Time To Get Chilly, We're Hitting The Ice ...

Lucic Hit on Miller

2011-11-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

First off, if you havent seen it from last night, take a look at the video below .....

..... Now ..... what is everyone's thoughts on this type of play. As much as it posseses a risk to the goalies on the ice, I am some what of a believer that if they are allowed to come out of their crease and play the puck, to the same extent as a player, then they should be fair game. Not fair game to purposely try and kill them, but fair game that if they are playing a position more like a defensemen then a goalie then they should be treated as such.

When I say this I do not think that a goalie should be targeted, or when they stop the puck behind the net for one of their own players should a player from the opposing team target them instead of the new puck carrier, but in these certain circumstances they should be treated like a player. Miller has come out of his net, played the puck to safety, in more of a player's position than a goalie's, and he should be aware of the player's on the ice.

I am not suggesting that Lucic accidentlly hit Miller, we all know it was on purpose, what I am trying to get at is what makes it fair that a goalie can come out of his net whenever he wants and not be threatened with the contact that the player's face all game?

Does anyone else have any thoughts, not just on Miller and Lucic's case, but thoughts in general on goalie's not be subject to contact if they leave there net?

Hall of Fame 2012 Candidates?

2011-11-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

With the NHL's hall of fame weekend commencing in Toronto tonight we take a reflection on those that have gained entry into this year's class. Congrats to them all!

Ed Belfour

Overall Record 484 wins - 320 losses - 125 (Ties) - 14 (overtime losses)

Belfour played 18 seasons in the NHL for the Blackhawks, Stars, Sharks, Leafs and Panthers. No doubt however, Belfour will always be remembered for his time in both Chicago and Dallas. During his time in Chicago, he won the Calder Trophy as the leagues top rookie. And then later in his career, with the Stars, he was able to capture hockey's holy grail, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.

Doug Gilmour

1474 Games Played, 450 Goals, 964 Assists, 1414 Points

Gilmour played in a 21 season long career with many teams. He laced them up with the Blues, Flames, Leafs, Devils, Blackhawks, Sabres and the Canadiens. Gilmour would go on to win the Stanley Cup with the Flames in the 1989 finals. In the 1992-93 season he also won the Frank J. Selke award. Gilmour's nickname 'Killer' was given to him because of the intensity that he played with, and was coined by Brian Sutter when they were both Blues teammates. Gilmour had his number, 93, retired with the Maple Leafs in 2009.

Mark Howe

929 Games Played, 197 Goals, 545 Assists, 742 Points

Howe played with the Whalers, Flyers and Red Wings all during his 16 year playing career in the NHL. Howe, the son of Gordie Howe, made hockey history while playing with the WHA's Aeros when himself, his father and brother, Marty, all played on the same forward line together. All though making it to the finals twice with Philadelphia, Howe never won the Stanley Cup as a player. His name however, has been ingraved 3 times on the cup while being part of the Red Wings organization after his playing career was over.

Joe Nieuwendyk

1257 Games Played, 564 Goals, 562 Assists, 1126 Points

Nieuwendyk entered the league in the 1987-88 season with the Calgary Flames and throughout his 19 year career he also played with the Stars, Devils, Leafs and Panthers. In Nieuwendyk's first season with the Flames he won the Calder Trophy, and the next year won the Stanley Cup with them as well. A couple years after in the 1994-95 season he also won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Then with the Stars, in the 1998-99 season, he won his second Stanley Cup and was also named the recipient of the Conn Smythe trophy. He completed the trifecta by winning his third Cup with the Devils when they won in 2002-03.

It is another year away but we pose the question, who do you think will be part of the 2012 class that gains entry into the Hall. We have provided a link below where TSN takes a look at the eligible players available. Let us know who you think will make the cut in 2012.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=53192

Game of the NIght Nov. 13th, 2011

2011-11-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Match Up - We got a while to go still till puckdrop, but here is the early edition of tonight's preview between theWild and the Ducks. Remember, as always, stay tuned after the game for our take and tonights three stars from all of tonights games.

@ Honda Center

Minnesota Wild 8 - 5 - 3

- Leading Scorer: Dany Heatley has got 11 points through 16 games so far this season.
- With back to back loses in there west coast swing, after winning there first game against the Oil, the Wild will be looking to square there record at 2 - 2, giving them a shot at taking home a winning road swing record when they play there next game in Columbus after tonight.

Anaheim Ducks 6 - 7 - 3

- Leading Scorer: Teemu Selanne has recorded 15 points in 16 games so far this season.
- After breaking a 6 game losing streak with there last win, a 4 - 3 defeat of the Canucks at home, the Ducks will be looking to put some wins together with there next 9 of 11 games played at home.

Key Stat .....Good news and bad news for the Ducks. Good - they have only allowed one goal on the penalty kill when they are at home. Bad - Lubomir Visnovsky, the NHL's leading scorer among D-men last year, will be missing out of there line up for the next 4 weeks or so.

Tonight's NHL Predictions - November 13th

2011-11-13T06:32:00.000-08:00

So far we are 25 for 40 after the last six days of predictions. We need a strong showing tonight, after last night. We are feeling a 4 for 4 kind a night!

Anyways here they are ....

*Best Bets of the Night in Bold

Florida
Chicago
Minnesota
Vancouver

Dont forget to follow us on Twitter and to check out our Game of the Night preview between the Wild and the Ducks.

Trivia Time! November 13th, 2011

2011-11-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows the Minnesota Wild's first draft pick ever was Marian Gaborik, currently with the NewYork Rangers, but what current Wild player was the teams second pick behind Gaborik in the same draft?

This Day in Hockey History

2011-11-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

November 13th, 1950

Gilbert Perreault was born on this day in Victoriaville, Quebec. The future Hall of Famer played in the NHL from 1970-71 through the 1986-87 season, all with the Buffalo Sabres.

Three Stars Nov. 12th, 2011

2011-11-13T06:02:00.000-08:00

3rd Star - Mike Smith continues his strong play in the pipes for the 'Yotes and picks up the shutout in his teams 3 - 0 win against the Sharks.

2nd Star - Ryan Johansen adds to his solid start to his rookie campaign by scoring the two goals in his Jackets 2 - 1 win over the Jets.

1st Star - Brian Elliot improves his season record to 6 - 1 - 0 and adds another shutout in his blanking of the Tampa Bay Lightning 3 - 0.

Game of the Night Recap Nov. 12th, 2011

2011-11-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators

Ottawa wins 5 - 2

Ottawa was able to ease off a slow start to come through in the second and third periods for there first win in their last 6 games.
The Sens started the game without a shot for around 13 minutes but then were able to put up 5 goals on 24 shots the rest of the way.
The turning point came in the early stages of the third period when the Maple leafs held a strong scoring chance when Phil Kessel was wheeling down the side boards. Instead of reading the play however, he decided to throw the puck back to the trailing D instead of the two rushing forwards. They got the shot, and the scoring chance, but the rebound came onto the sticks of a counter attacking Ottawa line. They managed the 2 on 1 and scored the insurance goal to go up 3 - 1.
The Leafs were able to claw back late in the third, with a scramble goal in front of the Sens net by Joffrey Lupul, but the game belonged to the Sens and especially to Anderson.
Anderson has a had a few rough outings this year but has still managed to hold a wining record. Tonight he was able to show why the Sens traded to get him a year ago. He has the game, and is a solid goalie and that was on display tonight.

Ottawa has there next 4 games on the road, including the Western conferance swing of the Canadian teams. t
They wont be returning back home until the 27th of November to play the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Leafs next game comes Tuesday againest the 'Yotes at home, and I am sure Leafs fans are looking forward to the return of James Reimer who is nearing back to action.
Here is something I am sure they are not looking forward to on a side note. The Leafs have been outscored in there last three homes games 17 - 3. We will see if they can turn that around against a Phoenix team that has a strong goalie playing at the moment in Mike Smith.

November 12th, 2011 Predictions

2011-11-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

So far we are 20 for 29 after the last five days of predictions. Lets hope we can keep going what we turned around last night.

Anyways here they are ....

*Best Bets of the Night in Bold

Boston

Toronto

Washington

Pittsburgh

Detroit

Columbus

Nashville

St. Louis

Calgary

Minnesota

San Jose

Dont forget to follow us on Twitter and to check out our Game of the Night preview between the Leafs and Sens. A classic Battle of Ontario!

Game of the Night Preview Nov. 12th, 2011 - Leafs vs Senators

2011-11-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Match Up - We got a while to go still till puckdrop, but here is the early edition of tonight's preview between the Leafs and Sens. Remember, as always, stay tuned after the game for our take and tonights three stars from all of tonights games.

@ Air Canada Center

Toronto Maple Leafs 10 - 5 - 1

- Leading Scorer: Phil Kessel continues to pace the Leafs and league with 23 points
- Toronto won the last game out 6 - 5 against the Sens, and Kessel, Lupul, and Kulemin are all averaging over a point per game against Ottawa this year.

Ottawa Senators 7 - 9 - 1

-Leading Scorer: Jason Spezza is averaging a point per game with 17 on the campaign
- After winning five at the end of October to right the ship after a 1 - 4 start, Ottawa has gone back down hill losing their last five games. However, only one of those has not been within two goals.

Key Stat .... Do the Leafs go with Scrivens after the impressive display last game or switch it back to Gustavsson. Either way, does whoever is in net perform to keep his team in the game. Ottawa also brings with them the third best power play in the NHL.

Trivia Time! November 12th, 2011

2011-11-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

Which 1941 Toronto Maple Leafs player became the first in NHL history to record three assists in one period of a playoff game? The period coming in the Leafs 7 - 2 win over the Bruins in game three of the 1941 Cup Semi's.

This day in Hockey History - November 12th

2011-11-12T05:44:00.000-08:00

November 12th, 1998

Esa Tikkanen broke the NHL record of the fastest two shorthanded goals.
On this day in 1998 he scored two shorthanded goals 12 seconds apart, 13 seconds faster than the previous record set. He also added one more goal in his Oilers 6 - 2 win against the Leafs to boot!

Three Stars - November 11th, 2011

2011-11-12T05:36:00.000-08:00

3rd Star - James Neal added two goals in the Penguins win against his former team, the Dallas Stars, 3 - 1. Big win for the Pens as it was a battle of the top two teams in the league.

2nd Star - Drew Stafford paced the way for the Buffalo Sabres in a 5 - 1 win against Ottawa. Stafford picked up three assists in the process.

1st Star - Jimmy Howard posted his third shutout of the season, to tie him for the leagues best, in a 3 - 0 blanking of the Oilers.

Game of the Night Review

2011-11-12T05:28:00.000-08:00

Calgary Flames vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Hawks win 4 - 1

Big win at a big time for the Blackhawks.
Coming back to home ice after their last outing, a win in Columbus, they were looking for a strong performance in front of the United Center faithful.
The Hawks came out and played a good game, only letting up for half of the third, when Calgary's Olli Jokinen made it a one goal game at 2 - 1.
The Flames pressured the Hawks at that point but they were able to secure the win with a goal in the later stages of the last period to give them the two goal cushion that they needed.
Ray Emery played a good game for the Hawks, much like he has all season.
Emery so far has a record in the Hawks net that does not have a loss. He is sitting at 3 - 0 - 1 so far on the season. He is playing just as the Hawks need him to play, to come in and provide strong goaltending on the nights when Cory Crawford needs a break. Like tonight, since this game was a back to back game for the Blackhawks.

As for the Flames there lack of scores seemed to put them at a disadvantage before the game even started playing against the explosive Hawks. That is the one thing the Flames need to get going. The players that are supposed to score need to pick it up and score the goals they are supposed to get. The Flames play again tonight in Colorado in a back to back road swing before heading back home for a four game stand.

The Blackhawks now have two games in a row where there 3rd worst in the league power play has scored. Hopefully that is a good sign that they have worked out this part of their game that has missing for a while. They play their next game on Sunday against the Oilers at home before heading out on the annual circus trip, playing 6 games in Western Canada and US in two weeks.

Mo - Vember in the NHL ..... Coming Soon!

2011-11-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

It is days away from our one of a kind knockout, best - Moustache in the NHL tournament .... we are going to name the King of the Moustache in all of the NHL.

Stay Tuned!

Although most likely having the best one EVER!!! ..... Lanny McDonald is not going to get an entry into our tournament. Current players only please .... but Lanny, you can have one heck of an hounarable mention!

Game of the Night Preview .... Hawks vs. Flames

2011-11-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight's Match Up - We got a while to go still till puckdrop, but here is the early edition of tonight's preview between theHawks and Flames. Remember, as always, stay tuned after the game for our take and tonights three stars from all of tonights games.

@ United Center

Flames 6 - 7 - 1

- Leading Scorer: Alex Tanguay leads all Flames with 11 points
- Flames have the 2nd best road powerplay in the league capitalizing on 12 of there 29 chance so far this season

Blackhawks 9 - 4 - 3

- Leading Scorer: With 16 points, Patrick Kane is the Hawks top scorer
- Blackhawks powerplay scored in there last game but having one of the leagues most skilled line ups does not excuse them from having the 3rd worst PP at 11.7 %

Key Stat ....Mikael Backlund will be returning to the lineup Friday for the Flames, while Blackhawk Dave Bolland is still a possibillity to play.

Trivia Time! November 11th, 2011

2011-11-10T23:14:00.000-08:00

Which current Calgary Flames player was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the first round of the entry draft, but has played all his regular season games in a Flames jersey?

Post answers below .....

November 11th, 1997 - This Day in Hockey History

2011-11-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

Scheduled to begin there play in the 00/01 season, the NHL's new Columbus franchise announces that there team would be nicknamed the 'Blue Jackets'.

November 11th Predictions

2011-11-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

So far we are 14 for 22 after the last four days of predictions. Lets hope we can start to pick it up again tonight.

Anyways here they are ....

*Best Bets of the Night in Bold

Washington
NY Rangers
Dallas
Buffalo
Detroit
Chicago
Anaheim

Three Stars Nov. 10th, 2011

2011-11-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

3rd Star - Kyle Quincy gets the assist and the OT winner to help his Avalanche knock off the Islanders in extra time 4 - 3

2nd Star - Jonathan Toews pots 2 goals to add to an assist, going plus 3 in the Hawks defeat of the Blue Jackets 6 - 3

1st Star - First star goes to Kris 'Verbeauty' Versteeg for his hat trick and four point night in the Cats 5 - 2 win over the Jets

Leafs/Blues Shootout

2011-11-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the shootout from the Game of the Night between the Leafs and Blues ....

Game of the Night Recap

2011-11-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. St. Louis Blues

Maple Leafs win 3 - 2 in a shootout

Looks like the Leafs were able to comeback after two disappointing outings from their last few games.

The Blues came into this game looking to get themselves back on track in the west, especially after already gaining a win in there first game under new head coach Ken Hitchcock last game.

However, the Leafs were too much too handle, and starting to look like they are not too much of a long shot this season anymore.

This was a big game for them, coming into St. Louis and trying to steal the thunder away from the Blues. And also a big game in terms of turning around the losing streak they were on. This Blues team is no rollover, so good for this young team to face a little adversity early in the season head on.

A good night for leaf fans and a good night for the leafs goalies too. Scrivens made a lot of saves in this one and no doubt kept his Leafs alive, unlike his last start. Good to see that this young guy can turn around so fast after facing such a tough outing in his last start. It is all a learning curve for him, getting his first major look at being a goalie in then NHL, but no doubt keep an eye out for him to be pushing for the back up job and even maybe the starting role for the Leafs in the near future.

Tough luck for the Blues who were still able to battle back and get that extra point by forcing overtime.

The Trap - Lightning vs. Flyers from Nov. 9th, 2011

2011-11-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

What is everyone's thoughts on last night's trap maneuvre by the Lightning.

Who's fault is it?

Personally I see many openings for the Flyers to move the puck up (D skates a little up ice, goes cross ice to his D partner who skates up the side boards, and then you have a two on one with the originally weak side forward from the Lightning). Its all a part of the game, same as playing a trap when you penalty kill. Its strategy and if it is working that effectively for the Lighting to not allow the Flyers to move out of there own zone then good on them. They executed it to perfection.

Take a look below and leave your comments on your thoughts about the whole thing.

November 10th, 1948 - This Day in Hockey History

2011-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Referee Bill Chadwick was forced to postpone a game between the Red Wings and Bruins at Boston Garden. The reason .... unseasonable heat caused soft ice and a thick fog to form in the arena. Only 9 minutes were played and the game was replayed the following night.

Trivia Time! November 10th, 2011

2011-11-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

St. Louis Blues newly assigned coach Ken Hitchcock has coached many years in the NHL, for which other teams has he coached with?