Jose Theodore left his team to fly back to Washington for personal reasons.  They take on the New York Rangers tonight and will have Semyon Varlamov between the pipes but have called up Michal Neuvirth from the AHL to serve as a backup.
The Washington Capitals did not elaborate on what is going on with Theodore but, considering how much he’s been through over the years, it really could be anything.   Let’s review:

His dad and brothers pleaded guilty a few years ago on loansharking charges, among other things.
His father-in-law, a well-known Quebec music producer, was convicted on serious child molestation charges
Theo …read more

I’m guessing Markus Naslund didn’t enjoy the retired life since he’s reactivated himself and will be joining Modo, his first pro club.  He seems to be done with the NHL after 15 years so I hope he enjoys himself over in Europe.
It would appear that Peter Forsberg’s announcement about playing for Modo was a motivator for Naslund who said: “I will do anything to get in shape and hope I can add something on the ice, but as everybody understands it’s not just to get on the ice and perform.  I’m really looking forward to play with Modo again and …read more

I have to confess – I didn’t watch most of Battle of the Blades partly out of embarrassment since everyone else in my house thought it was lame and partly because I’ve just been so flipping busy.  Either way, I have been keeping an eye on it since it’s really like Dancing With the Stars but on ice, featuring former hockey players.
Last night, the winner was crowned and, apparently, it was no surprise to the show’s many viewers (it did so well that CBC is ordering up a second season!).

Olympic pairs gold-medalist, Jamie Sale, and ex-Oiler/Hocker Night in Canada commentator, …read more

The Vancouver Canucks have had a rough start to the season after the roster dwindled when star players got injured.  Among them is Daniel Sedin, who has now missed his 17th game with a fractured foot, his first major injury in his nine-year NHL career.

He and his twin brother, Henrik, have spent their careers with the Canucks and have consistently put up almost identical stats so when Daniel got knocked out of the lineup, a lot of people wondered what would happen to Henrik.  They usually work in tandem with Henrik setting up good plays and Daniel scoring but now …read more

As a Calgary Flames fan, I’ve had a really hard time watching goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, go from this incredible talent with so much promise, to a struggling player.  I realize that he was exceptionally good when he joined the team but I never figured it was a fluke.  I also know that he had a hard time with Mike Keenan as the head coach over the past couple seasons since their tension was visibly obvious which is pretty significant considering how reserved Kipper is.

When they announced that Brent Sutter would be coming over from the New Jersey Devils, I was …read more

With Carey Price struggling, Jaroslav Halak has been used as the starting goaltender more than some expected.  I’ve been pretty happy for the backup goaltender since I think he’s got some talent but needs more ice time to develop.  Price has actually been pretty cool about it (I even have wondered if he was being too cool) so I think the fact that Halak’s agent Allan Walsh took a swipe at him on Twitter makes him a douche.

All of this went down after the Montreal Canadiens lost 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.  Walsh decided to do …read more

So far, this season is off to a real sub-standard start for the Detroit Red Wings. They are currently hovering around the 16th spot in the league which is a far cry from the smoking hot start of their twice-in-a-row Stanley Cup Finals the Pittsburgh Penguins (currently #2 behind Colorado).

Tonight, they faced the Toronto Maple Leafs and had their asses handed to them after being beat 5-1.  It was a rough night for Detroit goaltender, Chris Osgood, which only highlighted how stellar Jonas Gustavsson in net for the Leafs.  He made 35 saves and continues to be a major factor …read more

Alexander Ovechkin will be sitting out of the Washington Capitals lineup for the weekend as he recuperates from an upper body injury which he suffered during the overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets last Sunday.

He still leads the league with 14 goals in 14 games and also has nine assists.
I’m sure the Caps, and their fans, are trying not to panic too much but they lost to the New Jersey Devils this past weekend and are now 1-4-0 without Ovie (since the 2005-2006 season).
It was bound to happen, though.  Almost every player has suffered some sort of injury in …read more

Shane O’Brien strikes again.  He’s hot-tempered and I think he gets into more penalty trouble than he should and this is no exception.  The NHL has suspended the Vancouver Canucks defenceman after his stick made contact with New York Rangers player, Sean Avery, while they were both seated on the bench.
A melee had broken out between the teams and it was just one of many scrums that happened as a result but you, obviously, cannot hit someone while you’re on the bench.   O’Brien will miss Thursday’s game at Minnesota but will be eligible to return on Friday at Dallas.
Here’s a …read more

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without forward, Kristian Huselius, for at least a week after he got injured during practice.  He’s been placed on the injured reserve list retroactively as of November 3, 2009.
While his game has not quite been on fire, he is off to a fairly decent start having scored five goals and posting four assists in the 13 games he’s played.  Last year, he notched up 56 points.
I think that Huselius is a really great player so I’m sure they will miss him.  While he was on the Calgary Flames roster, he did well at first …read more