MVN: Most Valuable Network

On the eve of 'Free Agency Frenzy' the Wild tender qualifying offers to six of its restricted free agents

By Derek Felska | June 30, 2009 | The State of Hockey News

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...

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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

The Day the Gr8 Arrived in D.C.

By pucksandbooks | June 26, 2009 | On Frozen Blog

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Ovechkin Smokes Malkin for Hart Trophy

By DJ Abisalih | June 20, 2009 | The Bear Cave

Every spring, one of the most anticipated trophies given out at the NHL Awards Show is the Hart Trophy. While the Stanley Cup is easily the most coveted trophy in the league, the Hart Trophy is the most coveted individual trophy, as it designates who the best player was during a given season.The anticipation was felt on Thursday, as Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Pavel Datsyuk waited to see who would receive the honor. Prior to the show, I gave my predictions on who I thought would win each award. With the Hart Trophy, I joined most of the continent by thinking that the race would be a tight one between Ovechkin and Malkin. I did pick Ovechkin correctly, but the margin of victory was far from close. A grand total of 133 first-place votes were handed out for the league's MVP trophy. Ovechkin took home 115 of those, easily...

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Ruslan Fedetenko Lifts the Stanley Cup Once Again

By jdelator | June 14, 2009 | JC De La Torre's Tampa Bay Sports Blog

We here at the TBSB would like to congratulate former Lightning player Ruslan Fedetenko and the Pittsburgh Penguins on winning the Stanley Cup. Gutty Pittsburgh won game seven on the road against the defending champion Detroit Red Wings. In doing so, they became the first team in NHL history to come back twice from 2 games to 0 deficits to win series in the same playoff run. They're also the first team in professional sports in two decades to win a championship in a Game 7 on the road. Finally, the city of Pittsburgh is the first in fifty years to win the both the NFL championship and NHL championship in the same calendar year. Ruslan was the Lightning's Max Talbott in 2004, when he scored the Lightning's only two goals in Game 7 of the Final against the Calgary Flames. Amazingly, memories of that series came rushing back...

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Welcome to the First Day of the Offseason

By The OFB Team | June 13, 2009 | On Frozen Blog

Welcome to the First Day of the Offseason

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What Makes a Series

By Grant Beery | June 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The youth of the Chicago Blackhawks was their downfall against a much more experienced team in the Detroit Red Wings. But that was last round. In the Stanley Cup Final, Detroit doesn't look like it will be able to endure a long series with the (much) younger Penguins. Their experience is turning into age, and that age is starting to cause some problems.Games 1 and 2 were both won by Detroit by a score of 3-1. The two goals that Osgood let in are not only indicitive of the solid play of netminder, but also the smart play of the defense in front of him. Zetterberg was especially effective, keeping Crosby scoreless for both games.Games 3 and 4 were completely different stories. The venue changed, and so did the dominance. Now, some of you will say that the home crowd helped out by giving their team an extra boost. What...Read more

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Who Gets the Last Laughs in Game Sevens?

By Alan Smodic | May 13, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Seven games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals is just what the NHL ordered. Seven games in two of the other three series was an added bonus.It's no coincidence that the Stanley Cup is often referred to as the hardest championship in sports to win. The way the playoffs have played out this season proves all those theories true -- competitive balance in the NHL is very much alive.In the Eastern Conference, both the Caps/Pens and the Boston Bruins/Carolina Hurricanes will be featured in game sevens, including the the Caps/Pens finale tonight.Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have both held up on their end of the deal to shine the sport for everyone to see. The games broadcast on FSN Pittsburgh have broken records for most-watched NHL game on the station each of the last two nights. I'd bet the house that game seven tonight again breaks the record.In...Read more

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Showcase Series Highlights NHL's Round 2

By Alan Smodic | April 29, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

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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

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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 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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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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NHL Stock Market - Hot and Cold Goalies

By Grant Beery | March 9, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The goalies that will shine during the playoffs are starting to reveal themselves during the final full month of the regular season.  The Penguins came up big winners at the trade deadline, but teams like Detroit and Boston are showing some late season rust... RisingRoberto Luongo - Let's take a look at Luongo's recent win-loss numbers.  He and the Canucks are on a four game win streak.  He's won 12 of his last 13 starts.  That's a red hot goaltender.  Currently, the captain of the Canucks is leading his team higher and higher in the standings, putting some distance between other teams like Columbus and Edmonton to gain some breathing room. After an 8 week break thanks to a groin injury earlier this season, Luongo came back shaky losing every game in January. Luongo has rebounded, however, posting a .911 save percentage in February. He's doing a great job showing...Read more

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