and Canada almost got burned AGAIN by the Swiss team.

Canada beats Swiss 3-2 in shootout.
If you happened to follow the bouncing telecast from NBC cable station to NBC cable station you might have seen one of the most entertaining games this year. Every red and white bleeding Canadian at Canada Place should have remembered the Swiss team miracle during the last winter Olympics. They stunned the hockey world and left Canada reeling after a 2-0 shutout loss.

A game that had redemption spelled out in bright red turned into an epic battle. The defense shutdown the high octane Canadian offense and Hiller stood on his head. The Swiss played a complete team game and executed their plan. Although they lost, the Swiss still gained a point for making it to the shootout limiting the Canadians to 2 out of 3 possible points. Did Canada come out expecting to put up an easy W or did the Swiss simply have more time together to work on their systems?

During the USA/Swiss game the Swiss came out hitting everything that moved and was in blue. There are some big boys on the Swiss team and they certainly leave their “long history of neutrality” at home in Switzerland. Although some European teams complained about the *adjusted* size of the rink, it might actually help the Swiss’ team game.

Size matters!
Is anyone else bothered by the fact the Olympics are being played on an NHL sized rink? I admit I love North American hockey, the grinding, the work along the boards and the physical play but this is International play and the rinks need to be bigger. Sure it allows for more seats and making more money but it seems a little inauthentic. They’ve also added no line changes after an icing. I don’t know, it seems a bit incestuous to implant NHL rules in an international tournament. You don’t see the NHL allowing no touch icings. Hint hint.

Oh well, I suppose if there are more game like last nights I might have a change of heart by the end of the tournament.

The best fights, hits, goals and saves from January

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I gotta say my favorite is the Dats shotout goal against the Hawks.

2/2 Update: Leafs Fans Chanted For Dion In First Game

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1/30 Seven player deal sends Phanuef to Toronto

The The Hockey News reports the following players were swapped in the deals:
To Toronto:
Dion Phaneuf
Keith Aulie
Freddie Sjostrom
To Calgary:
Matt Stajan
Niklas Hagman
Jamal Mayers
Ian White

To Toronto:
J.S. Giguere
To Anaheim:
Vesa Toskala
Jason Blake

Maybe a change of scenery can help Phaneuf’s point production. God knows my fantasy team needs it.

with some freakin’ Russians

Tampa @ Atlanta

Tampa 2 Atlanta 1
Nitty is 16-0 against the Thrashers

Ranger’s Voros vs Avalanche’s Mcleod on 2/1/10

Predictions and rosters for the top tier teams going for gold in Vancouver.

Well, it’s less than 3 weeks until my Tara and I venture to the left coast of Canada and bask in the glow of the worlds best winter athletes. I’m not sure what I’m more excited for: the beauty of BC and exploring Vancouver or the intensity and skill on display at this years winter Olympics.

Out of the 12 countries competing in the men’s hockey event, less than half(5) have ever earned a gold medal. This includes Finland who came close to their first but earned a silver medal in Turino during the ‘06 Olympics.

NHL players have only been allowed to play in the Olympics since 1998. The first NHL infused Olympics went to the Czech Republic in 1998 followed by Canada in 2002 and than Sweden in 2006.

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Rosters

Gold – Canada’s Roster Show ▼

Source:NHL.com

No one can deny that team Canada has a star studded line up but unlike team disappointment in ‘06 this team has two secret weapons: Coach Babcock and Ruff. Everyone can discuss the weapons and the studs on Defense but you cannot over look the influence these two men could have on this tournament. First you have one of the best coaches of the past decade. Babcock has won cup a with the Red Wings and reached the finals with the Ducks. This guy knows how to coach and push his star players. Lindy Ruff is a coach who can squeeze everything out of his players without them “tuning him out” Oh yea did I mention they also have defensive guru Jacques Lemaire behind the bench?

I give the gold to Canada because the coaching maybe the edge needed to push them past other offensive power houses…

Silver – Russia’s Roster Show ▼

Source:NHL.com

Speaking of offensive power houses. I originally ranked them not to place, favoring Sweden, Finland or even the US but their roster just continues to grow on me. The reason I had them so low was due to their defense. Sure the Russians can light the lamp but can they play sound hockey in their own zone? Unless they control play in Canada’s zone I don’t see them beating the host country.

Bronze – Sweden’s Roster Show ▼

Source:NHL.com

Sweden looks to defend their Gold medal against some stiff competition. The team has some new faces on it like Eriksson and Oduya but they continue to hold on to a good core of the Gold medal team. King Henrik back-guards a very experienced and skilled team. If older players can remain healthy this team definitely has a chance at earning another medal.

USA’s Roster Show ▼

Source:NHL.com

This team’s roster got a shot of Youth Serum. What they may lack in skill (comparing to other countries, not saying they don’t have skill) they make up with heart, grit, and determination. This team looks like a Brian Burke workhorse: Orpik, Callahan, Malone, Parise. Not to mention a goalie by the name of Ryan Miller who happens to lead the NHL in Save% and is 2nd in GAA. Miller will make his Olympic debut after being snubbed in ‘06 for Robert Esche who now plays in Russia.

Finland’s Roster Show ▼

Source:NHL.com

Despite the lack of changes since ‘06 I don’t see this team earning a medal. It’s not to say this team is bad other teams have simply just gotten better. Kipper has said if he isn’t guaranteed the starting position he won’t join his country men in Vancouver. The goalie situation is the X-Factor for Finland. If Kipper doesn’t show up they still have Nitty and Backstrom.

Czech Republic’s Roster Show ▼

Source:NHL.com

Decent goaltending and defense but they simply don’t have the skill other teams in this tournament have. I can see them involved in some close games but in the end I think they fall short of a medal.

These are the original rosters for each team. Keep up to date on injuries for each team here.

You can also find the schedule here: Olympic Schedule
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For more info on teams and other stories relating to Men’s Olympic Hockey check out the NHL’s All-Access Vancouver site.

Flyers douse new Flames; Jokinen shipped to the states; video of Giroux’s sweet goal

Richards scored goals number 100 and 101 and Emery earned a shut out as the Flyers won in a tightly checked game 3-0.

Check out the beauty by Claude Giroux:

Edmonton, who were recently spanked by the Flames, is the next stop for the Flyers.

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Rangers look to add some scoring to help out Gabby.

To Rangers:
Olli Jokinen
Brandon Prust
To Flames:
Chris Higgins
Ales Kotalik

Source

Word is this ice bunny was not involved in the trade:

If you cry enough, they might change their mind.

I do understand there is an unwritten, who-doo voodoo er code between players and refs. Some games inspire announcers to emphatically remind the viewers at home the guys with the orange strips are “letting them play”. Scrums around the net, extra chatter on the benches, maybe a couple fights. Other nights I sit at home befuddled by phantom calls and even more disheartening are the nights where there is a complete lack of consistency in regards to what is and what is not a penalty.

A hook, is a hook, is a hook aka a horizontal stick. Broken stick is a tell tale sign of a slash. Okay, got it. Shoot the puck out of play in your own zone: delay of game. Clear cut and I like it that way. Tripping, holding, interference and we hit a spot of gray.

These rules are clearly defined in the NHL rule book. Right?

On a side note I’ve also noticed a curious trend in the PL-NHL (Post Lockout NHL): referees calling the game to make it more interesting, to give a team a make up call or even to “get” someone back (see the Burrows/Auger indecent).

Have some of these omnipotent officials gotten a little to big for their britches? During the Wings/Pens NBC telecast I heard nothing but praise for NHL refs. They are, by the way, the best referees in the world. Who is going to be on the ice for the Olympics? I wonder how the Olympic committee would deal with their own Burrows/Auger incident. Are the refs part of a protected marketing team sent by Bettman and his cronies? Okay, I’ll take off the foil, hat that is.

OR is it possible the players have lost a bit of respect for the refs. Look around the league at the average age of a star player especially of the captains. There are 9 captains 26 or younger: Ilya Kovalchuk, ATL, 26; Staal, CAR, 25; Jonathan Toews, CHI, 21; Rick Nash, CLB, 25; Dustin Brown, LA, 25; Mikko Koivu, MIN, 26; Richards, PHI, 24; Sidney Crosby, PIT, 22; Ovechkin, WSH, 24, (From SBNation Around the Rink Blog).

Could the combination of young stars and this flip flow show of inconstancy be a breeding grounds that spawns a vicious cycle which slowly eats away at the integrity of the game?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is a difference between letting them play and not doing your job correctly. I think Refs should be held accountable for their actions on the ice. It’s not quite possible to police them in the same way a player but in the same turn they should know when they aren’t performing at the expected high level required to be an NHL ref. I firmly believe that consistency in officiating would benefit the game, the fans and the safety of the players.

Words of Wisdom From the Comments Section:
This comes from a comment on the Auger phantom call video.
zeroceiling writes
“Fact
after 911, liability insurance was almost impossible to get. Hockey Canada (administering Junior hockey) was warned by underwriters that they were going to lose their policies unless they minimized possibility of catastrophic injury. The insurance underwriters demanded more calls from refs (overall increase in a seasonal number of total minutes called..not per game)..and the refs gladly complied..calling truly amazing phantom calls every three minutes it seemed..almost ruining Jr hockey!! “

Grit and skill mixed with a few players who have “been there” and add a silver medal goaltender.

I must say I’m a bit partial to Nitty. I was a huge fan of his during the Philadelphia Phantoms Calder Cup win and during his impeccable run at the Gold medal back in 06 at Torino. Instead of being herald as a Silver Medal winning goalie, Nitty’s performance was brushed off by the Flyers organization. They stated something to the effect of “international rinks have different angles”. Regardless of the “angles” or size of the rink, he was still facing the best players in the world.

Another castaway from Flyerdom is Steve Downie. You all might remember him as the rocket who destroyed Dean McAmmond during preseason play. Ryan Malone like Downie adds the ferociousness that can be expected from a team coached by Rick Toccet. Add that grit to skilled players like St Louis, Stamkos, Lecavalier, and Tanguay and you might have yourselves an intense 7 game series.

The main component I see lacking is the defense. They do have Ohlund and Foster but I feel they lack that key puck moving D-man. It’s sad to say but I think this team would garner a bit more respect if they still had Danny Boyle.

Prior to losing to the Ducks in a shootout, the Lightening were on a 3 game winning streak. They proved themselves this month by beating some of the top teams in the east: Red Russian Freight Train (Capitals), Devils and Penguins. Today at 3pm will be another test as they face off against their division rivals, the Washington Capitals.

Could they be this year’s Hurricanes? Meh, here are some ice girls.

UPDATE
Lightening fall 3-2 to conference leading Caps.

Claude Giroux with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in Game Three of the quarter finals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.