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MSU Names Anastos Head Coach / CCHA Future Now In Serious Doubt?

by Primis on 03/23/11 at 02:36 PM ET
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Michigan State University has named CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos as Rick Comley’s replacement at the position of head hockey coach.  Comley is retiring after the current season.

Anastos has been serving as the commissioner of the CCHA since 1998 and has been named one of “hockey’s 100 most powerful people” by The Hockey News for the past 5 years.  Anastos played hockey at MSU from 1981-85.  IN addition to his role as CCHA commish, he was also president of the HCA (Hockey Commissioners\’ Association).

This news comes on the heels of the Big Ten announcing the probable formation of their own hockey conference, which would strip the CCHA of 3 of its premiere schools, including MSU.

Aside from the above facts, Anastos will be looking to return MSU to national prominence following a rough couple of years in East Lansing.  MSU has had a tough time recruiting as of late, and has had to deal with rival Michigan\‘s ability to recruit US NTDPers that already reside in Ann Arbor as part of that program.

As for the CCHA… it\‘s the second big blow in only a few days.  They appear to be losing Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State in a few years, and now also have lost the man widely considered one of the best and most-innovative heads in all of hockey.

What do you think, college hockey fans?  Personally this blindsided me.  As an MSU fan I’m happy to see this hire.  As a longtime CCHA fan though, this move makes me fear for their long-term well-being now.

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Big Ten to Add Hockey for 2013-14?

by Primis on 03/21/11 at 02:31 PM ET
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After years of speculation, and the recent announcement of Penn State adding Division 1 hockey for both men and women, it seems the inevitable is now all but official:

The Big Ten Conference seems to be planning the first major collegiate conference to add D1 hockey.

The Big Ten’s own official release on it can be found here.

The Big Ten would boast powers from two of the premier D1 men\‘s hockey conferences—Wisconsin and Minnesota from the WCHA, and Michigan, Michigan St., and Ohio St. from the CCHA.  Penn St., who has not committed to a conference yet, would be the sixth team.

While the WCHA has not responded yet, the CCHA has an official response in which they state that the announcement is not a surprise and that they have been talking to the Big Ten for some time.

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IHL/CHL Joining Forces at “AA” Level.

by Primis on 06/01/10 at 08:41 PM ET
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http://ism3.infinityprosports.com/ismdata/2009062901/std-sitebuilder/sites/200901/www/en/news/index.html?article_id=894

http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/pressroom/news/index.html?article_id=4670

It’s not being called a “merger” officially, and it’s uncertain if it’s a flat-out absorbing of 4 (maybe 5) of the 6 remaining IHL teams, but at any rate and at the very least it certainly sounds like 4 or 5 of the IHL teams will be playing under the CHL name and rulebook next season.

The announcement appears to have no effect on the NHL-affiliated ECHL “AA” league.

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How Do You View the Minor Hockey League Hierarchy?

by Primis on 06/19/09 at 10:56 AM ET
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An interesting debate has been brewing in minor hockey forums lately about minor hockey’s place in the world, and in terms of how the leagues are viewed stacked against each other.  Hockey doesn’t have an extremely-clear minor hierarchy like baseball does, and now franchise movement form league to league has brought about questions as to whether they are parallel moves, or moves upward.

Where does “AAA” fit in, and is the KHL included?  I’m including the KHL in the discussion because it’s an interesting twist, in a way…

Or what about the “AA”?  ECHL has been considered traditionally as “AA”, but both CHL and IHL have made claims to being “AA” as well.

So it got me to wondering:  how do NHL fans see the minor hockey leagues stack up against each other?

So… I’m turning to you guys, the readers of KK.  How do *you* guys (primarily NHL fans) think the following minor leagues stack up (I’ve listed them in nor particular order), in terms of level and hierarchy?  Please take the list below and respond in the comments with your listing, highest to lowest.

NHL… ECHL… KHL… IHL… AHL… CHL…

If you could, please also include some explanations as to why you feel that way.

Thanks.

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Time to Fire Chris Osgood!!!!

by Primis on 02/16/09 at 01:22 PM ET
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OK, so that’s not an option like firing the head coach is.  I just wanted to feel like I belonged here, since the previous two blog posts were about firing someone.

However, there definitely is a problem in net for the Red Wings, as yesterday’s miserable performance showed once and for all.  And it’s not going away.  While the Red Wings have now finally stopped giving up quite so many shots a game, the Goal Against have stayed steady.  And that points the finger then squarely at the goalies.

So what is Osgood’s problem?  (I’m focusing on Osgood because Conklin, while not stellar, hasn’t been so terrible either).

#1, Osgood is not controlling rebounds.

We’ve seen some goals scored on him lately that involve crazy bounces, including a terrible one yesterday against Colorado.  Ozzy is not playing it as safe as he needs to and is still trying to force things, that’s clear.  He still needs to simplify his game some more and control those rebounds.  He not a Hasek-twitch-reflex goalie and never has been, and it almost looks like that’s what he’s playing like as of late.

#2, Osgood is not 100% square on shots.

I’m not sure why this hasn’t been mentioned more, but he’s not getting good positioning on some of the shots.  This is sometimes leading to the rebounds mentioned above, if not the puck just blowing by him outright.  Again, simplicity… just get square.  Going back to some fundamentals would help him immensely.

#3, Osgood, despite everything he says, is NOT relaxed out there.

Osgood’s best trait is his relaxed demeanor.  Last season during the Cup run he never panicked, never looked frantic in net.  This year, he looks both, and the rest of the team is feeding off it negatively.  If he can get back to basics, the calmness will likely follow.  But until then, he’s going to play and look like a wounded duck out there.

So what to do?

I’m not sure.  Conklin is not the answer, that much is still clear.  He’s a good backup… but not going to take the starting load and not consistent enough himself.  Howard and Larsson aren’t ready for Cup runs either.  With that in mind, as well as DET’s lack of cap space, I think at this point it’s safe to say that the Wings are going to ride Osgood, for better or worse, and hope that he can straighten himself out.

In the meantime, if you’re a Wings fan reach for the Pepto.  You’re going to need it for at least a while yet….

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 Tags: Goalie+Drama, Osgood, Ty+Conklin,