Our archives for November 2016
November 30 -- Senators goalie Anderson takes indefinite leave
November 29 -- The Randy Carlyle effect: Ducks stumbling at 5-on-5 under ex-Maple Leafs coach
November 28 -- Panthers GM Row cites philosophical differences as reason for firing coach Gallant
November 27 -- Florida Panthers fire coach Gerard Gallant; GM Tom Rowe takes over
November 26 -- Auston Matthews and Maple Leafs brace for 'unbelievable' Alex Ovechkin and Capitals
November 25 -- Russian players look up to Caps superstar Alexander Ovechkin
November 24 -- Canucks sign Ben Hutton to two-year contract extension
November 23 -- How Bill Foley and his staff picked Vegas Golden Knights as NHL team name
November 22 -- Team name announcement a chance to continue hockey celebration, grow fan base
November 21 -- John Scott effect? NHL announces rejigged all-star voting requirements
November 20 -- Arizona Coyotes send Dylan Strome back to junior
November 19 -- Tucson captain collapses on ice before AHL game
November 18 -- Relocation winds swirl around Carolina Hurricanes
November 17 -- Surprised NHL is reportedly using Olympics as CBA negotiating chip? Don't be, it's classic Bettman
November 16 -- Stamkos on shelf with knee injury
November 15 -- IIHF suddenly finds money to fund NHL's participation in 2018 Olympics
November 14 -- We hardly knew you Glendale: Coyotes announce plans for new arena in Tempe
November 13 -- Legends come out for Lindros-Salming game
November 12 -- Crosby enjoying going up against today's kids
November 11 -- Pat Quinn's tremendous impact still felt in NHL
November 10 -- Hockey Hall of Fame call was 'worth the wait' for Rogie Vachon
November 9 -- Not an ideal start: 5 NHL coaches on the early-season hot seat
November 8 -- Trouba's negotiating tactics fail miserably
November 7 -- The Pittsburgh Penguins are endorsing Phil Kessel for President
November 6 -- Benning, Canucks disappointed with Kadri Ruling
November 5 -- Fights, cheap shots, goals: Maple Leafs defeat Canucks in wild, wacky game
November 4 -- Government rejects plan for NHL game on Parliament Hill in 2017
November 3 -- Sens' Anderson granted leave again to be with cancer-stricken wife
November 2 -- Early season struggles have these 10 players looking to break out
November 1 -- Eyes of the Hockey World on McDavid vs. Matthews
Tuesday, November 01, 2016
Saturday, October 22, 2016
A little Heritage, for Canada's hockey herartland
The Prairies have delivered much for Canada through the decades since 1867, a wealth of natural resources, bountiful harvests, a strong work ethic that puts the city slickers in the larger communities to shame and of course an endless supply of young hockey players all looking for their chance to make it to the NHL.
They are celebrating the Heritage of Canada's national sport in the heartland of the country this weekend, with Winnipeg the focus point for this years celebration of hockey and it's roots, the Heritage Classic.
The weekend started with a Friday evening gala filled with tales of the past from both the visiting Edmonton Oilers and their dynasty for the ages, as well as the home town Winnipeg Jets.
A team built with a blue print taken from the people they have represented through the WHA days and into their modern era of the NHL. Focused on a dedication to the need for hard work and sacrifice, before expecting any rewards.
Jets fans have made their sacrifices and are ready for some of that reward and for many, the arrival of such a high profile showcase as the Heritage Classic is an nod from the league as to the respect that Manitoba pays to the history of the game.
Friday's reminiscing turned to the outdoor rink at Investor's Group Stadium, as the Oilers Alumni and Jets Alumni faced off in the Saturday afternoon alumni match up.
A game that brought many of the familiar names of the past back for skate on the rink built on the expanse of the football field normally put to use by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or University of Manitoba Bisons.
In its way a symbol of some of the pond hockey of many memories, though with slightly warmer temperatures than say a crisp January afternoon might have delivered.
During the course of the Saturday broadcast, it was noted with some awe the importance that the many community rinks in the city have for the region. With many an NHL dream created on any given Winnipeg evening, under the bright lights and not far from a hot stove.
Most of the names of yesteryear were there Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, a young whippersnapper named Ryan Smyth for the Oilers; Dave Babych, Ed Olcyk and Dale Hawerchuk for the Jets, the appreciation from the crowd ringing in the ears of each and everyone of the players as they took their place on the ice.
The hockey was what might expected at such events, a leisurely skate on the ice with occasional flashes of what once would bring fans to their feet, the game ending on a penalty shot with the Finnish Flash Teemu Selanne sending the crowd of 31,000 plus home with the desired good vibe of a victory over the Oilers. Reversing the narrative of the past of a team, when the Edmontonians would dash the hopes of River City hockey fans on more than a few occasions in the halcyon days of the Oilers/Jets battles.
Attention now turns to Sunday's showdown between the current Jets and an Oilers squad that for many, is starting to remind hockey fans of a similar collection of youngsters from the eighties whe were ready to make their mark on the NHL.
Though if we're looking for an omen for how Sunday's game might end, look no further than the newest exciting import from Finland.
With the legend Teemu Selanne settling up Saturday's Alumni showcase, surely Patrick Laine will be the name that Jets fans will be cheering when the Sunday Classic comes to an end.
Heritage Classic Website
Some notes on the Heritage Classic can be found below:
Sunday's Main event
Puck Drop 2 PM Manitoba Time/3 PM ET/ Noon PT
Sportsnet, TVA, NHL Network (USA)
Jets hone in on Heritage Classic
Scheifele catches eye of Oilers head coach
Teemu gives Laine thumbs-up
Stafford ready for full experience
Patrick Laine and Tyler Myers check out the stadium
Jets prep for Heritage game
A fun week for Jets
Jets plan on keeping it simple in Sunday's Heritage Classic
Connor McDavid is excited to play outdoor game
Connor McDavid and Mark Scheifele are fast friends
Oilers outdoor 'rookies' excited
Oilers' oldest rivalry vs. Jets about to get hot in a lukewarm place
The Alumni Game
Selanne of course gets alumni winner for Jets over Oilers
Bandit Berthiaume strikes again
Alumni game a winner
Gretzky's last hurrah?
Reminiscing the retro days of hockey
Mullen feels fortunate
Back to the future for Oilers old timers
Babych had to be good in first season, or else
Once a public enemy, Gretzky not used to getting warm receptions in Winnipeg
Huddy wearing both team's colours at Heritage Classic
Lindstrom doing double duty Heritage weekend
Jet's first Finns paved way for likes of Selanne, Laine
Swedes Hedberg and Nilssson lauded as trailblazers for European hockey
Finnish Flash still has panache
Gretzky takes up stinking way too late
Long time no see Wayne ... help you up, buddy?
Nothing compares to Teemu
For Oilers alumni, it's one last time, with feeling
Selanne scores two to lead Jets over Oilers at Heritage Classic alumni game
Some Notes on the Heritage Classic
Wayne Gretzky's fingerprints are all over the Heritage Classic
Perks of the job: Kris King excited for Heritage Classic
A more intimate Heritage Classic
A celebration of hockey history
Heritage Classic revives memories of a night the roof came off at Winnipeg Arena
When the Great One speaks, people listen ... even years after his retirement
Ice tales from a bygone era
NHL outdoor game in Winnipeg, like all of them, has roots in Edmonton
Heritage Classic in 2003 saved in 'the frozen moment'
Steve Staios and Ryan Smyth remember the Big Freeze
Oilers, NHL both want another outdoor game in Edmonton
With Heritage Classic, Winnipeg celebrates the Jets and the future
They are celebrating the Heritage of Canada's national sport in the heartland of the country this weekend, with Winnipeg the focus point for this years celebration of hockey and it's roots, the Heritage Classic.
The weekend started with a Friday evening gala filled with tales of the past from both the visiting Edmonton Oilers and their dynasty for the ages, as well as the home town Winnipeg Jets.
A team built with a blue print taken from the people they have represented through the WHA days and into their modern era of the NHL. Focused on a dedication to the need for hard work and sacrifice, before expecting any rewards.
Jets fans have made their sacrifices and are ready for some of that reward and for many, the arrival of such a high profile showcase as the Heritage Classic is an nod from the league as to the respect that Manitoba pays to the history of the game.
Friday's reminiscing turned to the outdoor rink at Investor's Group Stadium, as the Oilers Alumni and Jets Alumni faced off in the Saturday afternoon alumni match up.
A game that brought many of the familiar names of the past back for skate on the rink built on the expanse of the football field normally put to use by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or University of Manitoba Bisons.
In its way a symbol of some of the pond hockey of many memories, though with slightly warmer temperatures than say a crisp January afternoon might have delivered.
During the course of the Saturday broadcast, it was noted with some awe the importance that the many community rinks in the city have for the region. With many an NHL dream created on any given Winnipeg evening, under the bright lights and not far from a hot stove.
Most of the names of yesteryear were there Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, a young whippersnapper named Ryan Smyth for the Oilers; Dave Babych, Ed Olcyk and Dale Hawerchuk for the Jets, the appreciation from the crowd ringing in the ears of each and everyone of the players as they took their place on the ice.
The hockey was what might expected at such events, a leisurely skate on the ice with occasional flashes of what once would bring fans to their feet, the game ending on a penalty shot with the Finnish Flash Teemu Selanne sending the crowd of 31,000 plus home with the desired good vibe of a victory over the Oilers. Reversing the narrative of the past of a team, when the Edmontonians would dash the hopes of River City hockey fans on more than a few occasions in the halcyon days of the Oilers/Jets battles.
Attention now turns to Sunday's showdown between the current Jets and an Oilers squad that for many, is starting to remind hockey fans of a similar collection of youngsters from the eighties whe were ready to make their mark on the NHL.
Though if we're looking for an omen for how Sunday's game might end, look no further than the newest exciting import from Finland.
With the legend Teemu Selanne settling up Saturday's Alumni showcase, surely Patrick Laine will be the name that Jets fans will be cheering when the Sunday Classic comes to an end.
 |
| Investors Group Field in Winnipeg is the host venue for this years Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers (Photo from NHL website) |
Heritage Classic Website
Some notes on the Heritage Classic can be found below:
Sunday's Main event
Puck Drop 2 PM Manitoba Time/3 PM ET/ Noon PT
Sportsnet, TVA, NHL Network (USA)
Jets hone in on Heritage Classic
Scheifele catches eye of Oilers head coach
Teemu gives Laine thumbs-up
Stafford ready for full experience
Patrick Laine and Tyler Myers check out the stadium
Jets prep for Heritage game
A fun week for Jets
Jets plan on keeping it simple in Sunday's Heritage Classic
Connor McDavid is excited to play outdoor game
Connor McDavid and Mark Scheifele are fast friends
Oilers outdoor 'rookies' excited
Oilers' oldest rivalry vs. Jets about to get hot in a lukewarm place
The Alumni Game
Selanne of course gets alumni winner for Jets over Oilers
Bandit Berthiaume strikes again
Alumni game a winner
Gretzky's last hurrah?
Reminiscing the retro days of hockey
Mullen feels fortunate
Back to the future for Oilers old timers
Babych had to be good in first season, or else
Once a public enemy, Gretzky not used to getting warm receptions in Winnipeg
Huddy wearing both team's colours at Heritage Classic
Lindstrom doing double duty Heritage weekend
Jet's first Finns paved way for likes of Selanne, Laine
Swedes Hedberg and Nilssson lauded as trailblazers for European hockey
Finnish Flash still has panache
Gretzky takes up stinking way too late
Long time no see Wayne ... help you up, buddy?
Nothing compares to Teemu
For Oilers alumni, it's one last time, with feeling
Selanne scores two to lead Jets over Oilers at Heritage Classic alumni game
Some Notes on the Heritage Classic
Wayne Gretzky's fingerprints are all over the Heritage Classic
Perks of the job: Kris King excited for Heritage Classic
A more intimate Heritage Classic
A celebration of hockey history
Heritage Classic revives memories of a night the roof came off at Winnipeg Arena
When the Great One speaks, people listen ... even years after his retirement
Ice tales from a bygone era
NHL outdoor game in Winnipeg, like all of them, has roots in Edmonton
Heritage Classic in 2003 saved in 'the frozen moment'
Steve Staios and Ryan Smyth remember the Big Freeze
Oilers, NHL both want another outdoor game in Edmonton
With Heritage Classic, Winnipeg celebrates the Jets and the future
Friday, October 14, 2016
From One Austin, to another Auston!
So honestly after watching the Austin Matthews debut, just one thing needs to be said his performance on the night.
Now true, while at the end of the sixty minutes and a bit of OT for the 2016-17 debut for the Leafs and Senators the scoreline was Senators 5, Matthews 4, remainder of Leafs 0, the hype surrounding the young Arizonan making his regular season debut seems rather justified.
The young phenom from Scottsdale, Arizona had a fine night of skating on the ice surface at the Canadian Tire Centre, dazzling the Ottawa fans and undressing the Ottawa defenders as he provided for a performance to launch the new season for the NHL.
Bringing to the ice a performance that guaranteed top line exposure on all of the nightly sports highlights shows, even ESPN, which for the most part in the past has placed the NHL's scoring crawl in the same line up as Cricket Test matches from Fiji.
Matthews' rewarded the Leafs confidence of Draft Day in June, picking up his first NHL goal at 8:21 of the first period, followed by his second just six minutes later. With a short break between periods, possibly to check his twitter feed and instagram account, he came back out and became the thing of nightmares for Senators goaltender Craig Anderson.
With Matthews scoring just after the one minute mark of period number two, collecting his fourth and final goal on the evening with but three seconds remaining in the middle period, a full night of hockey already accomplished with just forty minutes of play out of the way.
With a modern day NHL record in Matthews pocket, that of four goals in his first game, the Maple Leafs night on score sheet would come to an end, as the Senators finally found a way to not only shut down the highly touted addition to the Leafs lineup, but to turn the game around and claim the win in Overtime.
Perhaps a perfect outcome for hockey fans in the Nations' capital who can say they were there when Matthews' collected the first of what appear to be many records that may soon claim his name, while at the same time having seen the home side squad show some grit and take their first victory of the season.
The scoring exploits became one of the trending topics on twitter for part of the evening and no doubt set Leafs' fans hearts to racing at the prospect of a home game schedule that suggests offence may soon be back in the blue print for Maple Leaf hockey.
The only person perhaps that was happier than Maple Leafs fans on Wednesday night was League Commissioner Gary Bettman, it was like winning your Fantasy Hockey Draft on the first night of play.
Bettman has a top level American star, playing for one of the most iconic franchises in the league, one based in Canada, in the home of the top television market for the NHL, a guarantee that the launch of the legend of Auston is going to get maximum exposure.
As an added chance for a short victory lap, the newest star for the NHL hails not from a snowbound town in the hockey belt, but from that newly charted territory of Arizona. A market that Bettman has done all that he could to keep alive and with the ascent of Matthews to the NHL galaxy he no doubt make for at least a short term salute to building footprints across the continent.
At some point the Commish might prefer to see young Mr. Matthews on a US based team in one of the large media markets of the lower 48, but for now the spotlight is Toronto and Matthews it seems is going to fit in just nicely.
Sometimes you just have a great day and Wednesday was that for Matthews, Bettman, the Leafs and hockey fans as well.
The Reviews quickly came in following Matthew's debut and for fans of the Leafs, the omens would appear to indicate that alls is going to be fine.
Why Auston Matthews is the perfect prospect for the Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews wows with four goals, but Sens beat Leafs in overtime
Leafs' Matthews offers a tour de force in debut
History was four score and one game ago
Auston Matthews' four-goal NHL debut a Twitter sensation
Sports world reacts to Auston Matthews' incredible debut with Maple Leafs
Babcock happy with Matthews and other kids, wants Maple Leaf veterans to step up
13 players who could challenge Auston Matthews for NHL rookie crown
'This is our kid. He's from our state': Arizona hockey breaming with pride after Matthews' historic debut
High praise following Auston Matthews' first game with Maple Leafs
Matthews proves he's setting the tone for the Leafs this season
Maple Leafs marketing scheme off to flying start with Auston Matthews' historic night
Matthews' historic 4 goals not enough as Leafs fall to Sens
Nothing to C here
The NHL has become a place where kids can play
Calder Trophy, meet Auston Matthews
Senators spoil Matthews' coronation by winning in Overtime
The Auston Matthews effect and dreams for USA hockey
Auston Matthews puts debut 'in the past'
Auston Matthews adding to celebration in Toronto
What they're sayin about Auston Matthews
Five things you likely don't know about Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews has record-setting debut
Auston Matthews historic in Maple Leafs debut
Auston Matthews has unforgettable debut
Watch Auston Matthews drive his mom to tears of joy
Auston Matthews debut sparks social media frenzy
Auston Matthews scores four goals in first NHL game
Auston Matthews. Wow ... just, wow
Scottsdale's Auston Matthews first ever with 4 goals in NHL debut with Toronto Maple Leafs
Spotlight growing on Auston Matthews' historic NHL debut
After four goals in NHL debut, what does Auston Matthews do for an encore?
Auston Matthews' mom was so happy for her son
Auston Matthews saw all of your nice tweets after his incredible deabut game
Number One overall pick Auston Matthews makes history in NHL debut
Gilmour, St. Louis and others weigh in on Matthews' debut
Perspective on Auston Matthews' historic NHL debut
Please Toronto, don't screw up this Auston Matthews thing
Now true, while at the end of the sixty minutes and a bit of OT for the 2016-17 debut for the Leafs and Senators the scoreline was Senators 5, Matthews 4, remainder of Leafs 0, the hype surrounding the young Arizonan making his regular season debut seems rather justified.
The young phenom from Scottsdale, Arizona had a fine night of skating on the ice surface at the Canadian Tire Centre, dazzling the Ottawa fans and undressing the Ottawa defenders as he provided for a performance to launch the new season for the NHL.
Bringing to the ice a performance that guaranteed top line exposure on all of the nightly sports highlights shows, even ESPN, which for the most part in the past has placed the NHL's scoring crawl in the same line up as Cricket Test matches from Fiji.
Matthews' rewarded the Leafs confidence of Draft Day in June, picking up his first NHL goal at 8:21 of the first period, followed by his second just six minutes later. With a short break between periods, possibly to check his twitter feed and instagram account, he came back out and became the thing of nightmares for Senators goaltender Craig Anderson.
With Matthews scoring just after the one minute mark of period number two, collecting his fourth and final goal on the evening with but three seconds remaining in the middle period, a full night of hockey already accomplished with just forty minutes of play out of the way.
With a modern day NHL record in Matthews pocket, that of four goals in his first game, the Maple Leafs night on score sheet would come to an end, as the Senators finally found a way to not only shut down the highly touted addition to the Leafs lineup, but to turn the game around and claim the win in Overtime.
Perhaps a perfect outcome for hockey fans in the Nations' capital who can say they were there when Matthews' collected the first of what appear to be many records that may soon claim his name, while at the same time having seen the home side squad show some grit and take their first victory of the season.
The scoring exploits became one of the trending topics on twitter for part of the evening and no doubt set Leafs' fans hearts to racing at the prospect of a home game schedule that suggests offence may soon be back in the blue print for Maple Leaf hockey.
The only person perhaps that was happier than Maple Leafs fans on Wednesday night was League Commissioner Gary Bettman, it was like winning your Fantasy Hockey Draft on the first night of play.
Bettman has a top level American star, playing for one of the most iconic franchises in the league, one based in Canada, in the home of the top television market for the NHL, a guarantee that the launch of the legend of Auston is going to get maximum exposure.
As an added chance for a short victory lap, the newest star for the NHL hails not from a snowbound town in the hockey belt, but from that newly charted territory of Arizona. A market that Bettman has done all that he could to keep alive and with the ascent of Matthews to the NHL galaxy he no doubt make for at least a short term salute to building footprints across the continent.
At some point the Commish might prefer to see young Mr. Matthews on a US based team in one of the large media markets of the lower 48, but for now the spotlight is Toronto and Matthews it seems is going to fit in just nicely.
Sometimes you just have a great day and Wednesday was that for Matthews, Bettman, the Leafs and hockey fans as well.
The Reviews quickly came in following Matthew's debut and for fans of the Leafs, the omens would appear to indicate that alls is going to be fine.
Why Auston Matthews is the perfect prospect for the Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews wows with four goals, but Sens beat Leafs in overtime
Leafs' Matthews offers a tour de force in debut
History was four score and one game ago
Auston Matthews' four-goal NHL debut a Twitter sensation
Sports world reacts to Auston Matthews' incredible debut with Maple Leafs
Babcock happy with Matthews and other kids, wants Maple Leaf veterans to step up
13 players who could challenge Auston Matthews for NHL rookie crown
'This is our kid. He's from our state': Arizona hockey breaming with pride after Matthews' historic debut
High praise following Auston Matthews' first game with Maple Leafs
Matthews proves he's setting the tone for the Leafs this season
Maple Leafs marketing scheme off to flying start with Auston Matthews' historic night
Matthews' historic 4 goals not enough as Leafs fall to Sens
Nothing to C here
The NHL has become a place where kids can play
Calder Trophy, meet Auston Matthews
Senators spoil Matthews' coronation by winning in Overtime
The Auston Matthews effect and dreams for USA hockey
Auston Matthews puts debut 'in the past'
Auston Matthews adding to celebration in Toronto
What they're sayin about Auston Matthews
Five things you likely don't know about Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews has record-setting debut
Auston Matthews historic in Maple Leafs debut
Auston Matthews has unforgettable debut
Watch Auston Matthews drive his mom to tears of joy
Auston Matthews debut sparks social media frenzy
Auston Matthews scores four goals in first NHL game
Auston Matthews. Wow ... just, wow
Scottsdale's Auston Matthews first ever with 4 goals in NHL debut with Toronto Maple Leafs
Spotlight growing on Auston Matthews' historic NHL debut
After four goals in NHL debut, what does Auston Matthews do for an encore?
Auston Matthews' mom was so happy for her son
Auston Matthews saw all of your nice tweets after his incredible deabut game
Number One overall pick Auston Matthews makes history in NHL debut
Gilmour, St. Louis and others weigh in on Matthews' debut
Perspective on Auston Matthews' historic NHL debut
Please Toronto, don't screw up this Auston Matthews thing
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Potus on Puck: President Obama honours the Pittsburgh Penguins at the White House
It's become an annual ritual for sports teams, a sports championship guarantees a trip to Washington and in the case of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals were not on the itinerary.
Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins pulled into a pretty impressive arena all on its own, as President Barack Obama paid tribute to the Stanley Cup Champs for 2015-16 at the White House.
Oilers turn to McDavid to wear the C, making him youngest ever to claim that letter
The Edmonton Oilers are Connor McDavid's team now, though in reality they've been his team since the day the Oilers announced his name at the draft table. Yesterday's announcement awarding McDavid the Oilers C, just reinforced the new foundation for Oiler hockey that will build on the enthusiasm and pure skill that the young player brings to the game.
The Oiler's Centre joins some legendary names that have been selected to lead from the very first Oiler in Al Hamilton, through the Stanley Cup winning ones of Gretzky and Messier and through some names that roll through the Oiler's hockey history books.
The new face of the franchise joins a list of players who bled Orange and Blue through the good years and the not so successful ones, forces that willed remarkable victories at times and suffered the hardest of losses at others.
Beyond Northern Alberta, McDavid can review some recent hockey history for role models for his journey into leadership, Sidney Crosby and Jonathon Toews from the new generation, Steve Yzerman from Stanley Cup champs of the past all were handed the title and rewarded that confidence impressively.
Others that also were tapped early in their careers include Brian Bellows, Gabriel Landeskog, Vincent Lecavalier and Jim Schoenfeld.
As we discovered from the recent World Cup of Hockey, McDavid even at 19, has a presence on the ice that speaks volumes. Team mates gravitate to him and feed off of his passion, while line mates of course benefit from his skills on the ice.
But as the decision making process was outlined on Wednesday it's what we don't see off the ice that made the Oilers realize that the future would be secure in the hands of the young talent out of Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Here's what the Oilers think of the new holder of the Burn't Orange C ...
The 2016-17 season is one which is highly anticipated by Oiler fans and one that fans in other cities will be watching with quite a bit of interest.
From the celebrations that will come with a new rink and an expectation that the learning curve is over for young but enthusiastic squad, there is very much a feeling that it's time for results now and that this season will be the year where the challenges of the last few years will finally be forgotten.
That may be a pressure situation for some, but having watched Connor McDavid tackle high pressure situations over the last couple of years, one suspects that he's up to the challenge and that its just one more step on the return of the Oilers to levels once thought far away.
Edmonton Oilers website notes:
Captain Connor
McDavid's Dedication to Craft Leads to Captaincy
Some of the notes out of Edmonton on Wednesday's announcement can be found below:
Captaincy a confirmation of Connor McDavid's early ascendancy
Connor McDavid named youngest captain in NHK history
Captain McDavid will need some fierce henchmen to succeed - but he's got them
Oilers name Connor McDavid captain
The question wasn't if the Edmonton Oilers would name Connor McDavid captain, it was when
Edmonton Oilers name Connor McDavid as captain
Oilers' McDavid can look to Crosby, Toews, Yzerman for leadership examples
Edmonton Oilers tab Connor McDavid as captain - youngest in NHL history: 'He's mature beyond his years'
McDavid becomes youngest captain in NHL history as Oilers give him the C
Connor McDavid's challenge to Crosby as best player has only just begun
Inside the decision to make McDavid captain
Oilers make Connor McDavid youngest captain in NHL history
Connor McDavid has hard acts to follow as youngest NHL captain
Connor McDavid 'right guy' to be Oiler's captain, says Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler
Saturday, October 01, 2016
HockeyNation Headlines -- October 2016
Our archive of items for October 2016
October 31 -- 'Connor versus Auston? I'd buy a ticket for that game': McDavid vs. Matthews is here
October 30 -- Rookie dilemma: NHL teams face quandary of sending touted, floundering youngsters to junior
October 29 -- Sens' goalie Craig Anderson learns wife Nicholle has cancer
October 28 -- Canada to face U.S. outdoors at 2018 world juniors in Buffalo
October 27 -- Ottawa Senators give goalie Craig Anderson a leave of absence
October 26 -- Steven Stamkos silences boos quickly with four points against Leafs
October 25 -- Winnipeg, Saskatoon make joint bid for World Juniors
October 24 -- Crosby rejoins Penguins for practice, injects intensity
October 23 -- Oilers shut out Jets 3-0 at Heritage Classic
October 22 -- Selanne of course gets alumni winner for Jets over Oilers
October 21 -- Wayne Gretzky opens up about rarely playing hockey anymore ahead of Heritage Classic weekend
October 20 -- Arizona Coyotes GM adding to his arsenal of ideas through chats with former Blue Jays boss Alex Anthopoulos
October 19 -- Laine explodes for hat trick to lead Jets furious comeback
October 18 -- Marian Hossa scores 500th goal of his career in wild win
October 17 -- Carey Price won't play in Canadiens' home opener
October 16 -- Long-distance goal against Oilers turned game around for Sabres
October 15 -- Leafs finally get it right in honouring - no, retiring - their greats
October 14 -- P.K. Subban golden in big day for Predators
October 13 -- Leafs' Matthews offers a tour de four in debut
October 12 -- Calgary Flames teammates relieved to have Johnny Gaudreau back in the lineup
October 11 -- Johnny Gaudreau returns to Flames, apologizes to teammates, says he wants to play for fans, city
October 10 -- Concussion diagnosis has Penguins preparing to start season without Crosby
October 9 -- Florida Panthers lose Huberdeau for months to injurym name McKenzie captain
October 8 -- Life moves on for Flames without Johnny
October 7 -- Blues acquire forward Yakupov from Oilers
October 6 -- Obama congratulates Penguins on Stanley Cup championship
October 5 -- Captaincy a confirmation of Connor McDavid's early ascendancy
October 4 -- Jackman gets a big sendoff while retiring as a Blue
October 3 -- Avalanche's Matt Duchene suffered separated shoulder in World Cup practice, played on
October 2 -- Connor McDavid leads Oilers offence in win over Kings
October 1 -- Stanley Cup lands in Lumby
October 31 -- 'Connor versus Auston? I'd buy a ticket for that game': McDavid vs. Matthews is here
October 30 -- Rookie dilemma: NHL teams face quandary of sending touted, floundering youngsters to junior
October 29 -- Sens' goalie Craig Anderson learns wife Nicholle has cancer
October 28 -- Canada to face U.S. outdoors at 2018 world juniors in Buffalo
October 27 -- Ottawa Senators give goalie Craig Anderson a leave of absence
October 26 -- Steven Stamkos silences boos quickly with four points against Leafs
October 25 -- Winnipeg, Saskatoon make joint bid for World Juniors
October 24 -- Crosby rejoins Penguins for practice, injects intensity
October 23 -- Oilers shut out Jets 3-0 at Heritage Classic
October 22 -- Selanne of course gets alumni winner for Jets over Oilers
October 21 -- Wayne Gretzky opens up about rarely playing hockey anymore ahead of Heritage Classic weekend
October 20 -- Arizona Coyotes GM adding to his arsenal of ideas through chats with former Blue Jays boss Alex Anthopoulos
October 19 -- Laine explodes for hat trick to lead Jets furious comeback
October 18 -- Marian Hossa scores 500th goal of his career in wild win
October 17 -- Carey Price won't play in Canadiens' home opener
October 16 -- Long-distance goal against Oilers turned game around for Sabres
October 15 -- Leafs finally get it right in honouring - no, retiring - their greats
October 14 -- P.K. Subban golden in big day for Predators
October 13 -- Leafs' Matthews offers a tour de four in debut
October 12 -- Calgary Flames teammates relieved to have Johnny Gaudreau back in the lineup
October 11 -- Johnny Gaudreau returns to Flames, apologizes to teammates, says he wants to play for fans, city
October 10 -- Concussion diagnosis has Penguins preparing to start season without Crosby
October 9 -- Florida Panthers lose Huberdeau for months to injurym name McKenzie captain
October 8 -- Life moves on for Flames without Johnny
October 7 -- Blues acquire forward Yakupov from Oilers
October 6 -- Obama congratulates Penguins on Stanley Cup championship
October 5 -- Captaincy a confirmation of Connor McDavid's early ascendancy
October 4 -- Jackman gets a big sendoff while retiring as a Blue
October 3 -- Avalanche's Matt Duchene suffered separated shoulder in World Cup practice, played on
October 2 -- Connor McDavid leads Oilers offence in win over Kings
October 1 -- Stanley Cup lands in Lumby
Friday, September 30, 2016
Marchand pops the European dreams with game winning short handed goal
 |
| Brad Marchand celebrates a career making kind of goal as he secures a World Cup victory for Team Canada (photo from World Cup of hockey website) |
On Thursday evening, what was shaping up as a rather disastrous night for the Canadians was turned around with mere seconds to go, as Brad Marchand hustling off the Canadian bench joined into the play to convert a Jonathon Toews pass which he quickly rifled behind Jaroslav Halak to secure the victory for Team Canada.
But let's back up a bit shall we, because for 57 minutes of the game it was most certainly Team Europe's victory to claim, they out-hustled the Canadians to the puck and Halak, as he had for the entire tournament put up a wall that was almost enough to send a seismic shock through Canadian hockey.
Playing with momentum off of a laser guided missile from Zdeno Chara, the European squad did what many teams from the continent have done for decades, make a one goal game an exercise in shut down hockey, with the Canadians frustrated at any number of times through almost sixty minutes of play.
The Europeans made sure that no room would be found to launch an offensive attack, the Canadians for their part uncharacteristically making a number of sloppy plays, passes that just missed, shots that went wide and periods of lethargic play that seemed to suck the atmosphere out of the Air Canada Centre and left folks at home occasionally checking in on baseball, the NFL or pre-season hockey.
Sure we checked back in from time to time to see if things were still looking sketchy, but the full attention of the nation (much like the players it seemed at times) appeared to be elsewhere.
The Europeans no doubt were deserving of one more game of the best of three series, such was their ability to neutralize the Canadian machine, yet the as the third period moved towards the midway point though, our attention became focused again as Team Canada looking increasingly desperate to turn around the play began to pressure the European squad in ways that they hadn't through the previous fifty minutes.
First there was the equalizer as Patrice Bergeron finished off a Sidney Crosby/Brent Burns play at the seventeen minute mark to give a jump to the Canadians, putting the first doubt of the game for the Europeans at the worst possible time.
The push down the stretch didn't come without some tension, Drew Doughty took a high sticking penalty with two minutes left in the third, leaving the Canadians short handed and looking to just survive the period and take Game Two into an Overtime.
Their penalty killing proved inspiring, aided by one lucky bounce off a post and a spectacular game saving stop by Carey Price who had been providing much of the same for much of the game.
And then game the time for the Magic of Marchand, as he hopped off the bench on a change on the fly, found himself in the right spot to take a Jonathan Toews pass and with a quick shot the World Cup was Canada's.
The winning goal by Brad Marchand capped his tournament appearance, making whichever member of the Team Canada selection team that lobbied for him to be included on the roster look like an Oracle of the puck.
The wisdom of that selection having been rewarded time and time again through the tournament, the fact that the clinching goal came off of the Nova Scotian's stick was a true reward to the concept of the work ethic and always being ready to accept the call to duty.
There have been many significant moments in Canadian hockey since the legendary magic of 1972 when Paul Henderson brought relief to the huddled masses gathered around a television set watching the flickering images from Moscow.
A goal for the ages that has been joined by a few other Heritage moments over the decades since.
And while we suspect that in the litany of historic goals for Canadian hockey, the Marchand marker won't be quite remembered in the same conversations as those of Henderson, Gretzky to Lemieux or Iginla to Crosby.
On September 29th of 2016, Brad Marchand's late game heroics resonated for Canadian hockey fans from coast to coast to coast, and even in Vancouver, where the name Marchand was once etched into the deepest corners where the nightmares of the Pacific coast hockey fan live, a glass or two of craft beer was no doubt raised as Team Canada celebrated their lucky talisman and claimed another international title.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
World Cup Game Day: Thursday, September 29, 2016
Canada Wins the World Cup of Hockey 2 games to 0 in Best of Three Final
8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT
Team Europe 1 vs Team Canada 2
Game Summary
Game Notes:
Canada scores two down the stretch to beat Europe, win World Cup
Canada's Cup win maintains world hockey order
Fans get 'the outcome we wanted' as Canada wins World Cup of Hockey
Team Canada storms back to claim the World Cup of Hockey title over Team Europe
Team Europe played its heart out in loss to Team Canada: Chara
Canada's core, led by Sidney Crosby, cotinues hockey domination
Canda saves best for last as Marchand's game-winner caps late rally to seal World Cup of Hockey
Carey Prince in Vezina form, plus other takeways from World Cup
Canada's dominance in International hockey
Canada rallies to beat Team Europe, wins World Cup of Hockey
Team Canada continues its run of dominance with World Cup Win
Brad Marchand's clutch goal squashes his reputation as a pest
Canada scores twice down the stretch to stun Europe, win World Cup of Hockey
There's nothing left to question about Team Canada
How Crosby led Canada to an unprecedented golden era
Canada's golden era something to savour
MVP puts Sidney Crosby in rare company
Team Canada defeats Team Europe to win World Cup
Canada's unprecedented streak continue
Team Europe united, managed to build legacy
Final three minutes difference in Team Canada victory
Brad Marchand caps 'dream come true' with Cup-winner
Carey Prince win streak hits sweet 16
Pre Game
Europe aims to give Canada its all at second game of World Cup final
Sidney Crosby cementing place as 'best player of his generation'
Team Europe believes it can beat Canada in Game 2 of World Cup final
Once feared and dominant, Zdeno Chara's decline apparent at the World Cup of Hockey
No doubt about it: Mike Babcock deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame
Things we have learned about the World Cup of Hockey
Canada is just too good and Team North America was a ton of fun: What we learned from the World Cup of Hockey
Who is Ralph Krueger and why isn't he coaching in NHL?
Canada can't afford to take plucky Europeans lightly in Game 2 of WCOH finals
Sidney Crosby reasserts himself as game's best
Mike Babcock won't reveal lineup for Game 2
Team Europe looks to build on good things from opener
Canada strives for perfection at World Cup
Archive Page for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
With interest starting to wane, time to put the wrap on the World Cup for 2016
 |
| Danger World Cup! We are getting sleepy, very sleepy |
For a Final round of a highly promoted tournament, Game one of what could be, but really shouldn't be a Best of Three provided for few moments of inspiration, or as the lacklustre crowd at the Air Canada Centre who at times could work up to a good yawn, would show for few moments of excitement.
Whether it was just the fact that the tournament had entered a new week, or the thrill of the pressure packed elimination games had come to an end, the first puck drop for the finals provided an underwhelming display of the game, with the Canadian side for the most part the main culprits when it came to lethargic and sloppy play, making life miserable for their own goaltender as they went along.
The Europeans who rumbled through the tournament knocking off favourites as they did, put up a good effort, testing the Canadians Carey Price frequently, thirty three times as a matter of fact, something that should indicate the lack of attention that his defensive corps provided to the night.
As was expected, Team Europe played a more clinical game, cycling the puck, trying to slow the game down (rather successfully most will note) while taking advantage of a number of turnovers that the Canadians offered, a surprising trait that wasn't part of the Canadian game plan for most of this tournament.
Defensively the Europeans had high hopes of concentrating on shutting down Team Canada's top line of Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, something that others attempted and failed at and once again didn't happen on Tuesday night.
That top offensive combo provided for two of Canada's three goals and six points on the scoresheet for the night, the first marker opening the game at 2:33 of the first, the second closing it down for good at the 9 and half point of period number three.
Canada's other marker on the night was a Steven Stamkos shot, which converted a Ryan Getzlaf pass for a 2-0 lead heading into the first.
The full Canadian lull came in the second period as the Europeans briefly found some incentive on a Tomas Tatar goal at the seven minute mark and while they would have a number of other chances, nothing else would get by Price in the Canadian nets.
For much of the game the Canadians play suggested that they were weary of the tournament and that the end can't come fast enough.
And while the Europeans are saying all the right things for motivation purposes, that of playing the Canadians tough in game one, showing disappointment at letting a chance for a win get away, even they probably have the feeling that they won't be hanging around for a Game Three.
After a couple of weeks of some high tempo hockey and emotional play, the first instalment of the Final was not the kind of game that suggested drama was at hand, in fact you know that you're in trouble when the Zamboni becomes the main attraction for the night, going in circles over and over again, which come to think of it, was a similar style that many on Team Canada seemed to be bringing to the game for long stretches when the ice was resurfaced.
Wednesday is an off day for the two teams, a chance to refocus and review how they played in Game One and what they need to change for the next one, for Canadian fans the hope will be that Team Canada brings a bit more immediacy to the rink.
The fact that they won with a sub par effort is probably a testimony to the fact that even on a bad day they are still the Best of the Show, but the time is at hand to bring the World Cup of Hockey to an end.
Thursday should bring the curtain down for the 2016 edition, leaving hockey fans to prepare to turn their attention to training camps and who will be in the opening night lineups of mid October.
It's been a fun run for the European squad that has probably provided tournament organizers with more than a few things to give some thought towards as they ponder the tournament make up in years to come ....
But for Team Canada, Thursday should be Closing Time!
It's time to put the bar stools up and turn off the Big Screen TV's, better for Canada turn them off with one more win, before the folks at home turn them off themselves over a lack of interest.
The pace of Tuesday's game did not go un-noticed by the media covering Game One from the Air Canada Centre, you can review some of their thoughts from our Game Day Archive.
World Cup Game Day: September 27, 2016
8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT
Team Europe 1 vs Team Canada 3
Game Summary
Game Notes:
Price bails out home team as Canada tops Europe in Game 1
Whose game? The question has been asked and answered
Canada squeezes out victory over Europe in snoozefest Game 1 of World Cup of Hockey Final
Simply put: Game 1 of Canada-Europe World Cup of Hockey final was brutal
Europe keeps it close in Game 1 loss to Canada
Crosby line leads Canada to Game 1 win over Europe
Canada in control of underwhelming World Cup Final after 3-1 win over Euorpe, but the thrill is gone
Canada holds off Team Europe in Game 1 of World Cup of Hockey Final
Canada needs to play a better overall game against Europe or risk -- gasp -- losing a game
Canada cruises to 3-1 win over Team Europe in Game 1 of World Cup Finals
Stamkos, Canada draw first blood in World Cup Final
Team Canada defeats Team Europe in Game 1
Team Europe 'very angry' over Game 1 loss
Team Canada far from perfect but good enough
Carey Price big when he has to be
Top line continues to lift Team Canada
Pre Game
Sidney Crosby's legendary resume is missing one thing: World Cup Gold
Canada's Marchand turns into little ball of great
Europe's Zdeno Chara still draws respect at 39
Looks like Krueger has all the right tools to slay Canada
Roman Josi - the diamond in the rough of Norris Trophy contenders - shines for Europe at World Cup
Former Canadiens teammates Carey Prince and Jaroslav Halak go head-to-head, and four other storylines for the World Cup of Hockey final
Brad Marchand's reward for starring at the World Cup of Hockey? A cool US$49 million contract extension
Could Team Europe really beat Canada? It would take an upset of miraculous proportions
Win or lose, Team Europe has surpassed expectations at the World Cup of Hockey
'He's like a real diamond': Roman Josi having coming out party at World Cup
Former "Little Ball of Hate" Marchand has earned spot on Team Canada's top line, contract extension with Bruins
Canadiens past resurfaces as Price and Halak clash in World Cup of Hockey final
Team Europe motivated to knock off Canada
Hockey great Wayne Gretzky among World Cup of Hockey converts
No past or future: Team Europe embraces World Cup stage
Team Canada's battle-tested leaders benefit from experience
Europe has to be firing on all cylinders to have a shot at Canada
Team Europe's Jaroslav Halak making another surprise star turn
Europe has a Cinderella run at the World Cup of Hockey, but Canada is its midnight
Marian Gaborik to miss World Cup final
Team Europe looks to get jump on upset bid in Game 1
Focus, fear key for Team Canada
Jaroslav Halak, Team Europe capable of earning upset
Team Canada looks to stay dominant in World Cup Final
Carey Price can thank Jaroslav Halak
Jaroslav Halak cornerstone of Team Europe
Team Europe's experience could fuel upset
Team Canada too deep, talented
Archive Page for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
Sunday, September 25, 2016
In the flash of a blade, Sweden is sent packing by Team Europe
The ensemble cast of hockey's version of Les Miserables made things rather miserable for Swedes everywhere on Sunday, as momentum, that of a skate blade to be precise, told the tale for whether Team Europe, or Team Sweden would move on in the second semi-final of the World Cup of Hockey.
Team Europe, the tossed together line up of the other countries that don't quite put fear into the hearts of hockey nations as a full unit, collected a string of A-listers that was made up along the lines of a Noah's Ark squad (one, or two from each of the participating counties) along with some surprising lesser names.
All of whom pulled on the rather colourful uniform of Team Europe and took to the ice without the benefit of even a national anthem (though in a pinch they possibly could have pulled out the EU's Ode to Joy which seems to be the defacto song of unity for those inclined to such a concept in Europe)
Regardless if they had a song to sing along with or not, all seemed to gel quite nicely under coach Ralph Krueger, who no doubt channelled that always popular theme of "No one respects us, and no one expects us" something clearly heard by his roster of new believers.
That approach worked well through the opening round and on Sunday in the second semi-final of the weekend, the European squad would once again surprise the hockey pundits, as they and Team Sweden settled in for what at times resembled a sixty minute drills session, occasionally broken up with some bursts of speed and yes, even a hit or two.
It wasn't a thriller by any means, that despite the fact it went to an Overtime before the Euro's found their winning goal off of the skate of Tomas Tatar, the bulk of the three periods was for the most part a stifling affair of lock down hockey. Ye there was some nice passing and shots were fired on goal here and there, and while plentiful at 39 to 31 in favour of the Swedes, you never really had the feeling that suggested a high scoring match was on the horizon.
The first period was played to a 0-0 draw and for good cause, few chances were taken, few mistakes were there to be capitalized on, as the two sides took to lengthy glides on the ice as drawn up on the dressing room board we imagine.
Period two did find some scoring as each team traded goals the Swedes making their case for another Canada/Sweden final with Nicklas Backstrom's goal in the first three minutes, the Europeans going not so fast when Marian Gaborik grabbed the equalizer late in the middle frame.
Tomas Tatar served notice that Sweden might not be fulfilling its destiny when he picked up his first of two goals on the day at the twelve second mark of the final period, Team Sweden would not claw their way back into a tie until fifteen minutes later when Erik Karlsson gave hope to the Blue and Gold combining with the Sedins for a nice passing play to even things up.
Neither side could find the range in the final four and half minutes setting the stage for the Overtime drama which would not take long to play out, with Tatar once again the featured attraction parked at the side of the Swedish net, directing the puck with his skate by Henrik Lundqvist setting off celebrations from uh, ah, well ... they were pretty happy on the Team Europe bench at least.
The Swedes looked sufficiently stunned at the outcome, wondering if the goal was valid or not, though in the end it was ruled a good goal and the celebration for Team Europe was on.
And while Sweden may have been shocked, they probably were nowhere near as baffled as World Cup organizers.
They now have a team that was tossed together as a way to showcase the constellation of non hockey power nations (Team Leftovers as some would call them) ready to challenge for the top honours. Something we are pretty sure they didn't anticipate back when they cooked up the World Cup Concept earlier this year.
The European squad now moves on to the Semi-Finals on Tuesday and the first of what could be a three game showdown with Team Canada.
And while most probably believe that the Canadians will be on a fast track to claiming the top spot for 2016, a few bounces of a puck and the continued hot hand of Jaroslav Halak could make things interesting.
If the Europeans really want to really put a scare into Canadian hockey fans from game one on, we offer up an alternative option for the anthem prior to each game.
Same tune; different interpretation.
If nothing else, it probably would make for the perfect dressing room sound mix to get some European blood pumping prior to face off.
And should Team Europe pull off a World Cup Hockey championship, it will definitely become the talking point for the two weeks of hockey that have played out and none of us will ever look at Ode to Joy in the same light again.
You can review the game summary and some notes on Sunday's semi-final from our Game Day Archive page here.
Team Europe, the tossed together line up of the other countries that don't quite put fear into the hearts of hockey nations as a full unit, collected a string of A-listers that was made up along the lines of a Noah's Ark squad (one, or two from each of the participating counties) along with some surprising lesser names.
All of whom pulled on the rather colourful uniform of Team Europe and took to the ice without the benefit of even a national anthem (though in a pinch they possibly could have pulled out the EU's Ode to Joy which seems to be the defacto song of unity for those inclined to such a concept in Europe)
Regardless if they had a song to sing along with or not, all seemed to gel quite nicely under coach Ralph Krueger, who no doubt channelled that always popular theme of "No one respects us, and no one expects us" something clearly heard by his roster of new believers.
That approach worked well through the opening round and on Sunday in the second semi-final of the weekend, the European squad would once again surprise the hockey pundits, as they and Team Sweden settled in for what at times resembled a sixty minute drills session, occasionally broken up with some bursts of speed and yes, even a hit or two.
It wasn't a thriller by any means, that despite the fact it went to an Overtime before the Euro's found their winning goal off of the skate of Tomas Tatar, the bulk of the three periods was for the most part a stifling affair of lock down hockey. Ye there was some nice passing and shots were fired on goal here and there, and while plentiful at 39 to 31 in favour of the Swedes, you never really had the feeling that suggested a high scoring match was on the horizon.
The first period was played to a 0-0 draw and for good cause, few chances were taken, few mistakes were there to be capitalized on, as the two sides took to lengthy glides on the ice as drawn up on the dressing room board we imagine.
Period two did find some scoring as each team traded goals the Swedes making their case for another Canada/Sweden final with Nicklas Backstrom's goal in the first three minutes, the Europeans going not so fast when Marian Gaborik grabbed the equalizer late in the middle frame.
Tomas Tatar served notice that Sweden might not be fulfilling its destiny when he picked up his first of two goals on the day at the twelve second mark of the final period, Team Sweden would not claw their way back into a tie until fifteen minutes later when Erik Karlsson gave hope to the Blue and Gold combining with the Sedins for a nice passing play to even things up.
Neither side could find the range in the final four and half minutes setting the stage for the Overtime drama which would not take long to play out, with Tatar once again the featured attraction parked at the side of the Swedish net, directing the puck with his skate by Henrik Lundqvist setting off celebrations from uh, ah, well ... they were pretty happy on the Team Europe bench at least.
The Swedes looked sufficiently stunned at the outcome, wondering if the goal was valid or not, though in the end it was ruled a good goal and the celebration for Team Europe was on.
And while Sweden may have been shocked, they probably were nowhere near as baffled as World Cup organizers.
They now have a team that was tossed together as a way to showcase the constellation of non hockey power nations (Team Leftovers as some would call them) ready to challenge for the top honours. Something we are pretty sure they didn't anticipate back when they cooked up the World Cup Concept earlier this year.
The European squad now moves on to the Semi-Finals on Tuesday and the first of what could be a three game showdown with Team Canada.
And while most probably believe that the Canadians will be on a fast track to claiming the top spot for 2016, a few bounces of a puck and the continued hot hand of Jaroslav Halak could make things interesting.
If the Europeans really want to really put a scare into Canadian hockey fans from game one on, we offer up an alternative option for the anthem prior to each game.
Same tune; different interpretation.
If nothing else, it probably would make for the perfect dressing room sound mix to get some European blood pumping prior to face off.
And should Team Europe pull off a World Cup Hockey championship, it will definitely become the talking point for the two weeks of hockey that have played out and none of us will ever look at Ode to Joy in the same light again.
You can review the game summary and some notes on Sunday's semi-final from our Game Day Archive page here.
World Cup Game Day: Sunday, September 26, 2106
1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT
Team Sweden 2 vs. Team Europe 3 (Overtime)
Game Summary
Game Notes:
Team Europe has made it to the best-of-three tournament final
Anything but gold was a 'failure' to Team Sweden
Team Europe stuns Sweden on Tomas Tatar overtime goal, will face Canada in World Cup final
Team Europe digs deep to reach World Cup of Hockey championship series
No past or future: Team Europe embraces World Cup stage
Europe beats Sweden in OT to reach World Cup of Hockey finals
Coach Krueger and Europe living in the now of World Cup
Europe goes from laughingstock to last opponent standing at World cup
Team Europe's World Cup success may spell its end
Tatar scores in OT to lift Team Europe into final
Team Europe's Cinderella story continues
Team Sweden never played to potential
Pre Game
Fittingly, Sweden stands between Europe and World Cup Final
Team Eurpoe playing with house money but no pushover at World Cup of Hockey
Team Europe, Team Sweden vie for World cup final spot
Patience paying off for Team Sweden
Henrik Lundqvist gives Team Sweden advantage
5 keys: Team Europe vs. Team Sweden
Jaroslav Halak embracing next challenge
Team Europe defensemen gain valuable audition time
Team Sweden not taking semifinal lightlty
Mikael Backlund leaves Team Sweden
Team Europe not lacking pride at World Cup
Team Sweden focused to face Team Europe this time
Team Europe deserves respect in World Cup semifinal
Mikael Backlund out of World Cup of Hockey with concussion
Slovak vets Gaborik, Hossa, Chara are foundation of Team Europe's surprising success
Henrik Lundqvist leads Sweden into World Cup of Hockey semi-final
Henrik Lundqvist eager for Rangers return - but first, a World Cup title
Archive Page for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Hey, A little help here if you can ... Bobrovsky left to fend for himself as Canadians roll over Russia
Russian net minder Sergei Bobrovsky is going to be reporting to his Columbus Blue Jackets training camp in a few days and the first thing he'll probably do is take a deep sigh of relief at the prospect of having some help from the blue line for a change from his last week or so.
And that's saying something considering the Blue Jackets offered up 252 goals against last year, second worst in the NHL and yet compared to the corps on the Russian line this tournament, the Blue Jackets look like lock down specialists.
The signs were building for much of the week that the Russians were a little thin on the blue line but perhaps Bobrovsky should have been prepared for Saturday night's defensive shortcomings when he cracked open the fortune cookies for a glimpse on the game to come.
Bobrovsky did all he could to stem off such omens for Mother Russia on Saturday night, making for the main difference between at least keeping things respectable, as opposed to suffering a humiliation on the ice as he held off a high octane Canadian lineup.
A squad that while scoring five goals over the course of the three periods, probably left the ice following their semi-final victory wondering how with 47 shots on goal, they didn't get even more behind the Russian goal line.
The Russian defence was horrendous in their showdown with the Canadians, allowing the home side into their zone time and time again, the concept of clearing the front of the net, or taking a man once and a while, seemingly forgotten once they jumped over the boards and onto the ice.
Offensively they weren't much more effective, while a second period lead at 2-1 provided for a temporary case of the vapours for Canadian fans, once Team Canada had returned the universe to its balance it quickly became clear that the Russian team, while gaining 34 shots on goal, didn't really seem all that dangerous or inclined to be making much of a push, that might give much further cause for distress for the Canadian side.
For Canada Brad Marchand continued to make for a fascinating story line for the tournament, his play a major difference maker for the Canadians, adding to his reviews on the week by snaring two goals that proved to be quite instrumental in Canada's 5-3 victory over the Russians.
Both of which came as a result of some terrific work from Captain Sidney Crosby who got the puck over to Marchand on both occasions for the finishing touch.
Of course Marchand has benefited from shared ice time with Sidney Crosby, who once again was no slouch on the ice himself, picking up a beauty of an opening goal as he forced a turnover in the Russian end to set the pace for Canada.
Besides his opener and the assists on the Marchand goal, Crosby continued to have a dominating presence on the ice, overshadowing Russia's Alexander Ovechkin who struggled to find any kind of offence on the night.
Russia's marquee player was slowed down rather effectively by Jonathon Toews and his line mates, frequently leaving the Russians frustrated for much of the sixty minutes as they became bogged down an incapable of moving the puck with any authority.
Russia did offer up some resistance and for a brief period in the second period had pulled ahead of the Canadian squad and appeared ready to set the scene for another Canada/Russia thriller, however Team Canada settled their play down shortly after that brief spurt.
Marchand's first goal of the night coming just one minute after the Russians took the lead, his second in the opening two minutes of the third returned a one goal margin for the Canadians and they never looked back.
Corey Perry picked up his first goal of the tournament less than five minutes later, the marker not only providing the cushion that gave Canadian fans an opportunity to breathe, but also appeared to finally knock down any Russian prospects of a push back.
John Tavares also grabbed his first goal of the World Cup salting away the victory at the 9 and half minute point of the third, the Canadians by that time in full control of the flow, dictating the play as they wished.
Russia made one more mark on the scoring sheet with less than ten seconds to go in the game, with an extra attacker on the ice Artemi Panarin was credited with the Russians third goal of the night, though replays suggest that it probably should not have counted, however with time close to expiration no challenge was issued, the Canadians content for the centre ice puck drop and the sound of the horn.
Canada moves on to the Finals set to begin on Tuesday evening, their opposition will be sorted out on Sunday afternoon as one of the pleasant surprises of the tournament Team Europe look to spoil any plans that the Swedes have of securing their place in the three game final.
For the Russians they will scatter to their various directions, the NHL based players to their training camps those in the European leagues or Russia's KHL will make their return overseas. And while they return to the ice, they will leave it to the officials back in Moscow to try and figure out why their development program suddenly no longer can deliver the likes of a Fetisov, Mironov, Zubov or Zhitnik.
Members of defensive units that once held a strong presence on a Russian blue line and gave hockey fans a totally different theme to consider when talking about Russian hockey.
You can find more on the Canada/Russia semi-final from our Game Day Archive page, which features game summaries and a collection of commentary and analysis of Saturday night's match up.
And that's saying something considering the Blue Jackets offered up 252 goals against last year, second worst in the NHL and yet compared to the corps on the Russian line this tournament, the Blue Jackets look like lock down specialists.
The signs were building for much of the week that the Russians were a little thin on the blue line but perhaps Bobrovsky should have been prepared for Saturday night's defensive shortcomings when he cracked open the fortune cookies for a glimpse on the game to come.
Bobrovsky did all he could to stem off such omens for Mother Russia on Saturday night, making for the main difference between at least keeping things respectable, as opposed to suffering a humiliation on the ice as he held off a high octane Canadian lineup.
A squad that while scoring five goals over the course of the three periods, probably left the ice following their semi-final victory wondering how with 47 shots on goal, they didn't get even more behind the Russian goal line.
The Russian defence was horrendous in their showdown with the Canadians, allowing the home side into their zone time and time again, the concept of clearing the front of the net, or taking a man once and a while, seemingly forgotten once they jumped over the boards and onto the ice.
Offensively they weren't much more effective, while a second period lead at 2-1 provided for a temporary case of the vapours for Canadian fans, once Team Canada had returned the universe to its balance it quickly became clear that the Russian team, while gaining 34 shots on goal, didn't really seem all that dangerous or inclined to be making much of a push, that might give much further cause for distress for the Canadian side.
For Canada Brad Marchand continued to make for a fascinating story line for the tournament, his play a major difference maker for the Canadians, adding to his reviews on the week by snaring two goals that proved to be quite instrumental in Canada's 5-3 victory over the Russians.
Both of which came as a result of some terrific work from Captain Sidney Crosby who got the puck over to Marchand on both occasions for the finishing touch.
 |
| Another strong night for Sidney Crosby as he bested long time rival Alexander Ovechkin in Saturday's semi-final |
Besides his opener and the assists on the Marchand goal, Crosby continued to have a dominating presence on the ice, overshadowing Russia's Alexander Ovechkin who struggled to find any kind of offence on the night.
Russia's marquee player was slowed down rather effectively by Jonathon Toews and his line mates, frequently leaving the Russians frustrated for much of the sixty minutes as they became bogged down an incapable of moving the puck with any authority.
Russia did offer up some resistance and for a brief period in the second period had pulled ahead of the Canadian squad and appeared ready to set the scene for another Canada/Russia thriller, however Team Canada settled their play down shortly after that brief spurt.
Marchand's first goal of the night coming just one minute after the Russians took the lead, his second in the opening two minutes of the third returned a one goal margin for the Canadians and they never looked back.
Corey Perry picked up his first goal of the tournament less than five minutes later, the marker not only providing the cushion that gave Canadian fans an opportunity to breathe, but also appeared to finally knock down any Russian prospects of a push back.
John Tavares also grabbed his first goal of the World Cup salting away the victory at the 9 and half minute point of the third, the Canadians by that time in full control of the flow, dictating the play as they wished.
Russia made one more mark on the scoring sheet with less than ten seconds to go in the game, with an extra attacker on the ice Artemi Panarin was credited with the Russians third goal of the night, though replays suggest that it probably should not have counted, however with time close to expiration no challenge was issued, the Canadians content for the centre ice puck drop and the sound of the horn.
Canada moves on to the Finals set to begin on Tuesday evening, their opposition will be sorted out on Sunday afternoon as one of the pleasant surprises of the tournament Team Europe look to spoil any plans that the Swedes have of securing their place in the three game final.
For the Russians they will scatter to their various directions, the NHL based players to their training camps those in the European leagues or Russia's KHL will make their return overseas. And while they return to the ice, they will leave it to the officials back in Moscow to try and figure out why their development program suddenly no longer can deliver the likes of a Fetisov, Mironov, Zubov or Zhitnik.
Members of defensive units that once held a strong presence on a Russian blue line and gave hockey fans a totally different theme to consider when talking about Russian hockey.
You can find more on the Canada/Russia semi-final from our Game Day Archive page, which features game summaries and a collection of commentary and analysis of Saturday night's match up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)