General Hockey Thread v3.0

[theAPAOps5]

Stastny is awesome this year. I also love that he never puts his false teeth in either.

[Mtbrncofn]

Originally Posted by Bronx33

Ok ok ok iam getting a stastny jersey...
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -Colorado Avalanche forward Paul Stastny extended his point streak to 17 games Wednesday night, tying the NHL rookie record with a first-period assist against Buffalo.

Sneaking up the left wing, Stastny made a nifty move to elude two Sabres defenders. He went around the net to set up Milan Hejduk's one-timer from the right circle 10 minutes into the game. The short-handed goal lifted the Avalanche into a 1-1 tie with the Sabres.

Stastny, who has eight goals and 24 points during the streak, tied the rookie mark set in 1993 by Winnipeg's Teemu Selanne.

Stastny also set the franchise rookie record, breaking the 16-game mark set by his father, Peter, in 1980 with the then-Quebec Nordiques.

The 17-game streak is the longest in the NHL this season, and the best run since Ottawa's Dany Heatley had a point in 22 consecutive games from Oct. 5 to Nov. 29, 2005.

Yeah, that was next on my list too.

[Jori]

I've got a Stastny jersey on order

[Mtbrncofn]

My birthday is coming up and it'll be at the top of my list.

[Bronx33]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey...elateds-sports

The Nassau County prosecutors have opened a preliminary probe into whether Islander Chris Simon committed a crime Thursday night when he decked a Ranger player in the face with his hockey stick, a spokesman said.

Prosecutors began reviewing footage Friday of the attack in which Simon swung his stick with two hands and struck Ranger Ryan Hollweg in the chin, spilling blood on the ice at Nassau Coliseum.

"We're in the process of obtaining as much footage from as many sources as possible," said Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Since 2000, two players have been successfully prosecuted for on-ice violence -- the Boston Bruins' Marty McSorley in 2000, for striking Vancouver Canuck Donald Brashears in the head with his stick, and the Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi in 2004, for punching Steve Moore of the Colorado Avalanche and riding him to the ice. Both players were convicted in Canada.

[SoCalBronco]

LaCavalier and St. Louis are demons. Scoring like crazy.

I'm getting really nervous now, Sid's lead in down to 7 points. Come on Sid, hold them off and get over this terrible slump.

[Bronx33]

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=...ticleid=290330

NEW YORK - New York Islanders forward Chris Simon has been suspended, for the remainder of the 2006-07 regular season and the entirety of the Stanley Cup playoffs, for deliberately using his stick to injure New York Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg during the third period of Thursday night's game at Nassau Veterans' Memorial Coliseum.

Simon is suspended a minimum of 25 games, including Saturday night's game against Washington plus the 14 that remain in the 2006-07 regular season. If the Islanders do not qualify for the 2007 playoffs, or play fewer than 10 playoff games in the 2007 playoffs, Simon would serve additional games at the start of the 2007-08 regular season to satisfy the minimum term of the suspension.

"The National Hockey League will not accept the use of a stick in the manner and fashion in which Mr. Simon used his Thursday night," said Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. "As a consequence of his actions, Mr. Simon has forfeited the privilege of playing in an NHL game again this season, regardless of how many games the Islanders ultimately play."

Based on his $1-million contract, which expires at the conclusion of the 2006-07 season, Simon forfeits a minimum of $80,213.90. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

The incident occurred at 13:29 of the third period. After receiving a hard check from Hollweg, Simon swung his stick and delivered a two-handed blow to Hollweg's upper body, causing a cut on Hollweg's chin. Simon was assessed a Match penalty.

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/190561
Simon said he was diagnosed Friday with a concussion as a result of Hollweg's hit that drove him into the boards. His inability to fly made it necessary for Campbell to come to New York for the hearing instead of holding it in Toronto.

"When I saw the tape on Friday morning, it explained a lot to me when I saw the look on my face after being hit into the boards. I was completely out of it."

[Bronx33]

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twinci...y/16878761.htm
But Wild victory could quash Colorado's playoff dream


Like the silent, determined menace in a horror movie, the Colorado Avalanche are proving difficult to kill. It appeared the Wild drove a stake through their heart a couple of weeks ago, and yet here they are, back in St. Paul with life left in them.

Cue that single, staccato piano note — you know the one — because here come the Avalanche for one last stab at making the playoffs. The teams meet for a 2 p.m. matinee today at the Xcel Energy Center.

"We'll be ready," Wild winger Brian Rolston said. "I'm sure they will, too."

Left for dead, the 'Lanche have picked themselves up and won five consecutive games, the past four on the road. A victory today would give Colorado its first 5-0 road trip in team history.

"They're one of the top teams right now," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said.

If that's true, then so are the Wild. The Avalanche might have amassed 10 points over the past two weeks, but they have gained only one point on Minnesota since Feb. 22, the day Minnesota left Denver after a 4-3 victory at Pepsi Center.

It was assumed back then — probably correctly — that an 11-point lead on their closest pursuer was enough to ensure the Wild their second playoff berth in six seasons of hockey. But Colorado just won't go away.

"We're just trying to worry about how we're playing," said center Todd White, whose short-handed goal was the finishing touch on the Wild's 5-1 victory at Buffalo on Friday night. "Hopefully they'll latch on to someone else's leg here pretty soon."

Maybe Calgary's; the Flames own the eighth, and final, playoff spot in the Western Conference, eight points ahead of Colorado.

The fact is, though, a Wild victory would, for all intents and purposes, put an end to Colorado's playoff aspirations. With 14 games remaining, 13 for the Wild, the Avalanche cannot afford another loss, and even if they win, they'll need an awful lot of help.

As far as the Wild are concerned, though, a victory here would at least make Colorado Calgary's problem. Then they could head out for their last trip through Western Canada — and games against Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary — worried more about earning a better playoff seed than simply making the playoffs.

After back-to-back wins at Boston and Buffalo, the Wild were tied with Dallas and San Jose in a bid for the fifth seed, and four points behind Vancouver for the third.

"It's going to be huge," winger Pavol Demitra said of today's game. "If we can get two points, that's going to put us in great position."

Briefly: Wing Matt Foy was reassigned to Houston on Saturday after a brief stay with the parent club. The Aeros' leading scorer (24-20—44) was called up to Buffalo on Friday as insurance after Mark Parrish aggravated a leg injury.

[Bronx33]

Well it took the avs all but 4 seconds too piss away the lead and the game.

[Mtbrncofn]

Damnit, that blew. At least they pulled one point out of it. When they hell did Koivu become an Avs killer? It must have passed on over from Demitra.

But hey....way to go, Paul!!

So Simon has a concussion from the hit, huh? Hmmm. Well they sure came down hard on him.

[Mtbrncofn]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

LaCavalier and St. Louis are demons. Scoring like crazy.

I'm getting really nervous now, Sid's lead in down to 7 points. Come on Sid, hold them off and get over this terrible slump.

I love that. . I dropped St. Louis in our OM hockey league about 10 games into the season because he was starting out with a whimper. Every time I see his stats, my blood pressure rises. Of course, CO hurried right along and snatched him up.

I blame it entirely on Bronx, who gave me the sage advice of " don't hang on to someone just because of their name, if they're not scoring, drop em".

Thanks a lot, Bronx.

[Bronx33]

I mean't trade them not give them away lol.

[Mtbrncofn]

Oh yeah, now you clarify.

[Bronx33]

An interesting angle on the subject..

Some believe recent episodes stem from a lack of respect for their fellow players.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/15/Li...ce_worri.shtml

TORONTO - Sometimes, Rob DiMaio said, he doesn't know what has become of the National Hockey League.

The game always has been prone to spasms of violence. But the Lightning right wing said respect among players is at an all-time low.

"I absolutely believe that," DiMaio said Wednesday. "Guys are more willing to do things that seem to be outrageous."

Such as the Islanders' Chris Simon cracking his stick across the face of the Rangers' Ryan Hollweg. And New Jersey's Cam Janssen giving Toronto's Tomas Kaberle a concussion by ramming his shoulder into his head.

DiMaio is sidelined by a preseason concussion sustained when Montreal's Guillaume Latendresse bounced his head off the glass.

DiMaio doesn't get the change.

Perhaps players do not fear retaliation because the instigator rule harshly penalizes those who want an eye for an eye. But DiMaio, in his 18th season, also senses a shift in manner, especially among young players.

"Maybe it's what they're told in the minors or college," he said. "You used to really respect the guys ahead of you. Now it seems easier to just say, 'I'm the guy. I don't have to earn it.' "

"It all boils down to respect," Lightning defenseman Nolan Pratt said. "You want to get a hit and make a guy feel it. But at the same time, you should go about it in the right way."

Janssen, 22, did it wrong with an extra step toward Kaberle to increase the blow that the NHL said came two seconds after Kaberle released the puck, plenty of time for Janssen to hold up.

DiMaio said the hit was worse than Simon's action because Janssen "thought about it."

Simon clearly reacted to a from-behind hit into the glass, and that brings us to the instigator rule, which dishes out an additional 12 minutes in penalties to players who start retaliatory fights.

Adopted in 1992 to stop gratuitous violence, many believe it prohibits players from policing the ice.

"I'm not saying Hollweg deserved it," Tampa Bay's Luke Richardson said, "but there are guys like that who are smaller, annoying types of guys who don't fear something like that really happening to them. Sometimes, that escalates to the point guys get frustrated because there are people who would normally not be doing that to them are doing that because they feel safe out there.

"I'm not saying you should feel unsafe," the defenseman added, "but you should have a little fear there is going to be consequences to how you play."

Richardson, who has played 19 rugged seasons and as a Maple Leafs rookie was clubbed over the head by a stick-swinging Dino Ciccarelli, said Simon likely tried to send an old-school message.

"If you look at the game the way it was, there might have been more fighting and a couple five-on-five brawls. But I guarantee you there were less incidents like this," Richardson said.

"I don't condone the old ways of brutality. But when I came into the league, you wouldn't even think of trying that crap. Chris was angry, but I'm sure he didn't want to take the guy's head off and hurt him. He wanted to warn him or give it back to him; not decapitate him."

Some situations don't have such an intricate backstory.

As Maple Leafs defenseman Pavel Kubina said, "The game is so intense. It's close to the playoffs, and everybody is fighting for their lives and emotions are so high. Sometimes, you just do stupid things."

"Guys also are trying to make a name for themselves," DiMaio said of Latendresse, a rookie who stuck with the Canadiens out of camp. "It's a shame because it seems to benefit them as far as their popularity. It's just a different attitude."

Kubina said he favors bigger fines and longer suspensions to quell unnecessary violence. He also said the Players' Association shouldn't be afraid to talk about how members treat each other.

"Ultimately, players have to decide," Pratt said. "There are things you do and don't do on the ice."

And that, everyone agreed, starts with respect.

[Bronx33]

Flames remaining games

AWAY Stars
HOME Wild
HOME Red Wings
HOME Predators
AWAY Blackhawks
AWAY Wild
AWAY Wild
AWAY Canucks
HOME Avalanche
AWAY Sharks
HOME Oilers
AWAY Avalanche



We have a real good shot at catching the flames they got a really rough set of games coming up,so if we continue to win games from here out we just might make the cut (so lets all root for the flames to lose!)

4 GAMES

[Mtbrncofn]

W00t! Way to go, Stars!

[SoCalBronco]

It's almost playoff time!

[Mtbrncofn]

That's a nifty photo, SoCal.

[Bronx33]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

It's almost playoff time!

And NHL center ice is on order.. the wife can just say goodbye for awhile.

[Bronx33]

Originally Posted by Mtbrncofn

That's a nifty photo, SoCal.

Another nifty photo

[Bronx33]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey...orts-headlines

Well that's nice of ya hollowig! since you started the altercation with the hit from behind, you wouldn't want to go to bat for the guy sure he ****** up (but you started it) punk.

Rangers forward Ryan Hollweg, who was felled by a stick swung at his head by the Islanders' Chris Simon, said today that he told Nassau County prosecutors that he wouldn't press charges against Simon for the incident at the Coliseum a week ago.

Hollweg, who briefly lost his hearing and received a gash on the jaw in the attack, said that he and two team attorneys met for about 30 minutes with two attorneys from the District Attorney's office on Thursday at the Rangers training center in Westchester.

"They asked me if I wanted to, but I told them I didn't want to press charges," Hollweg said after the Rangers' morning skate at Phillips Arena in Atlanta. "I'm not happy about what he did, but I want to focus on making the playoffs. I just want to move on."

Asked if he thought his reluctance to press charges against Simon, who was suspended for 25 games by the NHL, would deter the county from doing so, Hollweg said, "That's not for me to say." Rangers head athletic trainer Jim Ramsay also met with Nassau representatives on Thursday, a team spokesman confirmed today.

Hollweg, 24, played two games after the blow by Simon, which made headlines across North America, but has not practiced for two days because of a stomach flu and won't play tonight against the Thrashers.

[Mtbrncofn]

Originally Posted by Bronx33

Another nifty photo

[Mtbrncofn]

Calgary loses, we win....6 points! This is getting really exciting. Plus, the streak continues!

On the flip side, anyone catch the brutal punch Jordin Tootoo delivered to Robidas? Wow.

[Bronx33]

Stastny 2nd among rookies (that is all carry on)

[Bronx33]

Kudos to mike modano US born....

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – This wasn't the way Mike Modano drew it up.

Modano scored two goals, Nos. 502 and 503 of his career, to break Joe Mullen's record and become the greatest American-born goal-scorer in NHL history Saturday night.

But instead of getting any acclaim, he was derided with calls of "Modano's a baby" from a boisterous Nashville Arena crowd. The fans lustily celebrated the Predators' 3-2 win over the Stars, and Jordin Tootoo's punch of Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas that knocked Robidas out cold and sent him to the hospital with a concussion.
Stars/NHL



"It's very unfortunate," Stars coach Dave Tippett said.

Robidas was alert and awake, Modano said after the game. Captain Brenden Morrow added: "Robi's a tough guy. He'll bounce back from that."

Robidas was released from the hospital late Saturday night and traveled back to Dallas with the team.

The evening had a surreal feel to it.

On one hand, the teams dialed up the intensity in anticipation of a potential playoff matchup. That led to exciting plays, outstanding goaltending and several skirmishes.

On the other, the crowd of 17,113 took out its frustration for Tootoo getting penalized, booing Modano at the end of the third period and rumbling the "Modano's a baby" chant on several occasions.

Tootoo's job was to hound Modano, and he did it well, getting in a few tangles with the Stars' top player.

One such occasion came with under four minutes remaining in the game and the Stars trying to overcome a 3-1 deficit. Tootoo leveled Modano as he tried to make a pass out of the defensive end. As Robidas circled back to help Modano, Tootoo turned and threw a punch to the face of Robidas.

"I turned around and I knew exactly what was going to happen," Tootoo said. "I was just protecting myself. I kept my gloves on, and I think Robidas should be the one that's ready for whatever is coming at him. I was protecting myself."

The Stars didn't see it that way.

"First of all, I'd like an explanation on the penalties," Tippett said of the fact Robidas received a charging penalty to Tootoo's double-minor for roughing. "If he meant to charge him, he didn't get to – he got sucker-punched before he got to him."

Predators coach Barry Trotz praised Tootoo for keeping calm.

"Toots obviously hit their top player, and the current response in hockey is someone has got to get over there and defend your honor," Trotz said. "Robidas was really charging at Toots, and he just reacted. I give him a lot of credit – he kept his gloves on."

Modano, who had tied Mullen in the second period at 502 goals, then responded on the ensuing power play as he blasted a shot past Tomas Vokoun for goal No. 503.

Modano said he was happy to get the record, but still aghast at the punch. Tippett said the record should be honored no matter the situation or the crowd reaction.

"I think you have to look at the impact Mike has had on hockey in the United States – it's been phenomenal," Tippett said.