Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Rink+Rap
A Full Moon over the NHL?
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/20/09 at 09:54 AM ET
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From friend of the blog Jim Cerny at Rink Rap:
I am not sure if it’s a black cloud or a full moon, but there’s something wreaking havoc on the National Hockey League so far this season.
As discussed here before, the amount of injuries to star players is off the charts. Plus there have been a string of strange incidents that add to the question: what the heck is going on here?
Two more stories from today fit right in with what has been par-for-the-course over the first quarter of the NHL season.
First, the Los Angeles Kings placed winger Ryan Smyth on Injured Reserve this morning. So down goes another star player---and another one who was off to a very strong start this year. Smyth joins the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Jonathan Toews, Cam Ward, Brian Gionta, Simon Gagne, Sergei Gonchar, Roberto Luongo, Marc Savard, Joe Pavelski, and seemingly half of the entire Detroit Red Wings roster as star players forced to the sidelines for an extended period of time.
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Why So Many Injuries?
by Patrick Hoffman on 11/02/09 at 01:10 PM ET
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From Jim Cerny at Rink Rap:
So why so many injuries?
Caps owner Ted Leonsis shared a theory with the guys on Hockey This Morning over at XM Home Ice earlier today.
“The schedule is responsible for these injuries,” stated Leonsis. “We just played four games in less than six days. We had two sets of three games in four nights one right after the other. It’s too much. We have to take a really hard look at this. We are talking about very big men, and a very violent, fast game. Too many games in too few days is a problem.”
Good points. But what is the alternative? Play fewer games? Expand the season to include more days off, and, as a result, play the Stanley Cup Finals closer to the month of July? Do not participate in the Olympics?
The answer is that there is no real clear answer. But what is obvious is that the league needs to take a close look at the injury issue. It’s not good when any group of players is getting hurt on a regular basis, no matter the sport.
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4,000 minutes too much?
by Patrick Hoffman on 09/08/09 at 07:38 PM ET
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From Jim Cerny at Rink Rap:
Was perusing stats from last year and noticed that only four NHL goaltenders logged more than 4,000 minutes of playing time: Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff, Marty Turco of Dallas, Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers, and Minnesota’s Niklas Backstrom.
My hunch is that Kiprusoff---barring injury---may be the only one of that group to exceed 4,000 minutes this season, at least as far as NHL action is concerned.
The reasons for this vary depending upon the goalie in question.
Turco, who played more than 4,300 minutes---the first time he was over the 4,000 mark since the 2003-04 season---, will see less of the ice this season now that the veteran Alex Auld was signed by the Stars as his reliable foil. This should greatly enhance the play of Turco, as well as Dallas’ chances of making the playoffs.
Lundqvist, who has logged more than 4,000 minutes in each of the last three years, will be Sweden’s starting goaltender in the Olympics, adding to his big workload. To avoid completely wearing his franchise goalie out, Rangers coach John Tortorella has already hinted that Steve Valiquette---who won over the coach last season with his strong work ethic, and play when called upon---likely will get the starting nod more often than in the past.
Click here for more. Our good friend Jim Cerny is posting some excellent pieces over on Rink Rap so please go on over there and show your love for all things NHL, New York Rangers and hockey in general.
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