HockeyNation

We'll offer up results, summaries and items of note as the two Eastern Division rivals seek to move on in the 2011 playoffs.

Philadelphia wins the series 4 games to 3

Thursday, April 14-- Buffalo 1 at Philadelphia 0

Saturday, April 16-- Buffalo 4 at Philadelphia 5

Monday, April 18-- Philadelphia 4 at Buffalo 2

Wednesday, April 20-- Philadelphia 0 at Buffalo 1

Friday, April 22-- Buffalo 4 at Philadelphia 3 (1 OT)

Sunday, April 24-- Philadelphia 5 at Buffalo 4 (1 OT)

Tuesday, April 26-- Buffalo 2 at Philadelphia 5

NHL Playoffs 2011: New York Rangers and Washington Capitals

Monday, April 11, 2011

Despite their best efforts, the Blackhawks manage to avoid elimination

We imagine the headline would have read something like "from the penthouse to the outhouse" and while Chicago's BlackHawks made their best effort at elimination, the Dallas Stars could not pick up the momentum that travelled west to Minnesota, losing their chance to claim the 8th and final playoff spot in the NHL West on Sunday night.

With the Wild's 5-3 victory, Dallas finds itself sitting out the 2011 playoff season, while Chicago sneaks in through the back door and now will face the league leading Vancouver Canucks, an opportunity they relished 365 days ago, but this year judging by their season long effort, may only prove to delay their departure by four, or five more games.

Chicago could have eliminated the need to watch late afternoon television, but couldn't grab the two vital points required on their own as they lost to Detroit on home ice. A game which featured some flashes of the Blackhawks of the Stanley Cup march of a year ago and then offered up more than a few examples of why they were desperately seeking to hold onto the last playoff spot available.

The Hawks don't seem to have that same swagger of last years path to Stanley, the off season salary cap issues eliminated some key components of that Championship team (hello there Mr. Byfuglien et al) and their play through this year has not been sharp and at times has proven to be quite confounding.

It's said that anything can happen in the playoffs, the slate gets wiped clean and everyone starts out the same, but watching the Hawks in the pressure cooker of a must win game on Sunday, you can't be overly sure that they'll be rising to the occasion this playoff year.

The Hawks are in the playoffs, but this years contenders seem a far cry less likely to make the 2011playoff season a long term proposition.

Hawk fans no doubt think fondly back to June of 2010 and the wild celebration in the downtown area, as the Blackhawks brought the Stanley Cup back to the Windy City. This year however, if there are going to be any parades in Chicago, it would most likely be involving the Bulls.

Globe and Mail-- Canucks raring to go in playoff rematch with 'Hawks
Vancouver Province-- No bravado expected as Canucks prepare to tackle old nemesis Wednesday
Vancouver Sun-- Canucks get Blackhawks in first round of NHL playoffs
Chicago Sun Times-- Blackhawks lose to Red Wings, but fortunate to land playoff spot
Chicago Tribune-- Hawks take Wild ride back into playoffs

Friday, April 08, 2011

When the price point proves to be too much

Future NHL GM's may want to make note, the pool of available players some ten to fifteen years down the line may be significantly smaller if current trends in minor hockey continue.

Beyond the much documented decline in amateur hockey registrations and concerns over the state of the game these days, a more immediate problem is starting to rise up for families that want to make minor hockey part of routine for their children.

Thursday provided the results of a survey conducted by Harris/Decima on behalf of Scotiabank (which frequently shows its interest in matters of hockey) showing that one third of Canadian hockey parents are having their struggles keeping their children enrolled in the sport.

The number crunching shows that 49 per cent of those parents surveyed expect to spend more than $1,000 dollars on children's hockey this year. The majority of which comes from enrolment fees, with equipment costs, travel and accommodation taking up the rest.

Such is the nature of funding for the sport these days that 90 per cent of those surveyed said that they had already begun to put some money aside for the next hockey season.

Clearly a sport that takes up over two thirds of its costs in enrolment fees and bureaucratic expenses might want to rethink how it's financial plan is impacting on those that play the game, a game that once upon a time was played for fun.

If parents continue to find the costs of the sport rising, it would seem only a matter of time before the available pool of talent is reduced even further, providing for the kind of spiral where eventually the future stars of the professional leagues will come from other places where perhaps the game is still an affordable recreation rather than a quasi business.

To it's credit, Scotiabank is trying to help out minor hockey parents and organizations , but still the price point of the sport seems to be reaching beyond the grasp of a good number of parents.

It poses some food for thought for hockey's future.

One where only the financially secure may be able to afford the sport in its current organized nature.

One where a large number of kids that may have the talent and the heart, could find themselves forced off the ice and seeking other less expensive sporting options.

National Post-- Many hockey parents finding costs unaffordable: survey

Toronto Sun-- Parents spending a small fortune on minor hockey: poll

Calgary Herald-- Many hockey parents worry about rising costs

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Hopes for Stanley's return rest with Montreal and Vancouver

As the Blazing Flame of Calgary flickers out this morning, Canadian ambitions of a hopeful Stanley Cup parade are reduced to two cities.

Calgary joined Toronto this week in the close but no cigar category as elimination from the playoff race became their destiny on Wednesday night, bringing to four the number of Canadian teams looking from the outside of the playoff possibilities.

They join Edmonton and Ottawa (the latter eliminated it seems back when Carrie Underwood released her last CD) as part of the Canadian collective where hopes and dreams meet cold reality.

And while the reduction of four from the playoff pool might make scheduling easier for the CBC, the fact is for Canadian hockey fans this spring the annual playoff race will be less enthralling than it could have been, should have been, had the home sides summoned up enough to at least grasp a placement in the post season tournament.

There are major disappointments for the likes of Ottawa and Calgary, where pre season at least, the idea that the playoffs would be out of the question would have been regarded as heresy.

For Edmonton and Toronto fans, there was hope that progress was being made in the rebuilding of their teams and while the signs are there and in particular Toronto had a good late season run, the fact is that April and May will have far too many open dates in those two cities as well.

The pursuit of Lord Stanley's trophy will be the domain of but two from above the 49th parallel, Vancouver perhaps more of a favourite than Montreal, owing to its remarkable regular season.

Montreal at twenty points behind the Canucks in total points still would seem to be a team that would have to surprise a few teams to reach the Stanley Cup finals, the Canucks on the other hand would seem to be the team that most expect to see going deep into May with parade ambitions.

For Roberto Luongo, the Sedins et al however, injuries have been a constant theme through the year and never more so than heading into the stretch, where a number of key players have suffered setbacks, the most serious of all of course the eye injury to Manny Maholtra, which may not just bring to an end his playoff season but perhaps his career.

Still, through the year the Canucks managed to take each and every injury in stride, a work ethic that seemed to carry them to the President's trophy and holding home ice advantage throughout these 2011 playoffs.

The dream scenario for Canadian fans will be a Montreal/Vancouver Stanley Cup final, there's a lot of hockey to be played between this Sunday's season finale and the last puck drop for Stanley, but for fans across the nation, if his Lordship's mug is to be returned to the land of its introduction, it will have to be through the hands of Les Canadiens or the Canucks.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, you know it's spring when..

Ah yes, with a bit of a tease of something different, the annual spring time ritual has returned to Southern Ontario, the countdown is over as to when the Leafs will be eliminated from the playoff race.

The lads in Blue and White gave it a pretty good ride however towards the end of the season, offering up a sense that this year might be different, but in Leaf land dreams sometimes have to be deferred to a later date, this time thanks to the Buffalo Sabres who with their win on Tuesday officially banished the Leafs to spectator status for the 2011 Stanley Cup festivities.

And while fans in the GTA and other outposts in Ontario, across Canada and at the CBC may bemoan the fate of their favourite angst machine, this year seems to promise something different, a sense of hope that the dark days may truly be on the edge of banishment.

The March run that moved into April (far beyond the usual extinction date for the Leafs playoff aspirations) bode well for 2012, and while you never want to get too optimistic when it comes to Toronto, there does seem to be a change finally in the mindset of those that carry the Leaf on their chests.

With some solid goaltending down the stretch from the newly ensconced 23 year old rookie James Reimer, the foundation finally seems in place for progress next season. The disappointment that seems to have descended on the dressing room after Tuesday's elimination offers up the thought that this group had started to believe, a valuable bit of currency for the future.

Rather than just having gone through the motions of yet another departure from the spring hockey season, this group of Maple Leafs truly seemed to believe that they were on the verge of clawing their way into the playoff race, the disappointment of having come up short will perhaps provide the incentive for better days to come when the puck drops in September.

They still have a few games to play out the string of the 2010-11 regular season, but, for the first time in a very long time, Maple Leaf fans may be able to issue the traditional cry of "wait till next year" and actually believe that it may be true!

Globe and Mail-- Leafs officially eliminated
National Post-- Leafs fans may finally have reason to hope
Toronto Star-- Fun ride, but Leaf honeymoon's over
Toronto Star-- Leafs lose to Capitals in shootout, playoff drive officially dead
Toronto Sun-- Leafs eliminated from playoffs
Toronto Sun-- Leafs captain takes loss hard
Toronto Sun-- Reimer deserves to be No. 1 Leaf goalie next season

Saturday, April 02, 2011

HockeyNation Headlines April 2011

April 29-- Crosby suffers concussion setback
April 28-- Canucks strike first in listless affair
April 27-- Bruins dream continues after downing Habs in OT
April 26-- NHL, Hulsizer tweak deal to purchase Coyotes
April 25-- Sharks advance to 2nd round after outlasting Kings
April 24-- Canadiens on brink of elimination, face two more games of sudden death
April 23-- Luongo's dream turning into a nightmare
April 22-- Capitals getting unexpected contributions vs. Rangers
April 21-- Vigneault keeps his lips sealed on disappearing players
April 20-- Red Wings put an end to Coyotes' season
April 19-- NHL announces new U. S. TV deal
April 18-- Why the NHL didn't do right thing on the Raffi Torres hit
April 17-- Resolute Canadiens suffocating Bruins
April 16-- Ducks' Ryan suspended two games for stomp
April 15-- Hawks stars not shining brightly
April 14-- The Incredible rise of the NHL's California teams
April 13-- Edmonton Oilers score top draft pick for second straight year
April 12-- Brian Burke in no rush to decide Ron Wilson's future
April 11-- Luongo confident changes bode well for playoffs
April 10-- Last place Oilers have become NHL's "just you wait team"
April 9-- Senators fire coach Cory Clouston
April 8-- What's next for Flames and Jarome Iginla?
April 7-- Sens owner refuses to divulge plans for Murray, Clouston
April 6-- Flames eliminated from playoff contention
April 5-- Leafs officially eliminated
April 4-- Flames' postseason fire still burning
April 3-- Blackhawks hanging by a thread
April 2-- Leafs stay in hunt with win over Senators
April 1-- Canucks' run for the Stanley Cup has Vancouver daring to dream