Bleu, Blanc et Rouge-A Fanatic's Source for HockeyBleu, Blanc et Rouge-A Fanatic's Source for HockeyWhere Fanatics Read Hockey...and Hockey Meets Fanatics... Articles
Big Scoop Needed to Clean-Up Blueshirts' Bullshit After Blueland Blowout
2007-10-19 05:41:00 ATLANTA—Bottom-feeding Atlanta was the latest team to “kick the crap” out of the Rangers … and boy did it stink!Bolstered by boisterous Blueland* boosters, the Thrashers thoroughly throttled the Rangers throughout tonight’s tilt. The game’s final score of 5-3 was no indication of how one-sided it was for 50 minutes.Although one could say that Rangers goaltender, Henrik Lundquist, was good enough to keep the Rangers in the game early, it is a moot point because the Rangers didn’t bother to show up for the game at all.Before the Rangers finally exerted themselves midway through the third period, Atlanta had already built an insurmountable 4-0 lead on goals by Pascal Dupruis, Slava Koslov, Todd White and Bryan Little. Marian Hossa later added the fifth Thrasher goal.Third period goals by Dan Girardi, Brendan Shanahan** and Scott Gomez would have given the Rangers a respectable result, if they hadn’t just lost to an Atlanta team who came into the game with a record of 0-... More About: Clean , Bullshit , Scoop
R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons
2007-10-18 04:03:00 NEW YORK—Brendan Shanahan’s goal scoring ability has died after more than 19 highly successful seasons in the NHL.The attending statistician, Nomar Goles, pronounced Shanahan’s scoring “dead” after a final but futile effort to resuscitate it during the waning moments of the Rangers 3-1 defeat to Ottawa last Saturday.“Mr. Shanahan’s goal scoring ability had been in a steady state of decline for nearly a year now,” said Goles.In his final 38 regular season games of 2006-2007, Shanahan scored only 7 goals on 154 shots—a shooting percentage of 4.5%. In this season’s first 5 games, Shanahan has scored 0 goals on 32 shots, including a goalless 13 shot performance against Ottawa on his “goal scoring deathbed” last Saturday.“At the end, his vital statistics showed no signs of life,” said Goles.Goles was also quick to point out that Shanahan’s concussion from last year was not a contributing factor to his scoring demise. According to Goles, in the 29 games prece... More About: Seasons , Hana , Old Age
League Inconsistant with Flagrant Penalties
2007-10-16 16:15:00 Lost in all the noise of the Avalanche bouncing back from a horrible loss to the Blues by beating Columbus 5-1, of Joe Sakic bagging a hat trick, of Peter Budaj and Pascal Leclaire putting on clinics at both ends of the ice, of Rick Nash displaying the skills of the rapidly disappearing power forward genre, was ANOTHER flagrant use of the stick. In the waning moments of the third period, with Colorado in control, the role-players and depth guys for the Avs were seeing increased ice-time, including some unlikely PP time for some. Columbus blueliner Duvie Westcott was dry-humping Avs forward Wyatt Smith to the left of Leclaire well behind the play when Scott "Captain Caveman" Parker skated over to do some policing as the refs were apparently enjoying the snuff film on ice. Before Parker has time to utter any catchy one-liners he gets cross-checked in the face by Westcott. Parker was bloodied by the cheap shot, but didn't go down. He then proceeded to have an Incredible Hulk-like rage... More About: League , Pena
Spacek Emerging from Numminen's Shadow
2007-10-15 20:05:00 Jaro Spacek has started hot. He has three goals to start the season and has looked every bit the player the Sabres thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent last year. The question is, why now?I believe it is the simple fact that he is finally being allowed to play the role he was brought to Buffalo to fill. Lindy Ruff is a great coach, but even great coaches have their unique ways of doing things. One of Lindy's trademarks is leaning on his veterans and being generally uncomfortable with newcomers. Last year when Spacek struggled a bit early it seemed that Ruff quickly turned the page and went to his security blanket that was Teppo. Furthermore, the power play last year was dominated by shooters and the puck movement wasn't always crisp. Spacek, who is more of a shooter than a distributor seemed out of synch from the start. Unable to fill the role of PP QB he was a forgotten man on the unit by mid-season.It is no coincidence that the powerplay is far better w... More About: Shadow
Combustible Chemistry Causes Rangers to Self-In-Sen-erate in 52 Seconds
2007-10-15 00:47:00 NEW YORK — In one of the oddest reported occurrences of spontaneous human combustion, 19* men simultaneously blew up in front of over 18,000 horrified witnesses.Although the entire explosive event took less than a minute, one scientist, who happened to be on hand, had a handle on how it happened.“Whenever you combine very potent and efficient Canadian firepower with MSG ice, sloppy defensive play and too many new player combinations, there is always a small chance of having this kind of freakish result,” said Korean chemical engineer, Yu B. Sik.Fortunately, since the fireworks finished so fast, the fire department never had to be called. Although Ranger head coach, Tom Renney, was unavailable for comment, Brendan Shanahan took “a shot” at giving the players’ explanation for the Manhattan Meltdown. Unfortunately, like all of his other shots this year, Shanahan was off target with his comments—missing the microphone by a good two feet.Amazingly, despite the horrific happ... More About: Rangers , Chemistry , Chemist , Chem , Comb
Goaltending woes around the NHL two weeks into the 2007-2008 season...
2007-10-14 17:48:00 Often, even if your team has ammassed the cream of the crop of superstars on their roster, it may not be enough to win in a new and tough NHL era.It might be really early, and I know you cannot blame a goalie for how he performs on most nights, but let's take a look at how some goalies are faring around the league almost 2 weeks into the new campaign................................. ......The Atlanta Thrashers have learned this the hard way, only 5 games into the season their goaltending monster of Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg have combined for a total of 23 goals against and subsequently a zero in the wins column and 5 losses despite Ilya Kovalchuk putting up his usual spectacular goal-scoring fiesta night-in and night-out................................ .......In Toronto, the Maple Leafs and their fans have had to endure the shaky start of new acquisition Vesa Toskala in the blue and white.The prized pickup of Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. this offseason from down in Sunny San Jose... More About: Season , 2008 , Weeks
'Canes sweep Eastern Canada
2007-10-14 16:14:00 After an embarrassing loss to the Caps last Saturday, the Canes traveled to Toronto with a new optimism. After falling behind 1-0 early in the first the Canes came out firing and shamed the Leafs with a final score of 7-1 (Williams, Stillman, Cullen, Whitney, Walker, Hamilton, and Staal; that's right, seven different scorers) A sub-par game for the Leafs, but it was important for the Canes to get that type of offense rolling. This was the motivation they needed.Two nights later they took on the previously undefeated Senators. After both teams testing the water and basically just scrambling to get something going, Erik Cole opened up the scoring for the Canes. 6 minutes into the 3rd and the Canes go up 4-1. With less than 5 minutes left to go the Canes defense seemed to back off and slow down. This was answered with two quick goals by Mike Fisher and Joe Corvo of the Sens. When the Sens pulled Gerber to get the extra attacker on the ice, the Canes sealed their win when Eric Staal sc... More About: Canada , Eastern , Aster , Sweep
Boulerice in and Boulerice out...simple as that!
2007-10-13 04:57:00 First went Downie, then fell Boulerice...29-year old enforcer Jesse Boulerice has been suspended 25 games by the National Hockey League for his striking hit on Canucks forward Ryan Kesler's face last night in Vancouver.The suspension bodes nicely with prospect Steve Downie's out of training camp on Ottawa's Dean McCammond (he got 20 games).But as for Boulerice, he's in and out.Signed October 3rd as a free-agent to a 1-year contract, Boulerice was expected to assure a depth role on the Flyers checking lines this season.But one week and two days into his Flyers tenure, the Plattsburgh, New York native gets slapped with the longest single-season ban in NHL history.Longest NHL suspensions ever include:Chris Simon, NYI March 2007, 25 gamesJesse Boulerice, PHI October 2007, 25 gamesMarty McSorley, BOS Februaru 2000, 23 gamesGordie Dwyer, TAM September 2000, 23 gamesDale Hunter, WAS May 1992, 21 gamesSteve Downie, PHI September 2007, 20 gamesTodd Bertuzzi, VAN February 2004, 20 gamesTo... More About: Simple
Random Ranger Thoughts
2007-10-10 22:45:00 Some random Ranger thoughts while waiting for the first of 8 regular season installments of the Ranger-Islander rivalry:Relax, Ranger FansI understand that last season's second round playoff appearance combined with the free-agent signings of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez created high-expectations for the 2007-08 season. But, it seems some Ranger fans expected their team to roll through the schedule like the 1970's Soviet national team. There's no doubt the Rangers are a good team, but it's going to take a little time for Drury and Gomez to get acclimated to their new teammates. I fully expect this team to get better as the season goes along, and should play its best hockey at the most important time.Lundqvist off to Fast StartThe good news for the Rangers is that King Henrik seems to have picked up where he left off last year, and has kept his team in both games this season. His teammates took advantage with a four-goal rally in the season-opener against Florida, but they were un... More About: Random , Thoughts
BBeR's Standings and Leaders predictions for the 2007-2008 season
2007-10-09 01:34:00 Close, but no dice.Gritty prediction: The Habs will get their revenge in the final game of the season, with both teams inching for the final playoff spot, against the Leafs in Montreal and earn the 8th seed.Hey loyal readers and hockey fans!I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I can assure you the wait and the drought for hockey is now over, the season is about a week old and it's to no one's surprise that fans all around the nation are going crazy.Well, I went crazy a few days before the Ducks and Kings dropped the puck in the UK, crazy making up predictions for the coming season.Yes, I also know that the season's started and I'm a little late, but hey, who really cares except the people who insist over useless details?Feel free to speak your mind or bash me to your heart's content.New York RangersOttawa SenatorsCarolina Hurricanes Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh PenguinsPhiladelphia FlyersTampa Bay LightningMontreal CanadiensToronto Maple LeafsFlorida PanthersNew Jerse... More About: Season , Predictions , Leaders , Leader , Predict
Coyotes Howl-a-thon
2007-10-08 22:04:00 I've been missing in action this season but I've gotten the insane urge to uptalk my boys... maybe I'm hoping that if I get to it first then it won't sting so bad when everyone starts trashing us. :)First off, I must say that Coyotes fans are never satisfied (except myself, of course). The Phoenix Coyotes had zero creativity in the front office last year and the fans wasted no time in letting them know. Now that they are trying something new with the fuzzy French snowman (yes, I said fuzzy snowman) commercials, the new video and music selection at games and the billboards and posters splashed all around our fair city, all anyone can do is bitch."It's too loud." "The language isn't family friendly." "The strobes irritate me." "The commercials are stupid." Get over it, guys. You can either have an uptempo Linkin Park song in the opening video or you can have Britney Spears. I think I'm one of the minority that loves the new way of doing things. The songs get me pumped up and wh... More About: Howl
Colorado at the 1/27th point of the season
2007-10-08 19:37:00 Well, the Avalanche have played three games of the long 82-game season and a few things are noteworthy to this point. A couple of these items are blatantly obvious, others...not so much. I'll hit the highs and lows real quick, to give a snapshot of the Avs at the 3.66% point of the season.The first item up for your consideration is Paul Stastny. East Coasters (specifically those who voted for Malkin in last year's Calder race) may not have been aware of his built-for-the-new-NHL skill set, but after three games in the dreaded slump-inducing sophomore season, he leads the league in points after a hat trick on opening night, followed by a 5-point explosion against the Pacific juggernaut San Jose Sharks. The gap-toothed wonder has scored his gems in a variety of ways: in-stride entering the offensive zone, down-low on the PP, backdoor give-and-goes, etc. He's also dishing out the assists, especially on Sakic's first goal of the season. He's set a torrid pace for himself, but even ... More About: Colorado , Season , Point , Rado
A New Beginning
2007-10-06 01:52:00 And it has begun.The 41st season in Philadelphia Flyers history began last night with a clutch 3-2 victory over the Western Conference powerhouse Calgary Flames. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous going into the game. Our preseason ended with a sketchy 3-5 record, and there was still some chemistry issues that were being addressed in practice. Not to mention - we were facing Kipper and Iginla in our first game. Can you say "test?"Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic about the moves that Paul Holmgren made in the off-season, but having at least 9 new players in your roster can make for some lofty confusion on the ice. Fortunately for the Fly-guys, last night's game lacked the issues fans and media alike were half-anticipating.The game featured impressive performances from Danny Briere (first goal and game winning goal), Simon Gagne (2 assists), and Mike Knuble (1 PP goal, 1 assist). Aside from the first line point-getters, Mike Richards and the understated Braydon Coburn had e...
'Right Place at the Right Time:' Drury Leads Rangers to Opening Night Win
2007-10-05 19:47:00 That didn't take long, did it?When the Rangers signed Chris Drury this summer, Ranger fans, who were crushed by his game-tying (series ending) goal with 7.7 seconds left in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, anticipated that they would get to be on the long end of Drury's heroics in the clutch.Nearly midway through the third period of his first game as a Ranger, the anticipation on Broadway was replaced by an eruption of joy. Less than two minutes after Petr Prucha tied the score at 2-2, Rangers’ Captain Jaromir Jagr threw a blind backhand on net and Florida Panthers Goalie Tomas Vokoun left a juicy rebound in front of his net that ended up on Drury's stick. The 30-year old center wasted no time in roofing a shot just under the crossbar, giving the Rangers the lead for good in a 5-2 rout of the Panthers.Opening night at the World's Most Famous Arena got off to a dazzling start as former Ranger and future Hall of Famer, Brian Leetch returned to MSG to drop the ceremon... More About: Time , Leads , Night
Curtain Goes up on Broadway Tonight
2007-10-04 15:49:00 The last time the Rangers took the Garden ice in a meaningful game, their impressive playoff surge was officially ended by a superior Buffalo Sabres team in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Of course, the series really ended two days earlier, when Chris Drury picked up a loose puck in front of Henrik Lundqvist and deposited it in the net behind King Henrik to tie Game 5 with 7.7 seconds left in regulation. The Sabres went on to win that game in OT, before coming to Manhattan to finish the job.When the Florida Panthers visit the World's Most Famous Arena tonight to open the 2007-08 season, the feeling of despair and loss from Game 6 will be replaced by a level of excitement and anticipation the Garden Faithful have not had in more than a decade. And, the same man who stuck a dagger in the collective hearts of Ranger fans in the spring will be one of the main reasons for the renewed sense optimism on Broad way .When last season ended, it was clear the Rangers had a gapin... More About: Tonight , Toni , Goes
Sabres Season Preview
2007-10-04 14:34:00 It's time for a new season and here is a brief preview of the roster the Sabres will take into the new season and my predictions for the 2007-2008 season.Goaltenders:Sabres:Ryan MillerJocelyn ThibaultOn the Farm:Adam DennisNo matter how you feel about the Sabres off-season losses. The hope for this campaign all begins and ends right here, with Ryan Miller. This team is undoubtedly Miller's now. He is the leader and seems poised for greatness and I fully expect him to fulfill that promise. I am looking for a Vezina-winning possible MVP season out of Ryan.Thibault was shaky in the pre-season, but I am not overly concerned with that. I think he will prove to be a solid addition to the club and hold his own. Adam Dennis was hot and cold in Rochester. an unorthodox goalie he has some ability but i doubt he will amount to more than a solid backup at the NHL level. If the Sabres run into injuries they will have to pursue the trade route to fill the hole. Defense:Henrik TallinderToni Lyd... More About: Preview , Season
2007-2008 NHL Predictions
2007-10-03 01:03:00 I'm back for my first full season on the BBeR, hoping to give some solid insight around the league.I'll start simple, by posting my predictions for the upcoming season.I decided last year, that it's not worth going through the trouble of discussing why I predict what I do, because in actuality there is no real science to doing this. No one will completely agree with everything anyone says. I'll just put a quick comment next to each team.EAST:1- Ottawa Senators -- best team in a weaker division.2- Florida Panthers -- last year's team looked like they're getting it together3- New York Rangers -- spending money shouldn't hurt them this time around. Sather does it his way.4- Pittsburgh Penguins -- not worse, but an ultra-competitive division may leave them stagnant in the standings.5- Carolina Hurricanes -- got hit with injuries hard last season, and a healthy team should bounce back.6- Philadelphia Flyers -- looked a lot better towards the end of the season, but they will take s... More About: Predictions , Predict , 2008
I feel like talking about my boys...
2007-10-02 04:11:00 Congrats to Jared Boll and Kris Russell who have made it into the big show. According to Aaron Portzline they will be in the line-up Friday night for opening night. I am excited beyond belief for these guys. While, I haven't been able to make it up for any of the camps or watch any of the pre-season games I have heard nothing but amazing things about them. While neither of them is a top line center (Russell is defense and Boll is a winger) I feel their contributions will be just what we need. Portzline also has the opening night line ups...well what he thinks they're going to be. And here we have it:F1 = Nash, Fedorov, VybornyF2 = Chimera, Novotny, ZherdevF3 = Modin, Peca, BruleF4 = Fritsche, Malhotra, BollAll of this is assuming Peca is better along with Modin. Feds is back between Nash and Vybs which is our best bet...considering the Zherdev experiment failed."That experiment failed. I didn't feel comfortable playing center, and, at times, didn't know what to do with the puck... More About: Talking , My Boys , Boys , Feel
Avalanche Blogger Roundtable
2007-10-01 21:00:00 A varitable gaggle of Colorado Avalanche bloggers have gotten mildly organized this offseason in order to present you, the descerning hockey fans, all the unsanctioned Avalanche information you could possibly need leading up the the NHL 2007-2008 season. We've tabbed Joe at Mile High Hockey and DearLordStanley as the central hub for this little shindig, so please take a minute to peruse the question list and then click away to read all of our scribbles as we gear up for hockey season. BTW, this is BY FAR the longest Q/A of the group of questions. Be patient. We like to hear ourselves type...Question #1. What scenario do you see playing out for the goaltending situation this season? Will Budaj be the man, will Theo rise to the occasion, or will a trade be made?Babe Oje - Budaj will be the starter and will be almost as good as he was at the end of last season, with streaks that are better. I see Jose being a solid backup, not making any big mistakes. This leaves open the possibility ... More About: Blogger
Habs finalize roster. Lapierre Halak and O'Byrne on the road to Hamilton
2007-10-01 16:47:00 Bob Gainey earlier today reduced his roster to the maximum 23 players. Several comments can be made about the cuts.Firstly, Lapierre is on his way to Hamilton after a very ordinary training camp. Carbonneau several days ago stated his disappointment in Lapierre's play, opening the door for a possible demotion to Hamilton. I have to admit I didn't expect Lapierre to be cut on the basis that he was part of a commercial about the Habs starring other than himself, Latendresse, Komisarek, and Higgins. Maybe this demotion will serve as a warning to everyone. No players are safe, and they will have to answer for there lack of effort and/or production.Next, Price will be Huet's backup. Gainey obviously out-weighed Carbonneau who had earlier in the pre-season that if Price were to stay in Montreal, it would be as the starter. Did Carbo change his mind or did Gainey make the decision on his own? For the good of the team, I hope they reached a consensus.Last but not least, O'Byrne was cut ... More About: Road , On The Road , Roster , Fina
Sabres Finish Pre-Season Strong
2007-10-01 15:18:00 The Sabres finished the NHL Pre-season proving two things. One, they can still score even without Briere and Drury and two, Derek Roy appears ready to step in and fill the #1 center shoes for this team.The Sabres opened the final week of the Pre-season by beating up the Maple Leafs 7-2 in Toronto. The Line of Drew Stafford, Roy and Thomas Vanek totally dominated the Leafs and Roy recorded 6 points. The Sabres followed that impressive victory with equally an equally impressive sweep of a home and home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In game one Roy continued his impressive play and led the Sabres to a 6-5 victory. In the final game the Sabres, led by Connolly and Roy, rallied to a 4-3 victory.News and Notes- Derek Roy led the NHL in Pre-season scoring and it appears that he will center a line with Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek to start the season.- with Teppo Numminen out at least 3 months with heart troubles I expect Mark Mancari to fill the role of 13th foward/ 7th defenseman... More About: Season , Strong , Finish , Nish
Harry Neale replaces Jim Lorentz on Sabres Telecasts
2007-10-01 15:13:00 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/st ory/LAC.20071001.NEALE01/TPStory/With the sudden retirement of color analyst Jim Loren tz the Sabres had a big hole to fill. Well, they filled it in a big way with legendary Hockey Night In Canada and Leafs TV color man Harry Neale joining the Sabres TV and Radio telecasts. The Sabres had been utilizing John Tucker, Matt Barnaby and Mike Robitaille as color men in the pre-season. Neale, who along with Bob Cole, was replaced as the #1 team on HNIC this season will remain with HNIC. It remains to be seen what the Sabres will do on Saturday Night telecasts though early speculation is that Tucker, Barnaby or Robitaille will fill in on those telecasts. The Sabres open their season on Friday Night against the New York Islanders. More About: Casts
What Do You Think?
2007-09-26 21:55:00 As you probably have heard or read, in the Flyers vs. Senators game last night, Flyers rookie right wing Steve Downie absolutely crushed Senators veteran left wing Dean McAmmond. Unfortunately, I had to miss the live broadcast because of class, but replays have been clogging highlight reels since. My reason for saying this is that I didn't get to see the context of the hit (which team was in possession of momentum at the time, etc.).I've gotta be honest, I think it was a pretty dirty, bad hit. I don't necessarily think it was blatant, because I believe Downie was merely trying to give his team a boost in a visiting setting - plus the fact that he apologized immediately afterwards. He's an agitator, and that's his game. I'm not a fan of agitators in general, but I understand their part in the game. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hard hit here and there - it shows energy and drive to win. It's just I'm not a fan of their style in general (hit first, score second). ...
Sabres Lose to Wild 2-1 in North Dakota
2007-09-25 07:10:00 The Sabres dropped a 2-1 decision in Grand Forks, ND, Monday, in a pre-season tilt with the Minnesota Wild . Phillipe Gogulla scored the Sabres only goal, set up by Marek Zagrapan. Jocelyn Thibault (above) started and played the whole way making 20 saves. He was the games third star.The game was a homecoming, of sorts, for Paul Gaustad, who grew up in the area and Drew Stafford who played at the University of North Dakota . According to Jim Lorentz Gaustad had 65 tickets for the game.On Sunday the Sabres and Blue Jackets finished off the back-to-back fight fest with the Sabres scoring a 3-2 shoot out victory. The game highlighted bouts in the first period between Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters and Jackets tough guys Tommy Sestito and Jody Shelley in seperate bouts. Al Kotalik and Jason Pominville scored the goals for Buffalo and Ryan Miller went the whole way in net.In the shootout Miller shut the Jackets down and Max Afinigenov and Kotalik both scored on their opportunities for Buffal... More About: North Dakota
Habs trim down roster to 26 players.
2007-09-24 17:53:00 Not many surprises with this wave of cuts, as the Habs get closer to the season opener in Carolina.the following nine players will have to clear waivers before reporting to Hamilton:GoalieYann DanisForwardsJonathan FerlandCorey LockeDuncan MilroyCory UrquhartDefensemenJean-Philippe CôtéJamie RiversMathieu BironAndrew ArcherExpect Montreal to lose Danis, and possibly Côté.18 players will report directly to Hamilton without having to pass through waivers. Notable players going back down to the farm team are Sergei Kostitsyn, and Matt D'Agostini, who was told to be on the doorstep of the NHL in a press conference held by coach Guy Carbonneau last week.Back to the Habs training camp. GM Bob Gainey has mentionned that Halak and Price will be competing for the back up spot on the Habs roster. The other will become Hamilton's starter. We can safely determine that a goalie will be cut leaving us 25 players. A NHL team roster is generally composed of 23 players. This leaves 2 players t... More About: Players , Roster , Layer , Trim
Sabres - Jackets Play Old Time Hockey
2007-09-24 01:50:00 The Sabres and Jackets opened the pre-season with a brawl filled contest in which it often looked like circa-70s hockey as opposed to the "new" NHL. Patrick Kaleta got things rolling with a run at Blue Jackets star Nikoli Zherdev which caused Manny Malhotra to come to Zherdev's aid. After that it was, as they say, game on. The final was 4-1 Blue Jackets with the Sabres only goal coming off the stick of Clarke Macarthur.News and Notes:Camp has been fairly quiet. Andrei Sekera has been the most visible youngster of note. There is not much to report in the way of competition or injuries.By all accounts Teppo Numminen's heart surgery was a success. The Sabres and Teppo both expect he will be back in 2-3 months. More About: Time , Hockey , Play
Cloutier on waivers, followed by many more...
2007-09-22 00:47:00 Los Angeles Kings goaltender and former Vancouver Canuck, Dan Cloutier has been placed on waivers as the team has been unhappy with the veteran goalie ever since they acquired him 2 years ago from the Canucks.Originally sought for the number one job in LA, the Kings swung a deal and sent a second rounder up north with hopes that the Quebecois native would solve their goaltendings woes that included losing Felix Potvin to the Boston Bruins, their "franchise goalie" Jamie Storr's career, the unorthodox Roman Cechmanek to Europe and even Cristobal Huet...whom they traded in order to acquire Mathieu Garon in 2004.The Kings goaltending future might have gotten a little brighter with the cutting of Cloutier.Jason LaBarbera is looking like gold and youngster Jonathan Bernier is being hailed as the second coming of Jamie Storr.LaBarbera, a former prospect for the New York Rangers, spent the entire 2006-2007 season with the Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League and posted elite ... More About: Tier
Canes Exhibition Game 1
2007-09-17 21:49:00 So far, so good.I won't do a play-by-play analysis of the game, but just mention a few that stood out to me.Noah Babin who will be playing in Albany for the Canes looked great out there. Tallying the first goal and handling the puck really well may just get him his ticket to come to Carolina should one of our defensemen go out of commission.Erik Cole seemed to return to pre-neck injury form. He was flying around that ice and throwing himself around all 22 minutes of his ice time. There was one scary moment for him when a hard hit on one of the Caps left the player laying on the ice for a minute and you could see Cole was afraid he had seriously injured the guy as he bent down to wait with him until someone could come help him off the ice. Erik was called for boarding on that play.The other highlight of the night was netminder Michael Leighton, who we acquired during the offseason. He relieved John Grahame halfway through the 2nd period and stopped 15 of the 16 shots he faced. (The ... More About: Game , Exhibition , Exhibit
Sabres Open Camp, Numminen Out
2007-09-14 18:17:00 The Sabres reported to training camp yesterday with the standard physicals and visits. Unfortunately it was revealed that Teppo Numminen will miss at least 4-6 weeks due to upcoming surgery to repair a faulty valve in his heart. Numminen says that the decision was made to move ahead with the surgery after a pre-camp visit to the Cleveland Clinic. Numminen has had to previous heart procedures done at the clinic. During interviews today Numminen stated he expected to have this surgery in 10-20 years but medical advancements made it better to have it right now. He also said he fully intends to return to the NHL and the Sabres.Accompanying this announcement is news that the Sabres have suspended Numminen for an undetermined amount of time due to reporting to camp unfit to play. Numminen has stated on WGR55.com that he is not bothered by the suspension. In the old CBA the suspension was mandatory. the Sabres offered no explanation as to why the suspension was imposed. In interviews afte... More About: Open , Camp
Candy for a baby...the day BBeR went gaga over tickets!
More articles from this author:2007-09-13 23:11:00 Alright, what you're about to read/see is only worth your time if you understand the fact that people here in Montreal feel great when they manage to net tickets for TEN Canadiens games for the upcoming season that fit into their budget; especially when these tickets sell out with 10 minutes.So, think of this post as a storybook with lots of pictures.(Some of my personal info as well as my ticket information has been blurred out -you have no idea how huge counterfeiting tickets are in this town-)Home from a long day, BBeR opens up his mailbox and pulls this envelope out."Wow, this is Xpressmail", said the baffled BBeR, who was only used to getting bills, bills and hatred mail from (mainly CHEAP) Leafs fans around the country.The bewildered Habanatic was being sarcastic, since he could tell pefectly well by the weight and odour what the envelope contained... He then proceeded to feverishly tear it open......revealing a small envelope emblazoned with the Bell Centre logo...All it too... More About: Baby , Tickets , Candy , The D , Went 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |



