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Canadiens Lead Northeast in Total Free Agents

By DJ Abisalih | June 30, 2009 | The Bear Cave

On Wednesday afternoon, the NHL Free Agent Market will open up, allowing teams to negotiate deals with potential future players. While most fans around New England are keeping a close eye on Phil Kessel, the Boston Bruins are in relatively good shape as the final hours tick away. On the other hand, the Montreal Canadiens have some serious work to do, as 28 players will become free agents on Wednesday. With 25 free agents, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the second highest total in the Northeast Division, followed by the Buffalo Sabres' 20, Boston's 17, and the Ottawa Senators' low total of 12. The Bruins will be looking for a second consecutive division title in 2009-10, so let's see how their competition stacks up in the free agent market.While each of the above numbers does include players in the NHL, AHL, and Europe, the Montreal Canadiens will certainly be put...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Bruins, Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, NHL, NHL Free Agency, Northeast Division, Ottawa Senators, Sabres, Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs

Random Draft Thoughts...

By Dana Taylor | June 28, 2009 | Toronto Sports Exchange

Some Random Draft Thoughts... With both the NHL and NBA entry drafts going down this weekend, I thought I would throw my two cents out there and evaluate how the Leafs and Raptors fared with their first round pick: The Raptor's drafted DeMar DeRozan, an athletic wingman who has shown he can play defence, and who's offensive game has a lot of upside. He will be allowed to develop over his rookie year, expected mostly to contribute energy and quality minutes in a supporting role. Verdict: The Raptors needed an athletic winger, (read: someone who can make their own shot) so they went out and drafted one. The USC product will have his ups and downs next season I'm sure, but there is a lot of potential here, and he fills one of the teams more pressing needs. The Maple Leafs drafted Nazem Kadri after failing to move up...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Brian Burke, Brian Colangelo, DeMar DeRozen, John Tavares, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Ellis, Toronto, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors

2009 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

By Colin Jeffrey | June 27, 2009 | Colin Jeffrey's 301

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

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

Tavares To T.O. - Are The Planets Aligning? {The Hockey Writers}

By The Hockey Spy | May 11, 2009 | The Hockey Spy

Check out my latest article at The Hockey Writers. http://thehockeywriters.com/taveres-to-to-are-the-planets-aligning/ It has been referenced by Puck Daddy (of Yahoo Sports) on his Puck Headlines: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Headlines-NY-rep-picks-hockey-over-vote-R?urn=nhl,162196It was also linked at JoeBoltsFan.comhttp://www.joeboltsfan.com/?p=1389Finally, it got linked over at Pension Plan Puppets (A Leafs blog) in Matt Black's "From The Branches column.http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2009/5/9/870234/paul-maurice-coaching-geniusFor more of my "Leaf Revolution" articles, check out:http://thehockeywriters.com/author/cralph/Let's close out with another great Tavares video clip:...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Brian Burke, John Tavares, Luke Schenn, New York Islanders, NHL, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs

Where Would You Start Over?

By The OFB Team | May 8, 2009 | On Frozen Blog

Where would you most like to see an NHL team move to?

Read more | 17 Comments | Tags: Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, NHL, NHL Playoffs, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals

"Price" And Time Right For Burke To Trade For Canadiens' Carey Price

By The Hockey Spy | April 24, 2009 | The Hockey Spy

Check out my latest article at The Hockey Writers (THW) in my Leafs Revolution column.http://thehockeywriters.com/price-and-time-right-for-burke-to-trade-for-canadiens-carey-priceThe timing could not be better for the Leafs to go after an elite young franchise goalie. How quickly the mighty have fallen. After last season's tremendous rookie year and being named THN's Top Prospect in last year's prospect edition, Price has had an inconsistent year this season, to put it mildly....

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Bob Gainey, Brian Burke, Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, trade speculation

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 - The Habs on the Block?

By Grant Beery | March 25, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Canadiens for Sale?It's been an interesting 100th year for the Habs. They've hosted a successful All-Star Game, paraded jerseys from the team's entire past (no matter how unfortunate looking they are now), fired their coach, and are now in danger of missing the playoffs. How else could the team possibly make the paper again? How about the classifieds?"For Sale - 100 year old vintage hockey team. Needs new coach, otherwise runs great. Collector's item!"That's right, owner George Gillett is considering selling the Canadiens amid talks with financial advisers about the many assets his company owns. Forbes' annual ranking of sports teams put the Canadiens as the third most valuable in the league, saying the franchise is worth right around $334 million. Of course, Jim Balsille, CEO of Research In Motion and the notorious courter of the Penguins and Predators, is among the names reported to be interested. Others include Celine...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals

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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The NHL Trade Deadline Edition of the Power Poll

By Bryan Thiel | February 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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