NHL – Page 9

Dallas Is Liking It Ruff

The Dallas Stars announced former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has signed on as their new coach this Friday.

First off, this is historical irony.

crease

BOOM, apologies..but it had to be done! Anyway continuing on…

I don’t think this signing needs to be analyzed too much, Lindy Ruff has proven himself as a coach. He has his doubters; which I have read online, that he hasn’t won the Stanley Cup, and was very hit and miss in Buffalo over the years.

My argument to these type of comments is this: The ownership and management structure in Buffalo over the years as been little to be desired. I respect the man for working with what he had, under the constraints he was under.

Ruff is a no nonsense old school coach.

swanson

Arguably the Stars need to improve their toughness, and almost definitely need a culture shake up in the locker room and system changes.

Dump and chase hockey is just not going to do it anymore. Many Games in Texas over the last 4 or 5 years have failed to draw fans and hopefully all these changes are going to bring hockey back to some kind of forefront.

All in all its a win for the Dallas Stars. They are a team that are willing to splash the cash and intent on being an elite competitive team. The future is seeming much brighter in Texas. Apart from….. in this writers opinion just awful new jerseys!

Follow me on Twitter! @pattenMH

Counterfeit Jerseys And You

I was reading an article posted by NBC Chicago about counterfeit jerseys and felt I should put my two cents in.

Common Sense Rule #1: Do not be this guy.

It’s an interesting topic because I am an Avid jersey collector.. I’m not going to lie. I do actually own a few fake NHL jerseys. One of which I was duped and bought under the pretence that it was real. I then bought a few out of morbid curiosity as to how they fair up against NHL official merchandise.

Counterfeiting is an issue surrounding any business with intellectual or financial property. However there will always be a market especially with these people praying on those of us with less money or low incomes.

So I thought I’d enlighten anyone who isn’t aware how to spot a fake one by a mile. I may have missed a few things, but here’s some basics.

1) Player ID tags. The grey ID patch in the bottom right hand corner (if you are a looking at a photo of it.) I have NEVER seen one of these patches on an counterfeit jersey. Possibly because they are too hard to counterfeit, but in my experience I’ve never seen one on a fake jersey.

Real deal: real

Counterfeit: fake

2) The weight. Most of these jerseys are modified CCM overstock. The Fabric from top to bottom is extremely heavy in comparison to the official Reebok merchandise. The badges and patches including the NHL logo at the collar are all thicker and less detailed when inspected a little more.

3) Sizing.. Another obvious sign..Official Reebok jersey merchandise is sized as S, M, L, XL etc.
– CCM sizes are numbered. 42,54 etc. As I said before most fake jerseys are Modified CCM jerseys. clear sign of a fake!

4) Common sense. If a named jersey is for sale cheaper than 100 dollars from a store or seller frequent on something like ebay….beware. Especially if its from China or somewhere in south east Asia. You do however get private sellers who take real photos and are just selling a jersey, unwanted gifts etc. Then you got yourself a pretty sweet deal!

Basic Rule of Thumb – Anything cheap comes at a price my friends..if its too good to be true – it probably is.

If anyone has any tips of their own Tweet me with yours !

@pattenMH

Dumb Arena Names Part 2.

Considering the amount of feedback I got from my first piece on Dumb Arena Names, it’s time for the next installment. I think we all agreed as well that the “Canadian Tire Centre” is one of the dumbest names in the NHL. They better come up with some good promotions to make up for that. ANYWAY, onto some more fun!

1. Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix Coyotes.
Jobing.com? Really? A website dedicated to finding you a job? Jobing isn’t even a word! Ironically the Coyotes might be out of them soon. Better start putting up Job offers in Seattle along the boards.

2. Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence Bruins
“Hey guys, wanna go shoot some crueller’s down at the Dunkin’ Donut Center tonight?!” Restaurants should not be used for area names. Especially fast food. Period. You think the athletes eat that stuff? There’s a minor league ball team that plays out of Whataburger Field and a soccer team that plays out of Pizza Hut Park. No, just….no.

Donuts_and_homer_by_mirry92 — Sorry Homer, no donut for you. Unless you’ve got a good glove hand.

3. Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville Predators
Thankfully was renamed in 2007. This is just asking for trouble. I know the poor man’s last name is Gaylord, but adding Entertainment right next to it? Yeesh. I hate to think of what he went through growing up.

4. PostFinance Arena, SC Bern, Switzerland
Ok, what exactly is PostFinance? Is it a mix between the mail carriers and accountants?? Or the Finance section in the local paper?? Are they in debt to somebody?? Whatever it is, it’s terrible……and before you have a “post” you gotta gave a “pre”. PreFinance Arena, new home of your Phoenix Coyotes!

5. Mohegan Sun Arena At Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins
My god that’s a mouthful. As you can probably tell it’s named after a racetrack and casino. Nothing like horses and money to promote your hockey team. But I’m probably still bitter that this team is the former Cornwall Aces.

Please Snowman. Come back. :( — Please Snowman. Come back. 😦

Be on the lookout for Dumb Arena Names Part 3. Got some good ones? Drop me a line on twitter and let me know! @MissAMarch

Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Preview

Aaaaaaaaaand we’re back in Chicago.

After a nail biter in Boston for game 4, we’re all tied up at 2 games a piece. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a playoff series, hell even finals series as close as this one. (I’m talking hockey here, the Miami Heat/San Antonio Spurs final was ridiculously close.)

Jonathan Toews. (Photo: Michael Zampanelli. Flickr.)

Chicago’s offensive FINALLY lit up and special teams seemed to finally start clicking. Jonathan Toews broke out of his 10 game goalless streak and Sharp and Handzus netted a couple on the powerplay. Corey Crawford should except the Bruins to keep firing at his glove hand as we’ve seen they may have solved him. Marian Hossa should be in the lineup even though he didn’t skate with the team at practice.

Tuukka Rask. (Photo: Gosha Images. Flickr.)

On Boston’s side of things Tuukka Rask finally had a struggle of a game. I don’t think that should haunt them though, it was bound to happen. Rask should be able to bounce back. The Bruins proved in game 4 that they can keep up and skate with Chicago. Their resilience is something to be measured with. Patrice Bergeron is as hot as ever with 6 goals in his last 7 games. If the Bruins can get past the sloppy play of game 4, we might be in for another close one folks.

Hard to say, but I’m going to give Chicago the hometown advantage.

Fun fact: Most expensive ticket going for tonight’s game 5 is $1,044 according to http://www.seatgeek.com.

Pittsburgh Penguins And The Kris Letang Lunacy

So contract talks with the Penguins and Kris Letang are in the works. I imagine all the little teenage Penguins fan girls Tumblr accounts are blowing up about OMGZ for sure, but I digress.

Letang. (Photo" Dan4th. flickr.) — Letang. (Photo” Dan4th. flickr.)

Anyways, away from being beloved by the young ladies and to be fair to him — he is a popular figure in Pittsburgh, from a hockey stand point Letang did not impress this post season and many of Penguins fans have questioned his play with poor turnovers, defensive play and called for him to move on.

Unfortunately due to signing Mr. Malkin and Mr. Crosby to huge deals, this also may play a factor. Letang will be looking for 7 Million + from Pittsburgh and some how I don’t see Shero going for that; it’s arguable that he isn’t worth that much.

I still would disagree that he is by any means done. In fact I still think he would come to great use to any club. To throw this out there may be odd to some, but Letang shows incredible offensive flair and it is by far the strongest of his game. His defensive play is weak and doesn’t hit as a defenceman should.

Who says he needs to persue being a D’man? Could he be the guy to break the mold and possibly change position? Can anyone tell me that would end up badly? This is a guy who pulls huge offensive numbers. It’s not like putting Chris Pronger or Bobby Probert at centre.

It’s going to be hard for Letang to impress defensively in Pittsburgh when they seem to not really acknowledge two-way hockey. My point is if he has more support from pairings? Man…..he would still play amazingly well.

As Stan Lee always says……’Nuff said.

–Leo Patten

2013 Draft Profile: Nathan MacKinnon

If I were the Colorado Avalanche, this would be my first pick.

Nathan MacKinnon, who calls Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia home has been compared by some to be the next Sidney Crosby and not because he’s from the same town. MacKinnon, a strong 17 year old power forward is excepted to go at least in the top 3 in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Nathan MacKinnon (Photo: puckingopinion.flickr)

Coming off of a Memorial Cup win and named MVP of the tournament, the stars could not be more aligned for him right now. Selected first overall by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the QMJHL and not being able to speak french, MacKinnon was then traded to the Halifax Mooseheads who he would help head man the team into glory. In his 2 seasons with the Mooseheads, MacKinnon has played a total of 102 games. His goals and assists for both years combine for an astonishing 153 points.

With Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic both making remarks about not drafting Seth Jones first overall, I have no doubt in my mind MacKinnon is the one they want.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY – 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs Pt. 1

I’m going to make one fan base re-live cruel moments and one fan base re-live some glory with this one. I apologize in advance, you guys know who you are.

Ahhhhh 1990’s hockey. What a time to be a hockey fan! Canadian teams were still half decent; ALL CANADIAN TEAMS MADE THE PLAYOFFS, Wayne Gretzky turned his back, defected to Los Angeles and then became hated by a nation, and then there’s my personal favourite: Mediocre NHLers of the 90’s. But more on that on Mediocre Monday. (I’m looking at you Sergio Momesso.)

The first round of the 1993 playoffs saw a deep rivalry between the Montreal Canadiens and Quebec City Coyotes…I mean, Nordiques. After all, Montreal’s star goaltender, a guy by the name of Patrick Roy is from rivaled QC. Not phased however, Montreal whizzed passed them and into the second round. Little did they know that would be the last time they’d play the Nordiques of Quebec.

The Boston Bruins came into the playoffs with the second best record in the league. Anything can happen though as the Buffalo Sabres proved that by SWEEPING them in 4. I think I’ll just leave this here…..

Fast forward to the division finals. Montreal sweeps Buffalo, the Islanders beat Pittsburgh (?!?) and L.A throttles Vancouver. The Norris Division final was between the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues. The game went the full 7 games and what a beauty of a series it was. Both teams battled hard but eventually Toronto came out on top. Doug Gilmour’s double overtime game winning goal in game 1 is still one of the best I’ve ever seen.

And NOW things get interesting. At least for one team.

Part two will be delivered next Friday!

Avs Don’t Want The ‘D’

March’s note: Little do you folks know, I have one of the greatest friends a woman could ask for living over in London, England. Leo Patten is a die hard Dallas Stars fan and is the transition of moving close to Tampa, Florida for 6 months starting in August. He is hopeful to take in as many NHL games as possible to add to already impressive hockey resume. I asked him if he had anything he wanted to contribute, so here is his take on the situation in Colorado. Golly good job ol’ boy!

It appears that the Colorado Avalanche will pass on Seth Jones, arguably the top prospect in this year’s up and coming draft.

Okay, it’s a given that most NHL teams with a first overall pick in the draft, will almost always choose a strong offensive player over the best two way defencemen. However, within the modern game it seems that most clubs are pretty much going after whatever system or culture is flavour of the month.

Now part of me can understand this new culture of youth, due to how the Cap and CBA agreements have changed over the years. I mean this in terms of player management, contracts and of course style of play. It’s totally different from the days of good ol’ time hockey. General Managers have to be constantly one step ahead of the game. But this is all chatter for another time.

Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog. (Photo: Lindsay Akkiyama, flickr.) — Ryan O’Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog. (Photo: Lindsay Akkiyama, flickr.)

Newly appointed Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy are definitely going to be shaking things up in Denver so it seems. Again, following a common trend of appointing an extremely young captain in Gabriel Landeskog, they are clearly making preparations for the future. The bottom line of the Draft is in some ways, pot luck. Either way the Avalanche will obtain a highly skilled player and whether they step up to to the plate will remain to be seen.

This also doesn’t fair well for other clubs such as the Florida Panthers who have their sights firmly set on players like Nathan MacKinnon, who is definitely what they need right now.

It’s clear that Colorado issues lie in poor defensive quality in the back end and I’m not sure what they hope to achieve by drafting more fire power. If this trend continues it’s quite clear that we will have plenty more upsets continuing in the playoffs of the future. *COUGH*PITTSBURGH*COUGH*.

–@pattenMH

Stanley Cup Finals Game 4 Recap

Ladies and Gentleman, we have a series. In the immortal words of Bob Cole, “Oh Boy!”

Game 4 showed nothing but excitement right out of the gate. Chicago split both games in Boston and is heading back to home ice advantage with a huge swing in momentum. A huge key that was missing in game 3, Chicago played the body and didn’t let up all game.

What a goal fest. Boston came back 3 times to tie things up and it seemed like luck was on their side heading into overtime. But in reality, it could’ve went both ways. The Bruins caught Corey Crawford’s weak glove side enough times to look like J.P. Arencibia catching R.A Dickey’s knuckle ball. (What’s with the Jays and abbreviated names anyway? Just noticed that.) On a side note, what does that say for Team Canada in Sochi?

There has been 27 overtime games in this years playoffs alone. That’s one shy of an NHL record. We are at least guarenteed two more games and the way things have been growing, I’m sure it will be broken.

Chicago’s stars finally showed up and started putting pucks into the net. Toews especially who had gone scoreless in 10 games.

In case you missed Seabrook’s game clincher, here it is in all of it’s amazing glory:

Dumb Arena Names….Thanks To The Canadian Tire Centre.

In an interesting piece of odd news, the Ottawa Senators now have the Canadian Tire to call home.

The shock came down Tuesday morning as GM Eugene Melnyk announced that the Scotiabank Place will be renamed the Canadian Tire Centre as of July 1st. The company has an 8 year deal which will have an option for them to renew in 2021.

With that being said, let’s look at some other silly arena names of hockey’s past.

1. BB&T Center, Florida Panthers.
Ok granted, this doesn’t sound too bad from the get go. Flip back a couple years in it’s history and you’ll find “National Car Rental Center”. Um, are you serious?? I realize National Car Rental was a major sponsor (or still is, I have no idea what goes on with hockey in Florida or why it’s still there.) but come on, give your head a shake. I hope they at least offered the fans a chance to drive around with Pavel Bure at intermission.

2. The Cow Palace, San Jose Sharks.
Oh those poor poor, Sharks. What do Sharks even have in common with cows?! Yes I know it was their first year in the league and there was no arena in San Jose yet and yes I know this arena was in San Francisco but once again, COME ON. Sharks. Cows. They have nothing in common. I guess Link Gaetz kinda resembles a cow.

3. PNC Arena, Carolina Hurricanes.
Can’t complain with this one really. Rolls off the tongue nice. I’m referring to when it was once known as the RBC Center. As in, ROYAL BANK OF CANADA Center. In Raleigh, North Carolina. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. How does that even work?! Are there even any RBC branches down there?? I know TD has made it’s way south of the border (Hence TD Garden in Boston), but RBC? That one makes me shake my head.

Can you think of anymore dumb arena names? Drop me a line on Twitter. I love a good laugh. @MissAMarch