One point.
That's exactly what the Rangers' 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens meant to them.
Let me repeat: one point.
After the Rangers wins over Buffalo, Florida and Carolina in their last three games - two of those coming on the road - I think it's safe to say that the collapse in Montreal last week won't have any long-term effects.
Fine, the competition hasn't exactly been the stiffest. However, if the Rangers were really going to go in the tank after choking away a 5-0 lead, it wouldn't matter who the opposition was. Instead, the Rangers won their third straight last night, 4-2, with the Attitude ADJustment line delivering two goals.
In collegiate news, my feature on Princeton is up on USCHO. Enjoy. I'll be taking in more collegiate action tomorrow night, when I head up to West Point for Senior Night at Tate Rink, and what could be one hell of a regular season finale.
Just to recap, Army leads Atlantic Hockey with 33 points, up two points on both RIT and Sacred Heart, the latter being the Black Knights' opposition in this weekend's home-and-home series. Tomorrow night could be crazy, and I'll certainly be following what happens tonight while I check out my buddies Hugh Jessiman and Mike Ouellette as they play for the Hartford Wolfpack against the Norfolk Admirals.
---------
Finally, something else that I had a mind to say in my previous employment, but didn't. It involves a pro wrestling reference, which I didn't want to make at CSTV, but this is my blog and mine alone, and I'll make as many wrestling references as I Zach-damn well please.
(Yes, I will make the "Zach Parise is G-d" jokes here, if for no other reason than that there's so much else going on in the world that I doubt The Genuine Article has time to worry about college hockey).
Anyway, this has to do with the subject of strength of schedule. I don't think it's meaningless by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think it means as much as it's being made out to by those who doubt Michigan, Miami, etc.
In the fall of 1996, with the cash cow known as the nWo having just been introduced, there was going to be a WarGames match between the nWo and a WCW team (WarGames: coolest gimmick match ever). Sting and Lex Luger proposed joining forces with Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, who had been their rivals before the whole nWo business started.
Anderson, who is one of the best promo men who ever worked in wrestling, gave a long response that included a memorable (to me, anyway...sadly, it's not on YouTube) comment in the direction of Luger, who at that point had a real bodybuilder physique (not to mention better hair). He pointed at Luger's muscles and said that they were "show muscles," and no good in WarGames, but if Luger could bring the drive, intensity, and hard work that it took to get those muscles, that would be useful.
This is how I feel about teams that play "soft schedules." The record is like those "show muscles" that Arn Anderson talked about: it may look more impressive than it actually is, but the tools a team uses to win those games and amass that record? The skills, strength, speed, etc? Those are worth something, and just because those attributes have been tested against a less-than-impressive schedule, that doesn't mean that they aren't there.
I've seen Michigan, Miami, Michigan State and Notre Dame. I've seen what they bring to the table. Knock their schedules all you want, because it doesn't mean a thing about what kinds of teams they are.
I will say, however, that Miami will be much better off in the future if they can get out of the Ohio Hockey Classic. With Ohio State in its current condition as a program, that tournament does nothing for the RedHawks, and they should have gotten out of that instead of getting out of the Lefty McFadden.
If Miami is going to always be a road team in a holiday tournament, they'd do much better moving around, and going to the Denver Cup, Dodge Holiday Classic, one of the Florida tournaments, etc. At the very least, Ohio State should try to alternate Miami and Bowling Green as the second Ohio team in the tournament, so that each could move around in alternate years. Dartmouth is doing something like that since Vermont started hosting the Catamount Cup every year, as they host the Ledyard Bank tournament every other year, and are heading elsewhere at the holidays when they don't host.
There, I've said my piece on that.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tanner, Gold and Green...Tanner, Gold and GREEN!
For Anyone Who Cares: the aforementioned interview went well...thanks again to Tanner for "getting involved" and making it happen!
For Anyone Who Cares II: The title of this post is a play on "Karma Chameleon." Feel free to insult my taste in music.
Speaking of Tanner, he had his first NHL assist last night in the Panthers' 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs...good to see him still playing for the Panthers despite their trade deadline acquisitions. He also survived the first post-deadline round of AHL demotions - Rob Globke is headed up/down to Rochester - which is a good sign. Of course, with my luck, he'll get sent down after the game against the Isles on Sunday, which I plan on attending if he's playing.
I know that sounds good, in that I'd get to see Tanner play, but his first stint with the Panthers ended after I first dared him to fight Sean Avery, and his second ended after I went to see him in New Jersey on Jan. 2. He survived the game in Boston where the above photo was taken, despite the fact that he got burned by Glen Murray in that game, but if he gets sent down after I see his game against the Isles, then I may never go to see him again. Would it be my fault? Of course not, but we all know hockey players and their superstitions, right?
Actually, Dartmouth lost the first five men's hockey games I covered of theirs for CSTV.com, including the stunning 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac in October 2004, which saw the Big Green outshoot the Bobcats something like 44-13 (actually, it was 43-11, I just looked it up). Former Valley News beat writer Greg Fennel nearly convinced me that it was my fault, but then I was in Hanover when Bob Norton helped call a 5-1 win over Harvard in December 2005 (Billy Jaffe's flight was delayed, so Bob was called in on short notice). Once it became clear that Dartmouth was going to win, I wrote down "IT IS NO LONGER MY FAULT" on a sheet of paper, and shoved it in Greg's face about a second after the buzzer.
In other Ivy League news, I finished writing my feature on Princeton today. It's significantly longer than the 1,000 words I was asked for, but you don't get involved in this business if you don't have some affection for the sound of your own voice (in the literary sense), anyhow. I will say this. You know that line attributed to Chris Rock that goes on about all the ways in which the world has gone crazy? You know, "The best golfer is black, the best rapper is white, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss have the Americas Cup, etc.?" Let's add "Princeton is the Ivy League hockey champion and Cornell is going to be the Ivy League basketball champion" to the list.
Finally, a thought on the subject of the NCAA tournament. One of the suggestions I made at CSTV.com that was not taken was to show what the NCAA tournament would look like if KRACH was used instead of the Pairwise (I'm stunned that noted champion of KRACH Adam Wodon has never thought of this).
Well, I don't work for them anymore, and I can do whatever I damn well please here.
So, let's compare a KRACH-based bracket, using all the other rules employed by the NCAA, to the bracket from this week's Bracketology column by Jason Moy at USCHO.
PAIRWISE BRACKET
Albany
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Army
No. 8 Boston College vs. No. 9 Minnesota State
Madison
No. 4 North Dakota vs. No. 13 Wisconsin
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 Minnesota Duluth
Colorado Springs
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Notre Dame
No. 6 Denver vs. No. 11 Clarkson
Worcester
No. 2 New Hampshire vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 7. Michigan State vs. No. 10 St. Cloud State
KRACH Bracket
Albany
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Army
No. 8 St. Cloud State vs. No. 10 Minnesota State
Worcester
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 13 Minnesota Duluth
No. 5 New Hampshire vs. No. 12 Notre Dame
Colorado Springs
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Minnesota
No. 6 Denver vs. No. 11 Boston College
Madison
No. 2 North Dakota vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Wisconsin
The quick impressions from me:
- I love how the supposedly more fair KRACH system rates Miami higher than the PairWise does, given all the flak they've taken from certain WCHA folks.
- It's also kind of funny how New Hampshire goes from second to fifth when you switch to KRACH, but still winds up it Worcester when you bracket the tournament. It's also kind of cool that Denver and CC both wind up in the Springs under either system. I'd love that to be a regional final.
- Of course, no matter how you slice it, eight WCHA teams wind up in the tournament going by the current records. This is, of course, likely to change, especially once they start beating up on each other in the WCHA playoffs. However, I finally identified my discomfort with the concept of Minnesota making the NCAA tournament this season, which also applies to Minnesota Duluth.
The Gophers are currently 7-11-6 in WCHA play, and the Bulldogs are 8-11-5. Given that they play on the last weekend of the regular season, at least one of those teams will wind up with a sub-.500 conference record.
Some time ago, my former colleague Eric Mirlis - who edited a fantastic book called
Being There: 100 Sports Pros Talk About the Best Sporting Events They Ever Witnessed Firsthand - wrote a column for CSTV.com on the subject of the NCAA basketball tournament, and suggested a rule that no team with a conference record below .500 should be allowed to receive an at-large bid.
I thought it was a great idea for the 65-team basketball tournament. It's an even better idea for the 16-team hockey tournament.
Look, I know the WCHA is great. Yes, it is the best conference, top to bottom in the entire country. I don't doubt that. Alaska-Anchorage is the best last-place team you'll find in the country, and while CC may not be the best firs-place team - remember, Hockey East leader UNH swept them - they're close enough. There's no denying the strength of the conference.
However, if you finish under .500 in your conference, you don't deserve to play in the NCAA tournament...unless, of course, you can win the conference tournament (love that 2006-07 Alabama-Huntsville team).
Leaving aside the question of Minnesota Duluth - which improbably lost its two best players over the summer and got better this season - Minnesota has underachieved this season, and underachievement should not be rewarded with an NCAA tournament berth.
There. Rant over.
For Anyone Who Cares II: The title of this post is a play on "Karma Chameleon." Feel free to insult my taste in music.
Speaking of Tanner, he had his first NHL assist last night in the Panthers' 4-3 shootout loss to the Maple Leafs...good to see him still playing for the Panthers despite their trade deadline acquisitions. He also survived the first post-deadline round of AHL demotions - Rob Globke is headed up/down to Rochester - which is a good sign. Of course, with my luck, he'll get sent down after the game against the Isles on Sunday, which I plan on attending if he's playing.
I know that sounds good, in that I'd get to see Tanner play, but his first stint with the Panthers ended after I first dared him to fight Sean Avery, and his second ended after I went to see him in New Jersey on Jan. 2. He survived the game in Boston where the above photo was taken, despite the fact that he got burned by Glen Murray in that game, but if he gets sent down after I see his game against the Isles, then I may never go to see him again. Would it be my fault? Of course not, but we all know hockey players and their superstitions, right?
Actually, Dartmouth lost the first five men's hockey games I covered of theirs for CSTV.com, including the stunning 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac in October 2004, which saw the Big Green outshoot the Bobcats something like 44-13 (actually, it was 43-11, I just looked it up). Former Valley News beat writer Greg Fennel nearly convinced me that it was my fault, but then I was in Hanover when Bob Norton helped call a 5-1 win over Harvard in December 2005 (Billy Jaffe's flight was delayed, so Bob was called in on short notice). Once it became clear that Dartmouth was going to win, I wrote down "IT IS NO LONGER MY FAULT" on a sheet of paper, and shoved it in Greg's face about a second after the buzzer.
In other Ivy League news, I finished writing my feature on Princeton today. It's significantly longer than the 1,000 words I was asked for, but you don't get involved in this business if you don't have some affection for the sound of your own voice (in the literary sense), anyhow. I will say this. You know that line attributed to Chris Rock that goes on about all the ways in which the world has gone crazy? You know, "The best golfer is black, the best rapper is white, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss have the Americas Cup, etc.?" Let's add "Princeton is the Ivy League hockey champion and Cornell is going to be the Ivy League basketball champion" to the list.
Finally, a thought on the subject of the NCAA tournament. One of the suggestions I made at CSTV.com that was not taken was to show what the NCAA tournament would look like if KRACH was used instead of the Pairwise (I'm stunned that noted champion of KRACH Adam Wodon has never thought of this).
Well, I don't work for them anymore, and I can do whatever I damn well please here.
So, let's compare a KRACH-based bracket, using all the other rules employed by the NCAA, to the bracket from this week's Bracketology column by Jason Moy at USCHO.
PAIRWISE BRACKET
Albany
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Army
No. 8 Boston College vs. No. 9 Minnesota State
Madison
No. 4 North Dakota vs. No. 13 Wisconsin
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 Minnesota Duluth
Colorado Springs
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Notre Dame
No. 6 Denver vs. No. 11 Clarkson
Worcester
No. 2 New Hampshire vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 7. Michigan State vs. No. 10 St. Cloud State
KRACH Bracket
Albany
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Army
No. 8 St. Cloud State vs. No. 10 Minnesota State
Worcester
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 13 Minnesota Duluth
No. 5 New Hampshire vs. No. 12 Notre Dame
Colorado Springs
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Minnesota
No. 6 Denver vs. No. 11 Boston College
Madison
No. 2 North Dakota vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Wisconsin
The quick impressions from me:
- I love how the supposedly more fair KRACH system rates Miami higher than the PairWise does, given all the flak they've taken from certain WCHA folks.
- It's also kind of funny how New Hampshire goes from second to fifth when you switch to KRACH, but still winds up it Worcester when you bracket the tournament. It's also kind of cool that Denver and CC both wind up in the Springs under either system. I'd love that to be a regional final.
- Of course, no matter how you slice it, eight WCHA teams wind up in the tournament going by the current records. This is, of course, likely to change, especially once they start beating up on each other in the WCHA playoffs. However, I finally identified my discomfort with the concept of Minnesota making the NCAA tournament this season, which also applies to Minnesota Duluth.
The Gophers are currently 7-11-6 in WCHA play, and the Bulldogs are 8-11-5. Given that they play on the last weekend of the regular season, at least one of those teams will wind up with a sub-.500 conference record.
Some time ago, my former colleague Eric Mirlis - who edited a fantastic book called
Being There: 100 Sports Pros Talk About the Best Sporting Events They Ever Witnessed Firsthand - wrote a column for CSTV.com on the subject of the NCAA basketball tournament, and suggested a rule that no team with a conference record below .500 should be allowed to receive an at-large bid.
I thought it was a great idea for the 65-team basketball tournament. It's an even better idea for the 16-team hockey tournament.
Look, I know the WCHA is great. Yes, it is the best conference, top to bottom in the entire country. I don't doubt that. Alaska-Anchorage is the best last-place team you'll find in the country, and while CC may not be the best firs-place team - remember, Hockey East leader UNH swept them - they're close enough. There's no denying the strength of the conference.
However, if you finish under .500 in your conference, you don't deserve to play in the NCAA tournament...unless, of course, you can win the conference tournament (love that 2006-07 Alabama-Huntsville team).
Leaving aside the question of Minnesota Duluth - which improbably lost its two best players over the summer and got better this season - Minnesota has underachieved this season, and underachievement should not be rewarded with an NCAA tournament berth.
There. Rant over.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Alive At The Deadline
OK, I can't give too many specifics here, because it is a slightly sensitive situation, but Tanner Glass got me a job interview.
I'm assuming that will require some explanation.
You see, I was originally going to be unable to attend Sunday's Rangers-Panthers game because of a late night shift at CSTV, but...well, you know...
So I was a little late to the party acquiring tickets, and resorted to Craig's List. It so happened that one of the guys selling tickets in the blue seats was a media type, and when I contacted him, recognized my name from my former employer, and asked me if I could expense the tickets. I tell him of my situation, and we get to talking. He winds up recommending I get in touch with a former associate of his, who shares an alma mater with Your Humble Correspondent. I have an interview at a major paper in the area on Thursday.
And if it hadn't been for Tanner Glass, none of it would have happened.
I showed my gratitude by purchasing a personalized replica jersey from NHL.com today, taking advantage of their 20 percent off sale to get one of the old CCMs for 63.
Of course, there may be questions of how much we'll see of the Tan-Man after today's trades. I'm particlarly concerned by the Panthers' acquisition of Wade Belak, since fighting has been Tanner's specialty in the NHL so far, and that's presumably what Belak will bring to Florida.
The Rangers, meanwhile, acquired Fredrik Sjostrom, David LeNeveu, and Josh Gratton from the Coyotes for Marcel Hossa and Al Montoya, and also acquired Christian Backman from the Blues for a fourth-round draft pick.
Backman is a nice pickup: I don't know that he'll fill the blueline needs the Blueshirts have, but it's not like he could hurt the Rangers' power play any, right?
As for the Phoenix deal, Al Montoya had to go. It's unfortunate, because I would have loved to see Al become a star in New York, but King Henrik's contract extension meant the end of it for Al's hopes as a starter here. If I had to pick a destination for him, Phoenix would have been on the short list. I think that Al is in a unique position to help market hockey in communities that aren't naturally inclined toward it, and Phoenix certainly qualifies, as does San Antonio, home to the Coyotes' AHL affiliate.
It'd be nice to see Dave LeNeveu become the Rangers' backup keeper at some point. He was one hell of a netminder at Cornell, and one of my favorite college hockey memories not involving Dartmouth was watching Cornell beat Harvard in overtime for the ECAC title in 2003, the league's first year at Pepsi Arena (now the Times-Union Center). LeNeveu backstopped the Big Red to the Frozen Four that year and made the Hobey Hat Trick. His pro performance thus far has been disappointing, but Benoit Allaire likes him, and thinks he has potential.
And I'll admit it: I kind of have a soft spot for the Big Red. Few teams in college hockey are as much fun to cover. That was one great thing about being at Princeton on Saturday.
Goofy thing I do in the press box: gesture towards Cornell or RPI fans/band when they're about to shout, "Red!" during the national anthem.
I don't know as much about Gratton or Sjostrom, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do.
Meanwhile, we'll see what happens with Tanner. Let's hope his "good deed" goes unpunished.
I'm planning on checking out the Pack on Friday night - now that I know Hugh Jessiman isn't heading up I-91 to Springfield (I love how getting traded from New York to Edmonton means about a half-hour drive in the AHL) - so maybe we'll see something from LeNeveu and Gratton then.
I'm assuming that will require some explanation.
You see, I was originally going to be unable to attend Sunday's Rangers-Panthers game because of a late night shift at CSTV, but...well, you know...
So I was a little late to the party acquiring tickets, and resorted to Craig's List. It so happened that one of the guys selling tickets in the blue seats was a media type, and when I contacted him, recognized my name from my former employer, and asked me if I could expense the tickets. I tell him of my situation, and we get to talking. He winds up recommending I get in touch with a former associate of his, who shares an alma mater with Your Humble Correspondent. I have an interview at a major paper in the area on Thursday.
And if it hadn't been for Tanner Glass, none of it would have happened.
I showed my gratitude by purchasing a personalized replica jersey from NHL.com today, taking advantage of their 20 percent off sale to get one of the old CCMs for 63.
Of course, there may be questions of how much we'll see of the Tan-Man after today's trades. I'm particlarly concerned by the Panthers' acquisition of Wade Belak, since fighting has been Tanner's specialty in the NHL so far, and that's presumably what Belak will bring to Florida.
The Rangers, meanwhile, acquired Fredrik Sjostrom, David LeNeveu, and Josh Gratton from the Coyotes for Marcel Hossa and Al Montoya, and also acquired Christian Backman from the Blues for a fourth-round draft pick.
Backman is a nice pickup: I don't know that he'll fill the blueline needs the Blueshirts have, but it's not like he could hurt the Rangers' power play any, right?
As for the Phoenix deal, Al Montoya had to go. It's unfortunate, because I would have loved to see Al become a star in New York, but King Henrik's contract extension meant the end of it for Al's hopes as a starter here. If I had to pick a destination for him, Phoenix would have been on the short list. I think that Al is in a unique position to help market hockey in communities that aren't naturally inclined toward it, and Phoenix certainly qualifies, as does San Antonio, home to the Coyotes' AHL affiliate.
It'd be nice to see Dave LeNeveu become the Rangers' backup keeper at some point. He was one hell of a netminder at Cornell, and one of my favorite college hockey memories not involving Dartmouth was watching Cornell beat Harvard in overtime for the ECAC title in 2003, the league's first year at Pepsi Arena (now the Times-Union Center). LeNeveu backstopped the Big Red to the Frozen Four that year and made the Hobey Hat Trick. His pro performance thus far has been disappointing, but Benoit Allaire likes him, and thinks he has potential.
And I'll admit it: I kind of have a soft spot for the Big Red. Few teams in college hockey are as much fun to cover. That was one great thing about being at Princeton on Saturday.
Goofy thing I do in the press box: gesture towards Cornell or RPI fans/band when they're about to shout, "Red!" during the national anthem.
I don't know as much about Gratton or Sjostrom, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do.
Meanwhile, we'll see what happens with Tanner. Let's hope his "good deed" goes unpunished.
I'm planning on checking out the Pack on Friday night - now that I know Hugh Jessiman isn't heading up I-91 to Springfield (I love how getting traded from New York to Edmonton means about a half-hour drive in the AHL) - so maybe we'll see something from LeNeveu and Gratton then.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Enter Tan-Man (Or Hooray For Holly-wood)
It'd be hard to get more of what I wanted out of tonight's Rangers-Panthers game than I did. On the way in, I spoke to my friend about hoping for overtime, even a shootout, so that the Panthers could get a point out of the affair (being in a tight Southeast Division race) but the Rangers would still win. That might have been a bit much.
But how about this?
Rangers win: Check. 5-0 over the Panthers. The win keeps the Rangers solidly in sixth in the Eastern Conference, which really isn't a bad spot to be in, since it means drawing the Southeast champion in the first round.
Rangers play well: Check. The Attitude ADJustment line continues to impress, even with Dubie in the box (see below), as Sean Avery assisted on Jaromir Jagr's second-period goal. The power play remains putrid (27th in the NHL), but the penalty kill was solid, and Henrik Lundqvist got the shutout, his eighth of the season. The real surprise of the evening, though, was Marek Malik. I actually questioned a fellow Rangers fan for wearing (or even owning) a Marek Malik jersey, but I guess he had the last laugh on that one, as Malik had a goal and an assist, and was the second star of the game.
Tanner Glass ice time: Check. 5:36 total, not including five minutes spent in the penalty box (more on that below), and the first time that I've gone to see Tanner play where he's taken shifts in the third period. There was no particular infraction that kept him out of the third in New Jersey on January 2, but he sat the rest of the game on February 9 after getting burned by Glen Murray for a Bruins goal. Tanner was solid throughout.
Tanner Glass fight: Check. Of course, I'd been suggesting he take on Sean Avery, but instead, it was Ryan Hollweg who was Tanner's dance partner with 2:38 gone in the third period. Normally, I'd be all for Hollywood to kick some ass, but I stood up and cheered for the visitor to let him have it. I believe that the folks over at Hockeyfights.com will rule this one a win for Tanner. I'm watching the replay as I type this, and Sam makes mention of Tanner as a Dartmouth grad, and Micheletti even asked, "They don't do that at Dartmouth, do they?" Fun stuff.
Of course, it wasn't the first fight of the evening. That distiction went to Brandon Dubinsky and Greg Campbell. I have it on good authority that the scrap started when Dubinsky asked Campbell if he'd "run to daddy" if he were to slash the Panthers center. "Daddy," of course, would be league Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. Funny stuff.
Hangout Time With Tanner Postgame: As one might expect, Tanner had a pretty nice group of Dartmouth folk - led by former teammate and Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award Winner Dan Shribman - to see him after the game. The cool thing, though, was walking out the way the visitors exit. Interesting thing I never knew about NHL travel, although I probably should have guessed: they players are checked in and screened for security at the arena, so they don't have to do it at the airport. Kinda cool.
I don't have much to contribute on today's college hockey action - Colgate's win over Quinnipiac is probably the biggest surprise, except that Colgate should be much better than it has been this season - but I think it's kind of interesting that both Minnesota and BU are within striking distance of the NCAA tournament, given the way both teams have underachieved for so much of the season. I almost wonder whether it's good for the college game to have teams underachieve so dramatically and still make the tournament. I don't have anything against Minnesota, but if the Gophers make the tournament this season, it basically means that it is impossible for them to miss it. I don't like the sound of that, no matter which team it is.
But how about this?
Rangers win: Check. 5-0 over the Panthers. The win keeps the Rangers solidly in sixth in the Eastern Conference, which really isn't a bad spot to be in, since it means drawing the Southeast champion in the first round.
Rangers play well: Check. The Attitude ADJustment line continues to impress, even with Dubie in the box (see below), as Sean Avery assisted on Jaromir Jagr's second-period goal. The power play remains putrid (27th in the NHL), but the penalty kill was solid, and Henrik Lundqvist got the shutout, his eighth of the season. The real surprise of the evening, though, was Marek Malik. I actually questioned a fellow Rangers fan for wearing (or even owning) a Marek Malik jersey, but I guess he had the last laugh on that one, as Malik had a goal and an assist, and was the second star of the game.
Tanner Glass ice time: Check. 5:36 total, not including five minutes spent in the penalty box (more on that below), and the first time that I've gone to see Tanner play where he's taken shifts in the third period. There was no particular infraction that kept him out of the third in New Jersey on January 2, but he sat the rest of the game on February 9 after getting burned by Glen Murray for a Bruins goal. Tanner was solid throughout.
Tanner Glass fight: Check. Of course, I'd been suggesting he take on Sean Avery, but instead, it was Ryan Hollweg who was Tanner's dance partner with 2:38 gone in the third period. Normally, I'd be all for Hollywood to kick some ass, but I stood up and cheered for the visitor to let him have it. I believe that the folks over at Hockeyfights.com will rule this one a win for Tanner. I'm watching the replay as I type this, and Sam makes mention of Tanner as a Dartmouth grad, and Micheletti even asked, "They don't do that at Dartmouth, do they?" Fun stuff.
Of course, it wasn't the first fight of the evening. That distiction went to Brandon Dubinsky and Greg Campbell. I have it on good authority that the scrap started when Dubinsky asked Campbell if he'd "run to daddy" if he were to slash the Panthers center. "Daddy," of course, would be league Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. Funny stuff.
Hangout Time With Tanner Postgame: As one might expect, Tanner had a pretty nice group of Dartmouth folk - led by former teammate and Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award Winner Dan Shribman - to see him after the game. The cool thing, though, was walking out the way the visitors exit. Interesting thing I never knew about NHL travel, although I probably should have guessed: they players are checked in and screened for security at the arena, so they don't have to do it at the airport. Kinda cool.
I don't have much to contribute on today's college hockey action - Colgate's win over Quinnipiac is probably the biggest surprise, except that Colgate should be much better than it has been this season - but I think it's kind of interesting that both Minnesota and BU are within striking distance of the NCAA tournament, given the way both teams have underachieved for so much of the season. I almost wonder whether it's good for the college game to have teams underachieve so dramatically and still make the tournament. I don't have anything against Minnesota, but if the Gophers make the tournament this season, it basically means that it is impossible for them to miss it. I don't like the sound of that, no matter which team it is.
Western Sieve-alization
(On losses by two teams from western N.Y. and one from Philadelphia)
Quick and Dirty on the Rangers: They beat Buffalo, 4-3, with Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky each finishing with a goal and an assist, and Jaromir Jagr scoring a goal as well. If the Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr line is split up for any reason other than an injury to any of those three players (or the trade of Jagr), Tom Renney should be fired immediately. I remember discussing the Rangers' struggles with Barry Melrose about a month ago during an intermission of the Army-Air Force game, and Barry agreed that putting Avery on Jagr's line works because it means that Jagr has to work. Adding the youthful exuberance (and serious talent) of Brandon Dubinsky makes for one awesome line. As much as I loved the Shamrock Line of Shanahan, Avery and Callahan the couple of times it appeared last year, this line is exactly what the Rangers need to go with the rest of the way. I even have a name for it: Attitude
ADJustment (ADJ = Avery, Dubinsky, Jagr).
In other NHL news, the Panthers beat the Flyers, 2-1, in overtime. Tanner played about five minutes. Hopefully, we'll see more of him tonight.
But on to where I was last night: Princeton. I saw the Tigers put an emphatic stamp on their Ivy League championship by beating Cornell, 2-1...although it should really be 3-1. Cam MacIntyre clearly scored a goal - everyone in the press box agreed, but the puck bounced out off the spine of the cage, and the goal judge never turned the light on. Remember the other night, when I was commenting on how TV bailed out Union on the disallowed Clarkson goal? No TV Saturday at Princeton, so no video reiew.
This needs to stop, and it needs to stop right now. I don't know what the price tag is on the video review system the CCHA installed before the 2006-07 season, but it's a pretty basic system, and I'd have to imagine it's within the means of the ECAC Hockey schools, and the last two nights have shown they need it. I can understand not being able to mandate it league-wide when Quinnipiac was still playing in Northford, but now that every school in the league has an on-campus arena, it's time for the league to get replay in every game. Heck, unlike the CCHA, ECAC Hockey has a women's league that the system could be available for as well.
All of that said, Princeton did a great job of hanging together and showing mental toughness, not letting the BS call get them down. I like the way Princeton plays. They seem to always get to the puck, and break up a lot of plays. The Tigers are also one of the least penalized teams in the country, which shows how smart they are about what they're doing out there. Of course, it is Princeton, and there is a Rhodes Scholar on the team.
It should also be noted that two of the greatest goalie helmets in college hockey were in use at Baker Rink last night. Ben Scrivens gets high marks from me for incorporating that Lynah Faithful and the always-awesome Big Red Band into his helmet design, and Princeton's Zane Kalemba has the sort of helmet you'd only see in the Ivy League. The main element is a Tiger design, but the right side of the helmet features a photo of Hobey Baker, while the left has a picture of Albert Einstein. Gotta love it.
Having mentioned the Big Red band, they were in fine form last night, as always. I don't think there's a band that mixes the spirit of college hockey with a respectable level of musicality the way Cornell's does. I've heard bands that sound better, but they don't have the attitude.
Tonight, it's Rangers and Panthers at the Garden...will Tanner live up to the dare to fight Avery? Time will tell.
Quick and Dirty on the Rangers: They beat Buffalo, 4-3, with Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky each finishing with a goal and an assist, and Jaromir Jagr scoring a goal as well. If the Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr line is split up for any reason other than an injury to any of those three players (or the trade of Jagr), Tom Renney should be fired immediately. I remember discussing the Rangers' struggles with Barry Melrose about a month ago during an intermission of the Army-Air Force game, and Barry agreed that putting Avery on Jagr's line works because it means that Jagr has to work. Adding the youthful exuberance (and serious talent) of Brandon Dubinsky makes for one awesome line. As much as I loved the Shamrock Line of Shanahan, Avery and Callahan the couple of times it appeared last year, this line is exactly what the Rangers need to go with the rest of the way. I even have a name for it: Attitude
ADJustment (ADJ = Avery, Dubinsky, Jagr).
In other NHL news, the Panthers beat the Flyers, 2-1, in overtime. Tanner played about five minutes. Hopefully, we'll see more of him tonight.
But on to where I was last night: Princeton. I saw the Tigers put an emphatic stamp on their Ivy League championship by beating Cornell, 2-1...although it should really be 3-1. Cam MacIntyre clearly scored a goal - everyone in the press box agreed, but the puck bounced out off the spine of the cage, and the goal judge never turned the light on. Remember the other night, when I was commenting on how TV bailed out Union on the disallowed Clarkson goal? No TV Saturday at Princeton, so no video reiew.
This needs to stop, and it needs to stop right now. I don't know what the price tag is on the video review system the CCHA installed before the 2006-07 season, but it's a pretty basic system, and I'd have to imagine it's within the means of the ECAC Hockey schools, and the last two nights have shown they need it. I can understand not being able to mandate it league-wide when Quinnipiac was still playing in Northford, but now that every school in the league has an on-campus arena, it's time for the league to get replay in every game. Heck, unlike the CCHA, ECAC Hockey has a women's league that the system could be available for as well.
All of that said, Princeton did a great job of hanging together and showing mental toughness, not letting the BS call get them down. I like the way Princeton plays. They seem to always get to the puck, and break up a lot of plays. The Tigers are also one of the least penalized teams in the country, which shows how smart they are about what they're doing out there. Of course, it is Princeton, and there is a Rhodes Scholar on the team.
It should also be noted that two of the greatest goalie helmets in college hockey were in use at Baker Rink last night. Ben Scrivens gets high marks from me for incorporating that Lynah Faithful and the always-awesome Big Red Band into his helmet design, and Princeton's Zane Kalemba has the sort of helmet you'd only see in the Ivy League. The main element is a Tiger design, but the right side of the helmet features a photo of Hobey Baker, while the left has a picture of Albert Einstein. Gotta love it.
Having mentioned the Big Red band, they were in fine form last night, as always. I don't think there's a band that mixes the spirit of college hockey with a respectable level of musicality the way Cornell's does. I've heard bands that sound better, but they don't have the attitude.
Tonight, it's Rangers and Panthers at the Garden...will Tanner live up to the dare to fight Avery? Time will tell.
Friday, February 22, 2008
New York State of Mind
One of my few major gripes about having gotten my own place about a year ago was that I had to give up the ability to watch CSTV (and most college hockey in general) at home. You see, my apartment building is serviced by Cablevision, which has stubbornly refused to add either CSTV or ESPNU to its programming options. Of course, the company man in me cared as much about ESPNU getting on Cablevision as Perry Cox cares about Hugh Jackman (Note: Scrubs is to me what The Office is to Chris over at Western College Hockey, although I also like The Office too, thanks in large part to the presence of my contemporary at Dartmouth, Mindy Kaling).
Of course, I currently have no company to be a "company man" for, and don't particularly like the fact that my options for televised college hockey are so limited. However, I did take the time to watch Clarkson play Union this evening, as SNY, home network of my beloved New York Mets, picks up Time Warner Cable's hockey broadcasts, which tend to involve the NY-based ECAC Hockey teams.
Of course, it's nice to see former RPI head coach Dan Fridgen on color commentary. Fridge, like just about every other coach I had the pleasure of working with (with one or two exceptions) is a great guy, and funny, too. When I covered ECAC Hockey media day for CSTV as well as CSTV.com a couple of years ago, in Fridge's last season, one of the questions I was given by the production folks was, "What TV character most resembles you?" Not many of the coaches thought much of the question, but Fridge delivered a very memorable answer. "You have three choices," he said, "Moe, Larry or Curly."
Well, if Fridgen and the rest of the Time Warner crew hadn't been there, it would have been Alex Dell and his officiating crew who looked like "stooges." With the game tied at three in the last minute, Clarkson appeared to score the go-ahead goal, but video replay showed that the puck slid under the cage as it was lifted up off its moorings. Since ECAC Hockey only has video replays for televised games, Union would have been screwed out of a point had this game not been on TV. As it was, the game went to overtime, where David Leggio made a great save in the waning seconds for the Golden Knights to preserve the tie.
With all the big breakout team stories this season - Northeastern, UMass-Lowell, Minnesota Duluth, Bowling Green, Providence, etc., it seems like the Dutchmen's season has been overlooked, along with Princeton's (although I'll do my share to remedy the situation with the Tigers tomorrow). At 13-11-6, the Dutchmen are within striking distance of the program's D-I wins record. To hit it, however, they'll have to win an ECAC Hockey playoff series, which they have never done. And as much as I like Nate Leaman (not to mention Union SID Hilary Haynes), I have this vision of the Dutchmen finishing fifth in the conference, drawing Dartmouth in the first round, and getting knocked out by a brilliant goaltending performance from Mike Devine (which is certainly possible...just ask UNH).
I do think there are bigger and better things ahead for Leaman, but it'd be nice to see him get that playoff series win he wants so badly. It is getting kind of ridiculous at this point.
On the professional front, I listened to the Melrose Line while I was at the gym last night, and Barry and Joy Russo discused the possiblity of the Rangers trading Jaromir Jagr. Melrose dismissed the possibility that a change of scenery would cure Jagr's ills, commenting that it didn't exactly happen when he came to New York.
Uh...Mullet-man...has it occured to you that Jagr could be like Joe Thornton, a supremely talented player who just plain wasn't cut out to be a captain? The Bruins put the C on him, and wound up having to trade him to San Jose, where he's been just fine, thank you.
Jagr is not a leader. He just isn't. It annoys me to no end that he wears the C for the Rangers, as he is, at best, the fourth-most qualified captain on the team behind Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury, and Scott Gomez.
I have a theory about captains: you should not be the captain of a hockey team unless you play on the penalty kill. Why? Because the penalty killers are the hardest workers team, and if you're not one of the hardest workers on the team, you are in no position to lead.
Still, the Rangers are my team, and I'm going to see them on Sunday night. I bought tickets through Craig's List this evening while watching the Union-Clarkson game, on account of Tanner Glass (the gentleman on my left in that picture at the top of the screen) playing for the Panthers. I dared him back in November to fight Sean Avery (right before Tanner got sent down to Rochester for a while), and I'm waiting to see if he takes me up on it.
In this evening's NHL action featuring Dartmouth alumni, St. Louis fell to Anaheim, 2-1, in overtime. Stemper assisted on the lone Blues goal, scored by Erik Johnson. Meanwhile, Colorado beat Phoenix, 3-2, in a shootout. David Jones played 8:22 in the win, posting one shot on goal and taking a high-sticking penalty. He also got a turn in a 12-round shootout, but couldn't beat Mikael Tellqvist.
That will do it for the evening. Tomorrow, I head to Old Nassau.
Of course, I currently have no company to be a "company man" for, and don't particularly like the fact that my options for televised college hockey are so limited. However, I did take the time to watch Clarkson play Union this evening, as SNY, home network of my beloved New York Mets, picks up Time Warner Cable's hockey broadcasts, which tend to involve the NY-based ECAC Hockey teams.
Of course, it's nice to see former RPI head coach Dan Fridgen on color commentary. Fridge, like just about every other coach I had the pleasure of working with (with one or two exceptions) is a great guy, and funny, too. When I covered ECAC Hockey media day for CSTV as well as CSTV.com a couple of years ago, in Fridge's last season, one of the questions I was given by the production folks was, "What TV character most resembles you?" Not many of the coaches thought much of the question, but Fridge delivered a very memorable answer. "You have three choices," he said, "Moe, Larry or Curly."
Well, if Fridgen and the rest of the Time Warner crew hadn't been there, it would have been Alex Dell and his officiating crew who looked like "stooges." With the game tied at three in the last minute, Clarkson appeared to score the go-ahead goal, but video replay showed that the puck slid under the cage as it was lifted up off its moorings. Since ECAC Hockey only has video replays for televised games, Union would have been screwed out of a point had this game not been on TV. As it was, the game went to overtime, where David Leggio made a great save in the waning seconds for the Golden Knights to preserve the tie.
With all the big breakout team stories this season - Northeastern, UMass-Lowell, Minnesota Duluth, Bowling Green, Providence, etc., it seems like the Dutchmen's season has been overlooked, along with Princeton's (although I'll do my share to remedy the situation with the Tigers tomorrow). At 13-11-6, the Dutchmen are within striking distance of the program's D-I wins record. To hit it, however, they'll have to win an ECAC Hockey playoff series, which they have never done. And as much as I like Nate Leaman (not to mention Union SID Hilary Haynes), I have this vision of the Dutchmen finishing fifth in the conference, drawing Dartmouth in the first round, and getting knocked out by a brilliant goaltending performance from Mike Devine (which is certainly possible...just ask UNH).
I do think there are bigger and better things ahead for Leaman, but it'd be nice to see him get that playoff series win he wants so badly. It is getting kind of ridiculous at this point.
On the professional front, I listened to the Melrose Line while I was at the gym last night, and Barry and Joy Russo discused the possiblity of the Rangers trading Jaromir Jagr. Melrose dismissed the possibility that a change of scenery would cure Jagr's ills, commenting that it didn't exactly happen when he came to New York.
Uh...Mullet-man...has it occured to you that Jagr could be like Joe Thornton, a supremely talented player who just plain wasn't cut out to be a captain? The Bruins put the C on him, and wound up having to trade him to San Jose, where he's been just fine, thank you.
Jagr is not a leader. He just isn't. It annoys me to no end that he wears the C for the Rangers, as he is, at best, the fourth-most qualified captain on the team behind Brendan Shanahan, Chris Drury, and Scott Gomez.
I have a theory about captains: you should not be the captain of a hockey team unless you play on the penalty kill. Why? Because the penalty killers are the hardest workers team, and if you're not one of the hardest workers on the team, you are in no position to lead.
Still, the Rangers are my team, and I'm going to see them on Sunday night. I bought tickets through Craig's List this evening while watching the Union-Clarkson game, on account of Tanner Glass (the gentleman on my left in that picture at the top of the screen) playing for the Panthers. I dared him back in November to fight Sean Avery (right before Tanner got sent down to Rochester for a while), and I'm waiting to see if he takes me up on it.
In this evening's NHL action featuring Dartmouth alumni, St. Louis fell to Anaheim, 2-1, in overtime. Stemper assisted on the lone Blues goal, scored by Erik Johnson. Meanwhile, Colorado beat Phoenix, 3-2, in a shootout. David Jones played 8:22 in the win, posting one shot on goal and taking a high-sticking penalty. He also got a turn in a 12-round shootout, but couldn't beat Mikael Tellqvist.
That will do it for the evening. Tomorrow, I head to Old Nassau.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Word Getting Out
Well, I've never been the kind to keep my mouth shut...it's why my friends rarely, if ever, tell me secrets. Although, I can say proudly that anything a coach has told me after telling me to turn my recorder off (or otherwise telling me that I can't print it) has stayed with me.
Not that I spilled any state secrets or anything, but I did an interview over at Runnin' With The Dogs as part of the "Gauntlet" series.
Between that, the post I made at Miami Hawk Talk, and folks like Chris at Western College Hockey checking out the RWD interview, the truth is getting out there.
One note on the interview, by the way...on my comment about everything working out for Phil Kessel, and RWD's "[Except for the whole cancer thing.]" comment...I'm sure Phil wishes he'd never had cancer, but the reality is that may have been one of the best things that could have happened for his career. Not that I'd recommend it as a career move or anything, but now, Phil is on billboards for Vs. that say, "His story is inspiring...until he scores on you," instead of people wondering what happened to the guy who was supposed to be the best American-born player since Mike Modano.
In my experience with Phil, he's never been a big fan of media attention, and the kind he got before and during his brief collegiate career was generally scrutiny, and plenty of it. Even on the day he signed with the Bruins, someone on the media conference call asked him about the Blarney incident. Phil Kessel may be the first person to find the NHL media easier to deal with than college. Go figure.
Anyhow, in the discussion of my ouster from my former employer, it has come out that I will be doing some freelance writing for the folks at USCHO. Yep, that's true. In fact, I'm going to be going down to Princeton on Saturday to see the Tigers take on Cornell and write a feature on the breakout season for Guy Gadowsky's boys.
Of course, that's not exactly going to pay the bills, so I am naturally looking for more substantial employment. Quite conveniently, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers sponsored a job fair before last night's game agaisnt the Norfolk Admirals, so I headed out there last night.
Job fair went reasonably well...if nothing else, it was fun to stand in front of the folks from the Islanders (and then again with the folks from the Sound Tigers), and talk about working with the likes of Jeff Jackson, Greg Cronin and Billy Jaffe. Yes, I am an insufferable name-dropper...just ask my fraternity brothers how far out of the way I took a conversation to mention my first interview with Mark Johnson in '05 - at the Northford Ice Pavilion, Quinnipiac's charming home until the opening of the TD Banknorth Sports Center and a place where I imagine Johnson wondered why in the world he was there.
But the real highlight of the evening was the game, which the Sound Tigers won, 4-3, coming from behind. It was fun to see some of the college hockey notables on both sides, especially the Sound Tigers' starting line of UNH's Trevor Smith, Niagara's Sean Bentivoglio, and Minnesota's Kyle Okposo. The Admirals also had a nice college presence on their top line with Western Michigan's Paul Szczechura and 2004 Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard.
The Sound Tigers do a nice job with their game production, including a pregame video where various current Isles boast that they were "Born in Bridgeport." The big thing, though, was that it was awesome to hear a pro hockey crowd engage in a "Sieve" chant, which is a nice staple of the college game that I always want to see more of in the pros.
Not being a member of the working media for the time being, I took the liberty of encouraging the abuse of Norfolk's Marc Denis. I found a group of fans who were being particularly abusive and taught them the "Sieve -> funnel -> vacuum -> black hole -> YOU JUST SUCK" taunt, which is one of those things I always wanted to do, but never really had company on.
Okposo, by the way, looked really good, scoring the game-tying goal for the Sound Tigers. Whatever you think of Garth Snow's comments following the Okposo signing in December - and I really hope the Isles don't look up my comments on what Snow said if they think of hiring for me to do anything - it's clear that Okposo is developing nicely in Bridgeport, and good for him.
Speaking of which, I have no clue why Garth said Lucia needs to "look in the mirror." The man's hair is clear evidence that he looks in the mirror just plenty as it is.
OK, maybe on that note, it's time to call it a night.
Not that I spilled any state secrets or anything, but I did an interview over at Runnin' With The Dogs as part of the "Gauntlet" series.
Between that, the post I made at Miami Hawk Talk, and folks like Chris at Western College Hockey checking out the RWD interview, the truth is getting out there.
One note on the interview, by the way...on my comment about everything working out for Phil Kessel, and RWD's "[Except for the whole cancer thing.]" comment...I'm sure Phil wishes he'd never had cancer, but the reality is that may have been one of the best things that could have happened for his career. Not that I'd recommend it as a career move or anything, but now, Phil is on billboards for Vs. that say, "His story is inspiring...until he scores on you," instead of people wondering what happened to the guy who was supposed to be the best American-born player since Mike Modano.
In my experience with Phil, he's never been a big fan of media attention, and the kind he got before and during his brief collegiate career was generally scrutiny, and plenty of it. Even on the day he signed with the Bruins, someone on the media conference call asked him about the Blarney incident. Phil Kessel may be the first person to find the NHL media easier to deal with than college. Go figure.
Anyhow, in the discussion of my ouster from my former employer, it has come out that I will be doing some freelance writing for the folks at USCHO. Yep, that's true. In fact, I'm going to be going down to Princeton on Saturday to see the Tigers take on Cornell and write a feature on the breakout season for Guy Gadowsky's boys.
Of course, that's not exactly going to pay the bills, so I am naturally looking for more substantial employment. Quite conveniently, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers sponsored a job fair before last night's game agaisnt the Norfolk Admirals, so I headed out there last night.
Job fair went reasonably well...if nothing else, it was fun to stand in front of the folks from the Islanders (and then again with the folks from the Sound Tigers), and talk about working with the likes of Jeff Jackson, Greg Cronin and Billy Jaffe. Yes, I am an insufferable name-dropper...just ask my fraternity brothers how far out of the way I took a conversation to mention my first interview with Mark Johnson in '05 - at the Northford Ice Pavilion, Quinnipiac's charming home until the opening of the TD Banknorth Sports Center and a place where I imagine Johnson wondered why in the world he was there.
But the real highlight of the evening was the game, which the Sound Tigers won, 4-3, coming from behind. It was fun to see some of the college hockey notables on both sides, especially the Sound Tigers' starting line of UNH's Trevor Smith, Niagara's Sean Bentivoglio, and Minnesota's Kyle Okposo. The Admirals also had a nice college presence on their top line with Western Michigan's Paul Szczechura and 2004 Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard.
The Sound Tigers do a nice job with their game production, including a pregame video where various current Isles boast that they were "Born in Bridgeport." The big thing, though, was that it was awesome to hear a pro hockey crowd engage in a "Sieve" chant, which is a nice staple of the college game that I always want to see more of in the pros.
Not being a member of the working media for the time being, I took the liberty of encouraging the abuse of Norfolk's Marc Denis. I found a group of fans who were being particularly abusive and taught them the "Sieve -> funnel -> vacuum -> black hole -> YOU JUST SUCK" taunt, which is one of those things I always wanted to do, but never really had company on.
Okposo, by the way, looked really good, scoring the game-tying goal for the Sound Tigers. Whatever you think of Garth Snow's comments following the Okposo signing in December - and I really hope the Isles don't look up my comments on what Snow said if they think of hiring for me to do anything - it's clear that Okposo is developing nicely in Bridgeport, and good for him.
Speaking of which, I have no clue why Garth said Lucia needs to "look in the mirror." The man's hair is clear evidence that he looks in the mirror just plenty as it is.
OK, maybe on that note, it's time to call it a night.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The Hockey Fan's Guide To iTunes
I'll deliver the promised topic shortly, but first, an NHL interlude...
1) How on Earth did the Rangers manage to lose tonight? Giving up a 5-0 lead like that is absolutely disgusting. At least they had the decency to get a point out of the deal.
On the positive side, I do love the Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr line...surround Jagr with that much energy, and it makes him give a damn. Also on the positive side, the power play scored twice.
I suppose what it boils down to is a craptacular defensive performance, espectially on the fourth goal. Given that the blueline corps is hardly a star-studded outfit - and Marek Malik continues to find his way onto the ice at times that I really don't want him there - one of those is likely to come out every now and then, although not of such epic proportions.
2) In another annoying collapse, the Panthers surrendered a 2-0 lead to the homestanding Penguins in a 3-2 loss. Tanner had less than a minute of ice time in the loss, so we won't say much about this one.
3) The Blues, on the other hand, posted a 5-1 win over the Blackhawks tonight, which I caught bits and pieces of while the Rangers were breaking my heart. Stemper had one of three power-play goals for St. Louis, which was wearing its white jerseys tonight, a departure from the standard of the road teams wearing white as it has been, I believe since the lockout.
In discussing the game with a colleague, he said that the arrangement of the home team wearing white was as it should be, agreeing with INCH's Found On A Cocktail Napkin on things the NHL should borrow from college hockey. Personally, I don't particularly care, except insofar as my Stempniak jersey is in blue, not white, and I go to see the Blues on the road, not at home.
It never struck me as a huge deal. But now...as promised, my thoughts on what's out there for hockey fans on iTunes.
As one might expect, the Canadians - but not the Canadiens - lead the way when it comes to hockey podcasts. The Canucks and Oilers have great video podcasts with player interviews, both on game days and after practice, but they can't hold a candle to the Maple Leafs. Not only can you get the "Leafs Game in Six Minutes" podcast but you can also get "Marlies Game In Six Minutes," which is much more entertaining for the college hockey enthusiast. I find the Marlies podcasts more entertaining myself, seeing familiar faces like Jaime Sifers, Reid Cashman, and most of the time, Robbie Earl.
Sifers, for the record, is one of my favorite college hockey players that I had the pleasure to work with. Jaime is a great kid, a former Hockey Humanitarian finalist, and was a fantastic leader at Vermont, wearing the captain's C for two and a half seasons. One thing that I've noticed about the Catamounts is that they rarely, if ever, come out flat to start a game, and while a lot of that has to do with Kevin Sneddon as a coach, Sifers set the tone as captain early in the Sneddon era, and when UVM gets back into the NCAA tournament (and I believe that day is coming), their success will be traced back to Sifers' influence.
But I digress.
Hey, I wouldn't be me if I didn't do that, right? Anyway, moving right along...
As for college hockey video, Boston University does a fantastic job putting up the highlights from home games, a combination of the ultra-professional scoreboard feed and Bernie Corbett's calls from the radio broadcast.
My former employer also puts highlights from broadcasts up on iTunes, and I hope that continues once the name change goes into effect next month.
Finally, there's audio. There are a lot more options out there for audio-only podcasts, and chances are that whoever your team in the NHL, there's something out there for you. However, this is what I go with:
- The Melrose Line. Now that I no longer look at ESPN as the competition, I can say that I am a big fan of Barry Melrose, his involvement in the disaster that was Slap Shot 2 notwithstanding. His weekly exchange with ESPN.com's Joy Russo is exceptionally entertaining.
- Inside College Hockey podcast. Similarly no longer the competition, I get a kick out of these guys, especially the "deterioration" segment that closes the podcast.
- New York Hockey Report - It's nice to get converage of all three New York-area teams in one shot, not only because of the convenience, but because it allows for multiple perspectives on one podcast.
- TSN's NHL Insiders - Pierre McGuire and Darren Draper's segments are very brief, but worth hearing.
- NHL Radio - I generally go with DOC~!'s history segments and the Sam Rosen One-on-One interviews, but it's all good.
Personally, I wish there was more video out there, but the truth is, that there's plenty of material out there to keep hockey fans occupied.
1) How on Earth did the Rangers manage to lose tonight? Giving up a 5-0 lead like that is absolutely disgusting. At least they had the decency to get a point out of the deal.
On the positive side, I do love the Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr line...surround Jagr with that much energy, and it makes him give a damn. Also on the positive side, the power play scored twice.
I suppose what it boils down to is a craptacular defensive performance, espectially on the fourth goal. Given that the blueline corps is hardly a star-studded outfit - and Marek Malik continues to find his way onto the ice at times that I really don't want him there - one of those is likely to come out every now and then, although not of such epic proportions.
2) In another annoying collapse, the Panthers surrendered a 2-0 lead to the homestanding Penguins in a 3-2 loss. Tanner had less than a minute of ice time in the loss, so we won't say much about this one.
3) The Blues, on the other hand, posted a 5-1 win over the Blackhawks tonight, which I caught bits and pieces of while the Rangers were breaking my heart. Stemper had one of three power-play goals for St. Louis, which was wearing its white jerseys tonight, a departure from the standard of the road teams wearing white as it has been, I believe since the lockout.
In discussing the game with a colleague, he said that the arrangement of the home team wearing white was as it should be, agreeing with INCH's Found On A Cocktail Napkin on things the NHL should borrow from college hockey. Personally, I don't particularly care, except insofar as my Stempniak jersey is in blue, not white, and I go to see the Blues on the road, not at home.
It never struck me as a huge deal. But now...as promised, my thoughts on what's out there for hockey fans on iTunes.
As one might expect, the Canadians - but not the Canadiens - lead the way when it comes to hockey podcasts. The Canucks and Oilers have great video podcasts with player interviews, both on game days and after practice, but they can't hold a candle to the Maple Leafs. Not only can you get the "Leafs Game in Six Minutes" podcast but you can also get "Marlies Game In Six Minutes," which is much more entertaining for the college hockey enthusiast. I find the Marlies podcasts more entertaining myself, seeing familiar faces like Jaime Sifers, Reid Cashman, and most of the time, Robbie Earl.
Sifers, for the record, is one of my favorite college hockey players that I had the pleasure to work with. Jaime is a great kid, a former Hockey Humanitarian finalist, and was a fantastic leader at Vermont, wearing the captain's C for two and a half seasons. One thing that I've noticed about the Catamounts is that they rarely, if ever, come out flat to start a game, and while a lot of that has to do with Kevin Sneddon as a coach, Sifers set the tone as captain early in the Sneddon era, and when UVM gets back into the NCAA tournament (and I believe that day is coming), their success will be traced back to Sifers' influence.
But I digress.
Hey, I wouldn't be me if I didn't do that, right? Anyway, moving right along...
As for college hockey video, Boston University does a fantastic job putting up the highlights from home games, a combination of the ultra-professional scoreboard feed and Bernie Corbett's calls from the radio broadcast.
My former employer also puts highlights from broadcasts up on iTunes, and I hope that continues once the name change goes into effect next month.
Finally, there's audio. There are a lot more options out there for audio-only podcasts, and chances are that whoever your team in the NHL, there's something out there for you. However, this is what I go with:
- The Melrose Line. Now that I no longer look at ESPN as the competition, I can say that I am a big fan of Barry Melrose, his involvement in the disaster that was Slap Shot 2 notwithstanding. His weekly exchange with ESPN.com's Joy Russo is exceptionally entertaining.
- Inside College Hockey podcast. Similarly no longer the competition, I get a kick out of these guys, especially the "deterioration" segment that closes the podcast.
- New York Hockey Report - It's nice to get converage of all three New York-area teams in one shot, not only because of the convenience, but because it allows for multiple perspectives on one podcast.
- TSN's NHL Insiders - Pierre McGuire and Darren Draper's segments are very brief, but worth hearing.
- NHL Radio - I generally go with DOC~!'s history segments and the Sam Rosen One-on-One interviews, but it's all good.
Personally, I wish there was more video out there, but the truth is, that there's plenty of material out there to keep hockey fans occupied.
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