NHL

Checking Is Integral To Hockey But The NHL Needs To Avoid Hits To The Head

February 16, 2011

For those that can’t remember January 15th 1968, it was just another average day in the 60’s. Although for the family and friends of Bill Masterton, it was a day consumed by tragedy. Two days earlier Masterton took to the ice as a member of the Minnesota North Stars against the Oakland Seals in what was to be his final game. The match was only four minutes young when the North Stars centre was skating with the puck into the Seals zone. After making a pass to his teammate Wayne Connelly, he was checked by Oakland players Larry Cahan and Ron Harris. Masterton lost his balance falling backwards, crashing head first onto the ice. The force of the hit was so powerful it caused blood to ...

Saying Goodbye to a Hockey Legend

February 14, 2011

Alicia Sprenkle

8 Comments

Sadly, as hockey fans, we have seen quite a few hockey greats hang up the skates recently. Scott Niedermayer, Chris Chelios, and Rob Blake all announced their retirement prior to the start of the 10-11 NHL season. Mike Modano also pondered retirement himself. It's always sad to see guys like that retire (of course it's sad to see anyone retire to begin with). Those guys all defined a hockey generation and always will. We are lucky enough to have a new generation of superstars at this very moment. But those new stars will not cause us to forget the players of the past we were lucky enough to see play. Today we say goodbye to another legend. Some people simply call him Peter Forberg, but o...

NHL takes disciplinary action regarding Penguins and Islanders game

February 13, 2011

Adam Reid

20 Comments

If you ask anyone their favourite part of a hockey game, answers will vary. Some will say it’s the hits, some will say it’s the fights, and some will say it’s the goals. Friday night’s matchup which saw the Islanders destroy the Penguins 9-3 featured all of this, too much of it some would argue especially the NHL. After the fights were fought, the goals were scored, and the dust settled, three players received suspensions totalling 23 games and $100,000. The Pittsburgh Penguins will lose Eric Godard for 10 games. The suspension was handed to Godard for leaving the bench to aid a player in a fight. This action was taken after Micheal Haley tried to get in a fight with Pengui...

Top 5 goaltender fights

February 3, 2011

Adam Reid

7 Comments

Aside from shootouts, and amazing goals, my favourite thing about hockey is definitely the fights. And, as we all know, there is nothing better than a good old goaltender brawl. Last night, Brent Johnson reminded us of just how excited we all get when we see goaltenders about to go at it. Whether it be a long fight or a quick blow, everyone loves to see two keepers exchange blows. This encouraged me to post my top 5 goaltender fights, some are quick, while some are long, just as some are even fights, while some are complete domination. 5) Brent Johnson vs. Rick Diepetro -No doubt this was great to watch as we have not seen many goaltender fights in the past couple of years. Matt Cooke...

The Much-Maligned NHL All-Star Game - Is Another Revamp Necessary?

February 2, 2011

Quinn Mell-Cobb

2 Comments

With the debut weekend of the National Hockey League’s brand-new All-Star Game format (and all the festivities that went along with it; namely, the All-Star Fantasy Draft and refurbished skills competition) now in the books, the debate is alive and well in the minds of the players, league executives, media analysts and, of course, for the diehard fans themselves. Spearheaded by NHL VP of Hockey and Business Development Brendan Shanahan, did the revamped format give the often-criticized All-Star weekend the kick in the pants it desperately needed? Or is further tweaking necessary for the annual event to return to relevancy? If you ask me, despite the very best intentions of the man best kno...

The Media Strikes Again

February 2, 2011

Matt Reed

5 Comments

In business we learn that capitalizing on trends means a future of healthy profits. In journalism we are taught the same thing, trends are what sell. For the past few years there has been a couple of healthy trends in the hockey world; trade rumors and of course anything Canadian. TSN, CBC or any of the major players in the hockey coverage world brought in their own ‘insiders’, they increased coverage on the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, or any other Canadian team. TSN the main to capitalize on these trends benefited the most; they grew exponentially over the past few years and now are one of the largest sports media outlets in the world. Today I wanted to discuss the latest and most ...

The Best and Worst of the NHL in 2010-2011

February 1, 2011

Adam Pardes

2 Comments

The All-Star break was a chance for players and fans alike to reflect on the first half of yet another NHL season. Through four months of hockey, there have already been plenty of triumphs, surprises, and failures -- here are the best and worst of 2010-2011 thus far. The Best: Sidney Crosby’s Point Streak – Although Crosby’s 50-point, 25-game consecutive scoring streak fell a few games short of the record (Gretzky’s 153 points in 51 games), it marked the longest run since Mats Sundin tallied points in a 30-game stretch for the Nordiques in the 1992-1993 season. The numbers are incredible: 26 goals, 24 assists, 16 multi-point games, two 4-point games, 3 GWG’s—the list...

Save Us From What?

January 31, 2011

Kyle Andrew Busch

4 Comments

I missed the All-Star Game this year. Not just the game, but the Draft and the Superskills. And for some reason I don't care. If I wasn't at the arena the whole weekend I definitely would have watched it, but I don't feel upset for missing it, which I find weird. With all the hype the Game was bringing I thought the game was taking a turn for the better. It turned out to be the same thing as last year: a commercialized entertainment buzz with NHL players as the actors. What happened to the All-Star Game? Back in like 1983 the teams would actually play to win and the best players were all there. None of this "have someone from every team" garbage. Have the best players there. Period. One n...