Archive for March 15th, 2009
NHL Games & Picks …
Tonight’s Games & Picks . . .
For in depth look into the NHL teams records and preview of tonight’s games please go back to the “Home Page” on Hockey God, at the bottom lower left hand side:
Click on “Scoreboard” and review every game by clicking in the individual games being played on Sunday :
FLYERS @ RANGERS : TAKE RANGERS
NYI @ CHICAGO : TAKE HAWKS
BOSTON @ PITTSBURGH : TAKE PENS
DETROIT @ COLUMBUS : BLUE JACKETS
WILD @ BLUES : TAKE WILD
SHARKS @ DUCKS : TAKE SHARKS
COLORADO @ VANCOUVER : TAKE CANUCKS
NHL HOCKEY HITS FOR SUNDAY . . .
ABOVE A FIGHT BETWEEN DAVE CLARKSON & BRANDON PRUST FORMER OHL PLAYERS
HOCKEY HITS : 
- Fighting in the NHL has gone up this year, with changes to the way players fight sure to make it to the NHL in time for next season they may or may not go down.
Staged fights are going to be up to the refs to call but will they all get the difference between a staged fight and a fight that took place because of the action?
All fights are going to be staged to some extent with two players having decided to fight, now deciding when this is to take place on the ice.
The NHL has to be really careful on deciding what is a staged fight - with fear the NHL will quickly become the WWE . . .
If fighting becomes so controlled by the league, players will just adapt around the rules.
The last thing anyone wants who understands the game is a game full of gimmick characters following silly rules that take away from the spontaneous aggressiveness of the action.
-Toronto has signed forward Chris DiDomenico to a three-year entry level contract, the club announced Saturday.
DiDomenico, a 20-year-old native of Toronto was selected by the Leafs in the sixth round (164th overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
“Chris is a skilled offensive player that plays with a lot of grit,” said GM Brian Burke. “He has shown the ability to compete and produce at a high level and we’re looking forward to his further growth and development in our organization.”
- Calgary Flames trade for Olli Jokinen has made an immediate impact on the Flames top line with Jerome Iginla. It just goes to show you all the talk about Jokinen being a bad teammate is bullshit.
Jokinen just needed to play with a team that already has leaders and is not struggling to find it’s identity that has constant change at every moment like the Phoenix Coyotes. Jokinen scored another hattrick last night in Toronto, his second since landing with the Flames at the deadline.
- Marty Brodeur tied the NHL record for wins last night in Montreal beating the Habs 3-1 for win number 551 tying the retired Patrick Roy. Roy was in attendance to watch Marty do this and was genuinely happy that this took place in Montreal of all places. Strange how the Hockey God’s work allowed this historic night to happen in both goalies home province.
- LAS VEGAS IS THE DESTINATION FOR THE NHL AWARDS AT THE END OF THIS SEASON
The NHL has moved the awards this year from Toronto to Las Vegas as part of the NHL’s new way of splashing up its image across North America on June 18th.
This was a great move by the NHL signing a three year deal to have the awards at the Palms Resort and Casino Hotel on the Vegas strip.
Having gone to Vegas myself several times it’s a City that never sleeps that has all the glamor needed to put on such an event. The perfect place for hockey players to come and spend some time on an otherwise boring awards weekend.
- Funny that the word is at the General Managers meetings New Jersey Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello took NHLPA Director Paul Kelly by surprise asking him what the players are prepared to do about bringing in a new Doping policy.
Lou as everyone in hockey knows will do anything to win hockey games including stretching every rule to its fullest. So that question was rich coming from him, who I believe could care less what the players are taking as long as they are training and in shape to play for HIS hockey team.
- Hall of Famer Brian Kilrea, the long time coach of the OHL Ottawa 67’s says that this time this year will be his last season as head coach. Having retired to be General Manager once before years ago only to come back firing the coach because he was not happy with the teams play.
Kilrea who a few of my players that I have previously represented played in Ottawa for him is much more of a father figure to the players than coach.
I can’t see Kilrea sitting back as General Manager watching his current assistant former Nepean Jr. A coach Chis Byrne take over as head coach. Having seen this guys work in the Central Jr League in the past he very oddly ran the teams bench standing with the defence only, which is the opposite to the norm for the head coach.
Either he knows something we all don’t know or this is just odd, but in any event I watched the way this guy carried on under pressure and he was a whiner to say the least. We’ll see how long that act lasts going forward with Kilrea and the 67’s.
- Talk about the change in Pittsburgh coaching working after they fired the player hated Michel Therrien and replaced him with the surprise choice of AHL coach Dan Bylsma.
Bylsma has done an outstanding job as head coach with the Pens who have fought their way back into a playoff position with a (7-1-2) record in the team’s last 10. Giving them 80 points tying them with the Habs for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Sidney Crosby is much happier now a days in Pitt with new comers Chris Kunitz & Bill Guerin adding some much needed veteran presence to the forward group. Pens are a strange team and have been without an identity all season- until now under these changes. A team with Crosby & Evgeni Malkin the leagues top 3 scorers will be difficult to deal with come playoffs that’s for sure.
For Hockey God I’m Dave Frost
