Gabby Gone & Captain, er, Coach Kirk

Apparently, four straight division titles and ownership of the record to the fastest to coach an NHL hockey team to 200 wins don't stand up anymore. Bruce Boudreau, who coached the Washington Capitals to consistency and heights they never ascended before, lost his job earlier this week after a less than steller start. Many attribute his departure to his frayed relationship with NHL superstar and team captain Alexander Ovechkin, who began with a career low in goals to this point in the regular season. The controversy came to a head during the late stages of the third period against the Anaheim Ducks on November 1st.

With the Capitals down 4-3 with 1:27 remaining in the third period, Boudreau called a timeout and put out a special power-play lineup to get the goal. Alexander Ovechkin, who expected to be on the ice for the play, stood up in the bench to go on, but coach Bruce Boudreau waved him off. Frustrated, Ovechkin fired off an expletive under his breath in response to the coach's decision.

With the Capitals mired in eighth place in the Eastern conference, it will be the job of Boudreau's replacement, former OHL London Knights' head coach and NHL enforcer Dale Hunter, to bring the Capitals back to their winning ways. Those familiar with the history of the National Hockey League will remember Dale Hunter as the guy that nearly put Islanders star Pierre Turgeon out of the playoffs after scoring an overtime winner against the Isles in 1993. Hunter has a history coaching talented offenses in the OHL, and offensive star players such as the Ducks' Corey Perry and the Islanders' John Tavares; both were first round selections in their respective NHL draft classes ^_^

With the return of Crosby and the Capitals lagging behind, management had to make a change. Washington media and hockey fans, in particular those of Ovechkin, demanded a change and a return to the freewheeling and fun-loving style of hockey that packed ESPN highlight reels with Ovechkin goals and pretty setups. Nevertheless, the Capitals brass charge Dale Hunter with the task of taking the Capitals back to the Stanley Cup final, but in the history of the franchise only one man did that so far, and he coaches the Maple Leafs ^_^

The upward climb of former NHL player Kirk Muller keeps on going, as the former 2nd overall pick in the 1985 draft moves from the assistant coach's spot in Montreal to the head coaching spot in Carolina (the Devils drafted him behind Mario Lemieux, which is pretty good company). My favourite memories of Kirk Muller will always be his locker room interviews before and after games, because he would ALWAYS look at the camera :D LOL You could bet, during a thorough, intelligent, and honest answer, Muller would look at the camera four or five times :)

You can't help but smile, and now he gets to do it again as coach of the struggling Hurricanes, who fired Paul Maurice to end his second stint with the club. The Carolina Hurricanes sit at the bottom of the Southeast Division; if it wasn't for the Hurricanes, however, Dale Hunter may have more work cut out for him o_O Kirk Muller takes over the vacant Carolina post after coaching the Admirals of the American Hockey League (that explains the previous video).

LOVE THAT SUIT: Nothing says "team unity" like a head coach dressed to kill in team colours, am I right, Carolina?

Here is hoping Dale Hunter and Kirk Muller get things going.

Saturday Shootaround #6

The bonus that comes with Saturday Shootaround not being a thing is you can spend the day taking care of business and getting over an annoying headache ^_^ Ouch o_O Hand me that aspirin >_<

Crosby + Ice Cream = Good deal ^_^

1. Did You Miss Me?: Fantasy team owners went bananas all over North America as Sidney Crosby returned to the ice for the Pittsburgh Penguins after missing most of the year with a concussion. He clicked to gears straight away scoring twice, and bagging four points in an epic 5-0 home rout of the New York Islanders. His moustache also claimed it would return as well, but no one could find the poor thing since team captain Sidney Crosby raised the Stanley Cup for the Penguins in 2009. My guess is Crosby is as pumped about being back as he is pumped about the Dairy Queen Blizzards he and his teammates will eat after the game. Good old Sid is still flying high about ice cream, I MEAN, hockey after picking up three more assists as his Penguins defeated the scumbag Senators 6-3 last night. Check out the stats of the game in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald link.

2. 

   Wellwood + Leads team in points (17) = Head scratch o_O

   Jets of Wrath: Don Cherry's favourite player, Kyle Wellwood, leads his Jets offense into Boston to take on the Bruins tonight, and I'm a little worried. The Bruins are on a tear; after their horrid start to this Cup-defending campaign they rolled off nine victories in their lat ten games this season! Bruins standout Tyler Seguin leads all players in that game with twenty-three points. I like Winnipeg, which served as the launchpad for the modern game from its WHA days, but I expected a little more from the Thrashers/Jets this season. New city, new uniforms, new expectations, and people actually in the stands for their games should put the Jets in the mix with the division leading Panthers (?), Capitals, and Lightning. Maybe when temperatures plummet, and Ovechkin and Green must push the team bus out of the snow after tough, cold weather game in Winnipeg the Jets will get it together o_O (Hi Carolina Hurricanes fans; I didn't forget you guys!)

3. 

   Columbus + Four goal lead to start + Fake Retro Jerseys = #WINNING

   Laugh Out Loud: I got to laugh at my friends, who support the Buffalo Sabres, this week ^_^ Not just because they lost 5-1 to the last place Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio's capital city, but they also lost a step in the ranking of the best NHL jerseys! Professional hockey teams in the United States, or at least teams struggling to keep pace for playoff places, and fans in the seats before the first intermission and past the second intermission, wear third and fourth jerseys that add elements found on oldtimer hockey knit sweaters from days of yore. Columbus is probably among the best of the bunch of a teams that wear fake throwback, or fake retro jerseys: Navy primary, cream and ice blue accents, and the shoestring tie-on at the top of the jersey give it a nostalgic look ^_^ Until I discovered Buffalo threw in silver as well as an oddly placed number on the top right of their away jersey, I thought the Sabres were HIP recalling their historical look. Navy works with the Blue Jackets, as it is one of their main colours; not every team can pull it off though...right, Florida?

   

   You, Weiss guy, you can't fool me!

   Now, if you excuse me, I have to purchase more acetaminophen (Ooo, I stood up out my chair too quick o_O Owie owie owie ow! >_<)

Welcome Back SID

"Behind Blue Lines" welcomes back Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain and hockey star, to the ice as he returns to NHL action ^_^ Tonight's home game against the New York Islanders marks the first time in almost a year Crosby skated since being receiving a body check from Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman last season, and sustaining a second concussion.

So far in tonight's contest, Crosby scored twice, obtained four points, and helped the Penguins initiate and dictate play throughout the contest with his wins at the faceoff circle (67% as of the second period).

Crosby has a nose for goal, but his unselfish, humble, and well-rounded gameplay is a hit among Pittsburgh fans, and Canadian hockey fans (for obvious reasons LOL). Clicking to gears right away, the Penguins can feel at ease as a major piece to the Pittsburgh puzzle returns to the ice. This will serve notice to the Eastern Conference of the NHL, if not the League, the Penguins are a force to be reckoned with.

(A little while later...)

Oh, the Penguins defeated the Islanders 5-0, and its smiles all around for the city of Pittsburgh ^_^ Good to see Arron Asham give him a proper handshake at the end of the game, too: "This is a glove, and this is a handshake." I heard that while I was driving around the city for work last week.

All the best, Sid, and have a great season. Not as great as my Leafs and Phil Kessel, though, but still a great season. ^_^

P.S. INSERT OBLIGATORY SIDNEY CROSBY TEAM CANADA 2010 OLYMPICS HIGHLIGHT AS BROADCAST BY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD:

Saturday Shootaround #5

Hmm, @CheapLeafsTix is following me on Twitter. Is it possible Saturday Shootaround will help me score affordable tickets to NHL games? Perhaps Saturday Shootaround should become a weekly thing? Maybe not, if the other twenty nine NHL teams open up Twitter accounts, sell affordable hockey tickets online, and then follow me on Twitter I'll consider it. No pressure though; I'm glad @CheapLeafsTix is along for the ride, and I hope they score me some tickets so I can the UNDEFEATED Toronto Raptors! :D

Oh wait...

1. Burst the Bubble: My Toronto Maple Leafs lost to a pack of guys dressed like Juicy-Fruit gum packs! No, I'm not angry; I am just frustrated. The Nashville Predators defeated the Leafs 4-1 at home in the state of Tennessee, but the highlight everyone is talking about this week is a goal Predators rookie forward Craig Smith did not score. The only saving grace is the fact the Predators were already in a position to win the game, as they lead 3-1 at the time. For his sake, I'm glad the gaffe did not snowball into a "Patrik Stefan" type incident o_O Things like that only happen during soccer games, and before those soccer players receive the five thousand dollar handshake after the game for keeping the over/under down.
2. St. James Sighting: Speaking again of the Maple Leafs, starting goaltender James Reimer returned to practicing with the team after his coming out midway through the October contest away against Montreal. Toronto let out a collective sigh of relief, before realizing Reimer would not start against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals tonight o_O According to NHL.com, Ron Wilson said it would be another week before Maple Leafs fans like me can wear their gear with pride, and avoid my Capitals loving friend Jessica online (Hi Jessica). By the way, the Maple Leafs games during the next week are against the following: Sunday at Carolina, Tuesday at Tampa Bay, Friday at Dallas o_O Panic much?



Hooray! Kessel (81) leaps into the waiting arms of Leafs Captain Dion Phaneuf!



Hug Don't Dive! Jamie Benn screams with delight with Mike Ribiero ^_^

3. Good Day Sunshine ^_^: I was so happy reading about hockey hugs over the week, that I decided to google "Hockey Hugs" online and find other good time pictures about hockey players celebrating, and being kids again. ^_^ I found lots of good times images, but be warned because there are a few not-so cool, "how did that get in there" pictures common in any Google search. I remember scoring my one and only goal in my hockey career, and when you score you immediately want to share that experience with as many people as you can, as shocking and ridiculous as the sight of you doing something productive at the rink in front of that girl from high school you liked, who was in the stands that night, and she thought I looked good ^_^ (Weren't you the slowest player on the team?) YNo! o_O (Didn't you trip on the end boards at the end of the game?) Maybe -_- (That google search of pictures of you as a short and fat player in roller hockey produced 300,000 hits, didn't it?) Oh look, another hockey hug picture! >_< (That's a baseball picture!) AHH!

NHL Newsmaker?

I thought about live blogging during the Leafs and Coyotes tilt tonight when Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf coughed up the puck at the Phoenix blueline, which opened the door to a two-on-one break going the other way culminating in an opening goal by Shane Doan, who scored his first point in seven games. So that idea, and the remote control, went out the window (the latter in a fit of frustration) -_-

I received some good news today: @NHLNewsFeed is following my tweets ^_^ This could be due to the success of Saturday Shootaround, which I'm not sure is a thing. It's still in its alpha testing mode, but I'm glad NHLNewsFeed is also pumped about the possibility of it becoming a weekly thing. This NHL tweeter joins @NHLFanChat as two prime NHL beatwriters following me on Twitter! I wonder what my name on Twitter would be if I became an authorized NHL beatwriter on the Tweetscape?

• NHLGoofball
• NHLHollywoodHockey
• NHoLlywood
• NHLPhilTweets
• NHLFanZone (I think that one is taken o_O)

I may need to prefix everything with NHL o_O Even medical records! O_O

Congratulations Blues!

Although that sounds like an oxymoron for a failed Prozac commercial, I do wish to congratulate the St. Louis Blues for blasting out of the gate for their new head coach, Ken Hitchcock. The Blues knocked off the defensive-minded Bolts from Tampa Bay with an impressive 3-0 win ^_^ to extend their win-streak to three games following the hire of the Cup-winning coach last week. Their next regular season game is tonight when they play the visiting Detroit Red Wings at 8:00pm. Their previous game against the Wings was in Detroit in March of the previous season, when they scored a 10-3 victory. A lot changed since then, in particular behind the bench for St. Louis, however the song remains the same in some respects, as the Blues are still rooted to the basement spots in the Western Conference. New head coach Ken Hitchcock is wants to change that, saying "To me, transition ... the whole game has to be played behind people...it's not so much chipping it in, it's just making people turn. That's the whole focus of the game. If everybody's on that page, then you play faster."

 The Detroit Red Wings also started the season on a slow pace, but they are sitting fifth in the Western Conference. Aside from the #1 seed in the West, the Chicago Blackhawks, a game against the Detroit Red Wings will be the litmus test for the Blues to see if they indeed have what it takes to be a threat in the Western conference, much less the Central Division.


(Information, photo and quotation from the St. Louis Blues' website)

Finally...

Again, my apologies to Admiral Ackbar for Saturday's blog posting, and divulging the secret base on the ice planet of Hoth. Fortunately, a couple of jedi knights and I stole the flux capacitor operating the scanner onboard from the lead Star Destroyer, thus giving our forces an opportunity to evacuate before the Empire knew of our plan to assault the moon base on Backes, I MEAN, Pietrangelo!

Phew, that was close o_O I hope I didn't give too much away.

Saturday Shootaround #4

Right now, Saturday Shootaround is in its ALPHA stage. I want to ensure there will not be any hiccups, in case I want this to be a thing.

1. The hockey world went crazy over the latest antics of Flyers coach Peter Laviolette in his team's match against the defensive minded Tampa Bay Lightning squad of coach Guy Boucher. If you don't know what antics transpired during the first period of their game, here are some...highlights? People hear the word "TRAP" and they immediately think of the Battle of Endor, I mean, boring hockey. It's true the lockout, variations of the "TRAP", and rule changes couldn't save the Thrashers in Atlanta, and even teams in the New York region are feeling the pinch. However, defensive hockey did give us creative players and inventive ways to wins game from different areas on the rink: Ovechkin in Washington, Crosby/Malkin/Fleury in Pittsburgh (?), and maybe Reimer in Toronto (when he returns from injury, because he stole games last year). Teams out there can beat the TRAP, even without the help of Admiral Ackbar and the rebel fleet...It depends on how patient fans will be with the 1-3-1 or with one player sliding in front of you to knock the puck off your stick (Andrew, yes I did just tell the Internet about your patented defensive method, and yes it did take me five minutes to type it in because I was laughing so much!
2. My man Sean Avery did something remarkable for the Rangers against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday! When he needs to play, he CAN play; I knew he could do it! Go ahead, Sean Avery! :D
3. I'm not sure what will happen first: A Stanley Cup parade down Yonge Street here in Toronto, or one of my sisters losing money to the other when she discovers I have a girlfriend (I don't have a girlfriend, yet...?) The Maple Leafs defeated the St. Louis Blues via shootout in Sweet Missouri. Fresh from the press conference announcing their new head coach Ken Hitchcock, the 12th-seeded Blues rallied from 2-0 to send this Leafs fan to the hospital to claim one point from the contest in coach Hitchcock's debut. In the first fourteen games this year, whenever the Blues trailed to start the contest their record was 3-6, yet they only managed a 4-1 win-loss record when they score first. Coach Hitchcock will need to inspire his players to start games on the right foot, and that involves a change in the culture. Hopefully the Blues will buy into the new program, otherwise when the AT-ATs lumber toward the Scottrade Center the rebels will not have much of a chance to deploy their transports in time, I MEAN, the Blues will begin to suffer at the gate like so many other teams south of the Mason-Dixie line.

No Panic Mode

Southern Discomfort: Panthers defencemen Ellerby (4) and Jovanovski (55) celebrate another Florida goal with teammates

My Maple Leafs lost to the Florida Panthers 5-1 last night. While I am bummed about this latest development, I'm not too distressed about the Maple Leafs inevitable loss of the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the lead spot in the Northeast Division. No, I'm not saying that because it is "early in the season", but because in the long and storied history of the franchise, not since the early 1960s had the Toronto Maple Leafs dominate the regular season to such an extent that they were perennial Cup favourites (Last Leafs team ranked 1st overall: 1963). Also, only once did the Maple Leafs have a regular season scoring champion (Gordie Drillon, 1938)!

To Die For: Well done, Florida! Your new jerseys are delicish!

The Maple Leafs are an underdog team, so when success occurs it is usually by surprise, or at least against the norm (See 1967, 1993 division semi-final against Detroit, James Reimer's rookie season). This team will begin to lose their fair share of games during these next few weeks and months, and make a strong push for the final two playoffs spots come trade deadline day to make things interesting. I'm not saying they stink, but it should make for some exciting hockey; plus, James Reimer will be back ^_^

I am slightly encouraged about the prospects for the Florida Panthers? Why am I excited for the Panthers? They listened to me, and dropped that idiot piping from their jerseys! ^_^ They are looking "FABulous!" (diva snap) Why is it whenever I read fabulous out loud my voice changes? o_O

Saturday Shootaround #3

1. Tim Thomas to unveil hockey mask in tonight's game: Boston Bruins' standout goaltender Tim Thomas will debut a new hockey mask for today's contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thomas hopes the mask will bring awareness to cancer and early diagnosis. According to Kevin Woodley of NHL.com, "This mask features an image of Lord Horatio Kitchener made famous on a recruiting poster in England during World War I, as well as a new, moustachioed take on the "Beware the Bear" logo that Thomas usually features on the backplate of his everyday mask, altered now to "Beware of the Stache."" I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want Lord Kitchener coming after me! They called him "Kitchener of Khartoum" for a reason! A Google search for "Lord Kitchener" also brought up the jazz singer, "Lord Kitchner". No relation o_O
2. The online hockey world is all aflutter over Matt Duchene's recent Texas two-step in Dallas in the overtime loss to the Stars (I don't watch DWTS). With those Duchene would easily place first, according to the professional judges only to lose out to Bristol Palin (teen mom), Corey from that Nick show (arbitrary guy to keep numbers fair), and Jennifer Grey (because no one says Baby's gotta lose...NOBODY!) Next thing, Matt Duchene and Brandy are chilling at the losers' couch asking each other what they do for a living. Matt: I'm an Avalanche ^_^
3. If you happen to take a gander at the main page of NHL.com, then there is a good chance I was not the only person doing a double take, and then wondering what one must do to be put in positions like this: I want to steal the lunch money from the mascot on the left. He looks like a pushover, which I suppose is what appeals to kids nowadays: A giant plush dog/pig creature with blue eyes o_O The dragon in the middle looks like he is making a B-line to the rotisserie chicken rotating in the restaurant window at the three star, afternoon eatery on Wall Street that jams full of stockbrokers every Black Monday, which is a weekly occurrence. Yo, Dragon gotta eat! Did the photographer find that Louisville Cardinal mascot, after being kicked out of the last night club in town, to take that photo? Maybe he is a bouncer now? It goes along with the title, I suppose? Don't ask me what is happening at the bottom of the picture there: o_O Theft, falling down stairs, Money laundering, panhandling, loitering. "Mascot Madness" Yowza o_O

If "Saturday Shoot-around" becomes a weekly gimmick on this blog, the acronym should be S.A.S.H.. Anything I write for Tuesday will be T.I.A.R.A., and whatever I write for Thursday will be T.A.L.E.N.T.C.O.M.P.E.T.I.T.I.O.N.

In case this becomes a thing, which I'm not sure about...

Ovechkin: Larger Than Life! Bigger Than The Team?

Without question, as a natural talent and character in the National Hockey League, Alexander Ovechkin is regarded among many hockey observers and fantasy draft team owners as the best hockey player in the world. So it came as no surprise, when Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau benched his slumping Russian superstar player during the frantic final 90 seconds of regulation time in last night's regular season match-up against the visiting Anaheim Ducks. The incident came to a head as television cameras caught Ovechkin and Boudreau in a heated argument about that situation. Boudreau said about the decision, "At the time, you don't have that much time to think. Like I said last night, I was playing a hunch". In spite of the offensive genius of Ducks standout and veteran Teemu Selanne, who notched four points during the game (2G,2A), the Capitals did manage to score five goals to win the game in sudden-death overtime, thanks in large part to the breakout play of center Nicklas Backstrom to score both game-tying and game-winning goals for the Caps. Keep in mind, of the two assists accredited with the Backstrom winger, one belongs to Ovechkin, who was back on the ice for the goal.

The Best I Could Find? Ovechkin (8) upends Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin (23) during yesterday's regular season matchup

Since his breakout performance in the 2009 NHL playoffs, the eyes and defensive schemes of the hockey world looked to Ovechkin to be the league's sparkplug and drawing card. Although the Capitals lost last Saturday's match in Vancouver against the Canucks 7-4, "Ovie" scored twice in that game and whenever he steps on the ice anticipation builds for Caps supporters, and tension for those supporting the opposing goalie o_O This year, however, tension mounts in the DC area because the fans and beatwriters expect big things from Ovechkin, coach Boudreau, and the remodelled Capitals, who rebuilt their defense by signing free-agent goalie Tomas Vokoun, and veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik (I almost typed Igor Hamrlik o_O)

That Patented Smile: Ovechkin celebrates one of the two goals he scored against Vancouver on Saturday Night

Alexander Ovechkin did not score once at home for the Capitals, and his five goals and ten points so far are pedestrian compared to the NHL's current scoring leaders. His ice-time is down as well; no longer will Ovechkin stay on the ice with minute-long shifts and freewheeling highlight reel moves. Boudreau's Capitals are determined, disciplined, and defensive; so far the operation is a success, but the patient just went "code blue" in the eyes of the media. As a good team captain would, however, Ovechkin spoke in an effort to deflect criticism off the head coach for making the decision: "Of course I want to be in this situation on the ice...it doesn't matter who I say it [to] or what I said. It looked funny on TV. Right now it is big story, but it was just frustrating because I am a leader on the team and I want that kind of responsibility. Bruce put [Brooks Laich's] line out and they scored."

DC Area Used to Tension: Coach Boudreau (top) and Alex Ovechkin

There is no I in "TEAM", but there is an I in "WIN". Hockey teams, which put the coach's credo ahead of individual glory and highlight reel goals on ESPN's Sportscenter, are expected to win as a team: Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins of 2009, and Hall-of-Fame coach Scotty Bowman's Red Wings of the late 90s and Canadiens of the late 70s are perfect examples of the big TEAM and little ME concept. So far, Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals never played in a Conference Final, much less the Stanley Cup Final, since they drafted the superstar in 2004 as the vaunted number one pick. 2008 Coach of the Year Bruce Boudreau enters his fifth season as head coach of the Capitals looking to place first in the Southeast Division for the fifth consecutive year, and after the Tampa Bay Lightning swept his team from the playoffs in four games in last year's conference semi-final, prognosticators expect Washington to exceed all expectations and win it all in 2012 (Capitals 2nd in East, 16 points).

[Special thanks to NHL.com and staff writer Corey Masisak for quotations and insight]