Jul 31 2008
To say the least, Penguins fans are touchy about their recently hatched dislike for the Red Wings. First they won the Cup on Mellon Arena ice. Then in the offseason, they took Ty Conklin and Marian Hossa off the Penguins' hands through free agency. We have a collection of 17 hockey jerseys and we've had to avoid wearing either of our Red Wings jerseys around town because we didn't want a punch in a month.
Bob Smizik wrote a column calling Penguins fans who planned on booing Hossa when he returned here wearing a Red Wings jersey, "knuckleheads." Fans responded by creating an anti-Bob Smizik Facebook group.
Well all these feeling of ill will towards Detroit pale in comparison to whatever led to the bench-clearing brawl between the two teams Nov. 23, 1983.
Perhaps there was a disagreement over the creative direction of "Dallas" or something.
You have to love how the backup goaltenders came off the bench and immediately grabbed each other at 1:55.
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-Former Penguins Phil Bourque, Ken Wregget, Troy Loney and Mark Kachowski will take part in a fundraiser to help former Youngstown SteelHound player Jason Baird. (Kudos to EN reader James Rolley for the heads up.)
Northeast Division
-Charges of grand theft against Canadiens defenseman Ryan O'Byrne were dropped.
Southeast Division
-The Hurricanes signed forward Drayson Bowman to a three-year deal.
-Panthers defenseman Mie Van Ryn claims his injured wrists are healthy. He missed 62 games last season due to injuries.
Central Division
-The Red Wings re-signed restricted free agent forward Valtteri Filppula to a five-year deal worth $15 million.
-The Blue Jackets re-signed restricted free agent goaltender Pacal Leclaire to a three-year deal worth $11.4 million.
-Predators defenseman Ville Koistinen a one-year deal worth $700,000.
-Former Blues forward Dan Hinote is living the good life.
-This whole mess with the Predators, William "Boots" Del Biaggio, and Gary Bettman isn't exactly going away.
Northwest Division
-After having him clear waivers, the Wild will buy out forward Mark Parrish.
-New Avalanche goaltender Andrew Raycroft still thinks he's a NHL-caliber goaltender.
Adams Division
-Salary arbitration isn't exactly a picnic.
-Icethetics has a peek at the some of the new (or old in some cases) logos for the third jerseys that will be in use next season. (Kudos to EN reader Matt Dailey for the heads up.)
Jul 29 2008
The Panthers and franchise defenseman Jay Bouwmeester avoided arbitration yesterday as he agreed to a one-year deal with the team believed to be worth $4.9 million.
This basically does one of two things.
1.) It buys the Panthers time to sign Bouwmeester to a long-term deal, something Bouwmeester doesn't want to do until he sees what direction the Panthers are heading. The Panthers haven't reached the playoffs since 2000 and have essentially been spinning their wheels since that time.
2.) It gives the Panthers chance to deal another franchise player for very little in return. Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen left sunny "F.L.A." under similar circumstances. The trades that sent them elsewhere netted very little for the Panthers. Bouwmeester could be dealt at next season's trade deadline.
One way or another, the Panthers need players like Bouwmeester on their roster if they ever hope to reach the playoffs again and ultimately contend for a Stanley Cup title. Considering there's a salary cap in place in the NHL now and that over half the teams in the league can make the playoffs (16 out of 30), there's no excuse for a team that drafts as high as the Panthers usually do to not make the playoffs.
(Photo: Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-The Staals are brothers and they like their softball.
(Kudos to a reader of The Sidney Crosby Show for the find.)
Northeast Division
-Despite not making the playoff last season, the Sabres are raising their ticket prices, sort of.
Southeast Division
-The Lighting is on the verge of signing first overall draft pick Steve Stamkos.
-The Capitals are expecting their season ticket base to grow by 5,000.
-Former Penguins forward Jaromir Jagr predicted Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin will reach the 70-goal mark next season.
Central Division
-You weren't the only one surprised by Marian Hossa signing with the Red Wings. Ken Holland, Detroit's general manager, was too.
-Ohio State fans actually think the Blue Jackets get too much press from the Columbus media. In other news, another SEC team just romped Ohio State for the BCS title.
(Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
Northwest Division
-A lot of talent has left the Northwest Division.
Patrick Division
-Our friends at Illegal Curve have a new address (http://www.illegalcurve.com/) and a new look. Check it out.
Jul 28 2008
We kind of stumbled across this YouTube clip of Evgeni Malkin in his Metallurg Magnitogorsk days yesterday. Watching him slice through those expanded European rinks, it's quite evident why the powers that be in Russia got upset when Malkin left for Pittsburgh.
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-The Hockey News ranked the top ten former NHLers playing in Europe. Four of the ten are former Penguins. (Kudos to EN reader Jennifer Nelson for the heads up.)
-Could former Penguin Matthew Barnaby replace Barry Melrose at ESPN?
Atlantic Division
-The Rangers re-signed forward Fredrik Sjostrom to a one-year deal worth $400,000.
-Forward Jamie Langenbrunner will remain the Devils' captain next season.
-Check out this gallery of Flyers goaltending masks.
Northeast Division
-As expected, the Bruins bought out former Penguins forward Glen Murray.
Southeast Division
-The Capitals signed defenseman Shaone Morrisonn to a one-year deal worth $1.975 million.
Central Division
-It appears as if former Red Wings forward Mark Hartigan has signed with a team in the Russian KHL.
Northwest Division
-With Pierre-Marc Bouchard under wraps, the Wild will try to lock up Marian Gaborik long term.
Pacific Division
-In a shocking development, forward Teemu Selanne is dragging his feet on returning to the Ducks.
-It appears the Iowa Chops, the new AHL affiliate of the Ducks, will "offer" a contract to former Packers quarterback Brett Favre. We're a little late addressing this story, but we were hesitant to even bring it up since its essentially a lame publicity stunt by a minor league team.
Jul 26 2008
You shouldn't be behind your computer on a Saturday in late July worrying about hockey.
You should be eating watermelon. You should be in a pool. You should be getting the wind knocked out of you on a Slip 'n Slide. You should be getting sun burnt.
But you're here.
So we'll help you out.
Here's some "Summer Madness" by Kool and the Gang:
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins signed free agent defenseman Reid Cashman. He spent part of last season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
Atlantic Division
-The Islanders re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Bruna Gervais to a three-year deal worth $2.2 million.
-Former Devils forward Sergei Brylin officially signed a deal with a team in the KHL in Russia.
-Former Lightning coach John Tortorella will meet with the Islanders about their head coaching position Sunday.
Southeast Division
-Former Penguins forward Randy Cunneyworth was named as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers. He had been the head coach of the Rochester Americans of the AHL since 2000.
Central Division
-The Blue Jackets signed former Coyotes forward Mike York to a one-year, two-way deal worth $750,000 at the NHL level.
-This deal is odd for a two reasons. First, York allegedly signed a deal with a team in the KHL earlier this month, but his agent denied that. Second, this would've been a good signing had it been made in 2002 when York was an All-Star. These days, he's barely able to get work with in the NHL.
-The Predators re-signed forward Rich Peverly and signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a one-year extension.
-This is the best picture of Red Wings coach Mike Babcock in a wet suit you'll find all day.
Northwest Division
-The Wild avoided arbitration with forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard and signed him to a five-year deal worth $20.4 million.
-The Avalanche also avoided arbitration with forward Marek Svatos and signed him to a two-year deal worth $4.1 million.
Patrick Division
-Don't expect Baltimore to get a NHL franchise anytime soon.
Jul 25 2008
It's July 25. There hasn't been a NHL game since June 4. The draft has passed. Free agency is all but done.
There's not a lot of NHL stuff out there to write about.
So we're going to take the easy way out and entertain yourself with our favorite YouTube video, the pregame ceremonies of Game 3 of the 2006 Stanley Cup in Edmonton.
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-Ron Cook is digging Michel Therrien's new deal.
-How's Ray Shero's offseason going? Vote on it here.
-Some people should just not be allowed to own hockey jerseys.
Atlantic Division
-Former Islanders forward Mariusz Czerkawski retired.
Northeast Division
-Bruins forward and former Penguin Glen Murray cleared waivers.
Central Division
-The second Winter Classic has a logo.
Jul 24 2008
Here's an in depth look at the Penguins' April schedule:
April 1 - Devils: Because it's fun saying "Oduya."
(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
April 4 - At Hurricanes: Because Ric Flair is a Hurricanes fan.
April 5 - At Panthers: Because they don't throw rats on the ice anymore in Florida.
(Photo: The Pensblog)
April 7 - At Lightning: Because Gary Roberts doesn't drink any old water.
April 9 - Islanders: Because Rick DiPietro has an image of Iwo Jima on his mask.
(Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times)
April 11 - At Canadiens: Because "Komisarek" is apparently how French Canadians say "Orpik."
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-The folks at BringBackMike.com aren't exactly thrilled that Paul Steigerwald got his job back.
Atlantic Division
-Devils assistant coach and hall-of-fame defenseman took a job with the Devils as special assignment coach.
Northeast Division
-The Bruins put former Penguins forward Glen Murray on waivers.
Central Division
-The Red Wings signed former Thrashers forward Darren Haydar and re-signed forward Ryan Oulahen.
-Former Blues forward Martin Rucinsky signed with a team in the Czech Republic.
-Former Blue Jackets defenseman Duvie Westcott signed with a team in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
Northwest Division
-The Canucks re-signed forward Ryan Shannon and five other players.
Pacific Division
-The Ducks signed head coach and former Penguins defenseman Randy Carlyle to a two-year contract extension.
-The Sharks officially hired former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Todd Richards as an assistant coach today.
-San Jose re-signed restricted free agent forwards Riley Armstrong and Mike Morris. Armstrong is the brother of former Penguins forward Colby Armstrong.
Jul 23 2008
Here's an in depth look at the Penguins' March schedule:
March 1 - At Stars: Because you're still mad about that Sergei Zubov for Kevin Hatcher deal.
March 3 - at Lightning: Because Ryan Malone might beat up Matt Cooke again.
March 5 - At Panthers: Because FSN Pittsburgh will tease you relentlessly with those shots of the surf and sand while it's 46 degrees and cloudy in Bethel Park.
March 8 - at Capitals: Because it will have been 364 days since Nicklas Backstrom last "scored" for the Penguins.
March 10 - Panthers: Because Sidney Crosby might do this again:
March 12 - at Blue Jackets: Because Rick Nash is the only real reason to pay any attention to the Blue Jackets.
March 14 - Senators: Because it's going to be weird seeing Jarkko Ruutu getting under a Penguin's skin.
(Photo: Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)
March 15 - Bruins: Because Hal Gill is a Dropkick Murphys fan.
March 17 - Thrashers: Because Erik Christensen is soooo smooth.
March 20 - Kings: Because Kings forward John Zeiler is from Pittsburgh.
March 22 - Flyers: Because Martin Biron is still looking for this puck.
March 25 - Flames: Because Jarome Iginla is still one of the sport's best players and his full name is Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla.
(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
March 28 - Rangers: Because new Rangers defenseman Wade Redden made Ryan Whitney look tough that one time.
Tomorrow: "Why you'll watch - April."
THE IVY LIKELY WON'T BE A FACTOR
The layout for the rink at the second Winter Classic was revealed.
(Photos: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
We suppose that's probably the best position they can stick a hockey rink in a baseball-only facility. And it's going to look a lot better with an actual rink surrounded by snow instead of some cheap ugly white plastic "boards" on grass. But we still think something like this could've been handled better if it were staged at a football stadium.
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach Dan Bylsma is the favorite to succeed Todd Richards as the team's head coach.
Atlantic Division
-The Rangers re-signed forward Hugh Jessiman.
-Don't expect Brendan Shanahan to return to the Rangers.
Northeast Division
-The Sabres are considering bringing back defenseman Teppo Numminen. He missed most of last season due to a heart ailment.
-Former Lightning forward Mathieu Darche signed with the Sabres.
Southeast Division
-The Hurricanes will retire the jersey of recently retired defenseman Glen Wesley.
-Really? Glen Wesley? He was a nice, solid consistent player for about 20 years in the NHL, but he never even appeared in one All-Star game with the Whalers/Hurricanes. (He did play in the 1989 game while with the Bruins). Seeing someone like Wesley get his number retired makes us glad the Penguins haven't bestowed that honor onto anyone other than Michel Briere or Mario Lemieux. If the Penguins had the Hurricanes' standards, Shawn McEachern's No. 15 would be immortalized forever.
-The Lightning hired another one of the new owners' buddies to be the general manager of their AHL affiliate.
-On an unrelated note, Len Barrie and Oren Koules are two of the coolest owners ever and they're just plain awesome. Really awesome. And if they want a copy of our resume, they can e-mail us.
-Japer's Rink (cough, cough) "borrowed" our idea of pointing out reasons to watch each and every Penguins game and is coming up with reasons to watch each and every Capitals game.
-In all seriousness, we're cool with Japer's Rink. It's one of the best hockey blogs out there regardless of team affiliation.
Central Division
-The Blackhawks re-signed goaltender Corey Crawford.
-Former Thrashers coach Curt Fraser was hired as the coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings' AHL affiliate.
Northwest Division
-The Canucks are raising ticket prices. We suppose they have to find a way to pay Mats Sundin that $10 million a season they offered him.
Pacific Division
-The Coyotes re-signed former Penguins prospect Daniel Carcillo.
-Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer was "un" fined by the NHL for missing training camp.
Jul 22 2008
Here's an in depth look at the Penguins' February schedule:
Feb 3 - At Canadiens: Because you still hang on to your Alex Kovalev jersey wishing he'd come back to Pittsburgh (He is a free agent after next season by the way.)
Feb. 4 - Lightning: Because you never bought a Michel Ouellet jersey and you're not wishing he'd come back to Pittsburgh (He is a free agent after next season by the way.)
(Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Feb. 6 - Blue Jackets: Because new Columbus forward R.J. Umberger is from some town in Western Pennsylvania. We think. And he usually tears up the Penguins.
Feb. 8 - Red Wings: Because there are way too many reasons to even list. This might be the most important one though:
(Photo: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
Feb. 11 - Sharks: Because Evgeni Nabokov might be the best goaltender in the league.
Feb. 14 - At Maple Leafs: Because 1967 will last one more year.
Feb. 16 - At Islanders: Because a game on Long Island might mean we get to see Christie Brinkley in an Islanders jersey.
(Photo: New York Islanders)
Feb. 19 - Canadiens: Because we're still waiting for Jose Theodore's water bottle to come back to earth.
Feb. 21 - At Flyers: Because Maxime Talbot will probably hope Antero Niittymaki gets the start.
Feb. 22 - At Capitals: Because the Penguins love playing in front of a "home" crowd.
(Photo: Chris Lawrence)
Feb. 25 - Islanders: Because you don't have to see Miroslav Satan do this against the Penguins anymore:
Feb. 27 - At Blackhawks: Because Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are a lighter version of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Tomorrow: "Why you'll watch - March."
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Penguins
-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach Todd Richards is leaving the Penguins to take an assistant coaching position with the San Jose Sharks.
Mike Lange or Paul Steigerwald? Vote on it here.
-A commenter at The Pensblog found an entire archive with all of Mike Lange's game broadcasts from last season's playoffs.
-"Malsby?" We don't even know what to say about this without using vulgarity.
Atlantic Division
-The Flyers signed forward Joffrey Lupul to a four-year extension.
-The Rangers re-signed forward Greg Moore.
-The Devils officially signed free agent forward Fedor Fedorov. He's the brother of Capitals forward Sergei Fedorov.
-Flyers forward Steve Downie wants a fresh start and puppies to drown.
-With Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka no longer with the Rangers, some Czech hockey fans might try to get refunds for their tickets to the Rangers' first two games of the season in the Czech Republic.
-Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro likes his pro wrestling.
Northeast Division
-The Bruins re-signed defenseman Dennis Wideman to a four-year deal worth $15.75 million.
-Former Bruins coach/blowhard Mike Milbury will be joining CBC.
Central Division
-The Red Wings re-signed defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and goaltender Jimmy Howard.
-The Red Wings hired former player Brad McCrimmon as an assistant coach.
-The Blackhakws re-signed goaltender Corey Crawford.
Pacific Division
-The Kings traded forward Lauri Tukonen to the Stars for forward Richard Clune. Tukonen was a first-round pick of the Kings in 2004.
-The Kings re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Peter Harrold to a three-year deal.
Norris Division
-James Mirtle has an updated look at what free agents are still available.
Jul 21 2008
The Penguins re-signed forward Jeff Taffe to a one-year deal. The team also re-signed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Jonathan Filewich to a two-year deal and defenseman Paul Bissonnette to a one-year deal.
EN Says: We really like the Taffe deal. He was a guy who was put into the lineup when injuries hit and he showed he was capable of filling all sorts of roles on the team. He played regular minutes on the third- and fourth-lines, took the occasional faceoff and got a lot of time on the second power-play unit. Taffe's not a guy who will make or break anyone's roster, but he's certainly a quality role player.
Filewich is a guy who will get a look at as a fourth-liner with the NHL Penguins. He's shown an ability to score at the AHL level and he plays a fairly physical style.
Bissonnette is a physical defenseman who is more than willing to drop the gloves. It's hard to see him cracking the NHL Penguins this season given the depth on the blue line within the organization.
(Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Jul 20 2008
Here's an in depth look at the Penguins' January schedule:
Jan. 1 - At Bruins: Because you'll be too hung over from the night before to play the Brent Musburger Drinking Game while watching USC slaughter some Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl.
Jan. 3 - Panthers: Because noted Penguins-killer Olli Jokinen has been replaced by noted Penguins-killer Cory Stillman.
(
Photo: Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images)
Jan. 5 - At Rangers: Because a game on Monday night with a 7 p.m. starting time means it might be on Versus and we might get to see the lovely and talented Chris Simpson.
Jan. 6 - Thrashers: Because you might get a chance to see "The Moose" start.
(
Photo: Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
Jan. 8 - At Predators: Because despite their financial and attendance woes, the Predators are one of the most entertaining teams in the league.
Jan. 10 - At Avalanche: Because this might be your last chance to see Joe Sakic (
assuming he comes back at all for next season.)
Jan. 13 - At Flyers: Because Ryan Whitney probably wants another shot at Jeff Carter.
Jan. 14 - Capitals: Because we can hope Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin will offer another dazzling show.
Jan. 16 - Ducks: Because Ducks goon George Parros is from Washington, Pa.
Jan. 18 - Rangers: Because Paul Mara wants his revenge on Evgeni Malkin.
Jan. 20 - Hurricanes: Because you just know Josef Melichar will record a hat trick.
Jan. 28 - Rangers: Because Miroslav Satan has scored 28 career goals against the Rangers, the most against any team. Only the Capitals (28) have given up as many goals to Satan.
Jan. 30 - At Devils: Because perhaps we can see Brian Gionta do this again:
Jan. 31 - At Maple Leafs: Because Jordan Staal had arguably his finest moment as a NHL player at the Air Canada Center.
Tomorrow: "Why you'll watch - February."
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTSPenguins-Bob Smizik says Marian Hossa
shouldn't be booed when he returns to Pittsburgh.
-
The Confluence of the Three Rivers compares the 2007-08 Penguins vs. the 2008-09 version of the team.
-
Eddy Spaghetti found the best picture of Michel Therrien ever. Ever.
Central Division
-Getting tickets to the second Winter Classic won't be easy. It certainly wasn't last year.
Northwest Division
-Former Lightning and Penguins goon Andre Roy signed a one-year deal worth $550,000 with the Flames.
-Former Maple Leafs forward Mats Sundin did not sign with the Canucks.
Pacific Division
-Former Red Wings defenseman Danny Markov will not be signing with the Kings.
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