Tampa Lightning
Someone Let The NHL Schedule Out….
It is now out of the bag……
It will be an interesting season this year with everyone playing each other at least once. I will enjoy the Pittsburgh-Washington battles..and the two Avery Vs. Brodeur matchups. Naturally, the Rangers Vs. Stars meeting will also have extra meeting as the super pest faces his former team. There are so many storylines with the new err back to the future schedule.
Sometime around Thanksgiving or a little after, Martin Brodeur (barring injury) will surely approach and break Patrick Roy’s goaltending victories mark (551). Brodeur has 538 right now…and well 14 wins should be about as automatic as Tiger Woods on Sundays. I was hoping the Devils would have a West Coast trip at that time but no…they will have a trip in early January…right around my wife’s birthday (Jan. 8th).
Finally, all I want to see this year is some more physical hockey. With all the changing addresses, maybe my hope will be fulfilled. Now maybe it won’t but I am hoping for a very interesting season, I look forward to The Winter Classic in Chicago, and of course the start of the season in Europe with Ottawa, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, and Tampa playing two games each. Enjoy!
Hockey Around The Horn: Episode 9
Greetings everyone…this is your host, Chris Wassel, with another episode of Hockey Around The Horn: The Stanley Cup Edition.
And now the intros…..
Kindly introduce yourselves please….
I am the Ogre, the strong yet gentle giant of TheNHLArena. And I happen to be the GM of the Penguins.
“Stand back, JoeyHurricane is coming thru! *cues entrance theme*…darn the CD is skipping!”
I am the one..the only….the Princess.
THE ICEBREAKER
Brian Burke has denied the Leafs yet again….is this story really dead or is there still more to the tale?
I know not of this “Brian Burke” of which you speak. Is he the one living down in the forest by the elves? Seems I’ve heard the name before and pain fills the eardrum. — Ogre
“I wouldnt call it dead right now, perhaps life support. I think things will get clearer just after the draft. Since Burke has a year left on his current deal, even if he resigned he would still have to honor that final year so unless he was able to get an out if the owner gets in potential legal trouble, this story is going to be a moot issue until next season with a few more weeks of conjecture from hockey media.” — Joey
LOL…dead. Burke isn’t going anywhere. — Princess
NEWS OF THE WEEK
1. Much has been made of the officiating in the Stanley Cup Finals…what sticks out more…the goaltending interference calls or the obstruction calls?
You asked the right person. The obstruction needs to be stopped and the refs are doing the right thing. Reaching out with the free hand needs to be eliminated. As far as goalie interference, I think the call on Zetterberg in the first OT was a good call and the other was a nice fall by Fleury. I am strongly against diving or embellishing but until they correct it, it’s going to happen, and most goalies are good at it. But players need to stop driving into the crease. If they hit a goalie outside his little blue home, tough, he deserves to be hit. But if he’s where he is supposed to be, you got to stay out. Home invasion should be a crime. Make the blue area a little bigger, get rid of the trapezoid, and if you roam from home, expect to get hit.
– Ogre
“I think it is the interference calls. As much as we fans all clamor for more consistent officiating, let’s face the facts, obstruction calls are hockey’s version of holding in football, you just aren’t gonna get them all and get them all right. Goalie interference calls far too much exploit the wording of the rulebook and can use a revision to make this infraction completely understandable, thus making this call more consistent.” — Joey
Obstruction, but I’m tried of hearing about people being upset about the calls made or not made. No *person* is perfect and no one ref is gonna see every pentaly to be called. And there are calls in every game you can say were bad or not made. I think people should either really try to fix this issue or shut up and just watch the game. Just crying about it doesn’t do anything.
– Princess
2. Former Coyotes GM Mike Barrett has proposed a developmental league in the Spring for prospects. Is this something that could work or is it just too outlandish to be plausible?
To do what? Save a few weeks in the minors? Stupid idea. Use the minors for what it is there for, getting young players time on the ice in game situations. — Ogre
“Chalk me up on the negative. Several reasons for this, first is you would have young players and prospects from a variety of leagues both professional and not that would have to sign off on this and that wont happen. The NHLPA wouldnt and shouldnt agree to something that can injure players that are members of the PA that may potentially be caused by players that are not members. Also give these kids a rest, hockey is enough of a drain on their lives, give them more than 8 weeks of an ‘offseason’. Instead of this have more rookie tournaments thru the league like the Traverse City tourney and the rookie tourney in the Pacific Division, instead. — Joey
Could work, but then again, there’s nothing to say you can’t take one of the many leagues already made and turn it into that. Probably would save money and time. — Princess
3. What is the more intimidating place to play a home game at….Joe Louis or the Mellon?
Well, bowing to the intelligence of my counterpart, Princess, with the lower attendance at the Joe, (I agree with the pricing and economic atmosphere he pointed out to me) and total sellouts at Mellon Arena, I got to go with the hometown crowd. The whiteout and full out mayhem makes it a tough place to play, hence the recent record, which the Red Wings snapped Monday. — Ogre
“I am going with Igloo. I was there scooping up Student Rush tickets, even if I was out of college already, when the team sucked and attendance barely ever got over 13,000 and those crowds were as loud as some sellouts cause those were the passionate fans that were there. I have seem many examples of how Pens teams play and effort resonates with the crowd at the Mellon. On thing I’ll remember the most is the Pens breaking a long winless streak at home with Andy Chiodo slamming his goalie stick on the net and waving his arms to the crowd that is so loud that you think we just won a berth in the Stanley Cup.” — Joey
Haha! I don’t think playing a home game at Joe Louis is intimidating…for the Red Wings
— Princess
4. How bad has the Tampa situation spiraled out of control and could it possibly get worse?
Yeah. It could get worse.
Win. Win. Win. Win. Win.
They couldn’t with the good players they had.
The baseball team has finally shown up and could steal people, and dollars, away from the Lightning, too. It’s tough enough to get people to go inside in a place like that when the area has a beautiful landscape and sunshine.
Oh, and making it Melrose Place, won’t be any better either. — Ogre
“Oh it can definately get worse, what is gonna happen if the Miroslav Satan Rays are for real? It can be an ugly situation if new ownership really does go for a coach for promotional purposes instead of the product on the ice. It will be trouble if 2 seasons go by without realistically competing for a playoff spot.” — Joey
Everything can always get worse. I don’t think it’s “spiraled out of control”. Rough times happen for everyone. — Princess
OVER/UNDER
There will be 7 trades made at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft….over or under?
Way over. Eleven or twelve. There are too many young stars and not enough money around to pay them and older players. Some teams, Pittsburgh, may have to deal a youngster or two, and others will strengthen what they have with vets. Last year was a learning curve on what to do with the new era in hockey. Teams will do more this year. — Ogre
“Under, I like 6 more than 7.” — Joey
Over…at least 8 or 9. — Princess
OUT OF BOUNDS
According to some in the media….what is worse…tanking you way to the Stanley Cup Finals or barely being able to sell out your own building?
You’re gonna get me in trouble here. I don’t believe any team “tanked” there way into the finals. (I know what you are hinting at, and you’re not so subtle) Teams do what is best for their team. Now, did the Pens “tank” games to get Mario? They probably didn’t play their best.
Not selling out your building is a damn shame, especially for the Cup Finals. To show off your team pride for the greatest trophy in sports, is what it is all about. But, as I stated earlier, some circumstances can’t be avoided. — Ogre
“Not selling out is the bigger issue to me. Yes the economy is not that good at the moment, yes tickets are expensive, yes people watch their what their disposable income is spent on but there are still enough people in the metropolitan areas that the necessary amounts of people should find their way to purchase those seats. Understandable if you cant afford them all but if you took said people and they all bought a game or two if that is all they can afford, sold out city.” — Joey
“Barely being able to sell out your own building” - I’d rather not be the champions and still have the fans behind me and still bring in some revenue. But a team is more likely to become champions if they can sell tickets. — Princess
THE FINAL SHOWDOWN
1. In the end, who should normally win the Conn Smythe…the best player on the winning team…or the best player in the playoffs period no matter their outcome?
This is tough. Surely players on Cup Final teams will normally have the best numbers; i.e. points, goals, assists, wins, etc. So it comes down to two teams usually. Unless someone has an outstanding, over-the-top performance, for the losing team, someone on the winning team should win. You were not the “best” player if you couldn’t help your team win. If it’s a close, seven game series, I could see it happening. — Ogre
“Normally its the best player on the winning team. Not often will you see a player on the losing team be worthy of the award. The Cup is awarded to the team who wins 4 series, which is a sign of consistency, and the consistently best player on said team will always outshine the best the losing team had to offer.” — Joey
I think it should go to the best player in playoffs no matter what the outcome. That’s only fair.
– Princess
2. At press time….the Chicago Wolves were up 2-0 on the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins…do you think WBS has a snowball’s chance in coming back and why? Also, who has set the scoring record for rookies with 26 points so far?
With the call-ups for the Pens from the WBS team, and yet the great year they’ve had, I wouldn’t bet against them. WBS in seven.
I’m not going to look it up but I do know Alex Gologoski was credited with breaking some record or something, even though he was just called up and not a member of the team anymore. — Ogre
“This is a series that the word ‘chippy’ doesnt do it justice. Game three will define this series for several reasons, Wilkes Barre has always been a great team at home and the Calder Cup has a 2-3-2 format. Problem for Wilkes-Barre is the Pittsburgh Penguins have called up Alex Goligolski for the Stanley Cup Finals on an emergency basis and if the Penguins were to force a game 7 tonight, Alex will miss games 4,5,6 in this series. This is gonna hurt WBS moreso as Alex has a record 26 points by a defenseman in a postseason. Tough row to hoe for the Baby Pens but dont count them out until maybe tonight. ” — Joey
Alex Goligolski set the record and no the Baby Pens will not come back…Chicago is too tough.
– Princess
3. When all is said and done….what does it really take to not only win the Stanley Cup but repeat in this day and age? Really is any team now capable of doing so and why?
Not very possible anymore. Teams are better throughout the NHL now more than ever, and when you win it, teams gun for you even more, making it harder for you to repeat. Also, free agency and players jumping from team to team makes it tough.
But, if you have a real good farm team, and group of guys, signed for a few years, AND they play beyond their expectations, who knows what can happen. (Not so subtle, either, huh?)
– Ogre
“Lets face it, dynasties in the NHL are not anywhere close on the horizon. Back to back champions are only slightly more realistic. I believe that the closest you will find to a ‘dynasty’ is 3 Cup wins in a decade, but don’t expect two of those to be back to back. The collective talent pool in the NHL nowadays as compared to 15-25 years ago makes a 100+ grind to the Grail that much more difficult and unlikely. — Joey
You gotta have talent. A team that doesn’t have a lot of experience and/or talent is not gonna win. I think you also have to have heart and passion; the team has to care to win, because they want it and not because they want a paycheck. — Princess
CW: I wanted to personally thank all three of the participants for being in this month’s edition….and now the fans decide who wins this month’s Hockey Around The Horn.
Melrose Gets Jolt Of Lightning
Well it’s official Barry Melrose is the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Torterella will be getting fired this week sometime and now I hope the lightning will be able to regain their glory and head back to the Stanley Cup in a few years.
As many of you are aware Melrose has served as an NHL Analyst for ESPN, but now this comes out that he will be the new head coach of the Lightning.
I never expected Barry to be interested in coaching, WOW what a surprise that was.
Since Four Years ago we all remember what a Stanley Cup series it was when the lightning went up against the Might Flames of Calgary, but four years later the Lightning are back in the same boat that have been for so long.
The Lightning haven’t had a great season since 04 and the big question that I had when I found out that Richards was going to be traded was… their goes one of lightnings most dominant players.
Now I know that there are still a lot of remaining players that were with Tampa Bay when they won the cup, but it just dose not make sense to me.
Why did you trade Brad Richards in the first place?
But know we will see how Barry handles the Lightning and the Thunder down in Tampa, but I think Barry is a great choice for being the head coach of the Lightning.
Oh and who will Barry in this years NHL Draft that’s coming up?
That’s one thing I will be dying to see.
Decision Day Part One
Yes it is only Thursday but tonight’s action will go a long way of determining who gets in and who stays home come April 7th. There are still so many scenarios but I believe tonight should start to bring this whole thing into focus just a bit more. First up, the poor teams that are battling for their playoff lives. You can hear the paddles going off in the back of the ambulance right now.
First up is Buffalo who plays at Montreal tonight. Montreal has the #2 seed clinched but they are playing for tops in the East right now….so every game counts. A win for the Habs tonight outright eliminates Buffalo and keeps the Habs tied with Pittsburgh. Even worse for the Sabres…last night’s questionable point (the Zubrus goal that was in but Toronto somehow could not see it) by Boston puts Buffalo’s postseason hopes in the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning of all teams. Yes, the same Lightning that got blown out in Carolina 6-2 last night travel to Washington tonight to face the Washington Capitals. Basically if the Caps win…Buffalo’s hopes are almost over and done because Washington will have 92 points and the at the time be tied for 6th (if Ottawa loses in regulation). All those shootout and OT losses (12 total) will indeed have come back to haunt the Sabres. Needless to say, Ryan Miller will not be sending Martin Brodeur a gift basket at the end of the year. I said almost for this reason.*
There is even a possibility that the West could be all sewn up except for seeding by tonight. Chicago Blackhawk fans will be doing extensive scoreboard watching in Vancouver and Nashville. The Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville hosts the St. Louis Blues. With Hannu Toivonen (Legace out with hip flexor injury) getting the start for St. Louis….Nashville fans are probably drooling already (Hannu gave up 4 goals on 18 shots the last time out against the Preds). A Nashville win and Vancouver loss in regulation eliminates both Vancouver and Chicago all in one shot. A Nashville loss or even a loss in extra time leaves the door open for both Vancouver and Chicago. There are so many permutations that you may need a scientific calculator and a professor from M.I.T. for this one.
Now for the other teams that could clinch. Simply…the Rangers and Senators can win and they are in. The Rangers have two cracks against the Isles (tonight and tomorrow night). The Sens play at Toronto and Toronto is without Mats Sundin (groin tear). The Rangers could even lose both in extra time and be in with 95 points total. Minnesota simply needs a point and they win the Northwest and the 3 seed. Calgary just needs a point to make the playoffs. Detroit just needs a point at home against Columbus tonight to win not only the West but the overall #1 seed in the league or a Sharks loss (whether it be in OT, SO or regulation don’t matter).
Tonight will go in a big way to tell the playoff fates of more teams…now seeding is a different matter entirely. I did want to thank ESPN for their concise tiebreaking procedures on their page. Now of course they are all chasing one thing and that is the only thing that ultimately matters. There is that nice, shiny, silver thing called the Stanley Cup.
Thank You Wikipedia for the pic.
So with ten big games tonight….may the DVR’s work some OT and so may your eyes as the regular season comes firing all guns a blazing to the end. The end is definitely very near…and for some more near than they hope.
* Editor’s Note: Thanks to my friend Andrew from The NHL Arena. If Washington wins tonight, that doesn’t eliminate the Sabres. Buffalo can jump Philly into 9th, and then jump Boston for 8th based on the THIRD tiebreak. They would be tied in wins, tied in head to head record (4-2-2), but Buffalo would actually win the tiebreak based on goal differential.
Trade Deadline Fun!!!
The deed has been done…they day is now over…here is what happened.
TRADES AND SIGNINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY!!
– Mike Comrie resigned 1 year…4 million with the Isles.
– Actual Trade: Bryce Salvador to New Jersey and Cam Janssen goes to St. Louis.
– Wade Belak goes to Florida for a 5th round 08 draft pick.
– Defenseman Brian Campbell to San Jose for Steve Bernier and a 2008 first round pick.
– Brad Richards goes to Dallas…also going with him will be goalie Johan Holmqvist…Tampa gets goalie Mike Smith, center Jeff Halpern and winger Jussi Jokinen and a 4th round pick.
– Goalie Cristobal Huet has been traded to Washington for a second round pick in the 09 draft.
– Andrew Ladd has been traded from the Canes to the Blackhawks for Tuomo Ruutu.
– The Colorado Avalanche have acquired Ruslan Salei from the Panthers for Karlis Skrastins and a third round pick.
– Chicago has moved Martin Lapointe to Ottawa….Chicago return a 6th round 2008 pick.
– Colorado acquires Adam Foote from Columbus…for a first round conditional pick and more.
– Sergei Fedorov has been traded to Washington…..for defenseman Ted Ruth.
– Rob Davison has been traded to the Isles from the Sharks for a 7th round pick in 08.
– Washington traded Matt Pettinger for Vancouver’s Matt Cooke.
– Toronto trades Hall Gill to the Pens….. for a 2nd rounder and 5th rounder in 09.
– Backman to the New York Rangers….Blues get a 4th rounder in return.
– WOW! The big one. Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pens….for Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito, and a first round 2008 pick.
– Chris Simon to the Minnesota Wild for a 6th round pick.
– Brad Stuart has been traded to the Detroit Red Wings…Kings get back a 2nd and 4th rounder.
– Chad Kilger has been traded to Florida for a third round draft pick.
– Sjostrom, Leneveau and Josh Gratton going to the New York Rangers for Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa.
– Marc-Andre Bergeron has been traded to the Ducks for a 3rd round pick.
– JS Aubin has been traded for a 7th round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks.
– Joe Motzko has been traded from the Thrashers to the Caps for Alexandre Giroux.
– Jan Hlavac was moved to Nashville for a 7th round pick.
– Brandon Bochenski traded to Nashville for future considerations.
ANALYSIS OF TRADES:
– Devils bolster their defensive depth with stay at home defenseman Salvador while Janssen goes home to St. Louis to add some grit to the Blues lineup.
– Florida finally gets a fighter that they need to add some physicality to the mix.
– Campbell does indeed get dealt and the San Jose blue line gets that much stronger with a QB on the Power Play. Buffalo gets a good forward with upside and a much coveted first rounder in this year’s draft.
– Dallas gets the center of attention they feel they need and a decent backup in Holmqvist…they do give up on Smith and Jokinen though. But you have to give to get something in the trade deadline.
– This is a precursor for bigger things in Montreal but you have to give major points for Washington in securing a #1 netminder with very good upside. And they only gave up a second rounder to boot.
– Carolina wanted more grit well they got it and Ladd provides Chicago with a little punch.
– The Avs get bigger on defense but they do get a little slower while the Panthers make a pretty smart trade in getting a vet like Skrastins.
– Ottawa gets a little stingier with Lapointe and for next to nothing…not bad.
– Colorado gets the old boys together as Foote helps them out on the defensive end….but pays for it with a conditional first rounder. An 08 if Avs make playoffs and an 09 if they don’t…plus Columbus gets another pick if Foote resigns with Avs…not as good of a move as it first looked to be.
– Fedorov provides a bit of veteran leadership to Washington as they try to win the Southeast…and trade not much for him.
– Isles needed defenseman help….and get a bit here. Just some depth to help the injuries mounting on the D side.
– Cooke provides the Caps with a little grit…it makes me wonder why the Canucks would do such a deal.
– The Pens get a big physical d-man but for a couple picks…a curious price to say the least but he will help in his own end.
– Rangers get a pretty good one with some upside….and the Blues get a decent pick.
– The Pens make 2 trades..the second one being an even bigger risk than the first one will be interesting one way or the other for Shero. Hossa will provide them with undeniable offensive punch…but trading away some of these character guys may hurt the Pens in the long run. A very curious move and if you are Montreal, why trade Huet now? But that is second guessing.
– Why Minnesota why? That is all I will say. I do not get it at all.
– Stuart gives the Wings some much needed defensive depth given all the injuries the Wings have sustained.
– A bit of a curious move for a third rounder but Florida does get a pretty good vet.
– Maloney had to give up a bit to get Montoya…hopefully he thinks it is worth it because I think Sjostrom could be pretty darn good.
– Isles did not like Bergeron of late but maybe the Ducks can turn him around…Bergeron will help some on the Power Play.
– I don’t get this one at all Burke….I just don’t.
– Another trade that seemed just a trade for trade’s sake.
– Hlavac will help the Preds just a little bit but the Preds seemed content to stay out of the fray on this trade deadline.
– I guess Bochenski was just interchangeable parts for Burke.
Friday Rumor Mills And More
With the trade deadline now about 100 hours away, it is time to see what is cooking in the NHL as the GM’s head for a weekend that could make or break some of their trade possibilities and maybe open up some new doors as well. This is the latest after digging around various sites, Canadian Radio Stations, television, and more.
According to TSN, interim GM Cliff Fletcher did ask Leafs forward Mats Sundin for a list of teams he would like to play for. Now he did stop short of asking him to waive his no trade clause.   Sundin, no doubt, has all the control here. The question is how much does he exert. Will he stay with the Leafs or will he go to a team of his choosing which will also hamper Fletcher’s ability to get a good return? Those seem to be the only two options right now. The third is Fletcher actually getting Sundin to go where he wants him to on the first try. Now you know that is not going to happen.  So stay tuned, this story will only get juicier come Monday.
The rumors in Tampa are not going away anytime soon. Yes, Vaclav Prospal is almost certain to be traded at this point. It is just a question of who and right now it seems the Devils are at the front of the list but even the Pens are making a late push along with several other teams. I am honestly leaning to one of the several other teams at this time as the GM’s of Pittsburgh and New Jersey do not appear to be wanting to make a big move just yet. Also, the latest of Dan Boyle and Brad Richards…is that there is much more to report on the Richards front as Boyle is still talking with Tampa management about a new contract. Two Columbus scouts were indeed seen at a recent Tampa game. The sources that spotted them were independent and one was a good friend of mine who works for the St. Pete Times. So could Richards go to Columbus??? Don’t be shocked.
Well not quite done with Tampa yet…Tampa could be in full sell mode at this point especially if they do sign Dan Boyle. That will not only accelerate the Richards process but also some other players may be making their way out. Chris Gratton, Filip Kuba, and Jan Hlavac could also be on the move. I could see Gratton being the most likely to be moved out of the three at he is a good veteran centerman who is still pretty decent at faceoffs. He would make a nice role player for a contending team at the deadline.
Last but not least, it definitely now appears the Kings are not done selling. More than one report I have seen has Tom Preissing heading out of Los Angeles….maybe even back to San Jose as soon as Monday. Several other players are rumored to be on the block but Preissing is the only one to be prominently mentioned on Puck Podcast and other shows as a possibility. He is a great defensive defenseman who could really help a contender.
Well this deadline is starting to heat up and with a weekend full of hockey games and more shifting in the standings….it is only going to get hotter.  By Monday, who knows what will happen. One thing is for sure…I will be here at my own little “media central” ready for any and all carnage that takes place. Have a good weekend!Â
Sorry Folks….
Hello everyone….when you’ve been sick for a couple weeks…things start to slip a bit. Trying to work everything in….I notice that you tend to forget things that are important sometimes. Today is the first day of the NHL GM Meetings. This is usually the time where trades are worked on and consummated. Now, for the most part, the trade doesn’t happen till right before the deadline but if the fire is going to smart…it has to start smoking right here…right now.
One thing that is for sure is Peter Forsberg is not coming back to the Flyers or the NHL this season. Thank you TSN for the confirmation. His agent said the following.
”The prospect of Peter having enough confidence in the foot-skate issue to commit to being able to play in the NHL this season isn’t where it needs to be at this moment,” Baizley told TSN. ”As a result, teams are being told it is unlikely he will be able to commit to return to the NHL this season.”
I had been saying this for awhile. Even when his little 14 second video came out, I just wasn’t that blown away by it. It is for the best that he has decided not to give it a go this season and avoid risking further injury. Of course now, this has led to further speculation (as it always does) that Forsberg may now retire. I say never say never, especially with him as I don’t even think Forsberg knows what Forsberg is going to do on a day to day basis. His dad will be relieved I am sure.
A team that really could have used Forsberg was obviously the Flyers…they are hurting right now…their defense slowed down…and with Joffrey Lupul out again (ankle) for 2-3 weeks…they need some scoring punch to offset their below average defense. Biron can’t carry this team like he did early in the season….so the Flyers did indeed call up Claude Giroux today….and that should make things interesting in Philly. Â
Claude Giroux is only 5 foot 11 and about 180 pounds but has the speed and skill that Lupul brings to the table.  He has scored 12 points in his last 3 games for Gatineau of the QMJHL. A number of Flyer fans that I have been talking to have been clamoring for Giroux for a couple months now. I admit I am curious to see what he can do in a Flyers uniform and if he can make an immediate impact for a team that is in dire need of one. The Flyers are now eight points out of first in the Atlantic Division….time to act.
Finally, I wanted to let everyone know that this month’s Hockey Around The Horn will center around the trade deadline. We will have a 3 on 3 battle…single elimination…till first a team wins and then an individual. I am wondering what the readers think as far as the big trade that is going to happen. I still think the Devils will wind up with Prospal or Liles or both….unless Brian Campbell of the Sabres suddenly becomes available in the 11th hour. All in all…eight days to go…and the train is starting to pick up steam! Enjoy what’s left of the holiday folks.
My NHL Mantourage
So for those of you not aware of the term Mantourage, here is the official definition: A group comprised of five dudes you would want to hang out with from any given category (characters, athletes, actors, etc.) Derived from the show Entourage, they must be a cohesive unit covering all de facto things in your daily life if you didn’t have to work. (ie characters: Cartman from South Park, Barf from Space Balls, Stiles from Teen Wolf, Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild, and the Ultimate Warrior from the WWF). Here is my NHL Mantourage…
Sean Avery - Led the NHL in penalty minutes in 2003. After a stalemate with Jack Bauer in hand to hand combat for the right to date his daughter Kim (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Bauer so hot!!), Sean set up Jack for multiple DUI’s to win her outright. Sean is notorious for dating models and actresses and you need a Playboy that will someday end up with his own True Hollywood Story. Our Playboy just happens to have the grit of a lumberjack.
Alex Ovechkin - The jokester in the group, Alex is always willing to partake in self-depravating humor to keep the group entertained. It never gets old when he pops out his front teeth and does his Theo Fleury imitation (drops to his knees and pretends to blow coke off a hooker’s back). Oh and he just signed the first $100mm+ contract in NHL history which is quite useful since I like to sleep on $100 bills.
Ray Emery - Known for his lackluster attitude, road rage, and locker room controversy, Ray is the legitimate psycho/degenerate of the group. Its pretty sweet that he put Mike Tyson on his mask
. This is the guy you don’t fully trust, puts his balls on your shoulder when you’re not looking, drinks a little too much sometimes, and is going over the top to make you laugh. So what if you end up in the occasional shady situation, you need one of these guys. Just don’t leave him with your girlfriend.
Jarome Iginla - First off he rocks the afro, enough to make the Mantourage right off the back. Other than the Stanley Cup (stupid Lightning), he has also won pretty much every hockey tournament known to man.  He’s the all-around good dude, probably your best friend, that you know would step in and throw down if you need him to.Â
Sidney Crosby - Sid the Kid is the leader of the pack and has been since childhood by virtue. He has always been slightly more skilled at everything, and despite that pressure, is always a cool cat. That doesn’t mean he’s a nerd, as he loves messing around and getting banged up, he just never gets caught so his image is always intact. I also heard he’s going to give Wilt Chamberlain a run for his money in terms of groupies. I didn’t know there were 10,000 female hockey fans.
 Tell me you wouldn’t want to hang out with this group all the time. Let me know who else you’d want to hang out with in the NHL…
