Fantasy Hockey 101: Wrath Of Experts

I heard a rumor that a lot of the experts were taking their lumps the first few weeks, including yours truly. But FUNK THAT!!! Get the cider chilled and let's get ready to roll here. It was a very good week for me in particular...amazing but hey it happens. That is why we savor these when we can because you never know when its going to all go in the crapper!!What Went Right This WeekJarome Iginla (CGY) -- 5 goals, 2 assists this weekJS Giguere (ANA) -- 3 wins and a happy fantasy owner here.Martin Brodeur (NJ) -- only 1 win but shutouts help.Ryan Miller (BUF) -- Continuing to roll along for BuffaloZach Parise (NJ) -- Keeps on scoring..delighting owners.What Went Wrong This WeekMarty Turco (DAL) -- Umm...still sputtering at best!Ed Jovanovski (PHX) -- Still no points!!!Steven Stamkos (TB) -- Still haven't seen him!Pascal Leclaire (CBJ) -- Injured again!!!!Rick DiPietro (NYI) -- Still feelin pain in lower body!Quick Recap!In what was a very solid week for many of my friends and I, I really did learn a key thing about some of my teams. They may be even better than expected. Though Martin Brodeur did falter against Philly this weekend...it was a very nice week overall. JS Giguere has now won four straight by the way...stopping all but two against Columbus tonight. Henrik Lundqvist is still winning folks as he won his 7th tonight over the New York Islanders. I have managed to climb into the top 3 in 4 of my 5 points leagues. And I even found a way to win in Darryl Houston Smith's Fantasy Hockey Facts League. Not too shabby....hopefully my team can get healthy. I saw so many experts do really well this week. Rick is rolling along not only in the Fantasy Hockey Facts league but several others as well. I believe is also doing extremely well in the LSHL with a team that has even bigger potential. Look out for the co-host....he has practically hand drafted several fantasy teams and is highly sought after for fantasy advice. That is truthfully the highest compliment I can pay for any expert.Lastly I wanted to thank folks like Darryl Houston Smith, Kevin from Full Access, Ben Ice from RotoExperts, and so many others for all their fantasy help throughout the early season. Who knows we may be seeing these guys on the podcasts in the near future. Stay tuned!!!Source

"Do you have these Manolo Blahniks in a Florida Panthers?"

I just got back from a little downtime in New York. It was the first vacation I've had in nearly two years, although sometimes when the need arises I just let Greener's calls bounce straight to voicemail - it's like a week in Hawaii.The main purpose of the trip was to take in a Yankees game before the closing of the old ballpark, but the weekend had a decided hockey flavor to it, courtesy of a few stops while trolling around Manhattan.The girlfriend wanted to stop off in the NBC gift shop in Rockefeller Center, looking for a little merch to scratch her Brian Williams itch (see: weird crushes on news anchors). While exploring the huge multi-level store, my ears were drawn to a raucous sound coming from downstairs. I turned to see a battery of television sets with...hockey?!?!? Oh yeah. Now THIS is the on NBC!Don't try and tell me hockey isn't thriving in America...in a stairwell...behind a rack of Fear Factor onesies. I pulled myself away from the continuous loop of six highlights from 2006, and we headed out back to the streets.I was on my third ice-blended lemonade and green tea, when we accidentally stumbled across the store on 47th. Normally I'm not a big fan of buying hockey apparel, as most of it is hideously designed and just about unwearable outside the confines of your local hip-hop video shoot. But this was the store in Manhattan, and who doesn't love paying $44 for a 100% cotton Oilers t-shirt? Not me apparently. Upon entering, I was immediately bombarded by an advert for the's already passe showcase:I get it. It's a hockey game outside. It's cold. It's also the only game NBC will telecast this season until the Stanley Cup Finals. I think I made my feelings about the Winter Classic pretty clear in the latest podcast - which you should all be downloading on to your iPhones and rocking to on the way to work.I browsed for a bit and two things became readily apparent: 1) I was going to need an equity loan to pay for this stuff, and 2) there seemed to be some correlation between the amount of available merchandise and the crapness of the team. I have no statistical evidence to back that up, I'm just wondering if I really need all 3 versions of the Columbus Blue Jackets fridge magnet, ya know?After spotting a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs Reebok's, I thought to myself, " Greener might like those." Plus they seemed like something that would go well with whatever was on the cover of this months FHM, or Stuff, or whatever other softcore "mens" magazine is spread across his mail-order coffee table. So being the good friend that I am, I called to ask his shoe size which garnered a wholly ungrateful response. That turned out to be a blessing because now I had more money to spend on Norte. By the way ladies, Greener's shoe size is five - make of that what you will.After snapping up a few items and measuring myself against the Alex Ovechkin height chart, I overheard the following conversation between a customer and sales girl:Customer: "Why you ain't got the new Steve Stamkos (pronouncing it staymkoss) jersey?"Girl: "Who?"Customer: "Staymkoss"Girl: "Who is that?"Customer: "He's supposed to be the next Gretzky. I seen him play in Canada (no he didn't). He's okay."Girl: "Just okay? Well if it's just 'okay' you're looking for, I've got a bunch of these left!"Tambellini and BowmanA couple hours later, we got back to the apartment where I soon heard that the Oilers had hired Steve Tambellini to be their new GM. Initially I was shocked, but was put at ease somewhat when I learned that it was more of move to reduce the workload on a drained Kevin Lowe. This essentially expands the front office personnel, and moves the Oil towards a management team setup, which has become the rage these days. Lowe will become the Director of Hockey Operations and will still have the final say on all hockey related decisions. While many people are happy that the hire is a change from the the "old boys club" that the Oilers have been accused of being, its worth noting that Tambellini worked extensively with Lowe and MacTavish with Team Canada. So there is a level of comfort and a history there. It's always positive to get a fresh mind, with different ideas and different contacts from another organization, but there is some question as to what exactly Tambellini's influence was with the Canucks. After all, Vancouver is an organization that doesn't have a history of great success. Without really knowing what he did, it's hard to analyze the move using anything other than his reputation within hockey circles which, by all accounts, is very good. I trust Kevin Lowe. He's rebuilt the Oilers faster than I expected and assembled what looks like a good team (on paper) this off-season. It will be interesting to see when and what kind of personal stamp Tambellini will, or is allowed to, put on this team. As for Scotty Bowman bolting to the Chicago Blackhawks, it's an interesting move to say the least. I think some Leafs fans might see this as a snub, but really this is Bowman's M.O. He's not a builder. In football you have a guy like Bill Parcells who loves nothing more than the challenge of taking over a last place team and turning them into winners. But Bowman has always preferred to take the path of least (or less) resistance. If you look at the places he's gone in his career, the only "step down" he took was when he left Montreal for Buffalo in 1979. Otherwise Bowman has made a habit of choosing just the right situation with burgeoning teams and legitimate Cup contenders: Montreal (from St. Louis), Pittsburgh, Detroit, and now the Hawks, a team that appears close to contending themselves. That's no knock on Bowman. He's a great hockey mind and, without question, the greatest coach of all-time. But just once, it would have been nice to see build a team from the ground up. Late MailI would be remiss if I didn't give a long overdue mention to the Edmonton Sun. It appears the headline writers over at our favorite tabloid are already in mid-season form. A few weeks back, Shawn Horcoff's 6 year, $33 million contract extension produced this headline gem: "Shawn of the Bread."Oh it hurts.Source

Happy 21st, Sid!!!

In honor of Sidney's big day, I created a collage of 21 significant moments in Sid's life so far. Because trying to caption this collage would be a complete nightmare, each singular image is linked to its individual explanation below the photo. Enjoy!!!Here's looking at you, Kid!!! (Click for a super-sized view.)Awww! It's baby Sidney Patrick!!!Siddo started to learn how to play hockey at age two.As a pre-teen, buzz about his talent quickly began to build and by age 7, Sid was already doing media interviews.Sid was selected first overall in the midget draft by QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic.Sid helped Team Canada win the World Junior Championship in 2005!Sid is shown on the day that the Penguins won the 2005 draft lottery.Of course the Pens used that number one overall pick to choose The Kid!Sid visited Jay Leno after being picked by the Pens.Sid hits the ice for his firstnhl game. The Pens fell to the New Jersey Devils on 10-05-05 (L 1-5).Sidney recorded his firstnhl assist in the third period of his firstnhl game.But he had to wait until the second period of his third game to score his firstnhl goal on 10-08-05 in a game against the Boston Bruins (L 6-7 OT).To Sid: Sláinte mhaith!!! Have this "drink" on us!Sid took his first trip to the All Star games in 2007.Sidney's first trip to the playoffs didn't end well. In 2007, the Ottawa Senators eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 1 in just 5 games.It wasn't all bad though - just a few weeks later, Sid was awarded the Art Ross, Pearson, and Hart trophies for the 2006-07 season.On May 31, 2007, Crosby became the youngest captain innhl history.The following month, he unveiled his clothing line with Reebok.His first season as captain saw his firstnhl fight. It was widely considered a draw when he went toe to toe with Andrew Ference on 12-20-07. The Pens beat the Bruins (W 5-4 SO).Sidney (and I!) rang in 2008 with an outdoor game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, New York......but 17 days later he suffered his first career (major) injury. He missed a total of 29 games as a result of a high ankle sprain.He was back in time to lead the Pens to the top spot in the Eastern Conference.Sidney suffered the disappointment of a lifetime after the Detroit Red Wings beat the Pens for the Stanley Cup in 6 games.Here's to 21 more healthy, productive, Stanley Cup-filled years as a Penguin for Sid! ;) Now let's take a look at the Saint's hockey mug shots through the past 5 years. (FYI - This is the first animated GIF I've ever created in GIMP, so please excuse the fact that the photos appear to be somewhat pixelated. It wasn't intentional, but I didn't have time to play around with it to fix it.)Predictably TSCS's Quote of The Day comes from the man himself:"For me to look far ahead would be a lot of years wasted, and a lot of time and work wasted... I've done the same thing since I was six -- try to get better and have fun playing hockey."Source

Old School Sid

Before we get started, I wanted to make you all aware of a slight (yet significant) change I made this morning to the layout of The Show: The Archives section was getting a little long, so I threw it into a drop down menu box. Now it only takes up one line! :) The menu is located at the very end of the blogroll on the right underneath the site's stats counters.Good Friend of The Show Narmeen A. sent in the inspiration for today's title: she took her copy of Reader's Digest Canada from October 2005 and scanned in the pages for us so we can read it! Click the scans to enlarge them for supersized views.Friend of The Show Jordan L. sent me an email that said, "I was driving on I95 between Baltimore and Washington DC on Tuesday and saw this. It’s supposed to say 1-800-GO-PENSKE:"Sweet!Time now for a Roaming Penguin update! Sidney Penguin has taken quite a long trip for the third leg of his world tour. He left Omaha and headed to Buffalo, NY - the site of one of the bigger moments in his namesake's life:While in Buffalo, he stopped by Friend Blankiegreen520's house:Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Penguin has departed Nashville and landed in Dubois, Pa......where Friend Terri A. snapped a picture of MAP "with his major league counterpart's jersey:"And now I leave you with TSCS's Quote of The Day:"It was my first move as the coach. I knew the kid and what he'd been through since he was 13, 14 years old. It was going to be his team at some point down the road anyway, and I thought he was ready to start handling the responsibility."~ Head Coach Michel Therrien, on his decision to name an 18-year-old Siddo as an Alternate Captain of the Pens on December 16, 2005 - just two months after the Saint's first/nhl game. (If you'll recall, the move drew tons of criticism from many, including fashion plate Don Cherry.)Many, many thanks go out to Narmeen for scanning her magazine for us, to Jordan for sharing her truck photo, to Blankiegreen520 & Terri for sending in their Roaming Penguin pictures, and to Friend Jan M. for pointing out the article with today's quote.Source

'91 series was no classic

I've developed a new Sunday night tradition on my DVR -- going through the upcoming week's listings on the Network to see what classic games are going to be shown. Starting Monday night at 9 and running several more times this week on "Classic Series" is the Sabres' six-game loss to the Canadiens in the opening round of the 1991 playoffs. Now, frankly, that wasn't a classic series in my eyes (but it's all about what they have video from). Wouldn't we rather see the memorable 1973 first-rounder vs. the Habs? The '75 semifinals that got the Sabres to the brink of the Cup for the first time? I'd even take the '93 sweep at the hands of the eventual Cup champion Habs, all 4-3 losses and three in overtime. And the best memory against the Habs in the playoffs has to be the '98 sweep, including Michael Peca's double-OT goal in Game Three. The '91 series that we'll see was a six-game defeat. The first five were all won by the home team with Russ Courtnall's OT goal in Game Five at the Forum turning out to be the backbreaker. The Habs wrapped things up with a 5-1 win in Game Six at the Aud. Things degenerated late in that one with a skirmish that ended like most did back in the day -- with Rob Ray shirtless. Check it out below.Source

The word on the preseason

I was surprised to learn the Sabres' season-ticket package included the Minnesota preseason game on Sept. 28 but not the Toronto game on Sept. 27. Guess they figured lots of those tickets would get bought up anyway, but isn't that an open invitation for the building to be filled with preseason Laffheads? That said, if you don't include the Minnesota game in the package, how many people would really pay for an exhibition against them? Thought so. Tickets for both games go on sale Sept. 3 at discounted prices of $20-$45 (and tickets for kids are half-price at all levels). Seems like a pretty good deal on all counts. There's an incredible -- and I would say well-deserved -- disdain for NFL preseason games among a large segment of fans. But I don't get a similar sense aboutnhl exhibitions. So are you planning on taking up the Sabres on their offer of cut-rate hockey? ---Mike HarringtonSource

All-Time LA Kings Hockey Team, '91-Present

Here's an idea we had kicked around a few months ago that I'm just getting to now. Hey, you get what you pay for. Anyway, we here at Battle of California thought it'd be fun to comprise a all-time all-star team for your enjoyment and also because we're bored. Obviously it'd be unfair if I were allowed to choose from the entire history of the Kings, so it was decided that I would only select from the creation of the San Jose Sharks franchise in 1991. What you'll see is an eclectic mix of Hall of Famers, flashes in the pan, and guys that are inexplicably etched in my memory. If you don't agree with my list then, you know, fuck off.(Thanks to Hockey-Reference.com, which I'm seriously thinking about making my home page.)Offense1st Line:Luc Robitaille-Wayne Gretzky-Jari KurriLuc Robitaille is the greatest King in the history of the team and obviously belongs on the 1st line. Wayne is 4th all-time in Kings' points and has the highest points per game total in team history (1.70). Jari Kurri was only on the team for a little while and wasn't as great as he was in Edmonton, but he played a great two-way game and was a leader on the ice. He was my 2nd favorite forward from those early '90s Kings teams, behind someone else that'll make an appearance later.2nd Line:Ziggy Palffy-Jason Allison- Adam DeadmarshThe LAPD line was only really together for one season, in 2001-2002. Though they were never healthy together for a long period of time, they managed to tally 195 points as a line and were 1-2-3 in scoring on that team.* It's crazy to think that those three comprised one of the best lines in hockey in 2002 and by 2004 they were pretty much done asers. When people declare Dave Taylor's tenure as Kings GM a failure they usually neglect to reference that point.*4th? Jaroslav Modry. Hockey is weird.3rd Line:Alexander Frolov-Anze Kopitar-Tony GranatoIt's weird to think about, but Alexander Frolov has been on the team for 5 seasons now. He's the last link the Kings have to the playoffs, and for that he earns a spot on this list. Kopitar is there mostly because the Kings haven't had good luck with centers in the past 2 decades. (Seriously, who was I supposed to put here, Josef Stumpel?) I imagine he'll actually earn his way onto this list before too long. Tony Granato was my favorite forward growing up, mostly because he was a huge asshole and had a nice shot. I know, he sticked that one guy in the head, but I thought that was hilarious so it's okay. Plus, he's related to Ray Ferraro and I don't think Ray would allow that if he didn't think Granato was cool.4th Line:Ian Laperriere-Dave Taylor-Gary ShuchukIf hockey goons were The Brothers Karamazov, Ian Laperriere would Alyosha. That doesn't make sense, but it makes me sound smart, doesn't it? Dave Taylor wasn't a great player by the early '90s, but he's still Dave Taylor and he would provide invaluable leadership to my imaginary team. I've always had a strange affinity for Gary Shuchuk that I can't explain and I'd appreciate it if you respected my right to privacy.DefenseRob Blake-Matty NorstromRob Blake may be a horrible bastard that enjoys kicking sand in children's faces but he's still the best defenseman during this time period and he would've gotten more recognition in the late-90s if he hadn't been on those horrible, horrible Kings teams. Matty Norstrom embodies what you'd want your kid to play like when he or she were out on the ice. Hell, he's how I want to be when I grow up.Marty McSorley-Lubomir VisnovskyMarty probably doesn't belong here because he probably caused more harm than good, but I'll be damned if he didn't scare the shit out of people when he was on the ice. Lubo was a solider that blossomed into an elite player in the New. Hopefully he can recover his game in Edmonton and make their All-Time team.Alexei Zhitnik-Mark HardyZhitnik was special for 2 reasons: he was the 2nd best defenseman in a core of young players that the Kings had during the early to mid-90s, and he was the subject of the one of the worst trades in Kings history. Zhitnik was traded with Robb Stauber and Charlie Huddy for Grant Fuhr, Denis Tsygurov and Philippe Boucher. Fuhr would play 14 games for the Kings, accumulating a 4.04 GAA and a Cloutier-esque .876 save percentage, while Zhitnik would go on to be a key contributor to a Sabres team that went to the Finals. Mark Hardy did this:GoaltendingKelly HrudeyFelix PotvinFuck what other people say, the fact is that Kelly Hrudey had the longest tenure of any goaltender on the Kings and wasn't that bad. Felix Potvin had the best peak of any Kings' goaltender, posting a team-best 2.35 GAA and a .906 save percentage. I had a Felix the Cat shirt during the Kings' run in 2001 and wore it to school throughout that period. I was beaten mercilessly.So there you go. I'm throwing down the gauntlet to Sleek, O'Brien and the San Jose Clan: come up with your own all-time team that can beat mine. I can't wait to hear how Paul Kariya and Owen Nolan are somehow good.Source

Sakic is back

Patrick Kane's idol will come back for one more season. Colorado Avalanche star Joe Sakic has announced he'll come back for a 20th season after spending most of the summer mulling retirement. Class act. Great player. The Sabres will see him Oct. 25 in the Pepsi Center, the site of some political meeting this week. Plenty of comments in the story from Sakic's agent, Winnipeg-based Don Baizley. He's also the agent for Teppo Numminen. Now the hockey world awaits a decision from Mats Sundin. (Yawn.) ---Mike Harrington (Photo: Associated Press)Source

Stuuuuuuuuu heads behind the bench

More news out of Dallas: Former Sabres captain Stu Barnes has announced his retirement after a 16-year career and will trade in his Stars jersey for a job as an assistant coach with the team. The chants of "Stuuuuuuuuuu" were a big part of the atmosphere in HSBC Arena during the '99 Cup run and as the team continued through the playoffs at the start of this decade. Widely considered one of the best guys to come through the locker room, Barnes scored Buffalo's only goal in the Game Three and Game Six losses to the Stars. He also scored huge overtime goals during the 2000 playoff loss to Philadelphia and the 2001 seven-game defeat to Pittsburgh. Here's Barnes' Game Five OT winner against the Penguins in 2001. Cool. ---Mike HarringtonSource

Stu Barnes to retire, become assistant coach

The Stars announced today that Stu Barnes will retire as a player and become an assistant coach with the team. He'll get a two-year deal, and the team also will announce two-year contract extensions for associate coach Rick Wilson and assistant coach Mark Lamb. Barnes will take Ulf Dahlen's place in the mix, but he will definitely have a less prominent role -- which might, in a strange way, be a good thing for the Stars. Dahlen (who this season will be the head coach for Frolunda in Sweden) very much wanted to play a big role on the Stars, and would often leave the press box during a game to come down to the bench in the third period. That probably put too many voices on the bench for the players. Barnes will stay in the press box and learn the role of assistant. He is expected to go to Traverse City for the prospects tournament Sept. 13-17 and hang out with the front office and the scouts and learn how to "see a game'' from the stands. That's tougher than it sounds for a player, because it takes some getting used to when you've been on the ice your entire career. Barnes says he is clear of concussion symptoms that ended his season, but that he really hasn't pushed himself to get his heart rate where it needed to be for him to play again. He said he will probably push harder during the season just to see if the symptoms come back. But right now, he's feeling good and ready to take the next step. Here's a link to a great tribute video on him on www.dallasstars.com Here's the press release: FRISCO, Tex. - The Dallas Stars announced today that center Stu Barnes has announced his retirement from the National Hockey League after a 16-year career, and has signed a two-year contract to join the Stars' coaching staff as an assistant coach. In addition, the club announced two-year contract extensions for Associate Coach Rick Wilson and Assistant Coach Mark Lamb, whose contracts were set to expire after the 2008-09 season and will now reach through 2010-11. "We congratulate Stu on an outstanding playing career and we are very excited that he will now join our coaching staff," said Co-General Manager Les Jackson. "Stu was a consummate professional on and off the ice throughout his career, and was the type of player who always exhibited the qualities you would associate with a future coach. Stu will be an excellent addition to our staff, which we feel is among the best in the league. Rick (Wilson) has played a major role in building the Stars franchise into the perennial contender that it is today. We believe Mark Lamb is one of the top young assistants in the game and a major asset to our organization." "I was truly fortunate to play as long as I did, and I knew this was the time for me to wrap up my playing days," said Barnes. "A great opportunity to become an assistant coach was presented to me by the Stars, and I look forward to making that transition and learning a new part of the game." Barnes, 37, collected 597 career.nhl points (261 goals, 336 assists) in 1,136.nhl games with the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. He also skated in 116 career Stanley Cup Playoff games over 12 postseasons, notching 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points and reaching the Cup Final twice (Buffalo, 1999; Florida, 1996). The 5-11, 182-pound center was acquired via trade by Dallas on March 10, 2003, in exchange for Mike Ryan and a second-round draft pick, and in 329 total games with the Stars, recorded 120 points (53 goals and 67 assists). He added 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 38 Stanley Cup Playoff games with Dallas. The native of Spruce Grove, Alta., was originally selected by Winnipeg in the first round (No. 4 overall) of the 1989 Entry Draft. He had a stellar career with the Tri-City Americans in the Western Hockey League, and currently co-owns that club with his junior teammate, goaltender Olaf Kolzig. Barnes was named the WHL's Most Valuable Player in 1988-89, when he posted 144 points (52 goals, 92 assists) in 63 games. Wilson, 58, is set to enter his sixth season as associate coach for the club, and his 16th season with the Stars organization, dating back to the club's days as the Minnesota North Stars. As a member of the Stars coaching staff, he has been a part of seven division titles, two Western Conference crowns, two Presidents' Trophies and the 1999 Stanley Cup championship. Wilson's main coaching focus lies with the team's defensemen, as well as the penalty kill, which ranked second in the.nhl last season (85.5%). The native of Prince Albert, Sask., served as head coach in 32 games with Dallas during the 2000-01 season, leading the club to a 13-11-8 mark after Ken Hitchcock was dismissed. Prior to joining the Stars, Wilson worked as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Team Canada and his alma mater, the University of North Dakota. He was also head coach and general manager for Prince Albert in the WHL, and led the Raiders to the 1985 Memorial Cup championship. Lamb, 44, begins his sixth season as assistant coach for the Stars, with his primary focus on the club's forwards and power play. Lamb helped guide Dallas to Pacific Division titles in 2002-03 and 2005-06. Prior to joining the Stars, Lamb served as a development coach with Edmonton for two seasons, managing the development of players throughout the Oilers organization. Lamb was a key member of Edmonton's 1990 Stanley Cup championship club, recording 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 22 postseason games that season en route to the Cup. Lamb skated in 403 career.nhl games with Calgary, Detroit, Edmonton, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal, tallying 46 goals and 100 assists for 146 points. Source