Posts Tagged ‘NHL uniforms’
Blackhawks’ Got Their Grove Back!
What a game! Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers last night 7-4 to take back the series lead. The Chicago Blackhawks now lead the series 3-2 and are only 1 game away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. Chicago has not been successful in winning a game in Philadelphia but hope to change that with a win in game 6 on Wednesday night to take the Stanley Cup.
It seems as though the Blackhawks change up of lines have had great results with a 3-0 lead in the first period. Sometimes a shake up of the good old things can work wonders. After a terrible first period for the Flyers, coach Peter Laviolette pulled goalie Michael Leighton and replaced him with Brian Boucher.
With just over 2 minutes left in regulation time, Philadelphia pull their goalie for an extra man advantage. This, unfortunately, gave the Blackhawks an extra chance for another goal. With an empty net, Dustin Byfuglien, scored the Blackhawks 7th goal at 17:55.
With game 6 coming this Wednesday in Philadelphia the Blackhawks will have to go some to pull themselves together knowing their record of losses in Philadelphia. However, the pressure will also be on for the Flyers knowing that only one more loss for them will be the end of their hopes for the prestegious Stanley Cup.
Ovechkin Adds a “C” to His Jersey
Alex Ovechkin made his debut as captain of the Washington Capitals last night in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Ovechkin, 24, of Moscow is the 6th Russian native to be a captain in the NHL. He is the Capitals 14th captain and the second youngest captain in the team’s history. The youngest captain at the age of 21 was Ryan Walter in the 1979-80 season. Ovechkin takes over from Chris Clark who was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 28th.
Washington general manager George McPhee and coach Bruce Boudreau made the decision to name Ovechkin as the new captain. Ovechkin told them to talk to his teammates first before he would accept the position.
“Our team has adopted Alex’s personality and the energy, passion and drive to win that are his hallmarks have become our team’s as well,” GM George McPhee said in a press release. “He sets the tone on the ice as well as off. He’s respectful to everyone and a great ambassador for our team and our sport. We look forward to him leading the Washington Capitals for a long time.”
With Ovechkin’s new position, I’m sure that the Ovechkin jerseys will be selling like hot cakes!
Fourth From The Bottom Toronto Maple Leafs To Send Players To The Olympics
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs are near the bottom of the NHL standings, they will be able to send a few players to the Olympics. Surprising as it may seem, the Leafs do have a handful of decent players who will be beneficial to the Olympic line up.
Tomas Kaberle will be in his third Olympics playing for the Czech team who won a bronze medal in the 2006 Olympics. Although Jason Blake is a long shot for the US team, Phil Kessel and Mike Komisarek will be heading to Vancouver in February.
Sweden’s team will be getting Jonas Gustavsson and Niklas Hagman who made up part of Finland’s team when they won the silver in the 2006 games will also go to the Olympics. And last but not least center Mikhail Grabovski will play for Belarus.
With all of this talent heading off to the Olympics, it makes you wonder why the Toronto Maple Leafs are so near the bottom of the standings. It would be nice for the Leafs fans to be able to wear their Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys with pride instead of just wondering whether their team will ever get back to the way they were in the good old days.
Philadelphia Flyers To Have Strong Showing In Olympics
The Philadelphia Flyers appear to have the opportunity to have a strong showing in the upcoming 2010 Olympic games. Unfortunately, Simon Gagne who has played in the last two Olympic games for Canada has had two hernias and abdominal surgery in early November which has precluded any chance for a third shot at the Olympics.
Matt Carle, winner of a gold medal at the 2004 world juniors, has improved greatly since he joined the Flyers. He had not shined while playing with the San Jose Sharks and the Tampa Bay Lightning. If his performance continues to improve, he will be considered for the US team.
Also 35-year old Chris Pronger will likely join team Canada to play in his fourth Olympics. Kimmo Timonen will play for Finland as well as Mika Pyorala. Although Pyorala is only in his first season playing for the NHL, he has put in nearly a decade playing for Finland and Sweden. He played for Finland in the past three World Chamionships.
Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards will suit up for team Canada although Carter still has to prove himself over the new month.
Alexander Ovechkin Comes Through For The Washington Capitals
Alexander Ovechkin has given head coach Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals something to smile about. The coach has been looking for some action from the star forward. Ovechkin had received quite a tongue-lashing from Boudreau to pick up his game.
Ovechkin certainly got down to business on Saturday during a game with the Edmonton Oilers. After the first 40 minutes of play, the Capitals were down 2-0. Ovechkin came through with 2 third period goals and as assist. He scored just 32 seconds into the third period. He went on to score another goal and an assist.
Also scoring for the Capitals were Tomas Fleischmann and Nicklas Backstrom as the Washington Capitals went on the beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2.
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.