NHL FanHouse

Knuckle Puck: Why Don't We Know What Refs Intend to Do?

Kevin Schultz — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Ducks, Flames, Maple Leafs, NHL Videos, NHL Discipline

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.

Seriously. What's with you hockey fans, teams and players? Why don't you know what refs are thinking about doing? Why don't you know what they intend to do? More importantly, you should know why the ref is intending to do what he hasn't done yet but will since he intends to do what he's about to do.

Confused? So am I, and so is the majority of the hockey world.

But the people that aren't confused are the most important segment of all -- the folks in the stripes and in charge of NHL officiating. They think we should know what they intend to do, as Dennis LaRue showed us on Wednesday. A source inside of Starbucks in Manhattan, where the NHL offices are located, spoke to me on condition of anonymity this week. The source spoke about how the folks in the league office get their morning coffee. They don't say a word until a few minutes after the server asks for their order. He or she should know what they're intending to order.**

Now that's got to be a frustrating job.

In order to help the general public (i.e. the rest of us) have a better understanding of the "intent to blow" rule, I've created a helpful guide that you can practice at home. Remember, it may take a while for the people around you to warm up to this rule, but in the long run, it will certainly be beneficial.

-- If you take the train to work, don't buy a ticket. Simply tell the conductor that you intended to buy one and he or she will understand.

-- If you drive to work, don't use your turn signal. You intend to do it but haven't gotten around to it yet. Other drivers should know that.

-- When you get to work, sit in front of the computer and read FanHouse all day. If your boss complains, tell them that they should know you intended to do work.

-- If you are the boss, here's a fun trick for year-end performance reviews. Don't give any promotions or raises. Just keep telling anyone who asks that you intend to do it. You should be able to work that angle until the end of next year.

-- If you have kids and forgot to play with them like you promised, just tell them that you intended to do it. They'll understand.

-- At the supermarket, smash your cart into someone else's. You can get away with it if you tell them that your intent was to politely go around them.

YouTube of the Week

Olli Jokinen fighting. That statement alone should be funny, nevermind the accompanying video.

Knuckle Pucker of the Year Nominee
Each week, we'll nominate someone who deserves to be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to giving me something to write about. By the end of the year I'll come up with some way to declare a winner. Today's nominee is...

... front row Ducks fans! Thanks to a few bad eggs sitting in the front row Thursday night a nice gesture by Scott Niedermayer turned into an all out brawl. The horrified look on Niedermayer's face -- similar, I would imagine, to a child watching the animals fight at a zoo -- says it all. So, thanks to the folks in the front row of Thursday night's Ducks game for showing us how to turn a great situation into an awful one in less than three seconds.

Jokes I Can't Resist Making
-- Think this is bad? You should see what happens at their houses on Christmas morning.
-- In all fairness, the stick was made of solid gold and coated in bacon.
-- They were just doing what they see George Parros do every night.
-- Come on guys, it isn't even Sidney Crosby's stick.

(**May or may not have actually happened)

Knuckle Puck: Why Don't We Know What Refs Intend to Do? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fight of the Week: Blood Sport

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Capitals, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Rangers, Senators, Stars, Red Wings, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

Sometimes, we scour the internet looking for the best fight, only to be left underwhelmed. There are other weeks where this job couldn't possibly be any easier. The good fights jump at you, and the players involved are the guys you would expect to see in the big fights. This week's winning fight has some blood in it, so use caution as you proceed.

Punch of the Week: Colton Orr vs. Matt Carkner

Poor Carkner. He did the right thing, he thought, in going after Orr. He didn't have a chance, however, in this fight. Orr got him with a right, and Carkner's night was over -- or, at least this fight was. Orr got a very easy win in a fight that wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining without Joe Bowen at the mic. Watch it here.

Runner-Up: Krys Barch vs. Brad May

When a fight like this is a runner-up, you know you're in for a good week. Barch and May are both good fighters, and while May has many years on Barch, he held up well, and this one only ended when May lost his footing. Watch the video here.

Runner-Up: Eric Godard vs. Chris Neil

Godard is no stranger to the fisticuffs. Having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as teammates can keep an enforcer busy. Meanwhile, Neil doesn't like having fights stopped. This particular bout looked to be ending a couple different times, only to have Neil keep things going by throwing a shot or two. Check it out by clicking here.

Fight of the Week: Matt Bradley vs. Aaron Voros

Bradley got a couple shots in, but he clearly took the worst of this fight. You simply can't win a fight most of the time when you're wearing the crimson mask at the end of it. However, Bradley got the last laugh. After getting cleaned up from his bout with Voros, he returned and was credited with the game-winning goal as the Capitals beat the Rangers.

Fight of the Week: Blood Sport originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leafs, Canes Play Game of the Night; Refs Miss Another Call

Adam Gretz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, NHL Videos

If you weren't expecting much from the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, you're forgiven.

After all, the two teams entered the game with a combined 22 points on the season (there were eight individual teams in action on Thursday that had more points than that) and were the bottom two clubs in the NHL standings. That didn't stop them from playing what turned out to be one hell of a hockey game, as the Hurricanes picked up a 6-5 shootout win.

Toronto jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but allowed Carolina to get back into the game with a pair of late second period goals from Stephane Yelle and Matt Cullen, setting the stage for a wild third period.

After Alexei Ponikarovsky netted a power play goal at the 3:43 mark of the third period, giving the Leafs a 4-2 lead, Carolina's Tim Gleason cut the deficit in half with his third goal of the season.

And that's where things started to get interesting.

Just 40 seconds after Gleason's goal, Toronto's Ian White was issued a four-minute double-minor for high-sticking Tom Kostopoulos. There was just one little problem: White did no such thing. Kostopolous did, in fact, get whacked in the face by a stick, but the guilty party wasn't White, but Hurricanes forward Stephane Yelle.

And it was pretty obvious, too.

It's been that kind of week for NHL refs.

Naturally, the Hurricanes took advantage of their good fortune and evened the score with Gleason's second goal of the game (on the power play, of course) with just over eight minutes to play in regulation.

It appeared as if White was going to get the final laugh on the night, however, when he scored a go-ahead goal with just 30 seconds to play, giving the Leafs a 5-4 lead. It would be short-lived, as Carolina's Erik Cole beat the buzzer with his second goal of the year at the 19:57 mark of the period.

Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen tallied goals in the shootout, giving the Hurricanes their fourth win of the season.

At the end of the night, the two teams combined for 11 goals, 77 shots, 40 penalty minutes, were credited with 70 hits and scored two goals in the final 30 seconds of regulation.

Leafs, Canes Play Game of the Night; Refs Miss Another Call originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pink Slip Index: Complications in Carolina

Kevin Schultz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blues, Ducks, Flyers, Hurricanes, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Panthers, Wild, NHL Coaching

In the NHL, coach firings are as common as parking tickets in New York City. Throughout the NHL season I'll be taking a bi-weekly look at five coaches who are the most likely to get fired. Be advised your local coach may be axed at any moment. Consider this fair warning.

Things have changed quite a bit since our last look at coaches with warm cushions. For one, the Lightning are making me look bad at 3-1-3 since the last installment. The Leafs have won a few games and things have gone from bad to an Alexander Daigle brand of awful for the Hurricanes. We'll take a look at all of that and more after the jump.

Off the List (for now):
John Stevens, Philadelphia Flyers (Previous Rank: 4). The Flyers have won five in a row since we last checked in and are sixth in the conference. Nothing to worry about, John.

Peter DeBoer, Florida Panthers (5). The Cats got hammered twice over the weekend by the Caps but are still 4-2 since we last checked in. Basically, there are more folks in a lot more trouble than DeBoer.

Free Passes: Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators. Jacques Lemaire, New Jersey Devils (who will be listed here as long as Lou Lamoriello is in charge).

No. 6: Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay Lightning (1). There was some disagreement in other parts of the blogosphere about Tocchet topping the last list. No matter if you agreed or disagreed, I think we can all say that the Lightning are playing some solid hockey at the moment. They're 5-1-3 in their last seven and Steven Stamkos is destroying defenders' lives with his play. This run has cooled off Tocchet's seat so much I was going to completely take him off the list. Then he went and called out Vinny Franchise and dropped him to the third line, blatantly pandering to me to keep him on the list. So here he is with his own special spot at six since he's either completely bat poop crazy or playing job roulette with Oren Koules.

Seat status: Confusing.

No. 5: Ron Wilson, Toronto Maple Leafs (2). Things have turned around for the Leafs since my last look at them. They've actually won a few games and could have a few more under their belt if they could just figure out how to work that darned overtime. They're 2-1-4 since we last checked in, and that includes a 5-1 spanking of Detroit on Saturday, which nobody saw coming. Things are looking up in Leaf Land but we're keeping Ron on the countdown since October was a complete and utter FAIL. You can't forget about something like that so quickly.

Seat status: A warm spring day.

No. 4: Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Ducks (3). This week, Carlyle cools off slightly and moves to the fourth position. I'm still a firm believer that he'll get a fair shake in Anaheim and likely will last the season barring a major turn of events. However, the Ducks got the dubious honor of giving the winless Leafs their first victory -- on home ice, no less! -- but have showed a very mild resiliency going 3-2-1 since we last checked in on them. Carlyle cools off as the Ducks break even and we put some more volatile candidates in front of him.

Seat status: One of those hot summer nights where you wake up sticky because the AC is broken.

No. 3: Todd Richards, Minnesota Wild (NR). The Wild struggled early this season and I gave Richards a pass in the first edition of PSI since he's a first-year coach. That usually provides a little Teflon with which to deflect criticism. However, Richards makes our list this time since the Wild have continued to stumble. The more they stumble, the less of an excuse "brand new head coach" becomes. They're 7-10-1 on the year, second to last in the Western Conference, and are owners of an awful 2-8-1 road record. I fully expect the brass in Minnesota to give Richards some time but this being the NHL and all, hey, you never know.

Seat status: Lukewarm.

No. 2: Paul Maurice, Carolina Hurricanes (NR). The Hurricanes finished sixth in the East last year and made it all the way to the conference finals before getting swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champs. Injuries can be to blame, as Eric Staal and Joni Pitkanen are hurt and Eric Cole has missed time. Losing Cam Ward last Saturday was a death blow to a team already in last place. But with the Kings extending the Canes' winless streak to 13 and Carolina winning two of 17 overall, it would appear as though Maurice is as good as gone. This team has been outscored 30-10 in their last seven games -- all regulation losses. And if you can't even make it to overtime in Gary Bettman's Everybody Gets a Point Most of the Time League, you're really doing something wrong.

So it seems like Maurice is an open and shut case to go, right? Well, not exactly.

As Bob Harwood over at Canes Country points out, the Canes have put themselves in a bind not only with players but with the coaching staff, too.

"[Canes GM Jim Rutherford] has severely limited himself on what he can do regarding the coaching staff because of his recent three year signing of head coach Paul Maurice. If he were to fire Maurice, he would officially have two ex-coaches on the payroll because the team is still paying Peter Laviolette."

Yeah, so under most any other set of circumstances Maurice is a sitting duck. Now that he's at the helm of a failing team that gave him an extension over the summer and is already paying one guy to not coach them? That's a big bullet for one GM to bite. Maurice is second on our countdown because his seat is unquestionably hot. But, as the evidence points out, he's probably not going anywhere soon.

Seat status: Molten lava. But the extension and Laviolette deal means the Canes will likely have to bite the bullet.

No. 1: Andy Murray, St. Louis Blues (NR). When the Blues went 9-1-1 to sneak into the playoffs last year, there were some rumblings that run may have saved Murray's job. The team was promptly swept by the Canucks and many of its young stars have struggled during the early going this season -- and are killing my keeper league fantasy team -- despite a kind of deceiving 6-7-4 record. TJ Oshie has six points in 13 games, Patrick Berglund has four in 16 and David Backes has three in 17. But maybe after a 6-1 rout of Vancouver on Tuesday things are turning around. We'll see.

Seat status: Southern style chili cheese dog.

Right now, Murray tops our list since he doesn't have a complicated situation like Maurice, a "rookie" excuse like Richards, a Stanley Cup ring with the team like Carlyle or a recent hot streak like the rest. So if anyone is getting axed in the next week or two, it's this guy. Unless Lou Lamoriello gets up on the wrong side of the bed one day, but I digress.

Pink Slip Index: Complications in Carolina originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kessel Returns, Leafs Lose; Osgood Shuts Out Boston

Adam Gretz — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Lightning, Maple Leafs

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 2, Maple Leafs 1: Phil Kessel made his long-awaited debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, and it got off to a rather scary start when he had to leave the game in the first period after Tampa Bay's Mattias Ohlund ran him over with a crushing hit at the blue line (video after the jump).

He would eventually return and finish with an incredible 10 shots on goal in Toronto's 2-1 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, which finally received some goal-scoring production from its captain.

After spending most of Monday's game on the third line -- after getting called out by head coach Rick Tocchet -- Vincent Lecavalier started Tuesday's game on a line with Ryan Malone and Alex Tanguay, before also seeing time with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. He scored his second goal of the season late in the second period to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead. Malone scored the game-winner -- his ninth goal of the season -- at the 2:21 mark of the overtime period.

The star of the game for the Lightning, however, had to be goaltender Antero Niittymaki, who stopped 40 of the 41 shots he faced throughout the night. At the other end of the ice, Jonas Gustavsson was strong between the pipes for Toronto, stopping 30 shots in the loss.

Tuesday's Other Games

Red Wings 2, Bruins 0: The already-shorthanded Red Wings were without the services of defensemen Brian Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson on Tuesday night, and, as it turns out, it didn't matter as Chris Osgood stopped 29 shots to help lead Detroit to a 2-0 win. Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom each scored goals, while Pavel Datsyuk registered two assists.

Thrashers 5, Canadiens 4: Atlanta let a 3-1 lead slip away in Montreal, but still managed to pull out a back-and-forth 5-4 win thanks to Colby Armstrong's second goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner, at the 13:14 mark of the third period. Bryan Little, who tallied over 30 goals a season ago, finally scored his first of the season for the Thrashers in the win.

Penguins 4, Ducks 3: The Penguins improve to 7-0 on the road and 12-3 overall with a 4-3 win in Anaheim. Pascal Dupuis gets the winning tally, while Alex Goligoski, Mike Rupp and Kris Letang also contribute on the score sheet.

Canucks 4, Rangers 1: Vancouver wins a wild one that features six 10-minute misconducts and multiple fights in the third period. Mikael Samuelsson scores two for the Canucks, while Ryan Kesler records three assists.

Loose Pucks

-- Ken Hitchcock, head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, responded to allegations that his team was targetting Alex Ovechkin and looking to hit him during Saturday's game: "That would be correct," Hitchcock said. "That's the name of the game. Why, is that against the rules now?" [Puck Rakers]

-- The Philadelphia Flyers terminated the contract of Lukas Kaspar so he can play in Europe. [Broad Street Hockey]

-- Interesting post from Gabriel Desjardins about Colorado Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey that asks whether or not he's a No. 1 defenseman. [Behind The Net]

Video Of The Day

Mattias Ohlound welcomes Phil Kessel back to the ice.

Wednesday's Key Games

Capitals vs. Devils: The Capitals play their first game without Alex Ovechkin as they travel to New Jersey to take on the Devils. Since he entered the league in 2005-06, Ovechkin has missed just four games. The Caps have earned a point in nine straight dating back to October 10.

Islanders vs. Sabres: Break up the Islanders! New York enters its game with Buffalo riding a four-game winning streak, including a 5-0 win against the Sabres on Saturday. It was only the second loss in regulation this season for Buffalo.

Coyotes vs. Avalanche: The two most surprising teams in the Western Conference face off in Denver. Phoenix blew a 3-1 lead on Monday against the Kings, a loss that snapped a three-game winning streak, while the Avs enter play still atop the conference standings with 22 points.

Kessel Returns, Leafs Lose; Osgood Shuts Out Boston originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Knuckle Puck: Michael Jackson and the Skivvy Shootout Imitators

Kevin Schultz — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Lightning, Maple Leafs, Minor League Hockey, Junior Hockey

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.

You've got to love the spirit of minor league hockey. The promotional departments for the teams love to give fitting tributes to things that usually have a tenuous relation -- if any -- to their teams, sport and locales. I'm not criticizing, simply stating an observation. The latest team to host a promotional night chosen from their Wheel-O-Random Promotions (I hear all minor league teams keep one snugly in the back of the marketing office for when the mood strikes them) is the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors.

The team hosted King of Pop Tribute Night on Friday complete with Michael Jackson jerseys and players wearing one white glove. And don't worry, the media was naturally all over the clever puns.

This one is from the Condors' own press release:

Friday night is for all of those "Smooth Criminals" out there looking to honor the "King of Pop."

Nothing I loathe more than quotations to make sure that we all get the joke. Deadspin's entry was much better:

ECHL Team Should Stop Before We Get Enough

And the groaner from from local ABC affiliate KERO (sic):

Even the Condors players will all wear one white glove for the game. It should be a real thriller....you can't beat it!

Sigh. Glad to see the lame pun folks were out in full force for this one. The Condors came up short in the game losing 6-3 -- and the jerseys were as awful looking as they are in your nightmares -- but hey, the jerseys were auctioned off to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network so at least the kids were winners.

Knuckle Pucker of the Year Nominee

Each week, we'll nominate someone who deserves to be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to giving me something to write about. By the end of the year I'll come up with some way to declare a winner. Today's nominee is...

... Maple Leaf fan Lee Kirby. Earlier this week the Ebay auction ended in which Kirby placed his Leafs loyalty for sale to the highest bidder. He was so fed up with the franchise -- apparently it was the 0-7-1 start that broke the proverbial camel's back -- that he created the auction, which ended last week at $25 CDN (~$23 USD). The money was donated to charity and by instruction of the winning bidder Kirby is now a Dallas Stars fan and is worshiping Mike Modano and Company. So thank you, Lee Kirby, for your efforts in giving me something to write about.

Joke Already Written for Me

"[The auction] hovered at around 9 cents for a while, before picking up steam near the end."

If only it had ended near 9 cents, that would have been much funnier. The demand for Leafs fans is clearly not high and their prices are clearly dropping. I blame the economy. I also imagine the charity angle inflated the price a bit, which is always good to see.

Idaho Does Not Endorse Stripper Shootouts

Last week, I wrote in this space about the Tampa Bay Lightning playing a shootout game in which players would take off an article of clothing each time they failed to score. Driven by the inspiring tale of the Lightning, a junior team from Idaho decided to try the same thing. However, they failed to adhere to Idaho's strict no naked hockey players laws. For their actions, they were banned from Idaho Ice World in Boise for four days. FOUR DAYS. WHATEVER WILL BECOME OF THEIR ICE HOCKEY TEAM NOW?!?

Ahem. Excuse me.

An adult whose young daughter was on an adjacent rink saw the 17- to 20-year-old Steelheads skating in their skivvies and complained to a city hotline.

A very vigilant parent, indeed. The way youth sports are nowadays I'm surprised they took such calm action and resisted any urges they had to jump over the boards and beat up the kids. But what really bothers me about this quote is that the city actually has a hotline set up for situations like these. The article doesn't say the person called 911. They called a hotline. That's different. That's specialized.

Rink employees who also noticed the scantily clad skaters urged them to cover up.

But those juvenile delinquents didn't listen did they? We tried to warn them! WE TRIED! But the kids are rebels who don't play by the rules!

The best part of this story is that no one is really sure if any laws, rules or regulations were actually broken.

Police who were alerted on Thursday are now looking into whether Boise's public decency laws were broken by the incident.

The city forbids people from showing their buttocks in public, largely to curb erotic dance parlors. Exemptions include dance, ballet, music or dramatic performances, or artistic displays; nudity during hockey practice isn't on the list.

That would have been one heck of a list if hockey practice was on it. Well, I'm sure it will be now after this incident.

John Oliver, the Idaho Junior Steelheads owner, wasn't at the practice where the players held the "strip shootout."

But an assistant told him the players were emulating a professional team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, whose members held a similar shootout last week where they discarded pieces of equipment after failing to score.

Oh heavens! They got their crazy ideas from TV! That's where it always starts. First it's strip shootouts then they're trying out for American Idol and going straight for hard drugs. It's a slippery slope!

Internet videos show a Lightning right winger, Martin St. Louis, stripping to his long, dark shorts and shirt;

Now the internet is involved in the blame process. It's always the internet. And TV. Video games too. And if it's not any of those then the school system is probably failing the kids.

the Junior Steelheads apparently went further,

OH... GOD... NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! They fast-forwarded through the American Idol tryouts and went straight for the hard drugs, didn't they? SAY IT AIN'T SO ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT!!

with some disrobing down to their sports briefs. At least one 17-year-old player doffed his underwear completely, to "moon" another player.

*Writer passes out completely*

Knuckle Puck: Michael Jackson and the Skivvy Shootout Imitators originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fight of the Week: Heavyweights

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bruins, Canucks, Ducks, Flames, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Stars, Red Wings, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

It's no secret what we're looking for in a good fight. It needs to have intensity, some good back-and-forth action, and there is some longevity needed. If two guys trade a flurry of punches for seven seconds, it's not nearly as impressive as a high-quality 30-second fight.

This week's top fight has a little bit of everything.

Beatdown of the Week: Krys Barch vs. D.J. King

King played in just one game last season, but he showed no rust in this quick putaway of Barch. Watch the fight here, but don't blink, because you might miss the action.

Runner-Up: Colton Orr vs. George Parros

While the fight itself was okay, the news happened when Orr shoved the linesman who appeared to be trying to break up the bout prematurely.

(Orr, by the way, is not going to be punished any further for that, beyond the misconduct penalty he got at the time.)

Orr and Parros are experienced at this sort of thing, and it's no surprise they can get together and give the fans a good slugfest. Watch the video here.

Runner-Up: Brad May vs. Tanner Glass

May held a real heavy edge in experience on Glass, so you might think he would control this fight. Instead, the youngster did very well against May, even ducking out of the way as May threw a roundhouse that would have knocked Glass into the middle of the Olympic break. Watch the video here.

Fight of the Week: Steve MacIntyre vs. Brian McGrattan

This was easily the best dance of the week. McGrattan is the better fighter, and he won this one hands-down. But it wasn't just about that. MacIntyre made a good showing of himself by simply competing, and he showed he can hang with one of the league's better fighters.

It's not hard to fathom that these two -- playing on division rivals -- will go again this season.

Fight of the Week: Heavyweights originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Pink Slip Index: Which Coach Will Be First to Go?

Kevin Schultz — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Ducks, Flyers, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Panthers, NHL Coaching

In the NHL, coach firings are as common as parking tickets in New York City. Throughout the NHL season I'll be taking a bi-weekly look at five coaches who are the most likely to get fired. Be advised your local coach may be axed at any moment. Consider this fair warning.

We've made it through the first month of the NHL season and not one coach has gotten fired yet. That's got to be some kind of record. This is the NHL! Coaches are fired for lots of reasons and sometimes no reason at all. How is no team displeased enough to have fired a coach yet? And what have you got to say for yourself, Lou Lamoriello? Why is your finger not on the trigger?

As it turns out, a lot of teams have actually surprised us and played well, helping their coach's job security in the process. Before the season I named a few coaches whom I thought were starting the year on the hot seat. More than a few of them have been saved by solid starts. Joel Quenneville and the Hawks are 7-3-1 and atop the Central. John Anderson and the Thrashers started the year 4-1-1 before dropping their last two against good teams and the Kings may have saved Terry Murray's job by grabbing 17 points in 13 games to lead the Pacific.

The good news for me -- I was afraid I wouldn't have anyone to write about -- is that not every team is off to such a hot start. The Ducks have struggled out of the gate, the Flyers and Canucks are both hovering around .500 and Toronto has been an unmitigated disaster losing six of their first eight by two goals or more. So I'd like to take the time to thank those teams for lighting a fire under their coach's respective chairs.

So today, I present to you the first in a season-long series of coaches-on-the-hot-seat rankings. Five coaches. Five teams. Five fanbases that want blood -- sweet, sweet blood. We'll start at number five and head on through to numero uno, my prediction for the coach to get the axe first.

No. 5: Peter DeBoer, Florida Panthers. DeBoer is only in his second year with the Panthers and had some success last year as the team finished ninth in the East, missing out on the playoffs by losing a tiebreaker to the Canadiens. But in the NHL it's all about 'what have you done for me lately' and the Panthers have started this season 2-7-1 and are averaging 2.2 goals per game. Add that to their 29th-best ranking in goals allowed and things are not looking good. Personally, I don't believe the Horton trade rumors, but if they're crazy enough to trade him firing DeBoer will look sane in comparison.

Seat status: STEAMY

No. 4: John Stevens, Philadelphia Flyers. I said before the season that this could be a make or break year for Stevens and the Flyers. They had a talented roster and only improved it during the offseason. However, they've been short on postseason success and are 5-4-1, already nine points behind the division-leading Penguins in the tough Atlantic. The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup last year after firing their coach down the stretch. That means there will be copycats, and if the Flyers continue to be mediocre Stevens may be sent packing to shake things up.

Seat status: STEAMY

No. 3: Randy Carlyle, Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have had a lot of success under Carlyle. In four seasons they've won a Cup and made another trip to the conference finals. The last two years have been less successful but nothing that should threaten a coach's job. But the Ducks are 3-6-1 to start this season, with the latest defeat being a 6-3 drubbing by the winless Leafs in front of the home fans. Half the reason Carlyle is on this list is because there really aren't a lot of other people to put here. The other half is because of the random stinkers the Ducks have put forth this season: 5-0 home rout by St. Louis, 4-1 opening-night loss to San Jose. He's not going anywhere yet -- he'll get a fair shake -- but the early news is not good.

Seat Status: TOASTY

No. 2: Ron Wilson, Toronto Maple Leafs. It's been a fun season already in Toronto. The team has started 0-7-1 before showing some life the last two games on, of all places, the road in Anaheim and Dallas. Fans are outraged. The media is making jokes. Wilson has already gotten a vote of confidence from the GM. All key ingredients to canning a coach. However, there's one thing standing in the way: that vote of confidence was actually legit. The problem with this team is not Wilson and GM Brian Burke knows it. The seat is very warm but there will be little action here. Move along.

Seat status: CALIENTE

No. 1: Rick Tocchet, Tampa Bay Lightning. The lame thing about NHL coaches this season is that there's no one you can point at and yell 'DEAD MAN WALKING!' A lot of thought-to-be-crappy teams are good. A lot of good teams are mediocre. A very small handful of teams are very bad. The Lightning are not very bad. But the Lightning are off to a bad start (4-3-3) and are led by a coach who was interim for most of last season and was hired by the previous coach. That latter is the coaching kiss of death, which is why I believe Tocchet will be the first to go this year. And also because anything goes at Cirque du SoLightning.

Seat status: CALIENTE MÁS UNO

Coaches recieving a free pass this time around: Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks. Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators. Paul Maurice, Carolina Hurricanes. Jacques Lemaire, New Jersey Devils (listed simply because his boss is Lou Lamoriello).

The Pink Slip Index: Which Coach Will Be First to Go? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colton Orr Faces Suspension After Shoving Official During Fight

Bruce Ciskie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: Ducks, Maple Leafs, NHL Fights, NHL Videos, NHL Discipline

Monday night's Maple Leafs win over Anaheim featured plenty of penalties. In fact, five of Toronto's six goals were scored with the extra attacker.

Besides Anaheim's trademark undisciplined play, there was also a pretty intense fight. During the first period, Toronto's Colton Orr hooked up with Duck George Parros for an impressive heavyweight bout. While the fight was clean, Orr risked suspension by shoving an official during the bout. Video after the jump.

It's going to be tough for Orr to shove this aside (pun intended) as an accident. He pretty clearly stuck his right hand out and shoved the linesman on purpose, and that's a no-no.

Orr received a misconduct for the shove, and he is awaiting the call to the NHL carpet. A two- or three-game suspension is the minimum you can expect out of this. It's one thing if Orr is blindly reaching out and happens to hit the official. However, the eye in the sky doesn't lie. Orr's actions were clearly intentional.

Colton Orr Faces Suspension After Shoving Official During Fight originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maple Leafs Finally Get a Win

Adam Gretz — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Ducks, Maple Leafs

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.

Maple Leafs 6, Ducks 3: It took nearly a month, but after eight consecutive losses to open the season the Toronto Maple Leafs are finally on the board with their first win thanks to a 6-3 victory in Anaheim on Monday night. Niklas Hagman recorded a hat trick (all three goals coming on the power play), while Jonas Gustavsson, making his first start in three weeks, stopped 20 shots -- including a highlight reel save in the first period -- to earn his first NHL win.

Monday's Other Games

The New York Islanders have now lost five games in overtime, and six games by one goal, after dropping a 3-2 decision in Montreal. Roman Hamrlik scored the game-winner in overtime for the Canadiens, who have now won four in a row ... all with Jaroslav Halak in net. [Box Score, Recap]

Chicago receives goals from Dave Bolland, Patrick Kane and Troy Brouwer, while Cristobal Huet makes 20 saves in a 3-1 win against Minnesota. [Box Score, Recap]

Potentially a costly win for the Rangers as they knock off Phoenix 5-2. The problem? Marian Gaborik might be injured. [Box Score, Botta's Recap]

Loose Pucks

-- There have been rumors floating around that Ilya Kovalchuk and the Atlanta Thrasers are closing in on a contract extension. Nobody knows for sure what's going on with that, but what we do know is that Kovalchuk is going to miss the next four weeks with a broken bone in his right foot. [AJC]

-- Dallas Stars forward Steve Ott is meeting with NHL discipline czar Colin Campbell. [Defending Big D]

-- Offseason acquisition John Madden is loving his time in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Video Of The Day

Roman Hamrlik scores the game-winning goal in overtime for Montreal.

Tuesday's Key Games

Flyers vs. Capitals: Great Eastern Conference game in Washington as the Capitals host the Flyers. The first meeting between these two teams back on October 6 was a classic that saw Mike Richards record a hat trick and Alex Ovechkin score two goals.

Avalanche vs. Oilers: After scoring just one goal in his first nine games, Paul Stastny has three in his past two as the Avalanche ride a modest two-game winning streak into Edmonton. The Avs have recorded a point in eight consecutive games.

Red Wings vs. Canucks: The Red Wings look to snap a three-game losing streak in Vancouver. Detroit has dropped four of its past five games, and only has eight points in nine games this season.

Maple Leafs Finally Get a Win originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Player Criticizes Ron Wilson

Kevin Schultz — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Maple Leafs, NHL Media Watch, NHL Coaching

Doesn't that sound like a juicy headline?

It probably does and has probably left you wondering who it was taking on the Toronto coach. Was it Joe Thornton? Maybe Evgeni Nabokov or Olaf Kolzig? Well, the answer is none of the above. The former player who laid into Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson on TSN's Off the Record this week was Jim Thomson.

If you just said 'who?' you're not alone.

Jim Thomson was originally a ninth round pick of the Washington Capitals in 1984. For 12 years, Thomson carved out a nice career for himself as an enforcer in both the AHL and NHL. He played a total of 115 NHL games for six NHL teams, compiling four goals and over 400 penalty minutes. The funny thing is that Thomson only spent one year under Wilson's wing. Not only that, Thomson was injured for most of said year.

In 1993-94 the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim skated in the NHL for the first time. Their coach? Ron Wilson. Their journeyman enforcer who would retire after playing only six -- yes, six -- games? None other than Jim Thomson.

Somehow, TSN decided that the opinion of someone with six games of experience under Wilson more than 15 years ago was worthy to be filed under "headlines" on their website Saturday night. Clearly, if there is anyone who knows Wilson it's not any of the Sharks players he coached there for five seasons nor any of the Capitals he led for the same number of years. But I digress. Let's humor Thomson and TSN by taking a look at the damning quotes.

"Ron Wilson is not a good coach," Thomson told OTR. "Where it breaks down is he can't motivate players, he doesn't know what to do with players when there's controversy and they are losing."

Or maybe it's just tough to manage an expansion team made up of rookies and throw away veterans led in scoring by the likes of Terry Yake and Bob Corkum. I'm going to go with the latter.

"When he calls out Luke Schenn three games into the season, a young player who's their future, and starts beating the hell out of him. ... You don't call a player out in the media, you go behind closed doors," Thomson stated. "I watched him do it to Oleg Tverdovsky in Anaheim, and he ruined the kid's career."

Thomson may have more of a point here. Tverdovsky was a former second overall pick who never quite panned out. But he lasted only a season and a half in Anaheim before being shipped off to Winnipeg for Teemu Selanne (that worked out well for Anaheim, I think). It's hard to blame a 10-year NHL career that fell short of second overall expectations thanks to the guy who coached about 1/8th of said career. Of course, I wasn't there so I can't dispute that Wilson had no influence on Tverdovsky.

Either way, I'm glad that TSN brought this to our attention. I really thought Wilson was a great coach -- after all he has a winning record, has been to the Finals and has stuck in most places he's been -- but now, I know better.

Former Player Criticizes Ron Wilson originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toronto Star Chooses to Look at Lighter Side of Leafs' Streak

Kevin Schultz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Maple Leafs, NHL Media Watch

Of all the cities in the hockey world, no town's media may be quite as big or as hard on the folks it covers than the one in Toronto. The Toronto Maple Leafs are covered from every angle -- two or three times over -- and every year it seems the Leafs are going to trade for every star player in the NHL. Add to that a very fine microscope that is placed on the players and employees in the organization and, well, we get one of the toughest places to play in the NHL in terms of media attention.

But today, I'd like to take a moment to credit the Toronto Star for taking the time to laugh at itself and the team in a good, ease the pain, therapeutic kind of way after the Leafs' 0-6-1 start to the season.

It's been a while since the Maple Leafs won the big prize, but you know all about that already. Add to that a sour start to the season and that dream continues to crawl further away. So what the Star decided to do today was make it a laughing matter. Make the whole thing a big joke because, hey, it really can't get much worse (I hope I didn't jinx anything). Although, to be honest, it's a little unsettling when seven games into the season we're already at the point of trying to pass the time:

To pass the time, we want to hear your Maple Leafs favourite jokes. Use the comments section of this article to send us your jokes and the Star will publish a selection in Thursday's edition.

Now, no one really expected the Leafs to challenge for the division or anything this season. This wasn't supposed to be "their year" until the whole thing went horribly wrong. It's just another in the long line of bumps in the road for a team and fanbase that has already hit a lot of potholes over the past few decades. It almost goes to show how much Leafs' followers have had to put up with over that time. That you actually get to points like this when the local newspaper decides to laugh about the whole thing seven games in as opposed to ripping management or the team is new. It probably hurts too much do anything else than laugh (and they do say it's the best medicine).

So, Leafs Nation, try and take it all in stride. It's not easy but if you can't laugh about it, what can you do? And hey, the early submissions from the commentors at the Star are pretty good, too.

"Hamilton may not have a team yet, but they're only one point behind the Leafs!"

"What do the Leafs and a TV evangelist have in common?...

...They each have the ability to make 20,000 people stand up and yell 'Jesus Christ!"

Toronto Star Chooses to Look at Lighter Side of Leafs' Streak originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2-on-1: Teams Without a Win

Adam Gretz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Islanders, Maple Leafs

Every Monday during the season, two of our hockey writers will debate one topic. It's the 2-on-1. This week, Adam Gretz and Bruce Ciskie talk about the two teams without a win (the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs) and end up focusing on what's wrong with the Leafs?

Adam Gretz: OK, Bruce, we have two teams without a win, the Islanders and the Maple Leafs: Which team gets a win first?

Bruce Ciskie: That's easy. Has to be the Islanders. After all, they're too young to understand how bad they are, and therefore are generally still trying most of the time. The Maple Leafs have ridden their outstanding veteran defense to an intolerably bad start, and it looks like their spirit is broken. Plus, the Islanders play two games before Toronto plays again. Yes, I cheated.

Gretz: The Islanders have at least been competitive on most nights. Prior to their game with San Jose, every loss was a one-goal loss, and three of them were in a shootout or overtime. So they've been close.

But, admit it, you didn't expect Toronto to stumble this bad out of the gate, did you? Did anybody? I didn't have them as a playoff team before the season started, but I at least figured the Leafs would hang around in the race for the No. 8 spot. And, granted, they still could, but it hasn't been a very inspiring start, that's for sure.

Ciskie: No way did I expect this. Burke added some guys on the blue line that I figured would make them better defensively, and while I knew they would miss Phil Kessel until he was ready to play, it looked like there was enough talent up front to keep the team competitive until he returned.

Instead, the defense has been terrible, the goaltending is worse, and there hasn't been nearly enough offense. I'm not one to second-guess Brian Burke, but shouldn't he be considering bringing up a forward from the Marlies who can at least present a goal scoring threat? It's nice to have attitude, but it does you no good when no one on your team can score.

Gretz: Obviously, it's still very, very, very, very, very, very early, but the team that has to be laughing the hardest at Toronto's early struggles is the Boston Bruins with that first-round pick (Taylor Hall!) sitting in their possession. I mean, obviously Toronto needs to get Kessel in the lineup, and they could probably get better goaltending from Goldberg of Mighty Ducks fame than what they're getting out of Vesa Toskala and Joey MacDonald, but is the return of Kessel and "The Monster" going to be enough to get this team out of this funk?

That's a lot of pressure on two guys, especially one guy that has two NHL games under his belt.

Ciskie: Unless you think Jiri Tlusty is the answer to solving their offensive problems, you better believe in Kessel.

As for The Monster, well he did look better than either MacDonald or Toskala. Not that I'm saying very much there.

Reality is that neither of these teams look like they're going to be a serious playoff contender. That's not exactly surprising, because we all knew there was still work to be done, but what is really surprising about Toronto is that they just aren't competing consistently. It's the one aspect of this team I thought Burke would be able to fix. So far, no dice, because they look like the same crappy, loafing bunch that he said wouldn't watch again after last year.

Gretz: The thing is, they were a top-10 team in goals scored a year ago, and, on paper anyway, seemed to upgrade their defense. It's just a very confusing team so far. The only positive is they have plenty of time on their side to get this thing back in the right direction (and I still think they will!).

2-on-1: Teams Without a Win originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fight of the Week: Colton Orr Takes Over

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Avalanche, Blue Jackets, Flames, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Predators, Senators, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

Some weeks, this job is just too easy. Our search for the best hockey fights includes a couple dandies this week, including a classic heavyweight battle in Toronto. It's the kind of bout that makes Brian Burke smile. Check out our runners-up, along with video of this week's best fight, after the jump.

Runner Up: Matt Walker vs. Chris Neil

Video here. Walker got some good early shots in, but Neil had a rally in him. This went from being a one-sided affair to quite competitive very quickly.

Runner Up: Jared Boll vs. Brandon Prust

Boll is one of the more underrated fighters in the league. He's big and strong, and also happens to be tough as nails. Prust brought some intensity to this fight, and he didn't back down after Boll landed an early right that would have staggered a lot of guys. Watch Prust make an impressive comeback here.

Runner Up: Zack Stortini vs. Triston Grant

Last week, we showed you Stortini standing and watching as skilled teammate Sam Gagner got in a scrap. No more of that, as Stortini mixed it up Tuesday, as his Oilers were blowing out the Predators. Stortini is a lot bigger than Grant, but the Nashville youngster held his own, mainly by keeping a strong hold on Stortini and limiting his ability to punch. Watch the video here.

Fight of the Week: David Koci vs. Colton Orr

This is easy. You don't even have to watch the video to know it's awesome, because Koci and Orr have plenty of experience and are more than capable of putting on a show. The heavyweights wore each other down, and there were more than a few punches thrown. Apologies for the lack of sound, but the feed that night had audio issues throughout. It's too bad, because it would be worth money to hear Joe Bowen call a fight this good.

Fight of the Week: Colton Orr Takes Over originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: An Example of Murphy's Law at Work in Toronto

Adam Gretz — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Avalanche, Maple Leafs, NHL Videos

OK, so maybe it's not all Vesa Toskala's fault in Toronto. I don't mean to pile on the Maple Leafs here, but man, this team can't catch a break.

With its 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, Toronto fell to 0-5-1 on the season, dropping its fifth straight game in regulation.

The description on TV (video after the jump) following Colorado's fourth goal of the game seems to sum up the Leafs' season through the first three weeks: "when it rains, it pours."

Head coach Ron Wilson attempted a number of lineup changes prior to the game.

Toskala, the Leafs' embattled goaltender, was out of the lineup with a knee injury and replaced by third-string netminder Joey MacDonald, while Wilson scratched Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jeff Finger, replacing them with Garnet Exelby, Tyler Bozak and Vikor Stalberg ... and getting the same result on the scoreboard.

A loss.

With his team trailing, 3-1, midway through the second period, free agent acquisition Mike Komisarek went for a big hit, and as he attempted to get himself back into position, he was unlucky enough to have a puck bounce off of his head and find its way into the net to give the Avs what turned out to be an insurmountable 4-1 advantage.

It's just been an awful start for Toronto, and Komisarek in particular. He was also responsible for an elbowing penalty that led to Darcy Tucker's power play goal earlier in the period.

While everything that can go wrong in Toronto is going wrong, it's the exact opposite for the folks in Colorado. A team that entered the season with seemingly zero expectations is now 4-1-1 out of the gate. It's Colorado's best start to a season since it opened the 2000-01 campaign with a 9-0-2 mark.

Video: An Example of Murphy's Law at Work in Toronto originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just Like Coach, Leafs Show a Lot of Quit

Christopher Botta — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:49:00 EST

Filed under: Maple Leafs, FanHouse Exclusive

NEW YORK -- After his team's latest loss, a 7-2 embarrassment Monday night to the New York Rangers, Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson answered three softballs from state-owned Leafs TV and then responded to a question about the opponent by lavishing praise on his counterpart, John Tortorella. After all, when your team is out-everythinged and you've been as out-coached as Wilson was Monday, what else could he do?

But the true reveal on Wilson's character came as the rough, tough and massive Toronto print media corps got ready to pepper the coach with questions. (Actually, present were only one writer each from the Star and the Sun). Before the first could get his query out, Wilson -- who has as many Stanley Cup rings as anyone in the press room -- said, "That's it. I'm done."

That's it -- the behind-the-bench leadership of the 0-4-1 Maple Leafs.

Also: Great Comeback Or Embarrassing Loss In Chicago?

The Leafs are a mess right now. Worse, they are a boring mess. As veteran left wing Niklas Hagman said after the game, "It's not working." As Gertrude Stein famously said, "There's no there there."

What, exactly, are these Maple Leafs?

Impossible to tell right now. Think of the Leafs and you don't think of a charismatic player or a defining style of play. The face of the franchise is Brian Burke, the talented, successful, presence-packed general manager for whom the verb and noun "bluster" seems to have been created. When you're an NHL flagship franchise and the biggest sports team in town and your star is the GM, you've got problems.

On Monday, the Maple Leafs had problems all over the Madison Square Garden ice. While Toronto is already in the mode of blaming everything on their goaltenders -- "You need your goalie to make a big stop," Wilson said Saturday after his team was out-classed in every phase by Pittsburgh -- the Leafs presented starter Vesa Toskala with a 5-on-3 just two minutes into the game. Ryan Callahan turned out to be the lucky one of three Rangers whacking away uncontested at Toskala to score the power play goal at 2:34 of the first.

Moments later, Toronto first-pair defensemen Mike Komisarek and Tomas Kaberle handled Vinny Prospal's two-week camping trip behind Toskala's goal like they were in peewee hockey. Although the teams were at even strength, Komisarek and Kaberle simply stared as Rangers defenseman Wade Redden eventually went to the goal unchecked by a Leafs forward and scored to make it 2-0.

On a power play with three minutes left in the first period, the entire Leafs' five-man unit was out-worked on their side of the red line by Callahan and Chris Drury. Only a sterling save by Toskala kept Toronto in the game. When they gave up another shorthanded chance late in the second, Leafs wing Jason Blake cross-checked Drury directly into Toskala's head. Three minutes into the final period his teammates abandoned him altogether as the Rangers scored twice to take a 5-2 lead.

But sure, keep on blaming the goaltending, coach. At least the players in the locker room have the pucks to put the blame on themselves. Said Toskala, "I have to be better. They bail me out. Sometimes I have to bail them out." Hagman: "This is the worst hockey I've played in a long, long, long, long, long time."

Burke talks a lot and says a lot -- partly because the chatter is good for the game, partly because he can't help it. But when the puck drops at 7:00 p.m., there's nothing a man in a suit in the press box can do for this team.
The Toronto defense, allegedly their one strength, is undisciplined and disorganized. Second-year defenseman Luke Schenn, hailed last season by the Ontario over-caffeinated as a combination of Borje Salming and Scott Stevens, looks unsure of himself.

During the second intermission, Burke did a fairly convincing impersonation of a man unmoved by his team's 0-4-1 start (the Leafs and Islanders are the NHL's only winless teams). The Toronto president & GM said, "We tried to improve our defense. Right now, we're not clicking."

Burke masterfully spun the agony of his legendary fan base into a positive, complimenting the people of Toronto for their devotion to the Maple Leafs.

Burke talks a lot and says a lot -- partly because the chatter is good for the game, partly because he can't help it. But when the puck drops at 7:00 PM, there's nothing a man in a suit in the press box can do for his team.

On the other hand, Wilson likes to give the media lectures on the kinds of questions reporters should ask, yet he seems to have no answers for his last-place hockey team. Facing a Rangers team that played the night before, the Leafs were the whupped team in the third, getting out-scored 4-0 and, worse, displaying no heart. This team wins the occasional fight, but little else. Monday night, they didn't even have any fight left in them. They watched public enemy Sean Avery light them up for two goals.

Of course, it doesn't help when you have little offensive creativity and Burke's goal-scoring acquisition, Phil Kessel, is still a month away from returning from offseason shoulder surgery. Burke traded the Maple Leafs' first round pick in 2010 as part of the bounty for Kessel. Imagine the tension in Toronto if the team's woeful play continues and that pick is in the top five.

Barring dramatic improvement, the Maple Leafs may be in no man's land. Last year they weren't bad enough to properly "descend rapidly" (Burke's term) and be a part of John Tavares-Victor Hedman-Matt Duchene sweepstakes. Instead, they added B-plus prospect Nazem Kadri with the seventh overall pick. Because of the Kessel trade, there's no savior coming in next year's lottery.

Burke can shrug it off all he wants. It's getting late early in Toronto, and it appears his head coach only has the ability to inspire finger-pointing.

Just Like Coach, Leafs Show a Lot of Quit originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Book: Oilers and Maple Leafs Nearly Swapped Cities During the 1980's

Adam Gretz — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Maple Leafs, Oilers, NHL Fans

Hockey fans in Toronto have not seen their team hoist the Stanley Cup since the 1966-67 campaign, the year before expansion doubled the size of the league from six teams to 12.

It's one of the longest championship droughts in the NHL, and according to a new book about former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, it almost ended in the 1980's due to an incredible trade proposal that is so out-of-this-world it's almost hard to believe.

The Edmonton Oilers, plus $50 million in cold, hard cash, for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Straight up.

According to Pocklington, via the Canadian Press, former Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard came up with the proposal and offered the swap because he was in financial trouble, only to back out a week later after solving his problem.

From the Canadian Press:

"Harold phoned me and said, 'Would you consider moving to Toronto with your team and I'll move to Edmonton with mine, and I'll need $50 million," Pocklington told The Canadian Press when reached Sunday at his Palm Desert, Calif., home. "So I thought about it and said, 'Yes Harold, I'll go for that."' The scheme called for the entire team to move to Toronto to play in Maple Leaf Gardens while the Leafs, in turn, would have found a home in Edmonton's new arena, which at that time was called the Coliseum. According to Pocklington, Ballard was in financial straights when he made the proposal in 1981. However, a short time later Ballard backed out of the deal.

Incredible. That's one way to end your championship drought, Toronto.

Pocklington, the man who traded Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Los Angeles -- and he said he'd do it again -- nearly one-upped himself and traded one of the greatest dynasties in league history. We're talking Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson and all the rest skating in Maple Leaf Gardens every night.

It opens the door for all sorts of hypothetical possibilities.

For example: if the swap had gone through, and the Oilers played in Toronto, the top hockey market in Canada, would the Gretzky trade have still happened following the 1988 season? And if not, how many more Stanley Cups would that team have won?

And if Gretzky never plays in Los Angeles, does the NHL ever expand to markets like Anaheim, San Jose and Phoenix on the west coast? All hypothetical questions -- and as it turns out, meaningless seeing as how the "trade" never happened -- but it's impossible not to speculate and wonder.

Book: Oilers and Maple Leafs Nearly Swapped Cities During the 1980's originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hats Off to Mike Richards, Happy Birthday Danny Briere

Adam Gretz — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Canadiens, Capitals, Flames, Flyers, Maple Leafs, Senators

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

Flyers 6, Capitals 5: After a scoreless first period in Philadelphia, the final 40 minutes of regulation -- and the overtime period -- of the Capitals-Flyers game turned into a defense optional contest.

The two teams pumped in 11 goals during Philadelphia's 6-5 overtime win, including a second period hat trick from Flyers center Mike Richards, giving him five goals in his first three games of the season. Such a number would have given him the early season lead in goals scored, had it not been for Alex Ovechkin continuing his white-hot start by adding a pair of his own, also giving him five on the young season.

After the jump: Video of the day, an unlikely hat trick, Ottawa tops 'The Monster'

The game-winning tally came from Danny Briere at the 3:52 mark of the overtime period on the same day he celebrated his 33rd birthday. Some of the other offensive highlights from the night: Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom registered three more assists ... Flyers defenseman Matt Carle had four assists of his own - in the second period ... Capitals winger Alexander Semin scored two more goals ... Through three games, the line of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin has combined for nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points.

Flames 4, Canadiens 3: Entering play on Tuesday, former No. 10 overall pick (2002) Eric Nystrom had played 124 games in the NHL and scored eight goals. During Calgary's 4-3 win against Montreal, the 26-year-old winger scored three goals on three shots for the first multiple-goal game of his career. Scott Gomez scored his first goal as a member of the Canadiens in the loss.

Senators 2, Maple Leafs 1: The Maple Leafs dropped their third in a row to start the season, falling to their Provincial rivals. Daniel Alfredsson and Shean Donovan provided the offense for the Senators, while Pascal Leclaire stopped 26 of 27 shots in net. Matt Stajan provided the lone goal for Toronto (his third of the season) and Jonas Gustavsson stopped 26 shots in his first career start. For 59 minutes and 23 seconds, Gustavsson pitched a shutout for the Leafs only to surrender both goals in a 37-second span early in the second period.

Tuesday's Other Games

Carolina tops Tampa Bay in a shootout. [Box Score, Recap]

Minnesota comes back for overtime win. [Box Score, Recap]

Edmonton wins in a shootout. [Box Score, Recap]

Los Angeles takes on San Jose [Box Score, Recap]

Loose Pucks

-- With Andrei Markov on the shelf for a few months, Montreal addressed its power play and depth on the blue line by adding free agent defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeon. He scored 14 goals for Minnesota a year ago. [TSN]

-- Good news for the New Jersey Devils as winger Patrik Elias has returned to the ice. [Fire & Ice]

-- Bad news for the Colorado Avalanche as goaltender Craig Anderson, the man leading their surprising start, missed practice on Tuesday with a "minor groin strain." According to Adrian Dater, the Avs believe he will return to practice on Wednesday. [All Things Avs]

Video Of The Day

Mike Richards pounces on a loose puck and scores his third goal of the game.

Wednesday's Key Games

Another slow night on the schedule as only four teams are in action.

Penguins vs. Coyotes: Phoenix continues its season-opening three-game road trip in Pittsburgh against the Stanley Cup Champions who are looking to win their third in a row.

Canadiens vs. Canucks: Vancouver looks to get in the "W" column for the first time this season against Montreal, while everyone asks what's wrong with Roberto Luongo?

Hats Off to Mike Richards, Happy Birthday Danny Briere originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Knuckle Puck: Maybe He Is Simply a Grain Enthusiast

Kevin Schultz — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Maple Leafs, NHL Media Watch, NHL Coaching, Junior Hockey

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. This is the first edition. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

Sometimes when naming a child, a parent chooses to give their child a special name. Occasionally, they name their offspring after a parent, a friend or someone else who has been influential in their lives. Other times, well, the child is named after a Canadian junior hockey club in Western Canada. This is one of those times.

The Brandon Wheat Kings play in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. They're a WHL club, not some Western Conference team you've never heard of -- expect severe East Coast bias every Saturday, by the way. I cannot confirm, but what probably happened was about 18 years ago some expecting parent went a little overboard and named their child after their favorite junior hockey club. 'Well, what's the big deal about a kid named Brandon King?' you say. Not so fast. If his name was Brandon, this could be a coincidence. But no, not only did the parents go so far as to name the child after the team, they made sure to name him in such a way that tells the world, 'Yes, we named him after the team on purpose.'

Meet Wheaton King from Brandon, Manitoba who plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings. Somewhere, that kid who got named after Florida quarterback Tim Tebow -- Tebow Sanford Crumley -- is thinking that he doesn't have it so bad after all.

Jokes I Can't Resist Making
- His parents couldn't go with Wheat. That was a little too crazy.
- The worst part is he gets made fun of by teammates named Dayln, Dallas and Klarc.
- OK, to be fair, maybe he really likes Wheat a whole lot.
- Why doesn't it surprise me that this is what it takes to get Deadspin to acknowledge hockey?

Ron Wilson's Playbook
Maybe this is why the Leafs lost to Montreal on Thursday night. Hockey Night in Canada aired a pretty clear picture of coach Ron Wilson's gameplan. Maybe the Habs installed a television behind the bench over the summer.

Then again, maybe Wilson needs some better insights than "No Leaf is ever left behind" which, I guess, is now plausible since Kyle Wellwood is no longer with the team. But what happens if Jeff Finger oversleeps and misses the team bus? Do they just say 'screw it' and keep driving or show up during the second period? That would explain a few things about last season.

YouTube of the Week

This bear from the University of Alaska Fairbanks is ridiculous and clearly has superpowers. No wonder Stephen Colbert is always warning us about bears. This one flies through space blowing up the solar system and then smashes in the roof of a hockey arena! It's these kinds of glorious videos that make me wish I was old enough to remember the 80s... Wait... NAH!

Knuckle Pucker of the Year Nominee
Each week, we'll nominate someone who deserves to be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to giving me something to write about. By the end of the year I'll come up with some way to declare a winner. Today's nominee is...

ESPN's NHL Power Rankings! Thank you ESPN for having baseball writer Tim Kurkjan fill out your opening week power rankings. Either that, or someone wanted to have fun at the expense of Barry Melrose. Clearly, nobody in the hockey world had a hand in it since the Lightning are 10th (Fifth in the east! That's playoff bound! Easily!), the Canucks are 17th (they do have that Luongo person, right?) and the Devils 24th (HAHAHAHAHA... Ah, man. That's just funny. I think ESPN just pissed off Brodeur into winning another Vezina).

Thank you, ESPN NHL Power Rankings for providing us with some unintentional comedy. It's good to know that none of your hockey writers were consulted during their creation. The article is attributed to Scott Burnside, but we know he's a bright guy and is clearly not behind this.

Knuckle Puck: Maybe He Is Simply a Grain Enthusiast originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avs Honor Joe Sakic; Canadiens Beat Leafs in Overtime

Adam Gretz — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Avalanche, Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Sharks

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

Avalanche 5, Sharks 2: The Colorado Avalanche gave their fans something to celebrate before the game by retiring the number of future Hall of Famer Joe Sakic (the banner only includes the franchises time in Colorado which seems ... odd). During the game, they gave their fans something else to celebrate as their team put on an impressive showing in a convincing 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Wojtek Wolski scored a pair of goals for Colorado, while first-round pick Matt Duchene had a strong debut, flashing some of the ability that made him the No. 3 overall pick in June. The story of the night for the Avs, however, was the play of goaltender Craig Anderson.

After the jump: Montreal steals one, video of the night, key games this weekend

Anderson, a free agent acquisition from Florida this offseason, stopped 38 of 40 shots, including all 19 he faced in the third period as the Avalanche were outshot by a 19-1 margin in the final frame. He also came up large midway through the period as Colorado successfully killed off a full two-minute, two-man advantage.

He did get some help when San Jose's big offseason pickup, Dany Heatley, whiffed on a wide-open one-time attempt from right on the door step.

Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 3: I don't know how many games the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to win this season, but if Thursday's season opener is any indication, they're going to be must-see TV on most nights. Fights. Goals. Pressure. Intensity. Hell, it took free agent signing Colton Orr just two minutes to throw down with Georges Laraque in what was the first of three fights on the night.

Their spirited effort against long-time nemesis Montreal wasn't enough, however, as Josh Gorges banged home a rebound with under 10 seconds to play in overtime to give the Canadiens a 4-3 win. After Matt Stajan gave Toronto a 3-2 lead midway through the third period -- his second goal of the game -- Glen Metropolit evened the score with 4:46 to play in the third period, forcing overtime. Carey Price stood tall in net for Montreal, turning aside 43 of 46 shots, while Vesa Toskala surrendered four goals on 27 shots for the Leafs.

The Rest Of Thursday's Action

Alex Ovechkin and Brooks Laich each score a pair as the Capitals dominate Boston. [Box Score, Botta's Recap]

Calgary holds off Vancouver's comeback attempt. [Box Score, Recap]

Loose Pucks

-- Not everybody in Chicago is expecting a Stanley Cup from the Blackhawks this season. Take, for example, Mike Kiley on Blackhawks Confidential. I'll supply the PG part: "Shut up about the Stanley Cup finals being within reach. Shut up about One Goal. Shut up about Cup or Bust." [Blackhawks Confidential]

-- In a mailbag segment at the Washingon Post on Thursday, a reader asked Thomas Boswell if "Theo" (as in Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore) can have a consistent season, and even makes a reference to "opening night." Boswell responds with 151 words about Theo Epstein and the Boston Red Sox. Yikes. [Washington Post, via Japers Rink]

-- Free agent forward Blair Betts signs a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. [CSN Philadelphia]

Video Of The Night

We'll give it to Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich for scoring the first goal of the NHL season, his first of two on the night. Not the best goal you'll see, but it's the first of the season and that's always a pleasant sight.

Key Games To Watch This Weekend

Penguins vs. Rangers: The Stanley Cup banner gets raised at Mellon Arena on Friday night as the Penguins host their Atlantic Division rivals. Captain Sidney Crosby is nursing a sore groin but is expected to be in the lineup, even if he's not 100 percent.

European Vacation: The Red Wings and Blues will spend their weekend playing a pair of games in Stockholm, Sweden, while the Panthers and Blackhawks drop the puck in Helsinki, Finland. All four teams that opened the season overseas a year ago went through in-season coaching changes. Odds of that repeating this year: 0 percent.

Islanders vs. Penguins: The Islanders open their season on Saturday night and celebrate the arrival of No. 1 overall pick John Tavares.

Lighting vs. Thrashers: Speaking of debuts ... No. 2 overall pick Victor Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Atlanta on Saturday night.

All 30 teams will be in action on Saturday night.

Avs Honor Joe Sakic; Canadiens Beat Leafs in Overtime originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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