Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Goodbye Atlanta-Hello Failure?

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 20:  Fans dressed in Winnipeg Jets uniforms attend Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on April 20, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona.  The Red Wings defeated the Coyotes 6-3 to win the series 4-0.  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
      

The Atlanta Thrashers no longer exist.

Welcome Manitoba Moose to the NHL. The long awaited returrn of NHL hockey to the city of Winnipeg is finally here.  Every painful day since the end of the 1996 playoffs, natives of Winnipeg waited for a team to come back to the city that lost the Jets. For a few years now, a team in the North looked like a reality. With both the Coyotes and Thrashers in financial holes, it was only a matter of time before us Canadians got a 7th team.

As of the time I write this post, it hasn't been officialy announced. It will be in the upcoming hour.

I Am Canadian and I am very happy to have a team back here where it belongs. But will it work?

Look at Winnipeg's arena, the MTS Center. It only holds 15,000 people. That's the lowest of any team. But the sad thing is thats better then the majority of Thrashers games.

Then you need to look at their roster. Dustin Byfuglin. Evander Kane. Andrew Ladd. Brian Little. Not exactly household names. But those are their top players. Its going to be hard to convince fans this team is as good as the Jets, back when they had Keith Tkachuk or Bobby Hull. Other then Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa and Dany Heatley, the talent hasn't been exactly oozing out in high numbers.

Oh ya by the way, the weather isn't so great there. If you are Brad Richards, are you more likely to sign with your former team in Tampa, where the weather is nice, their are many attractions and the you have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, or would you go to Winnipeg where the weather sucks, there is nothing to do and your hoping to not finish last?

With a team now in Winnipeg, the former AHL Manitoba Moose will move to Newfoundland.

Don't get me wrong, I Am very excited about the the new team. But will it work? Unless fans can commit to supporting the team long term, I don't think the team will work out.

-WRITTEN BY SYKO-

Friday, May 13, 2011

Derek Boogaard Has Passed Away At Age 28

In some shocking news, NHL player Derek Boogaard has passed away at the age of 28.

Boogaard was one of the toughest men in the NHL and was currently playing with the New York Rangers. He was found by some members of his family inside his apartment in Minneapolis. Cause of death unkown as of this writing.

Just shocking.

RIP Derek. Condolences and prayers to his family.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Nashville Predators: A Great Story

Pekka Rinne. Jordin Tootoo. Shea Weber. Joel Ward. Colin Wilson. Ryan Suter. David Legwand. Carrie Underwood's husband.

Who? What do you wanna bet that 5 years ago you didn't know a team existed in Tennessee? Well thanks to Carrie... I mean Mike Fisher, and the rest of the Preds, Nashville has become a hockey market.

The diehard Predator fans knew the team all along had the ability to compete for a Stanley Cup. Until they were eliminated by Vancouver last night, winning Hockeys most valuable prize looked like a reasonable possibility. A great first round by Tootoo, Nick Spaling and Ward gave them hope. With a Vezina nominee in Rinne, a Norris Hopeful in Weber and a Jack Adams possibility in Barry Trotz, the only Nashville coach in the organization ever the team has great potential.

You have to hand it to their scouts. Rinne, Weber, Suter, Klein, Tootoo, Legwand..... I can go on and on.

They easily have the best Defence in the entire league, along with Dan Ellis, Chris Mason, Tomas Vokoun, Mike Duhnam, Andreas Lindback and Rinne in net in recent years.

If they are ever going to become a serious contender in the Spring, they need offense. Alex Semin in Washington is a perfect fit. He doesn't play well with the Caps. He needs a change in scenery. Nashville has alot of cap space left. Could he become a Predator in the offseason?

If you are a Nashville Predator fan, be loud and be proud.


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