Tag: nhl

Kings

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Hockey season just started up, and that means the countdown begins until the L.A. Kings take their trophy. The L.A. Kings are by far the most superior team. They have the greatest goalies and an amazing offense. Other teams don’t stand a chance. For a long time, the Kings were losers, but 2 years ago they climbed to the top. Their team is perfectly set up and consists of some of the greatest players. It’s ironic how a place with no snow beats all the teams that live in snow for most of the year. I can’t wait to see how this season turns out.

Round 2 : Game 1

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I guess having my bracket messed up was worth getting home ice advantage against the Sharks.

Game 1 began on Tuesday. The air of champions has filled Staples Center and the Kings got back to playing hockey like they are supposed to.

In Game 1 it became apparent that Slava Voynov finally figured out that when the puck goes in the other teams net, it usually works out better for him than if he puts it in our net.

Just sayin.

Anyways Voynov started the game off early with a goal. With only 13 seconds left in the 1st period Voynov rips one passed Niemi to put the Kings up 1-0 heading in to the locker room.

And then later in the 2nd period we have some great hard hits!

Let’s talk about Robyn Reghr for a moment.

We acquired him late in the season, but thank god we did.

He is awesome.

He plays hockey how hockey should be played.

He takes crap from nobody and he let’s them know he isn’t anyone to be messed with.

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And that’s D-Town for ya!!!!

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So Detroit did EXACTLY what I called. I predicted a Detroit Red Wings first round 7-game series win against a top seed. I was just about as close as possible.

I predicted that Detroit would take down the Blackhawks in the first round. That didn’t quite happen.

Instead, Detroit did one better and made it into the playoffs as the 7th seed, dealing with the Anaheim Ducks. They just took them down in 7 games.

I watched the last couple minutes of the game, and I was in awe as to how well-disciplined that Detroit team is.

I’m gonna dissect it all this week. I haven’t really researched all of the game tape yet. I only saw the last period.

One thing is for sure. Despite him not having a goal or an assist, there’s gonna be plenty of Pavel.

My new predictions-In round 2, I expect the Kings to deal with the Sharks after maybe 6 games. The Sharks get very tired very quickly. As for Detroit, after what they did against the Ducks, the sky is the limit for them. However, Chicago is a completely different story. I think Chicago will take that series. We will see.

Why the Red Wings?-Let’s Discuss

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So why do I think the Red Wings spell disaster for the Chicago Blackhawks (the Western Conference’s projected number 1 seed)?

The Detroit Red Wings are an incredibly storied franchise not only in the NHL but in all of sports. This season’s Red Wing team is equally as dangerous as in years past. This team is simply flawless. They are much younger than they have been in the past, being right in the middle of the league’s average roster age.

For those that are interested, the link for NHL ages is right here. Really just had to google it.

And for those interested, the NHL’s oldest roster is my New Jersey Devils. That might have something to do with the fact that our goalies are Martin Broduer (40) and Johan Hedberg (39).

Back to the Wings, though. Detroit has a few stars on their roster that while a little older, have superb conditioning. They are the most fundamentally sound team I’ve probably ever watched.

Let’s take roll call. We have the captain, Henrik Zetterberg, who has 8 goals but 27 assists. So whose scoring the goals?

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Let’s Talk a Little Hockey

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As many know, the NHL season was cut in half this season due to problems with a collective bargaining agreement, or CBA. It’s funny how in the past 2-3 years, labor issues have been a serious problem in professional sports across the board. The NBA and NHL lost games while the NFL lost certain preseason workouts. All three were greatly affected. However, this 48 game season of hockey (a full season has 82 games) has been nothing short of exciting yet confusing.

I’m a big New Jersey Devils fan. They lost in the Stanley Cup finals last year to the Los Angeles Kings, but I wasn’t torn up about it. I was excited to even get to the finals and win the Eastern Conference. That was way more than I was expecting last season, but it elevated my expectations for this season.

We aren’t the best team in hockey. But, we play very well. At least we can say we are better off than Columbus.

Regardless, the playoffs are fast approaching as there are about 10 games left for most teams in the regular season.

The NHL is ranked on a point system. A team is given 2 standing points for a win, 0 for a loss, and 1 for a loss in overtime or a shootout. In each conference, there are 3 divisions. This is the last year we will see this, as next year the league is realigning into four conferences. Anyway, there are three divisions in each conference, and the division leader in each makes the playoffs as the first, second or third seed. In order to finish off the playoff bracket, the next 5 teams in point standings are added to the bunch. 8 teams from each conference go to the playoffs, making a total of 16 teams.

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NHL-It’s a distant second

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Well, as you guys remember, I was a pretty big fantasy football player during the NFL season. This season, I follow fantasy hockey. I’ve been playing with a few of my friends this season and I’ve really enjoyed making some trades (including some that shouldn’t have been made and now I’m just laughing to the bank with it :))

Anyway, I’ve always been a pretty big NHL fan. I am a New Jersey Devils fan, and my favorite player is probably Ilya Kovalchuk. To be honest, I don’t have a favorite player. I just love watching some good hockey.

I especially love this time of year, which is trade season. The trade deadline is on Wednesday and teams are making some last minute adjustments to their rosters in the hopes of pushing for the playoffs.

I just want to discuss the Jarome Iginla trade from last week real quick. Iginla was traded to the Pittsburg Penguins for a first round pick and two college prospects. I think the Flames win this trade given Jarome’s age. But, I want to direct everyone’s attention to one of the college prospects that the Pens sent to Calgary.

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Glass

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I have always wanted to live near the glass.

Open and cold

Pure and nice.

Crystalline structures formed feet above the surface.

The glass is the only thing that serves a purpose.

Frozen water, a protector from the sub zero abyss.

The sun sets and rises and reflects of the face, until the heat comes then it’s a race.

A race against time

To finish through the line.

Why the Pro Bowl doesn’t matter

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A lot of people await the rosters for the NFL Pro Bowl each year. I am guilty of the same thing. However, much like 95% of the NFL population, we couldn’t care less about the outcome of the game.

The Pro Bowl is the unlike any of the Big 4 All star celebrations. By the Big 4, I mean NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB. The NBA, which I despise, has the All Star game, the rookie and sophomore game, the Dunk competition and the 3 point shot competition.

The MLB is the only one to my knowledge whose All Star game actually has an impact on the actual season. The NL and AL compete. The winner is granted the majority (4 games) in the World Series. Home field is always nice. Anyway, the game is preceded by the Home Run Derby, which I am an annual viewer.

The NHL has the most impressive All Star break of them all. Along with the game, which is always exciting and VERY high scoring, there are numerous skill competitions throughout the weekend, which include the Sniper competition and the Hardest shot, which isn’t much because Zdeno Chara is a freak of nature.

Anyway, the Pro Bowl is useless in every way. There’s a game that has no lasting implications on the season and no side competitions. It’s used to fill the gap between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl. It’s simply a waste of time. I almost never watch the game and will very rarely watch any of the highlights following.

I can’t stand the Pro Bowl, and neither do the players.

Except these guys…they seem to be enjoying themselves with some very attractive hula girls.

Choices Follow Up

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So I was thinking again yesterday, occasionally it can be dangerous when I do that, but it wasn’t, it rather was quite productive.

I went home and turned on the TV and was looking for some sport to watch being as the NHL is STILL locked out… cough* cough* Bettman (still waiting).

Any who, I saw something called “A Football Life” and turned it on.

It is a series who follows a different player every week, but it shows their life through the season.

Yesterday’s episode was featuring Ray Lewis, “the Ravens 16 year defensive soul,” as the show called him.

He is actually someone I can admire and look up to.

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Stanley CUP!!!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!!

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Well, I called it. My team, the New Jersey Devils have taken down the New York Rangers and have secured their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Los Angeles Kings. This has supreme potential to be one of the most exciting and nail-biting series in the history of the NHL. I’m gonna tell you why.

1. The Goalies-Martin Brodeur and Jonathan Quick are going to square off against each other, which usually isn’t a marquee matchup. Well, I’ll rephrase that. It will always be marquee. However, during the season, this wasn’t a matchup that was always seen. The Devils and Kings rarely play each other. These two teams are fairly unknown to each other.

2. The Defense-Offense mismatch-The Devils have flashed some brutal offense this postseason. They’ve been firing on all cylinders and have kept defenses on their toes. Personally, I believe the Devils could have easily exploited Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers had they not been such superior shot blockers. However, the Kings’ defense is no easier. While they are not supreme shot blockers, they are fundamentally gifted. Players like Drew Doughty lead the defensive unit of the Kings. This will be a showdown.

3. Sheer Power-Both teams can hit. That’s no secret. Both powerplay units are above average, as are each team’s penalty kill units. The teams should still try to keep the hits under control.

This is going to be an astounding matchup. I predicted this matchup before the second round. I can’t wait to watch these games. It’s going to be something special.