Release of 2012-13 schedule belies labor strife, NHL indifference to Wild
By Wild Road Tripper
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- They still just don't get it.
With their season possibly headed for shortening due to labor strife, the NHL released their 2012-2013 schedule Thursday morning, to a round of 'Huh?' from fans of the Minnesota Wild.
The League did the Wild absolutely NO favors, as not only did they fail to appreciate the instant interest that two games vs. the Winnipeg Jets had last season, they stuck the Wild with two games vs. the lowly New York Islanders, for the second straight season. (They might have actually felt sorry for Charles Wang's forlorn hockey club, as the Isles beat the Wild twice last season.)
Yes, they scheduled two games (home and home) also with the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins (the game at the 'X' in St. Paul, January 19, probably to be proclaimed 'Hockey Day Minnesota') but to leave the Jets off the schedule in St. Paul, does take a bit of explaining from the head office in Manhattan.
Other than that, the annual visit of the Disney on Ice troupe in early December will once again leave the Wild traversing the Southwest, just as winter begins its' grip on the Upper Midwest. But, even worse than that is the 12-day, 6-city marathon beginning in Tampa Bay on Nov. 3 (leaving Minnesota the previous day) and ending in Philadelphia on Nov. 12. They play in Tampa, Boston, the Rangers, Detroit, Newark (vs. the NJ Devils), and Philly before heading for home.
As for the 'traditional' games, other than the HDM game noted above, the other dates to note are:
Home Opener -- Oct. 13 (Colorado)
'Black Friday' -- Nov. 23 (Toronto)
New Years' Eve -- Dec. 31 (Edmonton)
'Hockey Day America' -- Feb. 17 (Detroit)
Last Home Game -- Apr. 13 (Columbus)
33 of the 41 home games are 7:00 PM starts. Of the other eight games, four are 5:00 PM starts, two games at 8:00 PM, and one each at 6:30 PM (Detroit, Feb. 17) and one lone afternoon game (Saturday, March 23, vs. San Jose).
Other points of note: One game of the 12 against the two Alberta teams (Calgary and Edmonton) is played prior to the New Year, as are two of the 6 games against Vancouver. By contrast, the six games vs. Colorado are fairly spread out throughout the schedule. The Wild have only one inter-conference game after Feb. 6, so if they are going to actually make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2013, they will have to do it on their own, by beating the other teams in their own conference again, and again.
And, unlike last season, when the Wild played most of their last two weeks at home, this season the Wild play five of their last seven on the road, in a final 5-game, 9-day gasser, with games in all four time zones. And, the final game of that stretch is their second game at Detroit, who never treat the Wild well, no matter how well the Red Wings are doing otherwise.
But, the reality is that until the NHL and the Players' Association can come to agreement on how to slice up that revenue souffle' that's being served up, there may not even BE a season to complain about a schedule over. The fact of the matter remains, that if Don Fehr and Gary Bettman can't get along, we'll all be sitting home, wondering what would have really happened in those two games against the lowly Islanders.
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Flyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia Flyers. Show all posts
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Wild Wild West: NHL media can't deal with Minnesota, ignores them on radio, TV
While still promoting Caps, Flyers, Rangers and Penguins, NHL, accompanying media all but totally ignore Minnesota Wild 2011 season success story
By Wild Road Tripper
Hey, Minnesota! You have a team that's in first place this morning. One small problem, however:
They don't wear purple, and they sure as hell aren'tasking begging for threatening to leave for Los Angeles if they don't get wanting a $1 Billion stadium.
Your Minnesota Wild are in first place in the NHL's Western Conference today. They are one point (as of Sunday morning, Dec. 4) out of first place in the entire National Hockey League. And this is with a talent level which most NHL pundits say are all smoke and mirrors.
Yet, watch NHL-produced programming. Watch 'NHL: On The Fly', the nightly show produced and shown on the NHL Network. Watch 'Hockey Night in Canada'. Watch any NHL-produced program. What do you see?
Sidney Crosby. Sidney Crosby, and Ovechkin. Ovie, and Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky, and Scott Hartnell. All Pens, all the time. All Rangers. Caps ad nauseum. And the NBC Sports Channel (soon-to-be-formerly-called Versus) may as well be 'the national channel of your Philadelphia Flyers.'
Yes, the VERSUS schedule has featured the Wild, but only to feature the stars of the opposing team (Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, Washington) or just to fill a time slot (Colorado in January and March, Anaheim in February, LA in February). Not one game against any Western Conference opponent that would actually feature the Wild's up-and-coming stars, as opposed to the likes of Sid The Kid, Vinny 'I got shut out in Minnesota' Lecavalier, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Joe Thornton, Ovie, et. al.
Even when the league's TV outlets do get around to showing the Wild, it's only as supposed 'cannon fodder' for teams such as Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, and Washington, or to fill a late time slot (such as two games in Colorado, and two home games in February against the two Southern California teams) with something that would be palatable to (very few) US hockey fans.
Not even on the NHL's radio outlets do they get any respect. The Wild frequently get trashed on HNIC radio on SIRIUS and get dissed daily on XM's 'NHL Home Ice' channel. They are routinely dismissed as 'the team that still plays the Trap', years after Jacques Lemaire left the organization, after which they move on to such exciting subjects, as what STK had for breakfast, or the latest (false) Bobby Ryan trade-to-Toronto rumor. When they do run out of real NHL news, they may get to the Wild, only after their latest regurgitation of James Reimer's save percentage, Patrick Kaleta's face-off stats, and after a rambling, 15-to-20-minute phone interview with the latest Ranger to get lost en route to their Rye, NY practice complex. Just don't say a word about Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding, though. That team is playing way-y-y-y over their heads. Never utter a word about Matt Cullen's season, or the kiddie-corps defense in Minnesota. But, we'll be back, right after this Andrei Markov update, live from his surgical suite...
Wild fans will know when this team has been 'accepted' by the NHL media. Just keep winning, guys. Just keep winning, and angering the likes of the uber-Wild-haters, such as E. J. Hradek of NHL Network, and the Denver Post's Adrian Dater. Just keep winning, guys. Because, they all hate you. They hate the fact that the Wild are winning. They hate the fact that statistics don't lie, and that the Wild are at the top of the Western Conference. Sorry, but the Sedins are no longer the be-all-end-all in the Northwest Division.
Maybe, someday, even Gary Bettman will actually like the Wild. (Nah. I doubt that will ever happen.)
By Wild Road Tripper
Hey, Minnesota! You have a team that's in first place this morning. One small problem, however:
They don't wear purple, and they sure as hell aren't
Your Minnesota Wild are in first place in the NHL's Western Conference today. They are one point (as of Sunday morning, Dec. 4) out of first place in the entire National Hockey League. And this is with a talent level which most NHL pundits say are all smoke and mirrors.
Yet, watch NHL-produced programming. Watch 'NHL: On The Fly', the nightly show produced and shown on the NHL Network. Watch 'Hockey Night in Canada'. Watch any NHL-produced program. What do you see?
Sidney Crosby. Sidney Crosby, and Ovechkin. Ovie, and Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky, and Scott Hartnell. All Pens, all the time. All Rangers. Caps ad nauseum. And the NBC Sports Channel (soon-to-be-formerly-called Versus) may as well be 'the national channel of your Philadelphia Flyers.'
Yes, the VERSUS schedule has featured the Wild, but only to feature the stars of the opposing team (Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, Washington) or just to fill a time slot (Colorado in January and March, Anaheim in February, LA in February). Not one game against any Western Conference opponent that would actually feature the Wild's up-and-coming stars, as opposed to the likes of Sid The Kid, Vinny 'I got shut out in Minnesota' Lecavalier, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Joe Thornton, Ovie, et. al.
Even when the league's TV outlets do get around to showing the Wild, it's only as supposed 'cannon fodder' for teams such as Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Jose, and Washington, or to fill a late time slot (such as two games in Colorado, and two home games in February against the two Southern California teams) with something that would be palatable to (very few) US hockey fans.
Not even on the NHL's radio outlets do they get any respect. The Wild frequently get trashed on HNIC radio on SIRIUS and get dissed daily on XM's 'NHL Home Ice' channel. They are routinely dismissed as 'the team that still plays the Trap', years after Jacques Lemaire left the organization, after which they move on to such exciting subjects, as what STK had for breakfast, or the latest (false) Bobby Ryan trade-to-Toronto rumor. When they do run out of real NHL news, they may get to the Wild, only after their latest regurgitation of James Reimer's save percentage, Patrick Kaleta's face-off stats, and after a rambling, 15-to-20-minute phone interview with the latest Ranger to get lost en route to their Rye, NY practice complex. Just don't say a word about Niklas Backstrom or Josh Harding, though. That team is playing way-y-y-y over their heads. Never utter a word about Matt Cullen's season, or the kiddie-corps defense in Minnesota. But, we'll be back, right after this Andrei Markov update, live from his surgical suite...
Wild fans will know when this team has been 'accepted' by the NHL media. Just keep winning, guys. Just keep winning, and angering the likes of the uber-Wild-haters, such as E. J. Hradek of NHL Network, and the Denver Post's Adrian Dater. Just keep winning, guys. Because, they all hate you. They hate the fact that the Wild are winning. They hate the fact that statistics don't lie, and that the Wild are at the top of the Western Conference. Sorry, but the Sedins are no longer the be-all-end-all in the Northwest Division.
Maybe, someday, even Gary Bettman will actually like the Wild. (Nah. I doubt that will ever happen.)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Rarified Air: Wild now 1st in entire NHL as quarter-post nears
In first place and loving it, workman-like Wild keep proving naysayers, NHL scribes wrong
Look at your favorite source for NHL standings, be it NHL.com, TSN.ca, ESPN.com, wherever. The Vancouver Canucks are not atop the Northwest Division this Sunday morning. The Chicago Blackhawks are not leading the Western Conference this morning. The Philadephia Flyers are not atop the NHL league standings this morning.
In fact, there is another team, a team very few chose to even make the playoffs, a team which has gone through three years of upheaval and roster overhaul, in first place in all three categories this Sunday morning.
That team? The Minnesota Wild.
It took time. It took a lot of effort. It took talent, patience and a will to win, no matter what the circumstances. But, the boys in Iron Range Red have once again proved the naysayers and the NHL's media elite (read: anyone based in Toronto, the 'Center of the Hockey Universe') wrong. The Wild have indeed gone 'all in' on Head Coach Mike Yeo's system of play, and they are being rewarded for it. And how.
Yeo's continued emphasis on 'effort' and 'battle zone' has bolstered the talent of this group of mostly kids, kids who came into the season fron the Houston Aeros, where Yeo shaped and molded this team, then drove them to the Calder Cup finals despite being a No. 3 seed in the West going into the post-season.
The Wild's 'kiddie corps' defense -- 4 of their top 6 who played vs. St. Louis Saturday night were under age 25 -- was soundly getting ripped by most media outlets prior to the season's start. The goaltending, considered good, but not great, has been nothing less than spectacular in November, leading the Wild to an 8-2 record since November 1st. The second and third offensive lines have been carrying this team, as the first line has struggled to find itself, most notably captain Mikko Koivu, who got off the schneid Saturday night, with two goals in regulation, and one of the two goals in the shootout to win the game.
Yes, it's a lot easier to cheer when they win like they have. This is a return to the close, low-scoring Wild of years gone by. The Wild still haven't had the offensive explosion that some fans really think this team needs; by contrast, the lack of goals against keeps the Wild in games until the offense gets an opportunity to catch up. Unlike in the Jacques Lemaire era, however, when you lose a player to an injury or a bad night, there is depth in the system to replace the injured/ineffective player, depth that this franchise has never been able to avail itself of.
And, with the future of the franchise looming for the likes of Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Brett Bulmer, all blue-chip prospects who will be with this team at the NHL level within 2-3 years, the future of the Wild has never looked this bright.
So, a little friendly advice from your Road Tripper. Save some vacation days. Got any PTO you can use? Save it. You'll need it for a playoff run. Real soon.
Look at your favorite source for NHL standings, be it NHL.com, TSN.ca, ESPN.com, wherever. The Vancouver Canucks are not atop the Northwest Division this Sunday morning. The Chicago Blackhawks are not leading the Western Conference this morning. The Philadephia Flyers are not atop the NHL league standings this morning.
In fact, there is another team, a team very few chose to even make the playoffs, a team which has gone through three years of upheaval and roster overhaul, in first place in all three categories this Sunday morning.
That team? The Minnesota Wild.
It took time. It took a lot of effort. It took talent, patience and a will to win, no matter what the circumstances. But, the boys in Iron Range Red have once again proved the naysayers and the NHL's media elite (read: anyone based in Toronto, the 'Center of the Hockey Universe') wrong. The Wild have indeed gone 'all in' on Head Coach Mike Yeo's system of play, and they are being rewarded for it. And how.
Yeo's continued emphasis on 'effort' and 'battle zone' has bolstered the talent of this group of mostly kids, kids who came into the season fron the Houston Aeros, where Yeo shaped and molded this team, then drove them to the Calder Cup finals despite being a No. 3 seed in the West going into the post-season.
The Wild's 'kiddie corps' defense -- 4 of their top 6 who played vs. St. Louis Saturday night were under age 25 -- was soundly getting ripped by most media outlets prior to the season's start. The goaltending, considered good, but not great, has been nothing less than spectacular in November, leading the Wild to an 8-2 record since November 1st. The second and third offensive lines have been carrying this team, as the first line has struggled to find itself, most notably captain Mikko Koivu, who got off the schneid Saturday night, with two goals in regulation, and one of the two goals in the shootout to win the game.
Yes, it's a lot easier to cheer when they win like they have. This is a return to the close, low-scoring Wild of years gone by. The Wild still haven't had the offensive explosion that some fans really think this team needs; by contrast, the lack of goals against keeps the Wild in games until the offense gets an opportunity to catch up. Unlike in the Jacques Lemaire era, however, when you lose a player to an injury or a bad night, there is depth in the system to replace the injured/ineffective player, depth that this franchise has never been able to avail itself of.
And, with the future of the franchise looming for the likes of Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Brett Bulmer, all blue-chip prospects who will be with this team at the NHL level within 2-3 years, the future of the Wild has never looked this bright.
So, a little friendly advice from your Road Tripper. Save some vacation days. Got any PTO you can use? Save it. You'll need it for a playoff run. Real soon.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Finland IX: Ramped Up and Amped Up
(In this ninth installment of my blog series leading up to NHL Premiere 2010, featuring the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland, we look at the past week as the date draws closer.)
OK, so we finally are in the home stretch of the planning phase. Now the preparing and packing really begins in earnest.
Last night we attended the pre-trip meeting, an opportunity to meet some of our fellow travellers (a.k.a. crazed Wild fans) in a hospitality area at Xcel Energy Center, then were given the opportunity of remaining in a suite for the pre-season game between the Minnesota Wild and the Philadelphia Flyers, a game which the Wild lost, 3-2, in the shootout.
We have a very diverse group of 110 people travelling in three distinct groups; those, like us, who will get to/from Helsinki on their own; those who will travel via SAS (Scandinavian Airways System) between Minnesota and Finland; and a third group, who will fly Delta/KLM both ways to and from Europe.
They split us up into three bus loads (apparently) for all events, including the trip on Monday night (October 4) to Tampere for the exhibition game vs. the Tampere Lynx (Ilves Tampere); Tuesday's team practice and lunch at Hartwall Areena; the optional trip to Porvoo on Wednesday (my wife and I will not be doing this, we will treat this as a 'lay day' in Helsinki); the two games at Hartwall vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (Thursday and Friday, Oct. 7 & 8); and, most importantly, the all-important airport transfer on Saturday morning, in order to depart Helsinki and get back to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
We were also asked to fill out emergency contact forms (you all know why, if you're over about age 6) and were given a black book-bag style backpack with more pockets than any human being has a right to have. Even has a pocket in the padded shoulder strap itself. If I load every pocket on THIS thing, people might think I've developed apoplexy. This bag would definitely give the TSA people fits, if this thing shows up at the Lindbergh Terminal when we depart Wednesday night.
Already in this bag were the following items:
OK, so we finally are in the home stretch of the planning phase. Now the preparing and packing really begins in earnest.
Last night we attended the pre-trip meeting, an opportunity to meet some of our fellow travellers (a.k.a. crazed Wild fans) in a hospitality area at Xcel Energy Center, then were given the opportunity of remaining in a suite for the pre-season game between the Minnesota Wild and the Philadelphia Flyers, a game which the Wild lost, 3-2, in the shootout.
We have a very diverse group of 110 people travelling in three distinct groups; those, like us, who will get to/from Helsinki on their own; those who will travel via SAS (Scandinavian Airways System) between Minnesota and Finland; and a third group, who will fly Delta/KLM both ways to and from Europe.
They split us up into three bus loads (apparently) for all events, including the trip on Monday night (October 4) to Tampere for the exhibition game vs. the Tampere Lynx (Ilves Tampere); Tuesday's team practice and lunch at Hartwall Areena; the optional trip to Porvoo on Wednesday (my wife and I will not be doing this, we will treat this as a 'lay day' in Helsinki); the two games at Hartwall vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (Thursday and Friday, Oct. 7 & 8); and, most importantly, the all-important airport transfer on Saturday morning, in order to depart Helsinki and get back to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
We were also asked to fill out emergency contact forms (you all know why, if you're over about age 6) and were given a black book-bag style backpack with more pockets than any human being has a right to have. Even has a pocket in the padded shoulder strap itself. If I load every pocket on THIS thing, people might think I've developed apoplexy. This bag would definitely give the TSA people fits, if this thing shows up at the Lindbergh Terminal when we depart Wednesday night.
Already in this bag were the following items:
- an official puck, specially labeled for our group
- a Wild-logo Totes umbrella
- a scarf, with the Wild logo on one side and the NHL Premiere Helsinki logo on the other
We also received a list of who our 'team mates' were for this trip, in a notebook which also doubles as our itinerary, assembled in AAA TripTik style, sort of like a reporters' notebook. We were also given contact information, and the all-important luggage tag for our bag, for the various buses we will have to take during our six days in Helsinki.
We raised more than a few eyebrows, when we said we were only taking carry-on baggage (as we normally do, when travelling in North America) especially after someone asked me why we weren't checking baggage, I replied:
"There's no checked baggage on European trains."
They smiled, and wished us a pleasant trip.
(to be continued)
So what else is new?
New season. Different players. And, so far, same old style of result.
If this is what the Minnesota Wild have in store for their fans this season, it's really a bad harbinger of things to come.
The fact of the matter is that they still will not shoot when shooting lanes develop. This team is still looking for the 'pretty play' goal, the perfect tip-in, the 'wait for the puck' rebound. Yes, I know, it's the pre-season. EX-hibition hockey. So far, what they've ex-hibited after three games is not ex-actly what Coach Todd Richards and his ex-panded staff have wanted to see being ex-pounded by the players.
After Friday night's disasterous trip to St. Louis, where the young, up-and-coming Blues once again demolished the Wild, 5-0, while the Wild watch as Josh Harding blows out two ligaments in his right knee, ending his season, the Wild then come home on Saturday night, and actually score twice, but their lack of effort on the back end allows the Philadelphia Flyers, playing with only a limited amount of their regular lineup (which is standard in the pre-season), to come from behind and win in the shootout, 3-2, as 16,742 (supposedly...looked like about 11,000 in the house to me) saw the Wild end their scoreless streak at just over 122 minutes.
You have to ask yourself: Could the pre-season schedule be strung differently so as to avoid the disasterous start to the season? Yes, teams are limited as to the amount of time available to make roster decisions, and get the team into game shape. And, as we have seen, to also sustain devastating injuries. 4 games in 5 nights is really too much. Even the NHL should know this. So should the NHLPA. This pre-season scheduling issue really needs to be a labor/management issue.
Not saying, just sayin'...
If this is what the Minnesota Wild have in store for their fans this season, it's really a bad harbinger of things to come.
The fact of the matter is that they still will not shoot when shooting lanes develop. This team is still looking for the 'pretty play' goal, the perfect tip-in, the 'wait for the puck' rebound. Yes, I know, it's the pre-season. EX-hibition hockey. So far, what they've ex-hibited after three games is not ex-actly what Coach Todd Richards and his ex-panded staff have wanted to see being ex-pounded by the players.
After Friday night's disasterous trip to St. Louis, where the young, up-and-coming Blues once again demolished the Wild, 5-0, while the Wild watch as Josh Harding blows out two ligaments in his right knee, ending his season, the Wild then come home on Saturday night, and actually score twice, but their lack of effort on the back end allows the Philadelphia Flyers, playing with only a limited amount of their regular lineup (which is standard in the pre-season), to come from behind and win in the shootout, 3-2, as 16,742 (supposedly...looked like about 11,000 in the house to me) saw the Wild end their scoreless streak at just over 122 minutes.
You have to ask yourself: Could the pre-season schedule be strung differently so as to avoid the disasterous start to the season? Yes, teams are limited as to the amount of time available to make roster decisions, and get the team into game shape. And, as we have seen, to also sustain devastating injuries. 4 games in 5 nights is really too much. Even the NHL should know this. So should the NHLPA. This pre-season scheduling issue really needs to be a labor/management issue.
Not saying, just sayin'...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Wild announce 2010-11 Pre-Season Schedule
The Minnesota Wild, as had been previously reported, released their 2010-2011 pre-season schedule. The schedule includes back-to-back games against the St. Louis Blues and the Columbus Blue Jackets, bookending single games vs. Philadelphia (at Xcel Energy Center), and at Montreal. The schedule concludes with an exhibition game, vs. the Finnish SM-liiga team Ilves Tampere at Tampeeren Jaahalli Arena on Monday, Oct. 4, leading into the NHL Premiere pair of games vs. the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki.
The entire release from the Wild 'Propaganda Ministry' may be found here:
http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=531536&navid=DLMINhome
The regular season schdule will be released next Tuesday, June 22nd.
--WRT
The entire release from the Wild 'Propaganda Ministry' may be found here:
http://wild.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=531536&navid=DLMINhome
The regular season schdule will be released next Tuesday, June 22nd.
--WRT
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Chillin' and Thrillin'
Sitting here at home, you wonder 'how cool would it be to have my favorite team in the Stanley Cup Finals'?
Do you wonder that, also? Because, at least in Chicago and (I assume) Philadelphia, these are indeed heady times for Blackhawks and Flyers' fans alike. For the young and speedy Hawks, this is the culmination of years of lousy teams, high draft picks, and dogged perseverance, while the fan base in the Windy City was rebuilt, virtually overnight, from the days of 11,000 (announced) attendances in the cavernous United Center.
For the Flyers, it's been upset after upset -- first New Jersey, then Boston -- and then, a Montreal team who had pulled off two of the largest upsets in NHL playoff history, in back-to-back series (Washington and Pittsburgh), was eschewed by the Flyers in five semi-blowout games.
So now, it all comes to this series. If Game 1 was any indication of what's to come, we are in for a good series with which to send hockey fans into the summer. Don't underestimate what either team can do. They can play the other team's game if they need to. Saturday night in Game 1, Philadelphia played Chicago's game. The Flyers may need to get better at that for Game 2 on Monday night in order for this series to go much beyond the minimum, however.
Defense, anyone?
Do you wonder that, also? Because, at least in Chicago and (I assume) Philadelphia, these are indeed heady times for Blackhawks and Flyers' fans alike. For the young and speedy Hawks, this is the culmination of years of lousy teams, high draft picks, and dogged perseverance, while the fan base in the Windy City was rebuilt, virtually overnight, from the days of 11,000 (announced) attendances in the cavernous United Center.
For the Flyers, it's been upset after upset -- first New Jersey, then Boston -- and then, a Montreal team who had pulled off two of the largest upsets in NHL playoff history, in back-to-back series (Washington and Pittsburgh), was eschewed by the Flyers in five semi-blowout games.
So now, it all comes to this series. If Game 1 was any indication of what's to come, we are in for a good series with which to send hockey fans into the summer. Don't underestimate what either team can do. They can play the other team's game if they need to. Saturday night in Game 1, Philadelphia played Chicago's game. The Flyers may need to get better at that for Game 2 on Monday night in order for this series to go much beyond the minimum, however.
Defense, anyone?
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Now, they play for hardware
OK, the NHL has finally come down to the Conference Finals, which mans at the end of this round, there will be trophies to be handed out. In the East it will be the 'real' trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy; and in the West, the Clarence Campbell Bowl will be somewhat accepted by one of the two combatant teams.
There are so many contrasts in these upcoming series. In the East, it will be the flash and speed of Montreal vs. the 'Beat up at any cost' attitude of Philadelphia. Never mind that the Flyers win the game by making actual hockey plays; that's been secondary since the days of Gary Dornhoefer and 'Battleship' Bob Kelly. The main goal of the Flyers, is to goad their opponents into getting beat up so bad, that they forget about their game. With Montreal, however, having already taken out two teams (Washington and Pittsburgh) by essentially not allowing their opponents to play their game in order to even get to THIS point, well, hopefully -- for them -- the Flyers will figure out that this should not be monkey business, as usual. Scott Hartnell really should concentrate on something other than trying to run Michael Cammalleri thru the boards and across the parking lot to Lincoln Financial Field, and maybe concentrate on their own defense, which nearly blew the Boston series, save for the epic collapse of the Bruins in Game 7 on Friday night.
In the west, the phrase 'speed kills' will be very much in vogue these next two weeks, as the young and speedy Chicago Blackhawks should blow by the aging San Jose Sharks, whose long-term future will be determined by these next round of games; the Sharks management will be less likely to blow the whole thing up and start over, should they actually get to the Stanley Cup Finals. On the other hand, the way that Chicago has rebuilt the franchise over the last few seasons (remember the days of attendance of 8,000 or so, for games at the United Center vs. the Wild?) to reclaim the franchises' past glory, has led up to this point in time. This point. Now. Not next season, not last year. This year. Now. The Hawks will have to figure out how to keep as much of their talent in the Second City, because with the contracts coming due for their top players (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith) there will be a major upheaval on Madison St. this summer.
And whither the Sharks? Management has had one hand on the plunger for three seasons straight. How much longer will the fans in the Bay Area put up with this underachieving bunch? This season is the first time in six seasons that the Sharks have even made it this far, despite being the best team in the West three of the last four seasons. The Sharks defeated Detroit last Saturday, so this time there can be no excuses for being tired. Chicago last played in Vancouver on Tuesday night, so they too have had a bit of a respite, from the every-other-day playoff grind.
But don't ask me who I want to win. I don't want to jinx the team that I think will go on to the Finals. I've been an 0-fer on playoff predictions in the first two rounds. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the playoffs.
Because now, there's hardware on the line.
There are so many contrasts in these upcoming series. In the East, it will be the flash and speed of Montreal vs. the 'Beat up at any cost' attitude of Philadelphia. Never mind that the Flyers win the game by making actual hockey plays; that's been secondary since the days of Gary Dornhoefer and 'Battleship' Bob Kelly. The main goal of the Flyers, is to goad their opponents into getting beat up so bad, that they forget about their game. With Montreal, however, having already taken out two teams (Washington and Pittsburgh) by essentially not allowing their opponents to play their game in order to even get to THIS point, well, hopefully -- for them -- the Flyers will figure out that this should not be monkey business, as usual. Scott Hartnell really should concentrate on something other than trying to run Michael Cammalleri thru the boards and across the parking lot to Lincoln Financial Field, and maybe concentrate on their own defense, which nearly blew the Boston series, save for the epic collapse of the Bruins in Game 7 on Friday night.
In the west, the phrase 'speed kills' will be very much in vogue these next two weeks, as the young and speedy Chicago Blackhawks should blow by the aging San Jose Sharks, whose long-term future will be determined by these next round of games; the Sharks management will be less likely to blow the whole thing up and start over, should they actually get to the Stanley Cup Finals. On the other hand, the way that Chicago has rebuilt the franchise over the last few seasons (remember the days of attendance of 8,000 or so, for games at the United Center vs. the Wild?) to reclaim the franchises' past glory, has led up to this point in time. This point. Now. Not next season, not last year. This year. Now. The Hawks will have to figure out how to keep as much of their talent in the Second City, because with the contracts coming due for their top players (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith) there will be a major upheaval on Madison St. this summer.
And whither the Sharks? Management has had one hand on the plunger for three seasons straight. How much longer will the fans in the Bay Area put up with this underachieving bunch? This season is the first time in six seasons that the Sharks have even made it this far, despite being the best team in the West three of the last four seasons. The Sharks defeated Detroit last Saturday, so this time there can be no excuses for being tired. Chicago last played in Vancouver on Tuesday night, so they too have had a bit of a respite, from the every-other-day playoff grind.
But don't ask me who I want to win. I don't want to jinx the team that I think will go on to the Finals. I've been an 0-fer on playoff predictions in the first two rounds. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the playoffs.
Because now, there's hardware on the line.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Brodz Street Bully: Wild rebound, beat Flyers 4-3 on Brodziak OT goal
The Minnesota Wild, looking for their first road win in three weeks, found the secret weapon for what ails them tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wachovia Center.
Victory, thy name is Kyle Brodziak.
In front of the usual crowd of 'proper Philadelphians' -- 19,716 of them, to be exact -- the Wild stormed back from two goals down in an uptempo third period, where every skater, including rookie Casey Wellman, got into it with hockey's most penalized franchise, as the Wild stole two points away from the Eastern Conference playoff race for their efforts, points which, at least for tonight, kept the Wild from falling further into the depths of the Western Conference playoff race.
Martin Havlat and Guillaume Latendresse worked the give-and-go to perfection, to cut a 2-goal lead in half with just over 13 minutes remaing in the third. Half-way to the end, a John Scott shot was tipped in by Andrew Brunette as the Flyers' Daniel Briere was all over Brunette.
As the overtime passed the half-way point, an Antti Miettinen pass to Brodziak connected, Brodziak shot, the shot deflected off Brian Boucher, third string Flyers' goalie, and into the net to end the contest. Niklas Backstrom, starting his second straight game, made 32 saves for his 25th win of the season.
The defeat by the Wild forced the Flyers to call an immediate, post-game 'players only' team meeting in their dressing room, a meeting which some described as 'a call to focus'.
Two questions rear their ugly heads afterwards for Wild fans: First, where the hell was this effort two weeks ago, when the Wild had a reasonable chance of still being in the playoffs? They could have used this type of effort against, say, Florida, a game most Wild faithful say was the final nail in the coffin of this Wild season. The second question: Will it continue? It may not, as the road trip continues tomorrow night, in another house of horrors for the Wild, yet another building they have not had much success in.
Next Game: at Detroit, Friday, March 26 (tomorrow), 6:30 PM Central (7:30 PM Eastern) Time, Joe Louis Arena. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Wings' TV: FSDetroit, both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 205)
-- WRT
Victory, thy name is Kyle Brodziak.
In front of the usual crowd of 'proper Philadelphians' -- 19,716 of them, to be exact -- the Wild stormed back from two goals down in an uptempo third period, where every skater, including rookie Casey Wellman, got into it with hockey's most penalized franchise, as the Wild stole two points away from the Eastern Conference playoff race for their efforts, points which, at least for tonight, kept the Wild from falling further into the depths of the Western Conference playoff race.
Martin Havlat and Guillaume Latendresse worked the give-and-go to perfection, to cut a 2-goal lead in half with just over 13 minutes remaing in the third. Half-way to the end, a John Scott shot was tipped in by Andrew Brunette as the Flyers' Daniel Briere was all over Brunette.
As the overtime passed the half-way point, an Antti Miettinen pass to Brodziak connected, Brodziak shot, the shot deflected off Brian Boucher, third string Flyers' goalie, and into the net to end the contest. Niklas Backstrom, starting his second straight game, made 32 saves for his 25th win of the season.
The defeat by the Wild forced the Flyers to call an immediate, post-game 'players only' team meeting in their dressing room, a meeting which some described as 'a call to focus'.
Two questions rear their ugly heads afterwards for Wild fans: First, where the hell was this effort two weeks ago, when the Wild had a reasonable chance of still being in the playoffs? They could have used this type of effort against, say, Florida, a game most Wild faithful say was the final nail in the coffin of this Wild season. The second question: Will it continue? It may not, as the road trip continues tomorrow night, in another house of horrors for the Wild, yet another building they have not had much success in.
Next Game: at Detroit, Friday, March 26 (tomorrow), 6:30 PM Central (7:30 PM Eastern) Time, Joe Louis Arena. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Wings' TV: FSDetroit, both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 205)
-- WRT
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Khudobin goes Wild, downs Flyers 2-1
Rookie in second NHL game saves day with 38-save stellar performance
By Wild Road Tripper
Some old-time Minnesota Wild hockey came out of the dressing room at Xcel Energy Center Saturday night. Rookie Anton Khudobin, making his second NHL appearance and first start at hockey's top level, is sure appreciative that it did.
The Wild ran its home winning streak to four straight, and eight of its' last nine, as they rode Khudobin's 38-save performance to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers' second straight loss on their Western road swing.
Khudobin's game was the difference, according to Wild Head Coach Todd Richards in the post-game press conference. From my own point of view, as well as the team's, he really DID hold the Wild in the game, especially in the first period, as lacklustre a stanza as the Wild have produced since the disasterous first week of November, where they lost two games in three nights, at home, to Vancouver and Dallas. The Wild came out tentative and the Flyers were just willing to let the Wild do that, although Cal Clutterbuck's surprise goal 15:37 in opened the scoring, it didn't take the Flyers long, as Daniel Carcillo, a All-Star 'Blackheart' if there ever was, cashed in a rebound as Marek Zidlicky failed (once again) to take out his man in front of Khudobin, to tie it up with just over 4 minutes remaining.
The second period was much better for the Wild as the tempo -- and the hitting -- started getting fierce, punctuated with Derek Boogaard's de-helmeting of ex-Canuck Lukas Krajicek near the mid-way point. Shortly afterwards, Owen Nolan's rebound goal made it 2-1 Minnesota, and that's where it stayed.
The third period was a throwback to the Jacques Lemaire era: get the puck, play the puck, dump the puck, repeat. Again, and again, and again, and again. The Flyers were becoming more frustrated with every shift. But, there was nothing they could really muster. Even in the waning seconds, after goalie Michael Leighton was pulled for the extra attacker, did the Wild stray from what they were formerly famous for -- defense. And, this time, they were successful.
As the crowd of 18,640 (minus a few Flyers' fans, mostly decked out in their blaze orange) cheered their approval, the traditional 'goalie huddle' after a victory probably never was so well-earned. The boys actually did it; they beat the Flyers, for the first time in five meetings since 2003, and they have their rookie call-up to thank for it.
Next Game: vs. Phoenix, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth in HD; No Coyotes' TV; XM Radio, Ch. 209)
By Wild Road Tripper
Some old-time Minnesota Wild hockey came out of the dressing room at Xcel Energy Center Saturday night. Rookie Anton Khudobin, making his second NHL appearance and first start at hockey's top level, is sure appreciative that it did.
The Wild ran its home winning streak to four straight, and eight of its' last nine, as they rode Khudobin's 38-save performance to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Flyers' second straight loss on their Western road swing.
Khudobin's game was the difference, according to Wild Head Coach Todd Richards in the post-game press conference. From my own point of view, as well as the team's, he really DID hold the Wild in the game, especially in the first period, as lacklustre a stanza as the Wild have produced since the disasterous first week of November, where they lost two games in three nights, at home, to Vancouver and Dallas. The Wild came out tentative and the Flyers were just willing to let the Wild do that, although Cal Clutterbuck's surprise goal 15:37 in opened the scoring, it didn't take the Flyers long, as Daniel Carcillo, a All-Star 'Blackheart' if there ever was, cashed in a rebound as Marek Zidlicky failed (once again) to take out his man in front of Khudobin, to tie it up with just over 4 minutes remaining.
The second period was much better for the Wild as the tempo -- and the hitting -- started getting fierce, punctuated with Derek Boogaard's de-helmeting of ex-Canuck Lukas Krajicek near the mid-way point. Shortly afterwards, Owen Nolan's rebound goal made it 2-1 Minnesota, and that's where it stayed.
The third period was a throwback to the Jacques Lemaire era: get the puck, play the puck, dump the puck, repeat. Again, and again, and again, and again. The Flyers were becoming more frustrated with every shift. But, there was nothing they could really muster. Even in the waning seconds, after goalie Michael Leighton was pulled for the extra attacker, did the Wild stray from what they were formerly famous for -- defense. And, this time, they were successful.
As the crowd of 18,640 (minus a few Flyers' fans, mostly decked out in their blaze orange) cheered their approval, the traditional 'goalie huddle' after a victory probably never was so well-earned. The boys actually did it; they beat the Flyers, for the first time in five meetings since 2003, and they have their rookie call-up to thank for it.
Next Game: vs. Phoenix, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth in HD; No Coyotes' TV; XM Radio, Ch. 209)
Monday, December 14, 2009
WRT's Monday Miscellany
By Wild Road Tripper
(Another attempt to liven up your start of the week...)
Minnesota Wild fans are, indeed, a hardy lot. We go thru rain, sleet, snow, severe cold, six different starting times, all to see our favorite team actually win a game now 'n' then. Now, just think of how it would be if your team played like some of the other teams in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans have had it the worst for the longest. The last time they were even in the playoffs was 2003-04, when they were eliminated in 6 games by the Philadelphia Flyers (the series-winning goal? Scored by Jeremy Roenick), and since then, it's been six seasons of losing hockey. Brian Burke was brought in from Anaheim to try and turn around this moribund franchise, and he brought in what he thought was needed -- grit, and lots of it. Well, the Leafs still suck, they play the streaking Buffalo Sabres this coming Friday at HSBC Arena (tickets starting at $78 for the cheapest seats), and they are on the precipice of falling off the NHL radar once again, at least until the entry draft in Los Angeles in late June. Yes, it will take time and effort in order to turn the Leafs' ship of state around. Hopefully for Leafs' fans, the ship isn't named the Titanic...
And, speaking of Philadelphia, Flyers' fans are probably ready to kill anything on skates that is wearing a Flyers' jersey right about now. The Flyers have changed their coach, but they have a different problem; they just don't play well together. They currently have no less than SEVEN players who make over $4,000,000 per season. Flyers' fans feel that they are getting ripped off. And, frankly, who can blame them? Is Kimmo Timonen REALLY worth more of a cap hit than Chris Pronger?
The Flyers are 1-7 since the Thanksgiving holiday; three of those games the Flyers were shutout, and two more they only managed one goal. They cannot depend on their budget-balanced goaltending ($2,400,000 for their top two goalies, paltry by NHL standards) to bail their anemic offense out night after night.
Not that the Western Conference isn't much better. St. Louis Blues fans are asking themselves if they are watching the Rams instead, especially after they came out against Edmonton last weekend, and the Grease slid right by the Blues, 5-3. The Blues have only scored three goals in the last week, and have dropped three straight.
Anaheim Ducks players and fans were asking themselves 'wha' happened?' until they recently started to turn things around to keep the Ducks somewhat relevant in the West. Four of the last five Ducks' games have gone to overtime or the shootout; their 2-0-2 record since the Wild beat them in St. Paul December 4th looks to have saved the job of head coach Randy Carlyle, at least for the time being.
And then, there is the resurgent Wild, with a record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, a period of time (late November/early December) when the Wild are traditionally not a very good hockey team. After the Wild's dismal 6-loss-in-7-game start to the season, they players have finally learned to control themselves yet play a more attack-style offense. The new system of Todd Richards is finally taking hold, and Wild fans are loving it. They haven't seen offense like this from a Wild team in franchise history. Reminds me of the starving man who walks into the banquet hall, just as they serve up the steamship round of beef. And, they have done it while at least three players have been recovering from concussions.
Just think of how good the Wild would be if everyone on the roster was healthy...
Have a good Monday!
(Another attempt to liven up your start of the week...)
Minnesota Wild fans are, indeed, a hardy lot. We go thru rain, sleet, snow, severe cold, six different starting times, all to see our favorite team actually win a game now 'n' then. Now, just think of how it would be if your team played like some of the other teams in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans have had it the worst for the longest. The last time they were even in the playoffs was 2003-04, when they were eliminated in 6 games by the Philadelphia Flyers (the series-winning goal? Scored by Jeremy Roenick), and since then, it's been six seasons of losing hockey. Brian Burke was brought in from Anaheim to try and turn around this moribund franchise, and he brought in what he thought was needed -- grit, and lots of it. Well, the Leafs still suck, they play the streaking Buffalo Sabres this coming Friday at HSBC Arena (tickets starting at $78 for the cheapest seats), and they are on the precipice of falling off the NHL radar once again, at least until the entry draft in Los Angeles in late June. Yes, it will take time and effort in order to turn the Leafs' ship of state around. Hopefully for Leafs' fans, the ship isn't named the Titanic...
And, speaking of Philadelphia, Flyers' fans are probably ready to kill anything on skates that is wearing a Flyers' jersey right about now. The Flyers have changed their coach, but they have a different problem; they just don't play well together. They currently have no less than SEVEN players who make over $4,000,000 per season. Flyers' fans feel that they are getting ripped off. And, frankly, who can blame them? Is Kimmo Timonen REALLY worth more of a cap hit than Chris Pronger?
The Flyers are 1-7 since the Thanksgiving holiday; three of those games the Flyers were shutout, and two more they only managed one goal. They cannot depend on their budget-balanced goaltending ($2,400,000 for their top two goalies, paltry by NHL standards) to bail their anemic offense out night after night.
Not that the Western Conference isn't much better. St. Louis Blues fans are asking themselves if they are watching the Rams instead, especially after they came out against Edmonton last weekend, and the Grease slid right by the Blues, 5-3. The Blues have only scored three goals in the last week, and have dropped three straight.
Anaheim Ducks players and fans were asking themselves 'wha' happened?' until they recently started to turn things around to keep the Ducks somewhat relevant in the West. Four of the last five Ducks' games have gone to overtime or the shootout; their 2-0-2 record since the Wild beat them in St. Paul December 4th looks to have saved the job of head coach Randy Carlyle, at least for the time being.
And then, there is the resurgent Wild, with a record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, a period of time (late November/early December) when the Wild are traditionally not a very good hockey team. After the Wild's dismal 6-loss-in-7-game start to the season, they players have finally learned to control themselves yet play a more attack-style offense. The new system of Todd Richards is finally taking hold, and Wild fans are loving it. They haven't seen offense like this from a Wild team in franchise history. Reminds me of the starving man who walks into the banquet hall, just as they serve up the steamship round of beef. And, they have done it while at least three players have been recovering from concussions.
Just think of how good the Wild would be if everyone on the roster was healthy...
Have a good Monday!
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