penguins)

B: Jordan Staal
M: Ryan Kesler


Jack Adams Award
Finalist:
Joe Sacco (Colorado Avalanche)
Dave Tippett (Winnip...dammit did it again...Phoenix Coyotes)
Barry Trotz (Nashville Predators)

B: Joe Sacco
M: Joe Sacco


Bill Masterton Trophy
Finalist:
Kurtis Foster (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Jed Ortmeyer (San Jose Sharks)
Jose Theodore (Washington Capitals)

B: Jed Ortmeyer
M: Jose Theodore


Ted Lindsey Award
Finalist:
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)

B: Henrik Sedin
M: Alex Ovechkin (betcha didn't see that one coming!)


Mark Messier Leadership Award
Finalist:
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes...hey I got it right!)

B: Shane Doan
M: Sidney Crosby

Halak...er...God Help Us Now

Before getting down to business, congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the Stanley Cup. Even though this ends their 49 year old cup drought, the longest cup drought is still held by the Leafs at 43 years (appearently 43 is higher than 49, who knew?)

Anyways, to the main subject...while I have been in my hole (trying not to go crazy) since I heard about it, I figure its about time I say: WHAT WAS MONTREAL THINKING?!?!

I get that Halak is a bit older than Price, and that his playoff run might have been a one-time thing (kinda hurts to say that) but why would they trade there most proven goaltender? Even if yet were (wrongfully) going to trade for Halak, wouldn't it be wise to have waited until the draft? You know, get a lot of offers.

There is only one thing that comes to mind about this trade.

The only good thing about the trade is that it leaves the Habs with an opening at goaltending. In which case...DRAFT ME Montreal.

Hey, can't blame a guy for trying eh.

Final Playoff Score
BEK: 10-5
MDK: 7-8

Puck Off

So the most unnecessary headline of the Philadelphia Dammit-Why-Couldn't-Boston-Eliminate-Them-To-Make-Life-Easier-On-The-Habs Flyers versus Chicago Dear-Hockey-Gods-Don't-Let-The-Fact-That-They-Have-Hossa-Screw-It-Up-For-Them Blackhawks Finals is Pronger taking the game puck in the first two games. While there has been mixed reaction about it from the players, one person who shouldn't be talking is Flyers coach Laviolette. His quote "What added incentive do they have now? They're mad? They're angry?" means "Remember what happened when the Habs made us mad? Well that's what Chicago will do to us."

There is one thing I do want to say about this issue:

Let Pronger keep the pucks. From his time in Edmonton, we all know his wife has his balls.

Stanley Cup Finals Predictons

NHL Stanley Cup Finals

2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

BEK: Chicago Blackhawks
MDK: Chicago Blackhawks


After Round Three:
BEK 9-5
MDK 6-8

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Three

Eastern Conference - Finals

(7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

BEK: Montreal Canadiens
MDK: Montreal Canadiens


Western Conference - Finals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks

BEK: Chicago Blackhawks
MDK: San Jose Sharks


After Round Two:
BEK 8-4
MDK 6-6

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Two

Eastern Conference - Semi-Finals

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

BEK: Montreal Canadiens
MDK: Montreal Canadiens

(6) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

BEK: Philadelphia Flyers
MDK: Boston Bruins


Western Conference - Semi-Finals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

BEK: San Jose Sharks
MDK: San Jose Sharks

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

BEK: Vancouver Canucks
MDK: Vancouver Canucks


After Round One:
BEK 5-3
MDK 4-4

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round One

Eastern Conference - Quarter Finals

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

BEK: Montreal Canadiens
MDK: Montreal Canadiens

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

BEK: New Jersey Devils
MDK: New Jersey Devils

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

BEK: Buffalo Sabres
MDK: Boston Bruins

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

BEK: Pittsburgh Penguins
MDK: Ottawa Senators


Western Conference - Quarter Finals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche

BEK: San Jose Sharks
MDK: San Jose Sharks

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Nashville Predators

BEK: Chicago Blackhawks
MDK: Nashville Predators

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

BEK: Vancouver Canucks
MDK: Vancouver Canucks

(4) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

BEK: Phoenix Coyotes
MDK: Phoenix Coyotes

Two Thoughts

Canada's Gold

Congrats to Team Canada for their gold medal win against the USA. They played an intense game that was close right up until the end. Crosby scoring the overtime goal was amazing.

Stay Classy, Ovechkin

Since Russia's lost to Canada, Ovechkin has been somewhat of a poor sport (as seen here and here). Although I never liked the guy, you got to hand it to him for being able to capitalized on these events:

Final Olympic Notes

This is the last addition of our Olympic notes:

• It's weird/awesome how the men's and women's podium finishes were the same (Canada, USA, Finland)


• Both of Canada's gold medals allowed the men's and women's team to regain the #1 spot in their respective IIHF rankings.


• With the gold medal, Eric Staal becomes a member of the Triple Gold Club. This makes Canada even with Russia for members with 6. Russian Media already accusing Staal for steriods.


• With Halak's performance at the Olympics, he is guaranteed to be traded (it's hard not to shed a tear while saying that).


• Finland is definitely going to go through a re-building stage before Sochi 2014 since there is a good chance their stars (Koivu, Selanne, etc.) will retire before then.


• And finally: Crosby's goal will be this generation's Canada's goal. Although it will be considered #2 all-time (behind this guy).

Welcome Back 2002

First off congratulations to Canada's Men's Team for winning gold earlier today. This makes Canada the new record holder of the most gold in one Winter Olympic Game.

Back to the hockey though:

The tournament near the end seemed like 2002. You have the team that upset Sweden in the Quarter Finals (Slovakia), a strong U.S. team (despite the lack of veteran presence) a Canadian team trying to reel from the disappointment of the last Olympics (and switching goalies in the preliminary round). The only difference between both Games was how the medal games went.

The medal games this time around were mostly different.

Bronze Medal Game

This game featuring Finland and Slovakia was close all the way through even with the Slovak's holding a 2-goal lead. Finland was able to fight back and get the winning goal with about 10 minutes left in the 3rd period for the 5-3 win. 2002's Game featuring Russia and Belarus was over almost as it started. Russia beat Belarus 7-1.

Gold Medal Game

In a 2002 re-match, the Canada-U.S. game was a lot closer throughout. The 2002 game was close until Canada opened up in the third and cruised to a 5-2 win. Today's game was close right down to the wire. Canada got up 1-0 midway through the first then extended the lead in the second. Moments after Canada took a 2-0 lead, the U.S. responded with a shot that was tipped to make the score 2-1. After a couple good chances of extending the lead, Canada started to play protective hockey in the third. This led to their mini-downfall. With 25 seconds left, the U.S. was able to tie the game up after a scramble infront of the Canada net. In overtime, after a couple back-and-forth sequences, Canada was able to get the winning goal after getting a pass from Iginla in the corner and shooting five-hole on Miller.

Now that the Olympics wrapped up, the next big thing is the NHL Trade Deadline. Which doesn't seem thats exciting since a lot of the major deals already happened.

More Olympic Notes

Consistency is the Key

The first 2 rounds of the elimination round are over and 2 things have been consistent:

1. Upsets or near-upsets
2. Horrable Reffing

They almost go hand-in-hand too. Latvia and Switzerland could have pulled off the upsets against the Czechs and US (respectively) if they had gotten those late-game calls. While Canada did beat Russia, Russia got a way with a lot of calls. Slovakia did upset Sweden but a questionable call within the last 5 minutes almost cost them the game.

Women's Hockey

Apparently the women's side is in danger of being kicked from the Olympics because of it's lack of competition. I can't remember exactly where this is from but the lack of funds for the competitors outside of North America is a big reason why. Not many teams can compete when they don't have the ability to develop players without the necessary investment. The Olympic future of this sport can't keep relying on upsets (a la Sweden beats USA in 2006).

Olympic Notes

I meant to do a lot more post over the Olympics but now that the preliminary round is over, its the best time to say a couple things:

• Norway's Pal Grotnes and Tore Vikingstad should get NHL tryouts. They've had a good tournament so far.
• In hindsight, Ovechkin's hit on Jagr isn't as spectacular as it's hyped to be. Unless you take into account 2 things:
  1. Because International Rules are lame...er...stricter, any open-ice hit is considered awesome.
  2. It's the first time anyone seen Ovi make a clean hit.
• Speaking of awesome and Russia, it's nice to see Slovakia get the upset over them.
• How does Switzerland give the US and Canada a hard time but allows Norway to score 4 goals on them?
• Even through inserting/removing players from rosters are prohibited, what's the rule on coaches? Seriously though, what was Babcock thinking in either not pulling Brodeur or calling a timeout near the end of the game.
• The bigger question of the Canada-US game: How the hell does a team with the Leafs GM and coach win?
• Only Pool C had no surprises (maybe Sweden shutting out Finland but nothing major).
• 2 true facts about the standings:
  1. If the Sweden-Finland game went to overtime and Sweden won, Canada would have faced Finland after Germany, not Russia (thus confirming TSN needs a fact-checker).
  2. If the Canada-US game went into overtime, Canada would have had a top 4 finish, meaning they would get a first round bye.

On a semi-related Olympic note - A new slogan for these games (inspired by our failure in short track and ski cross) should be: You're either a medallist, or Canadian.

About The Kovalchuk Trade

After reviewing the blockbuster Kovalchuk trade, there is only one thing to say about Atlanta's GM Don Waddell...

He's the dumbest active GM

Since this involves Atlanta, here is:

You Know Your Atlanta's GM When...

• Mike Mulbury tells you how it should have went down.
• Your team's future is built with this guy.
• Out of all the teams linked to the high-scoring Russian, the team that plays "the trap" seems the most suited.
• A 50-goal scorer and a borderline NHL defenseman seems enough to get only one draft pick.
• Raising Kovy's trade value includes announcing that a $101-million/12 year deal isn't enough for him.
• When NBC calls and ask you to become a late-night executive.

Olympic Plans

Side Note - Before the main post I got to say something about the World Juniors:
With the way Canada played against the U.S., next year I should try-out for the team.

Since the Olympics are a couple weeks away, it is a good time to look at the game plans of the nations competing for the gold.

Belarus - Still missing Salo.

Canada - See Russia.

Czech Republic - Will eventually regret not putting Hasek's corpse on the roster.

Finland - Donald Duck's nephews will lead us to victory.

Germany - Willing to rely on the same roster year after year

Latvia - Now that we got the oldest goalie we might have success.

Norway - Will think of a game plan soon, still trying to figure out how we made it this far.

Russia - See Canada.

Slovakia - Halak should be a star goalie now that there's a real team in front of him.

Sweden - Playing with health issues isn't a big problem...right?

Switzerland - Pray that Turin wasn't a fluke.

USA - Play with truculence, since it has worked so well for the Leafs.

Time To Shift The Focus

After seeing the ONLY entertaining game of the World Juniors (seeing the Swiss get into the Quarterfinals is surprising...er...wrong game) it makes one think...

Why not switch focus for a bit.

Since all the real games are the at late stages of the tournament, why doesn't Hockey Canada promote the Spengler Cup team.

This years version of Team Canada wasn't that great (damn Mannheim had the other half of our team) but at least most of there games were close ones and not ones that were decided in the first period. Unless the Junior team plays the U.S., Sweden, or Russia (even then the Russian team has slowed down) then it is almost a guaranteed blow-out.

Maybe it is time to let the Spengler Cup into the spotlight.