Winter CAL-assic? Yes!

By Jess Knaster - TheFeeder.com
Last week, an event took place in Buffalo. It was a hockey game that reminded all of those involved where they grew their love for the game. Strapping on the gear in the great outdoors, with the temperature low, the snow falling, and 73,000 screaming maniacs ready to watch every move. Ok, so maybe playing in front of those 73,000 aren't exactly the roots from which NHLers grew their love for the game, but hey, if you play it, they will watch, right?

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The weeks are moving too quickly again...

By Heather - SoVeryObsessed.com
Oh, internets. Being without my very own computer is taking its toll on my delicate psyche, and not just because I haven' t heard head nor tail of what the repairs are going to cost, but because I miss all my files and my programs and my bookmarks. Wireless internet is grand, but I don't mind being tethered to the cable router, because I like my desk. I miss my hard drive, and that is sad.

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Osgood an All-Star

By Matt Schwartz - LetsGoWings.com
The last 48 hours have treated Chris Osgood rather well: Just a day after inking a new three-year contract, the netminder will help represent the West in the NHL All-Star Game later this month. The door for Osgood to be named to the team opened up on Wednesday when starting Western Conference goaltender Roberto Luongo opted to withdraw from the event so that he could spend time with his pregnant wife in Florida.

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Points of interest

By Mike Lee - TheFeeder.com
So I actually ended up watching some of the NHL's latest gimmick to market the sport, albeit on the day that most Americans are either sobering up from a long night of drinking and revelry, or watching college football. I'm still not sure I agree with trying to compete for American TV viewers during one of the biggest sports television viewing days of the year, but by all accounts, the WC did ok.

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Don’t Stop Believin’

By Bubba - CanesCountry.com
After a slow start, (okay, would you believe a very slow start), the Carolina Hurricanes held on, then revved themselves up to beat the Atlanta Thrashers, 4-3. Atlanta’s Mark Recchi scored just 32 seconds into the contest and it was like deja vu, all over again for Caniacs. Welcome to your new team, Michael Leighton! Todd White scored later in the period to make the score 2-0, and the assumed rout was on.

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Do you smeall something burning

By Toby Ivey - OutsideTheGarden.com
It was another frustrating loss for the Rangers, with a team seemingly handing them opportunities to win the game, only to have the Blueshirts themselves make the mistakes that put it out of reach. Henrik Lundqvist was nowhere near his best, and critical mistakes by several players, including a series where three Rangers were beaten by a single Flame forward were just examples of how the game went.

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Winter Wonderland

By Derek Renner - Sabersfans.com
When it snows, ain't it thrilling,Though your nose gets a chillin…. From the first moment you parked your car in Orchard Park, you couldn’t help but think the day was special. And by the time you got back to car after it was over, the feeling was confirmed.

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Holmstrom targeting Sunday

By Matt Schwartz - LEtsGoWings.com
Tomas Holmstrom hopes to return to the lineup this Sunday in Chicago or Tuesday at home against the Colorado Avalanche. “I feel pretty good,” Holmstrom told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. “I’m shooting for Sunday. I really hope Sunday.”

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The Futility Continues

By Gann Matsuda - Online Kingdom
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings continued their head-first plummet into the abyss called the National Hockey League’s dungeon on Wednesday night in a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks in front of an announced sell-out crowd of 18,118 fans at Staples Center.

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Enough is enough

By Ken Smyth - TheFeeder.com
It's finally hit me. Next home game, I want the guy from "Pulp Fiction" at the press conference. "Say what again, motherf@#$, say "what" one more damn time!" Next player or coach who has a bad game and then says "what we need is.." or "What we didn't do is.."gets one! The plain fact is that this is far and away the most talented group of players the San Jose Sharks' ever assembled but they seem to be completely disinterested in playing in San Jose. You can't say the Sharks have given up on the coach, they look like a team that's given up on hockey. This means that a lot of visiting teams are finding the San Jose Arena rather cozy, especially Anaheim, Detroit and Dallas.

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Kings Aren’t Difference-Makers

By Gann Matsuda - Online Kingdom
LOS ANGELES — On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Kings officially became the worst team in the National Hockey League.

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Kings Coming Together?

By Gann Matsuda - Online Kingdom
LOS ANGELES — Anze Kopitar scored his fourteenth goal of the season and was the best player on the ice, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in front of an announced crowd of 15,087 fans at Staples Center on Monday night.

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Home sweet Montreal

By Caniac - LetsGoCanes.com
The Hurricanes ripped the Canadiens last night, 5-1 at the Bell Centre, where it seems like they are just as much at home as in Raleigh, going 9-0 there stretching back to the 05-06 season. They played a full 60 minute game on the evening, with 100% effort and won as a team through their ability to skate and control the play.

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Don't Burn Your Tape Of This One

By Gann Matsuda - Online Kingdom
LOS ANGELES — The last time the Los Angeles Kings and the Buffalo Sabres met, Kings television play-by-play announcer Bob Miller said during his broadcast, “...burn your tape of this one!”

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Quinn confirms end of Rochester affiliation

By SabresFans.com
It's over between the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans. What turned into something of a messy divorce has come to a head. Sabres' managing partner Larry Quinn told the Buffalo News yesterday "That’s over. We’re going to go elsewhere." The Sabres cite their desire to have more control over the development of their players. Because the Sabres struggle financially they depend upon drafting and development rather than signing high priced free agents.

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Kings Come Up Short Despite Strong Effort

By Gann Matsuda - Online Kingdom
LOS ANGELES — After a month of dismal performances, the Los Angeles Kings came out with all cylinders firing on Monday night, something fans have not seen in roughly one month. Nevertheless, they still dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the Edmonton Oilers in front of an announced crowd of 14,193 fans at Staples Center.

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Rebuttal to "The Reality of the Logic

By Lyle Richardson - SpectorsHockey.Net
Hockeybuzz's "Eklund" made an interesting post recently on his blog regarding what he calls "the reality of the logic" of trade rumours. There are even people writing articles about the logic to use when evaluating a trade rumour. They all make some valid points that should be taken into account. I'm naturally assuming that I'm one of those people he's referring to, which I take as a compliment. I'm someone who looks for a logical explanation to things. My favourite Star Trek character was Mr. Spock and my favourite fictional detectives were Sherlock Holmes and Columbo. To those characters, every problem had a logical answer, something I've attempted to apply to the the NHL rumour mill for nearly ten years.

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Influx Of Youth

By James DeBerardine - OutsideTheGarden.com
We have certainly seen a lot of the Wolf Pack this year, that is, the former Wolf Pack. Numerous players which we did not figure would fit into our plans this year have stepped up and made a big difference, while even more are banging at the door in Hartford, what should we do with all of these young, talented, hungry players? Well… it’s not that bad of a problem to have.

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Something is seriously wrong

By Caniac - LetsGoCanes.com
Most people probably either turned their TV off or switched to a rerun of Sanford & Son last night at some point during the game against Buffalo. It was that bad. Late in the third the score was 0-8. You read that right. 0-8, until Ray Whitney decided to at least deny Ryan Miller the shutout.

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Friday and Saturday, all rolled into one.

By Heather - SoVeryObsessed.com
Things that need to end with a quickness: 15-minute warmups. What is this, Boston? Things that need to start with a quickness: Some kind of score summary on the Jumbotron at the start of the second and third periods. This weekend, Providence faced two teams we don't hardly ever get to see: the Rockford Ice Hogs (Chicago), and the Rochester Americans (Buffalo & Florida). Friday's game was against Rockford. I have a very bad habit of not knowing who we are playing until I show up at the game, and even then, it's not guaranteed I'll know who we're playing until I see the team take the ice.

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Jackets Douse the Flames

By Jason Parkin - CalgaryPuck.com
Losing streaks can do funny things. The players hold the sticks a little tighter, the coaches pace around a little faster, and the fans grow more and more impatient with every impending loss. With this current 4 game losing skid, it seems the games are just all too predictable now. Tonight was no different, With the same themes popping up time after time giving the visitors a not-so-hard earned victory by a 1 goal margin in overtime.

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3rd period rally lifts Wings

By Matt Schwartz - LetsGoWings.com
Henrik Zetterberg and Dan Cleary scored third period goals as the Red Wings overcame a 2-1 deficit entering the final 20 minutes to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 Saturday night. Zetterberg also added an assist and defenseman Brian Rafalski had two assists in the victory. Goaltender Chris Osgood made 24 saves. Pavel Datsyuk gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead in the first period with his 9th goal of the season (power play). Detroit surrendered two goals to Phoenix in the 2nd period. Daniel Winnick scored unassisted at 5:17 and Fredrik Sjostrom giave the Coyotes the lead at 14:20.

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CBC to Air More Canadiens and Senators Games

By Daniel Naimer - HabsCast.com
The Maple Leafs are in the midst of a crisis and because of the “democracy” on the board of directors, no one that deserves to be fired is being fired. According to Richard Peddie, President of MLSE, the hiring of John Ferguson Jr. was a mistake and in order to fire Ferguson there must be a majority vote within the board. This is why it’s better to have one owner rather than many. Things don’t get done whenever there’s an issue. It is for this reason that the Maple Leafs are so f!#^ed. They should fire JFJ and hire Gilmour. Now that’s a winner!

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Lucky Ones

By Bubba - CanesCountry.com
The Carolina Hurricanes were the recipients of a few good bounces last night and beat the Washington Capitals, 4-3. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the win. But a couple of the goals scored by the Canes were fortunate, to say the least. A couple of possible goals by the Caps were waived off, one because it was kicked in, the other because it crossed the goal line a split second too late. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.

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Getting the Goat

By FlyersHive.com
The sound is very quiet, but it is there. As he pulls his purple and orange jersey over his head, surely Denis Gauthier curses the salary cap and Gary Bettman while his face is shrouded in the fabric of the Phantom. How could he not? The 31 year old Gauthier, a veteran of 489 NHL games under his belt, is riding the buses of the AHL because his $2.1M contract didn’t fit nicely into the Flyers financial picture.

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Thornton still golden

By Mike Lee - TheFeeder.com
On the 2-year anniversary of the Joe Thornton acquisition, Thornton celebrated by scoring a pair of goals and tacking on an assist in a 3-2 win over the visiting Colorado Avalanche. The biggest personnel move in Sharks history continues to pay dividends, and that wasn't more evident than on Friday night, where Thornton helped the Sharks break a 3-game losing streak at home.

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Could Mark Recchi be dealt soon?

By SpectorsHockey.net
The VANCOUVER PROVINCE reported yesterday Pittsburgh Penguins forward Mark Recchi is expected to be traded and speculated on possible destinations. The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE's Dave Molinario yesterday reported it's not clear if the Penguins have given Recchi's agent clearance to investigate possible trades. Neither he or the team would admit or deny that he has.

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A Snowball amid the Firestorm

By FlyersHive.com
Like a misbehaving toddler, a Flyers player is once again sent to the timeout chair. This time it is Scott Hartnell, and he gets 2 games to think about what he did -which is quite convenient because while he's thinking, he can read the scribblings on the wall left by Randy Jones, who occupied the same chair just a month earlier. And just like Randy Jones, Hartnell can scribble the same message: "What was the Boston player thinking? This isn't all my fault! He should've known better than to do that at the last second!!!"

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The Memory Remains

By Bubba - CanesCountry.com
Last night’s score was, Flyers 3, Hurricanes 1. I think that the Canes might have forgotten that they wanted payback for last week’s loss because the Flyers definitely wanted the game more than Carolina did. Let me try to paint a picture here. The Canes repeatedly fail to clear the zone. The Canes repeatedly turn the puck over. The Canes fall behind on the scoreboard. The Canes crank up the pressure and intensity in the 3rd period and try for a comeback. Sound familiar? Sometimes the 3rd period adrenaline rush is enough to win a game, but for the 2nd time in a row, it wasn’t.

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A Game of Numbers for Osgood

By Mike Morland - LetsGoWings.com
Detroit Red Wing netminder Chris Osgood celebrated a milestone this past week involving 35. It wasn't wins or losses, but his birthday, officially November 26.
With Osgood off to the best start in his 14-year career, he appears to be enjoying 35 more the second time around. The second time around you ask? Yes. Tivo back to September 2001. After the summer acquisition of Dominik Hasek from Buffalo, Osgood's days with the Wings appeared numbered, standing on the outside looking at a team of future hall of famers. Left unprotected by Detroit in the waiver draft, the New York Islanders claimed him, and Osgood, after spending his entire NHL career in Detroit, was sent packing to a struggling team.

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