After locking down two preseason wins on Monday and Tuesday, against Montreal and Washington respectively, the Bruins looked to make it a hat trick to close out the week against newest sure to be conference rival Detroit Red Wings. Sadly, the black and gold couldn’t get it done and struggled across the board losing 8-2.
Making their preseason debuts, captain Zdeno Chara and forward Gregory Campbell, were a welcomed sight. Campbell especially after his now infamous playoff injury during the Pittsburgh series last year was a player to watch.
The goalie situation in Boston has proven shaky with Tuukka Rask manning the starter position, filtering through the rest of the goaltending prospects is now the name of the game. It was 19-year-old Malcom Subban that got the full 60-minute nod and struggled against a hot Detroit team with young and talented prospects. With fans giving him a public lashing and cheering when he stopped a shot in the final minutes of the game, he did make quite a few good saves throughout the duration. Placing blame on himself, Subban has his team to thank for ultimately hanging him out to dry.
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Both Campbell and defenseman Matt Bartkowski who notched two assists on the night acknowledged that fact post game, taking responsibility for the final score.
Now is the time to work out the kinks, after all that’s exactly what preseason is about. The Bruins will look for a different outcome when they hit the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Saturday.
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Here’s a fact: change is scary. Here’s another one: change is hard. And here’s a bonus: sometimes you have to change anyway.
Today was my first day in Chicago. New job, new apartment, new city, and a hundred new ways to accidentally spend money on things I can’t afford, like tickets to the Blackhawks versus Penguins preseason game. I know two people in this city; what better way to get acquainted then to drag one of them to a hockey game? I come originally from rural Virginia, where the only kind of hockey anybody plays takes place on a field and all the sports teams belong to D.C. A city like Chicago — a hockey city — is new for me. There were 20,000+ people in the United Center tonight. At a preseason game. That’s more than my entire hometown.
My original idea for this series was simple. Mollyhall is moving to a new city with a new hockey team; she’s going to have to get to know them, right? Feel out their games, taste their beer, avoid their Kiss Cam? In a lot of ways, feeling out a new sports team is like dating: technique, personality and style all matter, but if there isn’t a spark you’re not getting passed Date # 2. Why not write about learning to love the Blackhawks as I learn to love the city to whom they belong?
The flaw here is that my first hockey tickets were to a game in which the Blackhawks played the Penguins. If we’re sticking to the date analogy here, that’s like running into your ex-boyfriend while on your first date with a potential new one. And then they fight, and all of a sudden you’re forced to ask yourself: who do I want to win?
I fell in love with hockey while watching the Pens play. Yes, CBJ will always be my best girl, but the Pens will always be a close second. After all, without them, I’d never have discovered the sport in the first place.
What I’m saying is: I get emotional about this team.
The thing is, I like the Blackhawks. I, along with the rest of the Internet, have seen the Patrick Kane Bauer video; I’ve watched all the BlackhawksTV footage of players’ Cup days (true or false: Jonathan Toews used his day to water ski while Lord Stanley lounged on the motor boat like a Bond girl); I cooed at my computer screen every time a new Joey the Junior Reporter video popped up on YouTube. They’re a fun team, the Blackawks. Dynamic, good-natured, and talented. It was fun watching Bickell and Kane and Saad skate tonight. It was extra fun watching Patrick Sharp attempt to fight and get rejected, presumably because no one wanted to scratch up his perfect face.
It was easy enough to root for the Blackhawks while surrounded by ‘Hawks fans — and while the Penguins had the lead. But in case you missed the game tonight, it ended in a tense shootout. In overtime, Beau Bennett in particular skated like a champ, and Crosby took a stick to the face, sending him to the ice for a dazed minute. (Sidebar: can we all agree not to make Sidney Crosby sit out of any more hockey games, please and thank you.) And suddenly, rooting for the Blackhawks got hard.
What had just been annoying drunk dudes shouting, “Crosby sucks!” and “Little Beau Sunshine” before, easy enough to ignore, suddenly made me want to drop gloves. I mean, there’s not a chance in hell I’d win that fight, but whatever, it’s preseason and losses don’t count.
My point is, I guess I didn’t realize until today how much teams matter — how attached we get, as fans. I don’t live in Pittsburgh and never have, but to me, the Pens embody hockey in a way no other team, not even my precious CBJ, manages to.
So, okay. First date with the Chicago Blackhawks: not awesome. Well, awesome, but mostly just because we ran into an old flame who showed off a little. Chicago might be my new home, and their team might be my new team, but sometimes loyalty means first come, first served, and before I knew what forechecking was, I knew who I wanted to watch doing it. Change is still as scary and as hard as it was in the first paragraph of this article, but it turns out that even in the midst of change you can find touchstones to hold onto.
Lesson learned, Internet. Now let’s see if either team calls me back for a second date. Is it too soon to send a text that says “sorry you got into a fistfight with my ex-boyfriend, but good news, the beer was great”?
After a strong start, going 3-1-0 in the preseason, the Columbus Blue Jackets have announced the assignment of 17 players to their AHL affiliate, located in Springfield, Ma, the Falcons, trimming their camp roster to 33 players.
The Blue Jackets have sent the following players to Springfield: Forwards Alex Aleardi, Sean Collins, Jake Hansen, Andrew Joudrey, Jeremy Langlois, Broc Little, Spencer Machacek, Jonathan Marchessault, Lukas Sedlak, Dalton Smith and Trent Vogelhuber, along with defensemen Thomas Larkin, Joe Lavin, Austin Madaisky, Patrick McNeill, Blake Parlett and Frederic St. Denis.
First round draft pick Kerby Rychel has also been cut and is destined for the Ontario Hockey League, where he will play for the Windsor Spitfires.
Though we’re sad to see all the players go, we’ll particularly miss tweets from Kerby Rychel’s cat, Tempelton. We’re sure he’ll Tweet great things in the OHL.
The Vancouver Giants revealed their tribute jersey to the public today and will take them to the ice in their home opener on Friday, September 20 when they play the Victoria Royals at the Pacific Coliseum. This is the first match of a whopping 10 games against the Royals, the side effect of cost cutting junior hockey.
The jerseys honours the contributions to the game by their First Nations.
The “lazy cross” depicted on the crest is the brand of the Alkali Lake Ranch where most hockey players on the Braves team worked. The Alkali Lake Braves were led by Alec Antoine to a BC Northern League title in 1931. The Braves’ success earned them a chance to play against the powerhouse Vancouver Commercials. The Commercials swept the Braves in the two-game exhibition, but the opportunity to play against a professional team earned the Braves respect for their toughness and sportsmanship. The courage that the Alkali Lake Braves displayed paved the way for players like Fred Sasakamoose, who became the first man from a Native Reserve to appear in the National Hockey League.
It’s going to be an interesting year for the team, finishing absolute last in the WHL last season.
Full season schedule can be found here.
The offseason is a chance for hockey players to get a break that they can’t take during the season. It’s a time to rest up during the early part before getting back to work. This is when players have a chance to work on skills they need to improve and their overall game. It can also be a stressful time if they are at the end of a contract and not sure where they will be headed next.
We hear a lot about the big names in free agency every summer. They usually have a number of different teams interested in signing them. Other players are just hoping to get to come back to the team they spent the duration of their entry level contract with. That was the case for David Savard who resigned with the Columbus Blue Jackets to stay with the team for one more year.
“I was pretty excited. You never know what’s going to happen at the end of your contract. They wanted me to keep going with them,” Savard said. “It’s nice to have the team want you and I’m really excited about this year.”
The 6’2 defenseman from Quebec was drafted during the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is looking forward to going into his fourth pro season only having played in one organization.“I think it’s good to be part of the same organization. You know all the players and the staff. I’m happy and I’m pretty lucky to stay with the Blue Jackets,” said Savard.
With camps currently underway, Savard is in Columbus hoping to earn a spot on the NHL roster. He has been through camp a number of times before and feels like he knows what to expect. Being familiar with the people and the process makes it a lot easier for him to be comfortable.
“I think it’s different because you know what’s going to happen. You know how the schedule is and how hard it is. So, I think it’s just you’re really ready to be going through the next two or three weeks,” said Savard. “You’re ready to be going to the rink and working out. You know to try to have fun on the ice but also show what you can do.”
Even with being familiar with the process, he is still doing his best to show his hard work. The season is just around the corner and Savard wants to be on that 23-man roster for Columbus. He’s had a taste of call-ups and is ready to show the team what he can do on a more full time basis.
“I’m getting pretty excited about the season starting and I just want to show what I can do. Hopefully I can show that I can help the team to win games and that I’m ready to play in the NHL,” Savard said. “If they keep me, I would be real happy. But, if not, I’ll go back to Springfield and work hard to hopefully get back up.”
Savard spent the better part of his first three season with the Springfield Falcons, the AHL affiliate of the Blue Jackets. While he hopes to make Columbus, he understands that the Falcons are a good team and he would make the most of playing there if he was sent down. He even acknowledges that there are still things he could learn from more veteran players in Springfield.
“Obviously there are a few new guys and I’m just going to try to do my best. I’ve been in the AHL for three years now, it’ll be my fourth year with Springfield if I end up there,” Savard said. “There’s younger guys I might be able to help a little bit to tell them what the league is like. We still have veterans coming in that will still show the younger guys and me how to do things. Hopefully it’s a good team that makes it far.“
Springfield was the team Savard spent most of his rookie season with. After an impressive junior season where he won a number of awards, he decided to forgo his final season of eligibility in juniors to make the jump to professional hockey. Although he really enjoyed his time in Moncton of the QMJHL, he felt it was easy to decide to start is professional career.
“I was hoping that I could have a spot on Springfield. When they told me I could stay, I was pretty pumped about staying in the AHL and trying to get better,” Savard said. “It’s a big change from juniors to the AHL. I knew I had to do it at some point and the younger you do it, the better. I had the chance to play a lot that first year. It was key for me.”
That first season, Savard learned a lot about the pro game with all the playing time he got. He also had some help from his teammates who had been in the game a little longer. That type of help is something he will likely provide if he does find himself in the AHL for any part of the season. It can be hard to make the transition from junior to professional hockey.
“The hardest part is just that the game changes a lot. Everybody knows what they have to do. In juniors, more guys are just running around. That was a change. The easiest part was probably that the guys talk to you more about the game,” said Savard. “You get used to the speed pretty quickly just by listening to your teammates. My first year I played a lot with Nick Holden and he was a great partner for me. He made it really easy for me to switch from juniors to the pro.”
The 2012-2013 season saw the Springfield Falcons make the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2003-2004 season. They also won their division for the first time since the 1997-1998 season. Although he points to teammates as the secret to the team’s success, Savard played a key role.
“We had such a good group of guys. Our captain, Ryan Craig, was unreal. We had a great goalie with Curtis McElhinney,” said Savard. “That was a big difference from the year before that. Our group was so tight together that it would show on the ice.”
Through his first three seasons as part of the Blue Jackets organization, he has learned what is expected of him and what he needs to do to make the NHL full time. He’s working hard in training camp now to show his skills. He also worked hard all summer to prepare himself for a new season.
“I just have to play my game. I have to focus on what I can do to help the team and just show them the best part of my game. If I play how I can play, I think that should be good,” said Savard. “You always need to work on your whole game. I was just trying to get my foot speed quicker. I worked on that a lot this summer. I worked with a coach to just keep getting better. I’m hoping it’s enough to make the NHL.”
Savard hopes all his hard work has paid off and he will once again get to start the season with Columbus as he did his second season. Not only did he get to start his second professional season in the NHL, he also got into his first NHL game. That game happened to be the home opener for Columbus, a feeling he won’t soon forget.
“There’s a few moments that stick out. I think your first NHL is going to be up there. It’s a dream come true. Since you’re five years old, you’re thinking about being in the NHL. To finally get your first game, it’s pretty amazing,” said Savard. “I was lucky that it was a home opener and it was even better. But when we won the QMJHL, it was awesome too and I won’t forget it. But I would say my first NHL game is my best memory so far.”
Wherever David Savard ends up, he will be an asset to the team. Between his size and skill, he is destined to make the NHL roster soon.
Andrew Shaw, the scrappy young winger who Blackhawks fans love to love and opponents love to hate, became the source of a unique fundraising experience.
It’s hard to forget Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Boston last June, when Shaw took a puck to the face and dropped to the ice. [tubepress video=”LI5qTF0Q1I8″]
It didn’t take long for his face to be sewn back up so he could get back in the action, cheek slightly puffier than before, and help the team battle their way to victory. The 16-17 stitches were there for him as he raised the cup, as he paraded through the city to millions of fans clad in red, and as he avoided profanities during his victory rally speech (this time.) It’s when they wouldn’t be there that became rather newsworthy.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research called Shaw.
“They asked me not to throw them out when I got them taken out,” Shaw told Comcast SportsNet Chicago. “They had an idea.”
While not exactly appetizing, their idea was to auction off those stitches, which had witnessed Blackhawk glory—and probably more that summer—for charity. Shaw could select the beneficiary of the funds, which was an easy choice for him: breast cancer research. His mother, Darlene, was diagnosed last fall.
“It was tough, it was hard on her,” Shaw said. “We tried to go home as much as we could to see her, but she wanted us to focus on what we were doing.”
Darlene was able to travel in the spring and lived with Shaw in Chicago every weekend for playoffs.
“It was great for her to experience it and be there for me,” he said.
Shaw was inspired by his mother’s battle and happy to auction off the stitches behind his war wounds for breast cancer research. They took in $6,500 after an eBay auction in August, won by Harry Caray’s Restaurant CEO Grant DePorter. They’ll be displayed with other famous Chicago sports memorabilia at the Harry Caray’s on Chicago’s Navy Pier. The museum hosts Patrick Kane’s mouth guard from the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Paul Konerko’s Grand Slam bat from the 2005 World Series and less savory items like the infamous Bartman ball and Sammy Sosa’s corked bat. DePorter’s $6,500 bid was tripled by the V Foundation.
But the best news of all is that Shaw’s mother seems to be doing well. He told Comcast Sportsnet she’s been healthy and back to work. The V Foundation, whose motto is “Don’t Give Up… Don’t Ever Give Up!”, was started by ESPN 20 years ago in honor of NC State Basketball Coach Jim Valvano. It has raised more than $100 million and awarded cancer research grants throughout the country.
For more information on the V Foundation, visit http://www.jimmyv.org/.
The Tampa Bay Lightning started off the first of three games against western conference teams with a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Blues at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
The starter’s in net were Cederick Desjardins, who was hoping to impress for the Lightning, and All-Star Brian Elliot for the Blues. Elliot showed why he was one of the top goalie’s in the league by not allowing any goals until halfway through the third when Lightning hopeful, Adam Erne, finally got one past the goalie bringing the score to 3-1 Blues.
By this time the Lightning had already made the switch between the pipes opting to go with Kristers Gudlevskis who did not let any pucks through after the change. Adam Erne and Tom Pyatt helped to even the score giving the crowd of 6,162 an overtime show.
After the extra period the game was still tied, thus causing a shootout show that saw Valtteri Filppula getting his first of the preseason and Adam Erne getting his third of the game. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the preseason goes for this eighteen-year-old 2013 draft pick. If he impresses in future games like he did tonight it would not be surprising to see him move to the big leagues this season. Adam Erne and fellow 2013 pick Jonathan Drouin are going to be two names to watch in the future of the sport.
Goals Scored:
1st Period:
12:52 Dmitri Jaškin (Blues)
1:52 Dmitri Jaškin (Blues)
2nd Period
Jaden Schwartz (Blues)
Adam Erne (Lightning) PP Goal
3rd Period
Adam Erne (Lightning)
Tom Pyatt (Lightning)
OT
SO
Round 1 Purcell- miss Rattie- miss
Round 2 Filppula-score Stewart- miss
Round 3 Erne-score
Tonight they will go up against the Nashville Predators at the Tampa Bay Times Forum at 7:30 p.m and Friday the team will travel to St. Louis to play the Blues with face-off coming at 8:00 p.m.
Columbus took fans for a bit of a ride last night in a preseason game against Carolina that featured everything from drastic comebacks to wardrobe malfunctions. Ultimately, Columbus pulled out a 5-4 victory over the Hurricanes, thanks in large part to the combination of Marian Gaborik, Boone Jenner, and Nikita Nikitin.
The Blue Jackets started the game strong, knocking back two goals to Carolina’s one, despite being outshot 15-7. We’ve seen a lot of that kind of game from Columbus in the preseason, both against the Penguins and the Sabres, though less so in last night’s confrontation with the Wild. It’s hard to say whether victories in the preseason are more important than nuance — like possession stats — given that the games have no affect on the regular season. Still, as we saw from Columbus last season, there’s a lot to be said for the momentum that comes with winning.
Things got harried and flustered at the start of the third period, and the Blue Jackets gave up three goals to Carolina in the first eight minutes. Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Johansen took penalties for Columbus, but managed to kill both power plays. Neither team took particular advantage of power-play opportunities tonight; Columbus went one for seven and Caroline one for four.
Jack Johnson played big minutes, as he did during last night’s loss to the Sabres, but felt the pressure from Carolina throughout the game. I’m not just saying this because he’s my favorite player: the guy is unflappable. Even with Carolina so intent on outmanning him that they took a penalty for too many men on the ice, Johnson managed a solid game that never felt as rushed as the rest of the team during those terrible first minutes of the second period.
Hilariously, Alexander Semin took a delay-of-game penalty for tucking in his shirt, which violates the strict new no tucking policy instituted by the NHL this season. The rule states that the player will first receive a warning, which apparently Semin decided not to heed.
Toward the end of the second period, a heroic effort from Johansen closed the score gap to 4-3, which seemed to settle the Blue Jackets’ whole attitude. They skated well for the rest of the period and kept up with Carolina with eight shots on goal to Carolina’s eleven.
The Blue Jackets really came alive in the third quarter, scoring twice more (Gaborik and Collins) and radically slowing the pace of their game down as they held on to the lead, playing with more control and less frantic passing. Both third period goals had an assist from Dubinsky, who stood out as one of the game’s biggest players. In the final period, Columbus outshot Carolina 16-8.
Both McElhinney and McKenna played solid games; McElhinney saved 18 of the 22 shots on goal, though McKenna’s performance stood out for flair (McKenna didn’t let any shots in, but Carolina also shot significantly less while he was in goal).
Clearly, Columbus enjoyed the taste of success that we saw at the end of their season last year and are looking to be a serious contender in their new division. Way to go, boys. You’ve earned yourself some Phil Collins.
Hockey tape is an important equipment staple. The most common uses are blatantly obvious. Tape your stick, tape your socks, tape your shin pads etc etc etc. Hockey tape is essential to getting a player out on the ice. But we aren’t always on the ice and hockey tape (at least in my home is always around). Have you ever used hockey tape for something besides its intended use?
Here are 5 probably not so common uses for hockey tape:
1) Lint Roller: You’re running out of the house and look down to see your black pants covered in lint, fuzz, hair and the lint roller is nowhere to be found. Easy Fix: A few pieces of hockey tape will take off the stubborn fuzz quickly.
2) Floor Grip: That one stubborn piece of furniture that slides across the wood floor after the slightest touch. Hockey tape is designed to help with grip on sticks, it helps with grip on the floor too. Put a few pieces underneath the legs of your furniture and the slipping should stop.
3) Book Binding: Some of us have that beloved book that has seen better days. You know, the one that’s cover is hanging on by a thread. Hockey tape is flexible, run a long piece vertically down the spine and a few smaller, thinner ones horizontally. It will keep the book together while allowing it to open freely.
4) Mend a bag: It could be your hockey bag, a purse or a gym bag or even your child’s backpack. It’s bound to happen sooner or later, the moment when a hole breaks through and you don’t have a) a needle and thread handy or b) the time to whip stitch a bag back together. Using 3 pieces of hockey tape slightly longer in length than the hole, make an X and place the last piece through the middle of the X to make an Astrix over the hole. It will hold for a few days until you can properly mend the situation!
5) Slippery Clothes Hangers: A closest isn’t a closet unless it’s filled with clothes, many of which slide right off the hangers they are supposed to live on. Pretend you’re taping the handle of your stick and make small grips on the ends of stubborn hangers. It’ll keep your clothes from sliding off and save you from having to buy new hangers.
What do you use hockey tape for? Add your helpful tips in the comment section below!
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