tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69171294534295301282024-03-14T03:02:16.859-04:00Ice JunkiesHockey insight, comments and rants regarding games played during the 2007/2008 NHL Hockey Season!Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-21839558539943013162008-05-29T07:24:00.003-04:002008-05-29T07:37:08.623-04:00Onward And Upward - Ice Junkies Merges With The Daily DekeIce Junkies are packin up the van and heading over to http://www.dailydeke.com/Over the past couple months I have been engaged in a weekly podcast with Grant Beery, Alan Sheilds and Chris Roberts. We started this podcast through Twitter when Grant sent out a message about starting an NHL focused podcast that would air once a week. I Tweeted (or something like that) back to him that I would be Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-30121838447432690212008-05-15T17:59:00.003-04:002008-05-15T18:17:11.958-04:00A Few Notes from Around the NHLAlexei Yashin, who spent the season in Russia after his inflated contract was bought out by the Islanders, appears to be heading back to the NHL. He was league MVP in Russia putting up 43 points in 56 games so it could be interesting to see if he returns. He was quite productive at times during his career, but his attitude and level of commitment were always questioned and who would be willing Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-21083419058220671562008-05-12T21:12:00.006-04:002008-05-12T21:32:25.260-04:00San Jose Sharks Looking For A New Coach!Doug Wilson, the GM for the Sharks, fired Ron Wilson, Coach of the Sharks, today. They also said they will begin a search for a new head coach immediately. This does not come to a surprise to me seeing that only 5 days ago Ron Wilson was quoted on TSN.ca saying “That's all irrelevant. You look at my record, it's second to none, literally, in the sport, so I'm not even worried about that,” when Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-83818804039253615442008-05-09T09:43:00.007-04:002008-05-09T09:57:45.361-04:00Detroit Red Wings - Wherefore Art Thou Fans?While last night was text book example of how a team can get caught on their heels and not recover I have to say how interesting it was to see so many empty seats at Joe Louis Arena. Cheap seats, Expensive seats – Did not matter. Empty clusters and Half-empty rows were scattered throughout as if this was “just another Detroit game.I thought for a moment I was watching a Nashville game. Did anyoneBill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-3014962562847283192008-05-02T18:28:00.001-04:002008-05-02T18:31:21.084-04:00San Jose Sharks - Shooting for the StarsAnyone catch the last game in Dallas? 6 days ago I posted my thoughts on the Sharks/Stars match up. 4 games down and San Jose is looking at elimination is NOT what I had in mind. So, let me ask again ... Did anyone catch the last game in Dallas? The Sharks come out fighting, owning the corners, dominating the offensive zone. Marty Turco turns aside shot after shot … then, 5 minutes into the Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-8816294950396128292008-04-26T11:26:00.001-04:002008-04-26T11:35:22.934-04:00San Jose Sharks / Dallas Stars - We Meet Again!As I have been reading over the past couple weeks since the playoffs have started, there are more than 2 view points as to who is doing well, who is struggling and who shouldn't be in the post season. The first round in the Stanley Cup playoffs proved that every team in Round One deserved to be there and they fought to be there. Well with exception to Ottawa … they “wanted” to be there, but Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-34596625244480324552008-04-25T10:35:00.003-04:002008-04-25T11:28:40.083-04:00Sean Avery - Fashionista Interning At Vogue MagazineSean Avery is transitioning from agitating hockey player to fashion magazine intern. Thats right, according to ABC News (www.abcnews.go.com) Sean has a soft side!You can check out the story here - Ranger Wears Prada: Hockey Player to Intern at Vogue MagazineBill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-3628350190118507152008-04-14T15:28:00.013-04:002008-04-14T17:30:27.292-04:00Sean Avery And Colin Campbell - New Rule ChangeI remember growing up and when I was playing anything outside with my friends there was one major rule ... No making up rules as you go along. Not in Colin Campbell's game though, apparently he can just make up rules and "interpretations" as he sees fit, depending on who is affected.Lets keep in mind the Simon / Pronger incident when reading this story! Here is what happened last night that is Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-17453317555632237882008-04-11T10:02:00.009-04:002008-04-11T15:23:20.926-04:00Sharks / Flames - Truly An Amazing Series!Could Evgeni Nabokov be the best goaltender in the NHL today? He leads the league in wins (46 out of 77 games played) and is tied for 3rd in Goals Against (2.14). Last night he knew what was at stake for San Jose after the Flames' 3-2 victory in Wednesday's opener. He accepted the challenge and responded with the type of performance that has led the Sharks to the Playoffs this year as the PacificBill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-16835686855490305842008-04-09T12:54:00.010-04:002008-04-09T13:10:56.666-04:00NHL Playoff Preview 2008EASTERN CONFERENCEThe Matchup: (1) Montreal versus (8) BostonThe Story: Montreal is one of the most surprising stories of the season due in large part to the NHL’s comeback player of the year Alexei Kovalev. Throw in a dash of history with a rookie goaltender, Carey Price, leading the team into the playoffs, much like Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden did for the franchise years ago, and there is a Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-10586787905545508032008-04-09T11:51:00.003-04:002008-04-09T11:55:03.521-04:00Ice Junkies - Live And On The AirLast night myself along with Grant from Nosebleedradio.com and Bethany from BethanysHockeyRants.com teamed up and did our first podcast for the NHL ... its called "The Weekly Deke" and it will be airing every Tuesday night 9pm east / 6pm west. I'll write more about this experience in a bit - however, I wanted to toss this podcast up to our readers.Here is the link - http://snurl.com/23x4xKeep in Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-8575257255435955672008-04-07T20:37:00.002-04:002008-04-07T20:39:35.733-04:00Tampa Bay Wins the Stamkos SweepstakesThe Tampa Bay Lightning have won the draft lottery and will almost certainly add superstar-to-be Steve Stamkos to their lineup essentially reconstructing a new "big three" with Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St Louis and Stamkos. Now if they can find some defense maybe they'll make the playoffs again.Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-52222589476547801482008-04-07T13:46:00.003-04:002008-04-07T13:47:56.108-04:00Patrice Bergeron's Return ImminentPatrice Bergeron met with his doctors this morning and was cleared for contact. He immediately went to practice and participated in his first full-contact practice since he suffered a grade 3 concussion in October. While his exact return date is uncertain, Patrice himself said that he won't play on Thursday in the Boston Bruin's opener against the Montreal Canadiens, it does look like he'll play Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-3463616666733071492008-04-06T12:32:00.007-04:002008-04-07T14:01:48.765-04:00Cinderella Makes the BallThe Washington Capitals completed their seemingly impossible venture from the basement of the Eastern Conference to the third playoff seed on Saturday night with a passionate, and somewhat dominant, win over the Florida Panthers. It topped off what has been one of the most remarkable stories of the year and puts the team in the playoffs for the first time in five years. It is, in many ways, the Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-59642865613769735122008-04-05T15:50:00.003-04:002008-04-05T16:11:13.516-04:00The Hope for a Night to RememberThe league MVP award is on the line tonight along with the Washington Capitals playoff hopes as Alexander Ovechkin leads the Caps into their final game of the season. They face the Florida Panthers, ironically the same team that did them a favor last night when they defeated Carolina, in what is easily the biggest game of Ovechkin's career and the the most important game for the Capitals in a Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-41265464085017570602008-04-04T10:58:00.001-04:002008-04-04T10:59:14.884-04:00Ottawa Senators Destroy Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leafs Destroy Daniel AlfredssonThe Ottawa Senators earned an important victory over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs 8-2 last night but they may have paid a terrible price in the process. Late in the first period Daniel Alfredsson carried the puck into the offensive zone and then committed the cardinal sin of hockey. He admired his play, lowered his head and didn’t watch where his body was moving. Mark Bell took a few strides andClint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-24088490297891051772008-04-02T19:52:00.004-04:002008-04-02T20:01:11.289-04:00The 2008 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery ProcessI always thought the NHL gave the first draft pick to the worst team from the year before … what I did not realize is that there is a weighted system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks and that will take place Monday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET at the NHL’s New York City office.As stripped from the pages of NHL.com – “The League, in cooperation with TSN, further announced that Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-73853217612351622892008-04-01T15:41:00.004-04:002008-04-01T15:54:15.595-04:00Eklund's Breakdown Of Tonights LineupEklund has a great breakdown of the games tonight and each one has its own implications. I think this is a great snapshot of what tonight means for so many teams! You can read his post here on Eklunds Hockeybuzz.com ... or, for your convenience, I have posted it below.Thanks to Eklund for this list - There have been several huge nights of hockey so far, tonight is enormous on so many levels … Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-31860639502071338102008-04-01T09:45:00.002-04:002008-04-01T09:54:24.723-04:00Kyle Turris to Make NHL Debut This WeekThe Phoenix Coyotes' will get a glimpse of their future this week with Kyle Turris making his NHL debut. The 18 year old signed an entry level deal with Phoenix that ended his career at the University of Wisconsin and started what could be a brilliant one in the NHL. Turris was taken third overall by the Coyotes in last year's draft and Wayne Gretzky has been very high on the youngster from the Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-50628714885005147862008-03-30T12:18:00.002-04:002008-03-30T12:38:54.572-04:00Buffalo Sabres Stay the Course...and Meltdown Yet AgainIt's been a trying season for the Buffalo Sabres, to say the least, and it appears that it won't be getting any easier though it may finally be coming to an end. Contracts, trades, free agency and injuries have severly damaged what was one of the best teams in hockey for the last couple of years. Despite all of that, and a 10+ game slump in the middle of the season, the Sabres have been on the Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-89262969934440719442008-03-30T02:09:00.007-04:002008-03-30T02:59:32.725-04:00Western Conference Showdown - Nashville, Vancouver and EdmontonIf you have not checked in the past 2 minutes you will see that currently (3/30 @ 2am ... yes, I am up blogging at this time ... SO!) there is a 3 way tie for the coveted 8th slot in the Western Conference playoffs. Both Nashville and Vancouver hold 2 games in hand to Edmonton. Nashville's last 4 games are against Detroit, St Louis and Chicago, while Vancouver gets to play with the Flames, Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-23493801024151696652008-03-29T10:22:00.003-04:002008-03-29T14:06:10.369-04:00San Jose Sharks Relish In Their Pacific Divsion Champion TitleAnd how do they celebrate - how about ordering up some Roast Duck with Mango Salsa! San Jose has not lost in regulation since Feb 20 … taking their record to 16-0-2. Brian Boucher helped the Sharks win last night by making 23 saves, and at the same time helped snap the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks' 10-game, home-winning streak. Brian Boucher is going to grow with the Sharks and we have Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-82453734272354867192008-03-27T15:47:00.005-04:002008-03-27T15:58:23.818-04:00Gary Bettman, NHL Teams And RebuttalsThis post is in rebuttal to the recent post by Chris Lucas over at Lucas On Sports regarding Gary Bettman and the NHL … while we at Ice Junkies agree with a few things in this post, there are some ideas thrown around that we need to interject our 2 cents worth. You can read the post by clicking here - What Gary Bettman Can Do To Save The NHL and you can follow Chris over at Twitter, he is @Bill Bristerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10188315202391105655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-75251039340503917202008-03-24T20:41:00.006-04:002008-03-25T14:58:53.285-04:00Ray Emery's ChanceMartin Gerber made his 11th straight start this evening in a huge game against conference and national rivals the Montreal Canadiens. He has a 2.60 GAA over that span with a .915 save percentage. Tonight's start, however, did not go as planned. Gerber allowed 3 goals on 14 shots and was pulled after the 1st period. The much maligned back-up, Ray Emery, has taken to the ice for the first time in Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6917129453429530128.post-12733368575403475372008-03-23T12:21:00.010-04:002008-03-23T19:33:49.681-04:00The Return of Patrice BergeronNote: This story combines data I found on yahoo, cbssportsline and a few other sites with my own observations. Boston Bruins' young star centerman Patrice Bergeron wasn't thinking about hockey in November. He wasn't thinking about the next opponent or the playoffs or what he needed to do to elevate his already impressive game. At age 22, he was wondering whether he'd ever get a chance to play Clint Bundrick (clintbundrick@gmail.com)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04976149271277237785noreply@blogger.com1