Battle Of Hudson

The Finns erupted for four goals in the third period breaking open a game that was only 1-0 after two periods. That included a checking to the head penalty from 2012 first round pick Stefan Matteau of the Devils. Finland scored three of their four on the power play in the third to pull away for a four-goal victory.

The Americans were already behind by three thanks to two goals from Suomi in a 71 second span. Blake Pietila got Team USA on the board by steering home a Jacob Trouba rebound to cut the deficit to 3-1 less than a minute later. However, the feisty Matteau was called for an undisciplined penalty on the next shift, killing any momentum. He also was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

For a second straight game, Team USA got into penalty trouble. The only difference is this time, they paid dearly with Finland converting three of eight power plays. Three of their five tallies were PPG’s. A fact that wasn’t lost on coach Phil Housley.

“Finland took the lead in the first period and I thought we disrupted the flow of our play by taking penalties,” the former NHL All-Star defenseman said. “We cannot afford to take as many penalties as we did and expect to win. We will focus on becoming more disciplined before the tournament begins.”

Meanwhile, USA didn’t cash in on their opportunities finishing the day 0-for-6. Special teams are always a key department for having any success. They’ll have to clean it up once the preliminary round begins after Christmas. They don’t play until Dec.27 against Germany with a pivotal match versus Russia the following day.

Seth Jones was named Player Of The Game for Team USA. The draft eligible defenseman is battling Canadian rivals Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin for the top spot in pre-draft rankings amongst North American skaters. While that’s a great subplot to the big tournament, you can never discount a well schooled team like Finland, who plays a frustrating style that can wear on opponents. Their game is well suited for the NHL. If only it existed.

Late tonight, the final cuts will be made to get down to 23. It’s expected that Ranger number one pick Brady Skjei will not make it. He was a healthy scratch. The defenseman is in his freshman year at Minnesota. Through 15 games, he’s posted a goal and an assist with six penalty minutes. The lone tally came on the power play.

If Skjei doesn’t stay in Moscow, that’ll leave J.T. Miller as the only Ranger prospect on USA. He’s expected to be one of their top players following last year’s four points (2-2-4) in the 2012 WJC. In his first pro season with the Whale, the former ’11 first rounder has tallied five goals and nine assists. Considering that Chris Kreider is struggling in his first full professional year netting his fifth marker in a Whale win yesterday, it’s encouraging. Miller sure is getting a lot of experience which can only help his development.

With the time difference in Russia, every game is early. So, if you’re off from school or work, you might want to set your alarm clock. Luckily, the first two USA games don’t start till 9 on the East Coast. So, you can make breakfast and have coffee. A little bit tougher for our Pacific friends like Brian. As Hasan noted, you can catch every game on NHL Network with replays for those who aren’t around.

It’s sure to be a lot more fun for puckers than the coal we got from Scrooge.

The powerful Canadians battled the Finns in Finland. Undisciplined penalties were their undoing with Canada heading to the penalty box nine times. Suomi took full advantage cashing in on two five-on-three power plays. Markus Granlund and Ville Jarvainen each tallied power play goals and Miro Aaltonen notched the winner with 7:16 left in regulation.

Islander prospect Griffin Reinhart and Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele tallied 36 seconds apart to tie the contest in the second period. Boston first round pick Malcolm Subban finished with 19 saves. Finland outshot Canada 22-15. Team Canada coach Steve Spott is looking for a better effort when they take on Sweden in another exhibition this weekend.

Alternate captain Jonathan Huberdeau sat out, serving the final game of a suspension for abusing an official during a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game.

Over in Helsinki, Team USA defeated Finland 3-2 on defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere’s overtime goal. Off a faceoff win from Sean Kuraly, Gostisbehere stepped into a slap shot from the right point which sailed through traffic for the game winner at 1:38 of the extra session.

Defenseman Conor Murphy had a strong game scoring a goal while playing solid defense. Ryan Hartman steered the Americans in front 2-1 after putting away a Mario Lucia set up.

Phil Housley is coaching USA, which definitely is exciting for American hockey. He was a good defenseman who certainly knows a thing or two about contributing offensively. He gets to work with Seth Jones who’s already gone on record declaring USA the team to beat.

“Right in there. I think we’re the best team,” he told TSN’s Mark Masters Thursday. “We have a lot of speed up front, we’re great defensively and we have good goaltending so I think we have all the pieces to win the gold medal.”

Considering last year’s seventh place disappointment, we’ll see if Jones can lead Team USA back to the top.

Today, more games were canceled. This time, it’s through January 14, 2013. … I’m past the point of no return. I really tried. I thought there would be a season already. I was tricked into believing the faulty leadership would actually do the right thing. That they couldn’t take for granted the most loyal fans in all of sports. Oh, how I was sadly mistaken.

I am devastated. It’s extremely difficult to write this. I think there are many disgruntled hockey fans who wish things could be different. That the league we grew up on had brains and common sense. They have proven that they don’t care about us. That we’ll always come crawling back. Well, guess what. I won’t. Not until there’s new people in charge who are in touch with our sport and pledge to do the right thing moving forward. Everything about it is backward. I can’t support this hypocritical league anymore until something’s done. If there isn’t a significant change, I won’t punish myself. I am never watching another Ranger game until that moment. If it takes the stooge that runs it to croak, I don’t care. I’m that furious.

I don’t really wish death or injury on anyone. I just want the guys who we cheer for to hold out as long as humanly possible until a change is made. I don’t care if hockey bottoms out. They need to stick together and get Scrooge out of there. If that means the rest of this pointless season, fine. If it means until 2014, I am okay with that. I just know that I can no longer deal with it. Even if the Rangers won a Cup, I couldn’t watch them be handed that remarkable trophy by the Christmas Grinch. It would be too bitter.

I love hockey as much as anyone. I have followed it since I was 10 when the Rangers were on WWOR with Marv Albert calling games. All I knew as a kid was baseball, basketball and football. But it was the sport on the ice that caught my eye. Watching the players out there gliding and flying at full speed captivated me as I’m sure it has you. We the fans root for our teams made up by our favorite players, who train year round and sacrifice family and friends to lay it on the line. Unless we played, we can’t relate to them. So, I don’t want to hear how so and so is overpaid and hasn’t worked for it. That’s a lie. We don’t cheer for guys in suits who mostly are out of touch with reality. It’s a minority who ruined it. Let’s not forget facts. The same ones who sign the paychecks and raise prices through the nose. We pay for it. Cost certainty was a lie.

They’ve lied about a lot of things. That’s what they do. They think we are computerized robots who don’t have feelings. What about all the employees who go the extra mile to make us happy? What must their lives be like without jobs? Do you actually believe management cares? I am a player guy because they’re the product. Without them, we wouldn’t even bother. They were locked out for a second time in eight years. It’s unthinkable that this could happen. What other professional sport does this? They’re behind MLB, NFL, NBA, PGA, NCAA and the Triple Crown. Clearly, the powers to be don’t get it. They have no respect for any of the history that’s made our sport so special. How do you think all-timers like Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, Esposito, Messier and Yzerman feel? Look what they’ve done. It’s a mockery. We’re the laughingstock.

I hate feeling this way. Like it will never end. I’m empty. I can’t speak for my co-blogger Hasan or Brian or passionate fans such as @vivianmtl @garts2point2 @njdlove @broadwayblue @scottyhockey @luvkane88 @thenyrblog @dougs_ag6 @mrsdubinsky @brielleisawk @sharxgirl @chrissylee86  +Anne Laurie @avalangelist @gettothecioppa @howie9416 @offseids etc.
I’m done. I give up. They have killed me. It takes a lot to accomplish the impossible. Congratulations.

I’m not going away. Make no mistake, there’s so much more hockey out there to enjoy. I can’t wait for the WJC2013 to officially begin on 12/27. And college hockey is great. The KHL doesn’t treat its players or fans this way. The AHL is around. So are all junior leagues which boast tomorrow’s future stars. Go to see a local high school team or whatever. Don’t let them win. Maybe I am. But I’m never going to stop being a hockey fan because it will always be a big part of me. I love all of you and will continue to deliver posts on H-O-C-K-E-Y.

Signed,

Derek Felix Section 411 New York Rangers

The World Junior Championships are officially on deck with exhibitions starting up. While Team USA sorts through their roster, Team Canada already announced who made the cut for the exciting 2013 Prospect Tournament.

Returning from last year’s bronze medal team are Dougie Hamilton, Scott Harrington, Jonathan Huberdeau, Boone Jenner, Mark Schiefele and Islander center Ryan Strome. Included is Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who’ll captain the team. A pretty scary thought for the rest of the competition. It is a roster rich in talent, featuring 2013 potential No.1 overall picks Jonathan Drouin and Nathan McKinnon. The dynamic duo play on the same roster for Halifax of the QMJHL. The other draft eligible player is forward Anthony Camara of Barrie (OHL).

The Islanders also are represented by former 2012 first round pick defenseman Griffin Reinhart of the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Ironically, teammate Michael St. Croix didn’t make it. Another player to watch is Kitchener defenseman Ryan Murphy, who was taken by the Hurricanes in ’11. Murphy is extremely gifted offensively and should be heard from.

Team Canada is also deep in the net with Boston first round pick Malcolm Subban, who’s the younger brother of Montreal blueliner P.K. Subban. He plays for Belleville (OHL). Joining him between the pipes are the Blues’ Jordan Binnington of Owen Sound (OHL) and Detroit No.3 pick Jake Paterson of OHL’s Saginaw.

Here’s how the Canadian roster breaks down:

G Binnington, Jordan
G Paterson, Jake
G Subban, Malcolm

D Hamilton, Dougie
D Harrington, Scott ‘A’
D Murphy, Ryan
D Ouellet, Xavier
D Reinhart, Griffin
D Rielly, Morgan
D Wotherspoon, Tyler

F Camara, Anthony
F Danault, Phillip
F Drouin, Jonathan
F Huberdeau, Jonathan ‘A’
F Hudon, Charles
F Jenner, Boone
F Lipon, J.C.
F MacKinnon, Nathan
F Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan ‘C’
F Rattie, Ty
F Ritchie, Brett
F Scheifele, Mark
F Strome, Ryan

I write this with mixed emotions on what you’ve done to the game of hockey. Entering the lockout, I believed you would eventually come to your senses and reach agreement on a new CBA by Thanksgiving.
In my heart, I didn’t think you’d drag this out to the point where you’ve put another season at risk. I thought that lesson was learned.

Unfortunately, you’ve disappointed the loyal fans passionate about the sport we truly love. When it finally looked like you were ready to get it done this past week, you did the impossible. Playing with our emotions. I never got excited over the rumors on Twitter and in the blogosphere because you’d already lost me. I lost expectations of there ever being a season. For many great hockey fans and writers who would give anything to see NHL hockey again, you broke their hearts. They celebrated believing the nightmare was finally over. Instead, you toyed with them and did further damage.

We’re now in December with no resolution close. The bickering and blame game you play doesn’t matter. The truth is you’re both at fault. If your intent is to ruin Christmas for everyone, you’re worse than Scrooge. The loyalists know how great hockey is and will continue to follow the sport no matter what. That was proven in Atlantic City and at the Staten Island Skating Pavilion for great causes. It’s also been on display as we shift to college hockey weekends, junior games of the week, AHL and the KHL. Wait till the WJC hits. You’ll be up in smoke in our rear view.

You can’t take the heart out of us. We will always love the sport. That’s what makes us hockey fans. As long as there’s good H-O-C-K-E-Y to be seen, we will follow it. By continuing to fiddle around, you’re only hurting yourselves. We are saving hard earned money that you’ll never get back. When you finally come to your senses, you may be in for a rude awakening. Not every fan will return. I won’t drop everything to be back at Madison Square Garden even though I love the atmosphere at Ranger games and miss our section. The only way to send a message is to not go. You don’t deserve a penny. That includes the outrageous costs for jerseys.

I realize it’s hard for us to give up something we love. I have no problem staying home and catching games on the tube. Just don’t expect me to catch every second. You’ve cause this. It hurts to speak the truth about the coolest sport on Earth. A phrase you once coined when things were much better. We enjoy the fast pace, end to end rushes, breathtaking goals, sweet dishes, ridiculous dekes, ferocious hits, jaw dropping saves, hair raising penalty shots, sacrificial blocks and breakaways that get us out of our seats. It’s what makes the sport so special. That’s what it’s all about. The game on ice.

You could be playing right now and we’d be much happier. Talk would be about our favorite teams and players along with intense debates against rival fans. Who’s leading in scoring and who’s the biggest surprise. Which player has put himself into early Hart consideration. All things we like to discuss. Nobody cares about the CBA. It’s like watching paint dry. We just want you to do the right thing. It’s time to get back to playing! The longer you wait, the bigger risk you’re taking.

Sincerely,

Loyal hockey fan for life:

Derek Felix 

Few rivalries are as good as Boston University and Boston College in hockey.

This weekend, there’s been plenty of puck to choose from. The highlight has been the classic home-and-home series between bitter college rivals Boston University and Boston College. Two of the best programs renewing acquaintances on each campus home rink.

If you weren’t already excited about the chance to see quality top 10 collegiate hockey, we also got an early Christmas present courtesy of NBC Network with the return of Doc Emrick calling the action teamed with Pierre McGuire. Without the NHL, it’s like a dream come true with familiar voices to the game we love as traditional as St. Nick. Something Devil tweep Sarra Doriety noted in a tweet Friday.

@NewYorkPuck yup i don’t even care that i have to listen to pierre because it reminds me of the nhl

This kind of passion exemplifies what makes our fans so special. We love the entire game including Hall Of Fame Foster Hewitt winners such as Doc, who always brings a smile to our face. He just called a power play goal that put BC in front of BU 3-1 with the trademark, “Scooo——rrrrrreeee,” that sounds like an excited kid. And now, BC adds one more giving us one more Doc-ism for 4-1!

BU took last night’s contest 4-2. Tonight, it looks like it’s the Eagles’ turn. There’s still two minutes left in the second with another period to go. But the Terriers are not on their game, taking undisciplined penalties. Another player marches to the penalty box. With time winding down in the period during four-on-four, BU misses a chance to cut it to two and then Oksanen takes a frustration cross checking penalty. A dangerous play but fortunately he gets up. All five goals thru two are PPG’s Doc notes.

Entering yesterday, BC was ranked #1. The No.9 ranked Terriers got goals from Garrett Noonan, Evan Rodrigues and Matt Grzelcyk. Pat Mullane scored for the Eagles on the power play. His goal late in the second cut it to 2-1 before Grzelcyk restored order for BU on a wrap around. The Terriers added Wade Megan’s empty netter prior to Johnny Gaudreau closing the scoring for the Eagles at 19:36. Gaudreau is a freshman who paces them with 19 points. Impressive. Noonan ranks second with 15 and then comes Steven Whitney and Bill Arnold, who scored tonight.

Boston University has four players in double digits thus far including Megan, whose eight goals pace the them. He’s tied with Cason Hohmann for first in team scoring with 13 points. Grzelcyk follows with 11 (2-9-11) and Danny O’Regan has 10. As I note this, Megan and Hohmann fail to convert an odd-man rush thanks to a Parker Milner glove save. Glove saves are always flashy. Especially when the goalie denies someone. Not surprisingly, BC has doubled up BU in shots 31-14 due to all the man-advantages. They’re four-for-eight on the PP. Matt O’Connor who made 35 saves in the Terriers’ win last night, makes a couple of more to prevent the Eagles from making it 5-1. He’s a big athletic netminder who isn’t getting much support. As proof, a BU turnover allows Brendan Silk to go in untouched and beat O’Connor short side for his first goal of ’12-13. The Eagles now lead by four.

There’s some good talent in this game. The rematch is going the Eagles’ way which you can hear by the chants from the crowd at Kelly Rink. This is part of the fabric of college hockey. I haven’t caught a lot so far mostly due to my work schedule. But between jobs with a new one starting after Christmas, I’ll have more time to follow it. Ironically, my job training is right when the World Junior Championships start. But I should be back at night to catch the big games, including USA vs Canada on December 30. Best friend Brian’s birthday. Ironically, mine is a week away. A great month.

NBC Network or NBC Sports also showed Wisconsin at Denver in Friday’s double. Bringing more cheer were Dave Strader and Bryan Engblom. Two more broadcasters I’m familiar with from my time at ESPN a decade ago. I provided them with statistical research when the guys in Bristol covered the NHL. Also when they played before Gary Bettman got a big head. How he keeps a job is one of life’s great mysteries.

I flip to MSG which follows Avangard’s 3-2 overtime win over Barys with the classic Rangers-Kings Outdoor Game in Vegas from ’91. It’s still amazing to watch and see some classic names including Gretzky, Messier, Larry Robinson and Tony Granato. Tony Amonte and Doug Weight have goals. They played in 85 degree weather at Caesar’s Palace and Al Trautwig is interviewing Beezer about the game. Anything MSG does, they do it right. You also won’t want to miss Monday’s Islanders/Rangers installment covering Denis Potvin passing Bobby Orr in points. Stan Fischler had a good time capsule.

As I put the finishing touches on this post, BU has made it respectable trailing BC 5-2 with a couple of minutes left. The Eagle fans sing “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey! Good—bye!”

Fairly appropriate. As the buzzer sounds, the crowd celebrates by chanting, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry,” for legendary coach Jerry York who with win number 924 ties Ron Mason for the most ever wins in NCAA history. Amazing. Congratulations!