THN's Projected NHL Standings for 2008-09.

Recently I posted The Score Sports Forecaster’s projected standings for the 2008-09 season. The Hockey News’ 2008-09 Yearbook recently hit the stands,which contained their projected standings. See below: Western Conference1. Detroit Red Wings2. San Jose Sharks3. Minnesota Wild4. Dallas Stars 5. Anaheim Ducks6. Edmonton Oilers7. Chicago Blackhawks8. Calgary Flames9. Nashville Predators10. Phoenix Coyotes11. Vancouver Canucks12. Columbus Blue Jackets13. Los Angeles Kings14. Colorado Avalanche15. St. Louis BluesEastern Conference1. Montreal Canadiens2. Pittsburgh Penguins3. Washington Capitals4. Philadelphia Flyers5. Ottawa Senators 6. New York Rangers7. New Jersey Devils8. Carolina Hurricanes9. Tampa Bay Lightning10. Boston Bruins11. Buffalo Sabres 12. Florida Panthers13. Atlanta Thrashers 14. Toronto Maple Leafs15. New York Islanders Compared to The Score’s ranking, there are little significantdifference of opinion between the two publications over which teams will makethe playoffs, how those teams will place and which ones won’t make thepost-season dance. The biggest difference of opinion is THN has the Canadiensfinishing first in the East (The Score picked the Flyers) and the Coyotesmissing the playoffs (The Score picked them to make it over the Wild). As for the rest, the two publications both rank the RedWings as topping the West, and while there’s some difference in where theirprojected playoffs clubs finish in the standings they’ve picked the same teams(the difference between the Coyotes and Wild aside).Again, I'll be posting my predictions for the upcoming season standings in late September as most if not all of the rosters should be set by that point. Discuss!29 CommentsSource

Former SCSU star Hartigan playing for Dinamo Riga

Check out this blog post by former SCSU star Mark Hartigan it kind of reminds me of my days in Europe when you just pointed to something on the menu and ordered. You never know what you are going to get. Their season also sounds like a death march 7 games in 10 days. I could see how a player could wear down fast.Welcome to my first Insider Blog. I’m writing to you from Riga, Latvia, where I will be suiting up this season for Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League, alongside my buddy and former Columbus teammate Duvie Westcott, not tomention a couple other exers.Even though it’s the middle of summer, thingshave been real busy for me. I left Minnesota last week, getting on a plane at 7:30 pm and landing in Amsterdam at 11 a.m. the next morning. Duvie and I had a nine-hour layover in Amsterdam, so we rented a hotel room at the airport to get some sleep.The beds were smaller than a single – I mean, if you roll halfway over, you’re on the floor – and the funny thing was the beds were pushed together, so Duvie pushed them apart and faced them towards the TV. We got comfy and turned on the TV to find the only channel worth watching was CNN – also the only one we could understand. Duvie and I eventually made it to our next flight that had us landing in Riga at 11:30 p.m.We were met at the airport by the team GM and Dimitri, our European agent. Dimitri took us to the hotel, where we will be staying until Aug. 20. It’s one of the nicest places I have ever stayed. The hotel has only been open for about a month, it’s very modern and all the staff speak English.The next day Duvie and I explored the downtown (which is where our hotel is). We came to realize that Riga is a beautiful, clean, safe and active city. Riga is on the Baltic Sea, so they get weather very similar to Vancouver; lots of rain in the winter and very little snow, but I will confirm that in later blogs. Riga also has an English movie theater with all the latest films (this will come in handy).Now about the food...half the time Duvie and I have no idea what we are ordering. We just point at the menu and say "this one please" and sure enough, it tastes excellent. We have not yet had a bad meal. The food is also quite expensive just like everything here.On the ice, so far the practices have been the same as in North America except for the language barrier between the coach and myself. He is Slovakian and can speak Russian, Slovakian and very broken English. Duvie and I always try starting at the back of the line in practice to get a sense of what to do in the drill. We have already had two games here in Riga. Our team has won both, so I hope this is a sign of good things to come during the regular season. The team has a total of 12 exhibition games in August and will be starting the regular season Sept. 2. The first game is 5,000 miles away from Riga (against Amur Khabarovsk, 45 miles from the Chinese border) completely on the other side of Russia. We will be playing seven games in 10 days on that trip, I believe. Duvie and I arrived on July 29 and I am happy to say my wife Melissa and daughter Ava arrived Aug. 5. And, of course, the first thing the two of them did was sleep. Well, time to wake up the family and go out to some more restaurants in this neat city. Maybe next time I will talk a little about the old city, which is more than 800 years old. This is where all the action is downtown. Time to go and explore. Goodbye from Riga,Mark.Mark Hartigan won the past two Stanley Cups with Anaheim and Detroit andhas also played for Atlanta and Columbus in his career. He is beginning hisfirst season in the KHL with Dinamo Riga.Source

Snow to name the next coach of Islanders soon.

Don Lucia's favorite GM Garth Snow is expected to name his new head coach this week. This has turned out to be quite the drama and I am dying to find out who it is going to be. That being said I expect the Islanders to be cellar dwellars this season. Source: Snow has narrowed his list to threeBY GREG LOGAN----(snip)-----After a painstaking interview process in which he spoke with eight known candidates and contacted a few others, an source indicated Snow has narrowed his list to three finalists. Former Atlanta coach Bob Hartley, former Toronto coach Paul Maurice and current AHL Providence coach Scott Gordon still are in the running, and Snow is expected to name one as the Isles' next coach early this week.Although former Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella and former Colorado coach Joel Quenneville were regarded as the most high-profile candidates when Snow's search began because of their consistent winning records, any handicapper judging by the criteria set by the Isles' GM probably would have picked the same three finalists Snow settled on. When he parted ways with Nolan, Snow cited "philosophical differences" over the direction of the franchise as the reason.Snow made a firm commitment last season to a patient, long-term approach to fashioning a championship contender by developing the top young prospects in the organization and building through the draft as opposed to relying on free agency to provide a quick fix. The coach he chooses must share the same, and he must be able to communicate equally well with management and players.Source

Everybody make a Calgary Flames trade proposal!

I think this will be a fun thread, instead of people just shooting down other peoples idea's, I'd like to see everybody make a trade proposal whether it be something you would like to see go down or what you think Darryl Sutter might do, it's up to you... Here's mine: To Atlanta: Adrian Aucoin (4.0 UFA) To Calgary: Erik Christensen (0.75 RFA) Why, the Thrashers have money to burn, 20 players at 37.719 million and they could use another veteran defenseman, as of right now their only NHL defenseman are the five of Hainsey, Havelid, Exelby, Klee and Enstrom while the Flames need to shed some salary, the kid is from Edmonton and we've seen at least twenty of them join the Flames over the years, remember when posters would get flamed for suggesting Calgary should go after someone just because they were Western Canadian, well guess what? now management comes right out and says they will do just this because they prefer them. Erik Christensen is a 24 year old fast skating offensive centre (Bob Clarke Trophy) drafted 69th in 2002 who was buried too far down the depth chart in Pittsburgh (Crosby, Malkin, Staal) and was traded last year along with Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito and a 1st rounder for Marian Hossa & Pascal Dupuis. Not only would we free up another spot for our defenseman but we would also clear over three million off our inflated 58.179 million salary cap. Where would he fit in? I guess he would battle for a top nine foward position somewhere among this grouping here. Cammalleri - Langkow - IginlaLombardi - Backlund - BertuzziBourque - Christensen - BoydGlencross - Conroy - Moss I'd like to see what some people think we can get for some of the expected departures of Marcus Nilson, Rhett Warrener and Anders Eriksson. Remember CP, post a trade proposal, don't just critize please, have fun, c'mon you lurkers, sign up and join in the conversation! :nod:

The Gretzky Trade At 20

Anyone who is a diehard hockey fan...remembers this day...August 9th, 1988. The day that left me in utter shock and awe like none other. The Devils first Stanley Cup probably comes close for me. Twenty years ago today, Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers (one of the best dynasties ever) to the Los Angeles Kings in a move that has had long lasting yet mixed effects.The biggest reason for this trade was owner of the Oilers, Peter Pocklington. He kept losing money throughout the 1980's and needed to cover business loans, and expenses that were mounting. Gradually, Pocklington would sell off all his assets from the Oilers...player by player. However, the biggest piece was the first one and that was Mr. Gretzky.The night the trade happened I was sitting there watching some baseball on television when ESPN (who actually covered hockey with considerable passion back then) went to a breaking news alert. Suddenly baseball was interrupted by hockey and no you would likely never see that on television today so you knew this alert was important. When Tom Mees announced the trade, our jaws hit the floor like bricks. They probably hit all at the same time as well. The graphic on the screen was as read........Wayne Gretzky traded to Los Angeles Kings via AP ReportMy dad heard me curse from upstairs. So of course he came downstairs to see what was going on. Even when he saw the story on ESPN, he was stunned. Simply my Dad asked me what it meant and all I could really say was, "The Kings are going to change hockey." I surely did not know how right I would be at the time.The rest as everyone knows is history. The LA Kings became a team that was actually good...and though Bruce McNall would have a fall similar to Enron, the Gretzky trade had many long reaching effects. The added markets in San Jose and Anaheim just for example....then Tampa, Florida, Atlanta, Minnesota, etc. etc. etc. Winnipeg moved to Phoenix and there was some Nashville team along the way. This doesn't likely happen as fast without Gretzky moving. The playing field shifted with some mixed results.Obviously teams like LA and Florida are not doing so well these days along with several others. However, San Jose and Anaheim are flourishing for the most part. So the direct lineage of teams from the Gretzky trade has worked well. If Phoenix keeps its upward trend, then they may be able to make a profit in the. Essentially Gretzky, Coyotes Coach, would make a bit of a circle here in a good way. By helping out a market that was so far in the red a few years ago...Gretzky and Don Maloney have done wonders with Phoenix.So if the Coyotes make the playoffs in the next year or two...we will look at that stunning trade from twenty years ago and not ask what effects did the trade have twenty years ago...but what effects will it have twenty years from right now? A really great question, if you ask me.Source

Taking The Next Step

from Larry Wigge of NHL.com, Call it the next step.It’s the difference between playing against boys in junior hockey or in college and playing against men in the National Hockey League. It’s a daunting task. It’s a physical drain of growing into your body more quickly than ever before. It’s wanting it more than anything else you’ve ever done.And with the most recent draft being considered in quality and depth right up there with the 1979 and 2003 drafts, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear Tampa Bay talking about where Steven Stamkos will fit in the Lightning lineup.Another handful of players from the first round—including defensemen Drew Doughty (No. 2 by Los Angeles), Zach Bogosian (No. 3 by Atlanta) Alex Pietrangelo (No. 4 by St. Louis) and Luke Schenn (No. 5 by Toronto), plus forwards like left winger Nikita Filatov (No. 6 by Columbus), right winger Mikkel Boedker and left winger Viktor Tikhonov (Nos. 8 and 28 by Phoenix) and left winger Kyle Beach (No. 11 by Chicago)—are in the same situation as Stamkos.continued

Results And More

As you may have noticed, I took yesterday off. However, it wasn't a day without hockey. I spent my time watching women's field hockey from the Beijing Olympics, and I learned a ton of stuff. First off, the game is relatively low-scoring. It reminded me a lot of soccer in the way that teams match up with one another, and the scores reflected that. Secondly, there are teams that seem to score at will, and they strike very quickly once they get on a roll. This is very much like hockey where it seems momentum plays a large part in helping teams score goals. Without further adieu, let's take a look at some of the hockey stories from this past weekend.The Japanese women opened the Women's Field Hockey competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a 2-1 win over New Zealand. Sakae Morimoto and Toshie Tsukui scored for Japan at the 12th and 17th minute marks, respectively, before New Zealand's Jaimee Claxton cut the deficit to 2-1 at the 25th minute mark on a penalty corner. However, the Japanese held strong through the rest of the match, and Tsukui's goal held as the winner.Spain, after having been accused of doping violations, took to the field to play China after being cleared to compete. However, the drama surrounding the team has definitely rattled them, and China easily defeated a distracted Spanish squad by a 3-0 score. Baorong Fu, Hongxia Li and Lihua Gao scored for the Chinese squad, and looked impressive in their handling of the Spanish side.Australia did the impossible in defeating South Korea by overcoming a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Koreans by a 5-4 margin. South Korea opened the scoring on a fabulous goal by Mi Seon Kim. Australia's Shelly Liddelow tied the game briefly before South Korea opened up a three-goal lead with three goals in the final eight minutes of the first half. Korea's goal-scorers were Darae Kim, Sung Hee Kim, and Mi Hyun Park. The "Hockeyroos", however, came out determined in the second half. Captain Nikki Hudson, Shelly Liddelow, and Sarah Young scored goals in the second half to tie the game. The comeback was capped off by a Casey Eastham goal that was deflected into the Korean net by Korean defender Jung Hee Kim. Australia looked impressive in their comeback, and appear to be a force in this competition.Team USA squared off against Argentina, and the two squads battled to a 2-2 tie. Argentina, one of the favourites in this event, had a number of opportunities, but the Americans weathered the storms to earn a draw. Carla Rebecchi scored both of Argentina's goals before the 12-minute mark of the game. However, the Americans showed some resiliency by holding strong, and were rewarded with a Keli Smith goal at the 18th minute. Angela Loy scored the equalizer in the 64th minute to stun the Argentinian side. The star of this game was American goaltender Amy Tran. She stopped 15 of 17 shots, including 11 of 12 penalty corners.Field hockey powerhouse Netherlands faced off against South Africa. The current World Champions in the Dutch squad appeared to toy with the South Africans, but the 6-0 result established the "Oranjes" as one of the favourites in this event. Eefke Mulder, Marilyn Agliotti, Minke Booij, and Wieke Dijkstra has singled for the Dutch while Maartje Paumen scored two goals. Ironically, Agliotti scored against her former team in this game. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Agliotti was a member of the South African squad.The Germans also established themselves in this competition by trouncing Great Britain by a 5-1 score. The current Olympic Champions began their title defence with a goal by Fanny Rinne in the 26th minute on a penalty corner goal. Crista Cullen responded almost immediately with a penalty corner goal for Great Britain to even the score. However, Eileen Hoffmann scored her first of two on the day just two minutes later to give the Germans a 2-1 lead at the half. Hoffmann struck again at the 49th minute to give the Germans a 3-1 lead before insurance goals by Fanny Rinne and Marion Rodewald secured the 5-1 victory.It appears the coaching search for the New York Islanders is coming to a close, and GM Garth Snow has narrowed his list to three candidates: Paul Maurice, Bob Hartley, and Scott Gordon of the AHL's Providence Bruins. Personally, dismissing John Tortorella is a mistake for this franchise, but I'm not Garth Snow. If it comes down to the three men listed above, I'm going with Gordon. His record in Providence is spectacular, and won an AHL Coach of the Year award. Hartley did nothing with a decent Atlanta Thrashers team, and Maurice has been disappointing since his Stanley Cup run many moons ago with Carolina. Gordon, to me, would be a no-brainer, but this is the New York Islanders. You know, the same team that allowed Mike Milbury to coach parts of four seasons to a record of 43-82-21 over that time.Jeff O'Neill is trying to make a comeback to the. The bruising power forward, last seen in Toronto Maple Leafs uniform, has accepted a tryout invitation to the Carolina Hurricanes' training camp. The 32 year-old retired at the end of the 2007 season after struggling to come to terms with the death of his brother. Whether or not he regain the form he had in 2002-03 when he scored 30 goals and 31 assists for the Hurricanes is up for debate, but if his head has been cleared, he could be exactly what Carolina has been searching for in a bruising, scoring winger.Defenceman Sean Hill is on the move. The 38 year-old free agent signed a one-year deal with recently-promoted team Biel in Switzerland. Biel won the second-division of the Swiss League last season, and will play in the Swiss Elite League this season. Adding Hill gives them a rugged defensive defenceman, but his speed and footwork are a bit of a concern. Minnesota Wild fans probably can back that up.Doug Gilmour is heading to the AHL. No, he's not attempting a comeback. He's been hired as an assistant coach of the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Gilmour will serve alongside head coach Greg Gilbert behind the Marlies' bench. Gilmour spent the past two seasons as an advisor to Maple Leafs management.Following Gilmour's lead, former Ottawa Senators head coach John Paddock is resurrecting his coaching career by heading back to the AHL. Paddock was hired as the head coach of the Philadelphia Phantoms. Paddock had an impressive run in the AHL previously, winning the Calder Cup in 1999-00 with Hartford and in 1987-88 with the Hershey Bears. Paddock's career coaching record in the AHL is an impressive 432-284-65-19, and he should help the young Flyers' AHL franchise regain their lofty status in the AHL's upper echelon. Former head coach of the Phantoms, Craig Berube, was promoted to assistant coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, creating the vacancy in the head coach position.McDonald's restaurants have decided that they like minor-pro hockey. The Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL and McDonald's have decided to join forces to bring hockey fans in Kalamazoo, Michigan a unique promotion. "Golden Ice" nights will feature yellow ice and be beach-themed for fans. The K-Wings already wear McDonald's-sponsored warm-up jerseys, and will don special McDonald's-themed jerseys for these games. The first is scheduled for Saturday, January 31st against the Bloomington Prairie Thunder. Now, I'm all for minor-league promotions because it gives me a ton of material for the You're Wearing That? articles, but yellow ice? How many frozen urine jokes will we have to endure because of this promotion?Hockey Blog In Canada would like to pass on its prayers to the Guinn family. Rob Guinn, a defenceman for the Bloomington Prairie Thunder, passed away on Saturday after being in a car accident in Iowa. Guinn is survived by his wife and five month-old daughter. My thoughts and best wishes go out to the Guinn family during this difficult time.In one of the more interesting website developments that I have seen, the Central Hockey League has created an entire page devoted to the mascots of the CHL franchises. Some pages are still under construction, but you can check out mascots like Stomp (Amarillo Gorillas), Sir-Sting-A-Lot (Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees), and Bruiser (Texas Brahmas). Honestly, this might be one of the more unique things I have seen on a league's website, and I think the other hockey leagues should follow suit. Your thoughts?The USHL's franchise in Green Bay has designed a new logo. The Green Bay Gamblers will take to the ice this fall with this new logo as opposed to this logo or their jersey logo. The new merchandise hasn't been unveiled on their website yet, but these older jerseys probably won't see much action this season.Former star Theoren Fleury followed in Michael Jordan's path by signing a one-game contract with the independant Golden Baseball League's Calgary Vipers. Coming to the plate in the 5th inning for his first professional at-bat, Fleury watched two balls thrown by Yuma Scorpions' pitcher Evan White before hitting a single up the middle for a base hit. Fleury ended his night going 1-for-3, officially moving ahead of Michael Jordan for "all-time hits in by a retired former pro athelete". Did MJ even record a hit during his time in the minors? Congratulations on achieving your baseball dream, Mr. Fleury!And, for those of you who made it to the end, let's finish this off with some quick photo links. When you're at a hockey game and a fight breaks out, this is not the reaction you'd expect to see from a dude. Rogers' Sportsnet has decided that you need to know about February games, like, right now. We have heard how Gretzky changed his number from #9 to #99, but how many times have you seen him as #7? Not sure who made Butch Goring's helmets in the 1970s, but they leave a little to be desired in the protection department.Ok, so that's the Sunday Rundown. If you have any comments, questions, critiques, generic well-wishing, requests, "I wuz here" tags, or what-not, feel free to hit up the comments or email. I do read them, and I try to respond to them.Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!Source

Schremp Boat

How many times has that title been used when talking about Rob Schremp? Heh.The fact of it still remains that in the summer of 2004 the Oilers were surprised that Schremp was still available when they picked at number 25 in the 1st round of thenhl entry draft. In sticking with the age old adage, take the best player still available, the Oilers drafted the skilled center. It's now 2008 and this young player still has not come close to making the next step into the big market. The questions are two fold when it comes to Schremp's story. Is it really true that his attitude was so bad that he screwed himself out of annhl job? Or did the Edmonton Oilers take a pass on the kid because he doesn't fit the so called mold of an Edmonton Oiler. As normal, with almost any dilemma, the answer is somewhere in between. I do believe that Schremp's work ethic and attitude in the first years after he was drafted was enough for the Oilers to try to "break" the young hockey player. It seemed that Schremp felt that he could hot dog his way through anything.As we all know the guys that actually make thenhl have been there done that. The players that are in thenhl are there not because they are talented, it's because they are talented and are driven to be better. Their work ethic is second to none and that work ethic is what makes themnhl players. Lots of young hockey players have the raw talent, they are born with that, but only a few learn to work hard enough for that raw talent to mean anything. There are signs that Schremp, as he is getting older, may be finally learning that. The other side of the coin is of course the Edmonton Oilers. As much as I believe it's still up to the player to show he wants to play, the team needs to show they want the player. I don't think the Oilers have done a very good job of that. MacT is a defense first coach, I'm fine with that, as long as you don't stick with it to the point of looking silly. The Edmonton Oilers have been a very un-skilled hockey team for a number of years now. Lots of guys that can work hard, but no skill.The Oilers could have used a player with the skill set of a Rob Schremp and I sure if I thought about it long enough even I could come up with some ideas as to how the club may have managed Schremp's development better then they did. I'll be the first to admit that every team needs the type of players that do everything well except put up points. However you also need the players that are there for no other reason BUT to put up points. Who cares if Schremp doesn't back check like MacT's favorite Marty Reasoner of the past 5 seasons. If Schremp was drafted to score gaols, let him go score goals! If he is really that big of a defensive liability make sure he is on the ice with players that can make that up for him. Not to mention he could play the 3rd or 4th line and be a power play specialist if one so desired. In the end, and trust me when I say this, the end is near when we are talking Rob Schremp and the Edmonton Oilers.This upcoming season may be the final chapter in this story. When the Oilers let Mary Reasoner sign with the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent, they left a spot on the roster for one new player this season. That spot is hardly Schremp's spot to lose, in fact if I was a betting man he will have to be lights out at training camp to even be considered, but the window is once again open for that next step. It will take a summer of effort and training from Schremp and a open mind from the Oilers coaching staff to give the young man a real shot at thenhl. If the two stars align, maybe we will finally see Rob Schremp as an Oiler. If not, I think Schremp will be traded, maybe even before the 08-09 training camp opens.Then again, this is just a damned opinion.Source

THE LEGACY OF...MARIAN HOSSA

Welcome to the second installment of "The Legacy Of...", the series in which we will discuss the legacies of Pittsburgh athletes who moved on to greener pastures. I'll give you the facts, including details on the player's acquisition, his Pittsburgh career with all of the highs and lows, and the time when he moves on. After that, you can vote on his legacy and discuss it at greater length in the comments section. Today's subject, like most of the subjects in this series, is a magnet for controversy: former Penguin Marian Hossa. ACQUISITIONThe 6'1", 210-pound right winger was drafted 12th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 draft, playing eight seasons north of the border. Hossa signed a three-year, $18 million contract on August 23, 2005, and was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers later that afternoon in exchange for talented yet troubled winger Dany Heatley.During his third season with Atlanta, Hossa was dealt by the Thrashers to Pittsburgh (along with Pascal Dupuis) on February 26, 2008, in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, 2007 1st-round pick Angelo Esposito, and the Penguins' 2008 1st-round pick. Hossa was clearly the centerpiece of the Penguins' trade deadline acquisitions and was part of one of the highest-profile trades in team history. Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Hossa had notched 296 goals and 342 points in his/nhl career with Ottawa and Atlanta. Upon his arrival to the Burgh, this photo of Hossa and a female friend was dug up and run on blogs approximately 1.8 million times during the next four months. OK, I made that 1.8 million number up. It was closer to 1.9 million.The trade was controversial on several levels. Some considered the price too high and the trade too risky, pointing to Hossa's unspectacular playoff performances in past years. Others disliked the loss of popular locker-room guys like Christensen and Armstrong, both fan favorites. Another faction of Penguin fans endorsed the roll-of-the-dice, which was a bold move by both the front office and the ownership. For Pittsburgh fans used to trade deadlines spent watching our teams give away top players, this was a welcome change.CAREER IN PITTSBURGHHossa's time as a Penguin got off to an ominous start, as he sprained his MCL in his Penguins debut on February 28. He would not return until a March 16 grudge match with Philadelphia that turned out to be a rousing 7-1 Penguins victory. Hossa scored a goal and added an assist in his Mellon Arena debut, endearing himself to the home fans in the process. Hossa ended the Penguin portion of his 2007-08 regular season with three goals and seven assists in 12 games, his high point output a three-assist performance in a 7-1 win against the Devils on March 22. It was on to the playoffs, where his presence would truly determine whether Ray Shero's trade was a good move or one the Penguins would regret. In the playoff opener, a 4-0 victory against Ottawa, Hossa was held goal-less on seven shots. At the time, I said, "looked like there was a lid on the goal for him." Following Game Two, a two-assist performance in another Penguins victory, Hossa was awarded FSN's Player of the Game honors for his goal & assist combo in a 4-1 Game Three win that put the Penguins within one win of an eventual sweep. Hossa ended the first round with one goal and four assists on 15 shots.It was on to Round Two against Jaromir Jagr and the New York Rangers. After somewhat of a slow start in the first two games (both Penguin victories, by the way), Hossa way publicly called out by Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook with his "Hossa needs to start scoring" story. Cook suggested that despite their 6-0 record in the playoffs to that point, Coach Michel Therrien should have replaced Hossa with Petr Sykora on the top power play unit. Hossa must've been a PG reader, as he answered Cook's challenge with a goal and assist performance in the next game, a 5-3 win over the Rangers. He added two goals, including an overtime, series-ender, in the clinching 3-2 victory; after two rounds and nine games, Hossa stood at five goals and five assists on 44 shots. More importantly, he aroused Casey Hampton enough to get out of his front-row seat. Hossa got off to a quick start in the Conference Finals against Philadelphia, with a two-assist Game One and a power play goal in Game Two. Hossa would notch two more goals in a 4-1 victory against the Flyers in Game Three, silencing 19,965 Flyers fans in the process. It was a beautiful sight. Hossa would save his best statistical game of the playoffs for the May 18, 6-0 blowout that would send Philadelphia to their inevitable offseason golf matches. His one goal, three-assist game would give the alleged shrinking playoff performer nine goals and 10 assists through three rounds of the tournament. Suddenly, Hossa was called "the perfect wingman for Sidney Crosby," while simultaneously being praised by SI.It was on to the Stanley Cup, hockey's biggest stage for one of its biggest free agents. Like every other player on the Penguins' roster, Hossa was held scoreless in Game One and Game Two, as the Pens dug quite the formidable 0-2 hole. He found his way onto the ledger with two assists in an amazing Game Three 3-2 home victory in front of a red-clad Mark Madden. And he would score the only Pittsburgh goal in the 2-1 Game Four defeat.With the Penguins just 35 seconds from elimination, Hossa set up Maxime Talbot for "The Goal I" in Game Five, the Instant Classic later won by Petr Sykora's "The Goal II" about ten hours later. And in the Game Six finale, despite scoring and assisting on the two Penguin goals, he will probably be remembered for the one that didn't go in with just seconds left.With the season over, Hossa was free to pursue offers from all/nhl teams. And with promises that he would play for a better team at a discounted rate, Pittsburghers kept up hope. In June, Please Stay Hossa was introduced to the world, with the best of intentions. It was one of a number of grassroots attempts at getting the talented winger to reconsider a few more years in the land of Iron City and pierogis.THE END IN PITTSBURGHOnce free agency was underway, Hossa floored even his agent by turning away a 7-year, $49 million dollar deal from the Penguins and a reported $70-$80 million deal from Edmonton in order to sign a one-year, $7.4 million deal with Detroit on July 2."I've said before, I want to have the best chance to win the Stanley Cup and I feel like Detroit is the team. It wasn't an easy decision. I knew I could have gotten more money somewhere else but I wanted the best chance to win the Stanley Cup and Detroit is the best destination," Hossa said in a conference call. Let those be motivational words for Sidney Crosby and the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins, noted ESPN 1250's Jim Colony at the time.POST-PITTSBURGH CAREERNot surprisingly, reaction to Hossa's signing with Detroit was not well-received in Pittsburgh. A few days after the move, Kiss 96 FM had video of Hossa jersey burnings, for those Yinzers who made the ultimate leap of faith and purchased a pricey sweater of the pending UFA.More recently, the PG's Bob Smizik said that "'Knuckleheads' can't wait to boo 'traitor' Hossa," in an article comparing Pittsburgh (unfavorably) to Philadelphia. Ouch.YOUR TURN A poll gauging your memories of Marian Hossa should be rather spirited. At this point, the discussion is in your hands. Do you have mostly good or mostly bad memories of Marian Hossa as a Penguin? We're putting it to a poll, and there's no wiggle room: it's either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. What wins out: 12 goals and 14 assists in a Cup run, or the spurning of a $49 million offer to join what he thinks is a superior Detroit team?Online Surveys & Market ResearchRelated:The Legacy Of...Kordell Stewart-- http://www.mondesishouse.comPittsburgh sports with a heavy dose of sarcasm! Updated daily, with coverage of the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, Pitt, and much more! Source

Upcoming alternate jerseys leaked... will they be worth waiting for?

Hello, everyone! I'm Paul, known as "cityhockeyfever" at thenhl Arena community and write my own hockey blog at Cup Crazy's National Hockey League blog. As your newest contributor to Thenhl Arena Program blog, I thought I would use this "face time" opportunity to discuss a hockey topic that has been on my mind lately.Given this is the absolute quietest time of the entire calendar year when comes to any news or activity involving the National Hockey League, chatter in cyberspace about the return of the third jersey program is about as exciting of a topic as you’re going to find these days. I know, for some people, it’s basically a reaction of "who cares", right?Well, I am one of those who do care. You don't like it, you don't need to read what I think of what has been talked about in recent days by hockey fans across the United States and Canada. But if you're interested in hearing what I think about the rumors and speculation of what is in store for this next money grab bynhl teams, plop your rear end into that cozy office chair in front of your computer and listen to what is on my mind.First of all, there are traditionalists that hate the idea of the existence of alternate jerseys. Yeah, we know, it takes away from the long-standing look of their teams. A lot of that noise could especially come from those fans of the Original Six.Ever since Howard Berger of CJCL-AM (The Fan 590) in Toronto had written an extensive blog entry at the radio station's web site on Sunday that provided detailed information about rumored logos and designs for 18nhl team alternate jerseys, it has gotten fans talking. Sure, it may be just jerseys to some people, but jerseys are the "flag" of their teams. I remember Minnesota Wild president and general manager Doug Risebrough making that exact reference during a speech to a crowd gathering eager to see that franchise's very first jersey (the original home white one) unveiled on November 18, 1999. So what that flag looks like identifies with the fans, with the team and even an entire city.The reaction to the RBK Edge uniform system that has been in place for one full season now has gotten mixed reviews from both the media and the fans. Since Reebok had introduced them to all 30 teams, the third jersey program was suspended at least partly due to the company needing to get up to speed in production of the home and away jerseys first. But now, alternate jerseys are back in time for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.So in Berger's blog entry, he of course addressed the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs first in saying how much it really won't change from what that team wore from 1998 to 2007, a white heritage jersey with blue shoulder piping and a 35-point blue leaf crest logo with the team name written inside it. Okay, nothing really worth talking more about.Then there were at least three teams he mentioned that seem to be headed onto a lazy path by just sticking a team name on the front of their rumored alternate jerseys, two in which are abbreviated nicknames. You have the Ottawa Senators possibly putting "SENS" on theirs and the Tampa Bay Lightning trying to emulate the New York Rangers by writing "BOLTS" diagonally across the front of a blue jersey. And the Atlanta Thrashers want to put "THRASHERS" on a burgundy or dark red jersey (not sure if that’s a similar color shade as the Phoenix Coyotes, but I doubt it). Berger did not mention the Wild, who are rumored to be throwing "MINNESOTA" on a green jersey.Let me say this about these four teams first. I friggin' hate it... THIS (if true) is the best they can come up with?! In my mind, only the Rangers are the only ones that can pull off the classic diagonal text alignment and letter font of their team name across the front of a jersey. The Pittsburgh Penguins also did it in their earliest years of existence, but I don't care for it. Atlanta appears to be following Dallas' lead if this rumored look is the direction they're going in. Un-friggin-believable. Why can't the Lightning just simply put out a blue version of their home jersey? WHY NOT? It may be boring to some, but at least it'll look a hell of a lot better than this ugly "BOLTS" plastered on the front! The Senators ended up with nice newly revised looks last season and they want to take the lazy man's way out with their alternate jersey? What an uninspired effort from these teams. My 3-year-old little cousin could've come up with this crap in two minutes!I will thank the Dallas Stars for this possible bad trend if Atlanta, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Minnesota follow what they did last year. These aren't basketball jerseys, they're hockey jerseys! There is enough room to place team logos on the front as the crest. I cannot say the same for the hoopsters. Yet Dallas just to grab a few extra bucks from their fans only wants to put out a white version of the home black jerseys with "DALLAS" on it. Yawn.I won't even bother with talking any more detail about my dislike for the Vancouver Canucks putting "VANCOUVER" above a re-colored Orca logo on their jerseys. Just not liking that part of their jersey says enough.On the other side of the jersey spectrum, it looks like at least there are other teams that stuck with tradition or honor their past in some way that recaptures their more popular old looks like the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins (think of those Winter Classic jerseys they wore). I'm not too keen of the Islanders using orange numbers AND nameplate lettering for theirs, I prefer white with thin orange trim.The Sabres are expected to go back to their vintage 1970s look with the classic circular logo with the white bison and swords, but some minimal modernizing detailing will be done. The Blackhawks plan to just bring back their black alternate from two years ago. The Oilers may unshelve a look from their 1980s glory years with the classic royal blue jersey containing orange shoulder piping. The Islanders' plan to wear their inaugural 1972 road jerseys that were also worn a few times during the 2006-2007 season. The Flyers are supposed to resurrect a look from their firstnhl season. Will the look be complete with a white nameplate on an orange jersey? Very possible.How will the reception to teams that will introduce additional new logos to their franchise identities remains to be seen. Speculation has it that the Coyotes will unveil a new full body coyote for the crest and new secondary logos for a black jersey. The San Jose Sharks are also expected to wear a black alternate jersey for the second time in team history, but this time, it may or may not be the full body shark that was introduced with the other team logos prior to last season. I'm certainly very curious as to what each of these two teams’ alternates will look like.Then there are the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues. I don't know what to think because Carolina supposedly will be yet another team donning black, but will their secondary logo be on the front? With the Blues, they might add a new alternate logo where the Gateway Arch is a part of it.Not all teams are participating in the third jersey program as two have yet to do so since its inception. That would be the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes are the third team, but they will have an alternate jersey for the 2008-2009 season. But, the Red Wings will wear for the second Winter Classic a heritage jersey. Notably the Rangers aren't a part of it this time around. Their "Lady Liberty" jerseys (at least the navy blue one) should be brought back at some point. They were among the best well-designed alternates I've seen (except that ugly jazzed up shoulder logo).Also, Howard Berger had added that the Montreal Canadiens will not be participating in the alternate jersey program during the upcoming season, but instead for a select amount of games could be wearing four different sets of uniforms to commemorate the franchise's centennial anniversary. On all uniforms, the Canadiens will have the 2009nhl All-Star Game patch on the front of the jerseys. This is a very good move on their part. Being the New York Yankees of hockey, the Canadiens going the heritage jersey route will score big with long time fans and that includes the old timers.Then during this week, we have seen the Icethetics blog show some leaked new alternate logos (whether they are the real thing, we don’t know for sure) and readers created mockups based on Berger's descriptions. One thing I do fear is how disappointed I will be and appalled by the ugliness. I have seen it since the third jersey program began in 1995. I've been disappointed with others that were really good and ended up getting dropped.But the one thing I realize now, there will never be a season in which all the teams will have TO ME logos and jerseys that look good at the same time. Whether it is a number font or how the striping looks to the logo themselves, it is tough not to criticize and demand improvement or a return to a more popular design. Case in point, the Sabres. Ever since they started using that "Buffaslug" logo as Sabres fans call it, I have wished for them to bring back the classic blue and gold. How about the Islanders reverting back to just two years ago instead of the downgrade from last season?All I know is that there is surely something I won't like and I just hope it doesn't happen to be a team I passionately root for. There's nothing worse than putting up with an ugly logo and jersey for YOUR team! Whether it is the never-used Blues alternate, the Anaheim Ducks' leaping masked duck, their ugly striped shoulders on their home and away alternates in 1997, the cartoonish purple-haired king of the Los Angeles Kings, the Pooh bear for a Boston Bruins crest logo on a gold jersey, the strange raindrops and lightning bolts for Tampa Bay in the 1990s, the fiery horse head for the Calgary Flames (God I hated that logo), the strange "COLORADO" font written on the Colorado Avalanche alternate or those infamous mustard Nashville Predators jerseys, those not-so-popular looks cannot continue to happen. Fans deserve a very sleek, very well-thought out and creative alternate jerseys with team logos that fans can be proud to wear, not embarrassed.My fear is, a good number of what Berger has described has cast much doubt they all will provide that "wow" reaction from the fans, let alone have jerseys that will be popular to keep around for at least the foreseeable future.As I've quoted some of what I said here from my own hockey blog, given as fact those teams on Berger's list have not unveiled their alternate jerseys, it is unofficial information at this point. Berger is a journalist that does have inside knowledge of happenings around thenhl, so it's safe to say that he wouldn't put his job on the line if he wasn't reporting legitimate information. I'm taking what he passed along for what it is.Source