Goodbye Atlanta-Hello Failure?

      

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-

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.

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.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Phoenix Coyotes: The End Of A (Forgettable) Era?

Goodbye Coyotes.

        

Go to Google. Type in Phoe. The first thing you will see: Phoenix Coyotes. But will this be the case, say, 2 weeks from now?

The Coyotes have had a, to say the least, a bumpy 16 years in the NHL. Lack of fans, and very poor performances on ice have definitely had a big impact when the team filed for bankruptcy in 2009. With no buyers, the team was bought by the NHL. Jim Ballsille, CEO of Research In Motion, tried buying the team and relocating it to Hamilton, Ontario.  The NHL did not approve. But why?  More people can fill Copps Coliseum then there are people who know Hockey exist in the desert.  Canada only has 6 NHL teams, and 5 in the AHL. Isn’t Hockey a Canadian Sport? Guess not. Hockey can’t survive in Atlanta, Phoenix, Columbus, Florida and New York (ISLANDERS). So why not move a team back to Canada? In what world would hockey survive in a place that isn’t cold enough to have Ice in the first place? Why take it away from Winnipeg? Wake up Bettman! THE TIME IS NOW!!!! Actually, the time should have never came, Hockey belongs in the NHL, NOT IN AN AREA THAT DOESN’T EVEN GO BELOW FREEZING POINT!!!

If the Jets are not back in Canada next year, Bettman, I want you fired.

Who Will be This Year's Playoff Hero?

Could We See Shane Doan Back In Winnipeg?

Jaroslav Halak. Antii Niemi. Sammy Pahlson. Cam Ward. Dustin Byfuglin. Those names come to mind when thinking of past playoff hero's for their teams. Only problem is that other then Byfuglin and possibly Ward, they have had mediocre seasons afterwards. Niemi led his team to the 2010 finals, but was shaky. This year his San Jose Sharks are a serious contender for the cup, but it’s not been because of his play.

Here are some players who might come up big for their teams this spring:

Carey Price (Montreal): Halak’s performance last season is still fresh in the minds of all people. Especially Price. He was demoted to backup after bad play forced Montreal to use Halak, who played outstanding. There is pressure on Carey to perform. After winning game one against Boston, though, some may think Halak has returned. Just in a #31 jersey.

Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh): With injuries to Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins have a lot of work to do, with little offense. Formerly a 3^rd line center, Staal has been forced to play big minutes and produce points for the battered Pittsburgh squad. If Staal doesn’t perform, who will?

Joe Thornton (San Jose): This can apply to all of the Sharks, but this player in general needs a Cup. The former 1997 first rounder has been the Sharks best player since getting 125 points in 2005-2006, his first year with the club. San Jose has not played well in the Post-season the last few years, so anything less than a cup is a complete failure.

Shane Doan (Phoenix): This team needs leadership. They have been through so much in previous years, and this may be the end. If they don’t get fans QUICK, they are done. Winnipeg is knocking on the door. The Coyotes need to play like it’s the end, because, in reality, it probably is the end.

Roberto Luongo (Vancouver): Vancouver’s time has come. 40 years. Luongo has won at every level, except the NHL. Think there’s is pressure on everybody to repeat this seasons success. Roberto needs to step it up. His playoff performances have......been less then stellar.

Roman Hamrlik (Montreal): The defence in Montreal has taken a huge hit this season. Half the NHL is there defence. With no Gorges or Markov, the time is now for Roman to step it up. He may never have a chance again to go far. His high salary will not get much interest this summer unless the potential UFA steps up to the plate.


Patrice Bergeron (Boston): Bergeron hasn't exactly been the player all Bruins fans were hoping for. Boston has a strong team this time around. Even without Marc Savard. But if Boston doesn't go far....... They need to make some moves. Bergeron needs to step his game up.