Bleacher Report - Articles by Dan London

2009 NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Predictions

Dan London — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:13:01 -0400

The NHL playoffs start on Wednesday….FINALLY. Rinktology.org has made is easy to create a bracket and make selections. The bracket is pretty simple, but works great. They don't have a way to share it though as there is no way create groups. Anyway, here are my picks for the 2009 NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs.

1st Round

Boston vs Montreal: I see this one going five games. In past years Montreal has been a tough matchup for Boston. My youth was spent watching the Bruins lose to the Habs in the playoffs over and over. This year will be different. Boston is just too solid this year.

New Jersey vs Carolina: Devils in seven. The Hurricanes are hot, but I see the Devils finding a way to win this series. Brodeur has the ability to win a series on his own and the Hurricanes D can be weak in their own zone. The Devils won the most recent matchup on two fluke goals and a huge mental lapse.

Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia: Another seven game series. This one has the potential to be a brutal series. Philly is a strong physical team and will be all over Crosby and Malkin. The Penguins will need Guerin and Gill to step up and send a message early. If Sykora can remember how to find the net, this one could end early.

Washington vs New York Rangers: The caps sweep this one. Avery will try to get under Ovechkin’s skin, but he’ll just end up in the box.

2nd Round

Boston vs Pittsburgh: This one will be a battle of goalies. Both teams have players that can score and pretty decent defensive corps. Thomas will outplay Fleury in the end and the Bruins will move on.

Washington vs New Jersey: The Caps will take this one in five. Ovechkin will go off in this series and notch nine goals. I’m calling my shot.

Conference Finals

Boston vs Washington: Boston goes seven games again, but will come out on top. Theodore’s luck will run out and the Bruins will move into the Finals. Chara shuts down Ovechkin in this round.

(Yes...I do know I picked all the higher seeds to win each round. Just the way it worked out.)

I’ll be back tomorrow with my Western Conference predictions (I’m sure YOU can’t wait).

Final NHL 2009 Trade Deadline Day Deals

Dan London — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:06:49 -0400

The NHL trade deadline has passed and below is a list of all the deals that were completed.

· The Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Antoine Vermette from the Ottawa Senators for Pascal Leclaire and a 2009 second round draft pick.

· The Calgary Flames acquire Jordan Leopold from the Colorado Avalanche for Lawrence Nycholat, Ryan Wilson and a second round draft pick.

· The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Andy Wozniewski from the St. Louis Blues for Danny Richmond.

· The Buffalo Sabres acquire Mikael Tellqvist from the Phoenix Coyotes for a fourth round draft pick.

· The Anaheim Ducks acquire Petteri Nokelainen from the Boston Bruins for Steve Montador.

· The Calgary Flames acquire Olli Jokinen and a third round draft pick from the Phoenix Coyotes for Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a first round draft pick.

· The Boston Bruins acquire Mark Recchi and a 2010 second round draft pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums.

· The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire Bill Guerin from the New York Islanders for a conditional draft pick.

· The Philadelphia Flyers acquire Daniel Carcillo from the Phoenix Coyotes for Scottie Upshall and a second round draft pick.

· The New York Rangers acquire Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs for second round drafts pick and a conditional draft pick.

· The New York Rangers acquire Derek Morris from the Phoenix Coyotes for Dmitri Kalinin, Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha.

· The Buffalo Sabres acquire Dominic Moore from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second round draft pick.

· The Anaheim Ducks acquire Erik Christensen from the Atlanta Thrashers for Eric O’Dell.

· The Tampa Bay Lightning acquires Noah Welch and a third round draft pick from the Florida Panthers for Steve Eminger.

· The Columbus Blue Jackets acquire Kevin Lalande from the Calgary Flames for a fourth round draft pick.

· The Philadelphia Flyers acquire Kyle McLaren from the San Jose Sharks for a sixth round draft pick.

· The Chicago Blackhawks acquire Samuel Pahlsson from the Anaheim Ducks for James Wisniewski.

· The San Jose Sharks acquire Travis Moen and Kent Huskins from the Anaheim Ducks for Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier, and a conditional draft pick.

· The Carolina Hurricanes acquire Patrick O’Sullivan and a second round draft pick from the Los Angeles Kings for Justin Williams.

· The Edmonton Oilers acquire Patrick O’Sullivan and a second round draft pick from the Carolina Hurricanes for Erik Cole.

· The Edmonton Oilers acquire Ales Kotalik from the Buffalo Sabres for a second round draft pick.

· The Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Richard Petiot.

The deal that seems to have had the biggest impact is the Pens/Islanders deal.

Billy Guerin has been a huge pick-up for the Penguins so far. He and Chris Kunitz have been just the wingers Sidnet Crosby has needed to get the pens back into the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

The Flames getting Jokinen has also given the team a scorer to complement Iginla.

The Hurricanes re-acquiring Erik Cole has revitalized a team that was way out of the playoffs and headed toward another year of spending the post-season at home.

They have been on a tear since the deadline and seem to be built to go deep.

The playoffs will be interesting this season. Will the Pens go four and out?

Will the Capitals regret not picking up a goalie at the deadline?

2009 NHL Trade Deadline

Dan London — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:22:24 -0500

The 2009 NHL trade deadline is coming up pretty quick. TSN probably has the best trade page set up so far. ESPN does not even have a transaction link on the NHL page. TSN has a list of the deals done so far right HERE.

There are a number of players who could go at the deadline. Lots of sportswriters and bloggers LOVE to just make up rumors and quote “sources close to the team” that never come true. I freaking called Hossa to the Penguins last season. I sat next to Josh, a huge Pens fan, during the deadline last season and I said to him, “Pens are gonna get Hossa” and it happened. True story.

The talk is about Jay Bouwmeester heading to possibly Boston. I think we could see a few big names go on the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline of March 4. The Penguins could possibly ship Ryan Whitney, Max Talbot and a 3rd round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Martin St. Louis. See, I just made up a trade rumor. It is THAT easy. The key is to keep the rumors somewhat believable.

Let’s try another. Keith Tkachuk to the Bruins for a first rounder in 2011 and Manny Fernandez. How about Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie to the Bruins for Manny Fernandez, Petteri Nokelainen, and Byron Bitz. It could happen.

I like the NHL trade deadline day. It is even more enjoyable when the team I like actually makes some good deals. It really sucks when the team is obviously dumping salary and is gonna write off the season.

I’ll be listing the deals as they go down on March 4th on my hockey blog as well as on Bleacher Report, and who knows, some of the rumors I started might actually come true.

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Alex Ovechkin in 2009 All-Star Shootout Competition

Dan London — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:57:59 -0500

The 2009 NHL All-Star Shootout Competition featured Ovechkin putting on a show. He teamed up with his Russian friend and NHL enemy Evgeni Malkin to treat the Montreal crowd to a bit of showmanship and, to be honest, not much else.

None of the moves actually worked out, but adding a hat, a flag, and some Paris Hilton glasses gave him the win.

The skills competition was a fun event to watch, even without some awesome moves. I’d rather see less of this nonsense and maybe add a few more relay events.

And why did the NHL use a Junior B goalie and not Brett Leonhardt who suited-up as a back-up back in December?

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Alex Ovechkin-Shootout 2009 NHL All-Star Skills Competition

Dan London — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:57:59 -0500

The Shootout 2009 NHL All-Star Skills Competition featured Ovechkin putting on a show. He teamed up with his Russian friend and NHL enemy, Evegini Malkin to treat the Montreal crowd to a bit of showmanship and, to be honest, not much else. None of the moves actually worked out, but adding a hat, a flag and some Paris Hilton glasses, gave him the win.

The skills competition was a fun event to watch, even without some awesome moves. I’d rather see less of this non-sense and maybe add a few more relay events.

And why did the NHL use a Junior B goalie and not Brett Leonhardt who suited-up as a back-up back in December?

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2009 NHL All-Star Game Rosters

Dan London — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:29:13 -0500

The 2009 NHL All-Star Game Rosters have been announced.

There are some snubs and some surprises:

Western Conference

Forwards

x-Patrick Kane, Chicago; x-Jonathan Toews, Chicago; s-Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim; Jarome Iginla, Calgary; Milan Hejduk, Colorado; Rick Nash, Columbus; Mike Modano, Dallas; Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit; Dustin Brown, Los Angeles; Shane Doan, Phoenix; Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis; Joe Thornton, San Jose.

Defensemen

x-Brian Campbell, Chicago; x-Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim; Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit; Sheldon Souray, Edmonton; Shea Weber, Nashville; Dan Boyle, San Jose.

Goalies

x-Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim; Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver.

Eastern Conference

Forwards

x-Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh; x-Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh; x-Alexei Kovalev, Montreal; Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta; Marc Savard, Boston; Thomas Vanek, Buffalo; Eric Staal, Carolina; Zach Parise, New Jersey; Dany Heatley, Ottawa; Jeff Carter, Philadelphia; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay; Alex Ovechkin, Washington.

Defensemen

x-Andrei Markov, Montreal; x-Mike Komisarek, Montreal; Zdeno Chara, Boston; Jay Bouwmeester, Florida; Mark Streit, N.Y. Islanders; Tomas Kaberle, Toronto.

Goalies

x-Carey Price, Montreal; Tim Thomas, Boston; Henrik Lundqvist, N. Y. Rangers.

x=voted by the fans as a starter.

The roster is FULL of Canadiens as their fans stuffed the online NHL All-Star Game ballots.

No matter who is playing, I’ll be tuning in for the skills competition on Saturday and the game on Sunday.

Denis Lemieux SlapShot Quotes

Dan London — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:32:57 -0500

The goalie for the Charlestown Chiefs, Denis Lemieux, had some of the best lines from SlapShot.

While he was a minor character he is one of the most memorable. Here is a compilation of the best Denis Lemieux SlapShot quotes.

Lily Braden: You’re ******, you’re really ******.

Ned Braden: You’re drunk.

Reggie Dunlop: You’re right, he’s ******.

Lily Braden: Yeah? Well, he and I are the only decent items in this town.

[Leaves]

Reggie Dunlop: That’s great. Why should she care what anyone thinks about her? Shes just scrappin’. Hey, how does Braden treat her? Is he nice to her?

Denis Lemieux: Oh yeah, he love her. He tell me ‘I love her.’

Reggie Dunlop: Well, maybe Braden’s a *****, you ever think of that?

Denis Lemieux: No way, he got a big ****, like horse.

Jim Carr: Hi, Jim Carr again. Denis, I know that some in our audience don’t know the finer points of hockey. Could you tell them, for example, what is icing?

Denis Lemieux: Well, um, icing happen when the puck come down, bang you know, before the other guys you know. Nobody there, you know. My arm go comes up then the game stop then start up.

Jim Carr: I see. What is high-sticking?

Denis Lemieux: High-sticking happen when the guy take the stick, you know, and he go like that.

[high-sticks Jim Carr]

Denis Lemieux: you know. You don’t do that.

Jim Carr: You don’t do that?

Denis Lemieux: Oh no, never, never.

Jim Carr: Why not?

Denis Lemieux: Against the rules. You know, you’re stupid when you do that. Just some English pig with no brains, you know.

Jim Carr: Uh, what is slashing?

Denis Lemieux: Slashing is um, like that.

[demonstrates on Jim Carr]

Denis Lemieux: You know.

Jim Carr: Mm-hmm. And there’s a penalty for that?

Denis Lemieux: Yeah and for the trip also, you know like that.

[demonstrates]

Denis Lemieux: . And for hook like this.

[demonstrates]

Denis Lemieux: . And for spear, you know, like that.

[demonstrates]

Denis Lemieux: You do that, you go to the box, you know. Two minutes, by yourself, you know and you feel shame, you know. And then you get free.

Denis Lemieux: I’m tired of it! Puke! Blah! All the time, puke!

Reggie Dunlop: You’re a goalie, you’re supposed to be like that.

NHL SuperSkills Competition Events

Dan London — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:26:50 -0500

The NHL announced some changes to the SuperSkills competition today. The events are being tweaked and one is even being decided via a text message vote.

The full rundown of the changes can be found on the NHL.com SuperSkills page.

The fastest skater competition remains unchanged and is still one of my favorite events to watch. The horribly titled Scotiabank NHL Fan Fav Breakaway Challenge is the next event, and I’ll let the NHL explain exactly what it is:

With full access to the entire offensive zone, each shooter gets one minute to complete as many attempts as possible at a routine that ends with a shot on goal. Once all six skaters have performed, fans will vote by mobile text message to determine the winner.

The Young Stars game follows that event and features three-on-three hockey. The game pits sophomores against rookies, with no rules or whistles. The accuracy competition is up next and is then followed by the breakaway relay.

Aside from the NHL version of the slam dunk contest, I’m excited. The skills competition has always been a better draw for me than the actual game.

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My Favorite Hockey Websites

Dan London — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:45:24 -0500

There are tons of excellent hockey websites that feature all kinds of excellent content on a daily basis. Here is a rundown of some of my favorites.

NHL.com:

I always hated the official NHL site. It was poorly organized and that made trying to fine the good content that was there very difficult. The site finally underwent a redesign and is now one of the best sports sites on the web. I do wish that the live gamecenter broadcasts were free or available cheaper ($21/month or $125/season).

EmptyNetters:

This site is part of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and primarily focuses on the Penguins, but does offer a pretty decent daily collection of links and stories for both conferences. Seth Rorabaugh does a great job at finding the best jersey fouls at the Igloo, and having lived in Johnstown, PA for a few years and gone to a number of Pens games, I can tell you that they are plentiful.

PuckDaddy:

Don’t let the lame name fool you. This Yahoo! Site run by Greg Wyshynski is one of the best hockey blogs. The site is updated constantly throughout the day and features a collection of videos, links and more.

MotherPucker:

Another great hockey blog. Good posts and great insight.

The Hockey News:

I just can’t get into the site. I love the magazine, but for some reason I hate visiting THN on the web.

Alltop:

Alltop is an awesome site run by Guy Kawasaki. The hockey section is a “virtual newsstand” that features updates posts from tons of hockey blogs.

What are some of your favorites?

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My Opinion of the NHL Top Stories of 2008-2009 So Far

Dan London — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:04:37 -0500

The NHL season is just over the quarter point and there has been quite a bit that has been notable.

Sean Avery told the press that guys love his “sloppy seconds” and was then suspended for six games. His future with the Stars, and possibly the NHL, is in doubt.

Sure it was a pretty dumb thing to say, but players say far worse on the ice. There have been players who have been suspended for making racial comments far fewer games.

The worst part of this was that the “mainstream” press picked it up and the NHL came out looking like a clown league yet again.
Rod “not Rob” Brind’amour is a minus 21 for the season. He is DEAD last in the NHL. No other player is above a minus 17. Even with his horrible play, he is still logging over 20 minutes a game (third on the team).

I don’t buy the excuse of just having knee surgery. If he had any issues, he’d be logging far less ice time.

I think he needs to be dealt, but it would have to be to a team that had a player with a comparable salary to dump. He could be a good deadline deal pick-up for a team if he can turn it around.
Crosby and Malkin. These guys are No. 1 and No. 2 in the NHL in points.

There was a ton of talk about how the Pens would have trouble signing them both and surrounding them with a decent team, but it looks like the third and fourth lines of decent AHL call-ups is working well enough for them.
Don Cherry called Malkin a “selfish” player. Don, I know those hot pink ties blind you sometimes, but if you took a look at the NHL assist leaders, you’d see that he has 36 assists and the next player not named Crosby only has 24.
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to fall apart. The team let a key player leave for Europe, fired Barry Melrose, sent Chris Gratton down to the AHL, had a game that ended up being a 60 minute promo for SAW IV, and continue to lose.

The owners and Melrose continue to trade jabs in the media as to who is to blame.
The NHL failed to take a look at any of the NHL All Star issues I brought up. They passed on the voting issues as a testament of “passion of the fans” in Montreal.

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NFL's Cheap Shots Wouldn't Be Allowed in the NHL

Dan London — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:27:20 -0500

Football is becoming a sport where a defensive player can get away with a cheap shot and worry very little about any repercussions. Wes Welker took a cheap shot from Ryan Clark of the Steelers, and Welker’s teammates could do nothing because they were afraid of long-term suspensions from the league.

This allows defensive players to take cheap shots at the offense at will and not have to worry about anything but a small fine (if that). In the NHL, a hit like this would have lead to the perpetrator getting destroyed after the play and him thinking twice before doing it again.

Let’s take a look at the Wes Welker hit.

The ball was nowhere near him when he got hit; the hit was high, and the hit was late. The play was over, and Clark still continued to go after Welker.

Now, let's look at a comparable NHL hit from this season.

Doug Weight hits Brandon Sutter (a borderline legal hit...got to keep your head up, kid) high. Now, in the NFL clip, the players mill about and Clark seems to know he took a cheap shot at Welker and revels in it, but he knows the Patriots won’t, or can’t, do anything about.

In the NHL clip, Weight heads over near his bench for safety while the other players on the ice know that it is about to get rough. The Hurricane players go after the Islanders.

I’m not saying brawls need to occur with every hit in either league, but when the players are allowed some leeway, hits like the one in the NFL will occur less. The NHL might get a ton of press from the fights, but there are less hits like this in the NHL than in the NFL due to players knowing that if they take a cheap shot like this, there will be repercussions.

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NHL All-Star Voting Fraud?

Dan London — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:46:13 -0500

I voted for my choices for the NHL All-Star game tonight. (C’mon, Timmy Thomas.) After I voted, I was able to take a look at the leaders. I was pretty shocked to see that the top leaders for the Eastern Conference were all Canadians. They were ahead not just by a few votes, but by thousands!

Take a look at the forward leaders:

The three Canadians listed have almost three times as many votes as Semin. (How the hell is he beating Ovechkin?)

Let’s look at the defenseman voting:

Over 100,000 more votes than the next defenseman! Something seems fishy here…

Now for the goalies:

Another vote where the Canadian has over 100,000 more votes than the next player.

I know that the game is being held in Montreal, and that it is the 100th anniversary of the team, but come on. Are all votes for Canadians being counted twice? I do know that I can keep voting and voting and voting if I want. “NHL fans will be able to vote as often as they like” according to the NHL rules.

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This Week in the NHL: Sarah Palin, Heckling, and Hollywood

Dan London — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:30:21 -0400

There were quite a few things going on in the NHL and around the world this week, including: some of the best heckling ever, Sarah Palin dropping another puck, the Lightning finally winning and promoting the movie SAW IX and a bunch more.

Sarah Palin, the VP candidate on the Republican ticket, continued her quest to become the first female NHL referee if she and McCain lose the election. She dropped the puck at a game in Philly a few weeks ago and again in St. Louis. While the Palin curse left the Flyers winless to start the season, it took out Blues goalie Manny Legace. Legace tripped over the carpet and hurt his hip flexor.

The owners of the Tampa Bay Lightning have interests in a Canadian Resort and Hollywood movies. The move SAW IV is being heavily promoted during Lightning games. Both goalies, Kolzig and Smith, are wearing masks with images from the movie SAW painted on them. Back in the mid-'80s, Grant Fuhr wanted to paint his pads to look like Pepsi cans, but was denied by the NHL. I’m not sure how this differs.

During college, our friend Matt would sit behind our bench with a broken hockey stick and heckle the other team during games. Matt, while very creative, has nothing on the people of Sweden. This has to be the best example of heckling ever. There are some sites that have links to the “video” that inspired the heckling (Deadspin). Poor Jan Huokko, he just wanted to enjoy himself…and share it with everyone he knows.

Milan Lucic sent Mikey Van Ryn through the glass in Boston. Great hit, but the Bruins lost.

The Carolina Hurricanes continue to struggle. Luckily they play in the “weak” Southeast division and might be able to sneak into the playoffs with a sub-par season. Will changes happen? They have struggled since they won the Cup and Peter Laviolette has been rumored to be on thin ice. Sergei Samsonov, who played great at the end of last season, is struggling, and the goaltending has been spotty.

Cam Neely destroys Lindy Ruff

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Quick Hits: The First Weeks of the NHL Season

Dan London — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:40:43 -0400

The NHL might have dropped the puck on the new season over in Europe, but the season is now in full swing for all the teams. Here are some news, notes and my observations for the 2008-09 season so far:

Toronto spent $3.5 million to bring in Jeff Finger for four seasons, and he has yet to play a game. A “bruised foot” has kept him out of the line-up since October 5.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin started off pretty slow this season—at least, until they were put on the same line against the Maple Leafs. Crosby netted his first goal of the season along with three assists, and Malkin had four assists of his own.

I think their trip to Europe to start the season is going to come into play as the season goes on. The NHL is a pretty travel-heavy league already and that two-week-long trip is going to cause some fatigue as the season goes on.

Former New York Ranger prospect Alexei Cherepanov died during a KHL game. The footage of this made it to YouTube in about 18 seconds. The video shows just how the KHL compares to the NHL. The KHL has more similarities to my college games than it does to the NHL—bad between-play music, no medical care, and a crappy rink.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Barry Melrose are 0-5 to start the season. The former penguins they brought in (Recchi, Hall, Roberts, and Malone) have a total of four points combined and No. 1 pick Steve Stamkos has no points in limited ice-time.

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Greatest NHL Commercials…EVER PART 2

Dan London — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:40:54 -0400

While was researching my post on the Greatest Hockey Commercials of all-time I stumbled across a number that didn’t make the initial cut. So, here is PART 2….

While this isn’t all hockey, Gretzky’s excellent delivery of his line makes the entire commercial.

Here is a great one featuring Marty Turco.

Looks like the Kings “brought their toys with them.”

My friends and I actually played pool using line changes, penalties and the occasional fight. (I think the other bowler should have been called for charging)

Ovechkin shows off his perma-stubble and lack of teeth.

Shania Twain like hockey.

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NHL: The Greatest Commercials…EVER

Dan London — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:14:19 -0400

There have been a number of great NHL commercials put out by teams, leagues, and by individual companies. Some of the ads are truly awesome, but for completely different reasons. Here are some of my favorites.

I can’t stand the Capitals, but I think this is one of the best ads ever.

This next ad features Penguins players Colby Armstrong, Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, and Max Talbot; the ad is truly awesome.

I think it was Armstrong’s performance in the ad that led him to be traded. Talbot comes off like a guy straight off the Jersey shore, and I’m pretty positive that Malkin has no idea what the hell is going on.

Here is a NIKE ad back from the '97-'98 season. I think they all feature French Canadian goalies that are uppity over being scored on.

Swedish Twins. Man, they can shake it.

(the article was edited and the video was deleted)

This is one of my all-time favorite ads, as it features some really funny moments: Thornton stuffing his face with mints, a knee hockey game in the hotel room (this reminds me of one of my peewee road trips, where about six of us got caught by the hotel cops because we were playing full-contact hockey), and the Seinfeld-esqe “Ovechkin” from Crosby.

Let me know some of your favorites.

Carolina Hurricanes Unveil Alternate Home Jersey

Dan London — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:41:17 -0400

The Carolina Hurricanes released their “third jersey” last week. The main logo on this jersey is now the alternate logo that is usually on the shoulder.

Instead of reworking the red version of their regular jersey, the design is mainly black with a number of black and white elements.

The standard Hurricanes logo is now on the shoulder and is black and white instead of red, white, and black.

The socks use the same “angled” stripe approach that the Lightning and the Senators do. I am not a fan of that style sock at all.

The uniforms also include a switch to black gear.

They will all wear black helmets, gloves and pants to match the uniforms instead of the usual red.

This means that each player is going to have to break in multiple sets of equipment. I am sure the equipment guys are hoping they do not wear these things on the road, as carrying two sets of gear would be a huge annoyance.

The Hurricanes are allowed to wear the uniforms 15 times at home this season.

A Glimpse at NHL 09's Be-a-Pro Mode

Dan London — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 08:04:35 -0400

I picked up NHL 09 on Wednesday. So far I am loving the game.

I jumped right into the Be-a-Pro mode by creating myself as a quick-skating sniper (much like real life). I joined the Bruins organization due to being a fan and the team’s lack of forwards.

After just two games down in Providence (their AHL franchise) I got the call up to the NHL. Injuries and a trade opened up a few rosters spots and gave me a chance to show my stuff in the NHL. In nine NHL games so far, I have six goals and four assists.

Here are some videos from replays of the first few games I played. (This is a great feature in NHL 09).

A great hit from my first game in the NHL.

EA SPORTS World: New video

Here is a goal I scored after I missed the net with a shot and took a hit.

EA SPORTS World: Tie

Here is a bit of give-and-go passing.

EA SPORTS World: First NHL goal

I am really impressed with the game so far and will be posting more videos from time to time.

Quick Hits: Mats Sundin Makes Us Wait and More

Dan London — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:07:58 -0400

We are just a few days from the start of NHL training camps and a bit more news is starting to trickle out. Of course, Mats Sundin is still wavering on where and even if he will play next season. NHL 09 and NHL 2K9 come out on Tuesday, Sept. 9 for all of the major consoles.

Quick Hits

•Mats Sundin has stated that he will not make a decision until after the season starts. He might be trying to avoid having to go to an NHL training camp or he might be trying to get some desperate team to up their offer. I am starting to wonder if the Canucks really have a two-year/$20 million offer on the table.

•Teemu Selanne wants to come back to the Ducks, but they will have to dump a player or two to get him in under the cap.

•The Hockey News gave the Penguins a poor grade for their offseason moves, especially their loss of Hossa and Ryan Malone. Satan and Fedotenko might not have been the best moves, but signing Hossa would have meant not signing Stall next season and possibly having to deal Malkin.

Right now, Malkin and Fleury are signed and the Pens are still under the cap. The loss of Hossa might have been tough, but the future of the team is much better.

•The NHL games come out this week. If you have a PS3 or XBOX 360 you can get the demos to try out before the games are released. I have NHL 09 on pre-order and will probably get NHL 2K9 for the WII in a few weeks.

•The Hurricanes released their camp roster in PDF format. Download it HERE. Some key invitees include Jeff O’Neill (did not play) and Dan LaCouture (played in the Swiss League).

•The Hurricanes are only showing 65 games on TV this season. That leaves almost 20 games that will not be shown. I think the local AAA baseball team, the Durham Bulls, had more games shown.

If the Hurricanes want to keep their name from being associated with teams such as Atlanta, Florida, and Nashville who can’t draw fans and are in danger of moving, they need more games to be shown.

Top 10 Fantasy Hockey Sleepers

Dan London — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:18:34 -0400

For me it seems as though an eternity has come and gone since the NHL season ended just a few months ago. Even though the Stanley Cup finals ended in June, hockey for me really ended in April when my hometown team, the St. Louis Blues wrapped up their regular season and of course missed the playoffs. However, it’s that special time of the year as Labor day has come and gone and the start of NHL training camps are just a couple of weeks away. That also means its time to get serious about some fantasy hockey, so with that in mind here are my top 10 sleeper picks for the upcoming year.

10 - Fabian Brunnstrom - LW - Dallas Stars
Ok, I admit it, I’m sipping the kool-aid. Honestly I have no idea what this kid is going to do in the NHL but Brett Hull was adamant about the Stars getting this kid inked to a contract and if he’s good enough for Brett Hull, he’s good enough for me. He’s reportedly the best player in the world not currently playing in the NHL so take that for what it’s worth but if Hull see’s something in this kid who are we to argue. Take a flyer on him late.

9 - Peter Mueller - C/RW - Phoenix Coyotes
If you miss out on that goal scorer that you covet early in your draft, you should be able to grab Mueller in round four or so in a ten team draft. This kid does it all for the Coyotes and he’s got one heck of a presence manning their powerplay. It doesn’t hurt that Gretzky loves the kid and gives him plenty of ice time to produce. With 22 goals scored in his rookie season last year, just go ahead and pencil him in for 30 this season and a lot of powerplay points to boot.

8 - Patrick O’Sullivan - C - Los Angeles Kings
Ok so if you’re a hardcore hockey fan, O’Sullivan much like Mueller mentioned above might not be much of a sleeper, but the bottom line is, he’s still a guy you can get in the mid rounds who will score some goals for you. So if there is a defensemen you want in round 4, grab him with confidence knowing that O’Sullivan and his 25-30 goals that he will score this season will be there for you in round 5.

7 - Claude Giroux - RW - Philadelphia Flyers
Giroux could be the ultimate sleeper because he’s not guaranteed a spot on the Flyers roster just yet. You want to keep your ears open though because if he starts the season with the Flyers, this could be a home run draft day steal provided he gets the ice time. This kid has been a scorer at every level and he’s got great hands. This is a guy you could probably get with your last pick and just stick him on your bench and see if he takes off.

6 - Bobby Ryan - RW - Anaheim Ducks
It sure seems like it’s taken Bobby Ryan forever to get it going but it’s only a matter of time before he breaks out and becomes the goal scorer he’s supposed to be. 10 points in 23 games last year shows promise and with increased ice time as well as powerplay time he could hit 25 goals this year. This is another kid you can get in the very late rounds.

5 - Tom Gilbert - D - Edmonton Oilers
Looking for mid to late round defensemen that can put points on the board? Gilbert is your man. 13 goals and 20 assists last year and playing on a better Oilers team this year make Gilbert a guy that could be a nice #3 defensemen on your team. Technically he’d be your #2 but you could get him as your #3, possibly your #4 depending on how your draft goes.

4 - Daniel Paille - LW - Buffalo Sabres
Paille is starting to come into his own and after a 19 goal season last year, you can bank on a 25 goal, 50 point season this year. He doesn’t do much on the powerplay but 3 of his 19 goals last year were shorthanded. The Sabres will give him even more ice time this season and if he can stay on one of the top two scoring lines he’ll make a nice late round pick.

3 - Drew Stafford - RW - Buffalo Sabres
Like his teammate mentioned above, Stafford is another guy thats getting better every year. He could also hit the 25 goal 50 point plateau this season and he gets top six ice time. Stafford is a guy you can get very late in your draft.

2 - David Perron - LW - St. Louis Blues
The only thing that prevented David Perron from scoring 20 goals in his rookie season last year was Blues coach Andy Murray. If Perron would have dressed more often and got more ice time when he did dress, he would have hit 20 goals easy. With the proper ice time and more responsibility, a 30 goal season isn’t out of reach. 25 goals is more likely though given the young roster that the Blues are going to put on the ice this season. Grab Perron in the late rounds and you’ve got yourself a possible steal of the draft.

1 - Dustin Byfuglien - LW - Chicago Blackhawks
Looking for a goal scorer that may even have fantasy value at defense this season, Byfuglien is your man. He came up as a defensmen for the Hawks in November last year and was eventually moved to forward where he ended up finishing with 19 goals on the season. If the Hawks somehow got hit with an injury bug on defense, Byfuglien could be a multi threat player and would become very valuable. Don’t get me wrong there is reason that the Hawks moved him to forward and thats because he’s got the skillset of a power forward. He’s big, he can hit, and he goes to the net. A 30 goal season is possible and there is always that remote chance he may be able to help you on defense before the season is over. Don’t wait to long on this one though or you’ll be the one caught sleeping.

Written by Tim Jung

Hockey Films' Greatest Scenes

Dan London — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:35:20 -0400

There are a number of awesome hockey movies that have been released…and some of them have actually been good. Slapshot is a classic. Miracle was decent (even if it left out the gold medal game). Some have been okay, such as Youngblood. And some were just were freaking terrible (The Mighty Ducks).

You have to love YouTube. Almost any scene from any movie is on there. Hulu.com even has full movies available as well. While sitting in front of your laptop or PC is not ideal, it is a great way to kill time in an airport, or at work.

Here are a number of clips from some of my favorite movies:

•Swingers might not have been a hockey movie, but the NHL ‘94 “make Wayne bleed” scene is a classic.

•Here is a great scene from the movie Miracle.

•Here is a “decent” clip from Youngblood. (I think we all tried this move in a game.)

•Here is a scene from The Might Ducks. (This play is totally offsides.)

•Here is an awesome clip of just the ice scenes from Slapshot.

If you find any more let me know in the comments.

The 3 Top Mario Lemieux Goals

Dan London — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:38:07 -0400

Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest players of all-time. When he was in his prime he was nearly unstoppable. Even though his career was cut short due to cancer, hip and back injuries and ultimately a heart ailment, he still managed to score 1723 points in just 915 career regular season games. I got to see him play a number of times during his prime and was always amazed at how much better he was than anyone else.

I found this video this morning. It gives a glimpse into the Penguins locker-room as well as some of the best goals of his career.

That goal versus Minnesota (North Stars not the Wild) was amazing. I remember watching that game on TV and just being stunned.

The ’87 Canada cup games were amazing as well. People often call this Mario’s “coming out party” and Mario himself will often talk about how being around Gretzky and Messier helped him learn how to be a leader and a hockey player.