NHL FanHouse

Blake Wheeler Chooses Boston

Jes Golbez — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:10:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, NHL Draft, NHL Rumors, NHL Free Agency

When the Phoenix Coyotes took Blake Wheeler with the 5th selection in the 2004 draft, most people wondered what the hell Gretzky and Pals were smoking. Wheeler was not expected to go until at least the second round, and was pretty much a raw 'project' prospect that would require more work than Prescilla Presley's face.

Well, after the big slug had a good-but-not-great college career, the Coyotes didn't feel Wheeler was worth 5th overall money (and he's not), so they let him go on the free agent market.

After hitting up the likes of Toronto and New York, Wheeler chose Boston as the team to sign with.

"More than 20 NHL teams were interested in Blake, and this was a very tough decision," agent Matt Keator told the Boston Globe. "And ultimately it came down to a few things for Blake, but mostly that he was comfortable with where the Bruins were headed as an organization - how this year they brought along kids like David Krejci, Milan Lucic, and Mark Stuart."

Folks, any time a prospect is labeled a 'project', stay the hell away! Remember Kristian Kudroc, Michael Rupp, Nikita Alexeev, and Chris Wells? Some foolish GM's drooled over what could possibly become of a tall, clumsy player, and the results weren't pretty.

Just because a player is 6'4" 220lbs and has a little bit of skill does not mean he'll turn out to be the next Todd Bertuzzi. A player generally either has "it", or he doesn't. Even the late bloomers have a good level of skill that is obvious to the scouting eye.

As for the Bruins, they can afford to stick Wheeler in the minors for as long as needed, and may just end up with a serviceable NHL player for nothing more than a small dip on Jeremy Jacobs' profits. If not, at least they didn't waste the 5th overall pick to do so.

Blake Wheeler Chooses Boston originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Hockey Fight of the Day: Schultz vs. O'Reilly

Eric McErlain — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:16:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Islanders, Flyers, Bruins, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

When I was reading the Bill Simmons column earlier this week about his casual bandwagon hockey habit, I couldn't help but pick up on the fact that he waved poetic over the fact that you could hop onto YouTube anytime to watch the classic battles between Clark Gillies of the New York Islanders and Terry O'Reilly of the Boston Bruins that took place during a Stanley Cup Playoffs Quarterfinal series between their two teams in 1980.

And indeed, you can find those fights -- all four of them in fact. But after I did some more poking around, I found a battle that had some historical significance -- a piece of video that would seem to have recorded the first NHL fight between O'Reilly and the man who for a time would become known as the most brutal in hockey, Dave Schultz of the Philadelphia Flyers. Click here (embedding disabled by user) to watch it.

After watching the clip, I'd have to conclude this is a Boston-area telecast, probably from WSBK-TV, the station that carried the Bruins back in those days before sports cable giants like NESN, YES and MASN strode the earth. Given that the play-by-play team say that this was the first time the two fought in the NHL, though they had tangled previously in the AHL, I'm guessing the clip is vintage 1972-73.

The previous season, where the two supposedly fought earlier, O'Reilly compiled a modest 134 penalty minutes playing for the Boston Braves. Meanwhile, Schultz piled up 392 PIMs for the Richmond Robins. I think it's safe to say he knew by then what he needed to do to get to the NHL.

Oddly enough, even though I was raised on Long Island, O'Reilly was the one player who I admired the most. Watching and playing the game as a young kid, there just didn't seem to be anybody else on the ice who played with more hustle, desire and bravery than O'Reilly did. That's probably why his name hangs from the rafters beside a number of men who either won Stanley Cups or have a bust in the Hockey Hall of Fame -- honors O'Reilly never earned himself.

Instead, he just stepped onto NHL ice 891 times in his career and honored the game every time. Thanks, Terry.

Hockey Fight of the Day: Schultz vs. O'Reilly originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bill Simmons: A Casual Bandwagon Hockey Fan

Eric McErlain — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:42:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, Canadiens, NHL Fans, Stanley Cup

Ahead of yesterday's Game Seven between Boston and Montreal, Boston ex-pat Bill Simmons decided to hand his column over to a topic he rarely, if ever, discusses: The NHL. In this case, he devoted plenty of pixels to his recent re-infatuation with the Boston Bruins.

I know I bash the WWL with the best of them these days, but seeing Simmons write about the league is nothing but good news. Like it or not, the NHL can use all the friends it can get over at ESPN, even if Simmons mostly writes about the NHL like it was an old girlfriend who was enduring some hard times.

In any case, Simmons made more than a few points that any NHL diehard could agree with, including how expansion has watered down the sort of rivalries that were once the lifeblood of the league and how he's developed a genuine man crush on Milan Lucic. But what really caught my attention was this line:

The NHL has evolved into a sport with all die-hard fans and no casual ones. They need to get the casual ones back. They need to bring back people like me.

While plenty of fans of the league might disagree with Simmons -- including ESPN's own John Buccigross, who often writes that the NHL ought to be happy with its niche status -- at least you can see his point. But what struck me about it was this: After reading a little further, it was hard to conclude that Simmons was a casual fan at all.

The article itself is a giant contradiction. Tell me this: What casual hockey fan would turn around and produce a 2,500-word column about his youthful love affair with the Boston Bruins? How about this passage where he writes about the anguish he felt after Montreal edged Boston in Game Seven of their historic 1979 playoff series?

Every time they beat us, the Montreal fans would chant "Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nahhhhhh, HEY HEY HEY, gooooodbye" after the game. It never ceased to be infuriating. After this particular game, I remember being so downtrodden and frustrated that the chant made me start crying, and not just that, but I kept crying and couldn't stop. My face was buried into our living room sofa, so only when I came up for air did we realize my nose had been bleeding the entire time. The entire cushion was covered in blood.

This is a casual hockey fan? The kid cried so hard that his nose started to bleed and he never noticed? As I've written in the past, there's no such thing as a casual American hockey fan and stories like this one are all the proof you need.

What we have here isn't a casual hockey fan. Instead, what we have here is somebody who was a dedicated fanatic -- at least up to the point that management in Boston started running the franchise like a cash box instead of hockey club. Toss in adulthood and an obvious passion for the NBA, and it's easy to see why the NHL wound up on Bill's backburner.

But now that the Bruins got themselves into a Game Seven with some feisty and desperate play, Simmons is starting to find his way back to the game and all of those great old feelings from the 1970s and 1980s when the Bruins were one of the top teams in the league year after year.

What we have here my friends isn't a casual hockey fan. What we have here is a bandwagon hockey fan.

So what's the lesson? Whenever anyone tells you that the NHL needs to do more to attract casual fans, be sure to let them know that they always come back -- at least when they have a winner to root for. And as Al Strachan noted yesterday, the NHL is going to get exactly what it wants as bandwagon fans in a boatload of big American markets suddenly find their teams deep in the playoffs.

Something tells me that an SI cover declaring that the NHL is back may be as close as an appearance by the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Stay tuned.

Bill Simmons: A Casual Bandwagon Hockey Fan originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Canadiens Smoke Bruins 5-0, Advance to Eastern Semifinals

Pat Lackey — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:48:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, Canadiens, Eastern, Stanley Cup

After the Rangers and Penguins advanced to the second round of the playoffs, all talk about future matchups centered on the Flyers/Caps series. "If the Flyers win ...." or "If the Caps win ..." Of course, all talk came with one caveat: "Unless the Bruins win." You can toss that caveat out the window now, because the Habs did their job and blew the Bruins out of the water tonight with a 5-0 win, dominating the Bruins the way most people expected them to the entire series.

The key to this one was most certainly Carey Price, he of the 8 third period goals allowed in Games 5 and 6. It goes without saying that that kind of play is unacceptable in the playoffs and he shored things up tonight, turning away all 25 shots the Bruins threw at him. He was huge in the first period when Montreal ran out to a 1-0 lead, but Boston outplayed and outshot the Habs.

From that point on it was all Canadiens, with Mark Streit adding one goal and the Kostitsyns adding three more (Andrei with two, Sergei with one). After disappearing behind Price's shaky goal tending for two games, the high-flying Habs that took the top seed in the East were back on the ice tonight. They'll sit back tomorrow night with the Rangers and Penguins, watching the Flyers and Capitals settle both their series and the second round playoff matchups.

Canadiens Smoke Bruins 5-0, Advance to Eastern Semifinals originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Most Unlikely Game of All

Pat Lackey — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:04:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, Canadiens, Eastern, Stanley Cup

No game seven of any series, even the first round, should need any extra hype surrounding it, but the Bruins/Canadiens game tonight has some hugely historic possibilities, and so I'm here to fan the flames a bit. Besides the obvious implications (8 vs. 1 upset, first 3-1 comeback in Bruins history, etc.) this game is just incredibly improbable for a ton of reasons.

Starting at the top, there's the oft-cited dominance of B's by the Habs during the past two seasons. They went 0-8 against Montreal in 07/08 and they were only 3-5 against them in 06/07. That means that just getting to Game 7 means the Bruins have beaten the Canadiens as much in the past two weeks as they did in the two prior seasons. That doesn't even consider that to win Games 5 and 6, they scored four goals in both third periods and used their four goals in Game 6 to answer two goals by the Habs in one of the craziest periods of playoff hockey in recent memory.

So who ya got in this one? I didn't give the B's much of a chance before this series, but anyone who did is either a Bruins' fan or lying. They're too young, the Canadiens are more skilled, the game is in Montreal, etc. There are a hundred reasons to pick the Habs in this one. Still, it's hard to just ignore that awesome third period by the Bruins in game six. They answered everything the Canadiens threw at them and pulled out a win, even in the face of a hugely deflating goal by Montreal inside the five minute mark. There's not much empirical reason to pick Boston, but it's hard to just dismiss them tonight.

The Most Unlikely Game of All originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Canadiens (1) vs. Bruins (8) Playoff Preview

Kevin Schultz — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:35:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, Canadiens, Eastern, Stanley Cup

It's original six. It's the Stanley Cup playoffs. It's two teams that would desperately love another title. It's a bear versus ... um ... a Canadien. OK, that match up clearly favors the bear. Good thing this is hockey and not wrestling or something. But we've got playoff action coming up and am I pumped! So pumped that I feel like I could fight a bear right now ... and win! So you better get pumped up too cause you're about to read! Wait ... Dammit. That didn't come out quite how I planned it. Screw it. Anyway, it's Bruins/Habs super happy family game show preview time! Here we go!

Offense: This one is pretty simple. Montreal led the league in goals without having anyone in the top 14 goal scorers in the league. Four players scored 25+ goals and seven had 50+ points this year. This is one talented group up front, there's no doubt about it. To add to that, they are home to the league's best power play unit. Boston, on the other hand, can boast only one 25+ goal guy in Marco Sturm, was 24th in the NHL in goals scored. Advantage: Montreal.

Defense: This is where things could get a little interesting. Montreal has some great defenders on the blueline. There's Hamrlik and Komisarek along with Streit and Markov, the latter two being more offensive threats. There's also Patrice Brisebois back there. It seems like he's been in Montreal forever, doesn't it? But if there's an Achilles heel to these Canadiens, it's clearly in their goaltender. The team is so confident in rookie Carey Price that Cristobal Huet, a great goalie in his own right, was traded to Washington at the deadline. It will certainly be interesting to see how/if the pressure of the playoffs affects Price. He's been in big situations before, but not on this level. An interesting storyline to all this is the prospect of the Habs facing Huet and the Capitals in the semis or conference final. That would be a media field day for sure.

On the other side of the border, the Bruins have a solid defensive corps led by captain Zdeno Chara. Dennis Wideman, Aaron Ward and Brad Stuart are also pretty solid back there. The Bs are trusting their net to Tim Thomas, who has been stellar all season long. While Thomas does have a few more years experience than Price, Thomas also has not played playoff hockey in the NHL. Again, nerves and lack of experience could certainly be a factor. And for what it's worth, these two teams both actually gave up 222 goals this year. Advantage: Too close to call.

Special Teams: The Habs scored more goals than anyone else in the league and have the league's best power play. That power play unit will be facing the 28th best penalty kill. Yikes. On the other side of things, it's pretty even. Boston's power play is 16th in the league while Montreal's is 15th. Nonetheless, that worst against first match up is an absolute killer. Boston had better stay out of the box. Period. Advantage: Montreal.

Intangibles: Both of these teams are fairly young and inexperienced in the playoffs, at least in recent times. Boston hasn't been to the playoffs since the lockout started and the Habs missed them entirely last season, after earning the seventh seed two years ago. The #1 seed is completely uncharted territory for this incarnation of the Habs. Montreal really threw things into another gear when it came to the stretch run. They won the division not only because Ottawa choked, but also because they played the best hockey in the conference down the stretch. For their part, the Bruins were pretty mediocre down the stretch. If we want to look at history, it clearly favors Montreal. There's one stat that completely puts this argument to rest. The Habs were a perfect 8-0 against the Bs this season. No doubt about it, the edge goes to Montreal.

And your winner is... Montreal. The Habs have about everything going for them at this point. Unless Carey Price totally implodes, they should be just fine. I'm going to be a little but bold in my prediction as well. I'll take Montreal in four games.

Canadiens (1) vs. Bruins (8) Playoff Preview originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Half of Frozen Four Field Set

Bruce Ciskie — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:25:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Boston College, Michigan State, Wisconsin, General NHL

One night after upsetting top-seed New Hampshire in the West Regional, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish made history.

A 3-1 win over Michigan State sent Notre Dame to the NCAA Frozen Four April 10 in Denver. The Irish are the first fourth-seed to win a regional and make the Frozen Four since the NCAA expanded the field to 16 teams. Notre Dame is joined in the Frozen Four by top national seed Michigan. The Wolverines slugged out a 2-0 win over Clarkson in Albany, N.Y., to win the East Regional. Goaltender Billy Sauer, a Colorado draft pick, pitched the shutout and allowed just one goal in two games at Albany. The two CCHA rivals will meet in one national semifinal April 10.

The other big story Saturday was Wisconsin. College hockey fans were largely stunned and upset when the sub-.500 Badgers made the NCAA field, and the fans who don't understand the rules (teams hosting a regional must play in that regional if they make the tournament) thought the NCAA placed Wisconsin in Madison to make more money.

The conspiracy theorists and detractors only fueled the underdog Badgers, who scored four third-period goals and rolled past WCHA playoff champion Denver 6-2 in the Midwest Regional. Wisconsin will battle another WCHA rival, North Dakota, in the regional final Sunday. The Fighting Sioux were outshot by fourth-seed Princeton, but won the game 5-1. 2007 Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan picked up a hat trick in the game.

In the Northeast Regional, top-seed Miami survived Air Force in overtime, 3-2. Justin Mercier scored an unassisted goal to give the RedHawks the victory. They face Boston College in the regional final. The Eagles never trailed in beating Minnesota 5-2.

Sunday's schedule (all times Eastern)
Northeast Regional (Worcester, MA)
Boston College vs Miami, 4:30pm

Midwest Regional (Madison, WI)
Wisconsin vs North Dakota, 7pm

Half of Frozen Four Field Set originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bruins' Bergeron Still Out

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, NHL Injuries

The Boston Bruins won their third straight Saturday, beating Ottawa 4-0. The Bruins are still fighting to protect their spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They're currently in seventh place, one point ahead of eight-place Philadelphia.

As they continue to work toward a potential playoff spot, it should be noted that they've been doing it without a guy who hit the 70-point mark the past two seasons.

Patrice Bergeron has missed 67 games after taking a nasty hit from Philadelphia's Randy Jones back in October. He's been working to try to get healthy, but it's been announced that Bergeron will not play again in the regular season.

The Bruins say they'll evaluate him again in two weeks, which would be during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I'd say "if the Bruins make it", but they're playing well enough at this point for me to feel better about their chances. They're not out of the woods, but Boston should be able to make it.

In the meantime, let's all take another look at Jones' hit. As you do, please do your best to figure out how he only got a two-game suspension.

%Gallery-11180%

Bruins' Bergeron Still Out originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Andy Brickley, Off-Color Commentator

Greg Wyshynski — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:54:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, NHL Media Watch

If I'm ever able to achieve my dream of having uncensored NHL games on HBO, Boston Bruins announcer (and former NHLer) Andy Brickley would be one of the first announcers I'd add to the booth. I interviewed him last year, and he's one of the most delightfully candid media guys in hockey -- when you're just shooting the breeze. A little bit of that Brickley charm went over the air last night during the Montreal/Boston game on NESN's HD channel. During what was a commercial break for the folks watching the non-HD NESN feed on cable, the HD viewers witnessed this glorious F-bomb (NSFW audio, obviously):

"Oh, we're on the air? I'm sorry." Classic. More from the HF Boards and Sons of Sam Horn, and h/t to Steve Lepore from Eye on the Media for the pointer. Hopefully this will just be chalked up to a technical glitch and the Brick doesn't face any punishment for his slip of the lip. But the bottom line for Boston is that they're getting more offense from their broadcast booth than they are from their Bruins.

Andy Brickley, Off-Color Commentator originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The Ice Sheet: Willie O'Ree Edition

Eric McErlain — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Rangers, Bruins, NHL Videos

Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.

Though the 50th anniversary of Willie O'Ree breaking the NHL's color barrier officially came on Friday, the big party came on Saturday afternoon in Boston when the Bruins honored him all day long during their home game against the New York Rangers. Sometimes I wonder if hockey fans actually understand just how lucky we are to have a pioneer like O'Ree in our midst to remind us what the world was like not terribly long ago.

Just how far have we come?

While O'Ree made his first appearance with the Bruins in January 1958, it was more than a full year later before baseball's Boston Red Sox finally integrated their own lineup across town when Pumpsie Green joined the team in time for the 1959 season. The Red Sox were the last team in Major League Baseball to add an African-American to their lineup.

Here's a quote from The Hockey News when it reported on O'Ree's achievement in February 1958: "The fact that there has never been a Negro in the NHL prior to O'Ree must be blamed on the Negro race itself."

It wasn't THN's best moment. Safe to say, O'Ree suffered through a lot worse over the course of his career. But despite the fact that he has plenty of reasons to be bitter, he presses on, working tirelessly with the league's diversity program to help spread the game to minority communities. Click here to watch a TSN profile on his life and career.

Did Milbury Go Over the Line on Sunday? There are only so many OGs in the hockey blogging game, but one of them is Rangers fan, The Hockey Rodent. And when he tells me I need to pay attention to something about NBC's inaugural edition of the 2008 NHL Game of the Week, I pull up a chair and give him a few minutes:

So why, oh why, would Dick Ebersol's organ-eye-zation employ ex-Bruin Mike Milbury to summarily crucify the Blueshirts and their fans at almost every opportunity? The man is still on the payroll of the rival Islanders and despises all things Blueshirt. Where was this disclosure today? Where was the fine print?

When he used his bully pulpit to ream Jaromir Jagr (skating hurt) for "not playing more passionately", he had to be reminded of one Alex Yashin before he'd shut up.

But let's look at this logically.

A dozen or more sponsors underwrote today's broadcast.

Why?

I watched the game on and while I'm sympathetic, it seemed clear to me that Milbury was just being Milbury. As for his description of Jagr, it completely comports with what I saw in Washington during his short stint here (for more, see this translation of an interview with ex-Cap Andrei Nikolishin, HT: JP). In fact, Milbury also took the time to give the once over to Boston forward Phil Kessel, berating him for having an incomplete game. If anything, the one way to get Milbury to shut up was for the Rangers to play better hockey -- something the fans in and around MSG haven't seen a lot of lately.

The Rodent is so incensed, that he wants fans to organize a boycott of the network's advertisers. Something tells me that if anyone from NBC Sports* were to read the Rodent's rant, they'd probably smile and say that was why they hired Milbury in the first place. For more reviews, check out HFBoards.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I spent a year as a columnist for NBCSports.com.

In Case You Missed It: Just because 75% of you don't come back here over the weekend doesn't mean we're not working. Here's a collection of links from Saturday and Sunday from here at FanHouse that you should make some time for:

Other Links of Interest: Because there's other stuff going on out there ...

The playoff watch starts at Mirtle's place
NHL investigators harass friends of the Briere family
New NHLPA head wants at least one Canadian city on the expansion list
Is Getzlaf-Perry-Bertuzzi the best line in the NHL?
The Maple Leafs miss McCabe (Weren't they ready to run him out of town?)
Illegal Curve lists all the news from the Sunday papers

Gratuitous Video Embed: Originally, I was going to use some footage of the aftermath of a Russian Super League game between Spartak and SKA. In that clip, some enterprising fan decided to use a flare gun inside Spartak's Moscow arena. But then this clip of an OHL brawl where the presumed #1 pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Steve Stamkos, makes an appearance:

The Ice Sheet: Willie O'Ree Edition originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Bruins Beach Patrice Bergeron's Comeback

Greg Wyshynski — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Flyers, Bruins, NHL Injuries

Turns out Randy Jones ended Patrice Bergeron's season after all. The Boston Bruins' center has been on the shelf since being taken out by the Philadelphia defenseman on Oct. 27 with what was diagnosed as a Grade 3 concussion. Bergeron expressed interest in getting back on the ice with Boston earlier this month, and seemed to be working towards a comeback. But after encouraging Bergeron to take a trip to some tropical locale, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told the Boston Globe yesterday that he doesn't believe the center will be back this season:

"He may be best served - and we may be best served - in the near future to shutting him down," said Chiarelli. "At the start, there was that little blip, he showed good signs, no headaches . . . but then that stopped, and he regressed a little. It's the way it is with concussions; the recovery is not linear."

Kevin Paul Dupont mentions a few thousand reasons why shutting down Bergeron would benefit the Bruins: The team would have the balance of his $5 million salary, along with the balance of Manny Fernandez's $4.5 million this season, freed up under the cap for extra maneuverability at the trade deadline. With the Bruins squarely in the playoff picture, that could be a difference-maker.

%Gallery-11180%

Bruins Beach Patrice Bergeron's Comeback originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Marc Savard Gets Pop Star Treatment on VH1

Kevin Schultz — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:20:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Bruins, NHL Media Watch, TV and Movies

In a rare moment of an NHL player not named Crosby getting celebrity treatment in America, Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins hosted this week's edition of VH1's VSPOT Top 20 Countdown. The show, which was filmed at the NHL Store in New York City, counts down the top 20 videos of the week, as voted on by VH1 viewers. Chances are that you missed the show this morning if you were like me and couldn't bear the excitement of getting up at either 3 am or 9 am on a Saturday morning. That's OK, because the show re-airs at 8 am tomorrow and 9 am on Tuesday (all times Eastern). I can't say I'll be awake for either of those airings, but maybe you will.

For me, the most surprising part of all this is that the show chose Savard as the NHL player best suited to make a celebrity appearance. If any hockey player is going to make a celebrity appearance in the States, Sidney Crosby would be the most likely candidate. Crosby would probably be out of the question for VH1 though, as he's likely too expensive and was also sidetracked with appeasing the masses in Western Canada this week. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury would be my second and third choices to make a guest appearance, since the show was filmed in NYC after all, but VH1 over looked them as well. To be fair to Savard, I would guess that he is better looking than either Drury or Gomez. Who knows, maybe he had a great screen test. Anyway, there you have it. An NHL player from an American team who isn't named Crosby actually getting some attention in America. I had no idea that it could actually happen.

Marc Savard Gets Pop Star Treatment on VH1 originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Finally, Bobby Orr Can Be Hung in Your Home

Greg Wyshynski — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:11:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, NHL Gossip

Kurt Kauper grew up obsessed with Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr. Now 41, Kauper has seen that obsession to its logical end: Creating a 7 1/2-foot-tall oil painting of Orr's youthful head on another man's nude body (images are SFW). The Boston Globe reported today about Kauper's latest collection showing at the Deitch Projects gallery in New York, titled "Everybody Knew That Canadians Were The Best Hockey Players." Somewhere, Phil Housley and Pat LaFontaine weep.

Orr didn't comment for Globe reporter Geoff Edgers's story, and former Bruins center Derek Sanderson -- who is also featured in the buff via Kauper's imagination -- refused to look at the artist's depiction of him standing near his locker holding his stick (snicker, snicker). "Hey, you know, he has poetic license, he can pretty much bloody well do what he bloody pleases," Sanderson told the Globe. And while the paper quotes several art aficionados who support and defend Kauper's work, I think I like former Bruin Brad Park's frank assessment best: "I see a picture of Bobby with some genitals, and a picture of Turk with some genitals. That's hard to take."

Kauper's blending of celebrity with nudity is nothing new in the art world -- witness John Currin's career-making portrait of Bea Arthur -- but this combination of athletes and male nudes causes an undeniable cultural conflict. Hockey is as homophobic a sport as you'll find; witness the conservative reactions to Juri Tlusty's youthful indiscretion, especially from the ironically named (in this instance) Damien Cox of the Toronto Star. Thomas Garvey of The Hub Review -- no fan of Kauper's, by the way -- believes The Globe's reporting on this art show is cheap, titillating gay-baiting:

If these were paintings of women, would the Globe still be giggling? Somehow I don't think so. (As for Kauper's stuff operating as "art" - please; only Geoff Edgers could pretend that! Unless, of course, he's merely dangling red gay meat in front of the Globe's Neanderthal audience in a Herald-like maneuver - the probable explanation, actually.)

Finally, Bobby Orr Can Be Hung in Your Home originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

With Season in Free Fall, Caps Call for Bourque

Eric McErlain — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:38:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, Thrashers, Capitals

After getting blown out by the Carolina Hurricanes last night -- the team's ninth loss in 11 games -- the Washington Capitals sent in a call to their AHL affiliate in Hershey to tell left wing Chris Bourque that he was needed with the big club. According to the club, Bourque will join the Caps in time to make his NHL debut against the Thrashers tonight in Atlanta.

How does this move help the Caps? For starters, the team looked like it was skating in slush last night while it was being sliced and diced by the Hurricanes, and Bourque will inject some welcome speed into the lineup. He'll most likely slide into a spot on the right side where I'd have to guess he'll pick up some minutes spelling winger Tomas Fleischmann.

Second, Bourque is a skill player, one who is going to make his money in the NHL in part by delivering the sort of tape-to-tape passes the team has been sorely lacking so far this season. Though I wouldn't guarantee it, I wouldn't be surprised to see him grab some time on the power play on the point opposite of Alex Ovechkin.

Heck, if AHL journeyman Joe Motzko can play there, why not Bourque?

Finally, and perhaps most welcome of all, Bourque will add some needed energy and urgency into the lineup. For the Caps to win, the team needs to demonstrate a little more fight, and like a lot of undersized players, Bourque knows that to survive in the NHL he needs to play like a pit bull. So while others might be content to deploy nothing more than a poke check to stifle the opposition, expect Bourque to lower his shoulder and battle for the puck as if his life depended on it.

On the downside, I'm sure plenty of folks who follow the team might wonder if the son of one of the game's greatest defensemen isn't being rushed to the NHL too soon. They may very well be right. Then again, as others have noted, while it's impossible to win a playoff spot in November, it's all too possible to lose one.

With the cupboard in Hershey more or less bare outside of Bourque, and the lineup with the big club decimated by injuries to key contributors, the Caps are out of options. Stay tuned.

With Season in Free Fall, Caps Call for Bourque originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

NHL Rookie Review

Jes Golbez — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:10:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Los Angeles, General NHL, Oilers, Kings, Coyotes

Every few weeks, FanHouse will feature a look at this season's rookie class, spotlighting surprising diamonds on the rough, struggling blue chippers, and everyone else in between.

After about a half dozen games, we're approaching the point where teams with junior-eligible players have to decide to keep the player for the entire season, or send him back down. Sam Gagner (pictured) of Edmonton, as discussed previously, is the biggest such name. Teams must weight the benefit of developing and having the player on their roster against the possibility that said player will become an unrestricted free agent at the age of 25 or 26.

Now that we're well underway, we've also had a pretty decent look at this season's rookie class, and can see a few trends.

1. Rebuilding teams are doing well. The Phoenix Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, and Chicago Blackhawks each two of their rookies in the top 10 in the rookie scoring race.

2. Andrew Cogliano = The early leader. While Sam Gagner grabs all of the headlines, Cogliano has been the one churning out the offence for the struggling Oilers. With five points in six games, the 20-year old 2005 first rounder looks to have arrived in style. He's also the only rookie to have a short-handed goal, pointing to his flexibility to adapt to many roles and kill penalties.
3. From the 'Jes isn't always right' category: Sam Gagner. I'd have to say that he's exceeded my expectations thus far. Apart from some ill-advised cross-ice passes, Gagner certainly appears to belong in the NHL, and has himself four assists in five games. While I believe the Oilers ought not to waste a year of Gagner's contact status, the kid is certainly making a good case for him to remain with the Oilers for the whole season.

4. Milan Lucic, who was kept by the Bruins for his size and brawn, scored himself a "Gordie Howe Hat-Trick" against the Los Angeles Kings on October 12. As "Cheech" is playing just nine minutes a night, one would have to think he's likely to go back to juniors when his 10-game audition is up.

5. Jonathan Bernier had his 15-seconds of fame when he won the season opener, for the LA Kings, in London. Well, Bernier lost his next three games, and sports an awful 4.03GAA and 86.4SV%. The Kings realize that Bernier isn't quite ready, and demoted him back to juniors. Will we see the return of Dan Cloutier? *shudder*

Previously on FanHouse:
Seven to Watch: The New Generation

NHL Rookie Review originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 16:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Finding a Fit for Phil Kessel

Greg Wyshynski — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins

When Phil Kessel left the Boston Bruins' line-up last December, there were enough people whispering that it had something to do with drug or alcohol abuse that a source felt the need to tell Scott Burnside of ESPN.com that his departure had "nothing to do with any nefarious activities." I'm not sure where those people later scored on the scum-bag-o-meter after it was revealed the rookie was actually battling testicular cancer, but I'm guessing it's fairly high.

Kessel beat the cancer and returned to the Bruins in January 2007. He scored 29 points in 70 games, had a hat trick in the 2006-07 NHL Young Stars game and was honored with the 2007 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The two biggest questions about the Bruins as they opened camp this week were about Claude Julien's plans as the new head coach (here's a hint: It involves more grit than a dirty shower stall) and whether free-agent flop Zdeno Chara would retain the captaincy (he will, according to Julien); but Kessel's flashes of offensive brilliance last season at both wing and center, his natural position, has forced another issue Julien faces in the preseason, according to the Providence Journal:

Kessel could pivot the third line, behind Patrice Bergeron and [Marc] Savard, which could give the Bruins the makings of three attack-oriented units. As a wing, he could round out an explosive second line with Savard, and, perhaps, veteran Glen Murray.

Again, Julien said, he wants to keep all options open. "If you were to ask me today," he said, "where I'm planning on using Phil Kessel, I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea until I see the physical part of his game. From there, we'll be able to put him in the right position that will allow him to succeed. If he gets to a certain level where I think he'll need to go somewhere else, I'll do that. But I'm going to allow him to succeed."

Kessel, who turns 20 next month, is lighter and stronger than he was a year ago. Boston's already solid up the middle with scoring leaders Savard and Bergeron; if Kessel's future is as a center, his present may still be on the wing. But recalling where he was about 10 months ago, I think we can agree that it's a blessing just have the kid playing.

Finding a Fit for Phil Kessel originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Those Who Can't, Learn To Whistle

Greg Wyshynski — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:39:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL

Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe has a Sunday profile of Bill McGoldrick, a 23-year-old New Englander who has landed a job as a referee with the US Hockey League. The article explains how his journey through different levels of officiating mirrors that of a burgeoning player prospect, but settles on one particular thesis: McGoldrick wasn't good enough to make the NHL as a player, so he's chosen to join the big show by coming through the ranks as an on-ice official:

Like any kid who had grown up with a hockey stick glued to his hands, McGoldrick imagined himself in skates in the National Hockey League. The farthest he made it as a player was college at Framingham State. He believes he will get to the NHL one way or another. The path for most ex-players would be coaching, or the front office, or as a trainer. But McGoldrick still wants to be on the ice.

"The reason why I want to continue to be a referee is for the same reason I grew up playing," he said. "I wanted to make it to the NHL, and that's something I know I cannot do as a player. So, being an official is the only other option really, being involved or being on the ice."

To either the discredit of Benbow or McGoldrick (or both), the article fails to disclose any passion that McGoldrick has for maintaining the integrity or enforcing the rules of the game -- you know, that boring old "referee" stuff. But it clearly frames McGoldrick's career track to NHL officiating -- and give him credit for sticking with it -- as "a dream" for an ex-player; one who'll gladly pick up the whistle if it means skating alongside talent he never possessed.

I'll gladly accept the shortcomings of my own naivety: That every rookie cop wants a chance to enforce the law, every newbie firefighter wants the chance to save lives and every referee is in it for the betterment of the game. But the reality is that some guys just like guns, some guys just like the women who hang around firehouses and some guys will jump into goon scuffles for a chance to skate on NHL ice. Not sure about you, but I despise the notion that vocations that can literally determine the outcome of a professional hockey game are being sought by star-struck ingenues who speak about the job almost as if it's like being a glorified stick-boy.

Those Who Can't, Learn To Whistle originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Tibbetts's Bad-Boy Hijinks Continue

Mirtle M.D. — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:45:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, General NHL, Bruins, NHL Police Blotter

Billy Tibbetts is one of the few hockey players who has made more headlines for his jail time than his exploits on the ice, a troubled soul who continues to fritter away his talent amid a mess of, well, let's call them 'questionable' decisions.

After some time out of the spotlight, most of it spent playing in Finland this past season, Tibbetts is once again in the headlines, this time for an alleged high-speed chase with police near his hometown of Boston:

A 32-year-old Scituate man allegedly led State Police on a high-speed chase early this morning through two South Shore towns before crashing his 2007 BMW into a telephone pole and running off into the woods, where he was arrested, authorities said.

William Tibbetts was allegedly speeding southbound Route 3 at about 12:30 a.m. when he drove past Trooper Mark Concannon, who was parked in his cruiser. With his emergency lights on and his siren sounding, Concannon tried to pull Tibbetts over, but he sped off and exited onto Route 18 southbound in Weymouth, State Police said.

A star as an 18-year-old with the Boston Jr. Bruins, Tibbetts was never drafted into the NHL, but eventually played his way there by way of the USHL, OHL, WHL and ECHL, a jump that was interrupted from 1996-2000 when he spent almost four years in prison for a parole violation.

Despite the time in the clink, Tibbetts made his NHL debut in his first year upon release, appearing in 29 games with Pittsburgh as a 26-year-old. He lasted parts of three seasons, just 82 games, before he was demoted to the AHL and then back to the ECHL, and with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) he managed a pretty impressive 20 goal, 42 point campaign in just 46 games.

With 249 PIM.

Tibbetts's reputation has endured ever since his jail-bird-turned-Penguin days, and he's always been sort of the bad boy of the minor leagues. Controversy followed him on his turn in Finland last season, and after appearing in just 19 games, he's been back in North America for the off-season.

He was charged with "speeding, resisting arrest, failure to stop for a police officer, and leaving the scene of an accident after causing property damage."

Now 32 and seemingly out of second chances, it's become incredibly unlikely we'll see Tibbetts in the NHL again.

Tibbetts's Bad-Boy Hijinks Continue originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Schneider In, Niedermayer Out?

Greg Wyshynski — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Anaheim, Buffalo, General NHL, Devils, Rangers, Bruins, Lightning, Blackhawks, Wings, Flames, Ducks, Eastern, Western, NHL Rumors

The Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks added Red Wings free agent defenseman Mathieu Schneider, signing him to a two-year deal worth $11.25 million. Matt Saler of On the Wings reacts as if Schneider just took a fat dump on Detroit and cleaned himself up with an Yzerman jersey:

If he wanted a lot more money than the Wings could pay, that's one thing, but leaving at a price the team could probably afford is an insult. And the fact that he left to go to the team that eliminated the Wings from the playoffs is even worse (if you recall, Sergei Fedorov did the same thing). I thought Schneider was better than that.

Once this signing was announced, two questions sprung to mind. First, who will accompany Chelios to those AARP meetings now? More importantly, is the Ducks' signing of a mobile defenseman with solid offensive skills an insurance policy in case Conn Smythe winner Scott Niedermayer decides to hang up the skates? It sure seems that way when the team's official site runs a headline that reads "Ducks Sign Schneider; Niedermayer May Retire." Here's a statement from GM Brian Burke:

"Scott Niedermayer has informed me that he is leaning toward retirement," said Burke. "Typical of his character and leadership, he made the call this morning in order to allow us to make alternative plans in the event he does not return. Although he has not retired and would be welcomed back, we felt adding another top NHL defenseman was critical to defending our championship. Mathieu Schneider fits into that category and will be a great addition to our team."

In other recent "free agent frenzy" developments:

Calgary signs Tampa Bay defenseman Cory Sarich to a five year, $18 million deal. If the Flames end up flipping Brad Stuart and Roman Hamrlik for Sarich and Adrian Aucoin, then it's been a good off-season ... well, save for the Keenan thing.
Tom Gulitti, a beat writer for the Devils, reports on his blog that rumors Scott Gomez had signed with the Rangers were, in fact, just rumors. Doesn't mean it can't happen; but if it does, remember that it wasn't because he was jogging with Brendan Shanahan.
The Blackhawks have signed Yanic Perreault to a one-year deal; an indication that they don't believe either Jonathan Toews nor Patrick Kane can win an NHL face-off yet.
Douglas Flynn of the Boston Herald reports that the Bruins have inked tough guy Shawn Thornton of Anaheim to a multi-year deal. Yeah, let's see some team ante up Wayne Primeau, Marco Sturm and Brad Stuart for this Thornton...

Schneider In, Niedermayer Out? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sun, 01 Jul 2007 16:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments