There is nothing we love more than a charitable hockey event. Teams at all levels participate in creative fundraising endeavors throughout not just the season, but the year. The Boston Bruins Foundation has been instrumental in the Boston community, with proceeds rolling in from events and rolling back out to the community. Keeping with that tradition, on April 1st, the Boston Bruins (or more specifically 18 members of the current team) will participate in the sixth annual “Cuts for a Cause”. The event, held from 2:30-5:30 pm at Royale Boston, will be hosted by resident Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton and 98.5 The Sports Hub.
The event allows auction winners to shave the heads of their favorite players while raising money for the Shawn Thornton Foundation, Boston Bruins Foundation and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. While player participation is far from mandatory, this years 18 participants marks the highest number in the event’s six-year history.
The line-up includes, Gregory Campbell, Jordan Caron, Zdeno Chara, Andrew Ference, Dougie Hamilton, Nathan Horton, Aaron Johnson, Chris Kelly, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Lane MacDermid, Brad Marchand, Adam McQuaid, Daniel Paille, Rich Peverley, Jay Pandolfo, Dennis Seidenberg and Shawn Thornton.
It’s a fun event, with a fun atmosphere. If you’re worried about the $25 admission, it’s certainly worth the price. Not only is it for charity, but fans in years past have witnessed Adam McQuaid receiving a mullet and Brad Marchand crooning to the crowd.
Bruins fans can bid on the opportunity to shave the head of their favorite participating Bruins player by visiting bostonbruins.com/cutsforacause. The bidding begins on Monday, March 25 and ends on Friday March 29. Auction winners will also receive admission to the VIP session from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. where they will meet and greet the players on the event floor and receive a special Bruins gift bag that includes autographed Bruins memorabilia. (via bruins.nhl.com)
To get a taste for the event, here is The Pink Puck’s recap from last seasons’ “Cuts for a Cause”. We even managed to catch Marchand during his serenade!
You’re five years old, it’s January, it’s snowing, and you are getting excited about being able to use the skates that Santa brought you for Christmas. You step on that ice, whether inside or outside, and your whole life has changed. You have now learned how to skate, and stop without hitting the boards, and now you need a stick and a puck so you can learn to pass, shoot, and eventually score.
You play this fun sport of hockey for many years learning new tricks along the way and how to be tougher as the competition gets bigger. You’re now 18 and ready to go off to college. But wait. Do you get a scholarship? Do you get to go play semi professional hockey first?
For male hockey players, there are always choices, if they are good enough. For female players, there are not so many choices. You may be able to play throughout your life, but unless you are in the top of your class, you are probably never going to play on a main stage. College seems like the last place to play in front of big crowds and have a chance at some kind of title or championship.
While I have never personally played the game I have had times when I was little, wearing over sized goalie pads and having pucks shot my direction by my brother and some friends. I have seen through family and friends the thrill the game can bring when you play. I have been through years of travel hockey and watching college hockey and even the professional leagues. There just has to be something more, when you lace up the skates and put the pads on that just takes you back to being a kid and playing a game that you love. The first chance to show off your new skills and showing mom how well you can skate.
The Springfield Falcons took on the Providence Bruins last night in the second game of a home and home series. Friday night, they fell to the Bruins in Providence 3-2 in the shootout. Coming into last night’s game, the Falcons had earned just four points in their last five games. After starting out so red hot, the Falcons are still sitting comfortably at the top of their division despite their recent slide. The coach and players seem confident that they can turn it around, but their turn around would not start against the Bruins.
“We your confidence goes, that’s when you’re not scoring goals. We’re having trouble scoring,” Head Coach Brad Larsen said. “It’s going to take all four lines to chip in.”
The first period was a little bit slow to start on both sides, but forward Nathan Moon found the back of the net to put Springfield up 1-0. Dalton Smith took a shot that rebounded right onto the stick of Nathan Moon. He took a quick shot into the corner of the net as he was falling to the ice and it was enough to score. The Bruins were determined to go into the intermission tied, though, as Colby Cohen took a hard shot from the point and Justin Florek tipped it in past Falcons goalie, Paul Dainton.
The second period saw two of only three penalties throughout the whole game, both to the Bruins. Despite generating some good chances, the Falcons could not get anything really set up to capitalize on their advantages. In their last eighteen man advantage situations, the Falcons have only been able to score three powerplay goals.
The Washington Capitals bounced into Boston on Saturday afternoon for a mid season match up against the Bruins. Following a sloppy 4-1 win on Thursday against Florida, Boston looked to keep the train rolling, with perhaps a better style of play and a little Irish luck. Boston took the ice for warm ups in green St. Patrick’s Day jersey’s, which were auctioned off during the game to benefit the Boston Bruins Foundation.
The last time these two teams met, it found Washington with a win after a comeback third period. Boston took the win 4-1, with goals from unusual suspects. David Krejci (17:15 – 1st), Andrew Ference (08:02 – 2nd), Rich Peverley (PPG, 02:41 – 3rd) and a Gordie Howe Hat Trick from Nathan Horton (14:12 – 1st). Credit to Marcus Johansson (01:24 – 2nd) for the lone Washington goal.
With critics aplenty coming into the season, the worries can be put to bed as Tuukka Rask has been shining in net for Boston. Another relief off the shoulders for Bruins fans can be found in backup goaltender Anton Khudobin. Yet again proving his worth between the pipes for Boston after stopping 32 of 33 shots. Khudobin played the puck with ease and came up big throughout the game. With an extremely packed schedule, it’s a relief to have two capable goalies on the roster.
A 4-1 win for the books will be behind them and hopefully the luck o’ the Bruin will trickle into Sunday evenings contest, as Boston meets the Penguins. Retribution will be the name of the game, after Boston suffered a disheartening loss in Pittsburgh earlier in the week. Following the game Sunday, Boston will hit the Canadian circuit with games in Winnipeg, Ottawa and Toronto.
The Worcester Sharks took on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a two game home series and split the games. The Sharks are still battling for a playoff spot and could have used two wins, but will settle for the two points from winning the first game of the match-up. The teams in the Eastern Conference are bunched so close that one or two points can make all the difference.
On Wednesday, the Sharks took on the Penguins for their second meeting of the season, the first in Worcester. In the first meeting, the Penguins kept the Sharks from scoring and the Sharks did not want that to happen again. The first period seemed to go on forever as the referees called seven penalties between the two teams. Despite the penalties, the period ended scoreless. The Sharks would start the second period on the powerplay.
It only Marek Viedensky sixteen seconds in the second period to get a puck behind Penguins goalie Jeff Zatkoff. The Sharks had struggled scoring on the powerplay at home but that would not be the case in this game. Later that period, Daniil Tarasov also added a powerplay strike for his ninth goal of the year. Once again, Tarasov proved that he had an eye for the puck and knew what to do when he got it. But, the powerplay goals did not end there. Recent addition to the blue line, Adam Comrie, notched a powerplay goal in the third period with a rocket of a shot from the point. Veteran forward Bracken Kearns also scored two goals in the third, one of which came on the powerplay. The Sharks went 4-for-8 with the man advantage to seal a 5-1 victory over the Penguins.
Comrie’s goal was his first as a Shark as he also notched three assists for four points on the night. He has proven to be a good addition to the Sharks defense and is not afraid to take shots. Kearns notched his team leading 16th and 17th goals of the season, providing a much needed veteran presence. It was a good win for the Sharks and it appeared they would not need to make a lot of changes going into the game Friday.
The Friday night match up between the Worcester Sharks and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came around and it was clear that the Penguins showed up for the two points. In this game, the powerplay would work in the favor of the Penguins instead of the Sharks.
The Penguins went up 3-0 by the beginning of the second, with goals coming from Dylan Reese and Chad Kolarik, both on the powerplay, and Paul Thompson. But just fourteen seconds after Thompson beat Sharks goalie Harri Sateri, Yanni Gourde scored his 8th goal of the season for the Sharks. He had recently spent time in the ECHL and has wasted no timing proving his slump that got him sent down is over. But shortly after Gourde cut the Penguins lead to 3-1, there was a lot of pushing and shoving around the Penguins goal and James Livingston had to leave the game. He had been cut across the cheek, but would return to the game at the end of that same period.
The teams would go to their locker rooms with the Penguins up 4-1 after a goal from Riley Holzapfel. A couple minutes into the third period, Livingston scored his sixth goal of the season, showing he had not been hurt that badly and trying to spark the Sharks for a comeback. Jon Matsumoto added a goal with about five minutes to go in the game, making the score just 4-3 in favor of the Penguins. But, despite a late effort that was as close as it get. The Sharks had a bit of good fortune when, towards the end of the game, the Penguins got called for two penalties. It was a 6 on 3 chance for the Sharks with fifty second left as the Sharks opted to pull Sateri. But they could not convert and gave up an empty net goal. Daniil Tarasov got called for a penalty, sending the face-off back the Sharks end. They opted to take the face-off with Sateri still pulled from the net and the Penguins capitalized with ten seconds left to win 5-3.
The Worcester Sharks have a rare Saturday and Sunday off from games and will be back at it next weekend with a three-in-three weekend. Goaltender Harri Sateri has now played the last four games with Alex Stalock still recalled to San Jose to act as backup while Thomas Greiss is unable to play. The Sharks also went both games against the Penguins without a fighting major. With both Saturday and Sunday off, the Sharks will have games in hand on the teams they are trying to overcome for a playoff spot and will hopefully turn those games into points.
Kris Belan began the season with the San Francisco Bulls, making an appearance in every game until the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL offered him a Professional Tryout Agreement on February 27th. He embodies the grit and intensity that Coach Pat Curcio strives for and when Belan got the call-up, the Bulls were left with a gaping hole in their checking line. I got a chance to catch up with Kris this past week and talk with him about his early hockey career, his time with the Bulls, and how he is adapting to playing across the country with the Monarchs.
When you grow up in a small Ontario town, skating is what you do. Belan began when he was three years old. It helped that he had two older brothers and his parents started him early, getting him involved in organized hockey by the time he was four. Growing up, Kris was drawn to the great Stevie Yzerman, one of the best two-way forwards the game has known and was inspired by another Detroit Redwing and teammate of Yzerman:
“I would say I want be a power forward or resemble something like that, so I really liked Brendan Shanahan. I always thought he played a gritty style of hockey, but could mix in some points here and there and he can basically do it all, so he was another guy I resembled my play after.”
Kris spent several years in the OHL, playing with the London Knights and Oshawa Generals. He racked up quite a tally in penalty minutes, but few points. He admits that he wasn’t that rounded of a player and that by the time he was finishing his OHL career there weren’t too many options for him. He did have some university teams looking at him and he knew that going to university was something he wanted to do and get out of the way early. He decided on playing for the University of Guelph Gryphons, majoring in economics and finance during his five years. Belan says the college leagues have come a long way since he first started at Guelph. The hockey is good and a lot of guys are realizing it’s a sensible choice to make, especially with a school package incentive.
While we are not done with this season just yet, the 2013-2014 season is just 7 months away and preparation is going to begin soon, if not already. With that in mind, the National Hockey League has the new proposal of the realignment of conferences all but set. Just last week, the NHL Players Association gave the O.K. for the realignment plan and all it needs is the approval of the Board of Governors and it will be in play for next season. We will see some decent changes take place is this does in fact go through and some fans are happy with the change and others are not so happy, me somewhat included.
The realignment will see only four divisions instead of six, with some Western Conference teams moving to the East. The new Divisions would be called, Pacific and Midwest for the Western Conference and Central and Atlantic for the Eastern Conference. The biggest moves are Detroit to the Central Division against the likes of Toronto, Buffalo, and Boston, and Columbus to the Atlantic Division against the likes of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Washington. Winnipeg does end up moving to the Western Conference, which obviously makes sense since they are now located on the side of the country.
Having a good music playlist is key for any athlete. Music has the power to amp you up before a game and get you through a tough workout. After asking my friends their favorite song to listen to before a game, I’ve compiled the perfect playlist, with a lot of variety.
The Worcester Sharks had Friday night off, which is rare for a team in the AHL when they have not played any games during the previous week. They were back at it at home on Saturday night, though, as they hosted the current leaders of the division, the Providence Bruins. With 21 games remaining the Sharks came into the game knowing that they needed to turn the games they had in hand into some points. The Sharks are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
It was immediately clear that the Sharks showed up prepared to really skate with the Providence Bruins, who have been on a hot streak. The Sharks struck first as rookie Sebastian Stalberg found the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season. Later in the first period, James Livingston was awarded a penalty shot after Bruins goalie, Niklas Svedberg, threw his stick at the puck to keep it out. Unfortunately, Livingston was unable to capitalize on the penalty shot. The second period saw two power play goals from the Bruins, one of which coming with two men in the penalty box for the Sharks. The penalties certainly did not go in the Sharks favor during the game overall.
The third period started tied at two, despite the two power play goals in the second for the Bruins as Freddie Hamilton also notched a goal. Both teams would score again in the third. The Sharks were down with just over a minute to play and pulled Harri Sateri from the net. Captain John McCarthy scored with a minute left to force overtime. Despite a hard fought game, the Sharks fell after seven rounds of the shootout, earning a point in the process.
The Sharks were back at it on Sunday afternoon as they hosted the Portland Pirates. The Sharks looked to extend their winning streak against the Pirates, having won the past two meetings. Coach Roy Sommer made a small roster change, replacing Tommy Grant with Jimmy Bonneau. Despite giving up a lead, the Sharks were able to come away with a win again.
The first period seemed to set the tone for a high scoring game for the Sharks, who have struggled to score more than a couple goals at times. James Livingston broke away, skating in with only one Pirates defenseman. He was able to get around the Pirate and bury the puck. Towards the end of the period, Jimmy Bonneau dropped the gloves with Pirates tough guy, Joel Rechlicz. With an extra penalty to Rechlicz, the Sharks had a powerplay and were able to capitalize on it just six seconds in with a goal from Bracken Kearns.
The second period saw a goal from each of the teams, with Daniil Tarasov getting the score for the Sharks. The third period started with the Sharks leading 3-1, but it would not stay that way for long. The Pirates put up two quick goals in less than the first two minutes and the game was tied. However still inside the first two minutes, Marek Viedensky put the Sharks back on top, redirecting a hard shot from Adam Comrie at the blue line. The Sharks sealed the win when the Pirates pulled the goalie and Bracken Kearns skated down, easily getting the empty net goal.
The Sharks finished off the weekend with three out of four points but definitely had some changes to deal with coming into the weekend. Goaltender Alex Stalock was recalled to the San Jose Sharks to be the back up goalie while Thomas Greiss was hurt. Thomas Heemskerk got to call up from the ECHL to replace Stalock. Bracken Kearns was also reassigned to Worcester on Friday while Matt Pelech was called back up. Following the weekend, San Jose reassigned Matt Pelech to Worcester after having his as a healthy scratch both games. Yanni Gourde also got a call up from the ECHL after being sent down and recording 4 goals and 6 assists in just 8 games. While he got the call up, Tommy Grant was sent down to the ECHL after having recorded just 3 points in 14 games with Worcester this year. The Sharks host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday and again on Friday as they hope to gain ground in the playoff push.
After a strenuous workout the body has lost fluids and electrolytes, and burned a lot of calories. The muscles need fuel from food to repair and replenish in order to truly benefit from all your hard work! Here are some healthy post workout snacks.
1. Peanut Butter, Whole Wheat Bread and Banana – Spread one tablespoon of peanut butter on whole wheat bread and slice up half a banana. If you are feeling adventurous feel free to sprinkle on some cinnamon, a spice filled with anti-oxidants. This small sandwich is filled with everything the body needs for recovery. Peanut butter is a healthy fat that is also high in protein; this with a mix of carbohydrates and fiber from the bread, as well as vitamins and minerals from the bananas will help provide you the adequate nutrients you need post workout.
2. Pita and Hummus – hummus is a power food made from chickpeas and olive oil. It is filled with monounsaturated fat (good fat), protein, carbs and fiber. Pair two tablespoons of hummus with half a pita and some fresh, raw veggies.
3. A Hard Boiled Egg on Whole Wheat Toast – eggs are a complete source of protein which promote muscle building. When paired with carbohydrates from bread, it gives your body the nutrients it needs to repair.
4. Fat Free Greek Yogurt with cereal, nuts, berries – Greek yogurt is high in protein. In general most Greek yogurts have 18 grams of protein, while regular yogurt has about 8 grams. Add some nuts, berries and cereals for unsaturated fat, vitamins and minerals and carbohydrates. Most people add granola to their yogurt, but most granola is high in sugar and calories. It is better top your yogurt with some of your favorite whole grain cereal
5. Chocolate Milk – No appetite after a tough workout? This is common, but replenishing and rehydrating is still important. Chocolate milk is an expensive and easy way to do get some protein, carbohydrates and some fat. You can even make your own! The media and recent research has been giving a lot of attention to the recovery benefits of chocolate milk, and you should too.
Some things to keep in mind-
– It is best to eat 1-2 hours after workout to get the fullest benefits
– If you don’t break a sweat and don’t feel your heart rate rising, then you do not necessarily need a snack after. You still definitely want to hydrate with some water.
– Snacks are crucial for those enduring strenuous physical activity.
– Don’t forget to drink plenty of water!
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