Thursday, April 18, 2013
#ThruwayPuck Episode 2
In the second episode(2 makes it official right?) Dan and Otto pay respects to those impacted by the tragedies in Boston and Texas. Then move on to the current NHL standings, AHL standings, the playoff picture, potential of an AHL team in Utica, and many other topics. Be sure to take a listen on ITunes and subscribe to be notified of any updates automatically!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
#ThruwayPuck - Episode 1
In the premier episode of the Thruway Puck podcast, Dan and Otto hit on many subjects including and intro of who they are, some rule changes the, playoff picture, and more.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Exciting Times for Atlanta Braves' Fans
It's an exciting time to be a fan of the Atlanta Braves! While the team didn't send retiring franchise cornerstone Chipper Jones off into the sunset with a Championship banner after losing in the joke of a "one game playoff", they did adjust (improve) their roster during the winter. The most obvious and most talked about additions to the roster were the signing of B.J. Upton and then trading for his younger brother Justin from the Arizona Diamondbacks. While BJ is not a franchise player (though his contract is the largest in franchise history) he is what the team needed at the time. A right handed OF who could hit in between the left handed hitters that made up the middle of the order. But what the signing also did, was give the team an even better reason to go after Justin. Now I'm not saying that GM Frank Wren wouldn't have made the trade for Justin without signing BJ first, but I am saying that it probably made it impossible for him to resist pursuing it.
What could be the biggest addition not necessarily for this season but for the future is the emergence of Evan Gattis. With a story similar to Josh Hamilton's (drug abuse, rehab, out of baseball, etc..) he has gone from 25 year old no name camp invitee, to (at least while All-Star Brian McCann is on the DL) starting catcher and middle of the order bat. In my opinion, his emergence if it can be sustained might allow the Braves to part ways with McCann when he is set to become a free agent this winter. As a McCann jersey owner, I don't really want this to happen but with everything being about money and it being somewhat scarce in ATL I can see the Braves letting McCann go and using the money to keep it's young stars like hitters Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, and closer Craig Kimbrel. All of them are going to be due for raises if things go well, and keeping Gattis on the cheap could go a long way in making that possible.
Finally, and probably the most important thing for me personally is that the trade for Justin Upton was in my opinion a swing for the fences. Sure, it has/had the possibility to backfire in their faces, one or more of the prospects they gave up could turn out to be All-Stars for the D-Backs (Otto sure hopes so) and Upton could fail to produce at the level he has the potential to. But at the same time (and so far this season) it could be the move that puts the Braves in contention for years to come. Upton has started the season on a tear and has carried them to a 7-1 start. Wren could have stayed put and possibly made the playoffs as a wild card here and there with the team he had but this move goes for the gusto and says that "simply making the playoffs isn't enough." As a fan here in WNY who suffers through year after year of the Bills and Sabres accepting mediocrity and just going with the flow it was very refreshing.
I know that it is early and that the baseball season is 162 games long with a lots of twists and turns, but as of right now I am officially excited to be a Braves' fan.
What could be the biggest addition not necessarily for this season but for the future is the emergence of Evan Gattis. With a story similar to Josh Hamilton's (drug abuse, rehab, out of baseball, etc..) he has gone from 25 year old no name camp invitee, to (at least while All-Star Brian McCann is on the DL) starting catcher and middle of the order bat. In my opinion, his emergence if it can be sustained might allow the Braves to part ways with McCann when he is set to become a free agent this winter. As a McCann jersey owner, I don't really want this to happen but with everything being about money and it being somewhat scarce in ATL I can see the Braves letting McCann go and using the money to keep it's young stars like hitters Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, and closer Craig Kimbrel. All of them are going to be due for raises if things go well, and keeping Gattis on the cheap could go a long way in making that possible.
Finally, and probably the most important thing for me personally is that the trade for Justin Upton was in my opinion a swing for the fences. Sure, it has/had the possibility to backfire in their faces, one or more of the prospects they gave up could turn out to be All-Stars for the D-Backs (Otto sure hopes so) and Upton could fail to produce at the level he has the potential to. But at the same time (and so far this season) it could be the move that puts the Braves in contention for years to come. Upton has started the season on a tear and has carried them to a 7-1 start. Wren could have stayed put and possibly made the playoffs as a wild card here and there with the team he had but this move goes for the gusto and says that "simply making the playoffs isn't enough." As a fan here in WNY who suffers through year after year of the Bills and Sabres accepting mediocrity and just going with the flow it was very refreshing.
I know that it is early and that the baseball season is 162 games long with a lots of twists and turns, but as of right now I am officially excited to be a Braves' fan.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A vent 2+ years in the making...
Just to be clear before I start, I never want to see a player get hurt in a hockey game and do believe there needs to be more respect within the game itself to prevent injuries from happening.
That being said...
With all of the suspensions and injuries resulting from boarding/checking from behind in recent years, I fully believe that the guy being hit needs to take on some of this responsibility. Every one of these guys in the NHL knows the game they play, playing for twenty years prior to making it to the the show tends to do this.
My biggest complaint is on plays that typically occur when a defensive player is flowing behind his net with a fore checker in pursuit. The guy will check over his shoulder to see where the pressure is and then, even after seeing it, inexplicably try to turn toward the boards to change direction. The speed of today's game leaves the pursuer no where to go except into the back of the guy with the puck. 99% of the time the guy with the puck goes into the boards head first, and the opponent goes to the box or locker room for an extended period.
While it will never happen for in game situations, I would like to see the actions of the guy being hit taken into account on the call. The change is happening when it comes to suspensions, hits where the blame is equally shared tend to lead to lesser suspensions. This certainly helps, especially since the game is too fast for officials to determine what happened, they have to err on the side of caution and make the call for five even if its not entirely the fault of the guy throwing the check.
There are plenty of situations where the checker is the one to blame, just type in a search for hit from behind, you'll find hundreds of examples. But, there is no excuse for why plays like the above mentioned need to happen. The player puts their own safety in jeopardy in order to give their team an advantage. All it takes is two more strides and a pass or chip off the glass and play continues without any issues. I have a hard time feeling bad for you if you line yourself up to be hit on purpose and end up being hurt as a result. Be smart, help avoid the danger, make the smart play and clean up the game.
That being said...
With all of the suspensions and injuries resulting from boarding/checking from behind in recent years, I fully believe that the guy being hit needs to take on some of this responsibility. Every one of these guys in the NHL knows the game they play, playing for twenty years prior to making it to the the show tends to do this.
My biggest complaint is on plays that typically occur when a defensive player is flowing behind his net with a fore checker in pursuit. The guy will check over his shoulder to see where the pressure is and then, even after seeing it, inexplicably try to turn toward the boards to change direction. The speed of today's game leaves the pursuer no where to go except into the back of the guy with the puck. 99% of the time the guy with the puck goes into the boards head first, and the opponent goes to the box or locker room for an extended period.
While it will never happen for in game situations, I would like to see the actions of the guy being hit taken into account on the call. The change is happening when it comes to suspensions, hits where the blame is equally shared tend to lead to lesser suspensions. This certainly helps, especially since the game is too fast for officials to determine what happened, they have to err on the side of caution and make the call for five even if its not entirely the fault of the guy throwing the check.
There are plenty of situations where the checker is the one to blame, just type in a search for hit from behind, you'll find hundreds of examples. But, there is no excuse for why plays like the above mentioned need to happen. The player puts their own safety in jeopardy in order to give their team an advantage. All it takes is two more strides and a pass or chip off the glass and play continues without any issues. I have a hard time feeling bad for you if you line yourself up to be hit on purpose and end up being hurt as a result. Be smart, help avoid the danger, make the smart play and clean up the game.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
3rd Round Results, Championship Picks and Results
Ok so I slacked off pretty well and never did get my pick written up in article form but they did go up on twitter before game one. Here we go:
3rd Round Results
Otto
1-1 (9-5)
Misses: Rangers,
Dan
1-1 (7-7)
Misses: Rangers
Josh
2-0 (6-8)
Misses: None
Stanley Cup Finals Picks/Recap:
Going into the series I believed that if the Kings were going to roll, they were going to do so with defense and goaltending. Although they had gotten some offensive support early in the playoffs, it wasn't substantial and it had begun to fade as the playoffs progressed. We also knew that the Devils had the magic of Marty going for them as well as enough offensive weapons to allow them to stay in games, if they show up. Josh picked the Kings in 5, Dan and I took them in 6.
Well the Kings got the goaltending that they have grown to be so accustomed to, and the offense dug down and found a way to start scoring some goals. The Kings took games 1 through 3 in a row, looking confident while doing so. Games one and two went to overtime in NJ then game three in LA the Kings rolled, 4-0. Game 4 seemed to offer a bit of a letdown for the Kings, NJ took advantage and got a win to take the series back to NJ. After another win at home, the intrigue was beginning to grow, could the Devils sweep through the back half of the series as quickly as the Kings did the front half? Well a five minute span in the first period took away any of that notion as the Kings went up 3-0. They didn't let off the gas, adding another in the second period, as well as an empty netter followed by a strange looking one with only seconds remaining. The Kings only surrendered 1 goal against which came late in the third while they were up 4 to 1.
The Cup came to LA, 45 years after the teams inaugural season, they were Stanley Cup Champions. Congratulations to the LA Kings on an incredible run both through the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
4th Round Results & Final Standings
Otto
1-0 (10-5)
Picked the games correct
Dan
1-0 (8-7)
Picked the games correct
Josh
1-0 (7-8)
Missed the games by 1
Other Notes - Hockey season is officially over for about a period of 4 months. Although I am not the biggest NHL fan the idea of this isn't fun. I love being able to flip on the TV and catch a few minutes of whatever game might be on. I really with the IIHF tournament was after the NHL playoffs, not only so all of the players could play if they wanted but so that it could get more exposure.
I don't want to hear anything about the "controversial" hit that "cost the Devils the game." The theory is that if the boarding call was made earlier in the play the whistle would have blown and the hit by Bernier never would have happened. The fact is hockey is what it is. The officials missed a call on the previous hit, but its part of the game. Bernier went full speed from the blue line and crushed Scudieri from behind. While I may hate it when a defense man puts his back to the player coming and intentionally turns his face to the boards, it doesn't change the fact that you can't hit him, especially going full speed. The no call dd not cause the penalty.
Another complaint was the "pick" the linesman "set" on the first Kings goal. They officials are part of the game, they get in the way more often then they do not, especially with 4 of them on the ice. Fortunately for most they are not as noticeable as the poor guy that not leveled and then stuck in the face by the Devils defense man. The pick itself did not score the goal for the Kings, in fact Marty made a nice save on the following shot. The Devils had several chances to force a turnover and get the puck out before the goal was scored. It is a rough thing to have happen but don't try to tell me it was all the officials fault.
One last point, the the announcers and media in general, when you interview a guy who just one the cup, is a hockey player in general, and who only wants to go celebrate with his teammates; don't expect him to be worried about what is inappropriate to say on TV at the time. He really doesn't want to be doing your interview as it is. I saw lots of feedback on the F bombs that were dropped and couldn't help but think that the people asking the questions set themselves up by not being more prepared.
3rd Round Results
Otto
1-1 (9-5)
Misses: Rangers,
Dan
1-1 (7-7)
Misses: Rangers
Josh
2-0 (6-8)
Misses: None
Stanley Cup Finals Picks/Recap:
Going into the series I believed that if the Kings were going to roll, they were going to do so with defense and goaltending. Although they had gotten some offensive support early in the playoffs, it wasn't substantial and it had begun to fade as the playoffs progressed. We also knew that the Devils had the magic of Marty going for them as well as enough offensive weapons to allow them to stay in games, if they show up. Josh picked the Kings in 5, Dan and I took them in 6.
Well the Kings got the goaltending that they have grown to be so accustomed to, and the offense dug down and found a way to start scoring some goals. The Kings took games 1 through 3 in a row, looking confident while doing so. Games one and two went to overtime in NJ then game three in LA the Kings rolled, 4-0. Game 4 seemed to offer a bit of a letdown for the Kings, NJ took advantage and got a win to take the series back to NJ. After another win at home, the intrigue was beginning to grow, could the Devils sweep through the back half of the series as quickly as the Kings did the front half? Well a five minute span in the first period took away any of that notion as the Kings went up 3-0. They didn't let off the gas, adding another in the second period, as well as an empty netter followed by a strange looking one with only seconds remaining. The Kings only surrendered 1 goal against which came late in the third while they were up 4 to 1.
The Cup came to LA, 45 years after the teams inaugural season, they were Stanley Cup Champions. Congratulations to the LA Kings on an incredible run both through the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
4th Round Results & Final Standings
Otto
1-0 (10-5)
Picked the games correct
Dan
1-0 (8-7)
Picked the games correct
Josh
1-0 (7-8)
Missed the games by 1
Other Notes - Hockey season is officially over for about a period of 4 months. Although I am not the biggest NHL fan the idea of this isn't fun. I love being able to flip on the TV and catch a few minutes of whatever game might be on. I really with the IIHF tournament was after the NHL playoffs, not only so all of the players could play if they wanted but so that it could get more exposure.
I don't want to hear anything about the "controversial" hit that "cost the Devils the game." The theory is that if the boarding call was made earlier in the play the whistle would have blown and the hit by Bernier never would have happened. The fact is hockey is what it is. The officials missed a call on the previous hit, but its part of the game. Bernier went full speed from the blue line and crushed Scudieri from behind. While I may hate it when a defense man puts his back to the player coming and intentionally turns his face to the boards, it doesn't change the fact that you can't hit him, especially going full speed. The no call dd not cause the penalty.
Another complaint was the "pick" the linesman "set" on the first Kings goal. They officials are part of the game, they get in the way more often then they do not, especially with 4 of them on the ice. Fortunately for most they are not as noticeable as the poor guy that not leveled and then stuck in the face by the Devils defense man. The pick itself did not score the goal for the Kings, in fact Marty made a nice save on the following shot. The Devils had several chances to force a turnover and get the puck out before the goal was scored. It is a rough thing to have happen but don't try to tell me it was all the officials fault.
One last point, the the announcers and media in general, when you interview a guy who just one the cup, is a hockey player in general, and who only wants to go celebrate with his teammates; don't expect him to be worried about what is inappropriate to say on TV at the time. He really doesn't want to be doing your interview as it is. I saw lots of feedback on the F bombs that were dropped and couldn't help but think that the people asking the questions set themselves up by not being more prepared.
Monday, May 14, 2012
NHL Playoffs - 2nd Round Wrap Up and 3rd Round Picks
2nd Round Results
Otto
3-1 (8-4)
Misses: Nashville,
Dan
2-2 (6-6)
Misses: Nashville, Philadelphia
Josh
1-3 (4-8)
Misses: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis
3rd Round Picks
Eastern Conference
#1 New York vs #6 New Jersey
To me this entire series hinges on game one. The Devils got a couple days extra rest while the Rangers had to grind out the full 7 games against the Capitals. Quieting the MSG crowd in game one would give the Devils some momentum going home no matter what happened in game 2. However if the Rangers take game one they set themselves up to be able to grind out another series. The goalending match up should be outstanding. A rejuvenated Marty against an always solid King Henry. I think the Rangers take game one and hold on in a back and forth series. I see another game seven coming in MSG, a place that just doesn't want to see their teams season end. Rangers in 7.
Western Conference
#3 Phoenix vs #8 Los Angeles
Well here is what we know: Mike Smith is real good, Phoenix is taking advantage of the home ice advantage, and the west played far fewer games than the east this round. Oh, I forgot to mention; Johnathan Quick is making real good goalies look average, the Kings can win anywhere (they are 8-1 in the playoffs), and simply they don't care what you think of them.
For the second round in a row the Kings walked through the highest remaining seed in the playoffs. The are using a balanced attack of outstanding goal tending and scoring enough goals to take the pressure off of the keeper. Not many people would have seen this #8 seed making it all the way to the conference finals.
For as much of a surprise has the Kings have been the 'Yotes have been just as much. No one expected much from this three seed who only got the spot from playing in a weak division. After 5 ot games out of 6 in the first round, they only played one in this round, of course winning it.
Originally I was afraid that the layoff would hurt the kings, however with Phoenix closing out the series the next day they have the same wait before the match up begins. I think the balanced attack of the Kings is going to outdo the Coyotes. The lack of consistent firepower will finally catch up, I'll take the Kings in 6.
Otto
3-1 (8-4)
Misses: Nashville,
Dan
2-2 (6-6)
Misses: Nashville, Philadelphia
Josh
1-3 (4-8)
Misses: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis
3rd Round Picks
Eastern Conference
#1 New York vs #6 New Jersey
To me this entire series hinges on game one. The Devils got a couple days extra rest while the Rangers had to grind out the full 7 games against the Capitals. Quieting the MSG crowd in game one would give the Devils some momentum going home no matter what happened in game 2. However if the Rangers take game one they set themselves up to be able to grind out another series. The goalending match up should be outstanding. A rejuvenated Marty against an always solid King Henry. I think the Rangers take game one and hold on in a back and forth series. I see another game seven coming in MSG, a place that just doesn't want to see their teams season end. Rangers in 7.
Western Conference
#3 Phoenix vs #8 Los Angeles
Well here is what we know: Mike Smith is real good, Phoenix is taking advantage of the home ice advantage, and the west played far fewer games than the east this round. Oh, I forgot to mention; Johnathan Quick is making real good goalies look average, the Kings can win anywhere (they are 8-1 in the playoffs), and simply they don't care what you think of them.
For the second round in a row the Kings walked through the highest remaining seed in the playoffs. The are using a balanced attack of outstanding goal tending and scoring enough goals to take the pressure off of the keeper. Not many people would have seen this #8 seed making it all the way to the conference finals.
For as much of a surprise has the Kings have been the 'Yotes have been just as much. No one expected much from this three seed who only got the spot from playing in a weak division. After 5 ot games out of 6 in the first round, they only played one in this round, of course winning it.
Originally I was afraid that the layoff would hurt the kings, however with Phoenix closing out the series the next day they have the same wait before the match up begins. I think the balanced attack of the Kings is going to outdo the Coyotes. The lack of consistent firepower will finally catch up, I'll take the Kings in 6.
Conference Finals
LA over PHX in 6
Like I said before round 2. The Kings who knocked off the top seeded Canucks are now the favorites in my book. Plus, I just realized that they or the Rangers have to win the Cup because they are the only two teams left that started their season in Europe. (The last few cup winners have all started that season overseas). Dustin Brown (Captain America West) is fighting his teammate Jonathan Quick for Conn Smythe favorite.
NYR over NJ in 7
The Rangers just seem to not get rattled by being tied (having King Henry will do that) late in games. The blue shirts keep it simple and seem to get a goal whenever they need it. Ryan Callahan (Captain America East) is leading the charge emotionally and Brad Richards is continuing to take over as a clutch performer from Chris Drury.
Like I said before round 2. The Kings who knocked off the top seeded Canucks are now the favorites in my book. Plus, I just realized that they or the Rangers have to win the Cup because they are the only two teams left that started their season in Europe. (The last few cup winners have all started that season overseas). Dustin Brown (Captain America West) is fighting his teammate Jonathan Quick for Conn Smythe favorite.
NYR over NJ in 7
The Rangers just seem to not get rattled by being tied (having King Henry will do that) late in games. The blue shirts keep it simple and seem to get a goal whenever they need it. Ryan Callahan (Captain America East) is leading the charge emotionally and Brad Richards is continuing to take over as a clutch performer from Chris Drury.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)