What you missed last night because you don't understand French

Sometimes I really don't understand the/nhl Center Ice Package. The Carolina/Canadiens game was only available in French? Capitals/Predators wasn't on at all? And then the most mind boggling part is how those games are covered on/nhl: On the Fly Final. Only the French feed and they had to voice over for the Caps/Preds. Can anyone explain this to me? Anyone? Bueller?Canadiens beat the Hurricanes in the shoot-out, 3-2: Koivu had the dirty move to finish the game, but Kovalev's goal was super sweet. He's on the 3-on-2, deftly faked the pass across, saw Ward cheating and beat him high short side. And then later in the game he tried a spin-o-rama.Sharks beat the Penguins, 2-1: This result should have been expected as sharks>penguins in nature. Mike Grier got the game winner on a nice backhand from the slot. He wears an"A" that surprised me for some reason. Joe Pavelski goal was a result of the combination of tenacity (by Pavelski) and apathy (by the 3 penguins defenders that chased down the initial shooter).Flyers embarrass the Thrashers, 7-0: There were some pretty goals, some ugly goals, etc. Capitals beat the Predators in the shoot-out, 4-3: Semin had a great game. He made streeeeeeeeeeetch pass to David Steckel to give him the shorty break away. He later scored on the power play with a unique one-timer from the slot. Here's what was unique about it... usually a righty on the left side will try to beat the goal to the near post or go five hole, rarely do you see a guy shoot back to same side and go high. I didn't even think that was possible.Flames shut-out the Avalanche, 3-0: I think Bertuzzi hurt himself in this game trying to jump on Sakic. The avalanche don't cover men in front at all. I bet Keenan picked that up on tape or something.Lightning beat the Maple Leafs, 3-2: Vinny was so freaking Vinny last night. He again did the thing where theres a bad pass to him and he someone gathers it, maintains the breakway and scores (well, 1 out of 2). His second goal was just dirty move (well his first goal was a dirty move too) but going high with the backhand gets all the ladies wet. Samkos got his first assist, i guess he touched the puck last in that scrum.Bruins shut-out the Canucks, 1-0: Two 1-o shut outs in a row for the non-named starter. I don't know when the next game is for Boston, but they'll have him keep streaking right? No more switching until he loses? Just name him the starter already!Source

The One Percent Solution

When you're looking at the Goaltender position and you're glancing at the stats and your eyes glance over the SV% column I think there is a temptation to say, 'ah, my guy or this guy is going at a 90, 91 percent clip, he's playing ok'. But the point I'll try and make over the next few paragraphs is that there is a big difference between seemingly small increments. I mentioned here that SV% of .920 is really the standard of excellence in the.nhl. Above .920 and a goalie is in the running for the Vezina, but if he's below .900 the AHL is probably in his future. So almost all of the.nhl starters are clustered in a very tight group. Let's use Miika Kiprusoff and the Flames as an example. Last year Kipper's SV% was .906, a very low number for him considering his previous years' excellent work. Here's a more itemized breakdown of the numbers.Kiprusoff 2096 SA 197 GA .906 SV%C. Joseph 181 SA 17 GA .906 SV%M. Keetley 2 SA 0 GA naMcElhinney 51 SA 5 GA .902 SV%Cgy Totals 2330 SA 219 GA .906SV%Where: SA is shots against, GA is goals against, SV% is save percentage. Empty net goals are not included.So last year Kipper's SV% was the same as the Team SV%. But lets say Kipper and the other goalies were only 1 percent better, what would the result have been? That changes the Cgy SV% to .916 from .906.Over the 2330 shots against a .916 SV% would have yielded 196 (195.72) goals instead of 219 goals. That reduction in 23 goals against would have:moved Kipper from 30th to 15th in SV% rankingpushed the Flames from 16th to 6th in League Goals Against rankingchanged the Flames Goal Differential from +2 ( ranking 17th) to +25 (ranking them 6th behind Detroit, Montreal, Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Jose.)Even if the Flames SV% only improved half of one percent last year (12 goals fewer allowed), their Goal Differential would have become the best in the NW division and fourth in the conference.But Joe, I hear you say, its too much to ask of our goalies, can't we improve team defence instead? Yeah, I guess we could, but to get that same reduction in goals (23) by limiting shots instead of improving SV% the Flames would have to reduce Shots Against to 2085 a reduction of 245 shots. This would mean giving up only 25.4 shots/game. Only two teams last year managed that number or better: Detroit and San Jose. Calgary needs to get better in limiting shots against, but I think an improving SV% is a more efficient way of improving the goal differential.So...C'mon Kipper! Just give us one more percent!Source

Musings of Interest: Matthew Lombardi

The question of Matthew Lombardi as top 6 forward is a divisive one among Flames fans. Some will contend that he has too many deficiencies to consistently contribute offensively. Others, like myself, think that Lombardi could deliver decent results under the right circumstances. This is the year Lombardi settles the debate. Last season went poorly for Lombardi by the numbers. His counting stats were meh (14-22-36) and his advanced stats were bad-to-dreadful. He spent most of the season skating with rookies or sunset veterans at even-strength and 157 more minutes killing penalties than on the power-play. He also took more own-zone draws than either Conroy or Langkow. Lombardi was basically stuck in the mud: he played a nebulous, poorly defined role with bad line mates in bad circumstances. He scored the most points of any "bottom 6" forward on the club, but was pretty much in the red by every measure by the end of the year. Had he driven results despite his surroundings, there wouldn't be much of debate at this point. But he didn't, so the question marks remain.The 26 year-old is a tweener in every sense of the word. AT 26 years of age, he'll be heading into his 5th season this October. He's got 297 games under his belt - not a vet, but certainly not a prospect either, so his ceiling is still fuzzy. He's 2 years removed from scoring 20 goals and 46 points, a season in which his PPG pace went right in the toilet after the re-acquisition of Conroy (and Lombo's subsequent burial behind him). That same summer, he was one of the top scoring players in the World Championships, where he centered a line with Shane Doan and Rick Nash. Although he's not the type of player that performs in any or every situation or makes bad lines float, his world class speed and flashes of offensive prowess hint at unrealized potential. He has trouble against top-notch defenders, but eats third-pairing guys for breakfast. In some games, Lombardi looks like one of the best players on the team. In others, he'll look frustrated and ineffectual.It's no secret that I like Lombardi. I think he's a one-man scoring chance generator, especially off the rush, and I think he could excel with the proper teammates and ice management. I caught some of the Flames/Sharks play-off series re-runs on the Network a few weeks ago and was struck by how frequently Lomabardi caused havoc at the good end of the rink in those games and how rarely he was rewarded for it. Some might say that that is proof positive Lombardi lacks the killer instinct and the hands to become anything more than what he is already. Personally, I think creating scoring chances is 3/4 of the battle and the puck is bound to start going in eventually, especially if he's playing with someone other than Yelle or Moss or Nystrom. Calgary has only a few top 6 options in their line-up: Iginla, Langkow, Cammalleri and Bertuzzi (I guess). Only two of them are proven difference makers against tough competition. The Flames will need more than a couple guys to step up and fill the void. As such, this season represents Lombo's best - and perhaps last - opportunity to prove he's more than a Paul Ranheim clone. Im of the opinion that he will (20 goals, 55 points sound about right?), but that remains to be seen.Source

Reasonable Expectations for 08-09 (Garon)

Amid the heady rumors of Marian Hossa and Jaromir Jagr being courted by Edmonton, the most amazing moment of 2008 (re: Oilers) received the attention of a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream (hat tip: John Candy).Hossa's agent Ritch Winter suggested Hossa's concern about being an Edmonton Oiler came down to goaltending.I remember questioning my own ears when I heard it, because the Oilers goaltending situation has improved since the day Roloson flew over. Plus, if Garon and Roloson aren't clients of Winter that's just really bad form and the "elephant in the room" for the Northwest division is in Calgary.The Oilers' starter last season performed reasonably well compared to the division's #1's:07-08SPNiklas Backstrom (MIN) 58gp, .920Roberto Luongo (VCR) 73gp, .917Mathieu Garon (EDM) 47gp, .913Jose Theodrore (COL) 53gp, .910Mikka Kiprusoff (CGY) 76gp, .906The Flames needed to address goaltending, at the very least bringing in a quality backup to give Kipper some rest (which is likely a lot of the problem). Calgary now have Curtis McElhinney as backup and that Irving kid is waiting in the wings. Colorado decided to undertake an experimental approach to their goaltending and now have a combination in goal that resembles Tom and Dick Smothers.The Oilers? It looks for all the world like they acquired a guy at the right time. Garon is just 30 now, his SP's have been solid save for the Black Hole of LA (which is currently trying to swallow LaBarbara) but even a closer look there suggests he was performing at a level superior to other candidates:06-07 Los Angeles SP'sGaron .907 in 32gpSean Burke .901 in 23gpBarry Brust .878 in 11gpDan Cloutier .860 in 24gpThe Kings were a mess and Garon wasn't Luongo but he wasn't Yutaka Fukfuji either. His career SP in the is .906 and in the AHL it's .915 and he's certainly earned a chance to grab that number one slot. His salary is $1.1M and that has a tremendous chance to be a bargain.The danger here is in signing him to a big contract. He does not have the kind of resume you'd like to see in a top flight free agent making the big money. I suspect the biggest decision for this Tambellini fellow this season will have to do with Garon and when/if to sign him long term. Goaltending can make qualified people look positively stupid. The improvements up front, along with fewer grenades on the blue should mean a slight improvement for Garon this season. Prediction for 08-09: 52gp, 2.75 .915Source

Crawford's defence claims Bertuzzi was solely at fault for Steve Moore incident

No surprise here. Saw this coming in December....lawyer bullshit. Keep in mind here that Moore is suing Bertuzzi, the Canucks and Orca Bay for $38 million in damages, loss of income, etc.Crawford's defence has stated: "Just prior to the attack on Moore, Bertuzzi had been on a shift to kill a penalty, had missed the shift change and had remained on the ice for longer than the rest of his line,'' states Crawford's third-party defence."After being directed to get off the ice, Bertuzzi was on his way back to the bench when, suddenly and without warning, he turned around and skated back in the direction of Moore . and attacked Moore."This was not done under any specific or general direction or encouragement from Crawford, was a direct disobedience of the instruction that Bertuzzi had been given from the bench to get off the ice, and was a violation of Bertuzzi's duties which Crawford could not be expected to have reasonably anticipated, let alone control.''Back in December of 2007, Moore's lawyer issued a statement saying that Crawford pointed to Moore’s name and number on a board in the Canucks’ locker room during the second intermission of that game and said “… (Moore) must pay the price.”In an accompanying document, Moore’s lawyer claims Crawford’s statement was disclosed by Bertuzzi while under oath, and by Canucks general manager Dave Nonis.Oh boy. This isn't even close to being over yet. More distractions for Bertuzzi this year. Good luck, Flames fans!So who is to blame here? My guess is Crawford, but mostly Bertuzzi. I'm sure Crawford said something like "make the S.O.B. pay", but Bertuzzi took the retribution too far.A coach saying "make that guy pay the price" isn't anything unusual, it's just that when Bert wrecked Moore's neck and a lawsuit followed, it becomes a technicality. Especially when the finger-pointing starts and nobody wants to pick up the $38 million tab. When is Bertuzzi going to shoulder most of the blame for this and just move on? The damaged relationship between the Canucks, Crawford and Bert is only getting worse and worse. I guess it didn't help matters when the Canucks distanced themselves from Bertuzzi and the situation after they traded him to Florida.I'm just painting the picture for you. But make no mistake, I think Moore's lawsuit is overboard and a joke. And I really still do hate that coward. But more than anything I'd rather see this situation resolved.T Tags: Marc+Crawford+faults+Bertuzzi Steve+Moore+case disobeying+orders Source

Bertuzzi a Lone Gunman? Gaborik Still Wild About NHL?

Weird. Jean Lefebvre had an item that Mats Sundin leaving Toronto for Montreal (possibly!) is no less weird than Todd Bertuzzi coming to Calgary from Vancouver less than a week before the Toronto Star reported former Canucks coach Marc Crawford insists Bertuzzi acted alone in his attack on Steve Moore. Here are Lefebvre's unfortunate words: While Sundin played for the hated Leafs and certainly caused heaps of damage to the Canadiens over the years, is he the kind of guy Montrealers could truly hate? Like Ted Lindsay, Dale Hunter or Eric Lindros? Not a chance. Big Bert, on the other hand, made for a perfect villain, especially when he was toiling for the Canucks. Marian Gaborik's agent is saying the forward won't leave the Wild for Russia, even as Ladislav Nagy became the latest/nhler to jump to the Russian Super League. The Russian Super League is the best thing to happen to/nhl players. Every contract negotiation seems to become a lot more focused and player-friendly with just the hint of a rumor the player has an offer from a Russian club. It's like instant leverage.Source

Stay off the Island

To say the least, the Penguins have had simply awful luckagainst the Islanders in the postseason.At least once in the past three decades, the Penguins'season has come to a heartbreaking end at the hands of the Islanders.We're all familiar with the most recent defeat. David&$@#! Volek and the 1992-93 Islanders pulled off perhaps the/nhl's biggestupset when they beat the President Trophy-winning Penguins in a seven-gameseries in 1993.And lots of us are familiar with the 1974-75 Islanders whocame back from a 3-0 series deficit to beat the Penguins. Anytime a team takesa 3-0 lead in a playoff series, the announcers seemingly have an obligation tosay, "Well you know, the last time a team came back from a 3-0 deficit..."But not a lot of Penguins fans are all that familiar with the 1982Islanders.Having won the Stanley Cup the previous two springs, theIslanders were in the midst of their dynasty. They had supplanted the Canadiensas the best team in the league. A preliminary series against the lowly Penguinswas surely a mere bump in the road right?After the first two games of the series, it sure seemed so. TheIslanders out-scored the Penguins 15-3 in the first two contests of afive-games series. A win in Game Three seemed like a mere formality.The Penguins managed to pull out a 2-1 overtime win in Game3 (thanks to Rick Kehoe's overtime goal) and evened things up in Game 4 with a5-2 win.With 5:27remaining in Game 5, the Penguins owned a 3-1 lead over the powerful Islanders.Then everything pretty much caved in. A goal by Mike McEwen made it 3-2. Then with2:21 left, Tonelli kept the Islanders'hope for a three-peat alive by tying the game.At 6:19 inovertime, Tonelli broke all sorts of hearts in Pittsburgh:(Please visit the site to view this media)The Islanders would go on to win their third consecutive Stanley Cup title and the Penguins wouldn't reach the postseason again until 1989.So with only one playoff left this decade, we assume thePenguins will meet the Islanders in the spring of 2009 in order to keep this "one-playoff-defeat-a-decade" thing going. And we also assume theseries will go the distance. Game 7 will come to an end on a goal by SeanBergenheim. Mark it down.(If you're wondering why we're writing about an old Islanderspostseason win in August, this video just happened to be posted recently onYouTube. We spotted it and went with it.)EMPTY NETTER ASSISTSPenguins-2K Sports, the creator of/nhl 2K9, isn't wasting too muchtime worrying about Sidney Crosby's playoff beard.-Janne Pesonen bleeds black and gold.Atlantic Division-Mark Messier's son, Lyon, was invited to the Rangers'rookie camp.Central Division-The Blue Jackets will honor their late owner, John H.McConnell, with a commemorative patch next season.-Blues forward Brad Boyes had 43 goals last season, but noone noticed.Northwest Division-New Flames forward Todd Bertuzzi complained about the lackof ice time he got with the Ducks last season.Apparently the Ducks have this crazy idea that overrated, lazy, broken down,pieces of trash aren't supposed to get 20 minutes or more a game.-Avalanche captain Joe Sakic still wants to play.-In a shocking bit of news, Avalanche forward Peter Forsbergis still having issues with his feet.Pacific Division-The Sharks signed defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic to afour-year contract extenstion.-San Jose willbring former forward Jeff Friesen in on a tryout basis.-The Ducks signed former Blue Jackets forward Joakim Lindstromto a one-year deal.Adams Division-Apparently, not everyone in Canadais crazy about watching hockey fights on television.-James Mirtleexamines the best/nhl players by jersey numbers.-Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Poniesscored an interview with the Post-Gazette's Bob Smizik.Source

Sakic Re-signs; Sundin Quagmire Continues

Joe Sakic re-signed with the Avs yesterday. He actually took a tiny pay cut from last season's salary, something which kind of got lost in everyone's shock over Sakic finally deciding what he wanted to do next season.I guess you can cross Colorado off of Mats Sundin's list of teams to play for, although Colorado is still under the cap.I'm very curious how Sakic's indecision will be seen in the Colorado locker room. Will they see it as a sign he's not 100% committed to playing in the? Or will they see it as an All-Star making sure he's 100% committed to coming back before signing a contract? The cycle of playing life for a bona fide star like Sakic can be challenging to navigate. It's Great Player --> Amazing Player --> Legend --> Weird Old Guy. I'm guessing Sakic doesn't want to his the end of that cycle, although the last two stops certainly aren't mutually exclusive.In other Sundin Quagmire news, Michael Russo reports Mark Parrish is waiting for an offer from the Canucks while the Canucks wait for an answer from Sundin.Kevin Allen has a nice look at other players trapped in the Sundin Quagmire.Finally, Jean Lefebvre weighed in on the media obligation to always ask Todd Bertuzzi about his brutal attack on Steve Moore. Lefebvre said it can't be ignored at the start of Bertuzzi's Flame residency but can be tabled once the season starts and his on-ice performance is more of an issue. Apparently, some Calgary fans didn't like the media spending so much time on Bertuzzi's past. It's such an odd coincidence that fans only care about Bertuzzi's attack until he puts on their team's sweater. Then, suddenly, it's old news.Source

Training Camp Rosters

This is Adam Huxley. He was on the Oilers 07-08 training camp roster, and over the years has appeared in training camps for Phoenix, Washington and Calgary.Training camp rosters are always interesting, but for the Oilers I think there may be some surprises.Why?Two reasons.First, there is a plethora of unsigned free agents with experience, and these men have to land somewhere. Second, if we add up all the players we know will attend Edmonton's camp this fall we're going to get a big number (70+, probably) but there are still some holes (a veteran RW center and possibly a veteran D).Last season's official training camp roster read like this (with those players who made the opening night roster in bold and dates for send out for the others):GoaliesDwayne RolosonMathieu GaronJeff Deslauriers (9/29)Devan Dubnyk (9/27Glenn Fisher (9/16)Bryan Pitton (9/16)Nothing astounding there, although I do find it interesting each fall that Dubnyk seems to get about as much playing time, attention and days in camp as Deslauriers. I'd love to know what the coaching staff really thinks about those two.DefensemenJoni PitkanenSteve StaiosSheldon SourayMatt GreeneDick TarnstromTom GilbertDenis Grebeshkov (HS opening night)Ladislav Smid (10/03)Mathieu Roy (10/03)Alex Plante (10/03)Sebastien Bisaillon (9/26)Danny Syvret (9/26)Bryan Young (9/26)TJ Kemp (9/24)Theo Peckham (9/16)Rick Berry (9/16)TJ Reynolds (9/16)Allan Rourke (9/16)Important to note that Plante was injured so his being taken off the roster as part of the final cuts was basically house keeping. Final cut Smid was back October 24th. Roy, Young, Peckham and Rourke also say playing time with the big club. Something we also need to remember is that Gilbert was no lock for the opening night lineup but he made it and then had a helluva year.CentermenShawn Horcoff Jarrett StollMarty ReasonerAndrew CoglianoTyler Spurgeon (10/03)Ben Simon (9/27)Jonas Almtorp (9/27)Rob Schremp (9/26)Fredrik Johansson (9/26)Vitaly Karamnov (9/16)Milan Kytnar (9/16)I've tried to list the forwards by their positions on opening night/exiting camp, so because of that fact three natural centermen (Brodziak, Pouliot and Gagner) are listed elsewhere. Spurgeon (like Plante) was injured and removed from the roster at cutdown time. I don't think we can draw much of a conclusion about when Schremp was sent down except that he was coming off surgery. Schremp is the only player not in bold on that depth chart who played in the show last season. Left WingDustin PennerRaffi TorresGeoff SandersonJF JacquesEthan Moreau (IR, 10/03)Patrick Thoresen (10/03, waivers)Tim Sestito (9/27)Liam Reddox (9/26)Slava Trukhno (9/26)Troy Bodie (9/26)Adam Huxley (9/24)Ryan Flinn (9/17)Stephane Goulet (9/16)Jacob Micflikier (9/16)Geoff Paukovich (9/16)William Quist (9/16)Lots of turnover at that position year over year with Raffi, Sanderson and Thoresen among the notables being sent away. Look at how late that bugger Sestito got sent out, I swear he's one to watch because they love the guy. Reddox played a little with the big club from the bubbling under pile as did Thoresen before finally getting plucked off waivers by the Flyers. Right WingAles HemskyRobert NilssonKyle BrodziakSam GagnerMarc Pouliot (HS opening night)Zack Stortini (10/03)Anson Carter (released October 1)Ryan O'Marra (9/26)Colin McDonald (9/16)David Rohlfs (9/16)Interesting stuff here, including Stortini getting sent down but coming back October 13. Anson Carter was an interesting name and O'Marra had the training camp (and season) from hell. I think that's everyone. If the list is correct, the Oilers invited 6 goalies, 18 defensemen and 37 forwards (61 players) to training camp one year ago. It varies from season to season, but I'd guess Edmonton will add to the list below:2008-09 (A Work In Progress)GoaliesMathieu GaronDwayne RolosonJeff DeslauriersDevan DubnykBryan PittonDefensemenLubomir VisnovskySheldon SourayTom GilbertDenis GrebeshkovSteve StaiosLadislav SmidJason StrudwickMathieu RoyJosef HrabalTheo Peckham Taylor ChorneySebastien BisaillonBryan YoungCody WildJake TaylorJordan BendfeldRobbie BinaMike GabinetBrad FarynukCleve KinleyRyan ConstantAlexandre PlanteJohan MotinCentermenShawn HorcoffAndrew CoglianoKyle BrodziakMarc PouliotRob SchrempGilbert BruleTim SestitoRyan O'MarraTyler SpurgeonJacob MicflikierToby LafranceInteresting list. Players 4-6 offer an interesting array of skills and that should be the most interesting race of training camp.Left WingDustin PennerSam GagnerErik ColeEthan MoreauJF JacquesRyan PotulnyBryan LergSlava TrukhnoGeoff PaukovichKelly CzuyGaret HuntPhilippe CornetI don't want to get into a debate about where Cole is slotted, he certainly is the best player in the group. There's just a ton of talent here on this depth chart and if Jacques is healthy a lot of the Garet Hunt's on the TC list are going to be sent out early. Right WingAles HemskyRobert NilssonFernando PisaniZack StortiniLiam ReddoxCarl Corazzini Stephane GouletColin McDonaldDavid RohlfsJustin ChwedorukHans BensonJamie BatesJordan EberleThat's 64. I think the Oilers will add several to the list and may approach 70 names this fall. Source

Flames Use Robotic Fill-In While Coach Vacations

Darryl Sittler Robot seen posing with Todd Bertuzzi and Bertuzzi's sun earlier today. No one was harmed during the presser.Mike Sturk/APWith coach Darryl Sutter on vacation in Honolulu this week, sources say that the Calgary Flames employed a robot to pose as their coach during a press conference today.At the Saddledome, the Flames introduced the teams' five newest acquisitions; Todd Bertuzzi, Mike Cammalleri, Andre Roy, Curtis Glencross and Rene Bourque. All have been acquired by the team over the summer as they try and fuel up for another playoff run this season.Representatives for the Flames would not comment publicly on the alleged fill-in robot. Sources inside the organization say that the robot was used multiple times during the Flames' playoff loss to the San Jose Sharks last spring. It was hired in early February after it became clear that having their coach in two places at once would enhance marketing and promotional opportunities.The robot previously portrayed Steven Segal in Urban Justice and was used as a mannequin at a Filene's Basement in Iowa City, Iowa.At press time, it is still unclear as to whether or not the Flames are also using a Todd Bertuzzi Robot.Source