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Calder Memorial race is getting hot
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, NHL,
This year’s NHL rookie race is heating up. With all of the hype surrounding last year’s Entry Draft and the debate about whether John Tavares or Victor Hedman would be taken first (it was Tavares by the Islanders; Hedman went second to Tampa Bay), it was the third-overall pick, Colorado’s Matt Duchene who is keeping the goal judge busy. His 21 goals and 24 assists both lead all rookies, and he’s 10 ahead of second-place Tavares on the points list.
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Rookie Howard lighting up the goal crease
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, NHL,
The Red Wings are in a place many teams would love to be. When it comes to goaltending, their depth runs farther than most, and while current starting goalie Jimmy Howard may not be a name you’ve heard or expected to be playing ahead of Chris Osgood, he’s not only doing it, he’s doing it well. The Red Wings rookie has a 24-14-8 record this season, which is incredible considering a year ago at this time, he was expected to be battling for the back-up role with Ty Conklin.
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The instigator is not often responsible
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NHL,
According to part of NHL rule 47.11, “a player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation shall be assessed an instigating minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting and a ten-minute misconduct.” This rule is known as the “instigator penalty”, and is widely admonished by the hockey community, and with good reason. The penalty is often given to he who starts a fight, but that fight is often started because the instigator is actually working in retaliation for something started by another.
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Washington doesn’t need a Winter Classic yet
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Editorial, NHL,
Rumors are popping up all over the place that Washington wants a piece of the NHL Winter Classic. Whether it be in Nationals Park or RFK Stadium, who cares? Just get Alex Ovechkin out their in the snow and the wind and let him do what he does best, all settled under the stars and stripes of the nation’s capital. Some think that New Yankee Stadium might be the next location, but due to other scheduled events, New York doesn’t seem like a realistic option.
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The weirdest finish in hockey history
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, NHL, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
Have you ever wondered what might be the strangest game in NHL history? One argument might be made for a game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks on the final day of the 1969-70 season. The Hawks needed a win to solidify first place. The Canadiens needed at least a tie to make the playoffs. The final playoff spot could come down to most goals scored, and the Canadiens head coach Claude Ruel considered starting the game with six skaters in lieu of a goalie to ensure a playoff spot. Shortly before the game he went with the more traditional idea to play for a win.
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The Olympic Hangover
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, NHL, Olympics,
The Olympic Hangover is running strong in the world of hockey. It seems like no amount of coffee is waking us up to the fact that the NHL is back on and the players are earning their paychecks once again. The fighting has returned. The real fourth lines have returned. GM Place is GM Place again. But after such a successful and thoroughly entertaining tournament, how many people are truly excited about regular-season hockey; and how many are just waiting for the second round of the playoffs to begin?
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The worst teams have more than that in common
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Front Office, NHL,
Are there any coaches liked less than Ron Wilson? His comments about Team Canada after their Olympic victory against his American squad have put him under the spotlight and fans are calling for his head. Now back as the head honcho of the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, Wilson is once again just the most recent of a string of Leaf coaches who are going through rough times. The three worst records in the NHL belong to the Hurricanes, Leafs, and Oilers. With a combined record of 63-100-24, all three have more than just that in common. The three coaches are the three most recent heads of the Maple Leafs.
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The unexplained origins of “the wave”
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: MLB, NHL, Rumors,
Have you ever watched a game on television and seen the crowd in the background rise from their seats, throw their hands above their heads and sit back down? Of course you have. They’re doing “the wave”, an activity performed by thousands on a nightly basis that has been going on for decades. But the argument about who started the sports tradition has been raging for just as long and nobody is quite sure who should be given credit where it’s due.
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Les Trois Denis: Unique among the most unique
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Athletes, NHL,
Juggling lines in hockey is common. It takes a lot of effort to find the right combination of players who mesh together and can be productive. Famous threesomes are often given a name, and sometimes that name has something to do with the players’ names themselves. But what do you think the odds are that of having all three players with the same first name? Not great, but believable. What about all three having the same name and the same birthday? Well it’s true. “Les Trois Denis” were all born on Feb. 4, 1961.
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Should the NHL adopt the Olympic style?
Posted by Adrien Griffin Categories: Championship, NHL, Olympics,
With one game left in the Olympic hockey tournament, it’s probably safe to say that we as fans are hungry for more of the Olympic style. The tournament in Vancouver over the past two weeks has shown us competitive game after competitive game, regardless of who the puck was dropping between, with fewer duds than anybody could have expected. We’ve seen upsets, comebacks, overtimes, and everything in between, and all of it without many of the things that plague the everyday NHL.
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