MVN: Most Valuable Network

The Knee Jerks are back!

By Big Al Beaton | June 30, 2009 | The Wayne Fontes Experience

After a 5 week hiatus, The Knee Jerks made a somewhat triumphant return to Blog Talk radio Monday night. I'll let Eno give you the lowdown as to what we covered..."The Knee Jerks", my weekly Blog Talk Radio gabfest with Big Al from The Wayne Fontes Experience, made its return last night after a five-week hiatus due to Al recovering from major (and more painful that he thought) back surgery.Al's stamina was impressive. After initially indicating that he wanted to do a 35-40 minute show, he stayed with me until 12:15 -- a full 75 minutes after we started.You can hear us rehash the Red Wings' Stanley Cup run (including my experiences being at the Finals as a member of the media); listen to us talk about the team's future -- both on the ice and in terms of which building they'll play in; wring our hands over Magglio Ordonez;...

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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...

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Even a Sack Attack Can't Hold Him Back

By pucksandbooks | June 17, 2009 | On Frozen Blog

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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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'The Hangover' starring Crosby, Malkin, Stall, Fleury and Talbot?

By Colin Jeffrey | June 13, 2009 | Colin Jeffrey's 301

  Howdy from Ottawa. Congrats to all Pittsburgh fans and to myself for correctly predicting their advancement to the finals before the playoffs and cup series win/game 7 win predictions (please check my blogs for proof). Be right back, going to spray champaign in my face.   Hard-luck Hossa (ya tough life making it to the finals back-to-back years while earning over $7 mil.). Still he is a former Sen and it must have been hard to shake hands with the guys you fought, lost and left one year ago. The blog site 'silversevensens' had a great article on how...

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Pittsburgh Penguins are 2009 Stanley Cup Champions!

By DJ Abisalih | June 13, 2009 | The Bear Cave

Years from now, plenty of people will be able to tell you that the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins were loaded with young talent such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Although Fleury did play a major factor in leading his team to two vital victories in the final two tilts, it was another young star that made the difference on Friday. Maxime Talbot netted his seventh and eighth goals of the playoffs to give the Penguins a lead that they would not relinquish. After holding off Detroit's final barrage, Pittsburgh skated away with a 2-1 win and a Stanley Cup.There was certainly plenty of desire in this seventh and deciding game at Joe Louis Arena, but in the early stages of the opening stanza, the teams appeared more content in not making costly mistakes. The Red Wings had the edge in control during the first half of the period,...

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One Game Decides the Season

By DJ Abisalih | June 12, 2009 | The Bear Cave

Since the 2008-09 NHL season began in Europe on October 4th, a whopping 1,316 games have been played. So far, six teams have won division titles, two teams have won conference championships, one team finished with the most points during the regular season, and a few players have already guaranteed themselves at least one award. However, it will be the 1,317th game that will have spectators around the country glued to the television on Friday night, as the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins battle to decide who takes home the grand prize of Lord Stanley's Cup.With history being a valuable part of our past, we must look back before going forward. According to that history, the numbers are in favor of the Detroit Red Wings taking home their 12th Stanley Cup and fifth in 12 seasons. The major reason behind that is because home teams have typically done very...

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Not So Quietly Confident

By Andrew Tomlinson - OFB Intern | June 11, 2009 | On Frozen Blog

There isn't a panic in Hockeytown, but there is certainly an undercurrent of uneasiness. The Detroit Red Wing are facing their first championship-deciding Game 7 in over 20 year; in fact Detroit has never hosted one. After the first two games it looked like it would be a quick series, maybe even a sweep. The Penguins battled back though, and the "Detroit Train of Overconfidence," as a local radio station calls it, was slowed down a bit. Slowed, but not derailed.

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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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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

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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 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

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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

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