Top Stories
Posted: Nov 07, 2009 11:30AM By Kevin Schultz (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Flames, Senators, NHL Fans, NHL Economics
Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.
There's something to be said for Canadians and their level-headedness at least as it compares to us Americans. They always seem so much calmer. But during the past week our neighbors to the North have been in an uproar about
Calgary Flames Flu Vaccination Crisis 2009. Sure, they're rightfully up in arms in Alberta that the Flames and their peeps received shots before some of the neediest people in the province but that almost seems like a trivial matter compared to what's going on down here.
Posted: Nov 06, 2009 5:00PM By Christopher Botta (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Devils, Islanders

The
Devils are a perfect 7-0 on the road this year, but a pedestrian 2-4 at The Rock in Newark, where they'll be hosting the
Islanders Friday night. After six straight losses to open the season, the Isles have won four out of their last five behind
John Tavares, who has four points in that stretch. FanHouse's Christopher Botta is live-blogging the Atlantic Division contest from the time the puck drops at
7 p.m. ET.
Posted: Nov 06, 2009 4:00PM By Bruce Ciskie (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Blue Jackets, Canucks, Ducks, Penguins, Predators, Rangers, Sharks, Wild, NHL Fans, NHL Fights, NHL Videos
Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.A light week on the card, but there was a relatively surprising bout and some pretty good ones to choose from. Highlighting it is our favorite former Princeton player, a gentleman who has made a name for himself by being a really good fighter. Of course, the big news of the week involved a team captain dropping the gloves with a random defenseman.
Posted: Nov 06, 2009 2:25PM By Christopher Botta (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Devils, NHL Hall of Fame

New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello will be inducted into the builders section of the the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. The architect of three Stanley Cup-winning teams was the guest on a media conference call on Friday afternoon. Some highlights ...
Posted: Nov 06, 2009 11:00AM By Adam Gretz (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Penguins

The power play unit for the
Pittsburgh Penguins hasn't exactly been a model of consistency since the start of the 2008-09 season, finishing 20th in the league a year ago, and currently residing in the 22nd spot through their first 13 games of this season.
Take the unit's quarterback,
Sergei Gonchar, and arguably the team's best player,
Evgeni Malkin, out of the lineup, and it goes from maddening inconsistency to complete disaster.
Posted: Nov 05, 2009 4:00PM By Christopher Botta (RSS feed)
Filed Under: NHL Fans, NHL Economics

Thursday's report that the Columbus Blue Jackets are losing $12 million a year is the latest illustration that the National Hockey League is really made up of two leagues.
There are flourishing franchises, the ones that print money or are at least in position to make big dough. Among those on this list are the big market American teams in Manhattan, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington. Also thriving, naturally, are the six Canadian franchises.
While many
NHL executives, players and fans live in denial, there are teams like the Blue Jackets battling league and their own economics just to stay in existence. To this list add Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, the
Islanders, Phoenix, Tampa Bay. There are several more hurting franchises that haven't yet found the guts to finally say, "Enough is enough" like Columbus did on Thursday.
Posted: Nov 05, 2009 3:00PM By Susan Slusser (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Lightning

Last year, the one knock on No. 1 pick
Steven Stamkos, fresh into the league at the age of 18, was that he lacked the strength to compete nightly in the league, even getting scratched on occasion to work on building up his muscle.
So over the summer, the
Tampa Bay Lightning center trained with recently retired forward Gary Roberts, known for his dedication to fitness. Stamkos called Roberts "fanatical" about his off-ice training, and he got to see it up close near his home in Ontario.
"We did some unusual things," Stamkos told FanHouse by phone from Ottawa, where the
Lightning are playing Thursday night. "The toughest part was on dry land, pulling a 100-pound sled, sprinting the whole way and then turning around and going back. I was face up on the ground, gasping for air."
Posted: Nov 05, 2009 11:00AM By Adam Gretz (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Blues

Fresh off a surprising trip to the postseason a year ago and boasting a roster that, on paper, is loaded with a strong mix of veterans and talented youngsters, the St. Louis Blues entered the 2009-10 season with high expectations. Unfortunately, through their first 12 games, they've have struggled, winning just five games, and only three of their past 10. To help figure out what's ailing the Blues after one month, we've recruited the services of Sean Gallagher from the fantastic, must-read Blues blog, St. Louis Game Time. Posted: Nov 05, 2009 10:50AM By Adam Gretz (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Flames, Stars

Jarome Iginla scored two goals in Calgary's 3-2 win in Dallas on Wednesday night, including the game-winner on a power play just 1:25 into overtime. The big story
that a lot of people are talking about this morning, however, is how Calgary found itself on the power play to begin with.
Stars defenseman
Nicklas Grossman was sent to the box for delay of game for shooting the puck out of play in the defensive zone. The only problem? He wasn't in the defensive zone when he played the puck.
Posted: Nov 05, 2009 9:00AM By Adam Gretz (RSS feed)

Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our weekday look at the previous night's action and some of the story lines taking place around the league. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com. Avalanche ...
Posted: Nov 04, 2009 5:22PM By Kevin Schultz (RSS feed)

The first month of the NHL season is behind us, and I'm taking a look back at the early returns on attendance numbers for October. According to ESPN, the numbers aren't that peachy for the NHL. Only nine teams had an average attendance higher than ...
Posted: Nov 04, 2009 1:00PM By Bruce Ciskie (RSS feed)

Undoubtedly, one of the best stories early in the NHL season is being written in Denver. The Colorado Avalanche have survived a stretch of 11 road games over their first 15 with a stunning 10-3-2 overall record, and they have an early lead in the ...
Posted: Nov 04, 2009 10:40AM By Adam Gretz (RSS feed)

During Wednesday's edition of Newsmakers, I made a brief mention of the insanity that unfolded in the third period of Tuesday's Rangers-Canucks game, and the video is perhaps even better than I could have ever imagined. Just over four minutes into ...
Posted: Nov 04, 2009 9:00AM By Adam Gretz (RSS feed)

Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our weekday look at the previous night's action and some of the story lines taking place around the league. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com. Lightning ...