Showing posts with label AHL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AHL. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Sad day in hockeyville

After 20 years of NHL service, Quoteless Joe is hangin' 'em up. Joe Sakic by all accounts was a really wonderful guy to be around and one hell of a player. He always reminded me of Steve Yzerman with his style and class. Joe, you'll be missed.

In other news, the Iowa Chops have been "involuntarily suspended for the 2009-10 season by the league’s Board of Governors, effective July 6, 2009." I find this more than odd. What will the players do? There isn't a lot of information out there regarding what actually happened other than by laws violations. Hmm...

Lot of signings lately - some don't make a lot of sense and some are just down funny. Pronger for 7 years with the Bullies? He'll fit in nicely. I think he just missed the orange. At least he managed to wear a tie (*coughCartercough*)

From the Puck Daddy files - in talking about NHL 10:

That said, the "after the whistle" function is pretty much the greatest thing to happen to video gaming since the invention of giant apes throwing barrels at Italian plumbers. Face washes, cheap shots, putting the puck on the goalie after the whistle ... so, Claude Lemieux Mode then?

* * *

Still no word on the Patrick Kane mouthpiece ripping feature. Maybe it's hidden ...


I love gamers with a sense of humor. Also watching PKane get his mouth guard swatted from his mouth will never get old.

I know we'll eventually get around to posting the free agent grades, but we probably should talk about them first right?

Until next time,
only a handful of weeks until Olympic training camps!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Believe!

That is the phrase that millions of citizens of Penguins Nation are saying today, as am I; however, there are quite a few fans from Moose Country in the AHL that are also quite happy this morning.

Our boys from up in the Peg also faced elimination last night in the form of the Calder Cup Finals last night; but they found it in themselves to get down to some srs bzns and they were able beat the Hershey Bears in Game 5. They'll head back to Manitoba for Game 6 on Friday night and hopefully there will be a game 7 in that series as well.

Friday night will be a busy one on the internet and in my living room watching the Pens try to parlay last night's craziness and passion into a win; as well as keeping up with the Moose on the net. I just wish that the NHL network was showing the games... hell, I wish they showed more games in general from the AHL on there.

After Saturday night I was down and I'll admit I had some serious doubts about how the Pens would come back out after getting the crap kicked out of them. Does that make me a bad fan? No, it makes me realistic; but I was very happy to see that they were so focused and driven last night. I shouldn't have doubted Steve and Co. though; considering the way this team has come back from so many ups and downs this season that they should be renamed the Weebles... Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

Anywho... that was about from me this morning. Oh, and one more thing that is very LOLZ-worthy for a Pens fan. The Flyers have agreed to terms for a one year deal with ticking time-bomb Ray Emery. It seems that they want him to come back from his self imposed exile in Russia and see if he can do better than Marty Biron did this year. Um... okay; it should be very interesting to see how and even if he meshes with that bunch there in Philly. All I can say is that I can't think of a team that deserves him more.

Have a good one, y'all and GO PENS!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Give me an A.... an H.... an L!

Yes, my friends... the AHL is now into the second round of the playoffs, and I hope it's going to be as exciting as the first.

Atlantic Division Finals – Series “I” (best-of-7)
A2-Providence Bruins vs. A4-Worcester Sharks

Game 1 – Tue., Apr. 28 – Worcester at Providence, 3-2 P-Bruins in OT
Game 2 – Wed., May 6 – Providence at Worcester, 7:05
Game 3 – Fri., May 8 – Worcester at Providence, 7:05
Game 4 – Sat., May 9 – Providence at Worcester, 7:05
*Game 5 – Mon., May 11 – Worcester at Providence, 7:05
*Game 6 – Wed., May 13 – Providence at Worcester, 7:05
*Game 7 – Thu., May 14 – Worcester at Providence, 7:05


This one is hard for me to choose who to root for since there are a whole lot of WHL boys and former Tips on both teams; but I have to give my support to the P-Bruins since I know Zach Hamill a lot better.

East Division Finals – Series “J” (best-of-7)
E1-Hershey Bears vs. E3-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Game 1 – Sat., May 2 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 3 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 5:00
Game 3 – Wed., May 6 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Game 4 – Fri., May 8 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., May 9 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 6 – Sun., May 10 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 5:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 12 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00


No question... have to go with Curry, Caputi, and all the rest of the baby Pens.

North Division Finals – Series “K” (best-of-7)
N1-Manitoba Moose vs. N3-Grand Rapids Griffins

Game 1 – Fri., May 1 – Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 2 – Sat., May 2 – Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 3 – Mon., May 4 – Manitoba at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Game 4 – Wed., May 6 – Manitoba at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 5 – Fri., May 8 – Manitoba at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sun., May 10 – Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8:30
*Game 7 – Tue., May 12 – Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8:30


GO MOOSE GO! GO MOOSE GO! They're the baby Canucks and with our good pals Shaun Heshka, Taylor Ellington and Michael Grabner on the team as well as their crusty captain Mike Keane and fabulous goalie Cory Schneider, I'm going with the boys from the Peg.

West Division Finals – Series “L” (best-of-7)
W1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. W3-Houston Aeros

Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 30 – Houston at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 2 – Sat., May 2 – Houston at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 3 – Tue., May 5 – Milwaukee at Houston, 8:05
Game 4 – Thu., May 7 – Milwaukee at Houston, 8:05
*Game 5 – Fri. or Sat., May 8 or 9 – Milwaukee at Houston, 8:35
*Game 6 – Mon., May 11 – Houston at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 7 – Wed., May 13 – Houston at Milwaukee, 8:00

And last but not least is the West, and as good as Milwaukee is, I have to pick Houston. They might be a little tired from their long series with Peoria, but I think they're scrappy enough that they could pull this off.

But that is about all from me today. Lisa and I will getting together and posting our predictions for round 2 of the big boys; we did not do too bad on round one!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

West Coast Story

As Lisa said, I have been following the Ducks and Sharks quite closely. In the three games played so far, it's been quite entertaining and the fans have definitely gotten their money's worth, especially those of Les Canards. To be quite honest, as much as I love the team I was a bit surprised that they were able to get out of the SharkTank with both wins; but considering how they stormed through the last few weeks of the season, I'm not totally shocked.

The best game of all has been game 3, which was the first one that the Sharks have won; but it was still a dog fight from the word go. It was also an amazing display of offense from defenseman who scored 5 of the 7 goals that night as well as 4 of the assists. Also scoring was PattyMarleau for the first time, which was nice to see, even as a Duck fan.

So tonight, they're back at the Pond for game 4, and I hope that the Ducks can take a 3-1 lead; but I have a feeling that even if they do lose the Sharkies won't go down easy.

Since Lisa talked about the rest of the NHL schedule for tonight, I'll go with the A. In the AHL tonight, three teams that have ties to the Silvertips are going for a third win and a lead in their series: Riley Armstrong and the Worchester Sharks, Zach Hamill and the Providence Bruins; and Taylor Ellington and Shaun Heshka with the Manitoba Moose.

There was a barn burner last night with the Peoria Rivermen and the Houston Aeros in game 5 with Mitch Love, John Lammers and the Aeros coming back from down two goals to win in overtime. Now they will go for the series win on Saturday night.

So, it's almost lunch time here in the NW corner of the country and I'll leave you with a few clips I have found...

Marty Broduer's hissy fit...


Mike Commodore not quite timing this hip check right...


and the handshake and interview with Alex Burrows from Tuesday night in St. Louis. Be sure to watch it in HD... it's lovely!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

We're off to see the Wizard....

First I would like to give a big shout out to the Columbus Blue Jackets for capturing their very first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jackets and quite a few of their players are on the list of favorites here at Chica Central; and no one more than the captain, Mr. Richard Nash, who tied the game to give them that last point that they needed to clinch.

This is a picture I took of Ricky at the Draft two years ago when it was in CBJ; and Lisa and I drove down from MI so I could watch two of my Tips boys get drafted. It was big fun and if you're ever there, eat at Schmidt's Sausage Haus. Okay so it was the only restaurant that we ate at besides Waffle House, but I love German food and it was good. Anyway... here is Ricky...



Also going on this week is the last week of games for the AHL; as well as the ECHL will be opening up their quest for the Kelly Cup this weekend. Why is this important you ask? Well, there are a handful of former Tips are playing in the A and the E and we still love our boys here in Hooterville long after they're gone... just ask Mitch Love. :)

So tomorrow starts the series of Moises Guiterrez and the Elmira Jackals vs. the Trenton Devils; though our pal Mo is on the 30 day IR as of last week. I'm still trying to find out what happened, and hopefully he will be able to return soon. Then on Saturday is the Victoria Salmon Kings with Dan Gendur vs. the Idaho Steelheads. Danny's had a pretty good rookie season up in Victoria, which I'm sure is no doubt due to it being his hometown, and he probably gets to live at home with his mom taking care of him.

Then over in the AHL, it's still not quite decided yet for our pal Mitch, John Lammers and the Houston Aeros; but they have a good shot of getting in tomorrow night. They'll join Riley Armstrong and the Worcester Sharks, Zach Hamill and the Providence Bruins; and the favorite team here in Hooterville, the Manitoba Moose with Shaun Heshka and our good pal Taylor Ellington. Tay hasn't played yet for the Moose and may not in the playoffs, but it's good for him to be up there. The only former Tip that I know of that is playing in the A that won't be in the playoffs is Leland Irving. His Quad City boys have had a good run as of late, but they are just going to run out of time.

I love playoffs time... it's always fun when the playoff races are actually races; and you are rooting for teams to win that you'd cut your tongue out than admit you were rooting for, other than the fact that the team they're playing is neck and neck with YOUR team.

So, to bookend today's post with the Blue Jackets, I'll give you a little bit of funny with a former BlueJacket turned Atlanta Thrasher Ron Hainsey. Just watch it... it's funny. :) Have a good day kids!


Monday, March 30, 2009

Whoooooooooo!

I have a feeling that Tay will probably not be joining us tomorrow and for sure Wednesday night, and I'm okay with that... I got my hug two weeks ago! *shakes pom poms* I &hearts you Ellie and I'm so proud of you!!

From the Silvertips website...
Everett Silvertips Vice President / General Manager Doug Soetaert announced Monday that 20 year old defenseman Taylor Ellington will be joining the Vancouver Canucks' AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, following the conclusion of his Everett Silvertips career. He is expected to arrive in Winnipeg on Wednesday.

As one of three 20- year-olds retained by the Silvertips this season, Ellington was appointed as an alternate captain prior to the start of the season and contributed with a fine campaign, posting career highs of 69 games played, six goals, 26 assists and 32 points. His efforts made him a deserving co-recipient along with Shane Harper of the Silvertips' Most Valuable Player Award, acknowledging his standout performance in leading the Silvertips to their sixth consecutive playoff appearance.

Through five seasons and a franchise-record 287 games played in a Silvertips uniform, the rugged defenseman finished with 14 goals and 52 assists for 66 points, along with 371 penalty minutes. Standing in at 6'2 and weighing 209 pounds, Ellington received several accolades throughout his junior career, including invitations to the 2006 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge and the 2007 Home Hardware CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game.

Ellington was selected in the third round (41st overall) in Everett's renowned 2003 WHL Bantam Draft that produced future first round NHL selections in Zach Hamill (Boston), Peter Mueller (Phoenix) and Leland Irving (Calgary) as well as early NHL selections in Ellington (Vancouver) and Brady Calla (Florida).

A Victoria, BC native, Taylor was selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks and signed a three-year entry contract with Vancouver on March 13th.




Monday, February 23, 2009

Have another donut, you fat pig!

Lisa is in a training class all day so I am flying solo here today at CaP.

Well, the dirty dirty Rangers have finally canned Tom Renney and one of his assistant coaches. I'm not shocked about it, just that it took this long for them to do it. Over at TSN, they say that John Tortorella could likely take over as the new coach and the New York Post is speculating that Jim Schoenfeld, who works in the Rangers' front office, could be the choice. Personally either would be quite funny to watch up there going head to head with Glen Sather. I love Slats, but you don't fuck with him.

Penguins lost to the Craps yesterday and I don't know why Bylsma started Fleury. He was kind of shaky against Philly the day before and as much as the media blow Richards, Carter and company, they're nothing compared to the firepower of Ovie, Semin and Feds. I do have to say that it was interesting and quite refreshing to see Bing get in Ovie's face; because as much as I love him, Mr. Crosby is way too wooden for his own good sometimes.

Only one NHL game tonight and not only is it an early game, but it's on Versucks. Meh... hopefully there is something on.

But before I sign off for today... there is a nice article over at the AHL site about one of my former Tips boys, Leland Irving, who plays with the QuadCity Flames. He is second among all AHL rookies with a 2.35 GAA, he's a sweet kid from a wonderful family and I know he's gonna make it to the Show some day.

Hopefully y'all get through the day!