Houston, we have a team [EHM]

[duff88]

After the announcement that the 2004-2005 season was going to be lost because of the lockout, the Phoenix Coyotes had no choice but to announce that they were folding. A few weeks later, on April 29th, the NHL held a dispersal draft via phone-conference.

1 Pittsburgh Penguins Derek Morris
2 Chicago Blackhawks Ladislav Nagy
3 Washington Capitals Paul Mara
4 Columbus Blue Jackets Shane Doan
5 New York Rangers Geoff Sanderson
6 Florida Panthers Mike Johnson
7 Carolina Hurricanes Dave Scatchard
8 Anaheim Ducks Mike Ricci
9 Atlanta Thrashers Mike Comrie
10 Los Angeles Kings Steven Reinprecht
11 Minnesota Wild Keith Ballard
12 Buffalo Sabres Oleg Saprykin
13 Edmonton Oilers Curtis Joseph
14 Nashville Predators Fredrik Sjöström
15 New York Islanders Dennis Seidenberg
16 Boston Bruins (DET) Zbynek Michalek
17 Montreal Canadiens Matthew Spiller
18 Calgary Flames Oleg Kvasha
19 Dallas Stars Blake Wheeler
20 Colorado Avalanche Tyson Nash
21 New Jersey Devils Philippe Sauvé
22 Philadelphia Flyers Boyd Devereaux
23 Vancouver Canucks Jeff Taffe
24 Ottawa Senators Enver Lisin
25 Toronto Maple Leafs Yanick Lehoux
26 Boston Bruins Jakub Koreis
27 San Jose Sharks Forfeit
28 Tampa Bay Lightning David LeNeveu
29 Detroit Red Wings Forfeit

All other players were released as free agents.

When the CBA was finally signed, commissionner Gary Bettman made public his intention to listen to offers for a 30th franchise as soon as the 2005-2006 season. Rumours had the cities of Kansas City, Las Vegas and Houston as the front runners. Houston buisiness man Tseng-Lee Chong-Hoa Wing-Tong Kim finally got the franchise.

In a press conference later that month, the Houston Spirit were born. Jeff Chynoweth was named General Manager while Brian Sutter was assigned as head coach.

Two years later; the Houston Spirit has had two consecutive first overall picks as they finished last overall in their two original seasons. The team is already less popular in Houston and a potential rivalry with Dallas has yet to emerge.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/7664/20052006be3.jpg

Trevor Gordon, a big canadian forward playing for the Guelph Storm in the OHL, was selected first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. The other picks that day were Vitali Khromchinkov, Ville Skriko, Kerri Cautero, Sasha Golin and David Ruzicka.

Surprisingly, the third round pick in the 2006 draft Ville Skriko, made the team out of camp for the 2006-2007 season. Meanwhile, free agent signings Keith Carney and captain Owen Nolan were traded at the deadline, along with prospect Adam Courchaine, for a 1st in 2007, a 2nd in 2009 and a 5th in 2007.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7361/20062007ea6.jpg

Michael Wagner, a big american playmaking center playing for the Wisconsin Badgers of the NCAA, was drafted first overall in the 2007 draft. With the 11th overall selection acquired from Edmonton in the Owen Nolan trade, right winger Kirill Boldin was picked. The other picks that day were Jonathan Shank, Chris Summers, Niclas Andersén, Carl Dewolf and David Driver.

The 2007-2008 season is about to start. Houston may have a team, but it has yet to win their heart; what does the future holds for the Houston Spirit?

[DeToxRox]

Oh boy.

Love your EHM dynasties Duff. I'm already pumped.

Awesome idea too.

I have an idea of kicking around, maybe you could give me some advice on it if you wish. If so, shoot me a PM.

[duff88]

Training Camp starts in Houston

44 Players have been invited to the 2007 Training Camp of the Houston Spirit. 5 Goaltenders, 12 Defenseman and 27 Forwards will fight for the 23 spots available. The list of players was released today by GM Jeff Chynoweth:

30 Danny Battochio G
31 Sebastien Caron G
35 Wade Dubielewicz G
1 Jordan Parisé G
39 Pierre-Olivier Pelletier G
2 Mike Commodore D
5 Noah Welch D
4 Mark Eaton D
65 Logan Stephenson D
8 Ville Skriko D
6 Jamie Heward D
51 David Ruzicka D
52 Patrick Coulombe D
12 Lance Ward D
56 Bryan Rodney D
54 Reid Cashman D
77 Jean-Michel Bolduc D
7 Ivan Novoseltsev LW
83 Vitali Khromchinkov LW
50 Jordan Krestanovich LW
71 Chad Kolarik LW
81 Dmitri Pestunov LW
97 Maxime Boisclair LW
10 Trevor Gordon LW
37 Jarkko Ruutu LW
9 Magnus Kahnberg LW
15 Boyd Devereaux C
29 Brad Winchester C
87 Louis-Philippe Martin C
18 Jason Jaspers C
58 Kerri Cautero C
19 Marty Reasoner C
84 Alexei Ivanov C
88 Jamie Tardif C
14 Paul Gaustad C
16 Michael Wagner C
28 Randy Robitaille RW
47 Aaron Downey RW
48 Sasha Golin RW
61 Chris Collins RW
17 Trevor Letowski RW
23 Kirill Boldin RW
36 Brad May RW
74 Roman Tomanek RW

Four notable veteran additions were made during the offseason: Veteran blue-liner Jamie Howard, who announced this would be his last year before he hangs his skates, signed a one year contract. Brad May also signed a one year contract while Trevor Letowski signed a two year deal worth 2,8M. A few days before camp, Chynoweth announced that prospect Gabe Gauthier was traded to Buffalo for big center Paul Gaustad; Buffalo wanted to get rid of some of their depth players before losing them on waivers and Gaustad was a perfect fit for the 3rd or 4th line role.

Here are three little articles covering what your Houston Spirit should look like this year:

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/171/goaltenderju6.jpg

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/455/topdsyl7.jpg

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9713/forwardsgr4.jpg

[duff88]

First Cuts Announced

Houston Spirit Head coach Brian Sutter announced today the first cuts of training camp:

D Logan Stephenson
D Jean-Michel Bolduc
LW Chad Kolarik
LW Dmitri Pestunov
C Louis-Philippe Martin
C Jamie Tardif
C Kerri Cautero
RW Sasha Golin
G Pier-Olivier Pelletier

All of these players were sent to the Spirit's farm club, the Utah Grizzlies, except Kerri Cautero who went back to Western Michigan to play his Junior year and Sasha Golin who was sent back to the Portland Winter Hawks.

35 players are still left with the team for pre-season. The next cuts will be done following the 4th pre-season game.

[duff88]

Second cuts announced

After winning their first four pre-season games, the Houston Spirit and their head coach Brian Sutter announced, as expected, the second cuts:

D Reid Cashman
LW Jordan Krestanovich
C Jason Jaspers
C Alexei Ivanov
RW Aaron Downey
G Danny Battochio
G Jordan Parisé

Those cuts give a better look at what the team will look like come October 13th for the opener when the San Jose Sharks visit the Spirit at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Therefore, David Ruzicka, Bryan Rodney and Patrick Coulombe are going to fight for the 7th Dman spot while Vitali Khromchinkov, Maxime Boisclair, Michael Wagner, Chris Collins, Kirill Boldin and Roman Tomanek will fight for the three spots still open at forward.

Meanwhile, Wade Dubielewicz has played so well in his two pre-season games that talks are already on-going that he might actually be the started for the first game of the season. The first line of Gordon-Reasoner-Robitaille has also been very impressive in the two games they played in, scoring 13 combined points.

There are still four pre-season games left and the final cuts will be announced afterwards.

[duff88]

Coach Sutter announce final cuts

The Houston Spirit continued their succesful pre-season finishing 6-1-1 in the process. Following the last game, a 3-1 win in Dallas, coach Brian Sutter announced the final cuts:

D David Ruzicka
D Patrick Coulombe
LW Vitali Khromchinkov
C Michael Wagner
RW Chris Collins

These cuts mean that Bryan Rodney won the 7th defenseman spot while Maxime Boisclair, Kirill Boldin and Roman Tomanek succeeded in getting a roster spot. Although he didn't look bad, first overall draft pick Michael Wagner was sent back to the Wisconsin Badgers to further developpe him hoping he can be ready next season.

A season preview will be available today covering your 2007-2008 Houston Spirit.

[duff88]

Toyota announces a big contest

Toyota announced today the start of a big contest: "Nickname your favourite player". Fans of the Houston Spirit can now reply by proposing a nickname for forward Trevor Gordon, which will be picked by Gordon himself on Christmas day this year.

The winner will be given a chance to participate in a hockey camp with some Houston Spirit players during the summer and might make a name for himself in order to one day being drafted into the NHL.

[duff88]

Houston Spirit set for season opener against San Jose

On October 13th, the San Jose Sharks will be in Houston for the 2007-2008 season debut. After a very impressive pre-season where Houston kept a 6-1-1 record, the Spirit will now have their first true test in a real regular season game.

Coach Sutter made public his intention of having two scoring lines, one defensive minded and one all-around line. Wade Dubielewicz, after being extremely impressive in the pre-season is expected to get the start in the first game, but don't be surprised if Sebastien Caron gets the nod for the second game, the second part of the home-and-away in San Jose on October 14th.

Gordon-Reasoner-Robitaille
Novoseltsev-Devereaux-Boldin
Winchester-Gaustad-Ruutu
Kahnberg-Letowski-May

Welch-Commodore
Skriko-Heward
Eaton-Ward

Dubielewicz
Caron

Captain
Home Assistants
Away Assistants

Captain Mike Commodore, in an interview for TSN, had some pretty interesting comments. Here's a brief segment of the interview:

"The season hasn't even started yet, but it feels like this is going to be a pretty strong and united group of guys. Everyone know we are not coming in as favourites, but you can expect us to work hard every day. We'll surprise a few people".

[st.cronin]

Toyota announces a big contest

Toyota announced today the start of a big contest: "Nickname your favourite player". Fans of the Houston Spirit can now reply by proposing a nickname for forward Trevor Gordon, which will be picked by Gordon himself on Christmas day this year.

The winner will be given a chance to participate in a hockey camp with some Houston Spirit players during the summer and might make a name for himself in order to one day being drafted into the NHL.

Trevor "Ice Weasel" Gordon

[duff88]

The Hockey News season preview: Page 1

The NHL season is coming fast; in exactly one week, the puck will drop in seven games as fourteen teams play their season opener.

Page 1: Introduction
Page 1: Eastern Conference Analysis and Prediction
Page 2: Western Conference Analysis and Prediction
Page 3: List of top 10 players by position
Page 4: Prediction for each trophies
Page 5: Preliminary look at the 2008 NHL Draft.

The Eastern Conference
Atlanta Thrashers:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 201
Notable players: LW Marian Hossa, C Marc Savard, C Alexander Svitov, RW Michael Nylander, D Braydon Coburn, D Kenny Jönsson and G Kari Lehtonen.
2006-2007 record: 36-33-10-3 for 85 PTS, 8th in the East
2007-2008 preview: Will once again be in the fight for a playoff spot, lack some depth to be called a contender right now unless Lehtonen plays a stellar season.

Boston Bruins:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable players: RW Glen Murray, RW Patrice Bergeron, C Eric Staal, C Brad Boyes, LW Marco Sturm, D Brad Stuart.
2006-2007 record: 44-31-3-4 for 95 PTS, 4th in the East
2007-2008 preview: They have one of the top centers in the league, but they have, according to all acounts, over-achieved last year and will have to fight hard to make the playoffs this year.

Buffalo Sabres:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 195
Notable Players: RW Tuomo Ruutu, RW Maxim Afinogenov, RW Thomas Vanek, C Chris Drury, C Daniel Brière, LW Jean-Pierre Dumont, D Dmitri Kalinin, G Ryan Miller
2006-2007 record: 42-32-7-1 for 92 PTS, 7th in the East
2007-2008 preview: With a strong nucleus of players, the Sabres should be among the top teams in the East this year.

Carolina Hurricanes:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 195
Notable Players: RW Justin Williams, RW Erik Cole, LW Matt Cullen, D Robyn Regehr, G Cam Ward
2006-2007 record: 29-42-5-6 for 69 PTS, 15th in the East
2007-2008 preview: Poor management ruined the Hurricanes who went from Stanley Cup participation to one of the worst teams in the league for the second time in the decade. Should once again be in the bottom team of the East.

Florida Panthers:
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 202
Notable Players: RW Nathan Horton, RW Anthony Stewart, C Olli Jokinen, C Stephen Weiss, LW Rostislav Olesz, LW Daniel Sedin, D Jay Bouwmeester, G Roberto Luongo
2006-2007 record: 39-26-14-3 for 95 PTS, 3rd in the East
2007-2008 preview: Chances are that the Florida Panthers will once again win the south-east division; they are arguably one of the best team in the East.

Montreal Canadiens:
Average age: 27
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 195
Notable Players: RW Alex Kovalev, RW Michael Ryder, C Saku Koivu, D Andrei Markov
2006-2007 record: 33-45-4-0 for 70 PTS, 14th in the East
2007-2008 preview: Another tough season is to be expected from Montreal whom, although they have depth, lack impact players with only four who can be considered as notables.

New York Islanders
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Dustin Brown, C Alexei Yashin, LW Miroslav Satan, G Rick DiPietro
2006-2007 record: 35-36-9-2 for 81 PTS, 10th in the East
2007-2008 preview: Unless Rick DiPietro creates a huge surprise, the Islanders will likely miss the playoffs, but they still have a chance to make a hard run at the 8th place.

New York Rangers
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 201
Notable Players: RW Jaromir Jagr, C Steve Rucchin, C Petr Sykora, LW Ilya Kovalchuk, LW Nikolai Zherdev, G Henrik Lundqvist
2006-2007 record: 38-38-3-3 for 82 PTS, 9th in the East
2007-2008 preview: The Rangers were the best non-playoff team last year, they should once again fight for the playoffs this year but you can now expect them to make it. They might even make a run for their division.

New Jersey Devils
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Brian Gionta, C Mike Peca, C Scott Gomez, LW Patrick Elias, D Bryan Rafalski
2006-2007 record: 45-25-9-3 for 102 points, 2nd in the East
2007-2008 preview: The departure of Martin Brodeur gives a huge blow to New Jersey who will have to rely on Philippe Sauvé and Ari Ahonen in nets. Their performance depends on those two goaltenders; they could pretty much finish anywhere in the standings.

Ottawa Senators
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable Players: RW Dany Heatley, RW Daniel Alfredsson, C Jason Spezza, LW Martin Havlat, D Zdeno Chara, D Wade Redden, D Andrej Meszaros
2006-2007 record: 50-23-7-2 for 109 points, 1st in the East
2007-2008 preview: The Senators lack only one piece to be a dynasty; a primary goaltender. If Ray Emery and Mike Dunham do the job, they could finally win the Stanley Cup.

Philadelphia Flyers
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: C Peter Forsberg, C Michal Handzus, C Jeff Carter, LW Simon Gagné, LW Mike Richards, D Joni Pitkänen, D Kim Johnsson
2006-2007 record: 38-27-15-2 for 93 points, 6th in the East
2007-2008 preview: The Flyers should once again be in the race for the playoffs and might even make a run for the division.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: C Sidney Crosby, LW Evgeni Malkin, D Derek Morris, D Sergei Gonchar, D Ryan Whitney, G Marc-André Fleury
2006-2007 record: 37-25-15-5 for 94 points, 5th in the East
2007-2008 preview: Pens are loaded at the top, but thin afterwards. If Crosby, Malkin and Fleury do it again, the Pens will make the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-2
Average weight: 206
Notable Players: RW Martin St. Louis, RW Ales Hemsky, C Brad Richards, C Vincent Lecavalier, LW Vaclav Prospal, D Dan Boyle, D Pavel Kubina
2006-2007 record: 35-41-4-2 for 76 points, 12th in the East
2007-2008 preview: The problem for Tampa is in nets; John Grahame needs more consistency. Their position in the standings will depend mostly on him.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable Players: RW Jason Pominville, C Jeff O'Neill, D Tomas Kaberle, D Bryan McCabe, D Roman Hamrlik
2006-2007 record: 32-40-4-6 for 74 points, 13th in the East
2007-2008 preview: Toronto are going to have to fight hard to try and finish with a better points total than last year.

Washington Capitals
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 201
Notable Players: RW Alexander Ovechkin, LW Alexander Semin, D Paul Mara
2006-2007 record: 33-38-4-7 for 77 point, 11th in the East
2007-2008 preview: They pretty much rely on Ovechkin to do everything; the Caps are likely to miss the playoffs once again this year.

Prediction:
1. Florida
2. Ottawa
3. New York R
-
4. Buffalo
5. Philadelphia
6. Pittsburgh
7. Atlanta
8. New Jersey
-
9. Boston
10. Tampa Bay
11. New York I
12. Montreal
13. Washington
14. Carolina
15. Toronto

[Travis]

Hemsky in Tampa?! Boo-urns!

[duff88]

The Hockey News season preview: Page 2

The Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 202
Notable players: C Joffrey Lupul, C Ryan Getzlaf, LW Ryan Malone, D Scott Niedermayer, D Vitaly Vishenvski, D Anton Volchenkov, G Jean-Sebastien Giguère.
2006-2007 record: 38-32-10-2 for 88 PTS, 7th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Ducks should once again be in the run for the playoffs with their strong defensive game and their young core of players.

Calgary Flames:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 198
Notable players: RW Jarome Iginla, C Daymond Langkow, LW Fredrik Modin, D Dion Phaneuf, D Jordan Leopold, G Miikka Kiprusoff
2006-2007 record: 32-40-6-2 for 76 PTS, 11th in the West
2007-2008 preview: If the Flames are able to put points on the scoreboard, they will make the playoffs easily. Otherwise, which seems more likely, they'll have to fight hard to make it.

Chicago Blackhawks:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 203
Notable Players: C Ladislav Nagy, C Mark Bell, LW Éric Dazé, LW Todd Bertuzzi, LW Kyle Calder, D Brent Seabrook, D Adrian Aucoin, G Nikolai Khabibulin
2006-2007 record: 44-24-6-8 for 102 PTS, 4th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Blackhawks are a strong and united team who will try to build off last year's success to once again be one of the top teams in the conference.

Colorado Avalanche:
Average age: 27
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 194
Notable Players: RW Milan Hejduk, LW Alex Tanguay, D John-Michael Liles, G José Théodore
2006-2007 record: 26-44-8-4 for 64 PTS, 13th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Avs don't have impact players and don't have much depth and should once again be one of the bottom teams in the West.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: RW Shane Doan, C Sergei Fedorov, LW Rick Nash, D Rostislav Klesla
2006-2007 record: 43-28-6-5 for 97 PTS, 6th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Blue Jackets have one of the best first line in the leagues and have a lot of depth. They should be in the playoff run again this year.

Dallas Stars:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Jere Lehtinen, C Jason Arnott, LW Brendan Morrow, D Janne Niinimaa, G Marty Turco
2006-2007 record: 33-39-7-3 for 76 PTS, 12th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Stars are thin once again this year and it would be surprising to see them in the playoffs picture.

Detroit Red Wings
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Radek Dvorak, RW Owen Nolan, C Henrik Zetterberg, C Pavol Datsyuk, D Jiri Fischer, G Manny Legace
2006-2007 record: 28-46-6-2 for 64 PTS, 14th in the West
2007-2008 preview: Detroit will once again be one of the worse teams in the West with their lack of stars and depth.

Edmonton Oilers
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 198
Notable Players: RW Raffi Torres, C Shawn Horcoff, LW Ryan Smyth, LW Sergei Samsonov, D Chris Pronger, D Jason Smith, G Hannu Toivonen
2006-2007 record: 34-38-6-4 for 78 PTS, 10th in the West
2007-2008 preview: If they can stay healthy, the Oilers will be in the playoff run this year. Toivonen has the chance to prove he's among the top keepers in the league, something he hasn't been able to do since coming to the NHL.

Houston Spirit
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable Players: LW Trevor Gordon, D Mike Commodore
2006-2007 record: 22-55-5-0 for 49 points, 15th in the West
2007-2008 preview: We can't see any chances for the Houston Spirit to make the playoffs; their fight will be to finish anywhere else from last in the league. A first overall pick in such a top heavy draft might not be so bad.

Los Angeles Kings
Average age: 27
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 194
Notable Players: C Pavol Demitra, C Craig Conroy, LW Alexander Frolov, LW Brendan Morrison, D Lubomir Visnovsky
2006-2007 record: 44-28-5-5 for 98 points, 5th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Kings have experience; they know what to do to win and they should in the middle of the playoff group again this year.

Minnesota Wild
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 195
Notable Players: RW Marian Gaborik, RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard, C Brian Rolston, D Ossi Väänänen, D Filip Kuba, D Keith Ballard, D Erik Johnson
2006-2007 record: 46-30-3-3 for 98 points, 3rd in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Wild have an unbelievable defence, some top notch fire power on offence, a great system and underrated goaltending. They are the favourites for the division again.

Nashville Predators
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 193
Notable Players: RW Steve Sullivan, C David Legwand, LW Paul Kariya, LW Scott Hartnell, D Kimmo Timonen, D Marek Zidlicky, D Ryan Suter, G Tomas Vokoun
2006-2007 record: 44-23-13-2 for 103 points, 2nd in the West
2007-2008 preview: After winning the cup against Carolina in 2005-2006, the Preds had another succesful season last year but it was cut short by a playoff upset to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs. They hope to have more success this year with a team more experienced.

San Jose Sharks
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 200
Notable Players: RW Alyn McCauley, RW Steve Bernier, C Joe Thornton, C Patrick Marleau, LW Milan Michalek, D Matthias Normström, D Scott Hannan, D Christian Ehrhoff, G Evgeny Nabokov
2006-2007 record: 51-20-9-2 for 113 points, 1st in the West
2007-2008 preview: Defending Stanley Cup champions, the San Jose Sharks, who beat Martin Brodeur's New Jersey Devils in the finals last year, are favourites for the President's trophy again this year.

St. Louis Blues
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable Players: LW Jonathan Cheechoo, D Eric Brewer
2006-2007 record: 36-36-6-4 for 82 points, 8th in the West
2007-2008 preview: Their depth got them in the playoffs last year, although it was a bit of a surprise. The Blues will try to repeat this year, but experts think their lack of impact players will cost them in the long run.

Vancouver Canucks
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 195
Notable Players: RW Anson Carter, C Mike Ricci, C Ryan Kesler, LW Markus Näslund, LW Henrik Sedin, LW Martin Straka, D Ed Jovanovski, D Mattias Öhlund
2006-2007 record: 33-36-7-6 for 79 points, 9th in the West
2007-2008 preview: The Canucks will be in the fight for the playoffs, but their goaltending will, like it has been for so many years, will have the last word on their standing.

Prediction:
1. San Jose
2. Nashville
3. Minnesota
-
4. Chicago
5. Anaheim
6. Los Angeles
7. Columbus
8. Edmonton
-
9. Vancouver
10. Calgary
11. St. Louis
12. Dallas
13. Detroit
14. Colorado
15. Houston

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 3

Top 10 Players by Position
Goaltender
1. Roberto Luongo - Florida Panthers - 28 Years Old - 34-17-7, 2.97, 89.9%
2. Kari Lehtonen - Atlanta Thrashers - 23 Years Old - 32-23-8, 2.87, 91.0%
3. Marc-André Fleury - Pittsburgh Penguins - 22 Years Old - 28-21-10, 2.63, 90.6%
4. Tomas Vokoun - Nashville Predators - 31 Years Old - 34-14-10, 2.63, 90.8%
5. Marty Turco - Dallas Stars - 32 Years Old - 27-29-6, 3.25, 89.5%
6. Manny Legace - Detroit Red Wings - 34 Years Old - 19-32-2, 3.10, 90.9%
7. Rick DiPietro - New York Islanders - 26 Years Old - 25-20-4, 2.86, 91.2%
8. Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames - 30 Years Old - 22-31-4, 3.23, 89.8%
9. Jean-Sébastien Giguère - Anaheim Ducks - 30 Years Old - 26-24-5, 3.05, .897%
10. Ryan Miller - Buffalo Sabres - 27 Years Old - 28-21-4, 2.96, .895%

Defenseman
1. Joni Pitkänen - Philadelphia Flyers - 24 Years Old - 80-15-41-56
2. Scott Niedermayer - Anaheim Ducks - 34 Years Old - 82-13-40-53
3. Chris Pronger - Edmonton Oilers - 32 Years Old - 82-11-32-43
4. Dmitri Kalinin - Buffalo Sabres - 27 Years Old - 81-9-37-46
5. Zdeno Chara - Ottawa Senators - 30 Years Old - 79-14-34-48
6. Dion Phaneuf - Calgary Flames - 22 Years Old - 73-11-29-40
7. Derek Morris - Pittsburgh Penguins - 29 Years Old - 82-11-37-48
8. Wade Redden - Ottawa Senators - 30 Years Old - 81-6-31-37
9. Brad Stuart - Boston Bruins - 27 Years Old - 82-9-30-39
10. Tomas Kaberle - Toronto Maple Leafs - 29 Years Old - 82-13-31-44

Wingers
1. Alexander Ovechkin - Washington Capitals - 22 Years Old - 82-30-38-68
2. Ilya Kovalchuk - New York Rangers - 24 Years Old - 82-43-45-88
3. Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators - 26 Years Old - 80-35-34-69
4. Rick Nash - Columbus Blue Jackets - 23 Years Old - 82-42-40-82
5. Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames - 30 Years Old - 82-38-29-67
6. Marian Gaborik - Minnesota Wild - 25 Years Old - 81-40-45-85
7. Jaromir Jagr - New York Rangers - 35 Years Old - 74-42-34-76
8. Paul Kariya - Nashville Predators - 32 Years Old - 77-35-42-87
9. Patrik Elias - New Jersey Devils - 31 Years Old - 82-34-31-65
10. Nathan Horton - Florida Panthers - 22 Years Old - 82-32-49-81

Centers
1. Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins - 20 Years Old - 82-35-49-84
2. Eric Staal - Boston Bruins - 22 Years Old - 80-34-46-80
3. Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks - 28 Years Old - 82-34-43-77
4. Peter Forsberg - Philadelphia Flyers - 34 Years Old - 82-36-52-88
5. Brad Richards - Tampa Bay Lightning - 27 Years Old - 82-37-50-87
6. Patrick Marleau - San Jose Sharks - 28 Years Old - 80-35-38-73
7. Vincent Lecavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning - 27 Years Old - 82-26-41-67
8. Olli Jokinen - Florida Panthers - 28 Years Old - 82-33-41-74
9. Pavol Demtria - Los Angeles Kings - 32 Years Old - 78-35-43-78
10. Jason Spezza - Ottawa Senators - 24 Years Old - 81-25-38-63

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 4

Award Predictions

The hockey news list 5 potential candidates for each important trophies for the 2007-2008 season:

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7505/awardsex1.png

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 5

Preliminary look at the 2008 Draft

This year is really a top-heavy draft with quite a few very good players available in the top 10. The depth is not very good though and after the top 20 it becomes somewhat of a crap shot. Filip Kraus, who will likely be picked 1st overall, could be a star in the NHL.

CSB Preliminary Rankings:
QMJHL
1. Yvan Boulay - RW - 5'11/201 - Power forward - Sherbrooke, Canada - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
2. Sébastien Charette - RW - 5'11/201 - Offensive forward - Baie-Comeau, Canada - Baie-Comeau Drakkars
3. Michal Suk - LW - 6'0/172 - Plamaker - Zlin, Czech Republic - Rimouski Oceanic
4. Antoine Verville - C - 6'1/205 - Offensive forward - Valleyfield, Canada - Moncton Wildcats
5. Adam Sobral - D - 5'11/170 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Portland (MA), USA - Chicoutimi Saguenéens

OHL
1. Filip Kraus - C - 6'0/170 - Offensive forward - Kladno, Czech Republic - Plymouth Whalers
2. Ron Marshall - D - 6'3/215 - Offensive defenseman - Toronto, Canada - Owen Sound Attack
3. Paul Tait - RW - 6'1/208 - Offensive forward - London, Canada - London Knights
4. Erick Goto - D - 6'5/208 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Toronto, Canada - Erie Otters
5. Ken McAlpine - LW - 6'1/205 - Power forward - Toronto, Canada - Kingston Frontenac

WHL
1. Robert Sandler - C - 6'7/242 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Saskatoon Blades
2. Ludek Prazak - LW - 6'0/195 - Offensive forward - Martin, Slovakia - Portland Winterhawks
3. Travis Hamilton - C - 6'3/217 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Red Deer Rebels
4. Jay Faulk - C - 6'1/183 - Offensive forward - Vancouver, Canada - Kootenay Ice
5. Walter Harnad - LW - 6'3/226 - Offensive forward - Victoria, Canada - Kelowna Rockets

USA
1. Bert Calvin - RW - 6'4/224 - Playmaker - Green Bay, Wisconsin - Denver
2. Tarek Bartell - C - 6'3/218 - Two-way forward - Boston, USA - Colgate
3. Vic Archibald - LW - 6'1/134 - Offensive forward - Denver, USA - Denver
4. Jeff Fogarty - RW - 6'0/177 - Two-way forward - Bloomington, USA - Ferris State
5. Tim Vernetta - C - 6'4/233 - Role player - Cleveland, USA - Notre Dame

CZECH REPUBLIC
1. Pavel Dousa - D - 5'11/183 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Praha, Czech Republic - Znojmo
2. Marian Kopecky - RW - 6'1/200 - Two-way forward - Zlin, Czech Republic - Zlin
3. Pavel Zelenka - LW - 6'2/219 - Offensive forward - Budejovice, Czech Republic - Budejovice

SLOVAKIA
1. Marek Vojta - RW - 6'5/206 - Two-way forward - Nitra, Slovakia - HK 32 VA Liptovsky
2. Ondrej Gedeon - C - 6'4/214 - Power forward - Sevnica, Slovenia - Bratislava
3. Daniel Skalicky - C - 6'3/216 - Playmaker - Trencin, Slovakia - Dukla Trencin

SWEDEN
1. Ricard Eide - RW - 6'0/205 - Offensive forward - Örebro, Sweden - Björklöven
2. Ove Paulsen - C - 6'2/219 - Playmaker - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgarden
3. Bernd Hanssen - D - 6'5/223 - Offensive defenseman - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm

FINLAND
1. Juuka Jalkanen - RW - 6'1/201 - Playmaker - Kärpät, Finland - Kärpät
2. Hannu Rantanen - D - 5'11/168 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Helsinki, Finland - Jokerit Helsinki
3. Keimo Hautala - D - 6'0/169 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Turku, Finland - Lukko Rauma

RUSSIA
1. Sergei Gaidar - LW - 6'2/198 - Role player - St.Peterburgh, Russia - SKA St.Peterburg
2. Matvei Samokhvalov - C - 6'1/202 - Playmaker - Moscow, Russia - Yaroslav
3. Valery Karklins - C - 6'2/219 - Offensive forward - Yaroslav, Russia - Yaroslav

GOALTENDERS
1. Dean Cavil - G - 6'1/177 - Nanaimo, Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors
2. Shawn Lyndon - G - 6'4/226 - Sudbury, Canada - Brampton Battalion
3. Nikita Pushkov - G - 6'3/212 - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow

The Hockey News Top 10:
1. Filip Kraus - C - 6'0/170 - Offensive forward - Kladno, Czech Republic - Plymouth Whalers
2. Ricard Eide - RW - 6'0/205 - Offensive forward - Örebro, Sweden - Björklöven
3. Ove Paulsen - C - 6'2/219 - Playmaker - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgarden
4. Juuka Jalkanen - RW - 6'1/201 - Playmaker - Kärpät, Finland - Kärpät
5. Yvan Boulay - RW - 5'11/201 - Power forward - Sherbrooke, Canada - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
6. Robert Sandler - C - 6'7/242 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Saskatoon Blades
7. Dean Cavil - G - 6'1/177 - Nanaimo, Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors
8. Hannu Rantanen - D - 5'11/168 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Helsinki, Finland - Jokerit Helsinki
9. Pavel Dousa - D - 5'11/183 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Praha, Czech Republic - Znojmo
10. Marian Kopecky - RW - 6'1/200 - Two-way forward - Zlin, Czech Republic - Zlin

[Wolfpack]

Man, I hope the next iteration of EHM fixes the Canes. Staal a Bruin? Heinous!

[DeToxRox]

You're more thorough then my last physical.

Keep it up Duffy.

[duff88]

Spirit get one point in season-opening home-and-away games

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/6219/michalekyd1.jpg
Milan Michalek stole the show with three goals and an assist in the two games, being named the first star in both games.

It was a tough task for the Houston Spirit as they opened their season with a home-and-away series against none other than the defending stanley cup champions, the San Jose Sharks.

The first game started pretty poorly as the Sharks dominated the first period 16-4 in shots, taking an early 2-0 lead. The Spirit's fourth line finally opened the score as Magnus Kahnberg scored the first goal of the season for the Spirit at 27:27. It wasn't enough though as Milan Michalek completed the score to lead the Sharks to a 3-1 win over the Spirit.

The Spirit had the chance to redeem themselves the next day as they visited the Sharks at the HP Pavillon in San Jose. After giving Wade Dubielewicz the start in the first game, Sebastien Caron was now Brian Sutter's goaltender. Noah Welch tied the game at 1 before the end of the first period as Evgeny Nabokov let in a softie. After two quick goals by San Jose to start the second period, Kirill Boldin scored the first one of his career, a beauty with a accurate wrist shot top-shelf. Trevor Gordon was the hero of the night as he tied the game at three on a Powerplay in the third period and Houston was able to get away with one point in a 3-3 draw. Trevor Letowski spent the whole third period and overtime on the bench after taking four stupid penalties in the second period.

Houston will have a day off tommorow before playing in Minnesota. They'll then enjoy a four day break before the Hurricanes come to town.

Houston Spirit 1 , San Jose Sharks 3
Shots: 17 - 38
HOU PP: 0 of 0 (0 shots)
SJ PP: 0 of 2 (4 shots)
Attendance: 18800 of 18800 (Toyota Center)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
05:08 0-1 SJ Steven Zalewski [1] (Christian Ehrhoff, Mattias Norström)
07:45 0-2 SJ Ruslan Fedotenko [1] (Milan Michalek, Scott Hannan)
------------------------------------------------------------
27:27 1-2 HOU Magnus Kahnberg [1] (Trevor Letowski, Lance Ward)
------------------------------------------------------------
48:32 1-3 SJ Milan Michalek [1] (Joe Thornton, Patrick Rissmiller)
------------------------------------------------------------
Penalty summary:
-----------------
02:43 HOU Lance Ward (2 min for tripping)
08:06 HOU Jarkko Ruutu (2 min for high-sticking)
------------------------------------------------------------
33:05 SJ Kyle McLaren (2 min for roughing)
33:05 HOU Kirill Boldin (2 min for roughing)
35:12 SJ Steve Bernier (2 min for roughing)
35:12 HOU Jamie Heward (2 min for roughing)
------------------------------------------------------------
43:45 HOU Lance Ward (5 min for fighting)
43:45 SJ Scott Parker (5 min for fighting)
43:45 HOU Lance Ward (10 min game misconduct)
43:45 SJ Scott Parker (10 min game misconduct)
43:45 HOU Ville Skriko (2 min for roughing)
43:45 SJ Kyle McLaren (2 min for roughing)

Three stars of the game:
1st star: Milan Michalek
2nd star: Patrick Rissmiller
3rd star: Joe Thornton


San Jose Sharks 3 , Houston Spirit 3
Shots: 42 - 20
SJ PP: 1 of 4 (10 shots)
HOU PP: 1 of 1 (2 shots)
Attendance: 17438 of 17438 (HP Pavillion)

Boxscore for the game:
------------------------------------------------------------
09:59 1-0 SJ Milan Michalek [2] (Patrick Rissmiller, Scott Parker)
16:56 1-1 HOU Noah Welch [1] (Mike Commodore)
------------------------------------------------------------
24:18 2-1 SJ Milan Michalek [3] (Joe Thornton, Alyn McCauley)PP
28:13 3-1 SJ Patrick Rissmiller [1])
39:58 3-2 HOU Kirill Boldin [1] (Jamie Heward, Boyd Devereaux)
------------------------------------------------------------
48:41 3-3 HOU Trevor Gordon [1] (Randy Robitaille, Marty Reasoner)PP
------------------------------------------------------------
Penalty summary:
-----------------
00:09 SJ Scott Hannan (5 min for fighting)
00:09 HOU Noah Welch (5 min for fighting)
------------------------------------------------------------
20:17 HOU Trevor Letowski (2 min for tripping)
21:09 HOU Ville Skriko (2 min for roughing)
21:09 SJ Ruslan Fedotenko (2 min for roughing)
22:34 HOU Trevor Letowski (2 min for hooking)
32:16 HOU Trevor Letowski (2 min for high-sticking)
35:12 HOU Trevor Letowski (2 min for hooking)
------------------------------------------------------------
41:32 HOU Brad May (2 min for roughing)
41:32 SJ Christian Ehrhoff (2 min for roughing)
47:36 SJ Mark Smith (2 min for tripping)
------------------------------------------------------------

Three stars of the game:
1st star: Milan Michalek
2nd star: Sébastien Caron
3rd star: Patrick Rissmiller

[duff88]

Houston ends month of October on a roll

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5263/reasonneram2.jpg
Marty Reasonner was the first ever Spirit to be named player of the month after scoring 6 goals and 7 assists for 13 points in 9 games in October.

Things didn't start well for Houston for the 2006-2007 season as they had only gotten one win and a tie in their first 6 games, but Houston has been excellent recently, winning their last two games and tying one before.

The Spirit end the month of October with a 3 wins, 4 losses and 2 ties for 8 points, 12th in the West. Marty Reasonner wins the October Spirit Player of the Month after scoring 6 goals, including one game winner, and adding 7 assists for 13 points while being +6. He was also named NHL Player of the Month, he's the first Spirit player to win the title in the team's young history. Minnesota's Benois Pouliot was named Rookie of the Month.

Sebastien Caron finally seem to have secured the starting spot, at least for now, after showing a lot more confidence in nets than Dubielewicz who lost his three starts.

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1258/octoberav2.jpg

The month of November won't be an easy one as the Spirit will play 14 games in 24 days between the 3rd and the 26th.

[duff88]

Spirit streak finally ends

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5681/hattrickgoalvh1.jpg
Trevor Gordon scored his first career hat-trick in Houston's 7-4 win against Chicago!

With two wins in two days against Dallas and Chicago, the Houston Spirit continued their best unbeated streak in history up to five game (four wins and a tie).

After a 5-4 overtime win in Dallas where Brad May scored the game winner in overtime while Boyd Devereaux was named first star with two goals, the Houston Spirit went back home to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4 in a game punctuated by Trevor Gordon's first career hat-trick, scoring his 5th, 6th and 7th goals raising him to a tie at 3rd place for NHL goal-scoring lead behind Alex Kovalev and Paul Kariya tied at 8.

Finally, on November 6th at the Gaylord Center in Nashville, after getting an early 2-0 lead, Houston were finally beaten by a 7-3 score as Sebastien Caron had a tough game allowing all seven goals on only 28 shots for a poor 75% save percentage.

[Travis]

Go Marty! Now if only he could break through like this in real life. Be a nice reward for a classy guy.

[duff88]

A long winless streak ponctuated by big injuries to end November

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/2330/commodoreho8.jpg
Mike Commodore was injured in Houston's 6-1 loss to Washington on November 16th after an intentional knee-to-knee hit by Matt Greene who was thrown out of the game but not suspended.

After the longest unbeated streak in the team's history where the Spirit went 4-0-1 in five consecutive game, the team went in a slump and were winless for the next ten games going 0-8-2.

To bring that winless streak even further, the team's captain Mike Commodore was injured on November 16th after a kneeing incident with Matt Greene. Commodore, who has now been out for a week, will still have to be sidelined for at least two weeks.

The Spirit finally won their first game on November 24th as Trevor Gordon scored twice, his two first goals since his hat-trick back on the fourth of November.

The last game of November, a 4-0 loss to LA on November 26th, saw another defenseman being injured as Mark Eaton suffered a groin injury. Eaton will be sidelined for at least a month.

The Spirit finish the month with a disappointing record of 6 wins, 13 losses and 4 ties in 23 games for 16 points; last in the league. Marty Reasoner was once again the Spirit Player of the Month with 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in 14 games as he barely surpassed Jamie Heward (14-2-5-7), Trevor Gordon (14-6-4-10) and Boyd Devereaux (14-5-4-9) in the votings. Jaromir Jagr (13-12-9-21) was the NHL Player of the Month while Jason Pominville was the NHL Rookie of the Month (12-7-8-15).

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Update

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/5225/novemberstandnn5.jpg

Who's Hot:
Detroit Red Wings - Predicted 13th in the season preview, Manny Legace and a great defensive system is currently making them one of the top teams in the league.
Toronto Maple Leafs - Were placed dead last in the season preview, they are currently first in the league! The emergence of rookie Jason Pominville and the revival of superstar Eric Lindros plays a big role in the Leafs succes.
Washington Capitals - The great play of Dainius Zubrus, Alexander Ovechkin and Paul Mara is propulsing the Caps at unpredicted success right now.
Pittsburgh Penguins - The line of Malkin-Crosby-Armstrong is literally pulling this team alone. They will be devastating when Fleury starts to play at the top of his game.

Who's Not:
New Jersey Devils - No one thought the departure of Brodeur would have such a big impact; the Devils have allowed the most goals in the league so far with 90.
Houston Spirit - A bad team who loses key player to injuries... you have seen the result.
Ottawa Senators - One single win in their last 10 games; nothing too impressive.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/5491/novembersf5.jpg

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/9598/novembertopcs2.jpg

[duff88]

Houston back on the right track

December has started pretty well for the Spirit as they have won their first three games. Furthermore, Mike Commodore is close to a return but the injuries to him and Eaton have been less serious than anticipated and Bryan Rodney and recent call-up Patrick Coulombe have done an excellent job in replacement. Coulombe has been so good, getting a goal and three assists in his three games, that he could very well earn a permanent spot on the roster.

Meanwhile, Jarkko Ruutu has been suspended for 9 games by the league's board after injurying Nicklas Hagman in a recent game against the Stars. Brad May will take his spot on the third line while Roman Tomanek will be inserted into the lineup.

[duff88]

Major NHL trade announcement

December 14th 2007
At 22:47 tonight, TSN announced that the Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, right wing Raffi Torres and their 1st round pick in 2008 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for center Vincent Lecavalier, left wing Jonathan Ferland and goaltender Vasily Koshechkin.

Lecavalier, who is now 27 years old and commanding a 6,875,000$ contreact, had asked to be traded from the Lightning a few days ago because he couldn't get along with coach Paul Maurice and GM Doug Risebrough. In 23 games this year, he had scored 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points. Along with Lecavalier, the Oilers get a good AHL forward in Jonathan Ferland and goaltender Vasily Koshechkin to add depth to their goaltending depth.

The trade is a huge gamble for Tampa Bay as the key part was the first round pick who could, if Edmonton's free fall continues, be in the top 10 of this heavy draft. Raffi Torres is still an impact player who should fit in nicely with Tampa after scoring 8 goals and 14 points in 23 games so far this season. Jaroslav Spacek add some depth to Tampa's defence as a capable second pairing defenseman.

The two teams had already been involved in a major trade at the same time a year ago when Ales Hemsky was traded to Tampa Bay.

[thealmighty]

Trevor "Flash" Gordon

Duh!!1!!

[duff88]

Toyota's "Nickname Your Favourite Player" Contest almost over

Although still taking suggestions, Toyota announced that the new nickname will be announced in exactly a week's time in a big press conference at the Toyota Center in Houston with Trevor Gordon unveiling his new nickname.

Rumours say that few suggestions have been given so far and there's a final boost given to add further marketting the contest. A source from the Spirit's staff says the current leaders would be:

Trevor "Flash" Gordon
"Magical" Trevor Gordon
Trevor "Ice Weasel" Gordon

Other rumours, although a bit far fetched, say that these are the only suggestions recieved so far indicating that there are only three Houston Spirit fans in the entire world.

The winner of the contest will play in a camp with some of the Houston Spirit players this summer, be named Houston Spirit Fan of the Year and get his name raised to the rafters on the back of a small honorific fan jersey at the top of the Toyota Center.

[condors]

Trever "GORE! GORE! GORE!" Gordon

[Blade6119]

Trevor "Ice Princess" Gordon

[Johnny93g]

Prediction:
1. Florida
2. Ottawa
3. New York R
-
4. Buffalo
5. Philadelphia
6. Pittsburgh
7. Atlanta
8. New Jersey
-
9. Boston
10. Tampa Bay
11. New York I
12. Montreal
13. Washington
14. Carolina
15. Toronto


I was about to write the hockey news a angry angry letter before i saw my boys dominate the 1st to months!!!!!
How did the Leafs acquire Pomminville

[Wolfpack]

Trevor "Don't Call Me Tom" Gordon?

[thealmighty]

Trevor "Hanging Chad" Gore-don?

[duff88]

December 24th Press Conference Post-Poned

The press conference was going to happen at 13:00 on December 24th, but the Houston Spirit and Trevor Gordon decided to postpone it until the all-star break following the announcement of one of the biggest trades in NHL history:

The Pittsburgh Penguins trades Johannes Salmonsson, Petr Taticek, Bryan Little, Bobby Nadeau, their 1st round picks in 2008, 2009 and 2010 as well as Ottawa's 1st round pick in 2009 to Washinton for Alexander Ovechkin.

The Pittsubugh Penguins, who were 7th in the East and in a huge free-fall at the announcement, will have one of the most dominating line ever with Evgeni Malkin at left wing, Sidney Crosby at center, Alexander Ovechkin at right wing, Derek Morris and Sergei Gonchar on defense.

The trade came as a huge surprise as Washington were second in the NHL at the time of the announcement and most of what they got prospects and draft picks in return for the superstar.

[duff88]

New Year has come, Houston still in the race

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/9220/robitaillecf9.jpg
Randy Robitaille was named the Houston Spirit Player of the Month for December.

The Spirit had their best month of the season in December winning 7 games and only losing 5, adding one loss in OT for a total of 15 points. This impressive month wasn't enough to boost the Spirit's standings though as they are still dead last in their conference.

Houston still has all the chance in the world in making the playoffs as this is one of the most even season in the recent history of the NHL with only 7 points separating the Los Angeles Kings in fifth place and the Houston Spirit in last place.

Randy Robitaille, who scored 6 goals and added 9 assists for 15 points in 13 games in December, was named the Spirit Player of the Month. Dany Heatley (15-10-12-22) was the NHL Player of the Month while Kiel McLeod was the NHL Rookie of the Month.

January will be an important month for the Spirit as they will know if they are in the playoff race for good or if they are going to fight for the last spot once again.

[duff88]

Huge expectations for Wagner in World Junior Championships

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/334/wagneryp5.jpg
Wagner firing one of his deadly slapper in last year's 6-3 win over Russia in the 2007 WJC.

The 2008 World Junior Championships will start this week in Italy. 16 Nations will be batling for the championship in the following two weeks. Here's a prediction for each group with the Spirit players, their draft status and their expected role:

GROUP A
1. Canada [Carl Dewolf, 103rd overall pick in 2007, 3rd pairing D]
2. Sweden [Niclas Andersén, 91st pick in 2007, 2nd pairing D]
3. Latvia
4. France
GROUP B
1. Finland
2. Switzerland
3. Belarussia
4. Norway
GROUP C
1. USA [Michael Wagner, 1st overall pick in 2007, 1st line]
2. Russia [Vitali Khromchinkov, 31st overall pick in 2006, 2nd line]
3. Slovenia
4. Italy
GROUP D
1. Czech Republic [David Ruzicka, 136th overall pick in 2006, 1st pairing D]
2. Slovakia
3. Austria
4. Japan

Spirit fans are expecting huge results from 2007 1st overall pick Michael Wagner who currently plays for the Wisconsin Badgers. Wagner, who's Badgers are currently rated #2 in the country, will be the first line center of the american team with Peter Mueller and Blake Geoffrion on his wings.

Meanwhile, there was another major trade in the NHL. The Carolina Hurricanes traded goaltender Cam Ward, 2007 4th overall pick Martin Olausson, Craig Adams, Igor Antonenko, Blake Geoffrion and Miroslav Broz to the Ottawa Senators for Jason Spezza and Ray Emery.

[duff88]

Wagner impresses, fall short of gold

Michael Wagner and the US WJC team had a great tournament, but they fell short of the gold medal losing 5-4 to the Sweden in the finals. Canada won the bronze by beating Russia.

Wagner still had a wonderful tournament, winning the leading scorer title, the best forward title and a place on the all-tournament team after scoring 3 goals and adding 10 assists for 13 points in 6 games.

AWARDS:
Gold Medal - Sweden
Silver Medal - USA
Bronze Medal - Canada
MVP - Martin Olausson [SWE]
Best Forward - Michael Wagner
Best Defenseman - Jonas Junland [SWE]
Best Goaltender - Antonin Soukup [CZE]

[u]ALL-STAR TEAM:
Ken Sjöblöm [SWE] - Michael Wagner [USA] - Martin Olausson [SWE]
Jonas Junland [SWE] - David Ruzicka [CZE]
Antonin Soukup [CZE]

SCORING TOP 10:
1. Michael Wagner (USA) 3+10=13
2. Ken Sjöblom (SWE) 5+6=11
3. Jan-Mikael Juutilainen (FIN) 6+4=10
4. Martin Olausson (SWE) 4+6=10
5. Sergei Andrievsky (RUS) 4+6=10
6. Jean-Sebastien Beauchesne (CAN) 6+3=9
7. Henri Valqvist (SWE) 4+5=9
8. Brendan Hart (USA) 2+7=9
9. Pierre-Marc Gagnon (CAN) 1+8=9
10. Nicklas Bäckström (SWE) 1+8=9

[duff88]

Midterm CSB DRAFT rankings released

North-American Rankings
1. Filip Kraus - C - 6'0/170 - Offensive forward - Kladno, Czech Republic - Plymouth Whalers
2. Yvan Boulay - RW - 5'11/201 - Power forward - Sherbrooke, Canada - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
3. Robert Sandler - C - 6'7/242 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Saskatoon Blades
4. Michal Suk - LW - 6'0/172 - Plamaker - Zlin, Czech Republic - Rimouski Oceanic
5. Adam Sobral - D - 5'11/170 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Portland (MA), USA - Chicoutimi Saguenéens
6. Ron Marshall - D - 6'3/215 - Offensive defenseman - Toronto, Canada - Owen Sound Attack
7. Tarek Bartell - C - 6'3/218 - Two-way forward - Boston, USA - Colgate
8. Travis Hamilton - C - 6'3/217 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Red Deer Rebels
9. Vic Archibald - LW - 6'1/134 - Offensive forward - Denver, USA - Denver
10. Ludek Prazak - LW - 6'0/195 - Offensive forward - Martin, Slovakia - Portland Winterhawks

North-American Goalies
1. Shawn Lyndon - G - 6'4/226 - Sudbury, Canada - Brampton Battalion
2. Dean Cavil - G - 6'1/177 - Nanaimo, Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors
3. Thomas Forgette - G - 6'1/186 - Quebec, Canada - Moncton Wildcats

European Skaters
1. Juuka Jalkanen - RW - 6'1/201 - Playmaker - Kärpät, Finland - Kärpät
2. Ove Paulsen - C - 6'2/219 - Playmaker - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgarden
3. Ricard Eide - RW - 6'0/205 - Offensive forward - Örebro, Sweden - Björklöven
4. Marian Kopecky - RW - 6'1/200 - Two-way forward - Zlin, Czech Republic - Zlin
5. Sergei Gaidar - LW - 6'2/198 - Role player - St.Peterburgh, Russia - SKA St.Peterburg
6. Valery Karklins - C - 6'2/219 - Offensive forward - Yaroslav, Russia - Yaroslav
7. Bernd Hanssen - D - 6'5/223 - Offensive defenseman - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
8. Matvei Samokhvalov - C - 6'1/202 - Playmaker - Moscow, Russia - Yaroslav
9. Pavel Zelenka - LW - 6'2/219 - Offensive forward - Budejovice, Czech Republic - Budejovice
10. Pavel Dousa - D - 5'11/183 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Praha, Czech Republic - Znojmo

European Goalies
1. Nikita Pushkov - G - 6'3/212 - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow
2. Aapo Nousiainen - G - 6'4/203 - Tamperre, Finland - Tappara Tampere
3. Vitaly Ibragimov - G - 5'11/199 - Togliatti, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk

THN Top-15
1. Filip Kraus - C - 6'0/170 - Offensive forward - Kladno, Czech Republic - Plymouth Whalers
2. Ove Paulsen - C - 6'2/219 - Playmaker - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgarden
3. Juuka Jalkanen - RW - 6'1/201 - Playmaker - Kärpät, Finland - Kärpät
4. Walter Harnad - LW - 6'3/226 - Burnaby, Canada - Kelowna Rockets
5. Yvan Boulay - RW - 5'11/201 - Power forward - Sherbrooke, Canada - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
6. Ricard Eide - RW - 6'0/205 - Offensive forward - Örebro, Sweden - Björklöven
7. Dean Cavil - G - 6'1/177 - Nanaimo, Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors
8. Robert Sandler - C - 6'7/242 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Saskatoon Blades
9. Adam Sobral - D - 5'11/170 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Portland (MA), USA - Chicoutimi Saguenéens
10. Marian Kopecky - RW - 6'1/200 - Two-way forward - Zlin, Czech Republic - Zlin
11. Sergei Gaidar - LW - 6'2/198 - Role player - St.Peterburgh, Russia - SKA St.Peterburg
12. Nikita Pushkov - G - 6'3/212 - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow
13. Shawn Lyndon - G - 6'4/226 - Sudbury, Canada - Brampton Battalion
14. Erick Goto - D - 6'5/208 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Toronto, Canada - Erie Otters
15. Travis Hamilton - C - 6'3/217 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Red Deer Rebels

Rising
Ove Paulsen - He could challenge Kraus for the first overall choice. He has unbelievable vision and passing skills.
Walter Harnad - He isn't in the top 30 of any other scouting service; this is non-sense. This guy will be a regular 30 goal scorer in the NHL.
Dean Cavil - He's single handedly pulling the Warriors to a playoff birth.

Fallin
Bert Calvin - This guy hasn't showed anything that was worthy of being in our top 15 at the beginning of the year. He'll be lucky to be drafted!
Pavel Dousa - Doesn't work; has the skill but lacks the consistency. He won't be a first round pick.
Robert Sandler - He's still in the top 10 based on potential, but his skating is a problem. A 6'7 center is a huge gamble, he'll be a boom or bust.

[duff88]

All-star teams announced; no Houston player selected

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/8416/lehtonendw3.jpg
Kari Lehtonen, who is among the favourite for this year's Vezina trophy, was named Team World's starter for the 2008 NHL All-star game in his team's home city Atlanta.

January 22nd
Even though Marty Reasonner, has scored 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points in 46 games, which places him 29th in league scoring, he was overlooked for the all-star game.

The all-star roster, announced a week ago, is still pretty impressive even without Reasonner:

TEAM NORTH AMERICA
Paul Kariya - Joe Thornton - Jarome Iginla
Simon Gagné - Brad Richards - Martin St. Louis
Mike Johnson - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley
Rick Nash - Sidney Crosby - Nathan Horton

Philippe Boucher - Brent Seabrook
Brian Rafalski - Scott Niedermayer
Erik Johnson - Bryan Berard

Manny Legace
Roberto Luongo
Rick DiPietro

TEAM WORLD
Milan Michalek - Peter Forsberg - Jaromir Jagr
Martin Havlat - Pavol Demitra - Milan Hejduk
Alexander Frolov - Olli Jokinen - Alex Kovalev
Ilya Kovalchuk - Alexei Yashin - Alexander Ovechkin

Tomas Kaberle - Kimmo Timonen
Dmitri Kalinin - Karel Rachunek
Joni Pitkänen - Martin Skoula

Kari Lehtonen
Tomas Vokoun
Anterro Niittymäki

Meanwhile, Trevor Gordon set a career high with four assists in today's 5-3 win over Nashville. Gordon still hasn't scored a goal in ten games in January. The Spirit are now 14th in the west, 4 points away from the Edmonton Oilers and the 8th place that would qualify them for the playoffs at the end of the season.

[duff88]

Houston still in the run

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4019/gordon2lz6.jpg
Trevor Gordon was named the Houston Spirit Player of the Month for the first time of the season after scoring 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 14 games.

Nothing earth-shattering happened during the month of January. Houston's coach Brian Sutter said it was going to be a determining month for his team, but looking at it now, we can see that the team is still in the same position as they were in December.

After going 6-6-1-1 for 14 points in 14 games, Houston is 14th in the West, 5 points away from Los Angeles who are 8th. Trevor Gordon was the Player of the Month for the Spirit as he scored 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 14 games.

Without much surprise, the Phenoms line, as was nicknamed the Malkin-Crosby-Ovechkin first line, offered ground-breaking performances night after night and one of them was named Player of the Month in the NHL: Evgeni Malkin, who scored 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 14 games. Washinghton's Jonas Johansson was named Rookie of the Month with 11 goals and 6 assists for 17 points in 14 games.

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Update

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/5426/januarystandba5.jpg

Who's Hot:
Pittsburgh Penguins - They've been unbelievably good since acquiring Ovechkin; the Phenoms line is destroying everything in sight and the team seem unstoppable right now.
Boston Bruins - They have played very well through January and at this rate, they will make the playoffs, something that was a bit far-fetched a month ago.
Columbus Blue Jackets - They aren't the most talented team, but they work hard and win games. They can beat any team in the league right now.
Nashville Predators - They have been the most consistent team of the year and they are currently the top team in the West.

Who's Not:
Toronto Maple Leafs - Weren't they first in the East less than two months ago? The Leafs are in a true nightmare right now.
Detroit Red Wings - If they don't put their act together soon, the Wings will fall where they belong which is at the bottom of the Western conference. They're falling fast, but they still have time to react.
New Jersey Devils - They haven't been hot all year, and they still aren't. It's pretty simple, having to average 5 goals a game to win is a pretty tough task.
Dallas Stars - They are in the same situation as the Red Wings, who are mentionned earlier, the only advantage is that they are not in as big of a hole.

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/2545/januarypb0.jpg

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/2816/januarytopfa1.jpg

[duff88]

NHL holds its All-Star Weekend

Team North America won the puck control relay with a team of Sidney Crosby, Paul Kariya and Joe Thornton.

Paul Kariya of Team North America won the fastest skater competition, beating Ilya Kovalchuk in the final.

Zdeno Chara of Team World won the hardest shot competition with a result of 102 MPH, beating Joe Thornton in the final.

Sidney Crosby of Team North America won the accuracy shooting competition, beating Joni Pitkänen in the final.

Manny Legace of Team North America won the goalie competition (pass&score), beating Kari Lehtonen in the final.

Team North America won the breakaway relay with a team of Sidney Crosby, Simon Gagné and Joe Thornton.

In the actual all-star game, Team World beat Team North America 13-9. Jaromir Jagr was the MVP with an unbelievable 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points in 17:00 of icetime.

Meanwhile, it was announced today in a press conference that the Toyota Nickname Your Favourite Player Contest as drawn to a close and that Trevor Gordon will now be known as Trevor "Flash" Gordon. Those who won the contest are invited to communicate with the Houston office by Personnal Message.

[duff88]

February kills the Spirit

http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/2152/commoul5.jpg
Captain Mike Commodore was named Player of the Month as he was the player who showed the most determination and consistency as well as putting points on the board.

The Spirit's season is pretty much on the way to be over. Houston seemed tired and hurt during the month of february and most of the time were not in the game as they won only once and lost 10 games for only 2 points.

The Spirit are now 13 points away from Chicago for the 8th place in the west and although everything is still possible, chances to see them make the playoffs are now extremely slim.

Mike Commodore, who scored a goal and added 6 assists in 11 games, was named Houston Spirit Player of the Month. Pittsburgh's Alexander Ovechkin (12-9-10-19) was the NHL Player of the Month while Jason Pominville (14-6-9-15), a former waiver pickup by the Leafs, was Rookie of the Month.

[duff88]

Trade Deadline passes, Houston give up on playoffs

General Manager Jeff Chynoweth traded Brad May and Jamie Heward, both in their last year of contract and who could very well retire during the summer, to the Los Angeles Kings for fifth round picks in 2008 and 2009.

"Brad and Jamie played a major role in keeping us in the race for so long, but they deserve to play with a contender in their last year."

Among other deals:
-Toronto traded Rookie of the Year candidate Jason Pominville to Vancouver for Ryan Russel, Vladimir Nikiforov and Jonathan Neault. The key return in that trade for Toronto is Neault, a defenseman drafted 12th overall in 2007.
-St. Louis traded former 2nd overall pick in 2006 Ville Kumpula and a 3rd round pick to Atlanta for the 15th overall pick in 2007 Niklas Solheim, Marty Sertich and Atlanta's 1st round pick in 2008.
-Minnesota traded another Rookie of the Year candidate, Benoit Pouliot, along with Marc Chouinard and Brent Burns, to Boston for Marco Sturm, Matt Hunwick and Jan Kubista.
-Los Angeles traded prospect Lee Kawaguchi, drafted in the late first round in 2007, to Toronto for succesful rookie alexander Suglobov.
-Detroit trades Johan Franzén and Colin Peters to Pittsburgh for Colby Armstrong
-Philadelphia traded Simon Gagné to St. Louis for three prospects and conditionnal first round picks in 2009 and 2011.
-Washington traded prospect goaltender Boyd Playfair and defenseman Sasha Pokulok to Montreal for Mike Ribeiro.

Meanwhile, every player on the roster, excepting Magnus Kähnberg who is expected to become a UFA and Randy Robitaille who has a team option in his contract, has signed a new deal with the team. A more indepth look at contracts will be given at the beginning of next season.

[duff88]

Number 8 the best in poor month of March

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/31/skrikoxv4.jpg
Ville Skriko, who leads the team in shots blocked, has become a fan favourite with his exciting play.

Not much history to be said, the Spirit were almost sure of being eliminated and they weren't strong enough to be on-par with most teams. In 17 games, Houston had 4 wins, 11 losses and 2 ties. With one match less left playing, the Spirit are one point ahead of St. Louis for the last place in the league.

Ville Spirko was the Spirit Player of the Month in March with 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points in 17 games. Vancouver's Markus Näslund (15-13-10-23) was NHL Player of the Month while Nashville's Brandon Bochenski (15-8-6-14) was NHL Rookie of the Month.

[JeffNights]

Trevor "G-Unit" Gordon

[Izulde]

Nothing to add other than that I'm enjoying the dynasty and following it. :)

I assume you're using one of the NHL console games for the screencaps?

[duff88]

Season ends; Houston finishes 29th!

The Houston Spirit finally won their last two games to avoid the third consecutive humiliation of finishing last in the entire NHL; finising a point in front of the St. Louis Blues.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/61/20072008standws2.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2053/1stroundql5.jpg

Series Prediction
http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
1 Minnesota Wild against Dallas Stars 8 - The Wild have one of the best defense in the league and play a very tight system while the Stars made the playoffs based mostly on their hard work. PREDICTION - Minnesota in 6.
2 San Jose Sharks against Chicago Blackhawks 7 - Chicago has ended the regular season on a great note to make the playoffs, but San Jose is one of the biggest power in the NHL. PREDICTION - San Jose in 5
3 Nashville Predators against Columbus Blue Jackets 6 - On paper, Columbus has the best team. Nashville had a better season and look better on the ice. Should be an interesting series. PREDICTION - Columbus in 7
4 Los Angeles Kings against Anaheim Ducks 5 - This all-californian series should be a tight one and fans can only hope that a bitter rivalry finally arises. PREDICTION - Los Angeles in 6

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif
1 Buffalo Sabres against Philadelphia Flyers 8 - Should be a tighter serie than the rankings could tell. PREDICTION - Buffalo in 6
2 Pittsburgh Penguins against Florida Panthers 7 - Can Luongo's Panthers shut down the Phenoms line four games out of seven? Doubtful; the Penguins are Stanley Cup favourites entering into the playoffs. PREDICTION - Pittsburgh in 5
3 Carolina Hurricanes against Atlanta Thrashers 6 - Despite the rankings, Atlanta are the favourites as Lehtonen is expected to help shut down the Hurricanes. PREDICTION - Atlanta in 6
4 Ottawa Senators against New York Rangers 5 - The Rangers are on a roll, this should be a close series but it's tough to think the Rangers can lose. PREDICTION - New York in 6

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7782/20072008my0.jpg

The nominies for the Toyota Cup, given to the Houston Spirit MVP, have been annouced: Marty Reasonner, Trevor Gordon and Noah Welch. The award will be given next week in the "Fans' Appreciation Day at the Toyota Center". All players and staff as well as team owner Tseng-Lee Chong-Hoa Wing-Tong Kim will be present to meet the fans, discuss Spirit Hockey and sign autographs.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/5594/20072008topzi7.jpg

Alexander Frolov wins the Art Ross trophy for best scorer while Alexander Ovechkin wins the Maurice Richard trophy for best goalscorer. The Buffalo Sabres are the winners of the President's trophy for best regular season team.

The NHL Draft Lottery, which will include all non-playoff teams and for which the winner will move up 4 spots in the Draft will be held after the first round. St. Louis, who finished last, will have 250 balls out of 1000. For finishing 29th, the Spirit will get 188 balls. Among other teams who have a shot at the first overall pick, Boston has 142 balls, Edmonton has 107 balls and the Islanders have 81 balls. All teams will drop one spot if a team surpass by winning the lottery, meaning the Calgary Flames could also surpass the Spirit if they win with one of their 62 balls.

[duff88]

Nothing to add other than that I'm enjoying the dynasty and following it. :)

I assume you're using one of the NHL console games for the screencaps?

NHL 2004; I hate EA's games but I admit they have good graphics.

Don't hesitate to post even if you have nothing to say; it can sometimes cheer up to see someone is actually reading. :D

[duff88]

Reasoner wins Toyota Cup!

After scoring a new record in goals (27), assists (39) and points (66) in 82 games with the Spirit, Marty Reasoner won the Toyota Cup given to the team's MVP. This is the third edition of the award given, it had previously been given to Mike Commodore and Trevor Gordon. Reasoner surpassed Noah Welch and Trevor Gordon in the votings.

2005-2006 - #2 Mike Commodore (82-4-26-30)
2006-2007 - #10 Trevor Gordon (82-19-27-46)
2007-2008 - #19 Marty Reasoner (82-27-39-66)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/4838/2ndroundni4.jpg

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
1 Minnesota Wild against Chicago Blackhawks 7 - Anything is possible after Chicago surprised San Jose in the first round; they are currently the hottest team in the playoffs. This promises to be a close serie, but Minnesota is the better team. Prediction - Minnesota in 6
4 Los Angeles Kings against 6 Columbus Blue Jackets - Teams couldn't be closer on paper; this one could go either way. Prediction - Columbus in 7

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif
1 Buffalo Sabres against Ottawa Senators 4 - Buffalo were the regular season champions while the Senators beat the excellent Rangers; Buffalo still gets the edge. Prediction - Buffalo in 6
2 Pittsburgh Penguins against Carolina Hurricanes 3 - If I had to beat my house, I'd bet it here. Pittsburgh looks like a dynasty in the making. Prediction - Pittsburgh in 4

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/8303/nominationshu5.png

Meanwhile, the New York Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery and will select #1 in the 2008 Draft. Therefore, Houston's pick falls to #3 overall.

[mooreadamc]

Are you using NHL:EHM? I never knew you could add teams.

[duff88]

Are you using NHL:EHM? I never knew you could add teams.

No, I'm using EHM: 2nd generation which was a freeware.

[duff88]

Down to the Final Four!

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/55/3rdroundva2.jpg

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
6 Columbus Blue Jackets against Chicago Blackhawks 7 - Columbus has never won a cup while Chicago's last one goes back to 1961. This is going to be a hard fought battle between two determined teams, but you can't overlook the fact that Chicago has beaten #1 and #2. Prediction - Chicago in 6

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif
1 Buffalo Sabres against Pittsburgh Penguins 2 - This is going to be an epic battle as the two top teams in the East fight to reach the finals. Pittsburgh's top-notch firepower is scary, but Buffalo has a united and deep team. Prediction - Pittsburgh in 6

[duff88]

David Against Goliath!
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/4773/finalszp8.jpg

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
Nash-Comrie-Doan
Kostitsyn-Fedorov-Fritsche
Malhotra-Hrdina-Hagman
Adams-McLean-Lindström

Berard-Zyuzin
Hainsey-Johnson
Wescott-Methot

Leclaire
Denis

Columbus have had brillant series, finding a way to win every time even if it was always close. Rick Nash is the favourite for Conn Smythe in case they win.


PITTSBUGH PENGUINS
Malkin-Crosby-Ovechkin
Morozov-Boguniecki-Ouellet
Surovy-Eaves-Kopecky
Anshakov-Collins-Eloranta

Morris-Orpik
Whitney-Gonchar
Salei-Fernholm

Fleury
Thibault

What can you say about Pittsburgh other than the Phenoms line has destroyed everything since their formation? They are the heavy favourites here and some even say that the bigger question is which one of Malkin, Crosby and Ovechkin will win the Conn Smythe for Playoff MVP.

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif

Prediction - Pittsburgh in 4 with Sidney Crosby as Conn Smythe Winner

[duff88]

Paused indifinitely.

Injured hand; can't write much. Should be back in maximum 3 weeks.

[duff88]

Less serious than I thought. I will certainly take a pause for a few days because I can only type with one finger with the right hand and I make tons of mistakes so this would be too long.

I thought it was worse cause my knuckles started swelling pretty quickly and I coyldn't see my last three knuckles because of it. I can already move most of my fingers!

I work tommorow... It's going to suck bad; no idea how I'll be able to without anyone noticing...

[duff88]

Phenoms lead the Penguins to third Stanley Cup in history!

Columbus were strong once again in the finals as they made a lot of people believers by winning the first game, but the Penguins were too strong as they won the series 4-2.

This Penguins are the Stanley Cup champions; to think they were going to move until the city finally decided to build the new arena. Captain Sidney Crosby wins the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP after scoring 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 poins in 19 games while being +29.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/585/winnersnd6.png

[duff88]

2008 Draft approaching, 5 players stand out!

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/4919/top5wr9.jpg
From left to right: C Filip Kraus, C Ove Paulsen, C Robert Sandler, RW Jukka Jalkanen & RW Ricard Eide

The Final CSB Rankings have been released and as the draft is approaching, it's becoming more and more apparent that five players stand out. Filip Kraus, who is expected to go first overall, will be given a run by Ove Paulsen who is probably his closest competitor. After #1 and #2, it's pretty difficult to know in what order Sandler, Jalkanen and Eide are going to go but one thing is almost certain, they are going to go #3, #4 and #5.

Final CSB DRAFT Rankings
North-American Skaters
1. Filip Kraus - C - 6'0/170 - Offensive forward - Kladno, Czech Republic - Plymouth Whalers
2. Robert Sandler - C - 6'7/242 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Saskatoon Blades
3. Yvan Boulay - RW - 5'11/201 - Power forward - Sherbrooke, Canada - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
4. Adam Sobral - D - 5'11/170 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Portland (MA), USA - Chicoutimi Saguenéens
5. Michal Suk - LW - 6'0/172 - Plamaker - Zlin, Czech Republic - Rimouski Oceanic
6. Ron Marshall - D - 6'3/215 - Offensive defenseman - Toronto, Canada - Owen Sound Attack
7. Travis Hamilton - C - 6'3/217 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Red Deer Rebels
8. Vic Archibald - LW - 6'1/134 - Offensive forward - Denver, USA - Denver
9. Tarek Bartell - C - 6'3/218 - Two-way forward - Boston, USA - Colgate
10. Ludek Prazak - LW - 6'0/195 - Offensive forward - Martin, Slovakia - Portland Winterhawks

North-American Goalies
1. Shawn Lyndon - G - 6'4/226 - Sudbury, Canada - Brampton Battalion
2. Dean Cavil - G - 6'1/177 - Nanaimo, Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors
3. Thomas Forgette - G - 6'1/186 - Quebec, Canada - Moncton Wildcats

European Skaters
1. Juuka Jalkanen - RW - 6'1/201 - Playmaker - Kärpät, Finland - Kärpät
2. Ove Paulsen - C - 6'2/219 - Playmaker - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgarden
3. Ricard Eide - RW - 6'0/205 - Offensive forward - Örebro, Sweden - Björklöven
4. Marian Kopecky - RW - 6'1/200 - Two-way forward - Zlin, Czech Republic - Zlin
5. Sergei Gaidar - LW - 6'2/198 - Role player - St.Peterburgh, Russia - SKA St.Peterburg
6. Valery Karklins - C - 6'2/219 - Offensive forward - Yaroslav, Russia - Yaroslav
7. Bernd Hanssen - D - 6'5/223 - Offensive defenseman - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
8. Matvei Samokhvalov - C - 6'1/202 - Playmaker - Moscow, Russia - Yaroslav
9. Pavel Zelenka - LW - 6'2/219 - Offensive forward - Budejovice, Czech Republic - Budejovice
10. Nikita Kartsev - RW - 6'3/193 - Playmaker - Moscow, Russia - Spartak Moscow

European Goalies
1. Nikita Pushkov - G - 6'3/212 - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow
2. Vitaly Ibragimov - G - 5'11/199 - Togliatti, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
3. Aapo Nousiainen - G - 6'4/203 - Tamperre, Finland - Tappara Tampere

THN Top-15
1. Filip Kraus - C - 6'0/170 - Offensive forward - Kladno, Czech Republic - Plymouth Whalers
2. Ove Paulsen - C - 6'2/219 - Playmaker - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgarden
3. Jukka Jalkanen - RW - 6'1/201 - Playmaker - Kärpät, Finland - Kärpät
4. Ricard Eide - RW - 6'0/205 - Offensive forward - Örebro, Sweden - Björklöven
5. Robert Sandler - C - 6'7/242 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Saskatoon Blades
6. Walter Harnad - LW - 6'3/226 - Burnaby, Canada - Kelowna Rockets
7. Dean Cavil - G - 6'1/177 - Nanaimo, Canada - Moose Jaw Warriors
8. Yvan Boulay - RW - 5'11/201 - Power forward - Sherbrooke, Canada - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
9. Adam Sobral - D - 5'11/170 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Portland (MA), USA - Chicoutimi Saguenéens
10. Marian Kopecky - RW - 6'1/200 - Two-way forward - Zlin, Czech Republic - Zlin
11. Shawn Lyndon - G - 6'4/226 - Sudbury, Canada - Brampton Battalion
12. Nikita Pushkov - G - 6'3/212 - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow
13. Erick Goto - D - 6'5/208 - Stay-at-home defenseman - Toronto, Canada - Erie Otters
14. Sergei Gaidar - LW - 6'2/198 - Role player - St.Peterburgh, Russia - SKA St.Peterburg
15. Vic Archibald - LW - 6'1/134 - Offensive forward - Denver, USA - Denver

Mock Draft
1- New York Islanders - C Filip Kraus
2- Vancouver Canucks [STL] - C Ove Paulsen
3- Houston Spirit - C Robert Sandler
4- Boston Bruins - R Jukka Jalkanen
5- Tampa Bay Lightning [EDM] - R Ricard Eide
6- Calgary Flames - G Dean Cavil
7- Colorado Avalanche - L Walter Harnad
8- Detroit Red Wings - R Yvan Boulay
9- Toronto Maple Leafs - L Sergei Gaidar
10- Tampa Bay Lightning - D Adam Sobral
11- Boston Bruins [WAS] - G Shawn Lyndon
12- Vancouver Canucks - L Vic Archibald
13- New Jersey Devils - G Nikita Pushkov
14- Dallas Stars - D Erick Goto
15- Montreal Canadiens - R Marian Kopecky
16- Philadelphia Flyers - R Jeff Fogarty
17- Florida Panthers - D Hannu Rantanen
18- St. Louis Blues [ATL] - C Travis Hamilton
19- Carolina Hurricanes - D Ron Marshall
20- Chicago Blackhawks - R Anton Polushin
21- Columbus Blue Jackets - D Bernd Hanssen
22- New York Rangers - C Antoine Verville
23- Buffalo Sabres [ANA] - L Eric Boisvert
24- Los Angeles Kings - C Tarek Bartell
25- Ottawa Senators - D Robert Klein
26- Nashville Predators - C Matvei Samokhvalov
27- Minnesota Wild - D William Tremblay
28- San Jose Sharks - C Tim Vernetta
29- Washington Capitals [PIT] - D Borivoj Balastik
30- Buffalo Sabres - C Mike Wright

[duff88]

2008 NHL Entry Draft

S.D. - Hi and welcome to AFSN's coverage of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. I'm Scott Dee and today I'll be accompanied by Christopher Stubbes, Michael Millen and former NHL player Trevor Linden who is now a scout for CSB. First, let's head towards Chris Stubbes who will conduct interviews and updates on the floor through the day.
C.S. - Hi guys. The lastest rumours around here are that the top 5 would be pretty much set except for Houston who would actively be talking to other teams about trading the 3rd overall pick for an established player. As of right now, assuming of no trades, talks are that things would go this way: Kraus to the Islanders, Paulsen to Vancouver, Sandler to Houston, Jalkanen to Boston and Eide to Tampa Bay. Two goaltenders could also be taken in the top ten as Calgary, Toronto and Tampa Bay, who respectively draft 6th, 9th and 10th, could use some help in that department and the question is where Dean Cavil and Shawn Lyndon will head. Finally, we have heard that Yvan Boulay could fall as a lot of teams aren't sold on him; some have him in the top 8 while others have him out of the entire first round.
S.D. - Thank you Chris. Trevor, you have Yvan Boulay rated third overall at CSB, what's your opinion on what was just reported by Chris.
T.L. - I don't think it's really a big surprise. I think it's all about potential for him; he's not extremely developped right now and he's a lot of time away from the big league. Another thing is that teams wonder if he'll be able to adapt his power game to the NHL with his size. That's nothing to worry about in my opinion as Boulay is extremely bulked up for someone his size and he surpassed a lot of bigger players in the NHL Draft Combines.
M.M. - Talking about the combines, a player that impressed was Robert Sandler. The guy is 6'7 and 240 pounds and these players who are big but not overly physical disappoint in the combines. He went the other way and blew everyone away with excellent results in most test. He's the most ready player this year.
S.D. - Commissionner Gary Bettman is approaching the podium.

G.B. - Hi and welcome to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in the beautiful city of Ottawa. Once again this year, the NHL is ready to welcome young hockey players who are the future of this game. We would like to congratulate the Columbus Blue Jackets for their amazing playoff run and the Pittsburgh Penguins for their Stanley Cup victory. Thank you to the city of Ottawa and the Senators' organisation for their warm welcome and the great organisation they made for this day. The New York Islanders hold the first pick in the draft and are now on the clock.

S.D. - I think it's pretty safe to assume Filip Kraus will be drafted first overall.
M.M. - Yup, he had a wonderful season with Plymouth last year; he's an unbelievable hockey player who could be a star one day for a team who would gladly welcome one.
S.D. - General Manager Dan Bylsma is making his way towards the podium.

D.B. - The New York Islanders would like to thank the city of Ottawa for the warm welcome. We would like to congratulate the Penguins for the Stanley Cup. We would also like to thanks and salute our fans watching at our draft party back in Long Island. Head scout Tony Feltrin is going to make the pick.
T.F. - The Islanders are proud to select, from the Plymouth Whalers, Filip Kraus (http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/268/kraussu8.jpg).

S.D. - So, no surprise here. Chris is on the floor with GM Dan Bylsma and first overall pick Filip Kraus.

C.S. - Thanks Scott. Dan, describe your pick for us.
D.B. - I've seen him a few times this year, this is a wonderful hockey player. He's got unbelievable vision, he's an amazingly fluid skater and he's got the best hands in the entire draft. Offensively, he's a wizard. He can also play well defensively though and he's not affraid to go into trafic. Really a player we would like to build around in the Islanders' philosophy.
C.S. - Filip, you decided to come over to North-America to play with Plymouth who drafted you first overall in the CHL Import Draft last year. How was your first year in the OHL?
F.K. - It went well. I had good teammates and I helped the team make the playoffs. If I had stayed in Czech, I would have not played as much so it is better to come to Plymouth to be better.
C.S. - Thanks guys. Back to you Scott.

S.D. - Thanks Chris. Michael, what's your opinion on Dan Bylsma's initiation of a big rebuilding of the Islanders?
M.M. - It was about time after Mike Milbury kinda had problems building this team. Dan comes in as a young GM who had three years to developpe as GM of Bridgeport in the AHL. He knows what it takes to win and Kraus is a good start a building a viable franchise in Long Island.
S.D. - Trevor, your former team the Vancouver Canucks hold the second overall pick. The concenssus is that Ove Paulsen is the best player for them. Can you tell us more about him.
T.L. - Of course. Paulsen played with Djurgardens this year in the Swedish Elite League and was the rookie of the year out there which is pretty impressive for such a young player. He is a great playmaker who constantly creates scoring opportunities on the ice. We've heard that a lot through the years with Swedish players, but he has Peter Forsberg's offensive abilities although he is not as good all-around the ice. At CSB, we have Jalkanen rated #2, but they are really close.
S.D. - Thanks. Looks like Dave Nonis is ready to make the pick!

D.N. - The Vancouver Canucks are proud to select Ove Paulsen (http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/8387/paulsenik9.jpg).

S.D. - Let's once again head back to Christopher Stubbes who's ready to interview Dave Nonis with Ove Paulsen.

C.S. - Hi Dave. You acquired that pick from the St. Louis Blues who had finished last this season. Were you disappointed to lose the first overall pick because of the draft lottery?
D.N. - Well, the lottery is there to prevent teams from tanking the season. I'm pretty sure it will always be close wether Paulsen or Kraus were the best pick at #1; we think we got a wonderful player who could be an exciting player for years to come.
C.S. - I've been told you don't speak a lot of english, so Ove how do you feel right now.
O.P. - Good. Vancouver is good team, number two is good because I work hard. I work hard next year and hope to make Vancouver.
C.S. - Thanks guys. Before going back to you Scott, I'm hearing the Spirit are still in heavy discussion about trading the third overall pick for an established player.

S.D. - Thanks Chris. Trevor, what do you think a young franchise like the Spirit would be losing by trading away a prospect like one of Robert Sandler, Ricard Eide or Jarko Jalkanen?
T.L. - Well prospects are what they are; prospects. It's all about potential while an established player will come in and make an impact for sure. Houston already has a deep prospect core at forward and either decision would be good.
M.M. - Sandler would give them a scary team though. Just looking at some of their players: Sandler is 6'7/240, Michael Wagner is 6'5/240, Trevor Gordon is 6'5/220, Ville Skriko is 6'2/200, Mike Commodore is 6'4/230, Paul Gaustad is 6'5/220, Noah Welch is 6'4/215, Brad Winchester is 6'5/215; that is unbelievable and those are not players who are big and who can't play hockey, they are mobile and agile for players their size.
S.D. - GM Jeff Chynoweth is still on the phone and Gary Bettman just announced that their time is almost up.
T.L. - I think they're going to make the pick. I wouldn't be surprised if they were taking finnish forward Jarko Jalkanen. He's the best skater in the draft in terms of speed and agility, he has excellent hands, he's got great vision and he isn't affraid to take the body. With Sandler he's probably the most NHL ready in the draft.
M.M. - Don't rule out Ricard Eide either; they might have wanted to move down because they think he could be available at #4 or #5. He's often looked over because he's considered the lesser of the top players, but he's still one of them. He played for one of the weakest teams in Sweden and was consitently their best player even if he was the youngest. He's got excellent offensive skills and he's a great skater. I think he's really overlooked by some experts.
S.D. - Looks like they are going to pick as GM Jeff Chynoweth, coach Brian Sutter, head scout Blair Reid and owner Tseng-Lee Chong-Hoa Wing-Tong Kim are heading towards the podium.

J.C. - Hi, fans here at the Scotia Bank Place in Ottawa and thanks for your great hospitality. The Spirit organisation would like to congratulate Columbus and Pittsburgh for the awesome finals you've provided us. We'd also like to salute our fans at the Toyota Center for our draft party. Blair Reid will make our pick.
B.R. - Hi. The Houston Spirit are pleased to select from the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, Robert Sandler (http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/2034/sandleraj3.jpg).

S.D. - Well, looks like the scary thought of a monster team is becoming a reality. Chris is with Chynoweth and Sandler.

C.S. - Thanks Scott. Jeff, you talked a lot on the phone before the selection. Can you tell us what was going on out there?
J.C. - Well, there were some trade talks obviously. A lot of teams were interested in moving up to our spot but in the end we thought we were better off making the pick.
C.S. - What does Sandler brings to your team?
J.C. - He's a huge player obviously, he's extremely strong, he's got a great head on his shoulders even though he's more of a silent kid, his skating is very good for a player his size even though it might look akward, he's got all the tools to be a great offensive player. He's also ready for the NHL and it would be a surprise to see him back in Saskatoon.
C.S. - Robert, you're going to a team that has just finished its third season in the league. How do you feel about going to such a new team?
R.S. - I'm really excited right now, I don't really know what to say. I had great interviews with Houston and saw that they were interested. It will be exciting to play on a team with so many good young players and I hope I can help make Hockey one of the top sports back there in Houston.
C.S. - Thank you guys. Back to you Scott.

S.D. - We're off to a commercial break while the Boston Bruins are preparing for the next pick.

[duff88]

Robert Sandler is Houston's first pick

The whole staff looked like zombies after the 2008 NHL Entry Draft was concluded late on Saturday June 21st. It was a tiring day as a lot of decisions had to be taken in the even that took seven hours to complete.

After picking huge center Robert Sandler third overall, the Houston Spirit used their second pick, 32nd overall, on physical defenseman Nicolas Langdeau. Head Scout Blair Reid had a lot of positive things to say about the big defenseman from St-Adèle, Quebec:

"He's big, he is strong, he has a booming slapshot, he's extremely sound defensively and likes to use his huge frame to break scoring chances. He's a good skater, he's a great kid who knows what to do to help the team and who doesn't shy away from telling his opinion and he's a team guy who will drop the gloves if needed. We had him in our top 15 so it was a big surprise to still see him available. He could make the team out of training camp like Skriko did a few years ago."

In the third round, 62nd overall, the team selected another physical specimen in 6'6/220 defenseman Luke Farkas from the Barrie Colts:

"We won't hide it, but he's years away from making it. It's all about potential for him as he's nowhere near the caliber of other players but he has tons of potential. After a few years in juniors and in the AHL, he could become a great shutdown second or third pairing defenseman. We also had him in the top 30."

Overager Mikhail Mahzorins, a 6'6/228 20 years old center from Latvia, was the fourth round, 92nd overall selection by the Spirit.

"He'll add depth to the Grizzlies in the AHL as soon as this year. We hope he can developpe well enough to one day earn a spot on our NHL team. It's actually surprising he wasn't drafted earlier. We also had him pretty high on our list."

With two picks in the fifth round, Houston selected right winger Anton Golshalk 122nd overall and goaltender Aapo Nousiainen 144th overall.

"Golshalk played with Ottawa in the OHL last year and he scored 51 goals. He's a sniper with a great wrist shot, but he is extremely raw right now and he'll need a lot of development if he hopes to make it one day. Nousiainen adds some much needed depth to our prospective goaltenders as we had no goaltenders under 21 in our system. It's pretty safe to say he was the second best available goaltender in Europe. He's big and has great technique."

DRAFT RESULTS
1- New York Islanders - C Filip Kraus
2- Vancouver Canucks [STL] - C Ove Paulsen
3- Houston Spirit - C Robert Sandler
4- Boston Bruins - R Jukka Jalkanen
5- Tampa Bay Lightning [EDM] - R Ricard Eide
6- Calgary Flames - G Dean Cavil
7- Colorado Avalanche - R Marian Kopecky
8- Detroit Red Wings - L Walter Harnad
9- Toronto Maple Leafs - G Shawn Lyndon
10- Tampa Bay Lightning - C Mike Wright
11- Boston Bruins [WAS] - R Nikita Kartsev
12- Vancouver Canucks - L Sergei Gaidar
13- New Jersey Devils - L Michal Suk
14- Dallas Stars - R Yvan Boulay
15- Montreal Canadiens - D Adam Sobral
16- Philadelphia Flyers - R Jarkko Sulkunen
17- Florida Panthers - L Vic Archibald
18- St. Louis Blues [ATL] - C Jeff Fogarty
19- Carolina Hurricanes - C Travis Hamilton
20- Chicago Blackhawks - D Hannu Rantanen
21- Columbus Blue Jackets - C Pat Calaveras
22- New York Rangers - D Bernd Hanssen
23- Buffalo Sabres [ANA] - L Valery Karklins
24- Los Angeles Kings - C Alexei Belyakov
25- Ottawa Senators - D Ron Marshall
26- Nashville Predators - R Anton Polushin
27- Minnesota Wild - C Tony Cole
28- San Jose Sharks - R Sébastien Charette
29- Washington Capitals [PIT] - L Ludek Prazak
30- Buffalo Sabres - R Stefan Lindman
32- Houston Spirit - D Nicolas Langdeau
62- Houston Spirit - D Luke Farkas
92- Houston Spirit - C Mikhail Mazhorins
122- Houston Spirit - R Anton Golshalk
144- Houston Spirit [LA] - G Aapo Nousiainen

[duff88]

Spirit gearing up for camp

The training camp is about to start in Houston. There wasn't a lot of movement in players in Houston during the summer as only one regular from the final game left and one new UFA was signed. Magnus Kahnberg was not resigned and left as an UFA before signing with Ottawa while the team signed a two year deal worth 900,000$ per year with free agent defenseman Ivan Majesky.

51 players will be in Houston at the start of training camp. 5 goaltenders, 19 defensemen and 27 forwards will fight for the 23 spots on the roster. Here's the list of players as provided by GM Jeff Chynoweth:

# Name Position Contract Years Left/Yearly Salary [* denotes two-way contract]
Danny Battochio G 2 years, 525K*
Sebastien Caron G 1 year, 2.3M
Wade Dubielewicz G 1 year, 1M
Jordan Parisé G 4 years, 490K*
Pierre-Olivier Pelletier G 1 year, 325K*
Mike Commodore D 1 year, 1.05M
Noah Welch D 5 years, 1.3M
Mark Eaton D 1 year, 800K
Logan Stephenson D 1 year, 525K*
Ville Skriko D 1 year, 420K
Ivan Majesky D 2 years, 900K*
David Ruzicka D 3 years, 400K*
Patrick Coulombe D 3 years, 525K*
Lance Ward D 2 years, 800K*
Bryan Rodney D 3 years, 410K*
Reid Cashman D 4 years, 450K*
Jean-Michel Bolduc D 1 year, 525K*
Aaron Dawson D 1 year, 525K*
Niclas Andersén D 3 years, 700K*
Matej Trojovsky D 1 year, 525K*
Frank Rediker D 1 year, 525K*
Nicolas Langdeau D Tryout
Carl DeWolf D Tryout
Chris Summers D 3 years, 800K*
Ivan Novoseltsev LW 1 year, 1.8M
Vitali Khromchinkov LW 3 years, 380K*
Jordan Krestanovich LW 4 years, 525K*
Chad Kolarik LW 2 years, 525K*
Dmitri Pestunov LW 2 years, 525K*
Trevor Gordon LW 1 year, 320K
Boyd Devereaux LW 3 years, 1.7M
Brad Winchester LW 3 years, 800K
Kerri Cautero C 3 years, 245K*
Marty Reasoner C 2 years, 2M
Alexei Ivanov C 2 years, 525K*
Jamie Tardif C 2 years, 525K*
Paul Gaustad C 4 years, 1.8M
Michael Wagner C 3 years, 340K
Mikhail Mazhorins C 3 years, 290K*
Robert Sandler C 3 years, 400K
Daniel Winnik C 1 year, 525K*
Byron Bytz C 1 year, 525K*
Randy Robitaille RW 1 year, 1.6M
Maxime Boisclair RW 3 years, 425K*
Sasha Golin RW 3 years, 330K*
Chris Collins RW 2 years, 525K*
Trevor Letowski RW 1 year, 1.4M*
Kirill Boldin RW 2 years, 410K
Jarkko Ruutu RW 1 year, 1.2M
Roman Tomanek RW 1 year, 525K*
Alexandre Bolduc RW 1 year, 525K*

Fans are eagerly waiting for the camp to start to see how Michael Wagner and Robert Sandler will play and if they will be able to earn spots on the team.

Among the open spots, it is expected David Ruzicka, Nicolas Langdeau, Bryan Rodney, Carl DeWolf, Lance Ward, Reid Cashman and Patrick Coulombe will be among those fighting to be the 6th and 7th defenseman. It is also widely expected that Maxime Boisclair, Roman Tomanek, Robert Sandler, Michael Wagner and Vitali Khromchinkov will fight for the three spots open at the forward position.

[DeToxRox]

Amazing as always.

The Phenoms line is incredible. Imagine seeing it IRL/

[duff88]

Sutter announces first cuts

Sixteen players were cut this mourning before the first pre-season game:

G Pierre-Olivier Pelletier
D Logan Stephenson
D Jean-Michel Bolduc
D Aaron Dawson
D Matej Trojovsky
D Frank Rediker
D Chris Summers
LW Jordan Krestanovich
LW Chad Kolarik
LW Dmitri Pestunov
C Kerri Cautero
C Jamie Tardif
C Mikhail Mazhorins
C Daniel Winnik
RW Sasha Golin
RW Alexandre Bolduc

Those players were sent to the AHL affiliate Utah Grizzlies and will have to hope to earn a spot on the Grizzlies during their training camp that starts in less than two weeks.

[duff88]

11 more cuts bring roster down to 26

The following players were cut today:

G Danny Battochio
G Jordan Parisé
D Patrick Coulombe
D Reid Cashman
D Niclas Andersén
D Carl DeWolf
LW Vitali Khromchinkov
C Alexei Ivanov
C Byron Bytz
RW Chris Collins
RW Alexandre Bolduc

All were sent back to the Utah Grizzlies except Carl DeWolf who will go back to the Sudbury Wolves for a last season in the OHL.

Three more players, probably all defenseman, will need to be cut to bring down the roster to the limit of 23.

[duff88]

Jordan Parisé claimed off waivers

The Calgary Flames have put on a claim for goaltender Jordan Parisé who needed to clear waivers in order to be assigned to the Utah Grizzlies.

The move isn't for the better for him as the Flames are stacked at goaltender and chances are he is going to be sent to their ECHL affiliates, the Trenton Titans.

[duff88]

Chynoweth pulls the trigger on important trade

After tons of rumours suggesting the Houston Spirit were trying to deal for an offensive defenseman, General Manager Jeff Chynoweth finally pulled the trigger on a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chynoweth traded promising young defenseman David Ruzicka and a 2nd round pick in 2009 previously acquired from the Islanders to the Chicago Blackhawks for 35-years-old defenseman Adrian Aucoin.

Aucoin, who commands a 4,000,000$ salary and who is on the last year of his contract, never played up to his potential in Chicago and is looking forward to a new start in Houston. He will wear #3 with the Spirit.

Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they traded Ales Hemsky to the Vancouver Canucks for multiple prospects.

[duff88]

Pre-Season ends; Houston set for season opener against Los Angeles

With the final cuts being D Nicolas Langdeau being sent back to the Val d'Or Foreurs and D Lance Ward being sent down to the Grizzlies, the Houston Spirit are now set for the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings on October 13th.

People still don't think highly of the Spirit who are considered too young, unexperienced and not deep enough to make it to the post-season. Coach Sutter, who announced his probably opening lineup, will try to prove them wrong this season.

Gordon-Reasoner-Robitaille
Novoseltsev-Sandler-Boldin
Deveraux-Wagner-Letowski
Winchester-Gaustad-Ruutu

Welch-Commodore
Skriko-Aucoin
Eaton-Majesky

Caron
Dubielewicz

Captain
Home Assistants
Away Assistants

[duff88]

The Hockey News season preview: Page 1

The NHL season is coming fast; in exactly one week, the puck will drop in seven games as fourteen teams play their season opener.

Page 1: Introduction
Page 1: Eastern Conference Analysis and Prediction
Page 2: Western Conference Analysis and Prediction
Page 3: List of top 10 players by position
Page 4: Prediction for each trophies
Page 5: Preliminary look at the 2009 NHL Draft.

The Eastern Conference
Atlanta Thrashers:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 194
Notable players: RW Marian Hossa, RW Vyacheslav Kozlov, C Michael Nylander, C Marc Savard, C Ville Kumpula, D Braydon Coburn, D Marc-André Bergeron, D Kenny Jönsson, G Kari Lehtonen
2007-2008 record: 41-34-4-3 for 89 PTS, 6th in the East
2008-2009 preview: We could use the same preview as last year: They will once again be in the fight for a playoff spot, lack some depth to be called a contender right now unless Lehtonen plays a stellar season.

Boston Bruins:
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 196
Notable players: RW Patrice Bergeron, C Eric Staal, C Brad Boyes, LW Benoit Pouliot, D Brad Stuart, D Nick Boynton.
2007-2008 record: 28-38-11-5 for 72 PTS, 15th in the East
2008-2009 preview: They were pretty bad last year after losing Eric Staal pretty much for the whole season. They will probably be at the bottom of the eastern conference once again this year unless the first line carries them to the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 192
Notable Players: RW Tuomo Ruutu, RW Maxim Afinogenov, RW Thomas Vanek, C Chris Drury, C Daniel Brière, C Tim Connolly, LW Jean-Pierre Dumont, LW Jochen Hecht, D Dmitri Kalinin, D Jeff Jillson, D Henrik Talinder, G Ryan Miller
2007-2008 record: 50-25-5-2 for 107 PTS, 1st in the East
2008-2009 preview: The team has everything to repeat a season like last year.

Carolina Hurricanes:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: RW Justin Williams, RW Erik Cole, C Jason Spezza, LW Matt Cullen, LW Chris Higgins, D Robyn Regehr, D Jack Johnson
2007-2008 record: 40-31-9-2 for 91 PTS, 3rd in the East
2008-2009 preview: Is it even worth predicting for the Hurricanes? One year, they're at the top and the other they're at the bottom. Roll a dice; we predict another strong season.

Florida Panthers:
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 198
Notable Players: RW Nathan Horton, RW Anthony Stewart, C Olli Jokinen, C Stephen Weiss, LW Rostislav Olesz, LW Daniel Sedin, D Jay Bouwmeester, D Mike Van Ryn, D Lukas Krajicek, G Roberto Luongo
2007-2008 record: 37-31-9-5 for 88 PTS, 7th in the East
2008-2009 preview: They are the favourites for the south-east division; something they failed to win last year.

Montreal Canadiens:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable Players: RW Michael Ryder, RW Alexander Perezhogin, C Jason Arnott, LW Tomas Plekanec D Andrei Markov
2007-2008 record: 39-34-6-3 for 87 PTS, 9th in the East
2008-2009 preview: Montreal lost their three best players in Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Cristobal Huet. Can new captain Craig Rivet lead them to the playoffs? It would be surprising.

New York Islanders
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Dustin Brown, C Alexei Yashin, C Trent Hunter, LW Mike York, D Dan Hamhuis, G Rick DiPietro
2007-2008 record: 30-39-11-2 for 73 PTS, 14th in the East
2008-2009 preview: You can expect the Islanders to once again be in the top lottery teams at the end of the season.

New York Rangers
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: RW David Vyborny, C Pavol Demitra, LW Ilya Kovalchuk, LW Nikolai Zherdev, D Karel Rachunek, D Fedor Tyutin, G Henrik Lundqvist
2007-2008 record: 43-30-6-3 for 95 PTS, 5th in the East
2008-2009 preview: The loss of Jagr to retirement will hurt, but the Rangers added a much needed centre in Pavol Demitra who should help them have another good season.

New Jersey Devils
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 192
Notable Players: RW Brian Gionta, RW Travis Zajac, RW Viktor Kozlov, C Patrick Elias, C Scott Gomez, C John Madden, C Shawn Horcoff, LW Zach Parisé, LW Miroslav Satan, D Bryan Rafalski, D Paul Martin, G Cristobal Huet
2007-2008 record: 34-32-9-7 for 84 points, 10th in the East
2008-2009 preview: With the addition of a real #1 goaltender in Cristobal Huet, the Devils should be back at the top of the eastern conference.

Ottawa Senators
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: RW Dany Heatley, C Mike Fischer, LW Martin Havlat, D Zdeno Chara, D Wade Redden, D Andrej Meszaros, G Cam Ward
2007-2008 record: 41-25-8-8 for 98 points, 4th in the East
2008-2009 preview: The Sens loss some depth and some impact players, but should still be a playoff team. They can't be considered contenders though.

Philadelphia Flyers
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: RW R.J. Umberger, C Peter Forsberg, C Michal Handzus, C Jeff Carter, D Joni Pitkänen, D Kim Johnsson, G Hannu Toivonen
2007-2008 record: 36-30-10-6 for 88 points, 8th in the East
2008-2009 preview: The Flyers finally have what could be a very good #1, something that has not been seen in a long time in Philadelphia. To acquire Toivonen, they had to trade away a very good player in Mike Richards. They should be in the running for the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 198
Notable Players: RW Alexander Ovechkin, C Sidney Crosby, LW Evgeni Malkin, D Derek Morris, D Sergei Gonchar, D Ryan Whitney, G Marc-André Fleury
2007-2008 record: 48-27-2-5 for 103 points, 2nd in the East
2008-2009 preview: The Penguins lack depth; they have nothing after their first line and top two defensive pairing. Still, they start the season as Stanley Cup favourites as the Phenoms line is expected to crush everything in sight while Fleury stops everything when other lines are on the ice.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 201
Notable Players: RW Martin St. Louis, C Brad Richards, LW Todd Bertuzzi, LW Brendan Morrison, D Dan Boyle, D Pavel Kubina, G Manny Legace
2007-2008 record: 35-36-8-3 for 81 points, 12th in the East
2008-2009 preview: The Lightning finally got themselves a good goaltender, but they don't have the same depth they once had and their road to the playoffs will be a tough one.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 202
Notable Players: RW Alexei Ponikarovsky, D Tomas Kaberle, D Bryan McCabe, D Roman Hamrlik
2007-2008 record: 36-38-5-3 for 80 points, 13th in the East
2008-2009 preview: They had a good season start last year, but it didn't last long. They have a less talented team this year and they are still expected to be at the bottom of the east.

Washington Capitals
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 201
Notable Players: C Phil Kessel, LW Alexander Semin, D Paul Mara, D Steve Eminger
2007-2008 record: 34-33-10-5 for 83 points, 11th in the East
2008-2009 preview: The loss of Ovechkin didn't bring them much, but they have the chance to rebuild right now and should be back at the top in a few years.

Prediction:
1. Pittsburgh
2. Buffalo
3. Florida
-
4. New Jersey
5. New York R
6. Ottawa
7. Philadelphia
8. Carolina
-
9. Atlanta
10. Tampa Bay
11. Boston
12. Washington
13. New York I
14. Toronto
15. Montreal

[duff88]

The Hockey News season preview: Page 2

The Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 202
Notable players: C Joffrey Lupul, C Ryan Getzlaf, LW Ryan Malone, LW Patrick Rissmiller, D Scott Niedermayer, D Vitaly Vishnevski, D Anton Volchenkov, G Jean-Sebastien Giguère.
2007-2008 record: 43-28-8-3 for 97 PTS, 5th in the West
2008-2009 preview: The Ducks have a deep team, but their lack of marquee forwards is a reason why they can't be considered contenders right now. They will fight for a playoffs spot.

Calgary Flames:
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 199
Notable players: RW Jarome Iginla, C Daymond Langkow, LW Fredrik Modin, LW Kristian Huselius, D Dion Phaneuf, D Jordan Leopold, G Miikka Kiprusoff
2007-2008 record: 31-39-8-4 for 76 PTS, 12th in the West
2008-2009 preview: The Flames missed the playoffs again last year, and it's all a question of effort. If they work hard, they'll be in the run this year.

Chicago Blackhawks:
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 198
Notable Players: C Ladislav Nagy, C Mark Bell, LW Éric Dazé, LW Kyle Calder, D Brent Seabrook, D Cam Barker, G Nikolai Khabibulin
2007-2008 record: 39-29-10-4 for 92 PTS, 7th in the West
2008-2009 preview: The Blackhawks' unity is a strong point, but they lack depth and this might hurt them. They'll be in the run for the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche:
Average age: 27
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 194
Notable Players: RW Milan Hejduk, C Todd White, LW Alex Tanguay, D John-Michael Liles, G José Théodore
2007-2008 record: 33-41-4-4 for 74 PTS, 11th in the West
2008-2009 preview: We can't expect much from the Avs who should once again have a tough season and be among the bottom teams in the West.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 194
Notable Players: RW Shane Doan, C Mike Comrie, LW Rick Nash, LW Andrei Kostitsyn, D Rostislav Klesla
2007-2008 record: 42-31-6-3 for 93 PTS, 6th in the West
2008-2009 preview: Can we expect the Blue Jackets to have a season as good as the way they finished last year? If yes, they'll be among the best teams in the West.

Dallas Stars:
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Brendan Morrow, C Saku Koivu, LW Markus Näslund, LW Antoine Vermette, D Janne Niinimaa, G Marty Turco
2007-2008 record: 36-34-9-7 for 84 PTS, 8th in the West
2008-2009 preview: The Stars have added some great players with Koivu, Näslund and Vermette who should help them fight to make the playoffs again this year.

Detroit Red Wings
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 194
Notable Players: RW Radek Dvorak, C Henrik Zetterberg, LW Pavol Datsyuk, LW Mike Johnson, D Jiri Fischer
2007-2008 record: 32-37-11-2 for 77 PTS, 10th in the West
2008-2009 preview: Detroit are a worse team than they were last year at the same point; it'd be surprising to see them in the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 198
Notable Players: RW Sergei Samsonov, RW Jason Blake, C Vincent Lecavalier, C Mike Richards, LW Ryan Smyth, D Chris Pronger, G Devan Dubnyk
2007-2008 record: 30-39-7-6 for 73 PTS, 13th in the West
2008-2009 preview: If Edmonton missed the playoffs again, you can blame them for not working as they have everything to be a contender on paper.

Houston Spirit
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-2
Average weight: 203
Notable Players: C Marty Reasonner, LW Trevor Gordon, D Mike Commodore, D Adrian Aucoin, D Noah Welch
2007-2008 record: 26-47-7-2 for 61 points, 14th in the West
2008-2009 preview: Can't expect much once again for Houston. They didn't finish last overall last year and this will be their biggest fight again this year.

Los Angeles Kings
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 198
Notable Players: RW Mark Parrish, C Mike Peca, C Petr Sykora, LW Alexander Frolov, D Lubomir Visnovsky
2007-2008 record: 43-28-6-5 for 97 points, 4th in the West
2008-2009 preview: The Kings and the league's top scorer Alexander Frolov will try to work as hard as possible to keep the Kings among the top teams in the west this year.

Minnesota Wild
Average age: 24
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Marian Gaborik, RW Pierre-Marc Bouchard, LW Marco Sturm, D Ossi Väänänen, D Filip Kuba, D Keith Ballard, D Erik Johnson
2007-2008 record: 43-24-8-7 for 101 points, 1st in the West
2008-2009 preview: With one year more under their belt, this young team will try to repeat their first place in the west. The Wild's defensive core is the best in the league and if Marian Gaborik can lead their offence, they have a shot at the cup.

Nashville Predators
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 192
Notable Players: C Steve Sullivan, C David Legwand, LW Paul Kariya, LW Scott Hartnell, D Kimmo Timonen, D Marek Zidlicky, D Ryan Suter, D Shea Weber, G Tomas Vokoun
2007-2008 record: 45-28-7-2 for 99 points, 3rd in the West
2008-2009 preview: The Predators have a pretty similar team to last year and will probably fight with the team that eliminated them last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets, for the Central Divisio championship.

San Jose Sharks
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-0
Average weight: 199
Notable Players: RW Steve Bernier, C Joe Thornton, C Patrick Marleau, LW Milan Michalek, D Tom Preissing, D Scott Hannan, D Christian Ehrhoff, G Evgeny Nabokov
2007-2008 record: 43-24-9-6 for 101 points, 2nd in the West
2008-2009 preview: It was a tough loss in the first round against Chicago last year and the Sharks will need to work hard this year to try and prevent this from happening again. They're still one of the best teams in the conference.

St. Louis Blues
Average age: 26
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 197
Notable Players: LW Jonathan Cheechoo, LW Simon Gagné, D Eric Brewer, D Christian Bäckman
2007-2008 record: 27-49-3-3 for 60 points, 15th in the West
2008-2009 preview: They finished behind the mediocre Houston Spirit last year which shows, without any insults towards Houston, how bad a season they had. They likely won't be in the playoff run again this year.

Vancouver Canucks
Average age: 25
Average height: 6-1
Average weight: 196
Notable Players: RW Anson Carter, C Henrik Sedin, C Ryan Kesler, LW Ales Hemsky, D Ed Jovanovski, D Mattias Öhlund
2007-2008 record: 36-35-7-4 for 83 points, 9th in the West
2008-2009 preview: The recent acquisition of Ales Hemsky will help them, but it would be surprising to see the Canucks have as good a season as last year.

Prediction:
1. Minnesota
2. San Jose
3. Nashville
-
4. Columbus
5. Los Angeles
6. Edmonton
7. Chicago
8. Dallas
-
9. Anaheim
10. Vancouver
11. Calgary
12. Colorado
13. Detroit
14. St. Louis
15. Houston

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 3

Top 10 Players by Position
Goaltender
1. Kari Lehtonen - Atlanta Thrashers - 24 Years Old - 35-25-3, 3.12, 90.6%
2. Roberto Luongo - Florida Panthers - 29 Years Old - 31-27-8, 2.98, 90.2%
3. Marc-André Fleury - Pittsburgh Penguins - 23 Years Old - 36-21-1, 3.35, 89.2%
4. Tomas Vokoun - Nashville Predators - 32 Years Old - 35-22-7, 3.22, 90.1%
5. Marty Turco - Dallas Stars - 33 Years Old - 28-23-2, 3.16, 90.7%
6. Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames - 31 Years Old - 24-31-5, 3.51, 89.3%
7. Rick DiPietro - New York Islanders - 27 Years Old - 18-25-10, 3.55, 90.4%
8. Ryan Miller - Buffalo Sabres - 28 Years Old - 36-20-4, 3.33, 88.8%
9. Jean-Sébastien Giguère - Anaheim Ducks - 31 Years Old - 24-21-6, 3.59, 88.8%
10. Manny Legace - Tampa Bay Lightning - 35 Years Old - 27-21-8, 3.40, 90.3%

Defenseman
1. Erik Johnson - Minnesota Wild - 20 Years Old - 82-9-45-54
2. Joni Pitkänen - Philadelphia Flyers - 25 Years Old - 80-15-47-62
3. Chris Pronger - Edmonton Oilers - 33 Years Old - 47-4-25-29
4. Scott Niedermayer - Anaheim Ducks - 35 Years Old - 82-16-47-63
5. Dmitri Kalinin - Buffalo Sabres - 28 Years Old - 71-8-44-52
6. Zdeno Chara - Ottawa Senators - 31 Years Old - 82-15-50-65
7. Derek Morris - Pittsburgh Penguins - 30 Years Old - 82-12-47-59
8. Wade Redden - Ottawa Senators - 31 Years Old - 82-10-32-42
9. Brian Rafalski - New Jersey Devils - 35 Years Old - 82-9-45-54
10. Christian Bäckman - St. Louis Blues - 28 Years Old - 82-11-37-48

Wingers
1. Alexander Ovechkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 23 Years Old - 81-54-46-100
2. Ilya Kovalchuk - New York Rangers - 25 Years Old - 82-43-47-90
3. Marian Gaborik - Minnesota Wild - 26 Years Old - 82-43-39-82
4. Rick Nash - Columbus Blue Jackets - 24 Years Old - 82-41-46-87
5. Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators - 27 Years Old - 82-41-49-90
6. Evgeny Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 22 Years Old - 82-43-52-95
7. Alexander Frolov - Los Angeles Kings - 26 Years Old - 81-46-57-103
8. Paul Kariya - Nashville Predators - 33 Years Old - 82-42-46-88
9. Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames - 31 Years Old - 79-30-44-74
10. Nathan Horton - Florida Panthers - 23 Years Old - 82-29-48-77

Centers
1. Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins - 21 Years Old - 79-44-54-98
2. Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks - 29 Years Old - 82-37-57-94
3. Peter Forsberg - Philadelphia Flyers - 35 Years Old - 82-42-58-100
4. Eric Staal - Boston Bruins - 23 Years Old - 8-3-4-7
5. Brad Richards - Tampa Bay Lightning - 28 Years Old - 82-34-41-85
6. Pavol Demitra - New York Rangers - 33 Years Old - 82-42-55-97
7. Patrick Marleau - San Jose Sharks - 28 Years Old - 82-38-32-70
8. Vincent Lecavalier - Edmonton Oilers - 28 Years Old - 81-31-48-79
9. Olli Jokinen - Florida Panthers - 29 Years Old - 82-42-52-94
10. Patrik Elias - New Jersey Devils - 32 Years Old - 82-45-44-89

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 4

Award Predictions

The hockey news list 5 potential candidates for each important trophies for the 2008-2009 season:

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5089/potnompu8.jpg

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 5

Preliminary look at the 2009 Draft

This year seems to have a pretty weak draft crop without much depth.

CSB Preliminary Rankings:
QMJHL
1. Igor Valeev - C - 5'11/197 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - PEI Rocket
2. Jonathan Ouimet - D - 6'0/208 - Offensive defenseman - Chicoutimi, Canada - Acadie-Bathurst Titan
3. Mark Lawrence - RW - 6'0/208 - Offensive forward - Boston, USA - Moncton Wildcats
4. Justin Néron - RW - 6'4/228 - Sniper - Montreal, Canada - Rimouski Oceanic
5. Simon Fournier - C - 6'5/204 - Powerforward - Montreal, Canada - Drummondville Voltigeurs

OHL
1. Daniel Guren - D - 6'2/212 - Offensive defenseman - Zlin, Czech Republic - Guelph Storm
2. Ian May - RW - 6'0/173 - Offensive forward - Toronto, Canada - Brampton Battalion
3. Vlastimil Okrouhlicky - C - Playmaker - Brastislava, Slovakia - Erie Otters
4. Boris Khomitsky - RW - 6'0/163 - Offensive forward - Magnitogorsk, Russia - Guelph Storm
5. Davis Smith - RW - 6'3/200 - Offensive forward - Mississauga, Canada - St. Michaels Majors

WHL
1. Philip Lutz - C - 5'11/191 - Offensive forward - Fort Saskatchewan, Canada - Calgary Hitmen
2. Kerry Kasper - D - 5'8/173 - Stay-at-home defenseman - St. Paul, USA - Portland Winter Hawks
3. Dion watters - C - 6'3/212 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Kamloops Blazers
4. Stanley Hill - RW - 6'0/196 - Offensive forward - Rocanville, Canada - Tri-City Americans
5. Michael Wharmby - C - 6'1/195 - Offensive forward - Edmonton, Canada - Red Deer Rebels

USA
1. John McLennan - RW - 6'3/202 - Sniper - Fargo, UsA - North Dakota
2. Blaine McCornick - RW - 5'10/163 - Offensive forward - Hartford, USA - Princeton
3. Mark Chen - C - 6'4/236 - Playmaker - Bloomington, USA - Union
4. Alex Grunbraun - RW - 6'3/194 - Sniper - Manchester, USA - Merrimack
5. Kory Graff - C - 6'4/217 - Role player - Colorado Springs, USA - Rensselaer

CZECH REPUBLIC
1. Vit Buzek - D - 6'2/187 - Role player - Viktovice, Czech Republic - HC Viktovice
2. Michal Burian - LW - 6'2/203 - Sniper - Zlin, Czech Republic - HC Havirov
3. Miroslav Eben - RW - 6'6/236 - Offensive forward - Pardubice, Czech Republic - HC Pardubice

SLOVAKIA
1. Jan Odehnal - C - 6'0/181 - Playmaker - Zvolen, Slovakia - Zvolen
2. Tomas Jahoda - D - 6'0/169 - Physical defenseman - Martin, Slovakia - Martin
3. Jonas Sehnal - RW - 6'3/190 - Offensive forward - Poprad, Slovakia - Poprad

SWEDEN
1. Martin Modin - RW - 6'3/192 - Offensive forward - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
2. Martin Söderqvist - D - 6'1/196 - Offensive defenseman - Brynas, Sweden - Brynas
3. Johan Anckarström - C - 6'3/204 - Two-way forward - Stockholm, Sweden - Timra

FINLAND
1. Iiro Airikkala - LW - 6'4/222 - Offensive forward - Tampere, Finland - Tappara Tampere
2. Mika Larva - RW - 6'1/135 - Offensive forward - Helsinki, Finland - Jokerit Helsinki
3. Kimmo Kukkamo - C - 5'10/191 - Offensive forward - Hämeenlinna, Finland - Hämeenlinna

RUSSIA
1. Vassili Tchelychev - LW - 6'1/178 - Sniper - Podolsk, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
2. Andrejs Polakovs - RW - 6'0/182 - Offensive forward - Riga, Latvia - CSKA Moscow
3. Vladimir Kuznetsov - RW - 5'11/192 - Sniper - Moscow, Russia - Metallurg Novokuznetsk

GOALTENDERS
1. Dave Rennick - G - 6'1/201 - Duluth, USA - Minnesota-Duluth
2. Johan Hormertz - G - 6'0/203 - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgardens
3. Sergei Skosyrev - G - 6'1/211 - Tsherepovets, Russia - Severstal Tsherepovets

The Hockey News Top 10:
1. Vassili Tchelychev - LW - 6'1/178 - Sniper - Podolsk, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
2. Igor Valeev - C - 5'11/197 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - PEI Rocket
3. Iiro Airikkala - LW - 6'4/222 - Offensive forward - Tampere, Finland - Tappara Tampere
4. Mark Chen - C - 6'4/236 - Playmaker - Bloomington, USA - Union
5. John McLennan - RW - 6'3/202 - Sniper - Fargo, UsA - North Dakota
6. Dion watters - C - 6'3/212 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Kamloops Blazers
7. Dave Rennick - G - 6'1/201 - Duluth, USA - Minnesota-Duluth
8. Daniel Guren - D - 6'2/212 - Offensive defenseman - Zlin, Czech Republic - Guelph Storm
9. Alex Grunbraun - RW - 6'3/194 - Sniper - Manchester, USA - Merrimack
10. Blaine McCornick - RW - 5'10/163 - Offensive forward - Hartford, USA - Princeton
11. Martin Modin - RW - 6'3/192 - Offensive forward - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
12. Philip Lutz - C - 5'11/191 - Offensive forward - Fort Saskatchewan, Canada - Calgary Hitmen
13. Jonathan Ouimet - D - 6'0/208 - Offensive defenseman - Chicoutimi, Canada - Acadie-Bathurst Titan
14. Ian May - RW - 6'0/173 - Offensive forward - Toronto, Canada - Brampton Battalion
15. Kerry Kasper - D - 5'8/173 - Stay-at-home defenseman - St. Paul, USA - Portland Winter Hawks

[duff88]

Los Angeles steal the win in Houston's season opener

http://img173.imageshack.us/img173/2060/sandlerku7.jpg
Former third overall draft pick Robert Sandler, seen towering over LA's Petr Sykora, scored a goal and an assist in his first career game

Things looked very good for Houston in their season opener at the Toyota Center on October 13th. The team was leading 4-3 going into the final period, but goals by Rickard Wallin to tie the game and Petr Sykora to finally win it gave the Kings the victory by a score of 5-4.

Robert Sandler and Michael Wagner, who were playing their first career NHL games, showed that they were ready to play in the big leagues. Sandler scored a goal and an assist while Wagner had one goal. Paul Gaustad and Kirill Boldin had the other goals.

The first line of Gordon-Reasonner-Robitaille, who were opposed to the Frolov-Sykora-Parrish line for most of the game, were a mediocre -3 in the loss. Sebastien Caron, who was the starter for the Spirit, had a difficult game allowing 5 goals on 34 shots.

The Spirit had the chance to make the Kings payback in the second part of the home-and-away on October 14th as they visited the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Houston had to play without Mike Commodore who was taken out of the starting lineup at the last minute with a leg injury suffered in the last game.

Things started pretty poorly for the Spirit who were completely dominated in the first 40 minutes as the Kings took a 4-1 lead with Trevor Gordon as lone scorer for Houston.

Some of the leaders must have talked loud during the second intermission as the Spirit came out strong and at 46:46, Paul Gaustad scored his second of the season to bring the Kings' lead back to two. Less than a minute later, goals by Marty Reasonner and Noah Welch had tied the score. It was a new record for the Spirit with 3 goals in 47 seconds.

The game went to overtime and Marty Reasonner scored the game winner as the Spirit surprised everyone with an impressive comeback win over Los Angeles. Reasonner and Gordon, who recieved a lot of critics after the poor performance in the first game, scored respectively 4 and 3 points. Michael Wagner and Robert Sandler were held pointless.

[duff88]

Sandler injured!

In the seventh game of the season, a 6-3 loss to Colorado, rookie Robert Sandler suffered a ribs injury after being hit by Josef Melichar:

"It was a clean hit, but I wasn't expecting it to be so hard and didn't protect properly. I think I could play, but it really limits my movements and I'd be completely useless. With 4-6 weeks off the doctors say I'll be back in full form."

Sandler had scored a goal and two assists in his seven games so far in the NHL. The lines for tonight's game are expected to be those:

Gordon-Reasonner-Letowski
Novoseltsev-Wagner-Boldin
Deveraux-Gaustad-Ruutu
Boisclair-Winchester-Robitaille

Welch-Commodore
Aucoin-Skriko
Majesky-Eaton

Caron
Dubielewicz

One thing to note is that Trevor Letowski took Randy Robitaille's spot on the first line a few games ago after a few bad games by Robitaille. He has taken over the spot really well and right now the line seems to work fine.

[duff88]

October ends, "Flash" leads Spirit in scoring

http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/4121/gordonvu5.jpg
Trevor "Flash" Gordon was named Spirit Player of the Month for October after scoring 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points in 9 games.

After playing 9 games to start the season in October, the Houston Spirit are currently 12th in the Western Conference. The Spirit, who have a record of 4 wins and 5 losses for 8 points, also have the best powerplay in the league right now with an impressive 33,3%.

Trevor "Flash" Gordon, the Spirit's star winger, was named Spirit Player of the Month after scoring 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points in 9 games. Chicago's Éric Dazé (9-8-5-13) was NHL Player of the Month while Nashville's Alexander Radulov (8-2-8-10) was NHL Rookie of the Month.

[duff88]

Houston 22nd after November

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2412/welchav5.jpg
Noah Welch was the Spirit Player of the Month for November

The Spirit may not have had a very good month of November, recording 5 wins and 9 losses for 10 points in 14 games, but they still managed to raise their NHL ranking up to 22nd in the league.

Noah Welch was named Player of the Month for the Spirit, barely beating surprising forward Trevor Letowski and emmerging rookie Michael Wagner in the votings. Welch ended the month with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points in 14 games. He was also a force defensively.

NHL-wise, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby (14-12-16-28) was Player of the Month while Buffalo's Phillip Gogulla (11-6-4-10) was Rookie of the Month.

Meanwhile, it was announced today that the team will unveil a new third jersey during the Christmas Break. The jersey, which will use the team's Green color as primary, will be used in 12 games until the end of the season. Rumours are already flying that the jersey will also support a new logo which would feature an eagle instead of the Buzzard on the current jerseys, paving the way to a full logo change during the off-season.

[duff88]

Devereaux and Robitaille shipped to Washington

December 6th - In a deal that took no one by surprise, Houston Spirit's General Manager Jeff Chynoweth announced today that forwards Boyd Devereaux and Randy Robitaille were traded to the Washington Capitals for winger Milan Kraft.

Kraft, a native of Czech Republic, is a 28 years old left winger who has made a reputation as a reliable defensive forward at the NHL level. In 360 career NHL games, the former 1st round pick by the Penguins has scored 69 goals and 83 assists along with 71 penalty minutes. He has 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in 20 games this season. Kraft can also play at center and is expected to play a minor role on the 3rd or 4th role.

It had been rumoured for a few days that one of, if not both Devereaux and Robitaille, were going to be traded as Robert Sandler's return was a matter of time and Roman Tomanek had performed a lot better than them since entering the lineup. Washington's GM George McPhee said this move adds depth to their team in their hunt for a playoff spot.

Kraft will wear #28, previously worn by Robitaille. With the departure of Devereaux, Adrian Aucoin was assigned as a new assistant captain.

[duff88]

New 3rd jerseys unveiled!

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/9195/ttsmd8.png

The new logo and jerseys were officially announced on a press conference today.

The organisation will listen to you, the fans, for their feedback as to wether they are going to keep them as the third jerseys or make them the new official jerseys for next year!

[duff88]

Things looking good for the Spirit after December!

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/6743/sandler2co7.jpg
After a chest injury that sidelined him for more than a month, Robert Sandler came back strong to help Houston have a good month of December

With the trade of Devereaux and Robitaille and the return of Sandler from his injury, the Houston Spirit were now set to finally compete on the ice. The team played very well in December, earning 7 wins in 13 games for 14 points. The team lost a rank in the Western Conference though and are now 13th, but the race is as close as it ever was.

Sandler, who played in 11 games, helped the team so much that he was named the Spirit Player of the Month. Playing on a line with Milan Kraft and Jarkko Ruutu, Sandler found excellent chemistry as he scored 5 goals and added 7 assists for 12 points.

In the NHL, center Jason Arnott (15-12-8-20) of the Montreal Canadiens was the Player of the Month. Colorado's Wojtek Wolski (15-4-11-15) was Rookie of the month.

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Update

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/6514/standingsdc4.jpg

Who's Hot:
St. Louis Blues - The Blues are on a roll and everyone is contributing; Nashville should watch their back because St. Louis may catch them.
Atlanta Thrashers - If things continue the way they are going right now, the Thrashers could find a way to make it to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Maple Leafs - After being last for a long time, they may very well start a rally towards a playoff spot soon.
Colorado Avalanche - Theodore is having a very good season for the first time in so many years and the Avs might very well solidify their playoff spot in the next few weeks.

Who's Not:
Minnesota Wild - They are not playing bad hockey, but they always find a way to lose. They're still high in the standings and can revert the trend before too much damage is made.
Dallas Stars - Their lack of depth is a huge problem right now and the team is dominated whenever the first two lines are off the ice.
New York Islanders - With the way they have played lately, it seems like the biggest goal for the team is the 1st overall pick in the draft...


http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/2571/statskc4.jpg

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4081/topvr6.jpg

Mid-Term CSB DRAFT Rankings
North-American Skaters
1. Igor Valeev - C - 5'11/197 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - PEI Rocket
2. Mark Chen - C - 6'4/236 - Playmaker - Bloomington, USA - Union
3. Ian May - RW - 6'0/173 - Offensive forward - Toronto, Canada - Brampton Battalion
4. John McLennan - RW - 6'3/202 - Sniper - Fargo, UsA - North Dakota
5. Blaine McCornick - RW - 5'10/163 - Offensive forward - Hartford, USA - Princeton
6. Daniel Guren - D - 6'2/212 - Offensive defenseman - Zlin, Czech Republic - Guelph Storm
7. Davis Smith - RW - 6'3/200 - Offensive forward - Mississauga, Canada - St. Michaels Majors
8. Philip Lutz - C - 5'11/191 - Offensive forward - Fort Saskatchewan, Canada - Calgary Hitmen
9. Jonathan Ouimet - D - 6'0/208 - Offensive defenseman - Chicoutimi, Canada - Acadie-Bathurst Titan
10. Kerry Kasper - D - 5'8/173 - Stay-at-home defenseman - St. Paul, USA - Portland Winter Hawks

North-American Goalies
1. Dave Rennick - G - 6'1/201 - Duluth, USA - Minnesota-Duluth
2. Michael Quinton - G - 6'1/206 - Edmonton, Canada - Spokane Chiefs
3. Sébastien Sirois - G - 6'2/203 - St. Felicien, Canada - Montreal Rocket

European Skaters
1. Vassili Tchelychev - LW - 6'1/178 - Sniper - Podolsk, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
2. Iiro Airikkala - LW - 6'4/222 - Offensive forward - Tampere, Finland - Tappara Tampere
3. Martin Modin - RW - 6'3/192 - Offensive forward - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
4. Vit Buzek - D - 6'2/187 - Role player - Viktovice, Czech Republic - HC Viktovice
5. Andrejs Polakovs - RW - 6'0/182 - Offensive forward - Riga, Latvia - CSKA Moscow
6. Miroslav Eben - RW - 6'6/236 - Offensive forward - Pardubice, Czech Republic - HC Pardubice
7. Jan Odehnal - C - 6'0/181 - Playmaker - Zvolen, Slovakia - Zvolen
8. Martin Söderqvist - D - 6'1/196 - Offensive defenseman - Brynas, Sweden - Brynas
9. Michal Burian - LW - 6'2/203 - Sniper - Zlin, Czech Republic - HC Havirov
10. Victor Porotnikov - RW - 6'2/191 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow

European Goalies
1. Sergei Skosyrev - G - 6'1/211 - Tsherepovets, Russia - Severstal Tsherepovets
2. Johan Hormertz - G - 6'0/203 - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgardens
3. Jinrich Charvat - G - 6'2/220 - Prague, Czech Republic - Slavia Praha

THN Top-15
1. Igor Valeev - C - 5'11/197 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - PEI Rocket
2. Vassili Tchelychev - LW - 6'1/178 - Sniper - Podolsk, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
3. Iiro Airikkala - LW - 6'4/222 - Offensive forward - Tampere, Finland - Tappara Tampere
4. Mark Chen - C - 6'4/236 - Playmaker - Bloomington, USA - Union
5. Sergei Skosyrev - G - 6'1/211 - Tsherepovets, Russia - Severstal Tsherepovets
6. John McLennan - RW - 6'3/202 - Sniper - Fargo, UsA - North Dakota
7. Alex Grunbraun - RW - 6'3/194 - Sniper - Manchester, USA - Merrimack
8. Dave Rennick - G - 6'1/201 - Duluth, USA - Minnesota-Duluth
9. Daniel Guren - D - 6'2/212 - Offensive defenseman - Zlin, Czech Republic - Guelph Storm
10. Ian May - RW - 6'0/173 - Offensive forward - Toronto, Canada - Brampton Battalion
11. Blaine McCornick - RW - 5'10/163 - Offensive forward - Hartford, USA - Princeton
12. Martin Modin - RW - 6'3/192 - Offensive forward - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
13. Philip Lutz - C - 5'11/191 - Offensive forward - Fort Saskatchewan, Canada - Calgary Hitmen
14. Miroslav Eben - RW - 6'6/236 - Offensive forward - Pardubice, Czech Republic - HC Pardubice
15. Jan Odehnal - C - 6'0/181 - Playmaker - Zvolen, Slovakia - Zvolen

[duff88]

Spirit loses four straight to start January

It was not a perfect ambiance in the lockerroom after Saturday night's 5-3 home loss against Edmonton; the fifth straight loss by the Spirit, a fourth one in January.

Coach Sutter was in a bad mood as he was clear in his statement:

"The team is not working. We're finally good enough to run for the playoffs, but will have to show some determination out there because we're playing like shit and there ain't no chance we're gonna make it that way. We better see a new team on Wednesday in Philadelphia cause otherwise the guys aren't going to enjoy the trip."

A complete lineup change is in sight for Houston and here's what we saw in practice today:

Gordon-Sandler-Reasoner
Novoseltsev-Wagner-Boldin
Ruutu-Gaustad-Letowski
Winchester-Kraft-Tomanek

Welch-Commodore
Skriko-Aucoin
Eaton-Majesky

Caron

Meanwhile, the World Junior Championships have started in Czech Republic and 4 Spirit Prospects were invited:

RW Jonathan Shank [USA] - 31st overall pick in 2007 - 13th forward
G Aapo Nousiainen [FIN] - 144th overall pick in 2008 - Starting Goaltender
D David Driver [CAN] - 122nd overall pick in 2007 - Healthy Scratch
D Carl DeWolf [CAN] - 103rd overall pick in 2007 - 2nd pairing D

[duff88]

Kraus leads Czech to Gold at home!

Filip Kraus, the Islanders' first overall pick in last year's NHL Draft, succesfully lead team Czech Republic to the World Junior Championships gold medal as the tournament was held in his home country.

The Czechs beat Russia 6-3 in the finals and draft-eligible prospect Miroslav Eben scored two goals to earn the player of the game award. Finland beat USA for the bronze medal.

AWARDS:
Gold Medal - Czech Republic
Silver Medal - Russia
Bronze Medal - Finland
MVP - Filip Kraus [CZE]
Best Forward - Filip Kraus [CZE]
Best Defenseman - Bernd Hanssen [SWE]
Best Goaltender - Bohumil Holub [CZE]

ALL-STAR TEAM:
Brendan Hart [USA] - Filip Kraus [CZE] - Igor Antonenko [RUS]
Bernd Hanssen [SWE] - Vit Buzek [CZE]
Bohumil Holub [CZE]

LW Brendan Hart - Yale (NCAA) - 6'5/227 - 83rd overall pick by ANA in 2008
C Filip Kraus - Plymouth Whalers (OHL) - 6'0/170 - 1st overall pick by NYI in 2008
RW Igor Antonenko - Metallurg Magnitogosk (RUS) - 6'1/195 - 64th overall pick by CAR in 2007 (Traded to Ottawa)
D Bernd Hanssen - AIK Stockholm (SWE) - 6'5/223 - 22nd overall pick by NYR in 2008
D Vit Buzek - HC Viktovice (CZE) - 6'2/187 - Eligible for the 2009 Draft
G Bohumil Holub - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - 5'11/190 - Undrafted, Eligible for the 2009 Draft

SCORING TOP 10:
1. Igor Antonenko (RUS) 6+5=11
2. Filip Kraus (CZE) 4+7=11
3. Brendan Hart (USA) 4+7=11
4. Tapio Marjamaa (FIN) 6+4=10
5. Matt Dougherty (USA) 3+7=10
6. Isto Anttila (FIN) 4+5=9
7. Enn Jarvet (SLV) 3+6=9
8. Sean Newman (USA) 3+6=9
9. Sergei Andrievsky (RUS) 3+6=9
10. Igor Ruslanov (RUS) 3+6=9

Spirit Prospects:
Jonathan Shank - Did not play
Aapo Nousiainen - 6GP, 5-1, 3.46GAA, 83.3%
David Driver - Did not play
Carl DeWolf - 1 assist in 4 games

[duff88]

Lehtonen traded, All-Star teams announced

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/2525/lehtonenhn2.jpg
LEFT: Kari Lehtonen, the former Vezina winner, in his new uniform.
RIGHT: Patrick Scotia, the new number one goaltender in Atlanta.

It had been expected for a few weeks that Atlanta was going to trade former Vezina Winner and all-star goaltender soon. With the excellent play of sophomore Patrick Scotia, who shared starts with Lehtonen and who even surpassed him, there was no choice for John Fergusson Jr. but to trade the finnish goaltender. The Detroit Red Wings, who were in huge need for a goaltender, were recieving team in the trade.

In exchange for Lehtonen, the Thrashers recieve Chris Osgood, who will backup Scotia, Pavel Datsyuk and Jochen Hecht. Following the trade, Lehtonen signed a two-year extension worth 10M a year. In his first game with his new team, Datsyuk scored a hat-trick.

Meanwhile, the All-Star rosters were announced. No surprise that Lehtonen, who barely played half of his team's games this year, was not selected:

TEAM NORTH AMERICA
Paul Kariya - Sidney Crosby - Martin St. Louis
Alex Tanguay - Joe Thornton - Jarome Iginla
Ryan Smith - Vincent Lecavalier - Justin Williams
Brendan Morrison - Eric Staal - Dany Heatley

Brian Rafalski - Derek Morris
Wade Redden - Jack Johnson
Dan Hamhuis - Marc-André Bergeron

Marc-André Fleury
Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Rick DiPietro

TEAM WORLD
Evgeny Malkin - Peter Forsberg - Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Frolov - Olli Jokinen - Marian Hossa
Ilya Kovalchuk - Pavol Demitra - Sergei Samsonov
Milan Michalek - Henrik Zetterberg - Tuomo Ruutu

Lubomir Visnovsky - Dmitri Kalinin
Jiri Fischer - Zdeno Chara
Christian Bäckman - Kimmo Timonen

Tomas Vokoun
Mika Noronen
Miikka Kiprusoff

[duff88]

January finally ends for Houston

http://img420.imageshack.us/img420/1585/kostbf2.jpg
Columbus' Andrei Kostitsyn was the NHL Player of the Month for January

It was a tough month for the Spirit who weren't able to put the puck in the net.

In 14 games through January, the team had only 3 wins and 8 points with their 3-9-1-1 record. This difficult month bring their record to 19 wins, 29 losses, 1 tie and 1 overtime loss for 40 points; 14th in the West and 27th in the League. This also brings the Spirit's playoff hopes down to the ground as it will be really difficult to overcome the 13 points difference with the eight place Edmonton Oilers.

Kirill Boldin was the Player of the Month for the Spirit with 6 goals and 10 points in 14 games, scoring the game winner in two of the three wins during January. In the NHL, Columbus' Andrei Kostitsyn (14-15-9-24) was the Player of the Month while Guillaume Latendresse (15-5-7-12), from the Montreal Canadiens, was Rookie of the Month.

[DeToxRox]

Keep it up!

[duff88]

2009 All-Star Weekend

Team North America won the puck control relay with a team of Sidney Crosby, Paul Kariya and Eric Staal.

Alexander Ovechkin of Team North America won the fastest skater competition, beating Paul Kariya in the final.

Zdeno Chara of Team World won the hardest shot competition with a result of 100 MPH, beating Eric Staal in the final.

Sidney Crosby of Team North America won the accuracy shooting competition, beating Alexander Ovechkin in the final.

Marc-André Fleury of Team North America won the goalie competition (pass&score), beating Tomas Vokoun in the final.

Team World won the breakaway relay with a team of Alexander Ovechkin, Milan Michalek and Alexander Frolov.

For the second year in a row, Team World beat Team North America 13-9. Alexander Ovechkin, who scored three goals and an assist, was the Player of the Game. Ilya Kovalchuk had scored the game winner for Team World.

[duff88]

First line on fire, Houston still keeps on losing

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8630/sandler3ai3.jpg
Sandle was named both Spirit Player of the Month and NHL Rookie of the Month

February was another tough month for the Houston Spirit who kept on losing most of their games and continued sinking down in the standings. With only 2 wins, 7 losses, 1 tie and 1 overtime loss in 11 games, Houston fell another place down to 28th in the league.

Houston's record in February was not caused by a lack of effort though as the team played very hard but lacked luck. The first line of "Flash" Gordon, Robert Sandler and Marty Reasonner was particularly impressive, combining for 43 points in the 11 games.

Robert Sandler was amazing during February, scoring 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 11 games, enough to win the honors of Spirit Player of the Month and NHL Rookie of the Month. This amazing month brings Sandler's production in his rookie year to 11 goals and 26 assists for 37 points in 44 games, good for the 6th place in Rookie scoring with 18 games less played due to his injury earlier in the year. Teammate Michael Wagner is third, behind Nashville's Alexander Radulov and Colorado's Wojtek Wolski, with 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in 61 games.

Pittsburgh's superstar Alexander Ovechkin was the NHL Player of the Month after scoring 12 goals and 9 assists for 21 points in 12 games.

[duff88]

Trade deadline passes, Letowski traded, Multiple Extensions

With the apparent impossibility of earning a playoff spot, the Houston Spirit announced today that 31 years old forward Trevor Letowski, who was on the last year of his contract, was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a 3rd round pick in 2010.

In 60 games this year, the Canadian forward had scored 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. The Sabres are slightly out of a playoffs spot and acquiring a depth player like Letowski will likely help the team.

Among other important trades in the NHL:

Calgary trades Brett Sutter, Mikko Jokela and Valeri Zhukov to Los Angeles for Anze Kopitar
Washington trades Paul Mara to the New York Rangers for Adam Hall
Washington trades Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Tomas Kaberle and Justin Pogge
The New York Rangers trade Dan Bertram and Jay McKee for Jussi Jokinen

Sebastien Caron, Mike Commodore, Ville Skriko and Trevor Gordon have signed extensions with the team. Caron signed a 2 year deal worth 3M per year, Commodore a 3 year deal worth 1,6M per year and Skriko a 3 year deal worth 850K per year. Most importantly, Trevor Gordon's extension will keep him in Houston for the next five years, a deal worth a total of 27,5M. GM Jeff Chynoweth, Coach Brian Sutter and "Flash" Gordon himself commented the news:

"Trevor has been a constant contributer since his arrival with the team; he is a star in the league and probably in the top 5 players at his position at the young age of 20. It might be a big jump from his low salary up to those 5,5M per year, but we thought he fully deserved it for all the services he has given to our team."

"We're proud to keep him on the team; he's the centerpiece of our franchise and we think he can lead us to the cup someday."

"I love Houston, I love my team and I love playing hockey. 5 years is amazing, the salary is just a little bonus."

[duff88]

Another season, another disaster...

http://img433.imageshack.us/img433/8867/wagnerhq0.jpg
Rookie Michael Wagner was the Spirit Player of the Month for March

The Houston Spirit will once again finish at the bottom of the league this year. After getting 5 wins, 11 losses and 1 tie for 11 points in 17 games during the month of March, the team is now 15th in the West and 29th in the league with a record of 26-47-3-2 for only 57 points in 78GP. It has now been four years since the team's birth and the team has finished in the bottom 3 each time.

Rookie Michael Wagner won the Spirit Player of the Month for March after scoring 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points in 17 games. He surpassed Robert Sandler, Trevor Gordon and Marty Reasonner in the votings. It was quite close with Sandler, who finished second, who had scored his first career hat-trick in a 7-5 loss on March 31st.

In the NHL, Philadelphia's 35 years old center Peter Forsberg (16-13-10-23) was the NHL Player of the Month. For the second month in a row, Robert Sandler was named NHL Rookie of the Month after scoring 8 goals and 5 assists for 13 points in 17 games. Sandler made journalists laugh when interviewed about the honor:

"Can't someone explain me how I can be Rookie of the Month when my teammate, who happens to be a Rookie too, is named the team's Player of the Month?"

[duff88]

Houston finishes 29th...

The season ended without much surprised. As predicted by the experts, the Houston Spirit finished last in the Western Conference and 29th in the NHL; the fourth consecutive year in the bottom 2 of the league.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/7982/finalstandsng3.jpg

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/9439/1stroundzd3.jpg

Series Prediction
http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
1 Anaheim Ducks against Calgary Flames 8 - The Ducks are a deep team full of hard-working players who are known to be excellent players in important games. It will be a tough task for the Flames to make it past the first round. PREDICTION - Anaheim in 5.
2 Nashville Predators against St. Louis Blues 7 - Those two teams have ended the season in a slump. Nashville has shown a lot of consistency through the last few years and should use their experience against the Blues. PREDICTION - Nashville in 6
3 Minnesota Wild against San Jose Sharks 6 - Both are excellent teams that enjoyed great success in the last few years, but the Wild are a notch better this year and their defense is scary. PREDICTION - Minnesota in 6
4 Columbus Blue Jackets against Los Angeles Kings 5 - Columbus made it to the finals last year and are once again one of the top teams in the West. It'll be a close series but they will come out the winners. PREDICTION - Columbus in 6

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif
1 Pittsburgh Penguins against Tampa Bay Lightning 8 - The Phenom's line combined with goaltender Marc-André Fleury and an excellent defense makes it almost impossible to bet against the Penguins. PREDICTION - Pittsburgh in 4
2 Carolina Hurricanes against New York Rangers 7 - You can expect a surprise from the Rangers here; the Hurricanes are amongthe top teams in the league but Lundqvist will surpass Martin Gerber. PREDICTION - New York in 7
3 Ottawa Senators against Florida Panthers 6 - If it wasn't for the division rule, the Senators would have barely made the playoffs. The Panthers come in as the favourites. PREDICTION - Florida in 5
4 Atlanta Thrashers against Philadelphia Flyers 5 - The Flyers are on a roll, the Thrashers in a slump. Scotia has never played in the playoffs and might prove to be the biggest question mark. PREDICTION - Philadelphia in 6

http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/8923/finalstatskg6.jpg

The nominies for the Toyota Cup, given to the Houston Spirit MVP, have been annouced: Mike Commodore, Trevor Gordon and Noah Welch. The award will be given next week in the "Fans' Appreciation Day at the Toyota Center". All players and staff as well as team owner Tseng-Lee Chong-Hoa Wing-Tong Kim will be present to meet the fans, discuss Spirit Hockey and sign autographs.

http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/7230/finaltopdf2.jpg

Sidney Crosby wins the Art Ross trophy for best scorer while Alexander Ovechkin wins the Maurice Richard trophy for best goalscorer. The Anaheim Ducks are the winners of the President's trophy for best regular season team.

The NHL Draft Lottery, which will include all non-playoff teams and for which the winner will move up 4 spots in the Draft will be held after the first round. Montreal, who finished last, will have 250 balls out of 1000. For finishing 29th, the Spirit will get 188 balls. Among other teams who have a shot at the first overall pick, Dallas has 142 balls, the Islanders have 107 balls and Toronto has 81 balls. All teams will drop one spot if a team surpass by winning the lottery, meaning the Edmonton Oilers could also surpass the Spirit if they win with one of their 62 balls.

[duff88]

Gordon wins Toyota Cup!

After scoring a new record in goals (31) and points (70) in 82 games with the Spirit, Trevor Gordon won the Toyota Cup given to the team's MVP. This is the fourth edition of the award given, the second time "Flash" Gordon wins the award. Gordon surpassed Noah Welch and Mike Commodore in the votings.

2005-2006 - #2 Mike Commodore (82-4-26-30)
2006-2007 - #10 Trevor Gordon (82-19-27-46)
2007-2008 - #19 Marty Reasoner (82-27-39-66)
2008-2009 - #10 Trevor "Flash" Gordon (82-31-39-70)


http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/2940/round2xh6.jpg

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
2 Nashville Predators against Calgary Flames 8 - It was rare to see someone who thought the Flames stood a chance against a deep, talented and hard-working team in Anaheim, but they managed to win in 6 games. They're on a roll and Nashville are next Prediction - Calgary in 6
5 Los Angeles Kings against 6 San Jose Sharks - A battle of California, San Jose are the favourites here as they have a better team on paper and it doesn't lie when a team surpasses the best defence in the league. Prediction - San Jose in 7

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif
1 Pittsburgh Penguins against Florida Panthers 6 - Can Roberto Luongo stop the Phenoms? The real question is will anyone ever stop the Phenoms... Prediction - Pittsburgh in 5
2 Carolina Hurricanes against Atlanta Thrashers 4 - This is a really tough serie to predict. Patrick Scotia looks for real and was extremely impressive against Philadelphia, he'll be the determining factor! Prediction - Atlanta in 7

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/3198/nominationsfz7.jpg

Commenting on the Calder trophy nominations, coach Brian Sutter was angry:

"Both kids worked hard; one is second in Rookie Scoring while the other has the best PPG average and both were dominant. I just think it's unfair cause they deserve to be nominated."

Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens won the NHL Draft Lottery and will keet the #1 in the 2008 Draft. Therefore, the Houston Spirit will get the #2 overall pick.

[duff88]

Conference Finals!

http://img310.imageshack.us/img310/3563/3rdroundtn2.jpg

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
6 San Jose Sharks against Calgary Flames 7 - Both teams had a really difficult road towards the conference finals and rare were the people who thought they would make it. Calgary comes in with the greatest momentum, but San Jose has the best team on paper. Make your choice... Prediction - Calgary in 7

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif
1 Pittsburgh Penguins against Carolina Hurricanes 2 - People say the Penguins are a dynasty; the Hurricanes are going to prove them wrong after destroying the very good Atlanta Thrashers. The Penguins will be too strong. Prediction - Pittsburgh in 6

[Wolfpack]

You're just hidebound and determined never to pick Carolina in a series, aren't you? :D

[duff88]

You're just hidebound and determined never to pick Carolina in a series, aren't you? :D

Actually, it might be the case... I don't do it on purpose, but maybe my unconsious is doing it because I'm bitter they eliminated my Canadiens this year. Damn bastards, they would have never won if Koivu hadn't been injured... :mad:

Update should be coming later this afternoon.

[duff88]

Pens and Sharks reach Stanley Cup Finals
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/588/finalmn9.jpg

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLWest.gif
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Milan Michalek - Joe Thornton - Steve Bernier
Ruslan Fedotenko - Patrick Marleau - Alexander Korolyuk
Ville Nieminen - Alyn McCauley - Mike Morris
Lukas Kaspar - Mark Smith - Scott Parker
Jan-Mikael Juutulainen

Christian Erhoff - Tom Preissing
Scott Hannan - Kyle McLaren
Jim Fahey - Matt Carle
Keith Yandle

Evgeny Nabokov
Vesa Toskala

San Jose might be better than they showed during the regular season. On paper, they are an excellent team with probably the best one-two punch at center in the entire league. They also have a very good defense and an excellent pair of goaltenders.


PITTSBUGH PENGUINS
Evgeny Malkin - Sidney Crosby - Alexander Ovechkin
Vladimir Orszagh - Vaclav Prospal - Alexei Morozov
Sergei Anshakov - Patrick Eaves - Tomas Kopecy
Erik Christensen - Ondrej Fiala - Jody Storr
Mikko Eloranta & Sean Collins


Ryan Whitney - Derek Morris
Sergei Gonchar - Brooks Orpik
Daniel Fernholm - Brian Strait
Alex Golikoski

Marc-André Fleury
Jocelyn Thibault

INJURED: Tomas Surovy

The Penguins could truely be the dynasty everyone has talked about in the last few years. They might not be very deep, but they probably have the greatest top-end talent in the history of the league.


http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/toc/nhl/03-NHLEast.gif

Prediction - Pittsburgh in 5 with Alexander Ovechkin as Conn Smythe Winner

[duff88]

Phenoms bring Cup back to Pittsburgh!

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/340/stanleycuppc9.jpg
Defenseman Derek Morris kissing the cup after recieving it from Captain Sidney Crosby

The Stanley Cup is back in Pittsburgh! Although the San Jose Sharks offered great opposition in every game, the Penguins were able to win the series in four games to put their hands on the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row.

Captain Sidney Crosby, who scored 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 20 playoff games, was once again the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy for the Playoff MVP.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7862/awardsmr4.jpg

[Swaggs]

First time I have checked this thread out...very cool dynasty. Can't wait to read the rest and catch up.

[duff88]

Final Rankings are out; 6 players headline 2009 Draft

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8261/draftxx7.jpg
From left to right: D Vit Buzek, C Mark Chen, RW Alex Grunbaun, LW Vassili Tchelychev, C Igor Valeev, C Dion Watters

The Final CSB Rankings have been released and as the draft is approaching, it's becoming more and more apparent that six players stand out. No clear number one headlines the draft though as pretty much anyone of Russians Vassili Tchelychev and Igor Valeev, Americans Alex Grunbaun and Mark Chen, Canadian Dion Watters or Czech Vit Buzek could be drafted anywhere in the top 6.

Final CSB DRAFT Rankings
North-American Skaters
1. Igor Valeev - C - 5'11/197 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - PEI Rocket
2. Mark Chen - C - 6'4/236 - Playmaker - Bloomington, USA - Union
3. Alex Grunbaun - RW - 6'3/194 - Sniper - Machester, USA - Merrimack
4. Dion Watters - C - 6'3/212 - Two-way forward - Regina, Canada - Kamloops Blazers
5. Ian May - RW - 6'0/173 - Offensive forward - Toronto, Canada - Brampton Battalion
6. John McLennan - RW - 6'3/202 - Sniper - Fargo, UsA - North Dakota
7. Blaine McCornick - RW - 5'10/163 - Offensive forward - Hartford, USA - Princeton
8. Davis Smith - RW - 6'3/200 - Offensive forward - Mississauga, Canada - St. Michaels Majors
9. Philip Lutz - C - 5'11/191 - Offensive forward - Fort Saskatchewan, Canada - Calgary Hitmen
9. Jonathan Ouimet - D - 6'0/208 - Offensive defenseman - Chicoutimi, Canada - Acadie-Bathurst Titan
10. Justin Néron - RW - 6'4/228 - Sniper - Montreal, Canada - Rimouski Oceanic

North-American Goalies
1. Dave Rennick - G - 6'1/201 - Duluth, USA - Minnesota-Duluth
2. Michael Quinton - G - 6'1/206 - Edmonton, Canada - Spokane Chiefs
3. Sébastien Sirois - G - 6'2/203 - St. Felicien, Canada - Montreal Rocket

European Skaters
1. Vassili Tchelychev - LW - 6'1/178 - Sniper - Podolsk, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
2. Vit Buzek - D - 6'2/187 - Role player - Viktovice, Czech Republic - HC Viktovice
3. Iiro Airikkala - LW - 6'4/222 - Offensive forward - Tampere, Finland - Tappara Tampere
4. Martin Modin - RW - 6'3/192 - Offensive forward - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
5. Miroslav Eben - RW - 6'6/236 - Offensive forward - Pardubice, Czech Republic - HC Pardubice
6. Jan Odehnal - C - 6'0/181 - Playmaker - Zvolen, Slovakia - Zvolen
7. Andrejs Polakovs - RW - 6'0/182 - Offensive forward - Riga, Latvia - CSKA Moscow
8. Martin Söderqvist - D - 6'1/196 - Offensive defenseman - Brynas, Sweden - Brynas
9. Alexandr Toupal - C - 6'2/203 - Offensive forward - Havirov, Czech Republic - Havirov
10. Victor Porotnikov - RW - 6'2/191 - Offensive forward - Moscow, Russia - CSKA Moscow

European Goalies
1. Sergei Skosyrev - G - 6'1/211 - Tsherepovets, Russia - Severstal Tsherepovets
2. Johan Hormertz - G - 6'0/203 - Stockholm, Sweden - Djurgardens
3. Jinrich Charvat - G - 6'2/220 - Prague, Czech Republic - Slavia Praha

THN Top-15
#. Name - Position - Height/Weight - Comparison - Birthplace - Team
1. Alex Grunbaun - RW - 6'3/194 - Brett Hull - Machester, USA - Merrimack
2. Vassili Tchelychev - LW - 6'1/178 - Pavel Bure - Podolsk, Russia - Vitjaz Podolsk
3. Igor Valeev - C - 5'11/197 - Pavol Datsyuk - Moscow, Russia - PEI Rocket
4. Mark Chen - C - 6'4/236 - Joe Thornton - Bloomington, USA - Union
5. Vit Buzek - D - 6'2/187 - Andrei Markov - Viktovice, Czech Republic - HC Viktovice
6. Dion Watters - C - 6'3/212 - Eric Staal - Regina, Canada - Kamloops Blazers
7. Iiro Airikkala - LW - 6'4/222 - Milan Michalek - Tampere, Finland - Tappara Tampere
8. Sergei Skosyrev - G - 6'1/211 - Nikolai Khabibulin - Severstal Tsherepovets
9. Miroslav Eben - RW - 6'6/236 - Marian Hossa - Pardubice, Czech Republic - HC Pardubice
10.John McLennan - RW - 6'3/202 - Jarome Iginla - Fargo, UsA - North Dakota
11.Dave Rennick - G - 6'1/201 - Ryan Miller - Minnesota-Duluth
12.Ian May - RW - 6'0/173 - Justin Williams - Toronto, Canada - Brampton Battalion
13.Blaine McCornick - RW - 5'10/163 - Brian Gionta - Hartford, USA - Princeton
14.Martin Modin - RW - 6'3/192 - Mark Parrish - Stockholm, Sweden - AIK Stockholm
15.Jan Odehnal - C - 6'0/181 - Ladislav Nagy - Zvolen, Slovakia - Zvolen

Mock Draft
1- Montreal Canadiens - C Igor Valeev
2- Houston Spirit - LW Vassili Tchelychev
3- Dallas Stars - RW Alex Grunbaun
4- New York Islanders - D Vit Buzek
5- Toronto Maple Leafs - C Mark Chen
6- Edmonton Oilers - C Dion Watters
7- Chicago Blackhawks - G Sergei Skosyrev
8- Buffalo Sabres - LW Iiro Airikkala
9- Boston Bruins - RW John McLennan
10- Colorado Avalache - RW Miroslav Eben
11- Detroit Red Wings - RW Ian May
12- Colorado Avalanche [VAN] - G Dave Rennick
13- Calgary Flames - RW Justin Néron
14- Anaheim Ducks [WAS] - RW Martin Modin
15- Colorado Avalanche [STL] - C Jan Odehnal
16- New Jersey Devils - RW Davis Smith
17- San Jose Sharks - D Daniel Guren
18- Tampa Bay Lightning - C Philip Lutz
19- Tampa Bay Lightning - D Martin Smith
20- New York Rangers - G Michael Quinton
21- Los Angeles Kings - RW Max Stone
22- Florida Panthers - C Johan Ackarström
23- Philadelphia Flyers - RW Nikita Nikulin
24- Minnesota Wild - C Alexandr Toupal
25- Atlanta Thrashers - D Jonathan Ouimet
26- Columbus Blue Jackets - RW Andrejs Polakovs
27- Carolina Hurricanes - D Kerry Kasper
28- Chicago Blackhawks [NAS] - C David O'Halloran
29- Washington Capitals [PIT] - RW Mikko Häkkinen
30- Anaheim Ducks - G Johan Hormertz

[duff88]

2009 NHL Entry Draft

S.D. - Hi and welcome to AFSN's coverage of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. I'm Scott Dee and today I'll be accompanied by Christopher Stubbes, Michael Millen and Trevor Linden. First, let's head towards Chris Stubbes who will conduct interviews and updates on the floor through the day.
C.S. - Hi guys. For the second year in a row, there are rumours floating around here on the floor that Houston would be talking a lot about trading for a pick around the 8-12 to draft one of the goalies, one of Sergei Skosyrev or Dave Rennick. The current rumblings tell us that Jeff Chynoweth would be in discussions with Don Waddell to acquire one of the three first picks, likely either the 10th or 12th overall pick, from the Colorado Avalanche. What we're hearing is though is that Chynoweth would be willing to keep the second overall pick and would have his eyes on either American winger Alex Grunbaun or Russian sniper Vassili Tchelychev. It's pretty clear right now that the Canadiens will use the first overall pick on big center Igor Valeev who currently plays in the QMJHL. We're also hearing that the Islanders are particularly high on defenseman Vit Buzek and could make him the fourth overall pick if he's still available. I'll keep you updated through the day.
S.D. - Thank you Chris. Trevor, the top 6 is pretty clear this year and it would be a surprise if another player slipped between them. The order is less evident though, how would you rank the top players.
T.L. - Right now, Valeev is the best player of the bunch; he has the potential to be a franchise player who will constantly put up 80+ points a year. Then I'd chose Mark Chen, he's a big centreman with awesome playmaking skills who really reminds me of a Joe Thornton. Vassili Tchelychev is another player who has really impressed us at CSB; he's an amazing skater with a wonderful asset of shots and very good hands. Alex Grunbaun has the best shot in the draft though and could be a regular 40+ scorer in the NHL just with his ability to find the back of the net. Then, I'd pick Dion Watters. He's often the big forgotten of this top 6 because he's not as flashy as the others, but he really gets the job done and could be a future 60 points Selke trophy candidate and #1 centre. Finally, Vit Buzek. Although we see immense skills in him, he is a huge risk and that's why I'd have him at #6. Don't rule out Iiro Airikkala, Ian May, John McLennan or one of the two goaltenders though as it only takes one team to like them enough to draft them in the top 6.
M.M. - I'd have to agree with you on the last point, but just to show you guys how the top-end of this draft his so close, I completely disagree with his top 6. He has Valeev #1, I have Grunbaun #1. He has Tchelychev #2, I have Buzek #2. He has Chen #3, I have Valeev #3. He has Grunbaun #4, I have Chen #4. He has Watters #5, I have Tchelychev #5. He has Buzek #6, I have Watters #6. I'm telling you guys, this is impossible to predict and this is going to be an exciting day!
S.D. - Commissionner Gary Bettman is approaching the podium.

G.B. - Hi and welcome to the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in the beautiful city of Montreal. Once again this year, the NHL is ready to welcome young hockey players who are the future of this game. We would like to congratulate the San Jose Sharks for their amazing playoff run and the Pittsburgh Penguins for their second Stanley Cup victory in a row. Thank you to the city of Montreal and the Canadiens' organisation for their warm welcome and the great organisation they made for this celebration of excellence. It couldn't fit better to announce that the Montreal Canadiens hold the first pick in the draft and are now on the clock.

S.D. - We have heard that Montreal will select Igor Valeev will be drafted first overall.
M.M. - Well GM Bill Watters, who replaced Gainey only a few months ago, is still on the phone so we might see a trade!
S.D. - No, he just hung up and they are going to pick.

B.W. - Le Club de Hockey Canadiens voudrait féliciter les Penguins de Pittsburgh pour la victoire de la Coupe Stanley. Nous voudrions également remercier les fans du Canadiens de s'être déplacer de tout partout au Québec pour assister au repêchage 2009. Trevor Timmins will make the pick.
T.T. - Le Canadiens choisi, du Rocket de l'Île-du-Prince-Edouard, Igor Valeev (http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1690/valeevtu3.jpg).

S.D. - So, no surprise here. Chris is on the floor with GM Bill Watters and first overall pick Igor Valeev.

C.S. - Thanks Scott. Bill, describe your pick for us.
B.W. - Well, we've obviously seen him a lot this year as he played pretty close to our team. He's a wizard with the puck, he really knows what to do to either score goal himself or to create plays for his teammates. It's been a long time since we've had a superstar in Montreal, he could be the one!
C.S. - Igor, you've been all-around Quebec through the year and now you've been drafted by the only team in the province. How do you feel?
I.V. - Great (Laughs). I guess if I go back to the Rocket next year I'm going to let my teammates learn me french. Hopefully I can speak well in five years (Laughs).
C.S. - Thanks guys. Back to you Scott.

S.D. - Thanks Chris. Igor kinda reminds me of Alexander Ovechkin in his attitude, I think people in Montreal are really going to like him.
M.M. - Definitely, he's not only an amazing hockey player, he's also a great human being and that's something fans always like. People in Montreal often prefer Quebecers on their team but I think they're going to adopt Valeev fairly quickly.
S.D. - Trevor, the Spirit are reportedly going to trade for a pick and draft one of the goalies. Right now, we think the second overall pick will be one of the two snipers: Either Alex Grunbaun or Vassili Tchelychev. If they do make the trade, they're expected to select either Sergei Skosyrev or Dave Rennick. Play the GM and tell us who you pick.
T.L. - (Laughs) Allright. Second overall, I select Tchelychev. I think one day the Spirit could have a very strong team and a second line with Vassili as the left winger with Michael Wagner and Kirill Boldin would be amazing. If I'm drafting a goaltender... It's really close honestly; Skosyrev has the higher potential but Rennick probably has the best chance to reach his. I'd take the Russian once again.
S.D. - Wow, USA gets beaten 2-0 by Russia!
T.L. - Yeah (Laughs)
S.D. - Chynoweth is ready to pick.

J.C. - Hi, fans here at the Bell Centre in Montreal and thanks for your great hospitality. The Spirit organisation would like to congratulate San Jose and Pittsburgh for the awesome finals you've provided us. We'd also like to salute our fans at the Toyota Center for our draft party. Blair Reid will make our pick.
B.R. - The Houston Spirit are proud to select, from Vitjaz Podolsk, Vassili Tchelychev (http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/4474/tchelychevqm0.jpg)

S.D. - Let's once again head back to Christopher Stubbes who's ready to interview Jeff Chynoweth with Vassili Tchelychev.

C.S. - Hi Jeff. We've got a lot to talk about. (Laughs) First, describe your pick.
J.C. - I think the draft previews has described him pretty well, Vassili is the closest thing, as a hockey player, there could ever be to Pavel Bure. He's an amazing skater with awesome top speed, he has a great arsenal of shots and he has awesome hands. He's a true sniper.
C.S. - Next question, it's been a few years you've finished in the bottom of the standings. Is it becoming frustrating?
J.C. - Well, it's permitted us to build the organisation from within and now if you look at it we have a really impressive team. I think we'll see Houston in the playoffs next year!
C.S. - One last question for you Jeff, we've heard rumours about a trade. Any comments?
J.C. - No. (Laughs) I can't talk about it, sorry.
C.S. - (Laughs) Well, I guess we'll see. Vassili, tell us how you feel.
V.T. - I good. Houston, Kirill Boldin, Vitali Khromchinkov, Ivan Novoseltsev. Good team. I happy.
C.S. - Thanks, your english ain't bad! Back to you up there guys!

S.D. - Thanks Chris. We're off to a commercial break while the Stars are preparing for the next pick.

-

S.D. - We're now up to pick number 10, let's do a small recap. It was as surprising as expected! Third overall, Dallas selected Dion Watters. Vit Buzek went #4 to the Islanders. Mark Chen was the Leafs' pick at #5. Then it really gets wild: Edmonton selects McLennan at #6, the two goalies are picked at #7 Skosyrev to the Hawks and at #8 Rennick to the Sabres, then Grunbaun who fell unexpetedly is picked by the Bruins at #9. Could it have been wilder?
M.M. - It was obviously full of surprise so far. The Grunbaun fall really kills me. This guy will be a star in the league, I can't believe he fell so far.
T.L. - His akward skating style likely had an impact on his draft stock. My surprise is the two goalies going so high. I was expecting one of them in the top 10, but I don't think anyone thought both of them would be picked there. Houston's plan is completely destroyed cause there's no question they wanted one of them.
S.D. - We're off to another commercial break!

[duff88]

Draft Results; further review in a following article

1- Montreal Canadiens - C Igor Valeev
2- Houston Spirit - LW Vassili Tchelychev
3- Dallas Stars - C Dion Watters
4- New York Islanders - D Vit Buzek
5- Toronto Maple Leafs - C Mark Chen
6- Edmonton Oilers - RW John McLennan
7- Chicago Blackhawks - G Sergei Skosyrev
8- Buffalo Sabres - G Dave Rennick
9- Boston Bruins - RW Alex Grunbaun
10- Colorado Avalache - LW Iiro Airikkala
11- Detroit Red Wings - RW Davis Smith
12- Colorado Avalanche [VAN] - RW Ian May
13- Calgary Flames - RW Max Stone
14- Anaheim Ducks [WAS] - RW Blaine McCornick
15- Colorado Avalanche [STL] - RW Miroslav Eben
16- New Jersey Devils - RW Davis Smith
17- San Jose Sharks - C Alexandr Toupal
18- Tampa Bay Lightning - C David O'Halloran
19- Tampa Bay Lightning - RW Martin Modin
20- New York Rangers - RW Boris Khomitsky
21- Los Angeles Kings - RW Justin Néron
22- Florida Panthers - C Michael Wharmby
23- Philadelphia Flyers - D Daniel Guren
24- Minnesota Wild - G Michael Quinton
25- Atlanta Thrashers - LW Richard Bryan
26- Columbus Blue Jackets - C Philip Lutz
27- Carolina Hurricanes - C Dominik Gibson
28- Chicago Blackhawks [NAS] - C Jan Odehnal
29- Washington Capitals [PIT] - G Johan Hormertz
30- Anaheim Ducks - C Johan Anckarström
32- Houston Spirit - D Martin Smith
62- Houston Spirit - D Carlos May
92- Houston Spirit - LW Robert Handlir
122- Houston Spirit - D Dalibor Janacek
141- Houston Spirit [LA] - LW Bryan Block

[Izulde]

:eek: I can't believe Grunban fell that far! Can you keep track of his career now and again? :)

Oh and I say the third jerseys should be the new official jerseys.

[duff88]

:eek: I can't believe Grunban fell that far! Can you keep track of his career now and again? :)

Oh and I say the third jerseys should be the new official jerseys.

What I'm going to do is include a "Looking back at the draft" in the THN Season Preview. You're going to have to wait 4-5-6 years for update on those of the 2009 draft though.

You'll have to wait and see for the third jerseys. ;)

[duff88]

Tchelychev, "a long-term plan"

The Spirit staff looked extremely happy after making Vassili Tchelychev second overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft conducted on Saturday June 20th in Montreal this week.

"He was clearly the best player at that point. We're delighted by the idea of him wearing the Spirit's jersey; he has 50-goals a season potential and he's the kind of player you want to market the game because he's as exciting a player as there could ever be. He's a long term plan though, he'll need to get stronger, more mature and better all-around before making the team and that's why we don't expect him to earn a spot with the team this year. His destiny is in his hands though and he might push us with a great training camp, but right now the plan is having him play in Chicoutimi of the QMJHL, who drafted him in the Import draft, this year."

With the 32nd overall pick, the Spirit selected 5'11/198 stay-at-home defenseman Martin Smith from the Brampton Battalion of the OHL.

"The main reason why he fell this far is because he's pretty small for an NHL defenseman. We don't think it will have much of an impact though as he is built like a rock, he's strong and intelligent with and without the puck. He makes great outlet passes and he's an excellent skater."

The next draftpick, 62nd overall, was used to select American defenseman Carlos May from the Gatineau Olympiques.

"A bit like Smith, he's on the small side. The compensation from him though is his excellent skills. He plays a defensive minded game based on consistency and safety. You won't notice him doing fancy plays, but you won't notice him on the wrong side of those. He does the small things very well, he's also a great skater and has excellent hockey sense."

Robert Handlir, a Czech leftwinger playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds ofthe QMJHL was then drafted 92nd overall.

"Huge potential. That's the thing to remember. He has first-round skills, but he's really raw right now and will need some polish. He can both score goals and create plays for his teammates, he is a good skater and he has excellent vision. He'll need to start going into traffic if he wants to one day make it to the big leagues. Ted Donato is his coach in Sault Ste. Marie and we think he can form him into an NHL player, but we'll have to use patience and let him developpe slowly."

Dalibor Janacek, a Czech stay-at-home defenseman was the team's first fifth round pick at 122nd overall.

"His potential is to one day be a reliable 6th or 7th defenseman. He's the kind of guy you're not scared to put on the ice when the game is on the line, but don't expect him to win it for you. He's an over-ager right now so he'll be in Utah next year!"

With their final pick, the Spirit selected Bryan Block, an intimidating left winger who played for Lethbridge in the WHL.

"He is an energy guy, he hits often and he hits hard! He's not the greatest player on the skills level, but you see the fire in his eyes on every shift. He will drop the gloves for his teammate and will jump to the ice to block a shot. He'll certainly work as hard as possible to one day be an NHLer."

[duff88]

Panthers in danger!

Even with the success they have enjoyed in the last few years and the very good team they have built, the fan support isn't present in Florida and the Panthers are having a lot of trouble selling tickets. The team, who is on sale right now, could very well move to another city if the new owners find this option viable.

Two cities keep coming back in discussions as the viable places for a potential relocation:

Kansas City, with the recent built of the Sprint Center and the success of their new team, NBA's Kansas City Eagles, are at the top of most lists.

Hartford, with the Red Bull Place expected to be completed in January 2010, is another great option that could bring the comeback of the Whalers.

-

Let's make this a bit more interactive while I'm writing the next update: What happens to the Panthers? Will they be sold to an owner planning to move them to Kansas City, an owner planning to move them to Hartford or an owner planning to keep them in Florida? You chose!

[duff88]

Amazing atmosphere in Houston coming into training camp!

After a very good day at the 2009 Entry Draft, the Spirit saw a few changes in their team during the summer. Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, Defensemen Mark Eaton, Aaron Dawson, Frank Rediker and Jean-Michel Bolduc as well as Forwards Daniel Winnik and Chris Porter were let go as unrestricted free agents.

Meanwhile, the team signed two veterans to add depth to the team:

33 years old defenseman Radek Martinek who spent the last season as a callup between the Philadelphia Flyers and their farm club, the Phantoms, as well as 37 years old winger Mikko Eloranta who comes in for a last year before retiring after winning two consecutive Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The camp started recently with 50 players invited. The atmosphere at camp is amazing and the team seems convinced that they can finally make it to the playoffs. Here's the list of players in camp:

30 Danny Battochio G
31 Sebastien Caron G
32 Aapo Nousiainen G
39 Pierre-Olivier Pelletier G
2 Mike Commodore D
5 Noah Welch D
3 Adrian Aucoin D
65 Logan Stephenson D
8 Ville Skriko D
6 Ivan Majesky D
24 Radek Martinek D
52 Patrick Coulombe D
12 Lance Ward D
56 Bryan Rodney D
54 Reid Cashman D
77 Martin Smith D
43 David Driver D
72 Niclas Andersén D
27 Matej Trojovsky D
55 Nicolas Langdeau D
63 Carl DeWolf D
79 Chris Summers D
7 Ivan Novoseltsev LW
83 Vitali Khromchinkov LW
50 Jordan Krestanovich LW
71 Chad Kolarik LW
81 Dmitri Pestunov LW
10 Trevor Gordon LW
91 Vassili Tchelychev LW
29 Brad Winchester LW
42 Mikko Eloranta LW
58 Kerri Cautero C
19 Marty Reasoner C
84 Alexei Ivanov C
88 Jamie Tardif C
14 Paul Gaustad C
16 Michael Wagner C
78 Mikhail Mazhorins C
25 Robert Sandler C
28 Milan Kraft C
44 Byron Bytz RW
97 Maxime Boisclair RW
48 Sasha Golin RW
61 Chris Collins RW
59 Jonathan Shank RW
23 Kirill Boldin RW
37 Jarkko Ruutu RW
74 Roman Tomanek RW
57 Alexandre Bolduc RW

Among spots open, there is the backup goaltender which is expected to go to Pierre-Olivier Pelletier who won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender last season. Danny Battochio could still have a shot at this roster spot if he has a very good camp.

There's also the 5th, 6th and 7th defensemen spots who should be fought between Bryan Rodney, Ivan Majesky, Radek Martinek, Chris Summers, Niclas Andersén, Carl DeWolf and Nicolas Langdeau. The rest of them could all get a spot but are considered long shots.

Finally, although the roster seems pretty set at forward, a few rookies and veteran are going to try and make an impression on the team to keep them in Houston for the regular season.

[duff88]

First cuts overshadowed by major NHL trade

Today was the first round of cuts' announcement by the Houston Spirit. 10 players were sent to the team's AHL farm club and another one was sent back to his junior team:

G Aapo Nousiainen (Sent back to Tampere)
D Lance Ward
D Matej Trojovsky
LW Chad Kolarik
LW Dmitri Pestunov
C Kerri Cautero
C Alexei Ivanov
C Jamie Tardif
RW Sasha Golin
RW Alexandre Bolduc
RW Jonathan Shank

There was an even bigger announcement today that took the eyes away from the cuts in Houston:

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded star forward Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers for four prospects headlined by 2008's 22nd overall draft pick, defenseman Bernd Hanssen. Mattias Aslin, David Kuchejda and Marcel Müller were the other players included in the deal.

[duff88]

Second cuts announced!

Coach Brian Sutter announced the second round of cuts today as 9 players were sent to the AHL's Utah Grizzlies:

D Logan Stephenson
D Patrick Coulombe
D Reid Cashman
D David Driver
D Carl DeWolf
LW Vitali Khromchinkov
LW Jordan Krestanovich
RW Byron Bytz
RW Chris Collins

29 players are left with the team. Meanwhile, Pierre-Olivier Pelletier is having such a good camp that he's actually challenging Sebastien Caron to become the new starter. Brian Sutter commented the situation:

"Pelletier is indeed having a wonderful camp, but Caron has played very well in the last few years and we think he's still the starter. Let's not forget that Pelletier is only 22 years old so he still has a lot of room to developpe. He hasn't played an NHL game in his career so we'll have to give him some experience before we consider him good enough to be the starter."

[duff88]

6 players cut; Houston set for opener against Calgary

The pre-season has ended and Brian Sutter sent three players back to their junior team as well as three others back to the AHL's Utah Grizzlies to set their team. The players cut were:

G Danny Battochio
D Martin Smith (Sent back to Brampton)
D Niclas Andersén
D Nicolas Langdeau (Sent back to Val d'Or)
D Chris Summers
LW Vassili Tchelychev (Sent back to Chicoutimi)

The expected opening lineup for the first game of the season against the Calgary Flames on Thursday October 13th at the Toyota Center in Houston is:

Trevor Gordon - Robert Sandler - Marty Reasonner
Ivan Novoseltsev - Michael Wagner - Kirill Boldin
Brad Winchester - Paul Gaustad - Jarkko Ruutu
Mikko Eloranta - Milan Kraft - Roman Tomanek
Scratched: Maxime Boisclair and Mikhail Mahzorins

Noah Welch - Mike Commodore
Ville Skriko - Adrian Aucoin
Bryan Rodney - Radek Martinek
Scratched: Ivan Majesky

Sebastien Caron
Pier-Olivier Pelletier

Captain
Home Assistants
Away Assistants

[Johnny93g]

Panthers in danger!

Even with the success they have enjoyed in the last few years and the very good team they have built, the fan support isn't present in Florida and the Panthers are having a lot of trouble selling tickets. The team, who is on sale right now, could very well move to another city if the new owners find this option viable.

Two cities keep coming back in discussions as the viable places for a potential relocation:

Kansas City, with the recent built of the Sprint Center and the success of their new team, NBA's Kansas City Eagles, are at the top of most lists.

Hartford, with the Red Bull Place expected to be completed in January 2010, is another great option that could bring the comeback of the Whalers.

-

Let's make this a bit more interactive while I'm writing the next update: What happens to the Panthers? Will they be sold to an owner planning to move them to Kansas City, an owner planning to move them to Hartford or an owner planning to keep them in Florida? You chose!

May i suggest a more hockey friendly market. Winnipeg or Quebec. You know, just because they deserve teams alot more then Kansas City. I would fully support moving the Canes back to Hartford though;)

[duff88]

May i suggest a more hockey friendly market. Winnipeg or Quebec. You know, just because they deserve teams alot more then Kansas City. I would fully support moving the Canes back to Hartford though;)

Quebec has no arena nor does it have any plans on building one because their mayor has no interest in a sports team.

Winnipeg doesn't have a proper arena, but there are currently talks about building a new one which would have above 18500 seats, but the project wouldn't be ready until, at the very least, 2012.

:D

[Johnny93g]

Quebec has no arena nor does it have any plans on building one because their mayor has no interest in a sports team.

Winnipeg doesn't have a proper arena, but there are currently talks about building a new one which would have above 18500 seats, but the project wouldn't be ready until, at the very least, 2012.

:D

Isnt this supposed to be a fictional dynasty;)

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 1

Page 1: Introduction
Page 1: Standings Prediction
Page 1: Top Players by Position
Page 2: Awards Prediction
Page 2: Preliminary look at the 2010 Draft
This year, the Hockey News has to offer a somewhat watered down version of its season preview. It will cover a standings prediction, a top 10 players by position, an awards prediction and a preliminary look at the draft.

Eastern Conference
*1. Pittsburgh Penguins - 109 points
*2. Florida Panthers - 106 points
*3. Ottawa Senators - 96 points
4. New York Rangers - 102 points
5. Atlanta Thrashers - 99 points
6. New Jersey Devils - 97 points
7. Tampa Bay Lightning - 95 points
8. Carolina Hurricanes - 95 points
9. Philadelphia Flyers - 91 points
-
12. Buffalo Sabres - 87 points
10. Washington Capitals - 85 points
11. Toronto Maple Leafs - 81 points
13. Boston Bruins - 74 points
14. New York Islanders - 70 points
15. Montreal Canadiens - 63 points

Western Conference
*1. Minnesota Wild - 103 points
*2. Los Angeles - 99 points
*3. Columbus - 95 points
4. Anaheim - 98 points
5. Nashville - 94 points
6. San Jose - 90 points
7. Calgary - 88 points
8. Detroit - 87 points
-
9. Chicago - 84 points
10. Vancouver - 82 points
11. St. Louis - 78 points
12. Dallas - 77 points
13. Colorado - 73 points
14. Edmonton - 71 points
15. Houston - 65 points

Top 10 Players by Position
Goaltender
1. Kari Lehtonen - Detroit Red Wings - 25 Years Old - 25-27-4, 3.59, 88.9%
2. Marc-André Fleury - Pittsburgh Penguins - 24 Years Old - 32-19-5, 2.97, 90.1%
3. Roberto Luongo - Florida Panthers - 30 Years Old - 23-22-7, 3.31, 88.2%
4. Tomas Vokoun - Nashville Predators - 33 Years Old - 33-22-2, 3.38, 89.2%
5. Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames - 32 Years Old - 32-29-6, 3.33, 90.0%
6. Ryan Miller - Buffalo Sabres - 29 Years Old - 17-20-11, 3.42, 89.0%
7. Patrick Scotia - Atlanta Thrashers - 20 years old - 20-11-2, 3.19, 89.6%
8. Marty Turco - Dallas Stars - 34 Years Old - 22-34-5, 3.54, 89.9%
9. Rick DiPietro - New York Islanders - 28 Years Old - 21-28-3, 3.56, 90.1%
10. Henrik Lundqvist - New York Rangers - 27 Years Old - 24-23-4, 3.40, 89.2%

Defenseman
1. Erik Johnson - Minnesota Wild - 21 Years Old - 82-9-45-54
2. Joni Pitkänen - Philadelphia Flyers - 26 Years Old - 82-17-42-59
3. Chris Pronger - Edmonton Oilers - 34 Years Old - 82-17-41-58
4. Dmitri Kalinin - Buffalo Sabres - 29 Years Old - 82-11-43-54
5. Braydon Coburn - Atlanta Thrashers - 24 Years Old - 80-8-45-53
6. Derek Morris - Pittsburgh Penguins - 31 Years Old - 82-9-51-60
7. Wade Redden - Ottawa Senators - 32 Years Old - 82-12-49-61
8. Brian Rafalski - New Jersey Devils - 36 Years Old - 82-13-49-62
9. Jay Bouwmeester - Florida Panthers - 26 Years Old - 82-9-44-53
10. Dion Phaneuf - Calgary Flames - 24 Years Old - 82-11-50-61

Wingers
1. Alexander Ovechkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 24 Years Old - 82-66-46-112
2. Ilya Kovalchuk - New York Rangers - 26 Years Old - 82-41-40-81
3. Marian Gaborik - Minnesota Wild - 27 Years Old - 82-42-28-70
4. Rick Nash - Columbus Blue Jackets - 25 Years Old - 76-39-38-77
5. Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators - 28 Years Old - 70-38-32-70
6. Evgeny Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 23 Years Old - 82-45-50-95
7. Trevor Gordon - Houston Spirit - 21 Years Old - 82-31-39-70
8. Alexander Frolov - Los Angeles Kings - 27 Years Old - 82-44-46-90
9. Paul Kariya - Chicago Blackhawks - 34 Years Old - 82-42-46-88
10. Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames - 32 Years Old - 82-50-41-91

Centers
1. Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins - 21 Years Old - 82-47-76-123
2. Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks - 29 Years Old - 82-40-63-103
3. Peter Forsberg - Buffalo Sabres - 35 Years Old - 81-46-54-100
4. Eric Staal - Boston Bruins - 23 Years Old - 82-32-51-83
5. Brad Richards - Tampa Bay Lightning - 28 Years Old - 82-31-47-78
6. Pavol Demitra - New York Rangers - 33 Years Old - 82-38-49-87
7. Patrick Marleau - San Jose Sharks - 28 Years Old - 81-31-48-79
8. Vincent Lecavalier - Edmonton Oilers - 28 Years Old - 82-34-53-87
9. Olli Jokinen - Florida Panthers - 29 Years Old - 82-32-48-80
10. Patrik Elias - New Jersey Devils - 32 Years Old - 82-33-45-88