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Goaltenders and Shattuck-St. Mary's products mark Day Two of the 2009 Entry draft for the Minnesota Wild

By Derek Felska | June 27, 2009 | The State of Hockey News

Day 2 started off with a blockbuster trade, at least in terms of acquiring player's rights as Jay Bouwmeester's rights go to the Calgary Flames and in return the rights to former University of Minnesota star Jordan Leopold and a 3rd round pick. With a team in the Northwest Division already making a big splash will the Wild follow up with one of their own? Especially since their elephant in the room (cough) Marian Gaborik's rights still held by the team. The second day of the draft does not nearly have the same level of glitz and glamor as those made last evening during the first round. Teams do not even bother to go up to the podium to make their picks but instead simply make the pick from a microphone posted at their draft table. It might sound lazy but in most cases the players are not in attendance...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, NHL, NHL Outsider, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues

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

Say It Ain't So: Why Professional Sports Are Manipulated

By Celticsfanatic | May 28, 2009 | Celtics 17

NBA (first round) mock Draft!After a 61-foul (including two technicals and a flagrant) NBA Playoff game (3) between the Cavaliers and Magic, I felt I had to bring up a somewhat touchy point -- the possibility of altered outcomes in professional sports.The definition of physical in sports these days is not what it used it be... to say the least. Referees, umpires, you name it, they are all eager to blow the whistle or issue a warning whether the intention was there or not. The amount of fouls in today's NBA is nothing short of horrendous (as shown in the example above), as well as the amount of fouls, ejections, etc. It all depends on the sport being played.After the conviction of NBA referee Tim Donaghy (found guilty of gambling on NBA games), there has been a lot of suspicion throughout the Association. After an altercation between NBA referee Joey...

Read more | 14 Comments | Tags: A.J. Pierzinski, Bennett Salvatore, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Boxing, Bud Selig, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Cavaliers, David Stern, Detroit Pistons, Doug Eddings, George Mitchell, Golf, Houston Astros, IRL, Kelvim Escobar, Los Angeles Lakers, Mitchell Investigation, Mitchell Report, MLB, MMA, NASCAR, NBA, NBA Playoffs, NCAA, NFL, NHL, Orlando Magic, Paul Pierce, Sacramento Kings, Soccer, Tim Donaghy

Top 5 First Round Moments of the 2009 Playoffs

By Grant Beery | April 24, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Round one had some pretty interesting stories. Here are five of my favorite.1. The Ducks/Sharks SeriesThe Sharks have history to blame for their ineffective performance in the playoffs. They've been dubbed choke artists due to their inability to make it out of the first round. This season, with the President's Trophy in hand, that all looked to change. The Ducks had different plans, however. Currently leading the series 3-1, Anaheim hasn't given the best team of the regular season any room to shine or enjoy that home ice advantage. The Sharks have been outscored 12-6 in the series and have been shutout twice. Now they have to win three straight or forever be called the choke artists of the NHL Playoffs.2. .2 seconds!How do you piss off the usually calm, cool, and collected Martin Brodeur? The Carolina Hurricanes did just that in game 3, breaking a tie with just .2...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, NHL, NHL Playoffs, San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals

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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Top 10 NHL Coaches of 2008-2009

By Grant Beery | April 3, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

NHL Stock Market - All is Well on the Island

By Grant Beery | March 30, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Rising New York IslandersThe Islanders had a pretty good weekend. While they only came away with one win, it was one of the better upsets of the season when they shut out the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Joey McDonald got his first NHL shutout against his former team, stopping 42 shots throughout the game. Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey had the only goals of the night, the former a shorthanded tally."It's an unbelievable feeling to get my first shutout in the NHL against my former team. It's a perfect night." - Joey McDonaldWhile Saturday's shootout loss wasn't as exciting as the night before, the Islanders looked just as determined. The Flyers were held scoreless through two periods, and ended up winning off of Mike Richards' deciding goal in the shootout. There were 4 fights throughout the game, and the Islanders outhit the Flyers 32-35. Even when they're deep in...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes

Brodeur Finally Surpasses Roy's Win Mark

By Alan Smodic | March 18, 2009 | MVN Outsider

But does it make him the best goalie of all-time?A debate that many hockey lovers have fought over throughout the years is who is the greatest goaltender to play the game. Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy? Of course, other names are often thrown in as well, but those two typically start the discussion.And what better time to bring it back to the forefront than a day after Brodeur surpassed Roy as the "winningest" goalie in NHL history.Of course, if you take a look at the sign to the right, times have been different for Brodeur since the NHL lockout. Ties no longer exist and wins can be earned in a shootout -- a scenario that Roy never had the luxury of playing.However, if broken down by the numbers, how Jordan Samery does here... Brodeur easily stacks up against Roy regardless. If you factor in the 26 extra wins Brodeur would...Read more

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NHL Rumor Mill - A New King is Crowned

By Grant Beery | March 17, 2009 | MVN Outsider

After the deadline, this column really becomes one of the hardest to write. How does Eklund keep it up all year?552Martin Brodeur is finally the winningest goalie in the NHL after beating "St. Patrick's" record on, of all days, St. Patricks Day. After cutting the netting of the goal, Brodeur took a victory lap amid a huge standing ovation at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. It took Patrick Roy 1029 games to beat the record, and it has taken Brodeur just 987 to do the same. Had it not been for the 50 games he missed earlier this season, that pace would have been even more impressive. Patrick Roy was asked about Brodeur during the record tying game in Montreal: "He's a machine. The scary part of it is that I'm sure he has three or four of five good years in front of him. I think he has...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, NHL

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

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