Welcome Back Fatso!
There had been a lot of rumblings about the return of Martin Brodeur and how it would impact the New Jersey Devils over the past weeks, but any doubt that was circulating was shot down last night as “fatso” recorded a 4-0 shutout over the Avalanche in his return. Pretty impressive for a guy that hadn’t played in 50 games or something due to injury.
So now, and not just based on last nights game, are the Devils going to be the beast in the East this year? Yeah Boston and Washington are on tears of their own, but with Jersey’s overall play as of late, and having disputably the best goalie back in fine form, I think that they are going to be a handful in the playoffs.
Duthie Breaks up with Tortorella
Awww, looks like James Duthie and John Tortorella have decided not to pursue a long distance relationship now that Torts has moved to New York City. 
Seriously though, those two together were absolute beauties on the TSN panel. I don’t remember how many times I found myself sitting there watching the quiz, having Duthie throw out a question, and Torts saying something snarky like, “That’s a stupid question,” or “that’s so dumb I’m not even going to answer.” Sports broadcasting (entertainment?) at it’s finest!
Duthie wrote an article on his blog at the Ottawa Citizen, and he leaves us with his favourite quote from Torts, “You know, I love coming here. I love sitting in our meetings, talking hockey with you guys, and watching the games. I just…hate being on TV.”
What a beauty!
NHL Streaming Issue is My Fault?
Dear everyone that has tried to blame me for the lack of NHL streaming, or of certain websites being shut down etc,
This isn’t my fault. I’m a hockey fan that wanted to spread the word about the free streams and everything else hockey, and now I’ve become the scapegoat for some? Gimmie a break!
It’s not like I was the one providing the content, and then decided to pull it out from underneath you for no reason. All I did was simply link to said website and then when the NHL told me to quit it, I did.
Now some people are saying that because I linked to said website, and maybe made it a little too popular that I’m to blame for all of this? Hardly… I was one of the last to jump on the bandwagon with linking to that website / games, so maybe look somewhere else first. I initially found them mentioned in a forum that only deals with streaming web content, and funny enough after visiting that site today I found a comment that says, “ATDHE Streams ARE NOT ALLOWED to be POSTED or DISCUSSED”
So you still think that it’s my fault that said website has now removed their NHL content? Like I said in a comment on the original post, this was inevitable so just be glad we got to watch more hockey than ever before at the start of this season, and stop blaming me. It’s a casualty of the Internet and that site’s popularity alone.
Maybe now it’s time for some of you to sign up for NHL GameCenter?
The Kostitsyn Criminals
This is just a request from me to everyone else in the media and blogosphere to settle down when talking about the Kostitsyn criminals. Yeah the story is brand new and there is speculation of every kind flying around, but give the kids a break until the real details are released.
So far what I understand is the Kostitsyn brothers had some kind of sugar daddy in Mangiola Pasquale. Apparently Mangiola is a rabid hockey fan who took the two under his wing and helped them out with obtaining nice homes, cars, etc. Mangiola is also suspected of having organized crime ties and has been arrested for drug trafficking etc. Does this mean that every single NHL player that has ever snorted a line or hooted on a little of this and that also has ties to organized crime?
Regardless, I just wish everyone would wait a little bit to find out what the hell is really going on here and how much of a connection the bothers have to this guy. If he was simply pointing them in the right direction then that’s fine. If he was providing them with proceeds of crime disguised as gifts then that’s a whole other story. Maybe he was the man behind the camera for the recent Canadiens night life pictures, or maybe this is just one hell of an exaggerated story to try and overshadow the Habs demise? What do you think?
Is the Claude Lemieux Audition Over?
Is the Claude Lemieux audition over, or at least coming to an end in San Jose? The Sharks brought him in for veteran leadership (which I really don’t think they need), but the geezer has provided anything but that. Also, is it me or were the Sharks WAY better before bringing Lemieux into the lineup?
Anyway here are his impressive stats so far this year. GP 11, G 0, A 0, P 0, -3, PIM 15, 11 shots. How much are they paying him for his shot per game effort? Regardless, I think its time to end this experiment and go back to the way things were in San Jose. You guys don’t need him.
And just to kick the old fart while he’s already down, here is a clip from last nights game against the Oilers when rookie defencemen Theo Peckham almost gets charged with elder abuse. This video doesn’t show it but Lemieux was being Lemieux as he raked Peckham’s face with his visor as they laid on the ice during the pre-fight scrum. Favourite part of this whole thing? How Lemieux lost his cool and threw two muffins in Peckham’s direction after the linesmen had already jumped in. Peckham’s laugh after the first one, and then WOOOOOOOO after the second one sent many a pub into a frenzy last night I tell ya!
Does anyone else smell the end for Lemieux? Or do you think the Sharks need him for any reason?
High Definition Hockey
Why does watching standard definition hockey make me feel like one of those polar bears in this picture? Maybe because its 2009, HD TVs are being pumped everywhere you go, and all sports should be broadcast in HD by now?
Not so if you are an Edmonton Oilers fan. I don’t know what the heck is going on, but for five straight games on SportsNet, the Oilers have been in shitty SD while every other team and market in the league is enjoying glorious HD. I emailed sportsnet to ask them WTF and they replied,
“Thanks for your recent email. Due to a lack of available HD trucks, we are currently in the midst of a streak of five straight Oilers games in SD. Our apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause. Keep in mind that of the 47 Oiler games we are broadcasting this season, 33 of them will be in HD. More than any other network in Canada.”
Well isn’t that just great that they throw in that there are more than any other network in Canada at the end of the email. I’m still confused if they mean that they broadcast more Oiler games than any other network in Canada or what, but still this whole thing is inexcusable.
Now my question is what goes on in other markets? With the way SportsNet is set up here, I get an equal amount of Oilers and Flames games, and EVERY SINGLE ONE of the Flames games are in HD, while the oilers aren’t. Maybe the exec’s think that the rich people in Calgary can afford those fancy HDTV’s, while us hicks up in Edmonton are still using rabbit ears and it doesn’t matter what they broadcast to us? Effff, grow up!
Anyway, whats up in your area? Your team get a lot of HD love, or is this S(t)D thing plaguing more areas than just Edmonton? Let’s hear it in the comments!
Moreau Levels Brown in Open Ice
Ok, one of the hardest open ice hits I’ve seen in a long time. Think it has what it takes to win the hardest open ice hit of the year? There have been some deadly hits along the boards like when Lucic took Van Ryn right through the glass, but I still think nothing beats an open ice hit.
Anyone have any other submissions that they think are better that this one? Post the youtube link in the comments if you do.
Mike Green Sets NHL Record
Congratulations to Mike Green of the Washington Capitals for setting the NHL record for defencemen by scoring goal in eight consecutive games.
Green has been on quite a tear this season, and has put a stamp on his success by beating this 15 year old record previously held by Bruins d-man Mike O’Connell.
So whats next for this kid? If he continues his strong play, he is on pace to score 40 goals this year, which is an incredible feat considering that the last two defencemen to do that were Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr. Not bad company hey?
3 on 3 NHL Arcade Review
EA Sports has given us a little mid season treat with 3 on 3 NHL Arcade. Remember that old basketball game where you were 2 on 2 or whatever, and you’d be on fire after three buckets in a row? Well, the hockey version is finally here, and I have to admit that I kinda like it!
I was a little skeptical at first because I’m a die hard NHL 09 fan, and wasn’t sure how this little cartoony game would stand up, but have to say its not bad at all. Of course it doesn’t have the depth or the skill requirement of 09, but what did you expect when the players skate around with huge heads, and you can use powerups along the way to clear the path to victory?
There are some pretty fun powerups which include:
Super Shot: Basically gives you a Zdeno Chara / Sheldon Souray slap shot equivalent when you shoot.
Big Player: Your player becomes huge and completely unstoppable. Makes it pretty easy to barge right through the middle and try and burn the goalie when you don’t have to worry about being checked off the puck.
Freeze: Kinda like a power play as it turns one of the opposing players into an ice block for a little while, leaving you with a 3 on 2.
Banana: Apparently players are skating around with bananas in their pockets… and you guessed it, skating over it makes you slip and fall.
Super Speed: Uh, what do you think?
Double Score: Two goals for the price of one when you score.
Small Goalie: Opposing teams goalie becomes pint sized. He isn’t a total sieve, but he can’t handle a rocket to the top shelf.
Big Goalie: Your goalie becomes so massive that its nearly impossible to score. It’s not completely impossible tho as I’ve seen the giant goalie scored on a few times.
The sound effects during game play are pretty entertaining, but the thing that I noticed the most was the heavy metal soundtrack that was chosen for this game. You’d think that a game that is likely targeted at the family / younger player would have a softer soundtrack (NHL 09 anyone?), but hey I’m not complaining cuz I love the double kick drum just as much as the next guy.
Anyway, that’s my quick and dirty review. The real review for me will come sometime this afternoon when the little hockey wizard that I know comes over and has a rip on it. She is a 09 and outdoor rink genius, so it’ll be interesting to see what she thinks of this cartoony adaptation of the game we both love.
The Angry Win
Anyone that has played a team sport, and some individual, knows that wins aren’t always pretty and you aren’t always happy afterwards even if you are on the receiving side of the W.
I couldn’t help but notice over the past couple of weeks when a team that’s say in the top 4 or 5 in the conference plays a team in the bottom 3 in the league, the higher ranked team has occasionally had their hands full. Yeah fine they pull out a victory in a shootout or overtime, or with like 3 seconds to go, but still there was that doubt that you were going to get rocked by a team that shouldn’t be able to do tha to you.
Now, when I remember playing, and yes I was on some VERY good teams, it always hurt when a brutal team came close to taking you out. After the win you’d be sitting there on the bench or in the dugout like “WTF?” and not too pleased with your performance. Yeah you won, but it was so close that you realize that it couldn’t have / shouldn’t have gone in your favor.
That brings me back to the NHL and how people are showboating and gloating about these shoestring wins. I wont go into great detail about all of this, but Zack Stortini of the Oilers is my most recent offender. The Oilers (albeit not a top 5 team) should have had no problem taking out the Blues in their last match up, but it still took them till the shootout before they got the W. As the players walked down the tube after the game I can’t forget Stortini’s face with a Stanley Cup winning smile on it… Uh… yeah not quite buddy.
Anyway, I’m not slagging teams for being happy when they win, but they seriously need to take a look in the mirror after those sqeakers and decide if they can TRULY be happy about their effort and the result.
Did that come across right? Ah whatever, it was on my mind so figured I’d spew…
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