If The NHL Was A High School

Found this on LGW. Pretty funny....


What if the NHL was a high school?

-Anaheim would be the kid that beats you up and steals your lunch money.
-Atlanta would be the slutty cheerleader everyone scores on.
-Boston would be the kid who you want to like…but you can’t because he smells.
-Buffalo would be the kid who never can afford to go anywhere or do anything.
-Calgary would be the bipolar popular chick who can please many people when she’s up but when she’s down she tries to commit suicide.
-Carolina would be the farmer kid with a mullet.
-Chicago would be the really old kid that has yet to hit puberty.
-Colorado would be the kid who did really well in elementary school and is just a slacker now.
-Columbus would be the kid who puts rims on his bike wheels and pretends he’s driving a BMW.
-Dallas would be the kid with the weird accent.
-Detroit would be the foreign exchange student.
-Edmonton would be the kid that was accidentally castrated in the early 1990’s and hasn’t been the same since.
-Florida is the kid who can never fit in.
-Los Angeles would be the kid who always misses school.
-Minnesota would be the kid who’s older brother was an All-American jock who got all the girls and success, but he is just a water boy.
-Montreal would be the kid who wants to trade you his apple for your Subway sandwich.
-Nashville would be that kid with the dad in the military. He’s cool, but you don’t want to be best friends with him because you know he’ll be moving soon.
-Ottawa would be the kid that breezes through the school year and then blows the final exams.
-Phoenix would be the kid that nobody knows.
-Philadelphia would be the kid who’s always suspended.
-Pittsburgh would be the crybaby tattle tail.
-New Jersey would be the really boring kid.
-New York Islanders would be the kid who has his/her whole life planned out already. Or at least the next 14 years.
-New York Rangers would be the rich kid.
-San Jose would be the kid that always over studies for the finals and ends up bombing them.
-St. Louis would be the smooth talking kid who gets you to trade your snack pack to him for half an apple.
-Tampa Bay would be the prom queen who got pregnant and now she’s not the same as she used to be.
-Toronto would be the girl with major issues.
-Washington would be the class clown. Entertaining, but ends up going nowhere.
-Vancouver would be the kid that has good marks all year, then skips the finals to smoke weed and fails.

Red Wings 3 Coyotes 2

Chris Osgood was definitely the reason for this victory. The Wings were sluggish in the first period and Ozzie held them in it, as he had to make a few big saves on a team that was fresh from playing the night before. Osgood's late breakaway save in the third sealed the deal on another victory. Is it playoff time yet?

Midseason Picks And Observations

Well, at the beginning of the season my final four pick was Anaheim, San Jose, Montreal and Ottawa, with my Stanley Cup Finals being the Sharks vs Canadians. So far, that's not looking too bad. Usually at least one of my preseason final four picks turns out to be an absolute bust. Anyway, here's some more predictions and observations based on what I've seen so far this season.

Teams that will rise to make the playoffs (one from each conference)
1) Washington Capitals - I've been slappy for this team for about two months now. They're currently 3 points out of first in the easiest division to win. They're young, spirited, with a new coach, and Ovechkin is stepping up to lead his team every game it seems.

2) St. Louis Blues - They have the leadership and the talent to do it, plus a few games in hand. They are currently in 12th in the tight Western Conference, but only 3 points back from 8th. Look for them to take advantage of a March schedule with several home games and find their way in the top eight

Teams that will fall and miss the playoffs (one from each conference)
1) Carolina Hurricanes - Two reasons. First, this teams just gives up two many goals due to inconsistent goaltending and defense. Second, if the Caps are going to make it then Carolina likely won't so I'd be contradicting myself since it is very rare to find more than one team from the Southeast in the playoffs these days.

2) Vancouver Canucks - There already starting to slip, winning three of their last ten. There's just nothing special about this team anymore. It's the same core group of guys and they haven't been able to even get to the conference finals. I think the Canucks need to make a move and shake up the chemistry of their team.

My biggest surprise team so far
Definitely the Phoenix Coyotes.....after a terrible start they've stepped it up and have been playing great hockey lately (a win tonight in Detroit would validate it even more). Guys like Radim Vrbata, Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal have played career-high offensive seasons, and the addition of Ilya Bryzgalov has given them some security in goal

My biggest disappointment team so far
It was a close pick between Tampa Bay and Toronto, but I'll take Tampa on this one because they have more talent than the Leafs. Tampa's biggest problem is their lack of defense. They've played poor offensively this season because Lecavalier, St. Louis, Richards have gotten no support from the rest of the team. They also cannot find a consistent starting goaltender

Watch out for..........
1) Philadelphia Flyers - If anyone can catch Ottawa, it's them. They've done a complete 360 from last season, and their hottest player is a guy named Scott Hartnell!

2) Anaheim Ducks - Selanne's back, and they're still the defending Stanley Cup Champions. San Jose and Dallas should watch their back.

Nobody knows...............
.............the Boston Bruins have a decent hockey team
.............the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the playoff hunt
.............Marc Savard and Mike Richards are offensive beasts (what team do they play for?)
.............Montreal defensemen Andrei Markov and Mark Streit are in the top 10 in defense scoring
.............The New York Rangers have the worst statistical offense in hockey
.............Teams from Canada suck in overtime (Montreal, Calgary, Toronto with 8 OTL, 38 total for Canadian teams)
.............Rookies Niklas Backstrom (Washington) and Peter Mueller (Pheonix) should be getting more attention than Toews and Kane in Chicago because unlike the Hawks' rookies, these two are helping keep their teams in the playoff hunt
.............that the NHL exists

UM 2 MSU 2

Well, Michigan was kind of lucky to get a point out of this one, as an MSU player (forgot his name) gloved the puck into his own net with a little over 1:30 to go. This game had a better pace to it than last nights, but Michigan State was defiantly more physical than Michigan. So Michigan, you were #1 but were unable to come out of the weekend with a win. Wake up call! In case you forgot, MSU is just as good as you, if not better, and are the defending champs. Plan on doing anything about it?

MSU 1 UM 0

Nothing like getting shut out at home against your rival in a big game. The main difference in the game was MSU's approach to getting in front of the net on their power play, which resulted in the games only goal, against Michigan's pass the puck around and let Jeff Lerg see every shot approach to theirs. Michigan had a multitude of chances in the third. About 50% percent were huge saves by Lerg and the other 50% were bad shots that missed the net, as they continue to establish themselves as being unable to score big goals at big times in big games like the last 10 years worth of teams.
Better luck tomorrow.......

Red Wings 2 Ducks 1

Johan Franzen did an outstanding job playing physical against Ryan Getzlaf tonight. He may not be scoring as much as many hoped, but he is an outstanding, key physical player for the Wings. Nice job sweeping the road trip and heading into the all star break on a high note.

Go Ahead, Beat The Wings

Since defeating the Red Wings, the Ottawa Senators are 1-5 and the Atlanta Thrashers are 0-4. Just thought I'd throw that out there..............

Red Wings 3 Kings 0

During the first few minutes of this game, it looked like Los Angeles was going to skate around the Wings all night, but Ozzie came out of his funk with some great saves, and the defense saved themselves in a few situations.

UM vs MSU Next Weekend!

It was a routine week for the top 3 teams in the CCHA. Michigan swept Notre Dame, Miami swept Lake Superior, and Michigan State swept Ohio State, who by the way was wearing some god awful jerseys in the Saturday night game against MSU. Michigan and Miami are tied for first in points, but the maize and blue have two games in hand. Michigan State's hanging back in third, four points behind.

Next weekend is the first of two UM/MSU weekends. Friday's game is in Ann Arbor and Saturday in East Lansing. Michigan is currently 15-1-0 in the CCHA and 22-2-0 overall, and Michigan State is 12-2-2 in the CCHA and 16-5-4 overall. I'm looking forward to seeing these games, as this is one of the "put up or shut up" weekends I was talking about with Michigan hockey.

GO BLUE!

Red Wings 6 Sharks 3

3-0 against the Sharks this year. Datsyuk's pass to Z on the first goal was mind boggling. The Wings are giving up and getting a lot of power play goals lately. Great start to the road trip!

Saturday 1/19

I need a damn Saturday off......

Boston 4 Rangers 3 (SO): I got to watch the third period and the shootout this afternoon before work. I didn't realize how much of an asset Zdeno Chara is in the shootout with his wicked shot. He just skated right up there and ripped it. Nothing fancy, but it works!

Dallas 3 Columbus 1: Dallas only allowed 14 shots in this game and shut 'em down for 6o minutes, getting a much needed victory. Look out for Columbus, though. They're up to the 9th spot in the west and have been playing well despite this one.

Nashville 5 St. Louis 2: This game was over by the end of the second. The Preds, who have come alive of late, forced Manny Legace out of the game early. Nashville's second goal was horrible, as Legwand banked it in of legace from a 180 degree angle. He probably should have stopped the third goal, a shorthanded one, as well.

Toronto 4 Buffalo 2: Well it didn't take Buffalo long to get back to losing-streak form following their 10 goal spurt the other night. A couple of power play goals and a below average game from Ryan Miller get the Leafs going, as they tie Buffalo for the basement of the Northeast standings.

Pittsburgh 2 Montreal 0: Good start for the Pens in the 1-2 month Crosby-less era of this season. Unknown Jeff Taffe gets an early goal, and that was about all this game had to offer. The Pens are getting some outstanding goaltending from Sabourin. He stopped 31 in this game and 17 in the second.

Tampa Bay 2 Ottawa 0: Kind of like the 2-0 game above. A first period goal and an empty netter. Sens have fallen a bit in the injury department and the win column since their win over the Wings.

Philadelphia 5 Islanders 3: More Scott Hartnell! A hat trick tonight! He's the best player in the NHL right now! Ok, maybe not that far, but every time I comment on a flyer game he's involved in the scoring column.

Washington 5 Florida 3: These caps won't go away! Now they're 3 points out of first in the Southeast. This was probably the most fun game from a viewer's perspective. Caps went up 3-0, Panthers rally with 3 of their own, and Ovechkin and Semin lock it up with one in the late second and one in the third. 5 of the 8 goals were on the power play.

Chicago 2 Phoenix 1 (SO): Hawks get another shootout win (had one in Colorado the other night). Patrick Lalime gets the goalie-of-the-night award, with 38 saves on 39 shots to steal one for the Hawks. Two points now separate the 2nd to the last place teams in the Central.

Los Angeles 4 Vancouver 3: Nice job by Michigan grad Jack Johnson getting his 2nd career goal on a big blast. The Canucks outshot the Kings 46-24 in this one, but allowed LA to capitalize on some early opportunities to go up 3-0.

WINGS HISTORY: Fedorov 5-Goal Game

I posted this video primarily because some fans on letsgowings.com were discussing looking for it. But since it was fun going through the old tapes, I may post some memorable moments from 1996 to present from time to time here.

Unfortunately, the video quality from most of my 1997 games is a C+ at best since the VCR is was using at the time was made back in the civil war.

If you want to relive/see anything, shoot me a message. I have most Wings goals from all wins/ties from 96 to present from both the regular season and playoffs. Also have several non-wings playoffs and cup final games.

Enjoy!

Rick Nash Amazing Goal

By the way if you did not see Rick Nash's goal last night in the closing seconds of the 3rd period in Phoenix, find a way to see the highlight of it somewhere. It was the best goal of the year and one of the best I've ever seen.

Red Wings 3 Canucks 2 (SO)

You can always count on Dan Cleary to come to play when the team needs it the most. The Wings end their winless streak and pelt over 40 shots at another great goaltender, except this time they come away with the victory. I've never seen a shootout with so many missed nets and posts!

Thrashers 5 Red Wings 1

It was a recipe for disaster. Atlanta connects on three power plays and Lehtonen was a beast. The Wings dominated play in the second and third, but it was too late. Lehtonen was already on fire and the wings misfired on several scoring opportunities. No worries, though. Only these guys can look good in a 5-1 loss; but a game like this in the playoffs ain't gonna cut it.

On a side note, Osgood has been phenomenal since his contract extension.

Playing Like #1

Michigan hockey is now 20-2. WOW....I'm still a little baffled about how well they are playing this season. This weekend, the Wolverines swept Western Michigan with 5-1 and 6-1 victories. We still have four games against Michigan State and two games in Miami Ohio, which make up a large portion of the remaining schedule. They need to win at least 4 of those 6 to keep me convinced.

Saturday 1/12

Full slate of games I missed again and got to check out on nhl.tv's wonderful highlights.

Boston 4 Philadelphia 3 (OT): This matinée sets the tone for a night of close and overtime games. Big win for the Bruins, who haven't been playing well of late. Niittimaki made a stupid move coming too far out of the net and it cost them in OT. Scott Hartnell is Philly's most underrated player. He's been putting the puck in the net and hitting the hell out of opponents consistently.

Los Angeles 4 Dallas 3 (SO): Any loss to LA is embarrassing....Dallas goes up 2-0 with two goals in 16 seconds in the first period, and LA responds with two goals in 1:07 in the same period. Dallas has been a little shaky of late. Look for them to fall out of the 1st place hunt in that division with San Jose having 4 games in hand.

New Jersey 3 Buffalo 2 (SO): God, I can't take Buffalo's 829 year old announcer on MSG's goal calls anymore. Anyway....the Sabres now have one win in their last ten games and are missing the guys like Briere and Drury that they lost in the offseason.

Rangers 4 Montreal 1: Wow....Montreal and Huet looked terrible tonight. Getting outshot 41-19? This is not way to back up my statement of you being an Eastern Conference Finals worthy team.....

Colorado 5 Carolina 4: This just in...the Avs' offense does exist. I like this Cody McLeod guy they have. He comes up with some goals at the right time. Both Cam Ward and Jose Theodore were absolutely abysmal in goal.

Atlanta 3 Pittsburgh 2 (SO): Recchi's team beats the team that shipped him away thanks to his game winning shootout goal. Ha! Crosby nets two nice goals and is the recipient of a vicious check courtesy of Bobby Holik.

Tampa Bay 5 Florida 3: Tampa Bay finally gets offensive contribution for Nick Tarnasky, one of the many 3rd and 4th liners that have contributed nothing to the offense. Brad Richards also breaks a 12-game goalless drought with two tonight. Bad showing by Vokoun after publicly calling out his teammates to perform better. He allowed 5 goals on only 25 shots.

Columbus 2 Nashville 1 (SO): Lots of great goaltending by Mason and Leclaire in this game. I like this Columbus team. It's probably the best they've had in their short history. They're hanging around the playoff battle and are now three points ahead of Nashville.

San Jose 3 Toronto 2: Well aren't these two teams going in opposite directions. The Leafs blow another one after having a 2-0 lead in the third. But that'll happen when you're outshot 26-15 in the final two periods and take bad penalties in the 3rd. I feel for Toronto's fans. When was the last time the Leafs were one point away from being the bottom team in the east? Sundin to the Wings? Hope not....... New coach and management? Hope so for Toronto's sake.

Senators 3 Red Wings 2

This game was exactly how it should have been. Close shots on goal and down to the wire. If these two teams met in the Stanley Cup Finals it would likely go to six or longer if each game was played like this. That being said, theres a damn good chance that one of, if not both of these teams will meet in the finals. So let's put the "top two teams" match up that we'll all forget about come playoff time behind us.

Wild 6 Red Wings 5 (SO)

Just when everything was going right for Chris Osgood (see post a few prior to this one), he has his worst statistical game of the season. We were due for an unorthodox, high scoring game like this one. The Wings outshot the hell out of the Wild, but looked a little slow at times in their own zone. Good news is they keep getting at least a point in non-wins. In fact, they've only lost two regulation games between Thanksgiving and now (both to the Blues).

It's been a busy stretch run against some tough teams, and it's only gonna get tougher as they head to Ottawa this Saturday. I'm so pissed I have to work during this one!

Hockey Brawl

The most intense, amazing, violent hockey brawl I have ever seen occured last night across the ocean in the Russian Super League

Osgood An All Star

They named the Western Conference All Star Reserves today and Chris Osgood is one of them! A much deserved honor, as he is having a career year at age 35. To boot, he also signed a contract extension yesterday. Good for Ozzie.

The Shark Tank

Just a quick note.....

I was glancing over the NHL Standings and noticed something mind-boggling about the San Jose Sharks. Despite the fact that they are on the top of their division, they are only 7-9-4 at home! This is amazing because they've generally been one of the toughest teams to play in their own building over the past few years. Their road record, however, is 16-3-2.

D-Mac Coming Back?

The Detroit News reported that Darren McCarty has been in discussions with the Red Wings about the possibility of returning to the team. I have mixed opinions about this depending on how he's used if he does return. I feel that, based on his play in Calgary and his off-ice financial distractions, that he doesn't have enough left to give consistently on a professional level. However, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra grinder available to use in case injuries hit the team; plus, I still have the ol' #25 jersey in the closet.

It'll be interesting to see where this story leads. Maybe Slava Fetisov will return as well.

Red Wings 1 Avalanche 0

This game was as exciting as the supposed rivalry between these two teams. I had tickets to the game but had to pass because I ended up having to work. Nice job by Hasek tonight. Gotta give him his props for two straight shutouts.

Red Wings 3 Blackhawks 1

It's about time...................
HA!

Saturday 1/5

First Saturday rundown of the New Year.....

Washington 5 Montreal 4 (OT): I told you all to watch out for this team a few weeks ago! The Caps are beginning to climb up the standings and have gotten at least a point in 8 of their last 10 games. Ovechkin's wrist shot is sick.........

Pittsburgh 3 Florida 0: Pens got two quick ones and never looked back. Nice game for Ty Conklin, who makes 35 saves in a shutout effort.

Boston 4 New Jersey 3: The Devils did everything but win this one. They outshot the Bruins 20-1 in the 3rd and still couldn't come away with the victory. Tim Thomas gets most of the credit for this Boston victory.

Philadelphia 3 Toronto 2: Another game where a team outshots the hell out of their opponent and loses. 54, that's right, 54 saves by Niittymaki as the Leafs find a way to lose another big game. Only 2 wins by the Leafs in their last 10. That's unacceptable in Toronto.

Ottawa 4 Tampa Bay 3 (OT): Tampa Bay was looking sharp in the first, and then blew it. They did get a bad break on the game-tying goal by Heatley as the puck hit a broken stick to set up the play. Tampa is getting no offense from their 3rd and 4th liners and their goaltending is atrocious.

Nashville 4 Minnesota 1: Big 3-goal first carries the rednecks.

St. Louis 1 Carolina 0: Good for Manny. This was pretty boring.

Colorado 2 Islanders 1 (OT): What Colorado does during this time without Sakic and Smyth will make or break their season. I thought they were locks to win the Northwest until these injuries.

Phoenix 3 Anaheim 2 (SO): And the Coyotes continue to roll (Caps/Coyotes finals?). They're 7-2-1 in their last 10 and a few points out of a playoff spot. Great recovery after a tough start by Gretzky and the gang.

Edmonton 3 Rangers 2 (SO): Rough western road trip for the Rangers (0-2-1). Drury steals the Rangers a point in this one with a thrilling goal with 7 seconds left in the third period.

Calgary 6 Los Angeles 4: As Jarome Iginla goes, so do the Flames. He's taken over the NHL scoring lead and the flames are 7-1-2 in their last 10.

San Jose 3 Columbus 2: The Sharks, in my opinion, are a very scary team. They're two points ahead in their division with two games in hand, and are playing outstanding physical hockey. They almost blew this one in the third, though.

Red Wings 3 Stars 0

This game was a classic Red Wings finding a way to win game. Pretty boring from start to finish, but Cleary gets a big goal mid in the third period.

Gotta beat the Blackhawks tomorrow. I can't wait to watch that game. I'm tired of losing to these clowns.

Excellent Christmas Gift

I got a DVD collection from NHL Productions that has all live broadcasts of Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Finals in the timespan of the Oilers/Flyers series in the 80s to present day. The collection also has footage from all the "old-time" game 7s. This was such a neat gift because I always wanted to watch the entire Rangers/Canucks 1994 game 7 broadcast (always missed it on ESPN Classic). The broadcast footage from the 50s is pretty neat as well. I love how all the fans used to dress up for hockey games like they were going to church (especially in the Montreal Forum)

Bolts Struggling

The Tampa Bay Lightning are an absolute mess. Guys like Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards are putting the puck in the net consistently, but the team has allowed a league high 140 goals. The team is 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, and the some guys i mentioned who raised the cup a few years ago now find themselves in the eastern conference basement. I foresee at least one big name from this team being moved elsewhere by the end of the year.

Red Wings 4 Stars 1

- Dan Cleary is the man
- Dallas Drake FINALLY scores and gets in a mini brawl with Steve Ott
- Henrik Zetterberg is back in the lineup
- Aaron Downey gets his first point, setting up Franzen for a breakaway goal

I love this team

Blues 2 Red Wings 0

Missed this game due to a loooooong day at work. Glad I did..................