You know those jokes about Florida being someplace where people go to die? A lot of those people happen to be New Yorkers, so it's only appropriate that the Rangers' point streak died in Florida.
Yep, the Rangers return to the Garden to face the Penguins on Tuesday night (with yours truly in attendance), looking to snap a two-game pointless streak. Ugly game against Tampa tonight. No real jump that I could talk about from the Rangers, although Lundqvist made his best effort to steal a point or two for the Blueshirts. Just hoping the boys can shake it off and get back at it in a huge game against the Pens on Tuesday, to be immediately followed on Wednesday by a game against the Devils in Newark.
Friday against Florida, I didn't mind so much, because I'd like to see Florida make the playoffs. For starters, Tanner Glass would be part of a taxi squad, I assume, which is his only real shot at the postseason since the Rochester Americans aren't making the Calder Cup playoffs. Also, the Panthers getting in would probably mean that Philadelphia would drop out, and if there's one team I can't stand, it's the goon squad known as the Philadelphia Flyers. There are things that have happened in Flyer uniforms this season that have no place in hockey, and I would rather not see them rewarded with a playoff berth.
Of course, they're the teams trying to get into the playoffs. In the college hockey world, we have playoffs going on right now, and two conference champs set to be crowned tomorrow. Bemidji State, having dropped the final curtain on Wayne State, will face Niagara for the CHA title, while Mercyhurst, having beaten Sacred Heart and Army, will look to post one more upset against Air Force for the Atlantic Hockey title.
I'm sad to see Army's season come to a close, but I'd love to see Air Force go to the tournament. Actually, I'd love to see a Serratore Sweep go down, with Bemidji and Air Force going to the tournament. Both Frank and Tom are great guys, even among college hockey coaches, who are pretty much good guys all around to begin with.
Meanwhile, in playoffs that end next weekend, there are some interesting Game 3 situations going down on Sunday night, with teams on the bubble potentially playing for their seasons. Notre Dame, sitting fourteenth in the Pairwise after Saturday's game, goes into a potential do-or-die situation against Ferris State, while Boston University, on the outside looking in at the moment, needs a win against UMass-Lowell to stay alive. I'd love to speculate on the implications of the Minnesota-Minnesota State game, but as we've learned, the Gophers are about as indestructible as their coach's hair.
Finally, there's Michigan Tech and North Dakota. Now, I doubt there's much in the way of implications here, because the Sioux are clearly in, and the Huskies are almost certainly out (if they take two out of three from North Dakota, who's to say they couldn't win the WCHA, you know?). However, I do think it's kind of funny that after handing North Dakota its first loss of the season, Michigan Tech snaps another North Dakota unbeaten streak.
Oh, and I've started doing some blogging for USCHO, speculating on the Hobey Baker race. You can read my first entry here.
Showing posts with label Panthers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Panthers. Show all posts
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...
Well, the bad news, of course, is that the Rangers lost to the Islanders last night, 4-3, in a shootout, with former Michigan Wolverine Jeff Tambellini getting the winner in the shootout. Also, Denver alum Wade Dubielewicz played a hell of a game for the Isles, although I refuse to concede that his stop on Brandon Dubinsky in the shootout gives him the exclusive New York rights to the nickname "Dubie." I think they should settle it over the summer in a penalty shot best-of-seven.
To be honest, I have very little animosity towards the Isles unless the Rangers are directly involved. For one thing, I spent Isles color commentator Billy Jaffe is one of the many outstanding people I had the opportunity to work with at CSTV...which is probably something I haven't made enough of a point of mentioning: in terms of the things I got to do and the people I had the opportunity to work with, I couldn't have asked for much better in terms of a first job out of college. One thing that I've tried to stress has been what a great community we have in college hockey (fans who call me a "little dweeb" and comment on my sex life notwithstanding), and my place in this community is something that CSTV gave to me (or at least, gave me the opportunity to take...I dare say that my willingness to work seven days and sleep on frat house couches and Greyhound buses had a role as well), and it's something that I plan to hold onto for a long time.
...but I digress.
Yes, unless they're playing the Rangers (or Panthers or Blues), I really don't care about the Islanders. Yeah, I have a slight distrust of Ted Nolan for the stunt he tried to pull with Simon Danis-Pepin when he was the coach and GM of the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL, and of course, Garth Snow made a fool out of himself with his comments on Don Lucia and the Minnesota program after signing Kyle Okposo (although 21 points in 24 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers does suggest that the change itself did Okposo some good).
All that said, damn it, they did just beat the Rangers, although it did take a shootout loss for Henrik, which means the Rangers still haven't lost in regulation since February 7 against Anaheim, a streak I expect them to continue tomorrow night at the Coliseum.
In other news...Sidney Crosby came back last night and had a win in Pittsburgh's 2-0 win over the Lightning. I mention this for two reasons: 1) Sid is the star in the NHL right now, and it's good to see him back relatively quickly, just for the good of the game; and 2) I have tickets to the Rangers-Penguins game on March 18, and I'm glad to know that I'll be seeing No. 87 in action.
Meanwhile, how hot is Curtis Anderson right now? Two nights after stopping 53 shots in a 1-0 win over the Islanders, he stops 40 in another 1-0 win, this one in overtime against the Bruins. Tanner Glass played a little less than four minutes in the win. Lee Stempniak had a goal for St. Louis tonight, but unfortunately, it was the Blues' only tally in a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings.
In college hockey news, it's time for another comparison of the current projected NCAA Tournament bracket, as compared to what the bracket would look like using KRACH instead of the PairWise Rankings, comparing the bracket to Jason Moy's latest Bracketology column over at USCHO.
PairWise-Based Bracket
Worcester
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 6 Denver vs. No. 9 Boston College
Colorado Springs
No. 4 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Minnesota Duluth
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 Minnesota
Madison
No. 3 New Hampshire vs. No. 13 Wisconsin
No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 11 Minnesota State
Albany
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 16 Army
No. 7 Clarkson vs. No. 10 St. Cloud
KRACH-Based Bracket
Madison
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 16 Army
No. 8 St. Cloud vs. No. 10 Wisconsin
Worcester
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 13 Minnesota Duluth
No. 5 New Hampshire vs. No. 11 Minnesota
Colorado Springs
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Clarkson
No. 5 Denver vs. No. 12 Boston College
Albany
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Minnesota State
A few quick notes:
Clarkson, the No. 7 seed in the actual projected bracket, is No. 15 in the KRACH system, and only gets into the "bracket" based on being the ECAC Hockey frontrunner (cue "EZAC" comments from the peanut gallery out west).
Wisconsin climbs from No. 13 in the PairWise to No. 10 in KRACH, which means that the NCAA could justify a bracket that makes actual geographic sense, because North Dakota can go to Madison without drawing Wisconsin in the first round. New Hampshire, meanwhile, is left to hold down the attendance fort in Worrcester, while Albany could be something of an attendance disaster (although I think Southwest flies from Detroit to Albany) and CC and Denver would keep things nice and exciting in the Springs.
Of course, the big subject of discussion this week is the "phantom rule" about a .500 record being necessary for at-large consideration. I'll comment more on this tomorrow, but I will say that I can see both sides of the issue, although I would certainly welcome this rule in the future if it ever is actually put into the NCAA rulebook.
To be honest, I have very little animosity towards the Isles unless the Rangers are directly involved. For one thing, I spent Isles color commentator Billy Jaffe is one of the many outstanding people I had the opportunity to work with at CSTV...which is probably something I haven't made enough of a point of mentioning: in terms of the things I got to do and the people I had the opportunity to work with, I couldn't have asked for much better in terms of a first job out of college. One thing that I've tried to stress has been what a great community we have in college hockey (fans who call me a "little dweeb" and comment on my sex life notwithstanding), and my place in this community is something that CSTV gave to me (or at least, gave me the opportunity to take...I dare say that my willingness to work seven days and sleep on frat house couches and Greyhound buses had a role as well), and it's something that I plan to hold onto for a long time.
...but I digress.
Yes, unless they're playing the Rangers (or Panthers or Blues), I really don't care about the Islanders. Yeah, I have a slight distrust of Ted Nolan for the stunt he tried to pull with Simon Danis-Pepin when he was the coach and GM of the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL, and of course, Garth Snow made a fool out of himself with his comments on Don Lucia and the Minnesota program after signing Kyle Okposo (although 21 points in 24 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers does suggest that the change itself did Okposo some good).
All that said, damn it, they did just beat the Rangers, although it did take a shootout loss for Henrik, which means the Rangers still haven't lost in regulation since February 7 against Anaheim, a streak I expect them to continue tomorrow night at the Coliseum.
In other news...Sidney Crosby came back last night and had a win in Pittsburgh's 2-0 win over the Lightning. I mention this for two reasons: 1) Sid is the star in the NHL right now, and it's good to see him back relatively quickly, just for the good of the game; and 2) I have tickets to the Rangers-Penguins game on March 18, and I'm glad to know that I'll be seeing No. 87 in action.
Meanwhile, how hot is Curtis Anderson right now? Two nights after stopping 53 shots in a 1-0 win over the Islanders, he stops 40 in another 1-0 win, this one in overtime against the Bruins. Tanner Glass played a little less than four minutes in the win. Lee Stempniak had a goal for St. Louis tonight, but unfortunately, it was the Blues' only tally in a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings.
In college hockey news, it's time for another comparison of the current projected NCAA Tournament bracket, as compared to what the bracket would look like using KRACH instead of the PairWise Rankings, comparing the bracket to Jason Moy's latest Bracketology column over at USCHO.
PairWise-Based Bracket
Worcester
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 6 Denver vs. No. 9 Boston College
Colorado Springs
No. 4 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Minnesota Duluth
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 Minnesota
Madison
No. 3 New Hampshire vs. No. 13 Wisconsin
No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 11 Minnesota State
Albany
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 16 Army
No. 7 Clarkson vs. No. 10 St. Cloud
KRACH-Based Bracket
Madison
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 16 Army
No. 8 St. Cloud vs. No. 10 Wisconsin
Worcester
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 13 Minnesota Duluth
No. 5 New Hampshire vs. No. 11 Minnesota
Colorado Springs
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 14 Clarkson
No. 5 Denver vs. No. 12 Boston College
Albany
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Bemidji State
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 9 Minnesota State
A few quick notes:
Monday, March 3, 2008
Upon Further Review...
You know, I was wondering where the reaction was when I suggested that teams that finished below .500 in conference play - including teams from the mighty WCHA - but I suppose all it took was Chris Dilks posting about it over at Western College Hockey to bring out the hate.
First, let me say it's amusing that one of those people called me "little." I suppose I should take it as a compliment, since one of the things I'm trying to do while I'm unemployed is lose some weight (having more time to go to the gym and fewer press meals to eat are two excellent conditions for trying to get back under 200 pounds). As for the post about my personal life...well, that's one of the other things I'm trying to improve on. And as for a girl who goes to a Western Conference school changing my mind, I'd be happy to arrange a trip to Oxford for myself (Oh, come on, that's funny).
However, all (half-)kidding aside, the overriding theme I sense here is one of my supposed East Coast Bias. I suppose I'll be hearing more of that now, since my travel will no longer be nearly as extensive. However, just because the comments will be more frequent doesn't mean that they're any more true.
I would hope that my commitment to college hockey - regardless of geographical location - would be beyond question at this point. I've traveled as much as budgetary factors would allow to cover college hockey on a national level. If, after three and a half years, you think I favor college hockey in the east over the west, then I suppose there's not much else that I can say, other than "You should take off the tinfoil hat...it looks kind of uncomfortable."
But this isn't about me, or at least, it shouldn't be.
I am more than happy to acknowledge that the WCHA is the best conference in college hockey, and has been for some time. Former Hobey Baker winner Tom Kurvers, now the director of player personnel for the Phoenix Coyotes, went so far as to call the conference the second best league in the country after the NHL, and he just may be right.
The thinking behind my comment is this: as nice as it is to have a perfectly transparent system to determine who gets into the NCAA tournament and who doesn't - with no talk about "who got screwed by the committee" - part of me likes the idea of achievement being rewarded at tournament time. If there's an argument that Minnesota's achievements this season deserve to be rewarded with an NCAA tournament berth - other than the PairWise itself, of course - I'd love to hear it. I would submit that Princeton and Providence (if not Notre Dame) have done more this season to deserve an NCAA tournament bid. Of course, no one sits around and decides who deserves to be in the tournament, and that's generally regarded as a good thing, by me and by just about everyone else. Still, I think that finishing .500 in conference play is a fair enough measure of achievement that making it a condition for at-large consideration shouldn't be all that mind-boggling.
All of that said, I have taken some time to think further on my controversial assertion, and I have a couple of additional thoughts.
Since this isn't actually a rule, and just my opinion, I'm making an exception in the case of Wisconsin. I will have no problem with the Badgers making the tournament if the PairWise puts them in. Yes, the Badgers' WCHA record is 11-12-5 with their regular season over. However, it is worth noting that Wisconsin has been screwed by WCHA officiating not once...
but twice...
If not for the crack officiating in the WCHA this season, Wisconsin would probably be at least .500, and also, the fact they're hosting this year makes their participation a little bit easier for me to handle.
However, on the subject of Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota, there's one little nugget in the NCAA manual that hasn't been talked about much until the other day, when it popped up on the USCHO board:
"To be considered during the at-large selection process, a team must have an overall won-lost record of .500 or better."
In other words, Minnesota can't lose any more than one more game than it wins between the series against Minnesota Duluth this weekend and the WCHA tournament, or else the Gophers are out of the NCAA tournament picture. Meanwhile, Minnesota Duluth needs to win two more games than it loses between the Minnesota series and the WCHA tournament, or it's bye-bye Bulldogs. Wisconsin can't get swept in the WCHA tournament, or else the Badgers are out. St. Cloud needs at least one point against North Dakota, or a sweep in the WCHA tournament knocks them out.
The eyes are growing wider at Notre Dame, Princeton, Providence, BU and Harvard. Now, in all fairness, BU has had a disappointing year by many measures - and is also in danger of falling victim to the .500 record rule, but the Terriers have taken care of business in conference.
I'm not sure exactly how any of this is going to play out this weekend, but I will take a stab at it later in the week, when I make a guest appearance in Theresa Spisak's weekly WCHA column on USCHO to make my predictions for the weekend. However, I will always say that I'd rather see teams that overachieve make the NCAA tournament as opposed to teams that underachieve.
Wow, that was more time than I expected to spend on this issue tonight. Brief NHL observations from yesterday.
- The Rangers beat the goon squad known as the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday, 5-4, in a shootout. Henrik Lundqvist allowed three goals in the first period before being pulled in favor of Stephen Valiquette, while Antero Niittymaki allowed four goals before giving way to Martin Biron early in the second. While Valiquette - or as I call him, "Prince Vali-ant" (since he backs up "King Henrik") - did give up the tying goal late in the third period, it was the one goal he allowed in his last eight periods of play against Philadelphia. It was kind of funny tonight, watching the Capitals destroy the Bruins and seeing Lundqvist talking about the rivalry tonight in an ad for the next Rangers-Flyers game (which, like the Caps-Bruins game, will air on Versus), knowing that the likelihood of Lundqvist starting that game is pretty low right about now. Of note: the Attitude ADJustment line did not score.
- While I watched the first two periods of the Rangers game on NBC - as called by DOC~! and Eddie Olczyk - I listened to the third, overtime, and the shootout on the radio as I headed for Long Island, where I saw the Islanders lose to Tanner Glass and the Panthers, 1-0. Tanner had seven shifts and 4:54 total ice time in the win, but the big story was Panthers backup netminder Craig Anderson, who outdueled Denver alumnus and fellow backup Wade Dubielewicz. Former Michgian State Spartan David Booth supplied the lone goal for the Panthers, who have a tough uphill climb to get a playoff spot.
I was also none too impressed by Wade Belak. His mobility is definitely an issue, and to be honest, I think Florida will need more than one of its five injured forwards back before Tanner can be sent back to Rochester. Just as the Wild cannot afford to have Derek Boogaard in the lineup every night, so too is Belak going to be a liability for the Panthers. There will be nights when a smaller, more mobile player (who can still drop the gloves when it's called for) will be necessary, and I think it's pretty obvious who that guy is.
Hopefully, he will still be up when the Panthers close the regular season against the Capitals, because I'm thinking of visiting some friends in DC that weekend. By the way, I got my New Era caps (Blues and Panthers) today (ordered during NHL.com's trade deadline sale), and they are really pretty nice (especially for the four bucks each I paid).
OK, that's it for now. Time for me to go and figure out which direction my bed points and which way I'd need to lay in it to...oh, never mind!
First, let me say it's amusing that one of those people called me "little." I suppose I should take it as a compliment, since one of the things I'm trying to do while I'm unemployed is lose some weight (having more time to go to the gym and fewer press meals to eat are two excellent conditions for trying to get back under 200 pounds). As for the post about my personal life...well, that's one of the other things I'm trying to improve on. And as for a girl who goes to a Western Conference school changing my mind, I'd be happy to arrange a trip to Oxford for myself (Oh, come on, that's funny).
However, all (half-)kidding aside, the overriding theme I sense here is one of my supposed East Coast Bias. I suppose I'll be hearing more of that now, since my travel will no longer be nearly as extensive. However, just because the comments will be more frequent doesn't mean that they're any more true.
I would hope that my commitment to college hockey - regardless of geographical location - would be beyond question at this point. I've traveled as much as budgetary factors would allow to cover college hockey on a national level. If, after three and a half years, you think I favor college hockey in the east over the west, then I suppose there's not much else that I can say, other than "You should take off the tinfoil hat...it looks kind of uncomfortable."
But this isn't about me, or at least, it shouldn't be.
I am more than happy to acknowledge that the WCHA is the best conference in college hockey, and has been for some time. Former Hobey Baker winner Tom Kurvers, now the director of player personnel for the Phoenix Coyotes, went so far as to call the conference the second best league in the country after the NHL, and he just may be right.
The thinking behind my comment is this: as nice as it is to have a perfectly transparent system to determine who gets into the NCAA tournament and who doesn't - with no talk about "who got screwed by the committee" - part of me likes the idea of achievement being rewarded at tournament time. If there's an argument that Minnesota's achievements this season deserve to be rewarded with an NCAA tournament berth - other than the PairWise itself, of course - I'd love to hear it. I would submit that Princeton and Providence (if not Notre Dame) have done more this season to deserve an NCAA tournament bid. Of course, no one sits around and decides who deserves to be in the tournament, and that's generally regarded as a good thing, by me and by just about everyone else. Still, I think that finishing .500 in conference play is a fair enough measure of achievement that making it a condition for at-large consideration shouldn't be all that mind-boggling.
All of that said, I have taken some time to think further on my controversial assertion, and I have a couple of additional thoughts.
but twice...
If not for the crack officiating in the WCHA this season, Wisconsin would probably be at least .500, and also, the fact they're hosting this year makes their participation a little bit easier for me to handle.
"To be considered during the at-large selection process, a team must have an overall won-lost record of .500 or better."
In other words, Minnesota can't lose any more than one more game than it wins between the series against Minnesota Duluth this weekend and the WCHA tournament, or else the Gophers are out of the NCAA tournament picture. Meanwhile, Minnesota Duluth needs to win two more games than it loses between the Minnesota series and the WCHA tournament, or it's bye-bye Bulldogs. Wisconsin can't get swept in the WCHA tournament, or else the Badgers are out. St. Cloud needs at least one point against North Dakota, or a sweep in the WCHA tournament knocks them out.
The eyes are growing wider at Notre Dame, Princeton, Providence, BU and Harvard. Now, in all fairness, BU has had a disappointing year by many measures - and is also in danger of falling victim to the .500 record rule, but the Terriers have taken care of business in conference.
I'm not sure exactly how any of this is going to play out this weekend, but I will take a stab at it later in the week, when I make a guest appearance in Theresa Spisak's weekly WCHA column on USCHO to make my predictions for the weekend. However, I will always say that I'd rather see teams that overachieve make the NCAA tournament as opposed to teams that underachieve.
Wow, that was more time than I expected to spend on this issue tonight. Brief NHL observations from yesterday.
- The Rangers beat the goon squad known as the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday, 5-4, in a shootout. Henrik Lundqvist allowed three goals in the first period before being pulled in favor of Stephen Valiquette, while Antero Niittymaki allowed four goals before giving way to Martin Biron early in the second. While Valiquette - or as I call him, "Prince Vali-ant" (since he backs up "King Henrik") - did give up the tying goal late in the third period, it was the one goal he allowed in his last eight periods of play against Philadelphia. It was kind of funny tonight, watching the Capitals destroy the Bruins and seeing Lundqvist talking about the rivalry tonight in an ad for the next Rangers-Flyers game (which, like the Caps-Bruins game, will air on Versus), knowing that the likelihood of Lundqvist starting that game is pretty low right about now. Of note: the Attitude ADJustment line did not score.
- While I watched the first two periods of the Rangers game on NBC - as called by DOC~! and Eddie Olczyk - I listened to the third, overtime, and the shootout on the radio as I headed for Long Island, where I saw the Islanders lose to Tanner Glass and the Panthers, 1-0. Tanner had seven shifts and 4:54 total ice time in the win, but the big story was Panthers backup netminder Craig Anderson, who outdueled Denver alumnus and fellow backup Wade Dubielewicz. Former Michgian State Spartan David Booth supplied the lone goal for the Panthers, who have a tough uphill climb to get a playoff spot.
I was also none too impressed by Wade Belak. His mobility is definitely an issue, and to be honest, I think Florida will need more than one of its five injured forwards back before Tanner can be sent back to Rochester. Just as the Wild cannot afford to have Derek Boogaard in the lineup every night, so too is Belak going to be a liability for the Panthers. There will be nights when a smaller, more mobile player (who can still drop the gloves when it's called for) will be necessary, and I think it's pretty obvious who that guy is.
Hopefully, he will still be up when the Panthers close the regular season against the Capitals, because I'm thinking of visiting some friends in DC that weekend. By the way, I got my New Era caps (Blues and Panthers) today (ordered during NHL.com's trade deadline sale), and they are really pretty nice (especially for the four bucks each I paid).
OK, that's it for now. Time for me to go and figure out which direction my bed points and which way I'd need to lay in it to...oh, never mind!
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.
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