NHL Saturday Spectacular

Danny Briere must have been drinking lots of milk and eating his veggies over the past 2 weeks. He is expected to play tonight against the Lightning after only 2 weeks of abdominal surgery. The ETA of Briere after surgery was originally 3-4 weeks, but will be back tonight with Gagne and Knuble on his wings.
Fantastical Outlook - Get Danny off the IR right now and insert him for tonight (is possible. Unfortunately for me, i found out too late and am unable to activate him tonight) against the defensively challenged Lightning. Briere moves back to the top line with 2 of the hottest wingers in the Atlantic, while Glen Metropolit will likely move back down to the 4th line.

In other Flyers news, they traded two Steve's (Eminger and Downie) for a Matt (Carle). And better yet, Carle will make his Flyer debut tonight against Tampa Bay! Exciting stuff.
Fantastical Outlook - Matt Carle was supposed to be the answer to Dan Boyle's departure in TBay. That didn't work out, and he will most likely be a 4th-5th defenseman in Philly, with 2nd unit powerplay time. Expect him to come out with points in his first couple games, and fizzle out.

Hi, my name is RJ Umberger, and I am a Habs killer. After single handedly eliminating the Habs from last year's playoffs, RJ struck again last night for the first goal of the game.
Fantastical Outlook - RJ is back on the top line with Nash and Jason Chimera. While I like the Brassard line better, if RJ can get Nash clicking again, then he will be a worthy pick up. Until then, leave him on your watch list. If Brassard is still a free agent, pick him up.

Mark Parrish had a hat trick last night... Mark Parrish? Yes, Mark Parrish. He played with Avery and Modano.
Fantastical Outlook - don't be so quick pull the trigger. Instead of Parrish, I would look at highly touted free agent Swede, Fabian Brunnstrom, who moved to the big line last night with Morrow and Ribeiro, with the addition of Parrish in the lineup.

Sidney Crosby is questionable tonight as the Pens play the Islanders. They don't really need him for tonight's game, but fantasy owners have to be weary about Crosby's somewhat continued minor injuries
Fantastical Outlook - every Crosby owner should simultaneously tell him to grow a pair.

Kristian Huselius and Olli Jokinen play their former teams tonight.
Fantastical Outlook - I expect both of these players to have good games tonight. While "Juice" was not a Mike Keenan's type player, he will try and prove to his former coach what they lost. The Doan-Jokinen-Mueller line has to be better. No better time than tonight against his former team and against the lowly Panthers.

To follow up on the previous post, Evgeni Nabokov's injury is not serious, according to the San Jose Mercury News. However, Nabby will take the next two games off, while Brian Boucher will try his bid for 2 more shutouts.
Fantastical Outlook - Great news for Sharks fans and Nabby owners. As far as Boucher, if you desperately need 2 wins, he makes a smart option.

BREAKING: Sharks Win, Nabby Injured

Just finished watching a great Sharks-Blues game, which the Sharks won in a shootout winner by Ryan Clowe, who was the hero of the game.
HOWEVER, after making a shootout save on Patrick Bergund, it looked as if Evgeni Nabokov hyperextended his left knee. When the Sharks flooded the ice after the win, Nabokov stayed still on the ice and had to helped up by Jeremy Roenick. As he left the ice, he was putting no weight on his left knee and had to be assisted by team trainers.
Still too early to say the severity, but I would bank on Brian Boucher to make the next start.
In the midst of watching post game show. I will update when I hear more news.

NHL Thursday Night Extravaganza

Ales Hemsky is the best player ever. Overstatement. But lately, he has been unstoppable. He scored his 4th goal of the season tonight, which was also his 4th TSN Highlight of hte Night candidate nomination. The thing I love about this guy is that he is so easy to cheer for because he makes all his goals count. They aren't little tips or crease goals, they are goals that make an NBA fan appreciate hockey.
Fantasy Analysis - If you are looking to grab Hemmer, you are probably a week late. If you are lucky to own him, expect a career year at a point per game rate.

The St Louis Blues goaltender tonight is Ben Bishop. He is 6'7".
Fantasy Analysis - that's tall.

Shea Weber has 7 goals. Alex Ovechkin has 2
Fantasy Analysis - If there was any time Ovechkin would be considered a Buy Low candidate, it would be now. Shea Weber is a monster.

Nicklas Backstrom was a +1 tonight. Why is this news? Because there is nothing else to say about his season so far. While Ovechkin posted 3 assists and Semin had 2 goal night (including the winner), Backstrom continues to struggle. The dreaded sophomore jinx is an easy explanation, but how about the steady play of Sergei Fedorov and Michael Nylander, who have relegated Backstrom to 3rd line duties with Brooks Laich and Victor Kozlov.
Fantasy Analysis - Backstrom is the leading vote getter right now for 1st Team Buy Low All Star. Get him now from a frustrated owner. He is too talented and Fedorov and Nylander are too brittle for Coach Boudreau to keep him on the 3rd line.

While NicklBack struggles, NiklBack is hot, and Nickelback still sucks. The Minny goaltender won his 8th game tonight in 11 games, stopping 34 shots against the Colorado Avalanche.
Fantasy Analysis - Keep rolling him as a #1 starter. Who needs Gaborik? The Wild continue to win without him. If Gabby is asking for 8-9 million+ per year, I'd send him packing for a package of young players (maybe including Jordan Staal, who would fit right into Lemaire's defensive system)

Mike Smith, among the league leaders in SV% and GAA, will se them go down tonight, as he gave up 5 goals on 35 shots. Perhaps he was paying too much attention to Adam Voros, who he kind of dropped the gloves with, and not on stopping the puck.
Fantasy Analysis - game to forget, but the Rangers are now 3-0 against the Lightning this year. Keep Smith as a decent #2 and real good #3 goalie, who will see a lot of shots and save most of them.

Mikhail Grabovski scored his 6th goal of the season tonight. In my opinion, one of the hardest working lines in hockey, thus making them one of the best lines in hockey right now, Grabovski - Hagman - Kulemin continue to roll. Ron Wilson has these guys forechecking and using their incredible speed and hands. It is fun to watch
Fantasy Analysis - If you are in a deep league, keep these guys atop your watch list. Someone has to score for the Leafs (right?), and I'm betting it will be one of these 3 guys.

Blake Wheeler had a hat trick tonight.I've been waiting for this guy to break into the NHL for a long time.
Fantasy Analysis - I've never been a big fan of the Bruins, but they have some weapons on their team. That being said, Wheeler is a little bit down the line from being a top Bruin option.

In Tavares Watch 2009, The Atlanta Thrashers beat the New York Islanders 4-3 tonight. How did they do it? The Islanders decided to play with their off hands in the 3rd period, which led to 3 unanswered Thrashers goals.
Fantasy Analysis - a line consisting of John Tavares and Kyle Okposo looks pretty dangerous in a few years.

My take on what will happen in New Jersey: Lou Lamorello has a few options, but he is not the type of guy to go out and spend a lot on a temporary fix. Among goalies available are Nikolai Khabibulin, Olaf Kolzig, and Dwayne Roloson.
The Hawks desperately want to get rid of Bulin, but I don't think Uncle Lou wants to take on that contract.
Olaf Kolzig used to be really good, but I think I would rather have Kevin Weekes.
Of the 3 goalies, Roloson seems to be the best fit. He has proven to still be effective, not too pricey, and has a demeanor similar to Brodeur, where he knows his role.
My bet is that they will roll with Weekes for a bit to get a few wins under his belt to prove to other GM's that they are not desperate for a goalie, to lower the value of the other goalies, then Lou will acquire a goalie.

The Future is Robotic

Some sound advice to the NHL: get rid of the f’n cliches!

Jeremy Roenick mentioned it at the start of the season when asked about Sean Avery’s criticism of the NHL’s lack of success in term of marketing: more and more players, especially the younger generation are becoming too robotic during press opportunities. This is part of the reason why the NHL’s marketing schemes have not been as successful as they liked. They have focused on Sidney Crosby, and rightfully so because he has been dubbed the “next one” since he was 8 and when you have a talent like that, you have to take advantage of it (unless if you are Alexander Semin). However, the other part of the NHL’s marketing problem is not their problem at all - it is the players’.



Too many times, especially after the lockout period, I have seen the younger players being too careful in what they say. Often times, I see myself predicting to the TV exactly what they will say, and more times than not, my predictions come true. The big problem is that from a young age, blue chip talent is recognized and immediately given a big thick text book on media relations. This text book will dictate that athlete’s personality for his or her career. And it is boring, predictable and in the end - impossible to market.

What makes other leagues successful in marketing and selling their game is what they do off the ice. People are interested in what players have to say. Look at the NBA with Shaq. Nothing is scripted with him and the result is that he draws interest from fans to the game. In the NFL, Chad Johnson is consistently featured on SportsCenter with his locker room chatter. Sure, there are more examples of text book media relations in those leagues than not, but the NHL rarely has anybody speaking out.

If the NHL wants to evolve, they need to convince their players to be more... interesting. Fans flock to Alexander Ovechkin, not only because he scores goals, but he allows himself to be exposed to the media and he does not follow the media relations text book. His Youtube video of he and the Caps rolling around on Segways around the city are an example of this. He is very open to joking around with the media and not afraid to censor his thoughts.

This is not to say that media relations is not important. Media relations is one of the most important thing when managing professional athletes. However, showing a little personality will do wonders for NHL’s marketing project. Even if it is Jeremy Roenick dancing on skates, or Jason Spezza sounding like an amateur in every interview, it shows personality that has the potential to draw interest from the pubic.

I point out this issue because I felt uncomfortable and disturbed as I watched James Duthie interview John Tavares tonight on TSN. Inteviewer Duthie opened the door numerous times to provide the hockey world with some personality to the potential 2009 #1 overal draft pick, but Tavares looked scared, with his head down, answering questions that I would have rather read in a text book.


Jon Toews keeping it real.

Zaun vs Kypreos

Last week, I was listening to Hockey Central @ Noon on Sportsnet (or Fan 590) as I always do during lunch on Fridays. Nick Kypreos, former NHLer and current radio/TV personality, talked about how he brought Greg Zaun, current Toronto Blue Jays catcher, to the Leaf game hte night before. While the two were in the alumni box at the ACC, among other Leafs’ alumni, “Zaunie” commented about how catching is similar to goaltending in hockey, and how he could probably play goalie. Immediately, Kypr’s voice got serious. He contended, and rightfully so, that the two positions are much different, but equally difficult.

The challenge was set: In this battle of professional athletes turned Ted Rogers’ employees (as Greg Zaun is Sportsnet’s World Series analyst, more on that at the bottom), Curtis Joseph would help Greg Zaun suit up the pads and would try to stop just one of ten shots that Nick Kypreos would shoot at him.

The Youtube video says it all. Kypr was a good sport about it: he knew that he could not sleep at night and call himself a champion unless if he challenged Zaunie’s “bread and butter” - his glove hand. Zaun did not exactly stone Kypr’s 10th and final shot, but he saved the puck from hitting the back of the net. Nonetheless, Zaun’s facial expression told the story of utter domination by Kypreo. Throughout the contest, Kypreos only had to make a slight twitch of his stick and the puck would be in the net.


Round 1 went to Kypreos, but Round 2 is set for the baseball diamond. The challenge is unknown, but what is known is that Ted Rogers certainly knows how to pick ‘em.




Greg Zaun. As a fan, you either subscribe to “Zaunbie Nation” or you loathe the fact that there is even a club devoted to him. Love him or not, he is a great baseball analyst. I was really impressed of how he broke down the game to every little detail. He commented on what some would call a base running mistake by Jimmy Rollins in game 5* and turned it into a smart play to avoid the double play. He gave tips to Evan Longoria’s hit or miss swing, that Evan evidently did not hear. This knowledge of the game innately comes with being a catcher for so many years, including a World Series year with the Florida Marlins. The catcher has to focused on every situation with every pitch in the game, and this mental focus is what persuaded him to perhaps compare catching to goaltending. If Zaun keeps up his knowledge of the game, he will be employed by Ted Rogers beyond his playing days. If there was one word of advice I would give to Greg Zaun, it would be to go to Sean McCormick for fashion tips because the zest over dress shirt look is not doing anything. Oh yeah, and stick to blocking baseballs, not pucks.

NHL Saturday Proline Picks (Winners in Bold)

New Jersey vs Philadelphia - Brodeur was peppered for 6 goals last night, so expect Kevin Weekes to get his first start and Philly putting up another 6 goals. Plus the Flyers didn't move up their game for the World Series to lose.

Atlanta vs Boston - Thrashers are on the back end of a back to back and Boston will be better after giving up a 2 goal lead to the Leafs.

Ottawa vs Toronto - This is a close one to call. But the Leafs suck, so take the Sens in a shootout.

Anaheim vs Montreal - Could be the game of the night. Take Montreal on every ticket until they lose.

Carolina vs NY Islanders - I don't like anything about the Isles, so take the Canes.

Pittsburgh vs NY Rangers - Coin flip. The Pens look like they are playing better hockey, though.

San Jose vs Tampa Bay - Even though San Jose lost last night, there is no way you can't take them here.

Los Angeles vs Nashville - The Preds are at home and Arnott is back.

Columbus vs Minnesota - The Wild are hot and the Jackets are not.. good on the road.

Washington vs Dallas - The Stars are playing better hockey mainly because Turco is closing his legs more. When is Ovechkin going to start playing?

Florida vs St Louis - Despite the Panthers' win over San Jose, St Louis is still a better option.

Detroit vs Chicago - Upset pick of the night. Take the Hawks to catch the Wings flat footed on their back end of a back to back. Tonight both teams will also unveil their Outdoor Hockey Classic jerseys.

Buffalo vs Colorado - Thomas Vanek is leading the world in goals, stick with the Sabres until they cool down.

Edmonton vs Vancouver - None of these teams are playing up to their potential, but the Canucks are playing worse.

Calgary vs Phoenix - I like Yotes and I don't trust the Flames.

Jays Sign Loewen, Claim Bullington!

According to TSN.ca, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed Canadian pitcher turned outfielder, Adam Loewen and claimed formed first overall pick, Bryan Bullington from the Cleveland Indians.

Loewen, drafted 4th overall in 2002, is well known around these parts (southern Ontario and the rest of Canada) for being the highest Canadian ever drafted in the MLB draft. After failing as a pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles' organization, he made a career move this past summer by attempting to transform himself into a position player. Hitting is not a new thing to Loewen. When he played for the Canadian National Junior team, when he was not pitching, he was playing outfield or used as the designated hitter.

Joining Loewen as the newest Blue Jay is Bryan Bullington, who was drafted first overall in the same 2002 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was given a short stint with the big club this past summer, but failed to win a game.

Both players were very highly touted coming out of the draft; however, since then, they have not come close to their potential. Both these moves have a low risk and medium reward, nonetheless are great moves by the Jays based on the players' talent level. Despite these two good signings from the 2002 draft, this does not hide the Blown Call that they made when they selected Russ Adams, when Tulowitzki and Hamels were still on the board.