Archive for October, 2009
Leafs Finally Pull Off a Win!
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally get their first win of the season. The Leafs, now 1-7-1, managed to beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-3. It was a very rough game with a lot of cheap shots and fights leading to the Ducks spending a good deal of time in the penalty box allowing the leafs to score on 5 power-plays.
Niklas Hagman scored a hat trick. Jonas Gustavsson returned from a groin injury to make 25 saves. Toronto’s best defenceman, Tomas Kaberle, picked up 5 points with one goal and 4 assists. Even though Anaheim didn’t play well, they do have a lot of talent including Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, and Ryan Getzlaf.
Roberto Luongo Sets New Record!
After Sunday’s game with the Edmonton Oilers, Luongo set a new shutout record for the Vancouver Canucks breaking Kirk McLean’s old record of 20. Luongo now has 48 career shutouts to his credit.
After a slow start to the season, Luongo is finally getting his groove back. With last nights win, the Vancouver Canucks are now over the .500 mark at 6-5-0.
Bobby Orr: Boosting the Bruins’ Profile
There’s something jarring and slightly intimidating about seeing photos of a professional hockey player going about his business without a helmet. Today, piles of medical research and an infusion of common sense have taught us that the risk of a concussion is very real for hockey players, and the long-term effects of closed head injuries are serious indeed. In the 1960s and ’70s, Bobby Orr knew very little about such risks, and he might not have cared anyway.
Orr helped bring two Stanley cups to Boston in the early ’70s, and he took the Bruins back to the Cup finals again in ’74. He was awarded the Norris Trophy – reserved for the best defenceman in the league – a record eight straight years. He also stands as the sixth most prolific goal scorers among defenceman – no small feat during an era when forwards and centers took most of the shots. Autographed hockey sticks from Bobby Orr and other legends of his day have become valuable collectors items.
Cheap Shot on Tucker!
Colorado Avalanche trainers look at Darcy Tucker #16 of the Avalanche after tucker was injured against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Pepsi Center. Hejduk scored on a power play at the 10-minute mark after Ruutu was assessed a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct for his hit against Tucker, who was knocked out by the blow.
Tucker was immobilized on a stretcher board and taken by ambulance to the hospital for further evaluation. The Avalanche later reported that he suffered a concussion but had regained consciousness and was fully alert. The Colorado Avalanche went on to win the game 5-4 over the Hurricanes bringing their standings to 7-1-2.
He Shoots! He Scores!
Washington Capitals v Atlanta Thrashers.
Jeff Schultz #55 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal with Mike Knuble #22, Tom Poti #3 and Alex Ovechkin #8 against the Atlanta Thrashers. What a lucky goal by Schultz from a whoping 185 feet! With 1 goal and 2 assists, the defenseman sure stepped up to the plate last night.
The Washington Capitals are off to a great start this season sitting in position 7 in the NHL. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is off to a great start this year with 22 saves in last nights game and is 4-0 for the season.
Stanley Cup Champions Still On Top!
Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh Penguins still on top after 9 games played. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is 8-0. Fleury has been doing everything but stand on his head. Malkin and Crosby are leading the way, however, all four lines are playing spectacularly.
However, following a broken left wrist suffered against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, the Penguins will once again have to rediscover life without Sergei Gonchar. The high-scoring defenseman will miss the next four to six weeks.
Remembering an NHL Dynasty
With the exception of an impressive playoff run in 2006, Edmonton Oilers fans haven’t had much to cheer about since the team’s 1980s heyday. The Oilers joined the NHL in 1979, and within the span of just four years they had collected enough talent to create one of the league’s most impressive dynasties. Between 1984 and 1990, the team captured five Stanley Cup titles.
Wayne Gretzky, the team’s captain and perhaps the greatest hockey player of all time, was there to hoist four of those trophies. In 1988, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. While the Oilers managed to keep their momentum for a few more seasons, losing “the Great One” took its toll. Regardless, many Edmonton Oilers jerseys can still be seen in the stands of Rexall Place with Gretzky’s name proudly printed on the back.
Leafs Can’t Buy a Win!
Toronto Maple Leafs players Jason Blake #55 and Lee Stempniak #12 crash into Michal Rozsival #33 and Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers during a game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on October 17, 2009. Rangers drop Leafs for the seventh-straight win. Perhaps it’s time for a change in their coaching staff.
Hopefully when the new players of the team start playing as a team instead of as individuals, they will come together and bring back the old Toronto Maple Leafs from the good old days! Even though the Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967, their fans still like to support them by wearing their Toronto Maple Leafs hockey jerseys.
A Heated Western Conference Rivalry
The Colorado Avalanche are just one of those teams that hockey fans either love or hate. They are the hockey equivalent of the New York Yankees in that they inspire a bitter polarization. You can find hundreds of Colorado Avalanche jerseys dotting the stands when they play an away game, and the Pepsi Center rocks hard when they have a home ice advantage.
Until their inaugural 1995 season in Colorado, the Avalanche competed as the Quebec Nordiques. The Avalanche have won two Stanley Cups in their brief history – one in 1996 and the other in 2001. During most of the late ’90s and early 2000s, the Avalanche engaged in a bitter rivalry with their hated Western Conference rivals the Detroit Red Wings. Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and goaltender Patrick Roy represented the core of the team in its glory days.