The Boston Bruins wrapped up their 5 game February roadtrip in Long Island on Tuesday evening. After rolling off of back to back wins in Florida against the Lightning and Panthers; the Bruins looked to collect another “W” for the stat sheet.
With Rask in net for Boston it certainly didn’t give the Finnish goaltender a break heading into the upcoming 3-in-4 weekend. Boston will face games against the Senators (Thursday), Lightning (Saturday) and original six rival Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. While the upcoming schedule looks daunting to the average fan, some players have a different perspective.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” said Bruins forward Chris Bourque. “You’ve got to take care of your body, make sure you drink a lot of fluids, and there’s going to be a lot of hockey games to play here, so you’ve just got to try and stay healthy and just play consistent hockey and come to the rink and work hard everyday.”
March will certainly be a month to gauge stamina as Boston hits the ice for games almost every other night.
A Kindergarten teacher tells her class she’s a BIG Flyers fan. She’s really excited about it and asks the kids if they’re Flyers fans too. Everyone wants to impress the teacher and say they are too, except ONE kid named Dougie…
The teacher looks at Dougie and says, “Doug, you’re not a Flyers fan?” He says, “Nope, I’m a Bruins fan!” She says, “Well why are you a Bruins fan and not a Flyers fan?” to which Dougie replies, “Well, my mom is a Bruins fan, and my dad is a Bruins fan, so I’m a Bruins fan.”
The teacher’s not real happy. She’s a little hot under the collar. She says, “Well, if your moms an idiot, and your dads a moron, then what would you be?!” Dougie says, “Then I’d be a Flyers fan!”
The three in three weekend is a concept that every AHL fans is used to. Since crowds are generally smaller, the majority of games fall on the weekend to try and maximize attendance. Many times this results in teams playing Friday and Saturday nights as well as Sunday afternoon. If a team is lucky, they will play all of these games at home, instead of having to travel. This past weekend the Worcester Sharks played their first, and only, home three in three of the season.
The Sharks had been struggling to put together a winning streak and had gone the past seven home games without a win coming into Friday’s game. After Friday, that streak without a home win would extend to eight. The Sharks hosted division rivals the Manchester Monarchs. The Monarchs had also been struggling to win so it was an important game for the two teams with two points up for grabs. However, it was apparent once the second period came around that the Monarchs just wanted it more. At the end of the second frame, the Sharks were already down 5-1 and went on to lose the game 7-2.
It was a disheartening game to watch for the fans, but there were a few highlights. Rookie defenseman Matt Tennyson was able to able to capitalize on a powerplay and score his fourth goal of the season. The Sharks came into the Friday game having gone 11 for 91 on powerplays at home. Despite the fact that the Sharks dropped their first game of the weekend, they had two more games and two more chances to pick up wins. All the fans, myself included, were hoping to see more fire from the team during the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday night, the Sharks hosted the Portland Pirates, another division rival. The Pirates had been on fire of late and it was not the ideal match up for the struggling Sharks to pick up a win. But, Sharks head coach Roy Sommer made a few line-up changes from Friday. Recent addition Adam Comrie, signed from the ECHL, replaced defenseman Nick Petrecki. Coach Sommer also replaced forwards Curt Gogol, Tommy Grant, and Yanni Gourde with James Livingston, Jimmy Bonneau, and Brodie Reid. He also switched up the lines and with the changes, introduced a new team.
The Sharks shocked fans in the first period when Bracken Kearns scored short-handed to put the team up 2-0 and that short-handed goal ended up being the game winner in a 4-1 decision. However, that was not what had everyone talking that game. Jimmy Bonneau, who has made a name for himself in the AHL as a fighter, notched his first goal of the season. That seemed to be the key in the turnaround the Sharks pulled from Friday to Saturday; the Sharks got a lot of help from unlikely sources. Alex Stalock got the start on Saturday after Harri Sateri had registered the loss on Friday. Not only did Stalock make 36 saves on 37 shots, but he robbed the Pirates on a number of chances. Stalock showed fans why he had been named to the All-Star game during his rookie season.
Unsurprisingly, Coach Sommer went with the same line up from Saturday to Sunday. The Sharks hosted the Springfield Falcons who sit atop their division and are a conference rival. But the lineup proved too much for the Falcons who dropped their second straight as the Sharks picked up their second straight win, this time winning 5-1. Once again, Alex Stalock was a star in net, stopping 37 of the 38 shots he saw and coming up with huge saves. Matt Pelech and Marek Viedensky picked up their first goals of the season in the win, with Pelech getting credit for the game winner.
After the game on Friday, few fans thought that the Sharks would end the weekend having taken four out of a possible six points, especially beating the Pirates and the Falcons along the way. Their success can probably be attributed to two things: excellent goaltending from Alex Stalock and goals coming from unusual sources. This team also seems to be very different in their approach to the game. The Sharks had been known as a tough team that was not afraid to hit and drop the gloves. Although they are still out there hitting to create turnovers, they did not have any fighting majors in either of the wins. Additionally, Alex Stalock got his 74th win as a Shark, tying Thomas Greiss for most wins in a Sharks uniform. Stalock reached the mark in 40 fewer games than Greiss.
The Worcester Sharks are back at it this weekend, with another three games. This time, they are on the road for all three games as they take on the red hot Providence Bruins followed by rematches with the Pirates and the Falcons. It will be interesting to see if the fights stay out of the game against such strong rivals. With the season two thirds of the way over in the AHL, every game starts to count more as the push for the playoffs is in full swing. Tensions also start to reach the boiling point between teams like the Sharks and the Bruins, Pirates, or Monarchs as they will have played each other twelve times by the end of the season.
The San Jose Sharks are in trouble. The month of February has seen them win one game, against a St. Louis Blues team that had been stuck in Vancouver with plane trouble, delaying their arrival back home. The seven game win streak that bolted the team to the top of the charts seems a distant memory, a different team. Their six game road trip was a disaster on a multitude of levels. Out of a possible 12 points, they came home with 2. It began with a rout in Columbus, the Sharks getting outplayed, and in the words of Coach Todd McClellan “out a lot of things”. They allowed the Blue Jackets to score three goals in a mere 84 seconds during the third period. The next game landed them in Nashville, where pucks went to the net but nothing got by the netminder Rinne despite the Sharks outshooting the Predators during the first period. The game went scoreless until overtime, when the Preds Colin Wilson was able to get one past Niemi.
A Friday night game against the Blackhawks left the bedraggled Sharks with another loss to log. There were glimmers of the team that began the lockout delayed season, such as when Joe Thornton scrapped with Jonathan Toews in the first period.
I was raised Catholic (because you know talking religion in the opening sentence of the very first blog you write is always smart!) and I was raised by Franciscan nuns who believed that if you were a good person, and you did good things, Jesus would be okay with you. While, it wasn’t until I was older, I realized that they may have also implied some good ol’ fashioned “hey, if you are gay, you can play” ideals into the things they were trying to teach us — it’s what I ended up taking away. And what I feel one of my favorite tough nonsense “raised from the Bronx and moved by the Holy Spirit to become a nun and teach hundreds of snot-nosed brats in the ghettos of Northern New Jersey” nuns always secretly felt about me.
Did she know?
Probably.
I am one of those people that doesn’t realize “oh, I bet she likes the color green because she’s wearing all green” until someone else points it out to me. That’s kind of how being gay happened too. And while that’s probably terrible to compare my love for another girl to me liking the color green, that’s just how my brain thinks things.
I learned this morning that that nun passed away some time yesterday and there is a part of me that knows she was watching me dance, sing, engage in conversations about hockey and coming out of the closet at the You Can Play event and she was probably super proud of me.
I’m not ready to be “out” to my family and to most of society as a whole (‘sup internet anonymity), but I salute and applaud people who do.
And with that in mind, I was really proud (wink) and happy to be surrounded by gay, straight and other hockey fans yesterday night for the very first (but not last) If You Can Play, You Can Play event at a professional hockey game.
(check out the video for my favorite Islander prospect, Kirill Kabanov speaking in Russian)
This weekend, the Bulls begin their six game road trip, first visiting the Idaho Steelheads for a two game weekend series. They will hit up the Utah Grizzlies and the Colorado Eagles for one day tilts then swing through Las Vegas for another weekend series with the Wranglers before heading home. They will have two new players joining their roster following the trade movements that began the week. Forward Bryan Cameron joins the Bulls after having been reassigned by the Calgary Flames and is expected to beef up the goal tallies. Dallas Stars prospect and former Steelhead forward Tristan King will make his debut Friday night against his former team on the Bulls offensive line and also needs to produce if the Bulls want to stay ahead of the Bakersfield Condors for the eighth playoff seed. The success of the team hinges on the chemistry that is generated between these new linemates and the current Bulls roster. The original seven forwards who began the season will each need to play to their strengths in the drive towards a Kelly Cup playoff run.
Forwards:
Peter Sivak
Peter Sivak was the first player signed to the team back in June. The “Slovak Sniper” is a fitting nickname for him, as he knows how to turn on the heat in the neutral zone and get pucks past the minder with rocket precision. He reads the openings, takes them and it has paid off as he leads the team with 46 points in 51 games played. If the Bulls are looking for the late third period goal, Sivak delivers. He has paired well with Ouellet and as the Bulls add offensive depth with King and Cameron, expect the point streak to continue into the playoffs.
Rookie ECHL All-Star Dean Ouellet photo C. Hamann
Dean Ouellet in his rookie year is off to an impressive start. He has the distinction of being the first Bulls player named to the ECHL All-Star team for the 2012-2013 season and he leads the team along with Sivak in points with 23 goals and 21 assists. Ouellet finds the open ice and makes himself available for the pass. He is a fluid skater and his deft hands allow him to beat the defence. Ouellet’s drive to the net and his leadership off the ice in bridging the gap with his French-speaking teammates earned him the “A” on his sweater.
(Photo: Dr. John Kelley, NOAA/NOS/COOPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The name on the front, is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back. The name on the front is USA as today marks the 33rd anniversary of one of the greatest moments in US hockey history: ‘Miracle on Ice’ .
A few Pink Puck recommendations to celebrate 1980 US Olympic Hockey:
1. The obvious, pop in Disney’s “Miracle” and spend the night quoting your favorite hockey movie.
2. Grab a copy of “The Boys of Winter” by Wayne Coffey and read about the team, with a forward from Jim Craig.
3. Hit the rink and check out hockey live, tonight’s schedules AHL, NHL or ECHL
[tubepress video=”QX5hiem8YBU”]
Looking to add a piece of 1980 Olympic memorabilia to your collection? Team Captain Mike Eruzione will be auctioning off pieces of equipment, including jerseys and the stick used to score the game winning goal above!
For many a player, the decision to hit the ice comes at a young age. While the memory of lacing your skates for the first time is one that remains with you throughout your playing career; the thought of never lacing up your skates again in a game setting is one not welcomed and possibly feared by many.
A player plays through the levels, through middle school, possibly onto high school and then the last game of your senior year is upon you. No matter how passionate you are for the game, it doesn’t guarantee you a slot on a collegiate or professional roster. If your last name won’t appear on an NHL jersey, that doesn’t mean you need to give up your playing career entirely either.
In skates club hockey, an often overlooked opportunity for players to continue playing in a competitive setting. Boston University senior Nick Kontos joined the club team as a freshman, skating and loving club hockey for four seasons. Those four seasons have earned him the respect of his teammates on the ice as he currently serves as captain; but also a hands on experience from the management side of the locker room. Nick kindly took the time to share with us the benefits of pursuing club hockey and how it enhanced his collegiate experience.
The Pink Puck: You’re the Captain for the BU club team, being captain is quite the responsibility. What is the best thing about wearing the “C” and representing BU?
Nick Kontos: The profile pictures, and the new nickname “Captain K”.
The Pink Puck: For those that are unfamiliar, what is ‘club hockey’?
NK: Club hockey is a student funded organization. The school will chip in a little, but for the most part it is funded by player’s dues. The team is composed of a president, vice president, treasurer and secretary who run the team. The coach is hired by the players and paid through player dues. The school has the right to disallow an unqualified coaching hire but for the most part they just act as an intermediary. It is important to note that the BU Club Ice Hockey team is not the JV team. We are not run through the athletics office. We are under the jurisdiction of club sports which is a separate entity. We are run more similarly to the chess club than a varsity team in the way which the organization is student run with an adviser for support. The players run the back end organization rather than coaches and staff.
The Pink Puck: Many people don’t see it as a “real league”, what would you say to dispel those thoughts?
NK: Not considering club hockey a real league would be saying the same thing as local junior leagues such as the AJHL, EJHL, or EMJHL are not leagues because the talent is not up to par with the Q or the USHL- it would be like saying Division 3 leagues aren’t real leagues. Many teams are very competitive and play 30 games a season, due to BU rules we are only allowed to play 20. The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is the governing body of club hockey (comparable to the NCAA), under that we are part of the North East College Hockey Association (NECHA). The league we play in under the NECHA is the Patriot East which consists of Boston University, Boston College, UConn Amherst, Endicott, Northeastern, and Bryant. It is one of the strongest D2 club hockey leagues in the country, and last year Northeastern went onto compete at nationals.
The Pink Puck: What are the general requirements to join the team? Does the majority of your players have a strong hockey background?
NK: Everyone on the team tried out and made the team. We get about 30-40 kids who try out for the team each year so you have to be a good player to make the cut. We are a competitive hockey team, not an intramural sport that anyone can join.
A loss is rarely met with celebration in the NHL, but for Oilers forward Ryan Smyth, today is the exception. Ryan Smyth who turned 37 today and had 599 career points with the Edmonton Oilers going into tonight’s game, a fact his son brought up this morning at the breakfast table when he asked his father to give himself a little birthday present – a goal.
Even though the Oilers fell short of a win, losing 3-1 to the Minnesota Wild after Matt Cullen netted 2 goals and an assist, Smyth scored the Oilers lone tally and his 600th career point as an Oiler.
Smyth’s son also requested his father kept himself out of the sin bin on his birthday. Though Smyth managed to honor this request, his young teammate Taylor Hall could not.
Hall hit Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck with what appeared to be knee or thigh on knee contact late in the 3rd, injuring Clutterbuck and earning himself 5 minutes for kneeing and a 10 misconduct. Clutterbuck was unable to make it off the ice on his own accord, being helped off the ice to a stretcher waiting for him in the zamboni bay. Hall may face a suspension if the hit is deemed to be intentional knee-on-knee and may not be available when the Oilers take on the Phoenix Coyotes this Saturday at 12:30 pm PST.
As I sit and watch any hockey game, I notice that my eyes will travel to the side of the rink. This is where they search and find the advertising word.
On side boards everywhere are painted the advertising words of today. Printed in bold and coloured letters, they surround the rink like a mother boa protecting her baby. The advertising giants use these boards to announce new products, reinstate old ones and to make you aware of their image.
This kind of advertising was not always done. Back in the 70’s the boards were bare and mostly white. Imagine an ice rink with no printed words on or around it?
That changed in the late 70’s when companies realized the white boards could produce some income. Ads started to appear as early as the 80’s. Writing company’s logos and names right on the ice started later in the 1990’s.
Lets not forget the most major advertising of them all. The re-naming of an arena. While there have been many, two major name changes initially come to mind, the first in Canada- G.M. Place to Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC. While the other one in the U.S, around 2011 the Buffalo Sabres moved from the HSBC arena to the First Niagara Centre.
I know that it’s all about the mighty dollar. I have realized that hockey is not just a team sport anymore and it hasn’t been for years. It is a sport where millions are spent and lost. Where advertising deals with big bucks and even a name can be changed for a price.
All I am asking for is advertising that fits my I.Q. level, that makes me think and even entertains me! Advertising should enhance the sport and be part of it. Having an ad just on a blank board is not always great, the advertising product or service should be connected to the sport in some way, otherwise the ad is kind of dumb.
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