Posts Tagged ‘Tim Thomas’

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NHL Draft Facebook Event – Would you go?

June 25th, 2010

When I logged into Facebook last night, I had a notification of an event I had yet to RSVP to. I’m still not entirely sure if I should confirm my attendance. Although it looks legit (the NHL is very hip on these social media sites!), I’m not sure I fit in with the scene.

Below is a screenshot of the 2010 NHL Draft Facebook event. Would you go?

(Click on the image to view a larger version).

Stayclassy.net's funny 2010 NHL Draft event on Facebook

Stay classy, NHL Entry Draft.

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Saturday Chat Roulette Sessions

May 8th, 2010

Welcome to Stayclassy.net’s newest weekly feature, Saturday Chat Roulette Sessions. Each week, I’ll have a few new Chat screenshots from our favorite NHL-ers and people associated with this great game. Before going any further, the wonderfully witty BladesofFunny.com inspired this idea, so all the credit/blame should go to them.

This week, we have Chat Roulette escapades of the Edmonton Oilers and Jaromir Jagr, Tim Thomas and Matt Cooke.

Stayclassy.net - Chat Roulette escapades of the Edmonton Oilers and Jaromir Jagr.

Stayclassy.net - Chat Roulette escapades of Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.

Stayclassy.net - Chat Roulette escapades of Matt Cooke and some elbow pads.

Stay classy, NHL Chat Rouletters.

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If NHL players used social media…

May 2nd, 2010

Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors made headlines on Friday for using Twitter as a means to help figure out his basketball future. As stupid as it sounds, it made me wonder what some of our favorite NHL players would do if they employed Bosh-like attention seeking social media practices.

I have it on pretty good authority that the following bullet points are pretty accurate. But I’ve been wrong before. Anywhooo… If NHL players used social media:

  • Locating Alex Semin in the post-season wouldn’t feel as much like “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?”
  • Kyle Wellwood’s YouTube channel would require hourly updates to answer the question “What is Kyle eating now?” And before I forget, #KyleWellwoodIsSoFat.
  • Henrik Zetterberg would tell you via direct message that his doppleganger — Jared Leto — doesn’t have a Stanley Cup ring. Pro Tip: I will fight anyone who says these two don’t look alike.
  • Using a variety of different methods, players of the Chicago Blackhawks could remind Stan Bowman to send their RFA offers on time this summer.
  • David Booth might tweet about the “dangers of concushions” every now and then, but a few words of wisdom: he doesn’t respond well to negative feedback!
  • Miroslav Satan could participate in social media for 1 or 2 months per season, like he does in his NHL career.
  • Matt Cooke would likely use the ‘elbow’ feature on Facebook far more than the popular ‘poke’ feature.
  • Henrik and Daniel Sedin might make a video to help everyone figure out which twin is which and how the hell to tell them apart… only 9 years into their NHL careers.
  • Tim Thomas could use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and any other outlet to remind the hockey world he’s still alive (and won last year’s Vezina trophy!).
  • Ryan Kesler probably wouldn’t hesitate to use the “hate” button on any Canadian’s Facebook Page.
  • Carey Price could blog live from the players bench 5 1/2 out of every 7 Montreal Canadiens games.

Stay classy, NHL players using social media.

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Classy Olympic Predictions

February 16th, 2010

With the men’s Olympic hockey set to start in a number of hours, there’s no better time for us to roll out our tournament predictions. Especially when you consider that we’ve been talking about this tournament for about 2 full years. Below are each writers Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal predictions. Of course, we’d love to hear your thoughts (you know, if you agree with us or not), predictions and more. Folks, get ready for the greatest hockey tournament you’ve ever seen!

Burgundy’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Canada; Canada might just have the most well rounded team in this tournament and they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders to defeat Sweden in the Gold Medal game. I believe Canada will move pucks better than any other team and their talent mixed with grit will put them over the edge. I predict Sidney Crosby to be the dominating force Canadians hope he’ll be.
Silver- Sweden; Team Sweden is one of the older teams in the tournament and I believe their experience (and Henrik Lundqvist) will get them through to the Gold Medal game. However, as smart and as well coached as the Sweden team is, I don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with the pace Canada will set in the Finals. Plus, for whatever reason, Crosby always scores a few goals on Lundqvist… yeah, you heard it here first!
Bronze- Russia; No one is giving Finland any love whatsoever, so I’m predicting the Fins meet Russia in the Bronze Medal game. Given the depth the Russians have, I believe they’ll win the Bronze medal by defeating Finland in a closer than expected game. I think the Russians won’t win their semi-final game because their defense and goaltending isn’t good enough. In fact, when you consider the talent they carry in forwards, their defense isn’t even comparable (aside from Markov). This will be the #1 thing that hurts Team Russia in 2010.

Fantana’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Russia; There’s too much offense on this team to be able to contain it all. If you manage to shut down Ovechkin and Semin, players like Datsyuk and Kovalchuk will step up and lead the way. Their defense isn’t the best in the tournament but I think their goaltending is strong enough to bail the D out.
Silver- Canada; Canada is sending a great team to the Olympics this year and they will definitely make up for the disaster in Turino 4 years ago. Having said that, I don’t think they quite stack up against a strong Russian squad, though it will be close. 2nd place is no shame and I think this is where Canada, as a country, needs to learn that it’s no longer our game.
Bronze- Sweden; In the Bronze Medal game, I think you’ll see a great match with the U.S. and the Swedes going head to head. Both teams are lead by solid goaltending and exciting young players who are emerging as superstars around the world. In the end, I give the edge to Sweden because they’re a little bit older and a little bit more experienced on such a large stage.

Champ’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Russia; What can we say, the Russians have more fire power than the US army. These guys will just come wave after wave with speed and all out talent and will embarass a good number of teams. This will be the year the Russians return to the top of hockey internationally.
Silver- Sweden; The Gold Medalists from 2006 return with a very strong team and will benefit from players currently playing well for their respective teams such as Daniel Alfredsson. Good goaltending and good defence will help this team do well throughout the tournament.
Bronze- USA; Team USA is going to surprise a lot of teams riding Ryan Miller throughout the tournament. I would be surprised if Tim Thomas or Jonathan Quick even see any action. Look for team USA to be a very fast team that many will under estimate.

Notes: What about Canada you ask? As I said I believe the “jinx” will unfortunately hit the men’s hockey team as well as I believe they will be “shocked” in the quarterfinals once again. My heart truly hopes this does not happen as Champ would love nothing more than to celebrate a gold medal like in ’02, but my gut tells me it will be for not. Let’s hope I’m very very wrong!

Baxter’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Canada; All round best team. Motivation to win at home should be enough to be a difference maker. Watch for other forwards to capture the limelight as Crosby will be a marked man the entire tournament.
Silver- USA; Ryan Miller will steal games for the Americans. Offense is not much to write home about, but his stellar goaltending will be good for a few key games.
Bronze- Russia;  Surprise upset prediction. Goal scoring will be not an issue, but preventing goals against will be their challenge.

Stay classy, Olympic Hockey.

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What’s wrong with the Boston Bruins?

November 6th, 2009

Many fans have been wondering what’s up with the Boston Bruins this season. Based on last year’s terrific regular season, the Bruins were expected to make a deep run in the playoffs. Well, they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games in the 2nd Round. Following that, I think Boston fans were generally satisfied with the year-over-year improvement and assumed it would be a building step to a strong 2009-2010 NHL season and even stronger post-season. Well guess what? If the season ended today, Boston wouldn’t make the playoffs. So what’s the problem in Bean-town?

Scoring

Simply put, Boston can’t score. When you count the scoreless streak by games, rather than minutes, it means your team is snake-bitten and has a big problem. They hadn’t scored in something like 192 minutes of hockey going into the final minute of Thursday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens… wow. At that pace, it almost makes you wonder who will have a lower scoring average this season between Toronto Maple Leafs Jason Blake and the Boston Bruins. Boston are averaging 2.33 goals per game this year, v.s. 3.29 for all of last season. You could point to the fact that Phil Kessel is no longer a Bruin, and both Milan Lucic and Marc Savard are out with injuries. David Krejci was recently diagnosed with H1N1 and may also miss some significant time. It’s fair to say that any team missing these kinds of players will have a much different complexion, but don’t forget that Boston didn’t have Marco Sturm or Matt Hunwick for most of last season. And Patrice Bergeron wasn’t his usual self either last year but he appears to be playing better hockey this season. When you balance it out, the players missing for Boston this year are much stronger than the players missing last year. And yes, injuries certainly explain some of the Bruins offensive drop-off thus far this year.

However, Boston’s defencemen are also struggling to put some points on the board. So far this year, Boston only have 6 goals from their blueline, compared to 50 last season. On a per-game average, that’s 0.42 goals per game this year v.s. 0.61 last year. That’s a 50% decrease and it isn’t really explained by the injuries of their forwards. Any team would notice that kind of decrease.

Finally, Boston’s powerplay is really killing them. It’s barely clicking at 11.5% this year but had a much scarier success rate of 23.6% last season. The powerplay needs to be better if the Bruins are going to start winning more games.

Defense

Boston’s Goals Against Average this season was 2.64 going into Thursday night’s game against Montreal. That’s not a huge difference from last season’s 2.32 G.A.A, but when you’re not scoring many goals, I suppose it’s pretty significant. Tim Thomas’ save percentage isn’t too far off from where it was last season and the Bruins penalty killing is only down 4% compared to last year.

Overall

Boston’s main problem is their inability to ice a healthy lineup. But before you get the impression that I’m giving the Bruins a cop-out, I’m not. While it’s hard to argue that injuries haven’t played a factor in Boston’s disappointing start, it comes down to the depth of your roster. When players like Savard or Krejci can’t play, you need other players to step up and fill the voids. Guys like Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm need to pick up their games and solidify the first line. They’ve only got 8 and 7 points in 14 games, respectively. Blake Wheeler only has 7 points too and between the 3 of them, they have 0 powerplay goals and are +1 for the year. That’s simply not good enough from players who need to be better. And this trend flows throughout the lineup, as Michael Ryder has 6 points, Krejci has 5 points and Mark Recchi has 4 points this season. None of these players have missed a game this season. Another big problem for Boston is that they may be “doing all the little things” to win games, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they believe in those little things. Last season, everybody knew Boston was good and that to beat them, you’d have to play a solid 60 minutes to have a chance of winning the game. I don’t get that vibe when I watch Boston play this season and I’m guessing other teams feel the same way. Boston’s management and coaching need to start holding their players more accountable because time is slipping away. They need to earn at least 80-85 more points this season to qualify for the playoffs and they have 65 games remaining after Thursday’s night’s overtime loss to Montreal.

The bad news is that Boston are very tight against the salary cap, which means an improvement in play will need to come from within their roster and not from a trade for a top 6 forward. The good news is that if they keep it up, Boston could have as many as 4 draft picks inside the top 35 in June. If you’re a fan of the Bruins, these points were probably both perceived as bad news. If you’re a Leafs fan, sorry, but I couldn’t let that one slide. Good luck Boston!

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Thoughts on last night’s Senators-Predators game

October 23rd, 2009

October 22 – Nashville Predators vs Ottawa Senators

Last night’s game was a bit like bumper cars at the local fair.

You get all excited to get into the bumper car. You’ve got a big old game plan to bump the hell out of everyone until you get in that stupid dinky car and it starts to fight back. It doesn’t steer properly; it inexplicably goes in reverse; it leaves you vulnerable for the majority of the time you’re in it. But when you finally emerge from that bumper car induced stupor, and you’re finally ready to bump your opponents into oblivion, that teenage punk shuts the ride down. And to boot, you’re usually the closest you’ve ever been to the most jaw-dropping bump in the history of time.

That was last night’s game. In a nutshell. Or a bumper car, if you will.

Basically, the Ottawa Senators never really got a chance to start like they wanted to. They had some really bad luck early in the game. And when they finally started to get things together, it just wasn’t enough. And at the same time, they had- in place of the teenage punk – a moustachioed zebra to contend with.

But just like bumper cars, that doesn’t mean the game wasn’t entertaining.

So here it is: the Classy, the Non-Classy and the Could-Have-Been-Classier from last night’s game.

The Classy

Wow. Really tough to come away with a Classy from last night’s game. Pascal Leclaire, in his usual fashion, made some jaw-dropping saves. But he wasn’t the difference last night, and he really should have not let in all those goals.

Jason Spezza looked like a man who has been suffering from an injury for most of the season, and just can’t wait to break out of a goal-less drought.

Milan Michalek is looking like a pretty good deal right about now.

But last night’s Classy goes to the third period. Even despite the loss, that third period was nothing but fun. Every time the Nashville Predators went up by a goal, there was a feeling that Ottawa was only a few plays away from tying it up. It really was an exciting period of hockey, and it was great to see Scotiabank Place that excited so early in the season.

The Non-Classy

Bill McCreary maybe? Pretty safe bet, but even I would accuse myself of a lack of creativity on this one (But seriously Bill, who gave you the right to decide a game).

Last night’s Non-Classy, other than the fact that the first three goals went in off Ottawa players, goes to Ottawa Senators fans. There should be a rule, strictly enforced by Matt Carkner (that’s why he signed that contract, right?), that says if you leave your seat in the third period, you are no longer allowed to come back to any part of the building should the Senators tie the game before you’ve left the building. God people. You pay for the tickets. Or your company pays for the tickets. Either way, stay the course. An empty arena in an exciting third period is no fun. Period.

The Could-Have-Been-Classier

I’m going to probably take some flak for this one, but someone has to start saying it. Daniel Alfredsson is not himself. He doesn’t seem happy playing out there the same way he used to. Maybe he’s trying to do too much, but I remember one play when he called for the puck, didn’t get the pass, and slammed his stick on the boards in frustration.

In another play, on the PP, he had a wide open Chris Campoli on the point, but chose to go cross-ice to Erik Karlsson. The puck was immediately cleared from the zone when the pass didn’t make it through.

I’m not saying that Daniel Alfredsson isn’t classy, and it certainly isn’t non-classy, but I’m concerned right now about his game. I want him to succeed as much as the next guy, but there’s definitely something missing from his game.

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Next up, the Boston Bruins. Also coming of a high-scoring loss, Boston is going to be missing both Marc Savard and Milan Lucic when they visit Ottawa for the first time this season. Ottawa has had a Tonne-O’-Trouble with the Bruins, and more specifically Tim Thomas, over the last few years. So Saturday should really be a great test for this young season.

Should be fun.

Stay classy, Thursday night Barn Burners.

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Taking a stand!

October 20th, 2009

In the world of sports today, often times the concept of team is overshadowed by individuals.  Everyone knows who Terrell Owens, Manny Ramirez, and Shaq are.  These players have a bloated sense of self-importance.  When their play doesn’t grab headlines, the act out like an impetuous child to get attention.  Throwing fellow teammates under the bus, airing team laundry in public, and demanding trades shows exactly how much they have forgotten (to steal a line from Herb Brooks) that the name on the front of the jersey is the hell of a lot more important than the one on the back.  These players are getting out of control.

I’d like to take this opportunity to commend the NHL on taking a stand.  The NHL has devoted the entire month of October to combat this trend.  ”Hockey Fights Cancer” sprung out of a need that arose this summer.  When Dany Heatley thew his baby fit and demanded a trade multiple times because he wanted to be “the guy”,  the powers that be knew they needed to act and bring the pain.  Hockey players are widely known as the most down to earth, friendly, and humble guys in sports.  To have this threatened by the likes of an entitled winger acting like the love child of Kanye West and Whitney Houston had to be stopped.   Ok, Hockey Fights Cancer really is about fighting something way more important than Dany Heatley, but if he wants to elevate his level of importance, ok, let’s go there.

Kudos goes out to Alex Ovechkin, Tim Thomas, Jeff Carter and Sidney Crosby for participating in the Hockey Fights Cancer ads.  Way to demonstrate your good attitudes and willingness to stand up for what is right boys!

NHL Fights Cancer with Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Carter, Sidney Crosby and Tim Thomas, among others

NHL Fights Cancer with Alex Ovechkin, Jeff Carter, Sidney Crosby and Tim Thomas, among others

The fundamental breakdown in Heatley’s understanding of what being “the man” is centers around the fact that his brain hasn’t matured past the age of 14.  He thinks that scoring goals, getting power play time, and winning makes you “the man”.  He must think that doing those things makes you important and beloved.  Those make a you pretty great hockey player, but they don’t make you “the man”.

Vincent Lecavalier donating 3 million dollars to build a pediatric cancer and blood disorders center makes him “the man”.

Zdeno Chara donating and working for Right to Play, travelling to Mozambique to see the good that the organization is doing for children makes him “the man”.

Even the little things make someone “the man”.  Shane Doan stopping to talk to a disabled teen after practice, and not only giving the kid his stick, but taking it back to the locker room and getting other players to sign the stick before bringing it back out for him.  That makes you “the man”.

These are the things that make players beloved and leave a lasting impression.  In 30 years, you’ll barely be a memory, Heatley.  It’s the work you do and your attitude outside the rink that make people remember you after you are gone.

Stay classy, Zdeno Chara, Vincent Lecavalier, Shane Doan, and all the NHL players helping with the NHL Fights Cancer effort.

Thanks for stopping by Dany Healtey, but don’t come back, k?

Veronica Corningstone

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Phil Kessel is a Maple Leaf. Finally.

September 18th, 2009

Finally, again.

It’s done. The Boston Bruins have traded Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bob McKenzie over at TSN was all over this one.

To Toronto

Phil Kessel is now a Toronto Maple Leaf

Phil Kessel is now a Toronto Maple Leaf

  • Phil Kessel (signed for $27 Million over 5 years)

To Boston

  • 1st Round draft pick (2010)
  • 2nd Round draft pick (2010)
  • 1st  Round draft pick (2011)

Just a few things to say about this, from both perspectives.

Good for Toronto:
I like that Brian Burke went and found a young star for the Leafs. Kessel might be the best player in the NHL under 23 or 24 that didn’t have a long term contract in place (prior to tonight’s new contract). This is a nice addition to the free agents the Leafs signed this summer (Mike Komisarek, Garnet Exelby, Francois Beauchemin, Kyle Bozak, Jonas Gustavsson and others).

I didn’t understand why Burke was willing to pay so much for Kessel until his press conference. I like his points about picking up quality players like Gustavsson, Bozak, etc… and them being the equivalent depth the Leafs would get from the draft. I think that’s justified. Is it risky? Absolutely. Is it reckless? I don’t think so. There’s only one problem I have with it…

Good for Boston:
The price was steep and the obvious reason the Bruins were willing to part with a great player like Kessel is because of the depth this team has (seemingly out of nowhere, might I add). Peter Chiarelli has done a great job building this team from the ground up. The issue with this trade is it potentially establishes the Boston Bruins as a power-house team for years and years to come. The Bruins now have 4 first round picks over the next two drafts. Add a solid core of Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Tim Thomas, Milan Lucic (and others) to developing prospects and future 1st round draft picks and that could make for a bad combination for Leafs and Ottawa Senators fans who’ll have to see the Bruins 6 times a year, every year.

It’ll be interesting to see who wins this trade in the end. Funny thing is, neither team is immediately better. The draft picks will obviously take time and Kessel’s off-season shoulder surgery has him out until November.

Stay classy, Phil Kessel.

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Can goaltending derail an Olympic team?

August 27th, 2009

If defense wins championships, what wins Olympic Gold?

I think most people can remember the heartbreak that was Nagano ’98. Why on earth Ray Bourque was in that shootout and not Wayne Gretzky is beyond me, but to this day I still blame Dominik Hasek for that loss. He was in the prime of his career, and he stonewalled the Canadian team.

In 2002, Martin Brodeur cemented his role as Canada’s goalie, after Pat Quinn tried to play favourites by putting in Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Curtis Joseph. That failed experiment didn’t work out so well after losing to Sweden, and Brodeur finished the tournament. Ed Belfour’s medal broke when it was awarded to him.

In 2006, Sweden dominated the tournament, Henrik Lundqvist played well enough to secure Sweden its Gold Medal.

So if defense wins championships, goaltending wins Gold.

I’m not going to start the debate about who should be Canada’s goalie. I think the mainstream media is doing a pretty good job at that, and I would argue that any one of the three goalies that goes would be a fine candidate.

But can other teams jump up and surprise the tournament? Look at Team USA as an example. The American hockey system seems to have faltered a bit over the last few years, but Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller represent a huge step forward for that hockey program. Remember when Team USA used to rely on guys like Robert Esche and Scott Clemmensen. In 2002, they had Mike Richter, but he was on the final stretch of his career. I would argue that the US goaltending tandem has the skill to make a real dent in the medal round.

Or how about Team Russia. I’ve argued on this blog before that Russia wouldn’t have the skill to beat Canada without its top stars. I even caused a bit of an international incident. But Evgeni Nabokov has proven his ability as a leading goaltender. Or how about the newly emerged Simeon Varlamov? Does Nikolai Khabibulin still have an Olympics in him? It may depend on how the season goes in Edmonton, but those are three goalies who could steal a game or two.

The Swedish team represents a scary tandem again in nets. Lundqvist and Tellqvist are two fantastic goalies. And New York is a great example of a team that can ride Henrik Lundqvist. With a little added firepower from Mats Sundin (Ha!), Sweden could repeat at the 2010 Olympics with that duo.

But in all of these examples, we are talking about tandems. And as history has shown (and as indicated by most hockey rule books) only one goalie can be on the ice to win the game. In 2002, Canada identified Brodeur as the go-to guy. In 2006, Lundqvist played that role. It’s going to be up to the coaches to pick the go-to goalie, or teams will falter.

Bottom line: with all the talk about line combinations and who will get a roster spot, I think the biggest impact is going to happen between the pipes. Whichever goalie can get hot at the right time will represent this year’s Gold Medal. It’s up to the coaches to figure that out sooner rather than later.

Stay classy, international goalie controversies.

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Friday's news round up: Sedin twin negotiations and the NHL awards show

June 19th, 2009

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported yesterday that the Sedin twins were seeking 12 year deals comparable to that of Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings.

Are you kidding me?  The Sedins are comparable to Zetterberg?

I get the spins and angles agents and players play for negotiations, but seriously?  I’d take one Zetterberg over two Sedins any day.

It makes me wonder here.  I question if players actually want to win.  Some legitimately do – look at Paul Kariya signing in Colorado in 2003 for $1.2 Million.  That’s not doing it for the money (as far as hockey salaries go).  But when you are 29 years old, like the Sedins, and you are asking for 13 year contracts… it makes you wonder.

Sure, you may get that kind of money ($73M over 12 years) from some NHL club, but if you do, you’re putting your team at a disadvantage. To have $13-14 Million tied in 2/3′s of a line is a ton of money.  Like we’ve seen with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators, teams need to spread out spending.

And speaking of spending… did the NHL spend anything on last night’s award show?  Brutal.  Nearly every presentation was weak – particularly Kelly Hrudey.  Why didn’t he put glasses on before walking onto the stage?

Jarome Iginla was his classy self, and Ethan Moreau’s speech was a testament to the great people in the NHL.  Tim Thomas winning the Vezna was special too.  You could tell what it meant to him and how humbled he was.  A great moment for the Thomas family.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z5Zk0vmb6c&hl=en&fs=1&]

Zdeno Chara winning the Norris trophy last night was a long time coming.  Good for him – I like to think the Ottawa Senators played a large role in his development to be a top player in the NHL.  He’s really stepped up too, since signing with the Boston Bruins.  Unfortunately, as a hardcore Sens fan, Chara represents the single-worst decision made in franchise history.

Comment of the night?  That’s tough.  Tim Thomas had a good line asking Manny Fernandez if he should thank [Mannys] wife.  Gotta love Tim Thomas.  But, for sheer awkwardness, Glenn Anderson’s “is this the Russian awards” line took the cake.  Still don’t know what to say.

Finally, Chaka Khan – Whaaa??  I find it hard to believe the NHL couldn’t get better entertainment.  She sucked, whatever.  It gave me enough time to grab another beer… but overall, a weak awards show to cap off an excellent NHL season.

Stay classy, NHL awards (go back to Toronto next year)

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