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Top 10 NHL 2009 Entry Draft Scouting Performances

By The Hockey Spy | July 8, 2009 | The Hockey Spy

Christopher Ralph is a hockey writer with a focus on prospects and the entry draft, as well as the Leafs' correspondent at THW. Well over a week has passed since hockey's version of Christmas (that is, NHL entry draft) has come and gone followed by hockey's version of a Boxing Day sale (that is, Free Agent Frenzy, aka Canada Day!) which commenced last week. As I gradually recover from withdrawal of these major events, I thought I'd take a look back to see which NHL franchise's scouting teams' performances seemingly stood out from the rest. Here's my latest article hosted at The Hockey Writers (THW): http://thehockeywriters.com/top-10-nhl-2009-entry-draft-scouting-performances/ Feel free to comment below or email me at hockeyspy@gmail.com You can also follow me at Twitter: http://twitter.com/hockeyspy...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Colorado Avalanche, John Tavares, Matt DUchene, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, NHL, NHL 2009 entry draft, NHL draft, NHL entry draft, Toronto Maple Leafs, Victor Hedman

44 NHL Mocks Munched: Final NHL Database Consensus

By PennSkinsFan | June 26, 2009 | DC Pro Sports Report

We have completed the final update to the 2009 NHL Mock Draft Database. The Database is wayyyyy bigger than it was in 2008. We now have listed a whopping 72 NHL mock drafts, including 44 updated since June 19, 2009. 59 of the NHL mocks updated in the month of June. We than each and every mock draft site and writer for their contributions to the NHL draft coverage. We were extremely pleased to list their links and spread the word of the NHL Draft, which commences tonight at 7PM on TSN/Versus. The Database traffic has been phenomenal this year and we are looking forward to an even better 2010 NHL Mock Database. And yes, that will get started as soon as the first 2010...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Thrashers, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, NHL, NHL Draft, NHL Mock Draft Database, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals

A Little Tweet For Big-Hearted Hockey

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki) | June 5, 2009 | On Frozen Blog

During the fierce battle for the Cup, this cause is bringing together fans from Detroit and Pittsburgh (and nearly every other team), and I want to make sure lots of Caps fans join in on the fun. It's simple - follow @specialhockey and encourage others to do so too. Whichever team lifts the Stanley Cup, lots of kids will win!

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnestoa Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, NHL, NHL Playoffs, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals

NHL Rumor Mill - The GM Shuffle

By Grant Beery | April 28, 2009 | MVN Outsider

There are always going to be those 14 teams that don't make it into the postseason. What can you expect from at least a few of these teams? Roster changes, staff changes, and just a general mess of rumors and speculation during the summer. The two big stories are the general manager firings in Minnesota and Colorado. Not surprisingly, the Avalanche are trying to put the brakes on a pretty brisk skid to obscurity after finishing 29th this season. Pierre Lacroix, President and former GM of the club, has fired Francois Giguere and retaken the helm until a replacement is found. The Wild showed Doug Risebrough the door soon after the conclusion of the regular season, and whoever his replacement is will have the hefty task of replacing the team's only coach. Jacques Lemaire resigned after the team finished just out of reach of that last playoff spot in the...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, NHL

A Week of NHL Playoffs Has Taught Us...

By Alan Smodic | April 22, 2009 | MVN Outsider

A week into the NHL Playoffs and only one series has been decided as of today -- a sweep of the St. Louis Blues by the Vancouver Canucks. I didn't think the Canucks would sweep, but I did believe they'd win.With their series win in mind from last night, we'll begin there.Vancouver wins 4-0 against St. Louis - Hockey fans knew at the beginning of this series that Roberto Luongo was good. The sweep just cements that fact. Luongo is a beast between the pipes and it's not out of the question to think that he could carry the Canucks to another series win. It's too early to tell what team Vancouver would play in the second round, but don't be surprised if it's able to advance.Detroit up 3-0 against Columbus - This series is over. If it doesn't end in a sweep Thursday night, I'll be surprised. I picked...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: NHL, NHL Playoffs

Quest for the Cup, Who's Your Pick?

By Alan Smodic | April 14, 2009 | MVN Outsider

In keeping tradition with the bracketology craze of college basketball, Faceoff-Factor and The Pensblog joined forces with an idea to create "Rinkotology" in an effort to raise money for the Mario Lemieux Foundation.As the name suggests, it works just the same as your NCAA March Madness pool... simply go to Rinkotology and fill out a bracket. But please donate at least $5 -- the foundation is a very worthy cause.With the introduction out of the way, let me break down my Rinkotology picks and see where I think this NHL Playoff season may be headed. Keep in mind that I've never once won a pool like this and my picks will probably not even happen. And as a Pens fan, I hope they don't happen, because I'd like to see them win it all. But I digress...Western Conference:The West is always Detroit's to lose. Just because San Jose finished the...Read more

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NHL Rumor Mill - Colbert in Colorado?

By Grant Beery | April 1, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Seemingly resigned to the fact that their 29th place record won't get them the top draft pick this June, the Colorado Avalanche have tried something a little different with deciding on their first round choice. Last week, the Avs set up a fan balloting site where normal people could vote on who the team should pick up first in Montreal. The program was a huge success."We're very pleased with the response we've seen. As of last count, we had almost 1 million votes on our first round draft choice. I haven't seen the final results, but our fans are smart and I am confident they've helped us in picking a solid prospect." - Avalanche General Manager Francois GiguereWhat Giguere didn't know at the time, but is now all too apparent, is that it wasn't a majority of Avalanche fans who voted. Late night political satirist and comedian Stephen Colbert caught...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Colorado Avalanche, NHL, Stephen Colbert

Top 10 Nice Guys of the NHL

By Grant Beery | March 14, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Last week, I brought you the black sheep of the NHL. This week, to give both sides a fair shake, I'm going to show you the nicest fellas ever to play the game.10. Alexander OvechkinOvechkin is probably the one player that enjoys playing the most. With every goal he scores he shows sheer excitement in his celebration. At the most recent All-Star Game, Ovechkin took the opportunity to have fun and put on a show for the crowd. While some have criticized Alex's casual attitude as showboating, it's really just a player enjoying his time in the NHL.9. Mark MessierPlaying 25 years in the NHL and the last active WHA player, Messier exemplified an older style of hockey. One of the most accomplished players in the league as well, Messier won 6 Stanley Cups and is the only professional athlete to be the captain of two different championship teams.Off the...Read more

Read more | 6 Comments | Tags: NHL

NHL Rumor Mill - What Exactly is a Staged Fight?

By Grant Beery | March 10, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Right now the 30 general managers of the NHL are meeting in Naples, FL to discuss a multitude of topics, but fighting will be at the forefront. The GMs would like to get rid of staged fights during games, which are predetermined bouts between two players that aren't in retaliation for anything; they just fight because that's what they're paid to do.At least that's what I think it is. I asked some fellow hockey fans on Twitter to give me their take on what they think a staged fight is."A boxing match""Wrestling"Okay, so apparently the people I follow on Twitter are just a bunch of smart asses. Moving on...Number CrunchersHere's some data the league put together on fighting in the NHL:21.6% - Number of fights this season have happened immediately following a faceoff, which is a 30 percent increase since 2000.23.6% - Number of fights started in defense of...Read more

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Deadline Passes Without Blockbuster Deal

By Alan Smodic | March 4, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The 2009 NHL trade deadline passed about three hours ago. The top story this year? ... well, take your pick. It pretty much depends on what team you follow.This time last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins made the splash of the day, acquiring Marian Hossa from the Thrashers for a slew of players. A "sexy" deal, as one radio personality put it. An equivalent to that one was not pulled today.But that doesn't mean that some playoff-bound, or playoff-dreaming teams didn't improve their rosters. Some notables today:The Calgary Flames made arguably the biggest move, adding F Olli Jokinen and D Jordan Leopold. The Pittsburgh Penguins were back at it again. GM Ray Shero already added Chris Kunitz in the Ryan Whitney trade last week. Today, amid some other small moves, he added veteran winger Bill Guerin in exchange for a conditional draft pick.Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins added some veteran presence...Read more

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