8 Point Games Like a Needle In a Haystack
Blog: Oil Patch By Lisa McRitchie
02/03/12 at 10:15 PM ET | Comments (0)
To earn a single point in an NHL game is a feat that many hockey players never accomplish. To notch 2 points is a good game. But 8 points in a single game? 8 in the current era of the NHL is a miracle. Before Thursday night in Edmonton 8 points in a single game hadn’t been accomplished since 1989.
Filed in: Edmonton Oilers, Sam Gagner | Oil Patch | Permalink
Tavares On the Rise
02/03/12 at 08:15 PM ET | Comments (1)
from Roy MacGregor of the Globe and Mail,
John Tavares, the New York Islanders centre who was the NHL’s player of the month for January, is working the corners. He spins, he rolls off two checkers, he has his head raised like a cobra in search of opportunity. He works through traffic by keeping everything in so tight to his body they cannot stop him from slipping by. He sees an opening no one else has seen, passes quickly and, instantly, a goal is scored.
Tavares is only 21 years of age, and though ESPN recently ranked the “Top 25 NHL players under age of 25” and somehow left him off the list, he is today the talk of the league after scoring nine goals and 13 assists in only 13 games last month and rising into the top five in league scoring.
He is far, far from the fastest player in the game, and yet he is also unstoppable. He works corners as effectively as, but different from, the Sedin twins of the Vancouver Canucks. He has, as Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson noted Friday before the Senators and Islanders met in Ottawa, “incredible hands and vision.”
Where does it come from? Winter or summer? Hockey rink or lacrosse box?
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: John+Tavares,
Video- Best Of The Week
02/03/12 at 04:52 PM ET | Comments (0)
First up are the goals, followed by saves and hits below. All three videos are about 2 and a half minutes long.
Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Media, NHL Video | KK Hockey | Permalink
Red WIngs off-day news: broomball, trade talk and fun with bursa sacs
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
02/03/12 at 04:49 PM ET | Comments (4)
Updated 3x with trade talk, Howard and broomball updates, Oilers stuff and Gordie talk at 8:44 PM: Collective Red Wings fan/team/blogosphere freakout regarding Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard’s broken right index fingertip,/a> excluded, the Wings actually had a relatively quiet day following their 4-3 shootout victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Free Press’s Helene St. James reports that the team played broomball instead of practicing, which is incredibly appropriate given the way pucks went in the net during Edmonton’s 8-5 victory over Chicago:
In addition to Howard, forwards Todd Bertuzzi and Danny Cleary officiated the tournament. Coach Mike Babcock originally had planned an outdoor practice, but decided a non-hockey event would be even better. He likes doing these sorts of things to break up the monotony of the regular season; last year, for example, the Wings tried curling while here. In a reversal of roles, the broom ball teams were captained by youngsters Justin Abdelkader, Cory Emmerton, Jan Mursak and Jakub Kindl. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall was the first overall pick, while Nicklas Lidstrom went where he historically has gone. “I fit my profile,” he said. “Third-rounder.”
“It’s nice to break it up,” Lidstrom said. “Babs has been looking at doing something differently, especially with playing every other night. It’ll be fun to see what it’s all about.”
St. James posted a few more tidbits from the event Via Twitter:
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
Backes Leads The Hitchcock Way
02/03/12 at 04:30 PM ET | Comments (2)
from of Yahoo,
Sometime after 6:30 p.m., Hitchcock called from his car – probably somewhere on I-70 or I-71 – as he made the seven-hour drive from his last stop in Columbus, Ohio, to what would be his renaissance in St. Louis. They spoke for about an hour.
Hitchcock told (David) Backes he put a lot of trust in his captains and expected a lot of them, too. He told him to lead by example, to try to inspire others to follow, to make sure the Blues were tough to play against, to never give anyone free ice. He explained what had to change immediately and what would take time.
“It was a good conversation, time well spent,” Backes said. “As you can see, the results have proven themselves.”
The Blues beat the Blackhawks that Tuesday night, 3-0. They have gone 23-6-7 since Hitchcock’s arrival. They’re in the thick of the NHL’s toughest division – heading into Friday’s action they are six points behind the league-leading Detroit Red Wings, one point behind the Nashville Predators and tied with the Blackhawks, with three games in hand on all three of them.
And Backes has been a big key.
Filed in: NHL Teams, St. Louis Blues | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: David+Backes,
Red Wings to take things outside for Hockey Weekend Across America
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
02/03/12 at 04:24 PM ET | Comments (1)
Update: the Wings’ Twitter account is offering a guaranteed chance to earn one of 50 admission spots to said practice: This is plain old cool, per the Detroit Red Wings:
WINGS TO CELEBRATE HOCKEY WEEKEND ACROSS AMERICA WITH HISTORIC OUTDOOR PRACTICE
… Tim Hortons and Kroger Sponsor Red Wings Skate at Downtown Detroit ’s Clark Park; 24 Hours of Hockey Action Planned for Joe Louis Arena …
Detroit, MI… As part of Hockey Weekend Across America and their ongoing Hockeytown Thanks initiative, the Detroit Red Wings will be presenting a variety of hockey events throughout the duration of Saturday, February 18. Teams and players from all ages and skill levels will be participating in this unique daylong endeavor, which will be highlighted by an outdoor practice at downtown Detroit ’s Clark Park featuring the entirety of the Red Wings roster.
The Red Wings outdoor practice at Detroit ’s Clark Park (between Vernor & I-75) will have special observation areas installed specifically for fans to catch all of the action beginning at noon (gates open at 11:00 a.m.). The first 2,000 citizens of Hockeytown to arrive on location will be able to watch the Red Wings skate for approximately one hour as they prepare for a Sunday home game versus San Jose . Fans wishing to attend the Red Wings’ historic outdoor practice on the 18th will be required to make one of three charitable donations upon entering the facility:
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard’s broken finger isn’t a severe injury
Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik
02/03/12 at 03:54 PM ET | Comments (5)
There’s kind-of-sort-of good news regarding the broken finger which will keep Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard out of the Wings’ next two games: According to DetroitRedWings.com’s Bill Roose, Howard suffered a broken fingertip on his right index finger ([edit/update: Roose says it’s a clean break, too,] and not a broken pinky), which is something goalies can usually play through…
The Red Wings have learned that they will be without their All-Star goaltender for the remaining two games of their road trip after Jimmy Howard suffered a broken index finger on his right hand in Thursday’s 4-3 shoot-out win at Vancouver.The injury occurred early in the third period when Howard made a blocker save on a close-range shot along the ice by Canucks center Max Lapierre. Howard skated to the Wings’ bench during the next stoppage where he was examined by Piet VanZant, the team’s athletic therapist, who taped up the finger.
Howard finished the game and didn’t allow a goal in the shoot-out, stopping the Canucks’ Alex Edler and Mason Raymond to earn his league-leading 32nd win of the season. Howard is also third among league starters with a 2.03 goals-against average, and second with five shutouts.
The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan is confirming the team’s recall of Joey MacDonald, which will tax the Grand Rapids Griffins as they’re playing 3 games in 3 nights this weekend, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James spoke to Howard about his injury (and St. James posted a picture of Howard’s finger taped up as well)...
Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
Owen Nolan Press Conference Scheduled With the San Jose Sharks
02/03/12 at 02:40 PM ET | Comments (5)
via Sharks Media Relations,
WHAT: Former Sharks Captain OWEN NOLAN will make an announcement regarding the future of his hockey career.
WHEN: Tues., Feb. 7
TIME: 2:30 p.m. (PDT)WHERE: The Grill at HP Pavilion
WHO: * Owen Nolan
* Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson
* Special Guests
Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Owen+Nolan,
Holland Discusses Howard’s Injury
02/03/12 at 01:59 PM ET | Comments (4)
via Ansar Khan of Mlive,
“The good news is it’s his stick hand and it’s the tip of the finger,’’ general manager Ken Holland said. “We won’t have to wait until it’s totally healed for him to play. He just needs a little time. He wants to stay with the team. He feels he won’t be out too long.’‘
Howard will miss at least the next two games, Saturday at Edmonton and Monday at Phoenix, while Joey MacDonald, recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins, serves as Ty Conklin’s back-up.
“Jimmy will stay with us (on the trip),’’ Holland said. “When we get back to Detroit on Tuesday he’ll see a doctor and we’ll get a little better read on when he can play.
“Does he need a week? I don’t know. We want to give him a little bit of time.’‘
The injury happened in the third period of Thursday’s 4-3 shootout victory in Vancouver, when Howard was hit by a shot from Max Lapierre. Howard skated over to the bench to see trainer Piet Van Zant but stayed in the game.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Jimmy+Howard,
Different Trade Approaches
02/03/12 at 12:47 PM ET | Comments (0)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Put yourself in the shoes of an NHL general manager, 24 days from the trade deadline - and not his fantasy shoes by the way, where Sidney Crosby can be traded for Alex Ovechkin and six-for-six blockbusters are common. Try it in the real world, where the decision for so many teams comes down to this: When so few players are made available, how high do you bid for the handful of big names (Jeff Carter, James Van Riemsdyk) that might be pried loose? Or do you do the safe thing and add a couple of useful supplementary pieces who might come cheaply because their value is depressed, such as the deal the Minnesota Wild pulled off Friday morning, getting shootout specialist Erik Christensen from the New York Rangers in exchange for minor-leaguer Casey Wellman.
A lot of last year’s trade deadline deals fell into the latter category, small moves that yielded small rewards. Dennis Wideman was moved in the Florida Panthers’ fire sale, as were Radek Dvorak and Chris Higgins. Jason Arnott, Rusty Klesla, Scottie Upshall, Max Lapierre and Dustin Penner all found new homes. None made much of an impact, except for maybe Higgins, who produced a modest eight points in 25 playoff games for the Vancouver Canucks.
Many also came with the sort of wear-and-tear that obliges potential buyers to be very wary. For example, the Calgary Flames acquired a broken-down Freddie Modin from the Atlanta Thrashers and he simply wasn’t able to contribute (zero points in his only four appearances).
continued plus topics such as the three point game and Sam Gagner…
About Kukla’s Korner
Kukla’s Korner is updated around the clock with the work of our own talented bloggers, plus links to the best hockey writing around the internet. We strive to bring you all the breaking hockey news as it happens.
The home page allows you to see the latest postings from every blog on the site. Subscribe here. For general inquiries and more, please contact us anytime.
Get the top online sports betting bonuses available to sports betters!
When learning from experts it’s best to learn personally from them, or from their blog. We can provide that with poker lessons blog, your home to learn poker personally.
Do you get shocked from the luck in the game of poker? Stop getting shocked and start being a Poker Shoker.
As well as reading about hockey games, you can also find info about poker like which poker sites accept American Express or which are the best Canadian poker sites and also find the top rakeback sites at rakeback.net.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.
Most Recent Posts
KK Hockey
Backes Leads The Hitchcock Way
Owen Nolan Press Conference Scheduled With the San Jose Sharks
Holland Discusses Howard’s Injury
Video- Elias Fined For Boarding
KK Members Blog
Above the Glass
Off the Wire
Puck Stops Here
The Goods on Fantasy Hockey
23 Intently Staring Goalies
Chicago goaltending is like leftover breakfast oatmeal: cold and lumpy
Iced Coffey
Puckarinen Hits A Post
Tasca's Take
Puckin' Around With Spector
Abel to Yzerman
The Malik Report
Red WIngs off-day news: broomball, trade talk and fun with bursa sacs
Red Wings to take things outside for Hockey Weekend Across America
Talk'n Hawks
All Things Flaming C
The Burgundy Letter
Oil Patch
Petshark: Talking Stick
Goal Line Report
Devils Advocate
Henrique Battling Injury; Clarkson Having Memorable Year
Orange & Black Breakdown
From the Point Too
The Sabres Observer
The Upper Canadien
F Street Faithful
Benny and the Jets
Most Recent Comments
Comment by cigar_nurse in The Malik Report
From the entry 'Red WIngs off-day news: broomball, trade talk and fun with bursa sacs'.
Comment by timbits in KK Hockey
From the entry 'Report- Rangers, Ryan Smyth Have Mutual Interest'.
Comment by timbits in KK Hockey
From the entry 'Tavares On the Rise'.
Comment by Lisa McRitchie in Talk'n Hawks
From the entry 'Gagner, Oilers Slam Hawks'.
Comment by LeticLady in Puckin' Around With Spector
From the entry 'Reducing Players' Share of Revenue Won't Save Poorly-Managed Teams.'.
Comment by CPSLOgoalie31 in KK Hockey
From the entry 'Owen Nolan Press Conference Scheduled With the San Jose Sharks'.
Comment by Jeff OKWingnut in KK Hockey
From the entry 'Video- The King Of Hockey Too?'.
Comment by RWBill in Abel to Yzerman
From the entry 'Driven By A Mule'.
Comment by Da lil Guy in The Puck Stops Here
From the entry 'Karlsson Top Offensive Defenceman'.
Comment by Bugsy in The Malik Report
From the entry 'Red WIngs off-day news: broomball, trade talk and fun with bursa sacs'.