There were several key free agent signings this week. First, another year, another backup in Vancouver, as the Canucks inked Andrew Raycroft. Raycroft went 12-16-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a .892 save percentage last season in Colorado. So what...
Read more | Discuss | Tags: NHL, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks
There were several key free agent signings this week. First, another year, another backup in Vancouver, as the Canucks inked Andrew Raycroft. Raycroft went 12-16-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a .892 save percentage last season in Colorado. So what...
Read more | Discuss | Tags: Alex Kovalev, Andrew Raycroft, Francois Beauchemin, NHL, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks
There were several key free agent signings this week. First, another year, another backup in Vancouver, as the Canucks inked Andrew Raycroft. Raycroft went 12-16-0 with a 3.14 GAA and a .892 save percentage last season in Colorado. So what...
Read more | Discuss | Tags: Alex Kovalev, Andrew Raycroft, Francois Beauchemin, NHL, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks
It was a nail biting day in Vancouver for Canucks fans. While many were ramping up for a day of celebration, -Canada Day to Canadians, many were anxious. In what has to go down as an 11th hour deal, General Manager Mike Gillis (former player agent) signed Daniel and Henrik Sedin to identical contracts. The Canucks have committed 61 Million to the twins over the next 5 years, which works out to 6.1 Million per player a season. The problem for the two sides was the length of the contract term; the Sedins and their agent, J.P. Barry were looking for a much longer term. The twins agent indicated they were looking for a twelve year deal, reportedly worth 126 Million combined. Though the Canucks were determined to ink the Sedins to extensions, they just weren't prepared to commit that much cap space to two players in a fluxuating market. ...
Read more | Discuss | Tags: Canucks, gateway to the garage, nhl, northwest division, sedins
I have little doubt in a week or two that new Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher could use a vacation. After a whirlwind negotiation towards the end of the 2008-09 season that brought him to the franchise as the team's new GM, his former gig, as an assistant general manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins were on their way to win a Stanley Cup. This has meant Fletcher has found himself sort of torn between his former team and his current one, all the while trying to take the time to get used to his new surroundings and evaluating the organization's strengths and weaknesses for himself. Complicating matters he had to try to find a coach for his new team and he did so in signing Crystal, Minnesota-native Todd Richards to be the Wild's new bench boss. Pittsburgh wins the cup and Fletcher has little time to prepare himself for...
Read more | Discuss | Tags: Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, NHL, NHL Outsider, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks
Howdy from Ottawa....draft night! No surprises through the top 3 picks. Can't believe Philly gave up Lupul, Sbisa, two 1st rounder's and a conditional 3rd to Anaheim for Pronger who has all but 1-yr left on his contract. The rumour now is Flyers F Daniel Briere is going to be moved (Montreal?) to make cap room for Pronger. The Ducks on the other hand save $1 mil. on the deal, get two roster players and two real high picks in a deep draft. Also with Scott Nidermayer returning, I can only assume the Ducks will save another $1 million plus as Scott...
Read more | Discuss | Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, NHL, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks
The NHL front office has gotten its wish. A playoff series between rivals, and the game's best players, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins will be taking place. It's not for the Eastern Conference championship, but it will still do.There are three other series that will be beginning this weekend, too, but you can imagine why the Caps/Pens will garner all the national attention. With the sport fighting for ratings, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will all be showcased at once.I'll take a look at each series, but I'll begin with the main event...(2) Washington Capitals vs (4) Pittsburgh Penguins:Saturday, May 2, 2009 Pittsburgh at Washington Monday, May 4, 2009 Pittsburgh at Washington Wednesday, May 6, 2009 Washington at Pittsburgh Friday, May 8, 2009 Washington at Pittsburgh *Saturday, May 9, 2009 Pittsburgh at Washington *Monday, May 11, 2009 Washington at Pittsburgh *Wednesday, May 13, 2009 Pittsburgh at...Read more
Read more | Discuss | Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, NHL, NHL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals
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
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
With most of the news about NHL coaches focusing on firings, people tend to overlook the guys who are actually doing well for their teams. Here's a list of the top ten head coaches of 2008-2009 and what they're doing for their teams. 10. Ken Hitchcock, Columbus Blue JacketsHitch is on pace to be the very first coach to lead the Blue Jackets in to the playoffs. With a Stanley Cup under his belt from Dallas, he's certainly got experience. After a losing season in 07-08, Hitchcock is doing much better this year with a 40-29-8 record so far. During the offseason, he signed a 3 year extension with Columbus and earned his 500th win as a coach in February. 9. Joel Quenneville, Chicago BlackhawksJoel Quenneville seems like a perfect fit in Chicago. He's taken a team that is the youngest in the league and has lead them through a...Read more
Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, NHL, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals
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
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
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
With the Trade Deadline just around the corner in the NHL season, you can imagine what this week's theme is.This week we took a look at who each team might be trading (which is for a majority of clubs because they either feature a tradeable player or are on the fringe of decided whether they're buying or selling) or in a few cases, what the team needs. We also tossed in a few speculations just for fun.30. New York Islanders--(-19 points, Last week: -20 points): The New York Islanders could've been making a few moves at the deadline, but after getting ravaged by the injury bug, it's hard to finger who might be moved.Both Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger had potential (being free agents this offseason) but a season-ending injury for Sillinger and a sprained MCL for Weight means the probability for a deal is low (for Sillinger there's nothing,...Read more
Coast To Coast Tickets
Buy Sports Tickets Football NFL Tickets Basketball NBA Tickets College Football Tickets NASCAR Tickets OnlineHottest canucks Posts
Division Rivals
LINKS
Members
Copyright 2004-9 Most Valuable Network, LLC.
Terms and Conditions of Use are applicable to you.
All rights reserved.
