We also discussed Russ' career change from the hotel industry into the world of sports and his Sportsology network. We took a look at the upcoming free agent draft and many other subjects and rabbit trails that came up along the way. Be watching for Russ' guide to the draft coming up soon at Sportsology.com. It was a fun hour that passed too quickly.
Game Three...
The SCF heads to Pittsburgh for tonight's crucial test for the Penguins. This will be the Pens best chance to make a statement and attempt to make a contest of a series that has gone the Wings way at every turn so far.
The Pens will have the advantage of the last change and will try to keep Sidney Crosby as far away from Henrik Zetterberg as possible. Mirtle takes a look at Crosby's match-ups in the first two games. They also need production from Guerin, Kunitz, and anyone else feeling frisky enough to step up for the Pens. Marc-Andre Fleury needs to be outstanding in net also.
The Wings have a hot goalie in Chris Osgood and a lot of momentum going for them. History is also on their side with only one other team in history losing a SCF series after taking the first two games at home.
I am reluctantly taking Pittsburgh in the Twtpool tonight. I think the Pens will win one of their two home game and I'm not sure if it will be tonight or Thursday. Ryan at the RLD will have the preview and sim game up shortly.
Here is Pittsburgh's inside view from Brian Metzer of HockeyBuzz.
In Predator News...
Congrats to HockeyBuzz's Preds writer Brandon Felder who has a second interview with a mystery NHL team. Keep him lifted up in your prayers to help make all his hard work for the past few years pay off. One of these days we will be able to say that we knew him when...
Dirk has his Tuesday round up of stories at OnTheForecheck.
In PHX...
After all this time, Jim Balsillie finally formally filed a relocation application to the NHL on Monday. This came on the heels of the NHL refusing to turn over the requested information regarding prior relocations that Balsillie/Moyes had requested.
Gary Bettman also revealed that the league was within "20 minutes" of completing the deal to sell the Coyotes when Moyes filed bankruptcy. You really wonder who knew what and when.
The Sports Business Journal has a store about the man, Richard Rodier, who is Jim Balsillie's main man in the courtroom, pushing for the purchase of Phoenix. He is described as an "agitator", imagine that.
From Fox sports is an article explaining why the NHL is adamant that the Coyotes stay in Phoenix.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Spec has a good story on Greg Esposito one of the leaders of SaveTheCoyotes.
While we are on Phoenix, lets talk hockey for a change. I've actually seen more Phoenix hockey stories in the last few days than I have in a month including this one from FiveForHowling with a look at the Free Agent situation in the desert.
Around the Hockey World...
The AHL Calder Cup finals heads to game two tonight with Hershey holding a 1-0 series lead over the home standing Manitoba Moose. It is doubtful that tonight's game could be more exciting than Saturday's overtime thriller with Alexandre Giroux's hat trick. Game time is 7:30.
We have a string of game intros from the CBC from the last couple of days, but here's one that was never aired before the Wings-Hawks series. Flashbacks to Winnipeg are cool. For the flip side of the game one preview, WrapAroundCurl didn't like it at all.
Chris Botta has a wrap up of Victor Hedman's visit to Long Island on Monday. The visit was a short one as the NHL plans to parade Hedman around the Mellon Arena during game three of the SCF today.
Here's a few different perspectives from Illegal Curve on the hiring of Jacques Martin in Montreal. Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun writes a scathing article on how Martin was the opposite of everything Montreal is. I would say from this and other sources that the feelings are mixed on this one. You really want there to be a more positive outlook of your new hire than what we are seeing.
A man from Vancouver won the contest that will allow him to present the NHL Fan Fav award at the Awards Show in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. There are ten finalist but the favorites are probably Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. Over a million fans voted.
From NHL.com comes a wrap-up from the combine in Toronto. Here's another look from Hockey's Future. There were no real surprises as a result of the tests that were given.
Hulu is showing all the games from the SCF on a 48 hour delay. Game one is up now.
Abel to Yzerman has a bit of a tear jerker about the job losses in Michigan in the auto industry and how the Wings are motivated by all the laid off car workers and to bring the cup back to them.
A little blast from the Pens-Caps series "NHL Tweetup in the House"More later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Additions...
Not only is Hedman getting paraded around today so are Tavares and a few others.
The NHL announced the finalists for the Mark Messier Leadership Award to be given in LasVegas at the Awards show on June 18. Zdeno Chara, Sidney Crosby, and Jarome Iginla are the top three. Messier gets to make the final choice himself. I was really disappointed that Crosby was not up in any category and was not set to attend until now.
Sean Leahy has a detailed look at the two Zetterberg "cover-up" plays over at Puck Daddy. I personally think Zetterberg kind of freaked out on the first one because it is rare for a puck to be laying on a goalie's back in the crease. I think he was going to knock it away and thought better at the last second and covered it with his glove and then his whole body. It's not something you see often, that's for sure.
This just out from the Washington Post. The FTC reviewed Balsillie's offer to buy the Coyotes and did not block it. Not being a legal expert, I'm not sure how that ties in to the anti-trust exemption pro sports have operated under.
From NHL.com, "Bill Hay, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, announced today that DAVE MOLINARI, the newspaper voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for print journalism. Hay also announced that JOHN DAVIDSON, a long-time broadcaster who is currently the President of Hockey Operations with the St. Louis Blues, will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster."
The Toronto Star is reporting that the Islanders are now more interested in Victor Hedman as the first pick. Take it with a grain of salt.
Posts
1 comment:
From that USA article quoting Bettman: "The team was never in jeopardy," Bettman said, noting that the deal that was coming together would have "fixed it in a way that we thought was going to work quite well in our view."
Here's the distrust I have with Gary Bettman. Even in a situation with Moyes and Basille, I still don't believe a word that comes out of Gary's mouth. I don't think I'm the only one...
Post a Comment