A Time for Every Season

As all twelve of you who read this blog may have noticed, it has been awhile since I posted anything over here. It should be known by now that I do the bulk of my writing over at Hockey Wilderness. This season, however, will be different. This site is going to go dormant. I am not going to shut the site down completely, but instead just throw some moth balls around the floor and hang some cedar panels to keep the smell down.

Please, join the growing following over at the Wilderness. SBN (the parent site) has joined forces with many high power news groups including Yahoo! sports and CBS sports to bring Hockey Wilderness posts out the the widest audience possible.

I thank each and every one of you who supported this site from its infancy. Through all of the self-doubt, the questions about motive, the questions about whether or not this was a solid way to start a career. Turns out, it was a great way to make contacts, meet a few of the high power players, and to hash out a writing style.

I am begging all of you to continue the fight to make sure blogs are relevant in the discussion. Make sure you support your favorite sites, and increase the pressure on NHL teams to include bloggers in their media credentialing.

That's it from here. Thank you all again for the support, and I truly hope you will join us over at Hockey Wilderness.

-Buddha

PS- You can also find my journalistic side at Pro Hockey News. Please visit there as well and send me any comments or story suggestions at the email listed on each story.

Predictions: Boy, I was Wrong

The season has ended, the awards have been... awarded. Let's take a quick peek at just how badly I did with my predictions:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Division Titles:

Northwest Division - Calgary Flames (Nope. Vancouver. Gag.)

Pacific Division - Dallas Stars (Nope. San Jose.)

Central Division - Detroit Red Wings (Yep. That's one.)

Other playoff teams: Wild (Nope), Sharks (yep), Ducks (Yep), Blackhawks (Yep), and we'll throw a bone to Edmonton (Nope), but only because everyone else in the conference is terrible.

Western Conference Champs: Dallas Stars (Everyone else is picking the Wings, I can't be part of the pack.) (Yeah... no. Taking a point away from myself for this horrific pick)

Western Conference Total: Four right, Five wrong minus one for being stupid = 3 right, 5 wrong.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division - Pittsburgh Penguins (Yep.) (NOPE!!!!)

Author's note... as pointed out by KiPA in the comments, the Penguins did NOT in fact, win the Atlantic. So not only did I get the Prediction wrong, but I can't read a standings board either.

Northeast Division - Montreal Canadiens (Nope. Boston.)

Southeast Division - Washington Capitals (Yep.)

Other playoff teams: NJ Devils (Yep), Philadelphia Flyers (Yep), Ottawa Senators (Nope.)... and simply because they will stumble in... Buffalo Sabres (Nope) and um... say the Hurricanes? (yep)

Eastern Conference Champs - I should go with the Penguins, because they are the best team. However, I'm going with the Habs, because I want them to. (Nope. Should have stuck with my gut here.)

Eastern Conference Score: 4 Right, 5 wrong.


Stanley Cup Champions - Montreal Canadiens - I make this pick because I love hockey, and I really want to see it happen. Despite the odds being long, the story is too perfect to pass on.

(Yeah... not even close. Minus one more stupid point.)

Standings Total: 9 Right, 9 Wrong, -2 stupid points = 7 Right, Nine Wrong. Not bad, not bad.

On to the awards:

Hart Trophy (league MVP)- Alexander Ovechkin (Yep)

Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP)- Saku Koivu (Yeah... NOPE. Evegeni Malkin.)

Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) - Steven Stamkos (Nope. Steve Mason.)

Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) - Dion Phaneuf (Nope. Chara)

Lady Byng (Most Gentlemanly) - Pavol Datsyuk (Yep)

Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) - Martin Brodeur (Nope. Tim Thomas, but I got robbed here. Stupid old man shoulder.)

Selke Trophy (Defensive Forward) - Mikko Koivu (Nope. Pavol Datsyuk)

Jack Adams Award (Best Coach) - Carbaneu (Nope. Claude Julien, Boston. So I was kind of right, because it went to the guy who made the playoffs, but was not supposed to.)

Art Ross Trophy (Most Points) - Alexander Ovechkin (Nope. Malkin)

Maurice Richard Trophy (Most goals) - Alexander Ovechkin (Yep)

William Jennings Trophy (Lowest GAA) - Chris Osgood (Nope. Tim Thomas / Manny Fernandez)

Awards Score: 3 Right, 8 Wrong.

Final Score: 11 Right, 18 wrong - 2 Stupid points = 9 Right, 18 Wrong.

Ouch.

Stanley Cup and Superstar Fisticuffs

It is funny sometimes what spurs the mind of a hockey fan. If you know me, or read any of my work, you know that I have not watched much of the playoffs. I found it difficult to get invested with the Wild out, and with the season the Wild had. Even a new GM, and a search for a coach couldn't pull me back in any more than enough to post here and at Hockey Wilderness, maybe an article or two for PHN.

Until last night.

I watched game two of the finals. I watched the skill with which these two teams can play. I watched the puck bounce, heard the skates cutting ice, if I had Willie Wonka's smell-o-vision, it would have been perfect.

I actually got involved in the game. I was awed, I was stunned, I was frustrated with poor reffing. I was ready to punch the NBC commentary team in the chops. "The refs really have not been an issue in this series." Really? They were a pretty big part of game two, and in the finals, being a big part of any game make them a part of the series.

Take for example Henrik Zetteberg's save on Crosby and freezing of the puck in the crease in the third period. From KiPA over at Hitting the Post, the rule reads:

Rule 67 - Handling Puck

67.4 Penalty Shot - If a player, except a goalkeeper, while play is in progress, falls on the puck, holds the puck, picks up the puck, or gathers the puck into his body or hands from the ice in the goal crease area, the play shall be stopped immediately and a penalty shot shall be awarded to the non-offending team.

I have a DVR. If you don't, you need one. HDTV + DVR = ability to make the call better than a ref. I went frame by frame, seeing the puck come in and watching as it hits Zetterberg and go underneath him. It pops out a bit and you can see the puck under his right arm as he lays in a prone position along the goal line. The ref does the right thing in blowing the play dead. No way he could see the puck.

I kept waiting to see the arm point to center ice for a Sid-the-Kid Stanley Cup Finals one on one with Chris Osgood.

Nothing. Face off to Ozzy's right. What? Who? When? They even reviewed the play and still didn't get it right. Not sure they can award a shot on a review, but they should have been able to see the puck come out from under Zetterberg when he stood up.

I personally think the puck went in the net, but there is no video evidence of that. Unless of course, you count the look Zetterberg gave the in goal camera as if to say, "Shit." Every parent has seen it, the look of, "Dammit. Busted."

No goal. Play continues.

I won't go into the goonery of Marion hossa, but it is suffice to say he played like a player with much less talent than he has. Like he was missing a step and using his stick to make it up. The refs let him play. hooking, holding, slashing. Ugh. Make the call boys.

Then, at the end of the game, perfection.


On a shot from way outside, Max Talbot crashes the net and gives Chris Osgood a nice little shot to the chest. Dumb move. Late in the game, play blown dead, he takes a shot at the goaltender. Bad move. Ozzy does his best Greg Louganis impression and gets a ten from the Russian judge on the dive. Scrum ensues, as should be expected.

Then, out of nowhere here is Evgeni Malkin ripping off Henrik Zetterberg's helmet and dropping the gloves. Malkin and Zetterberg. Let me say that again. Malkin and Zetterberg. As in, two of the highest paid, most talented players the game has ever seen, and they are throwing punches at each other. What more could a hockey fan ask for?

Two guys, at the height of competitive fervor, emotions running as high as they can, frustration, anger, bitterness. All come to a head and come out in the fists of Malkin and Zetterberg.

Pure hockey ecstasy. And enough to pull me back in. Thanks boys, I needed that.

A Quick Thought on The S Word

Earlier today I wrote about the allegation of steroid use by the Washington Capitals. This allegation came from the lips of a soon to be convicted drug dealer, and is to be taken with a grain of salt.

What I would like to take a moment to ponder together is this.

Why is the hockey media not covering this story? Is it due to the lack of details, or is it more likely due to the fact that even "mainstream" hockey media may be slipping when it comes to covering what we care about?

Take this example. ESPN has it listed on their site, but only on the main NHL page, not on the main ESPN page. Of course, this is understandable since the NBA playoffs are going on, and we all know that basketball is the king of all sports, right? TSN reports the basic story with a few quotes thrown in for good measure. Keep in mind that TSN is owned, at least in part, by ESPN, so this is no surprise either.

My Google Reader is set to pull in headlines from every hockey market across the NHL. The only newspapers reporting on this story are simply posting the AP wire version. No in depth reporting, no questioning, nothing more.

Come on folks, the guy said he sold them to the Nationals, too. Baseball. Popular sport. Where's the coverage? Or has steroids simply become so common place in baseball that it doesn't even warrant a story.

The best source of information? And this is a tribute, not a condemnation.

Puck Daddy.

Welcome to the new world order.

-Buddha

*Author's note* If I have missed a report on this story, please post it in the comments.

The S Word

Skimming through the headlines provided to me by the great and powerful Google Reader this morning, judging the new books by their respective covers, when a headline popped out and riled me up just a bit.

Authorities trumpet massive steroids bust in Polk

Now, we live in the "steroid era" in baseball, and have watched as many of the so called heroes of my youth turned out to be nothing but shrinking testicle frauds. We have watched as baseball has become the national joke rather than the national pass time. We have watched with inner sadness as the home run record fell to players accused of using these same performance enhancers. The end result is simple, lack of trust in baseball and it's players.

The shock waves spread throughout the sports world, with all fans questioning whether or not their favorite super-stars were juiced. NFL, NBA, and NHL fans were mostly comforted to know that their players have submitted to tests since well before MLB ever dreamed of it.

NHL fans were comforted further by the knowledge that the culture of the league made cheaters outcasts, and limited our belief that guys could be taking steroids. Of course, there are always players who will do so, such as Sean Hill who served his time, played one final season with the Wild and is now overseas. Be it because he was a semi-talent at best, or because of the steroid cloud following him, he is no longer in the NHL.

Fans of hockey have always counted on the honor of the game to keep us safe from the questioning and sadness associated with baseball.

Until today.

Samara Sotos says that the people busted with the illegal steroids claim that "he is the biggest steroid provider in Central Florida and that he sold mostly to professional athletes, including those on the Washington Capitals hockey team and Washington Nationals baseball team."

Ouch. The Caps? As in the Washington Capitals? As in the NHL Washington Capitals? As in... STEROIDS IN HOCKEY?

I truly hope this claim is just the incessant bragging of an illegal drug dealer attempting to make himself bigger than he already is. If it turns out that players for the Caps actually took steroids, my only hope is that the players who did not take them band together and run the guilty parties out of town.

If it turns out any stars took them, well, I don;t even have the words to express what that will do to the game, the fans, and to me personally.

Steroids? Really guys?

-Buddha

Continuing Media Coverage of the GM Announcement

In my ongoing experiment to show the hockey blog reading world (all 12 of you) just how crazy the hockey media world goes over a story, here is the latest coverage of the GM announcement, a story that has pushed even the playoffs off of center stage. Keep in mind, none of them are saying anything different than anyone else.

On the Forecheck

Steel City Sports Fan

KXMB TV (Bismark)

Pioneer Press - Apparently they needed to wake Shipley up from hibernation.

Ohio.com

Associated Press

Inside Pittsburgh Sports

Faceoff-Factor

The Rink

Pensburgh

So. Today we have the coverage from the Pioneer Press that we should have had yesterday, we have coverage in Bismark, and we have several websites no one knew existed. The strong indication is also that this is playing as a bigger deal in Pittsburgh than it is here in Minnesota, which is disappointing. This is likely due to the fact that despite being the "State of Hockey," Minnesotans really could care less once the temp rises above 50 degrees.

Press conference at 4PM, streaming live on Wild.com. See you there.

-Buddha

Wild to Announce new GM

The Minnesota Wild will announce Chuck Fletcher as their new GM. A press conference is scheduled for Friday at 4PM. This is one of those stories that will be covered by every news outlet in the world. The news has been covered pretty well, so I will refer you to that:

Hockey Wilderness

Russo (from Hawaii no less)

Hitting the Post

Puck Daddy

Illegal Curve

T3I (Ms. Conduct's report)

Pro Hockey News

TSN

ESPN

The Hockey News

And this is just the beginning. More tomorrow... over at the Wilderness most likely.