Through Kukla's Korner, I discovered Sports Media Challenge's Sports Blog Index. Here's what folks were talking about last week according to the North Carolina-based consulting firm:
NFL Draft 43%
NBA Playoffs 25%
A-Rod 10%
Mike Penner, LA Sports Writer 9%
NHL Playoffs and Curt Schilling
Kudos to J.P. and K.B. from Japers' Rink for coming up with the best blog feature from this year's playoff: The View From Your Playoff Seat.
I won't post any of the photos here, as J.P.'s readers have done all the heavy lifting to make this work. Click here for the latest pic, here for the gallery, and here for all the pics in a slideshow.
Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Michael Rozsival
Goal in 2-OT gives Blueshirts a 2-1 win over Buffalo
NYR 2 BUF 1 (2OT): Rozsival (GWG OT), Lundqvist (38 S). Miller (44 S).
ANA 3 VAN 2: Perry (G, A), Giguere (24 S). Naslund (G).
Series Outlooks
(1)BUF vs. (6)NYR: Buffalo leads 2-1
(2)ANA vs. (3)VAN: Anaheim leads 2-1
OFF THE ICE
All-Star Game Returns To Sunday Afternoons, Globe and Mail
NHL Must Sell Players To Public, Kansas City Star
List Of 2007 Free Agents, About.com
Cheap Shots Give NHL A Black Eye, Denver Post
With 2nd Pick, Flyers Will Just Wait And Watch, Philadelphia Inquirer
HOCKEY VIDEO: A nice piece on the Miracle On Ice in 1980:
RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Hockey Fights
Scarlett Ice
Skate 2 Stick
Bruins Nation
Calgary Flames Legends
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
7:00PM NJD at OTT VS., CBC (Series tied 1-1)
10:00PM DET at SJS VS., TSN (Series tied 1-1)
AHL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Norfolk (CHI) 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PIT/EDM) 3
Providence (BOS) 5 Hartford (NYR) 4
Grand Rapids (DET/EDM) 1 Manitoba (VAN) 2
Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Pavel Datsyuk
Goal and assist help Wings tie series at one game apiece
Series Outlooks
(1)DET vs. (5)SJS: Series tied 1-1
(2)NJD vs. (4)OTT: Series tied 1-1
DET 3 SJS 2: Datsyuk (G, A), Cleary (G). Thornton (G, A).
NJD 3 OTT 2 (2OT): Langenbrunner (GWG OT), Brodeur (43 S). Heatley (G, A).
OFF THE ICE
Some Players' Stock On Rise Before NHL Draft, INS Sports
Ruff Fined By NHL For Outburst, CP
Seeking Balance In Debate About New NHL Arena, Edmonton Journal
What To Do About Nothing, SI.com
Weight Knows A Winner When He Sees It, ESPN.com
HOCKEY VIDEO: Some nice memories for Pens fans:
RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Red and Black Hockey
On Frozen Blog
In Lou We Trust
Home Ice
HLOG
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
2:00PM BUF at NYR NBC, TSN (BUF leads 2-0)
8:00PM ANA at VAN VS., CBC (Series tied 1-1)
AHL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Manchester (LAK) 3 Worcester (SJS) 2 (OT)
Providence (BOS) 5 Hartford (NYR) 2
Rochester (BUF/FLO) 2 Hamilton (MON/EDM) 6
Omaha (CAL) 2 Iowa (DAL/EDM) 5
Over at ESPN.com, Terry Frei is taking a look at a number of players who have been skipping out on the traditional post-playoff series handshake that the league has become famous for:
Do it if you want to do it. It remains understood that if you do take part, you're not surrendering or gloating, you're paying homage to tradition. All you have to do is turn on the television, look online or read the paper the next morning to understand that, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't all that important.Don't do it if you don't want to. No recriminations. No criticism. You're not being a "bad loser" or spitting into the Stanley Cup if you don't.
We live in a world of scrutiny and opportunistic sensitivity. I'd hate it if the handshake tradition becomes infected by it.
Frei is righter than he knows with that sentence I put into boldface. These days, tragedy produces more than an imperative to comfort the afflicted, it also presents an opportunity to afflict political enemies, setting up a system where those who have spent a lifetime purveying racial hucksterism get to sit in judgment of those who have spent a lifetime reveling in racial humor.
You have to laugh in order to keep from crying.
Watching all of this old time hockey over the past few days has really got the gears turning inside my head. When you realize just how close so many of these great games were, you begin to understand just how different hockey history might have looked with just one more random bounce.
What if the refs called Nystrom offside? What if they missed the call against the Bruins at the Forum in 1979? What if, what if, what if?
It's an interesting and fun game, and I want to play some more.
What if...
...The U.S. Olympic Team from 1980 at Lake Placid could play one game against Team Canada '72?
Both teams represent the apex in their respective nations' relationship with the sport. On the world stage hockey defines Canada, and when Team Canada looked like it would falter during the Challenge Series, the nation's psyche took a tremendous blow. And with a win in the last game and the series, the nation breathed an incredible sigh of relief.
As for Lake Placid, it's safe to say that there were never that many hockey fans living in the USA before, and there haven't been anywhere near as many any time since. At a time when national morale was in the gutter, those boys put an electric charge into an entire nation that lasted for decades.
So who would win?
Sure, Team Canada was filled with professionals, many at the peak of their careers. But never forget, the Russians mugged those guys in Game One of the Challenge Series at The Forum in Montreal. And they got mugged because they were out of shape and didn't take the Russians seriously. Something tells me that Herb Brooks and those kids from New England and the Midwest could pull off another upset.
Then again, I could be wrong. Feel free to tell me why, or why not.
Long-time readers of the LA Times Sports section got something of a shock this morning from reporter Mike Penner:
During my 23 years with The Times' sports department, I have held a wide variety of roles and titles. Tennis writer. Angels beat reporter. Olympics writer. Essayist. Sports media critic. NFL columnist. Recent keeper of the Morning Briefing flame.Today I leave for a few weeks' vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation.
As Christine.
I am a transsexual sportswriter. It has taken more than 40 years, a million tears and hundreds of hours of soul-wrenching therapy for me to work up the courage to type those words. I realize many readers and colleagues and friends will be shocked to read them.
If that doesn't make you spit up your Fruit Loops, I don't know what will. For more, check out Sports By Brooks and LA Observed. Even better, stop by SportsJournalists.com, where more than a few knuckle draggers have come out of the woodwork.
Watching yesterday's soccer match between Manchester United and AC Milan, I was reminded why soccer, football to the rest of the world, is the world's game. After taking a 1-0 lead on a scramble in front of the AC Milan net, Man. U gave up 2 goals in a row to Milan, with star forward Kaka getting both of Milan's goals. After some great saves on both ends, Wayne Rooney nets 2 for Man. U, the last one coming with no time left in the match.
While it can be considered boring, with long, uneventful stretches, soccer is a game with moments of brilliance. Just when you think nothing can happen, someone comes up with a sweet pass, a nice move, a perfect shot, or all of those at once. Both of Kaka's goals, as well as Rooney's game winner, were the epitome of brilliance. Amazing passes led to even more amazing goals. And Kaka's second tally just made the entire Man. U defense look silly. It was an amazing game, and the next leg can only get better.
I can't say enough about being able to watch these classic NHL games on Amazon Unbox. Last night I watched Game Five of the 1984 Patrick Division Semifinal between the Rangers and the Islanders, a nail biter that went to OT before the Isles won 3-2.
For those of you who remember the game being better in those days, you're both right and wrong. One thing is for sure, there seemed to be more room on the ice, and the flow of the game was far superior to the clutch and grab era of the mid-1990s.
Then again, not only are the players smaller, they're not nearly as fast as they are today. Hockey players today are really incredible athletes who take fitness seriously year round, and man does it show, especially in comparison to players of a previous era.
Speaking of smaller, any current NHL goalie who complains about restricting the size of their equipment ought to be ashamed. Compared to the netminders of today, Billy Smith and Glen Hanlon looked nearly naked on the ice. But again, compared to the players of today, they both looked awfully clumsy, and nowhere near as quick.
After finishing with the Islanders and Rangers, I fired up Game Seven of the 1979 Semifinal between the Bruins and the Canadiens. It was a real kick to see folks like Mike Milbury, Jacques Lemaire, Brian Engblom and Bob Gainey in uniform and nearly 30 years younger.
There are so many little details that you forget. How is it that I was born in an era when most players went without helmets, yet became an adult at a time when some people call for mandatory visors? On the shift I'm watching now, seven of the ten skaters on the ice are helmet-less. It's amazing.
BTW -- the lyrics to O' Canada were different then too, and better. I grew up with listening to one verse in French and another in English, and that's the way I prefer it. I just wish they'd put "rights and liberty" back into the song.
It's funny how you can deceive yourself when you get absorbed in these games. For a couple of moments, I actually thought the Islanders still had a chance to win five straight Cups, or that we were on the cusp of seeing the Bruins and the Rangers in the Finals in 1979.
But then, just a moment later, you realize your watching the end of an era, the last few weeks of the great New York and Montreal dynasties.
You see Ken Dryden make a save, and then you tell yourself that the Hall of Famer only has five games left in a Montreal uniform before it's all over. It's sad and thrilling all at the same time.
This is great. Message to the NHL: Get more games, including classic regular season matchups -- like March 26, 1997 -- up and available as soon as possible.
Following up from yesterday's post, I ordered four classic NHL games via Amazon Unbox, and only two of them downloaded. I think it may be because my TiVo was near capacity, but who knows at this point.
The video quality is about as good as you could expect from game footage better than two decades old, but it's still exciting to watch it all over again. I can't say enough how great this is.
Another quibble: As somebody who has followed the Washington Caps for some time, I'm more than a little disappointed that two of the greatest games in the history of that franchise: Game Seven of the 1988 series with the Philadelphia Flyers and Game Six of the 1998 Eastern Conference Final against Buffalo. I hope both games enter the Unbox archive very soon.
In the meantime, I'll be downloading. And here's another idea: Why can't Comcast replicate this same service on its cable systems using its vaunted "on demand" technology? It should be pretty easy, shouldn't it?
Was just going through my "Now Playing" list on the TiVo, and realized it was time to say goodbye to a memory from 2006: Watching Rod Brind'Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes be presented with the Stanley Cup.
Amazing to think that both the 'Canes and the Oilers are golfing right now.
Time for some new memories.
Click.
Well for starters, I'm seriously considering moving out to the West Coast. Out of 4 series in the East, I correctly predicted just 1, and that was the relatively easy call of Buffalo over the Islanders. I had Atlanta in 7, they couldn't even win one. Pittsburgh making the Conference Finals, couldn't get past Ottawa. And Tampa Bay beating out New Jersey, they couldn't hold their lead. Fortunately I have Buffalo to win the East, so that can still happen. Out west, on the other hand, I was money. I picked all 4 series correctly, although Dallas gave me quite a scare.
* Atlanta was by far the biggest disappointment of the first round. While they play in possibly the weakest division in the league, they still posted solid regular-season numbers and had potent scorers in Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov, and Marian Hossa, among others. Possibly the biggest predictor of how they'd fare came in the April 9th issue of Sports Illustrated, where Keith's ugly 3-11 postseason series record was brought to light. While a series win might have been a lot to ask, at least one win wasn't. Such a letdown.
* With the exception of Game 1's 5-4 Vancouver OT win, the Dallas-Vancouver series was the low-scoring affair everyone thought it would be. Luongo earned the series win, but you have to feel bad for Turco, who posted 3 shutouts yet was still unable to get 4 wins.
* The New York Islanders couldn't catch a break. First Chris Simon received a 25-game suspension for his two-handed slash to the chin of Ryan Hollweg. Then, potential defenseman Todd Simpson had a suspension from the German Ice Hockey League upheld in the NHL, preventing him from playing for the Islanders this postseason. And most recently, Sean Hill was suspended 20 games for violating the league's drug policy. Add to that goalie Rick DiPietro's injury problems and Alexei Yashin's playoff disappearing act, and its no wonder the Islanders didn't have a chance.
* Quick series winners can sometimes be put on the back burner of peoples' minds, which could make San Jose and Anaheim surprises of sorts in the second round. With the extra rest, look for them to come out flying.
* Through its first two rounds of the playoffs, Buffalo won't have to leave the state. In fact, their trips will seem pretty familiar. After taking down the Islanders, they will go right back down the Thruway to face off against the Rangers. The winner of this matchup will win the unofficial (and just made up by me) Empire State Cup as the best team in New York.
More good news from our friends at NHL HQ: An alliance with Amazon to provide full-length games from the league's archives through the Amazon Unbox service. From the press release:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE TO OFFER FULL-LENGTH PLAYOFF, REGULAR SEASON, AND CLASSIC GAMES THROUGH AMAZON UNBOX
Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Brian Gionta
Two goals help give Devils 3-2 victory, eliminating Tampa Bay
NJD 3 TBL 2: Gionta (2G), Elias (3A). Richards (2G).
DET 2 CAL 1 (2OT): Franzen (GWG OT), Hasek (20 S). Kiprusoff (53 S).
OFF THE ICE
Crosby Played With Broken Foot In Final Weeks Of Season, AHN
Beauchemin, Ducks Deserve Their Rest, AP
First-Round Cheers and Jeers, FOXSports.com
Severed Program Launched NHL Star, Boston Globe
Why So Few Hockey Greats From Metro?, The Daily News
HOCKEY VIDEO: With their series-winning victory last night, the Wings' hopes for another Cup remain alive:
RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Ranger Pundit
Silver Bullet
Bring Back Potvin
Bolts Blog
Scarlett Ice
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
9:00PM DAL at VAN VS., CBC (Series tied 3-3)
AHL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Milwaukee (NAS/EDM) 1 Chicago (ATL) 4
Hershey (WAS) 6 Albany (CAR/COL) 5
Rochester (BUF/FLO) 4 Hamilton (MON/EDM) 5 (2OT)
As everyone by now knows, Flames backup goalie Jamie McLennan has been suspended 5 games for his slash to the midsection of Johan Franzen. But what many people don't know is that McLennan has been masterminding this kind of evil since his days in Florida.
After backing up/serving Luongo for a season, then doing the same thing for Kiprusoff in a much colder Calgary, no wonder he was in such a bad mood. Just make sure not to let him get behind the wheel of a Zamboni anytime soon.
While it might have been a frustrating year in Washington for Alex Ovechkin, 46 goals is nothing to sneeze at, which is probably why Sovetsky Sport awarded him the Kharlamov Trophy for the second season in a row.
The Kharlamov, named after Russian hockey great Valery Kharlamov, is awarded to the top Russian player in the NHL as determined by a vote of all of the league's Russian players. Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk finished second and third, respectively.
My buddy from Sovetsky Sport, Dmitry Chesnokov sent along a note about the awards ceremony along with some pics:
Alex arrived in Moscow on April 11th and on April 13th Sovetsky Sport held an award ceremony at the Imperia Casino in Moscow. The award is called Kharlamov Trophy after Valery Kharlamov, one of the best Soviet hockey players whose untimely death in a car accident shocked the country and brought to an unfortunate end his brilliant career. The award was presented by Boris Kharlamov (Valery's father) and Alexader Kharlamov (Valery's son).
A few dozen journalists were also in attendance and the event was televised on three Russian channels.
"This is such an honor for me," Ovechkin said. "Being named the best by my partners is the best assessment of what I do on the ice. Thank you very much once again, guys."
A clip of Ovechkin's goals, hits and other highlights was shown including Alex's goal against Atlanta in OT - Ovechkin said it was his best goal this season.
After that Oleg Kuznetsov, head of Apple IMC Russia took the stage. "Alex, thanks to Sovetsky Sport we are closely following your NHL career. And we read the story about you breaking your new iPod in frustration after one of the games. To fill this void Apple would like to present you with a brand new exclusive iPod with video capabilities. You can download your best songs and videos again."
Ovechkin knew what the surprise was about after hearing the name Apple. After receiving the new iPod he said: "Thank you! This is an awesome present! It will be very useful because I am also a locker room DJ. I will keep bringing Russian music to my parters in Washington."
Thanks to Dmitry for passing along the pics and all the details.
Dare the fans in Chicago hope it's true? I examine the possibilities at the NHL Fanhouse.
It's the best goalie showdown in recent memory. More over at the NHL Fanhouse.
After watching the video Joe Dumas posted yesterday of Alex Ovechkin's empty Arlington home, Sovetsky Sport reporter Dmitry Chesnokov sent along a note and a photo:
Dmitry (at left with Ovechkin and his parents) writes: "I saw your posting of Ovechkin's pad. It is furnished now. Although they still can't find any chandeliers that they like."
Neat. I guess Alex doesn't wear his Crocs at home.
Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Daymond Langkow
Two goals give Flames 3-2 win, keeping hopes alive against Wings
OTT 3 PIT 0: Kelly (G, A), Vermette (G, A), Emery (20 S).
CAL 3 DET 2: Langkow (2G), Kiprusoff (33 S). Bertuzzi (G, A).
DAL 1 VAN 0 (OT): Morrow (GWG OT), Turco (21 S). Luongo (29 S).
ANA 4 MIN 1: Pronger (G, A), Pahlsson (2A). Gaborik (G).
Series Outlooks
(4)OTT vs. (5)PIT: Ottawa wins series 4-1
(1)DET vs. (8)CAL: Series tied 2-2
(3)VAN vs. (6)DAL: Vancouver leads 3-2
(2)ANA vs. (7)MIN: Anaheim wins series 4-1
OFF THE ICE
Top Prospect Johnson Jumping To NHL, AP
New Blue Jackets President Is Named, Columbus Dispatch
NHL Backs Calls That Doomed Isles, Newsday
NHL's Ratings Still In Deep Freeze, Marketplace
NHL Setup Costs Wings' Fans Sleep, Monroenews.com
HOCKEY VIDEO: It's the first playoff edition of the Plays of the Week:
RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Abel To Yzerman
Goon Blog
The Feeder
Islanders Army
Puck Update
TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
7:00PM TBL at NJD CBC, RDS (Series tied 2-2)
7:00PM NYI at BUF VS., TSN (BUF leads 3-1)
9:00PM SJS at NAS VS., TSN (SJS leads 3-1)
AHL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Division Semifinals
Albany (CAR/COL) 3 Hershey (WAS) 2 (OT)
Hamilton (MON/EDM) 2 Rochester (BUF/FLO) 0
Grand Rapids (DET/EDM) 0 Manitoba (VAN) 1
My buddy showed me this a while back. Reminds me of the old Ottowa-Philly fight from a few years ago. It's a game between the Chilliwack Mustangs and the Port Coquitlam Saints of the British Columbia Lacrosse Association. The kids fighting were teenagers, around the age of 17 I believe. Nice language too.
About the only classy thing I saw in the entire video was the goalies mutually stopping their fighting after one lost his helmet.
From an old Comcast spot:
Hey, we've learned 3 things; he likes cranberry juice and vodka, Dolce & Gabbana, and he's going to need to do a lot of interior decorating if he wants to make it onto MTV Cribs.
Though we're a few days past the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, you'd do well to spend a few minutes reading Colby Cosh's extended feature on Robinson's life.
Though Robinson's story will always hold a special place in the lives of all African-Americans, his is a story that all Americans ought to embrace. On that day in 1947, America changed forever, for the better and for all of us.
There are lousy fans everywhere, but one visiting Sabres fan caught three Islanders fans on video crossing the line in a heinous manner.
I was born and raised on the Island, but sometimes I just don't get it.
After years of fans carping about Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, the fractured relationship between town and team got A1 treatment in today's edition of the Wall Street Journal. For more thoughts from me, head over to the NHL Fanhouse.
Ever wonder what it takes to convert an arena from NHL hockey to NBA basketball? Over at the NHL Fanhouse, I posted a time-lapse video of the process at the Air Canada Centre.
