Hockey Town USA
 

Mike Dunham got traded to the Rangers and immediately kicked butt. My daughters teacher is Dunhams aunt and a huge Rangers fan so she's on cloud nine. He grew up in Endwell, just over the border in NY where he is regarded as a pretty big deal, what with being an olympian and all. One of my friends, from Utica so he is always running down Binghamton hockey, thinks this is the beginning of the end of Mike's run, since Nashville found him disposable. I prefer to see it as a guy catching his dream. Now he has his chance to perform, with Richter out its his moment.

Very Cool. Hockey talk. Nothing beats a kid that gets his break and runs with it.

And on that topic I give you my favorite winger Richard Park!
I love this kid! He's small, scrappy, strong and tenacious as hell. And he just caused me to lose my voice.
We're in the third season of the MN Wild here, The warches have the coveted $10 row 1 seats. We got our $20 worth last night against the Oilers. The Wild had never beat the Oilers. Last night, Manny Fernandez in goal, most of the team was battling the flu, got off to a slow start. Anson Carter, Mike York, Smyth were so fast and flying in waves. Manny kept us in it. But then the Wild got some life. Park would not stop working his ass off. He was all over them, stealing pucks, breaking up passes, forechecking. He scored the tying goal and then with 16 seconds left in OT he just pressured it right past Markkanen for the win. Crazy.
So the overachieving expansion Wild- brilliantly coached by Jacques Lemaire- full of youngsters, second chancers and last song veterans are hanging at the top of the standings in late Dec. :)

Wild are the only team I pay much attention to, only becuase they get so much media coverage up here. I stil don't know much about hockey though i've been going to UND for a year and a half now. I don't know, I just can't get into the sport it's fun but unlike football and basketball I don't understand all the rules and strategies that go with it. Maybe someday I'll figure it out.

What I find most appealing is that hard work and heart can turn a game on a dime. There are these momentum shifts. That is missing from most professional sports, unless its a big playoff game. You'll get big innings in baseball. Get a bit in basketball, but sometimes it feels like the whole game is rolling along until that last clock minute that gets stretched into ten.
Emotion is such a part of hockey.- that is always apparent at college games. Emotion plus the amazing physical feat of it, the grinding 80 game schedule, the skating,speed, checking, the patience and smarts required.

The rules are fairly straight forward (think soccer) but when there is a call that I'm not clear on, I have a friendly Canadian sidekick to fill me in. Its best to see a game live, then you'll get hooked - its impossible to see everything on tv. My favorite vantage is high up on one of the ends, then you can really see the plays develop as they come down the ice. Down on the glass its cool to see the size and speed, but I like to see the whole ice and the plays. The worst part of hockey are the "fans" that come seemingly just to be loud and obnoxious, waiting to see a fight. (and miss the actual game)

Have you seen a game at the new UND arena? I admit Dean Blais is kinda freaky scary to me. Its always a big game here when the Sioux play the Gophers. Tix are scarce.

Flyers v. Wild home and home series, Feb. 10 and Feb. 12.

Bring it awwwwwnnnnnnn

yikes. They's big. Parky will be scramblin'.

Hey Warch, in looking at Park, am I right in assuming that he is Korean (or at least Asian)?

Man oh man...there have been a few black players here and there (Tony McKegney, Grant Fuhr, Jamal Mayers...hey! They all played in St. Louis!), but with Jason Gomez (Latino) and this Park kid...it's good to see the NHL becoming increasingly diverse.

Yup. Park is Korean-American. I found an article about him from last years World tournament where he played for team USA. His family moved to California as a young kid, then spent his teen years playing junior hockey in Canada. Tony reminded me he did a few shifts in Philly- MN picked him up as a free agent.

Its great to see hockey (slowly) grow in diversity and appeal. US hockey, womens hockey. And great young black players making their mark- like Iginla, Anson Carter tearing up and down the ice with his evergrowing dreadlocks makes me smile.

Maybe one thing thats holding hockey back is the size of the ice. To me, the international game with the bigger rink is way more appealing. You see more skating, more speed, the room to work makes the passing cleaner... just a thought.

I like the larger ice too, but I dont see that expensive shift coming to soon- but I bet someday.
One rule change I really like is the regular season OT, 4 on 4. You can still have a tie- but you get a wide open run for a win. That beats the stupid shoot out solution.

You know, I dont see hockey as being held back- Its booming. Inline has raised a generation of skaters. I recall there is at least one NHLer who played on a pro inline team...on the Devils maybe? can't remember his name.

When we lived in Austin in the 90s we got the Ice Bats. We went to some games in the Travis County Rodeo center- the enthusiasm was there, the game was just a bit...foreign. And there was no doubt that Bubba likes the speed, rough and tumble. There are a lot more fans in Dallas these days.
Hockey continues to shift south- Minnesota to Dallas,Hartford to Carolina, Quebec to Denver, Winnipeg to Phoenix. And other than MN the expansion has all been south.

USA hockey is stronger than ever- and perhaps one more indication is that US college hockey is starting to draw international talent and produce more NHL players- not unlike football and basketball. Thats not necessarily a good thing if they arent able to consider themselves students first . Ugh, the quagmire of college athletics. I admire the Canadian and Euro systems of major junior hockey- dont even pretend that these kids want to be in school right now- they are gearing for the pros. Of course if you're smart, you can take that free business degree,too.

The evil imperialist Americans are in town tonight. To bad no one has a sense of humor anymore, since the placard possibilities are endless. Crush the infidel Americans!

I loved the big ice action during the Olympics...I'm all for the NHL expanding the surface.

Having listened to the CBC for most of the past 2 weeks, the whole situation with the bankruptcies of the Sens and Sabres has been big news.

Many Canadian sports folks have said that the NHL expanded way too fast...from 21 in 1990 to the current 30. The Canadian teams left are having a hard time staying afloat, primarily b/c of the fact that they have to pay players in US dollars, and b/c of the high Canadian taxes. They've also noted that in some places of expansion, the novelty is gone (Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville).

I agree with that to a point...but IMO, the real problem is shitty management. The San Jose Sharks only exist b/c the NHL didn't want Gund moving the North Stars there in 1990 (and the new North Stars owner wound up shipping them south to Dallas anyway). That move was as bad as the Cleveland Browns moving to Baltimore in '95.

Then you have Phoenix, which seems to finally be getting its shit together financially. The Pens, which (thankfully) were saved by Super Mario (How funny is that...he was the team's biggest creditor). And the Sens have been in financial chaos since day one. And the Isles, who are getting their footing again under new ownership. (Though my personal opinion is that they should ditch Uniondale and share the Garden with the Rangers.)

The NHL went through some of this same shit in the 70s: Remember the Oakland Seals? The Kansas City Scouts? The Cleveland Barons?

The Sabres...I feel so bad for them. The whole Adelphia thing put them in the hole. And that's a real hockey hotbed...there is apparently some guy heading a group up there more than ready to buy the team.

There has been talk of the Sens being bought and moved to Hamilton, ON (which has an antiquated arena) or Portland (which is more feasible, given Paul Allen and his never-ending bank account). I'd hate to see that happen...Ottawa lost the Sens once already (to St. Louis, in 1934), and I think if they had the right management up there, they could survive.

I feel the pain of the Sens and the Sabres. I watched the Blues be sold to a group wanting to move the team to Saskatoon, only for the NHL to block the sale. And now, the Blues are one of the most stable and popular teams in the NHL. And the Blues are without a doubt, my favorite sports team out there...not having them around while growing up? Man, I don't want to even imagine it.

Invasion repulsed.Pretty chippy game but when you're playing a more physical team you have to stand up for yourself. We sold out the arena last night. Fu had to park quite a way down a frigid State Street and walked with a group that didn't have tickets. It sucked to be them but they did have Uncle Tony's (local gin joint) to themselves for a while. I'd say the old Bing/Roc AHL rivalry is officially back. Our guys talked smack all week and backed it up. Joe Murphy had a hat trick and the whole bunch showed some skating talent between brawls. I'd say next time they'll just out skate them.

Ditto on the management thing, Syc.

Sounds like a fun game Griff. Who is Fu? I assume you were there or were you gin soaked elsewhere...? I'm easily confused.
Jason Spezza- there's player that should be around for a while.

I am rooting for the Sabres and Sens to solve their money woes, and agree that there has been some poor expansion management. Going for the quick fix.

Which makes manager Doug Riseborough and the leadership of the Wild (Lemaire, Trombley, Ramsey) look really good. They are a class act and are in it for the long haul. Catering to fans (who have been badly burned) in the lean years, decent tix prices, building a franchise thoughtfully. I'd like to see Jacques Lemaire win the Jack Adams for his years of overachievement.

And the Blues...always tough, always fun to watch.

Family Unit. :) It wasn't the prettiest game but they got the job done. When the Sens scored that shorthanded goal on a breakaway (I'll have to work on my hockey lingo) you could see the air go out of Roc. Spezza does look like the real deal. Apparently, they've been having on ice leadership problems but you can see the skills are there. We're going to have to get out to see them more, to see if they come together.

Cool thing happened, I was wearing my MS Tour jacket and ended up sitting by a fellow participant who moved here from Lancaster. He had started cycling to rehab a hockey knee. We got talking cycling, post and beam houses, real estate, and all things rural.

An important upgrade for the AHL experience was the availability of dark beer, Saranac Black and Tan mmmm...

BTW -Some friends of a friend were there with their boys sportin' Jr. Senators jackets, pretty cool. They get to play on the same ice as the big boys, that has to be a kick. There is quite a bit of youth hockey played on the Arenas ice. Does that happen in the bigger towns?

No. As a kid I skated on the Hershey Bears ice many times over a winter. But in the big town they don't keep the ice open and have no skate rental down at the FU Center, nor even at the old Spectrum where the Phantoms play. Off hours they convert for basketball and indoor soccer and concerts. It's wherever the money is to be made.

Also, most of the rinks around here are suburban anyway; it takes real estate, and skating (on ice) isn't exactly an urban activity in the lower 48.

Maybe its just our area but icetime seems more valuable than court time. Every school has a bball court or two. High School hockey has a bit of a presence and I guess figure skating is bigger than you'd expect as well. They justified the new rink at BBC saying ice time has become dear. Of course, the folks at the privately owned Polar Cap rink thought otherwise...

It really looks like the Sens are building.


"I think he's going to be a player," Muckler said of the Binghamton Senators' 'other' center prospect, Antoine Vermette, who scored two power-play goals off Spezza feeds in a 5-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at a sold-out Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. "It may take him some more time (than Spezza), but I think he'll be a player."

AHL Standings! Who's your Daddy!?

Looks like a well run farm, but its not the only one! Yo mama. Perhaps we'll dance for the Calder...:)

I'm glad you're getting to some games! Sens seem to be a hard working team with talent and a bit of an edge.

I'm lookin at my schedule here and i'm seeing the AHL allstar game next monday. I'm not sure if they mean its at Binghamton. Has anyone ever caught the event? worthwhile?

Bah! Its at Portland.

I hafta rub it in...
 

OK the home/home Wild/Flyers series is history.

I would have settled for a split, but apparently the Wild wouldnt.
Wild take both games, both shut outs, One for Manny and one for Roli. 4 more points. I was at last night's game and it was a hard, close checked affair. The flyers lacked LeClair and Gagne, still Roenick, Kappanen,and crew couldnt score. Primeau had his elbows up and Brashear was looking for bodies.

Little speedy ol' Cliff Ronning scores as does little speedy ol' Wes Walz.

It was a big two wins, Ive not heard the coach speak like this before:

"The defensemen were perfect, our goalie was perfect. Our small players on the board, they were just great. They handled the puck well. All that is all part of it,” summed up a happy Jacques Lemaire.

Its Feb 13 and the 3rd year Wild are tied with Detroit and Toronto with 67 points. Holy crap.:)

I missed game two entirely :(

The Wild are definitely amongst the league's most interesting teams and Lemaire is showing genius for building a great D without the trap.

The Flyers are a team in a land of confusion. Despite having a pretty good record, not a month goes by when there isn't something seriously wrong, or so it seems.

Spezza just got called up to the mother club. *sniff*

I hesitate to tempt fate, but then what the hell, I stop hesitating and barrel on in cause thats my way. Just received PLAYOFF tix info in the mail from the Wild. :)

Awww! Look at Warch...she actually thinks the Wild can hold onto the 7th spot...aren't you cute!

Sorry...had to do that. :)

For what it's worth, I hope they make it in...the NHL needs more feel good stories on the ice right now.

Now 50 minutes later, they hold the #6 spot... with a game up on the #7! With the 2nd best GA in the conference...

I long ago stopped listening to sycamore. :)

Meet me in Saint Louis.;)

Dave, be honest...I'm your hero. :)

If the Blues don't make the cup this year, I sense that Coach Q and Larry Pleau will get the boot. The fans are getting restless, and they've hated Pleau since he let the Golden Brett walk away.

Well, Saturdays game was good, they played hard. They were snake bit by young Sanford- I kept rolling the funky Sanford and Son theme- thought that it would have worked well broadcast whenever he made a good stop....

Well the Sens blew a two goal lead in about a minute last night. They wasted a really nice game by Emery but they are in first place so I'll quit whining.

McGrattan had an ill-timed head butt but to his credit(?) he was helmetless and nailed the other guy in the helmet.

Wild beat Detroit 4-0, clinch a playoff spot. Roli gets the shutout. :) April hockey, who'd 'a thunk?

Syc!
Blues beat Wild last night 1-0. Osgood got a shutout and was awesome. Cant fault the Wild, they played hard. I think Ozzie was a great pick up- You gotta love the plain helmet.

The rookie Jackman was smart and flying- bet he wins rookie of the year. Even though we lost, the Blues are great to watch-a highly respectable team you gotta admire.

To quote the easily distracted Mr. Warch whenever Al MacInnis was announced, "ummmm...Guinness..." (A reaction very similar to the one elicited by the vending of warm mini donuts.)

NCAA Frozen Four:
Cornell
New Hampshire
Michigan
Minnesota

Its hard not to pull for the Wild
Here's a nice piece that recognizes the hard work. Everyone is pulling for a Wild-Stars match up. That would be a good story.:)

Kansas City has a rich hockey history, but unfortunately, most of it isn't good. Sigh.

I've lived through *two* Blues farm teams coming and going, an NHL franchise (Scouts), an NHL-affiliated IHL team (Blades), non-affiliation and sale of the same IHL team, and now...no stinking hockey.

It blows, and unfortunately, watching hockey on TV is nowhere near the same as going to the game. Not by half.

Well the playoffs are underway! The Wild have won one and have offered a respectable series to the Avs. Game 4 tonight. Its all a bonus.

I am enjoying watching the Ducks, with the confidence of Giguere step on the Wings. One more win will do it.:)

St. Louis is currently bleeding blue...

The Civil Courts building is lit up in blue. Billboards all over town. Fans are excited. Game 6 is tonight at Kiel Center.

That's Kiel Center. Not fucking Savvis Center. What a crock of shit. And did you all see that Comiskey in Chicago is now US Cellular Field? What nonsense.

They can call the AL ballfield in Chicago anything the hell they want. It's not Comiskey, that's for sure. THAT was torn down. (*quiet weeping*)

----
'Wolf (Lifelong Cubs fan. They damn well better NEVER touch Wrigley Field. I still haven't gotten over them putting in the lights.)

Last I heard, there is a battle going on over installing more seats at Wrigley...not sure how that has played out.

I saw Carlton Fisk hit a homer the last season in Comisky- got the pinwheel scoreboard exploding...Awwright!

Back to Hockey! The Blues do bleed- and it sounds like they have a touch of the flu...Vancouver wont quit.

Flyers are knicked up, but beefy enough to outlast the irritating Leafs, who you must admit, are fun to watch.

Meanwhile, the spunky Wild have forced the Avs to load up a Sakic/Forsberg line and make them work . Jacques and the boys have decided to give the fans another one. A game 6 at home. Win or Lose it is fun!:)

Yeah, the Blues need to quit the whole "We're going to play shitty for 2 periods then go out swinging in the 3rd" bullshit.

The Flyers are in trouble if they have to play game 7 tomorrow night.

The Caps gave that game away yesterday, but those first two OTs were awesome.

At this point, I would say that the Wild are dead meat, but 1) I love warch to death and 2) If Anaheim can whip Detroit like a silly bitch, anything's possible.

1.) Never underestimate the power of love. :blush:

Richard Park elevated like I've glimpsed earlier in the season. Two goals tonight, one a bad ass overtime gamewinner to take it to game seven. I did my part to break the sound barrier in the X. This is Wild.

See, hockey is fun.

Best signage seen in the arena: Forsberg wins Best Actress

A close second: Its not enough to be GOOD, You've got to want it BAD

My nephew sent me this, from the unbelievers in Detroit.

Thats beautiful!

OH MY!
 

MORE Wild hockey this weekend! I need some sleep.:)

I just have to relay the FUN that was game 6. My voice is very raspy this morning. It was so freakin' loud.

The Wild have evened the series at 3-3 and tonight is game seven. How cool is that? If the boys can pull this one out, its one for the history books. No team has ever come back twice being down 3-1 in the same playoff year.

Last night they looked nervous and a bit scrambly during the 1st period, but Roli weathered the storm in goal. And then the Wild got it going and "got in Vancouver's kitchen". Brunett had another terrific game, and Gaborik was flying, seeing the ice and making things happen. Willie Mitchell was mucking and grinding. Frustrated, vancouver took stupid penalties- Rutuu and Bertuzzi, and the Wild took advantage.

I like the momentum. Win or lose, this is fun. :)

It's fun around here when the Wild are playing. I've been studying during the last two games, but you know when the Wild win becuase the enter dorm erupts into screaming and yelling. It's almost as loud as when our football team won the National Championship last year. :) Go Wild

Right On North Dakota! Upper Plains States Unite!:beer:

I'd be drinking and watching Game seven tonight, but school is taking over my life tonight. :( I usually don't watch the NHL playoffs when the NBA playoffs are on, but damn if I'll miss the Wild playing in another game seven. It's just too cool.

My international contacts confirm: Manitoba, and the good folks of the Pembina Triangle are united in this cause as well!

May god bless them one and all.

GO WILD!!!!!!


okay time to hide the ethernet cable so I can study :D

Wild Won! What a Game!

Its a wildcat, no, a bear, no, a wolfy creature...
 

And I am supposed to go to sleep?! Are you kiddin me?

Here's the best quote Ive seen, from Patrick Reusse, Mpls Strib writer:

We still don't know what that animal is on the front of the Wild sweater, but we are now certain of this:

It's something that can't be killed.

Man oh man oh man.

Game 7 two goal deficit comeback are you kiddin me!

This could be the team of destiny.

I think it's scary they are playing anaheim. Wild - Mighty Ducks Twins - Angels. Odd coincidence or something else?

A right wing conspiracy by Bush to turn easterners against Californians, therefore beginning a new civil war. The result will be the decimation of California, a state he is sure to lose in the 2004 election, which will better his chances at winning.

That's how I see it, anyway.

You know just looking at the unlikely packet of round 3 and 4 tickets makes me giddy. I was just happy to go to the dance.

The Ducks and Wild are so evenly matched, it should be very exciting. Their last minute aquisitions like Stumpy have been working out very well. Wild needs to play through the bumps and bruises, maybe the rested Ducks will be rusty Ducks...

Tomorrow at 2. Now I really need some sleep.
:)