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Joe Thornton shows signs of life in Calgary
2008-04-16 13:51:00
Here's a shocker. Once again, the smiling face of Joe Thornton is plastered on milk cartons at breakfast tables throughout the Silicon Valley. Hold on, not so fast. There may have been a sighting last night in Calgary . Yep. Game winner, final ten seconds. Cue the band.Hey, when that monkey you need to shake off your back is about the size of King Kong, you have to start somewhere, right?Say it ain't so, Joe.All right, so as a crutch I refer to is some time-worn line from nine decades ago when a snot-nosed kid snivelled to Shoeless Joe Jackson after the White Black Sox decided the World Series wasn't all that important after all. San Jose Sharks fans could be forgiven for wanting to steal the patent on those five prophetic words.You see, once again, Big Joe Thornton is doing his best snow blower routine, disappearing without a trace once the tulips start to bloom. Think death and taxes are the only two sure things in life? Here's a third. As soon as the warm weather hits, the fat...
More About: Life , Signs

World Hockey Championship should become bigger deal in Canada
2008-04-15 16:30:00
By Tom YawneyWake up, Canada .Every morning when I wake up, I read online daily newspapers from all over North America. As an avid sports fan that has been living overseas, it has been my best way to keep in touch with what is going on back home. Currently, the big news in European hockey is the upcoming IIHF world championships.For those who do not know, the top division world championships will be taking place in Halifax and Quebec starting in about three weeks. It will mark the first time the world championships have taken place on Canadian soil. Yet as I peruse the newspapers day after day, I wonder why no one back home seems to be talking about it.In Germany, the World Championship s takes precedent over their top national league. The first round of the DEL playoffs is a best of seven. The second round is a best of five, followed by another best of five finals. As a North American I found this playoff format extremely peculiar. Why would the DEL shorten the most important rounds ...
More About: Hockey , Deal

Dave Nonis firing shows he was master of own demise
2008-04-15 14:57:00
Without even knowing it, on a warm June afternoon in 2006, Dave Nonis inadvertently slipped the noose around his own neck. It just took two years for the trap door to fall.Probably far too nice a guy to hold down a position so unforgiving, Nonis was gassed as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks Monday night, a move that was both shocking and perversely expected at the same time.Shocking because Nonis was seen as one of the brightest young minds in the game. Expected because his charges, in a performance-driven business, missed the playoffs in two of his three seasons at the helm.In some twisted way, Nonis may have been giving his walking papers for masterminding perhaps the most one-sided trade in NHL history. After pick pocketing Roberto Luongo from Mike Keenan's drawers for a scarred Todd Bertuzzi and second-tier goaltender Alex Auld, they began mapping out the parade route on the west coast.Pre-Nonis, the Canucks were probably a Dan Cloutier injury away from being a legitim...
More About: Master

David Nonis fired by Canucks
2008-04-15 03:26:00
Dave Nonis was hoping for another chance to get things turned around for the Vancouver Canucks . He didn't get it.Nonis was fired as general manager of the Canucks Monday after three full seasons on the job. Nonis took over from mentor Brian Burke in May 2004.Prior to stepping into the role, Nonis spent six seasons as senior vice-president and director of Hockey Operations."The decision to relieve Dave of his duties was difficult," said Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini."We want to thank Dave for the many contributions he has made helping to build our organization during his tenure. However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It's not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn't in the playoffs."The Canucks recently missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under Nonis.More to follow. 
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NHL fans in full-blown panic mode for playoffs
2008-04-14 18:39:00
During normal weeks of the hockey season, I receive between 250-300 emails from fans that either want some advice, want to complain or just want to talk about hockey. Well, after five days of playoff hockey, over 500 emails have flooded into me. Panic seems to be the theme, so let me share a few of them with you:ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC!Ron Wilson & Doug Wilson can start packing their things now!PayoffHow much are the Wings paying the refs? Exactly how can they do this without being caught?Help!Could the Devils still sign Scott Stevens to a playoff contract? Avery would become part of the ice surface if they did sign him!Flames In Trouble (received Sunday, April 13th at 10:30pm ET)What the hell is going on with the Flames? Have they lost their desire to play? Keenan needs to go now, get Sutter behind the bench for the next game!OOPS (received Monday, April 14th 1:01am ET)I take it all back. I am dumb and I am sorry for the previous rant. All is good, until the next game.Old MenChelio...
More About: Fans , Mode , Playoffs , Full

Sean Avery getting inside Brodeur's head
2008-04-14 16:29:00
Call Sean Avery whatever you must - and it's safe to say that most have - but the nuisance on blades has figured out the New York Rangers best chance of taking out the New Jersey Devils in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Get inside the head of one Martin Brodeur as often as possible.Avery's basketball defense-style standup routine Sunday night may be seen as hilarious by some, aggravating by others, but there is no doubt it is effective, even if the Devils clawed back into the series with an overtime win at MSG.Count me in among those sick and tired of Avery's antics, but you've got to give credit where credit is due. Avery is doing his part to get the Rangers into the next round.At this time of year, nothing else matters. There are no points for class or form. Just wins.The act is bush-league, without doubt, and borders on unsportsmanlike, which, of course, will get you nothing but a snicker from Avery. A two-minute penalty to get Brodeur off his game? The Ranger...
More About: Inside , Head , Sean Avery

Brian Burke may listen to Leafs if Ducks sent packing early
2008-04-14 14:43:00
Should the Anaheim Ducks make an unceremonious and premature exit from the Stanley Cup hunt, Brian Burke may have an excuse to waddle his moneymaker right out of Southern Cal. If, in the next few days, the defending champions grudgingly shake hands with the Dallas Stars and saunter into the off-season - and right now, there is nothing to suggest that won't be happening - it may give Burke a window, an excuse, a need, whatever you want to call it, to pack up and bring his act east.There is simply no reason not to take Brian Burke at his word when he says he is overwhelmingly content collecting his pay from Anaheim owner Henry Samueli and has no desire, or intention, of leaving. Burke is one of those guys that speaks his mind and could care less what you, I or anyone else thinks. Don't like it? Switch the channel.However, there is a certain group of stakeholders in Toronto who would appear to have some serious bedroom eyes for Burke and may flash a blank check, or cheque if you are ...
More About: Listen , Early , Packing

Patrick Thoresen injury felt by millions of men
2008-04-13 21:26:00
It was the shot that caused the collective wince of a million men. Shortly after 9:00 Friday evening in a highly-entertaining opener in the Capitals/Flyers series, Philly forward Patrick Thoresen took a Mike Green slapshot off the, um, well, off the one spot on your body where you don't want to take a slapshot. From Green or a six-year-old in his first year of tyke.When it was realized where Thoresen was hit, millions of men shuddered, most feeling a sharp pang in the pit of their stomach at the same time. And while we are all exhaling that Thoresen doesn't face the grim surgical procedure that was being discussed immediately after he took one in the boys, Philadelphia fans, who at times can be a little over the top when trumpeting the injustices heaped on their team, would seem to have a point here.Why, exactly, was play not whistled dead when Thoresen went down like a sack, if you'll pardon the play on words?In case you missed it, as Thoresen lay writhing in pain on the ice, th...
More About: Injury , Felt , Millions

Sami Jo Small joins Hockey.com starting lineup
2008-04-12 19:50:00
Hockey.com is set to introduce its own golden gal with five-time world champion Sami Jo Small joining its editorial team. Beginning this week, Small, former starting goaltender for the Canadian National Women's Team, will offer her opinion in blogs and columns showcasing the women's game, including player features, expert insight on international competition as well as issues facing women's hockey today. "I always say hockey isn't life but it teaches you a lot about life," says Small. "The game has given me everything I have. But it's more than that. It's the feeling I get driving to the rink, or hanging out in the restaurant upstairs after the game. Hockey has been such an important part of my life."Not to mention a pretty successful one.Following NCAA PAC-10 MVP honors starring for the Stanford Men's team, Small moved on to the Canadian national program where she helped the squad to a pair of Olympic gold medals and five world titles, being named MVP of ...
More About: Hockey , Lineup

Team USA holds off Canada to win IIHF World Women's Championship
2008-04-12 17:25:00
from Canadian PressHARBIN, China - There was poetic justice in the United States beating Canada 4-3 to win the women's world hockey championship.In the final of the 2004 event in Halifax, the Americans scored a goal the referee didn't see because the puck rebounded hard off the back crossbar and out. Canada won the gold 2-0.Video replay was implemented in every game of the 2008 women's world championship for the first time. Two of the Americans' four goals in Saturday's gold-medal game were awarded in that manner."I'm glad the IIHF implemented video replay," U.S. captain Natalie Darwitz said. "Obviously it worked out in our favour this time. We got two goals off of video replay and they were the right calls."But it wasn't video that won the game for the Americans. They outplayed Canada for the second straight game at the tournament to win their second world title.Their first was in 2005. Canada has won the other nine.Canada hadn't lost two games in a row ...
More About: Championship , World , Team , Holds

Swedish Elite League welcomes Kenny Jonsson, Rogle back to fold
2008-04-12 16:09:00
Remember Kenny Jonsson? The tall, almost lanky Swedish defenseman who played with the Leafs and the Islanders? Yes, excellent passer, great hockey sense. The one with the concussions. Yeah, he was kind of red after three shifts. So you do remember him? Jonsson packed up his stuff and returned to Sweden during the lockout, but unlike most of the NHLers on their conditioning stints in the Old World, Jonsson didn't return to the NHL after the lawyers had dotted the i's and crossed the t's in the megalomaniac document that is called the CBA.Instead, Jonsson signed a multiyear deal with Rogle, his alma mater, and enjoyed the more laid-back schedule that gave him more time to hang around the house. Well, he did play in the Turin Olympics, and was voted Best Defenseman when the Swedes won gold, and he's been coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson's captain in the national team tournaments he's played since the Riga World Championships in 2006.This week, Jonsson celebrated a victory that may just...
More About: Back , League , Elite

World Women’s Hockey Championship dominance Finnish-ed?
2008-04-11 16:41:00
Don't look now, but it appears the rest of the world is catching up in women's hockey. Maybe the young ladies in Scandinavia took my stance suggesting that Canada and the U.S. were the only two powers in women's hockey a little personally. Apparently a lot can change in five months, huh?Finland looks ready to give the Canadians and American a run for their money after a strong performance at the IIHF World Women's Hockey Championship , defeating the Americans 1-0 before giving Team Canada all they could handle in a 4-2 loss.Trust me, this is progress for the Finnish ladies considering, since 2005, they had been outscored 37-4 in games with the Canadians and Americans at the Olympics and worlds combined.There was a time not that long ago that the Canadians would have four goals by the midway point of the first period.Even with their surprising showing here, the Finns will have to wait at least another year to play for gold. For a few hours, Team Finland slipped into Canadian cheer...

Steven Stamkos trade is there to be made
2008-04-11 15:28:00
Cliff Fletcher may want to get to know Jay Feaster. As in, real well. Fletcher, or for that matter any GM willing to sell the farm, may be able to pry the #1 overall pick in this summer's NHL Entry Draft, also known as Steven Stamkos, out of the tight little grasp of Feaster and the Tampa Bay Lightning.Now, before the often-ornery denizens of so-called Leaf Nation are calling for me to be fitted for a straitjacket, I said a couple of weeks ago that the Leafs could fast-track at least part of their rebuilding phase by making a bold move up to draft Steven Stamkos this summer.Problem one is now solved. Fletcher knows it is Feaster and his Tampa Bay Lightning that should be on his speed dial as the Bolts will now get the first crack, and likely the only one needed, at Stamkos in June.Let's see. Tampa could use a goalie - unless you are one of the few who strongly believe Mike Smith is the answer - and Toronto needs a potential franchise forward to build around, probably more than any...
More About: Trade , Made

New York Rangers at home in New Jersey
2008-04-10 22:25:00
By Patrick HoffmanIn the Stanley Cup playoffs, it is assumed that the home team will always have a greater advantage than their opponent. This does not appear to be the case in the Rangers /Devils series.Throughout the New York Rangers 4-1 series opening victory over the New Jersey Devils, the crowd could be heard chanting things such as "Ave-ry, Ave-ry!" or "Hen-rik, Hen-rik!" Oh yeah, did I mention that this game was played in New Jersey? One would have to figure that in a new arena such as the Prudential Center, thousands upon thousands of Devil fans would flock to the arena to watch their team begin its Stanley Cup playoff march. However, last night, it seemed like more Ranger fans made the trip as there was a sea of blue throughout the arena. For the Rangers, this is nothing different as they typically get a lot of fan support during games in the tri-state area. However, in the playoffs, it provides a huge boost to the team while taking energy out of the Devi...
More About: New York Rangers , Home

NHL playoff rivals better without "blood on the ice"
2008-04-10 16:19:00
I recently heard a well-known, national NHL analyst provide this preview of the Washington/Philadelphia series: "There is going to be blood all over the ice."Nice way to describe a hockey series? No way!Before you start questioning my manhood, I will tell you I have been watching hockey for over 45 years and love a lively fight, a good hard hitting game, as long as the teams play within the rules of the game. I have lived through the 'Bruise Brothers' era, have witnessed first-hand the Broad Street Bullies and have always appreciated what the 'enforcers" of the game do on a night-to-night basis.But painting a picture of "blood on the ice" is not my cup of tea. Was this person trying to stir up interest? Did someone tip him off regarding the strategy one or both teams will employ? Instead of hearing how the Flyers would try to stop Alexander Ovechkin or how both teams have some serious momentum going into this series, I get a Don King impression!Our game h...
More About: Blood , Rivals

Gary Roberts performance against Senators same old, same old
2008-04-10 15:46:00
From the morning-after-the-night-before department of hindsight and what-ifs, the Ottawa Senators probably could have saved themselves a whole lot of hassle, not to mention a few early vacations, had they simply traded for Gary Roberts , say, half a dozen years ago. Just in case you think you have seen this movie before, relax. You are not losing your mind.Once again, Gary Roberts looks to lead his Toronto Maple Leafs Pittsburgh Penguins past Ottawa, a one-man wrecking crew who seems to have far too much fun helping the Senators book premature tee times.It's getting to the point where Ottawa head honcho Eugene Melnyk must have nightmares about this guy.After one night of tormenting his nemesis yet again, Roberts is one goal shy of his season total. And haven't we heard that Roberts would be an ideal sleeper pick before?Perhaps Roberts, pushing his 42nd birthday, just doesn't like the city, the team, the jersey. Whatever it is, his disdain is pretty obvious once the win-or-go-home ...
More About: Performance

2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs video one step back in time
2008-04-09 16:06:00
Can't wait for the puck to drop to start the playoffs? To get you jacked up for the start of the post season, we're taking you back in time for the top ten plays from the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs . It seems like only yesterday that Scott Niedermayer was hoisting the Cup, basking in the glory of winning it all, and taking that honorary victory lap around the rink.That one moment is what it's all about.In the video there are some incredible performances as teams fought their way to earn a spot in the Cup final.There were some memorable saves, especially one in particular by Ryan Miller. Change the name and number  on the back and you'd swear the clock was turned back to a vintage Dominik Hasek.Sidney Crosby gets into the action, of course, scoring a beauty while lying on the ice. And there are the obligatory hits, always present in a tight, hard-fought playoff series.They say don't dwell on the past, but this is an exception. This video is sure to bring back memories from a ...
More About: Video , Time , Stanley Cup Playoffs

Hockey playoff pool sleepers may wake up this spring
2008-04-09 15:39:00
Where art thou, Chris Kontos?And where have you gone, John Druce? In the immortal words of Simon and Garfunkel, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Well, maybe not an entire nation - just those those looking for a stiff who can put up points when it matters most.You see them every spring, those sleeper picks that come to life once the games start to count for real, making you kick yourself for not having a bigger set of onions on draft day.Here is a look at ten sleepers that may surprise you this spring during the 2008 NHL Playoffs:10.  ANTOINE VERMETTE, OttawaHard to consider a 50-plus point guy a sleeper, I know, but with injuries to captain Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher, Vermette is about to see more time than usual. Provided the Senators are around long enough, he should find the scoresheet a little more often.9.  MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI, Montreal Grabovski only managed nine points in 24 games after being called up, but the kid tore it up in the AHL and has plenty of ...
More About: Hockey , Spring , Sleepers , Wake , Pool

2008 NHL Playoff Predictions—Western Conference, Opening Round
2008-04-09 15:02:00
The West, my friends, is best. Or it sure as heck seems that way as the playoffs get set to begin. With apologies to the Penguins and Canadiens, the four-horse race shaping up in the Western Conference promises to be a good ol' fashioned shootout. Wild, wild west? You bet.Oh, and the five through eight seeds are more than capable of pulling off an upset or two along the way.Hockey.com wraps up its opening round NHL Playoff Preview by taking a look at the Western Conference matchups. Let us know if we are on the money or just out to lunch by offering your own predictions:DETROIT RED WINGS (1) VS.NASHVILLE PREDATORS (8)SEASON SERIES: Detroit 5-3-0, Nashville 3-3-2OUR TAKE: So normally the worst-vs.-first matchup is nothing but an afterthought, huh? Not so fast, Motown. While the Wings did win the season series, the Predators managed just three regulation losses in eight games with the Presidents' Trophy champions this season. Nashville tanked rested a few a players in their season f...
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Hockey playoff pool should come down to last teams standing
2008-04-08 17:16:00
OK, so you've got the fridge loaded with beer, a couple months worth of peanuts and pretzels crammed into the cupboard and you've told the better half you'll be up from the basement for a kiss, and a little sunlight, sometime in June. So now it's time to figure out a plan of attack in making your fantasy hockey picks for the 2008 NHL playoffs.First things first. Try not to spread out your attack over six or seven teams, attempting the hit-or-miss tactic of guessing who will move on to the next round. While you are sure to hang on to at least part of your team, employing this strategy will also cost you players as well. Try to hone in on the four teams you think will advance to the conference finals and, if you are feeling a little more daring, give a little preferential treatment to the two teams you think could go all the way.Sure, some may see it as putting all your eggs in the one proverbial basket, but if you hit paydirt and call the final four right on the money, you are ha...
More About: Hockey , Teams , Pool , Standing

2008 NHL Playoff Predictions – Eastern Conference, Opening Round
2008-04-08 15:16:00
Some interesting storylines are transpiring even before the first puck is dropped on the Eastern Conference side of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Did Ovechkin and the Capitals burn themselves out trying to corral the Southeast Conference title? Can the Bruins actually beat the Canadiens, even once? Are the Senators poised to give the Penguins all they can handle? Who will be the last one standing in what is sure to be a bruising series between the Rangers and Devils?Here is how we see things unfolding in the East, setting the stage for you to offer your retort on how the chips will fall in the opening round:MONTREAL CANADIENS (1) VS. BOSTON BRUINS (8)SEASON SERIES: Montreal 8-0-0, Boston 0-7-1OUR TAKE: If the surprising Canadiens had a girlfriend in the NHL, she would be wearing black and gold. The Habs have owned the B's, winning all eight meetings this season and the past 11 dating back to 2007. Too much is being made of the fact that Carey Price has not played an NHL playoff game. L...
More About: Opening , Predictions , Eastern Conference , Round

NHL playoffs prove regular season means nothing
2008-04-07 21:04:00
Throw the regular season out the window. Do it now and don't try to find it- ever! All stats are a big zero right now, both team and individual ones. No win streaks, no point streaks, no hot goalies, no scoring slumps. It is the second season and everything is reset to zero. You see #8 in Washington, 0-0-0. Thornton in San Jose, no assists. King Henry in NYC, no shots stopped and Price in Montreal is no longer a rookie goalie - he is a playoff goalie.The pressure is on for coaches like Carbonneau and Babcock. The pressure is on the goalies too. Do Hasek and Brodeur have one more run in them? Can Marleau rebound, can Hossa score, will Jagr dominate like he once did? Questions that can be answered in one or two weeks, or one or two months. Only time will tell, and what a time it will be.We will all be glued to the TV, the remote control becomes an extension of our hand. We change channels with precision, we calculate the commercial time and flick back to our game.On off days, we watc...
More About: Season , Playoffs , Regular , Prove

NHL playoff schedule starts Wednesday
2008-04-07 19:59:00
The NHL has released the schedule for the first round of the 2008 playoffs.The action starts Wednesday  for several series in both conferences. With the solid parity in the NHL this season, there promises to be some great matchups that should be exciting for all fans of the league.Enjoy!Eastern ConferenceSERIES A #1 Montreal vs. #8 BostonThurs, April 10, 7:00 PM         ;   Boston at Montreal CBC, RDSSat., April 12, 7:00 PM         ;     Boston at Montreal CBC, RDS, VERSUSSun., April 13, 7:00 PM         ;     Montreal at Boston CBC, RDSTues., April 15, 7:00 PM         ;   Montreal at Boston CBC, RDSThurs, April 17, 7:00 PM         ;   Boston at Montreal CBC, RDSSat., April 19, TBD      &nb...
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Pittsburgh Penguins may not want to wake sleeping-giant Senators
2008-04-07 16:06:00
If this was indeed the March of the Penguins, they should have just detoured straight to Ottawa.Inasmuch as I would hesitate to call it tanking - after all, it's tough to accuse a legitimate Cup contender of throwing in the towel - you would be hard-pressed to find anyone say with a straight face that the Penguins, going through the motions in their season finale Sunday afternoon, were gunning for the top seed. It seemed pretty darn obvious the Penguins weren't exactly playing for a date with their cross-state cousin Flyers rather than orchestrating a matchup with the reeling Senators.Giving your captain the afternoon off and playing with the same intensity shown in an intra-squad scrimmage just doesn't seem like traits employed by a team shooting for #1.Now that isn't to say the Penguins had no interest winning in Philadelphia, but after Carolina's loss on Friday night, getting those two points wasn't what you or I would consider a pressing need.When you enjoy ...
More About: Sleeping , Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh Penguins , Wake , Giant

Stanley Cup playoffs begin with intriguing storylines
2008-04-07 15:02:00
And now The Chase begins.Over the past six months, and 2,460 games to get to this point, what, exactly, have we learned? In the grand scheme of things, not a whole heck of a lot except that Ovechkin kid is pretty good, the Leafs still suck and the Atlanta Thrashers have the ugliest uniforms in the NHL.Outside of that, not all that much is fact.Over 150,000 minutes of regular season hockey to separate the best 16 in the league and let 14 others know, yes, that they just wasted six months of their lives.No one knows what is going to happen over the course of the next nine weeks or so, but two things are certain. There will be at least another 60 games, and perhaps as many as 105, played before Gary Bettman hands the hallowed Stanley Cup to one of 16 captains sometime in June.Right now, it is nothing more than a guessing game.The top seed in each conference - Montreal and Detroit - have combined to win 34 Stanley Cups. The other 14 playoff-bound teams have a total of 21 between them, o...
More About: Stanley Cup Playoffs , Playoffs

Ed Belfour falters at crunch time in Sweden
2008-04-06 16:39:00
Isn't it bizarre how one game can become a legacy for a season, a career, or even just an era within a career. When everything the player has done and accomplished can be - and is - said with a reference to one game. Paul Henderson, anyone?Henderson is obviously lucky to have his career summed up in a legend. He will always score the winning goal of the series, and he will always be the hero. However, many are the goalies whose career can be summed up in, say, a bouncy puck from the other end of the rink - and no, I am not referring to Vesa Toskala who's worthy of a much better tagline. When Ed Belfour signed with Leksand in the Swedish Division I last summer he came to do one job, and one job only: make sure that Leksand would get promoted to the Elite League again. (Well, he did also come to sell a lot of replica sweaters). He tied the club record for shutouts in the regular season, and in the first five playoffs games, in the games where the stakes were higher than ever, and w...
More About: Sweden , Time , Crunch

Carolina Hurricanes do plenty of favors with loss
2008-04-05 21:07:00
Oh, Carolina . Forget the sprawling tobacco fields dominating the Tar Heel state. Hurricanes ' fans are going to need something a little stronger to numb this pain.I mean, it was simple, really. Game 82. Win and you're in. And this wasn't exactly the San Jose Sharks we are talking here. It was the Florida freakin' Panthers, at home nonetheless.And yet the ‘Canes choked, putting smiles on the collective faces of a whole lot of teams. Among those, of course, were the Ottawa Senators, who lost to Boston but still managed to slip into The Dance through the side door.To be fair, Carolina dominated in every aspect of the game, except the most important one.Think Pittsburgh or Montreal wanted the Washington Capitals to sneak into that final spot? I can assure you they did not. Nice reward for finishing first in the conference, huh? A team that won nine of their past ten as the prize? No thanks.But the ‘Canes didn't do their part, saving the Penguins the hassle of having to p...
More About: Carolina Hurricanes , Loss , Plenty

Jeremy Roenick Sharks tale deserves storybook ending
2008-04-04 15:05:00
There is really no in-between with Jeremy Roenick, nor has there been his entire career. You either love him or hate him.But even those leading the anti-J.R. brigade have to admit that the San Jose Sharks are looking like geniuses for rolling the dice with the old man.Getting Roenick to check his oft-inflated ego at the door may have been the largest coup of all for Doug Wilson and Co., and may pay even larger dividends once the post-season begins next week.Forget Theodore and Kovalev for a moment. Is there a player more deserving of the comeback player of the year than J.R.? Most observers felt Roenick had played his final NHL game prior to his signing with the Sharks. Not only has he accepted his third and fourth line assignments without a peep, but he is proving to be pretty clutch.In case you missed it, J.R.'s ten game-winning goals had him tied for the league lead with some guy in Washington you may have heard of. Well, until that other guy scored his 11th last night.Roenick h...
More About: Ending , Tale

Ottawa Senators choke job would go down in history
2008-04-04 14:55:00
See, all it took was two and a half hours of slapping around the incompetent Toronto Maple Leafs to, perhaps, salvage a year.Ottawa isn't Nottawa after all. It shall remain a place that steals your money, can't support a football team and still looks to be  home to a playoff-bound hockey squad.A much-needed win in Toronto last night called off the vultures, historians and possibly even a priest for the Ottawa Senators but life can't be all that comfortable these days. Not with that collar tightening.Now, far be it for me to call these past few months a choke job, but let's just say the Heimlich maneuver may be a required part of the rigorous two a days when training camp opens this coming fall.Surely this isn't something that will be embraced in Bytown, but if the Sens inexplicitly miss the playoffs, this one may go down as the biggest choke job - ever - in pro sports. Period.Hyperbole, you think? Well, ask Jean Van de Velde, Bill Buckner or Greg Norman if these littl...
More About: History , Choke

NHL top prospects for entry draft
2008-04-03 22:33:00
For those NHL teams with no hope of seeing playoff hockey this spring, attention now turns to the which player they will call on the stage this summer as their selection at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft .Of course, depending on how the balls fall in the draft lottery, no one can really foresee how it is all going to play out on draft day. If a team is looking for a shut-down defenseman, odds are a playmaking center won't even be on the radar.With that in mind, it is time to see whose stock is on the rise and what prospects have taken a nosedive with our late-season preview of the top available players for this summer's draft:1. STEVEN STAMKOS, C, Sarnia Sting, OHLProbably the no-brainer pick of 2008, Stamkos has franchise forward written all over him. The native of Unionville, Ont. has evolved into a fast, smart player who is the complete package. Unless the team that wins the NHL lottery is looking to make a splash on the blueline, Stamkos' name will be the first called at the draft.2...