Hockey Beat » News

Should Gustavsson Be Allowed To Play?

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:28:35 +0000

Before he made his NHL debut, I was so excited to see what Jonas Gustavsson was going to add to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster (since they need all the help they can get) because I would like to see them become serious competitors. Unfortunately, things haven’t been very easy for the Swedish goaltender.

image: TSN

The netminder was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure after his heart started racing. Apparently, the feeling he got was similar to the problems he experienced during training camp. He underwent a procedure to correct the issue but it is possible that it didn’t work. I’ve had that same procedure done (ablation) and I had to do it three times before it was truly better.

At least head coach Ron Wilson wasn’t taking any chances and he sent the goalie to the hospital and had Joey MacDonald replace him. “I’m not going to be responsible for someone keeling over during a game,” said Wilson. “A game is not that important.”

I completely agree.

So, we’re supposed to have some sort of update tomorrow so I am hoping all will be well and he’ll be cleared to play – safely.

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Vokoun Slashed in Head By Own Teammate

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:07:39 +0000

Once in a while, something happens that is so idiotic, it almost seems fake. This is one of those times. The Florida Panthers took on the Atlanta Thrashers last night and, ultimately, they dropped their fifth game in a row with a final score of 4-3.

image: TSN

Being on a losing streak has got to suck ass but some people just can’t seem to handle the pressure. One example is Keith Ballard. Here’s what happened.

In the first period, Ilya Kovalchuk had a breakaway, took a shot, it rebounded and he found a way to get it past goaltender, Tomas Vokoun. Nothing too surprising, really. What shocked everyone watching the game, however, was the fact that Ballard expressed his frustration by swinging his hockey stick and hitting his own goalie in the head with it.

Some people are saying that he was trying to hit the crossbar but there’s no way that I believe that. If you watch the video (especially from the second angle), you’ll see that Ballard actually moves toward Vokoun and then swings. If he was trying to hit the crossbar, why would he move away from the net? I think he was just pissed that Vokoun gave up that rebound.

The lamest part is that this was during the first period when the team had plenty of time to get things together and Vokoun is tied for first place for shutouts. He’s a good goalie. He didn’t deserve that.

Watch the video. I seriously couldn’t believe it.

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Ovechkin’s Knee-on-Knee Hit Backfires

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:56:08 +0000

Alexander Ovechkin is one of those star players who does sneaky, dirty things but his fans love him so much that they forgive him. You can only get away with that sort of thing for so long before karma comes back and bites you in the ass.

image: TSN

The Washington Capitals player appears to have suffered a right knee injury which will be evaluated overnight. The problem arose from a knee-on-knee collision with Carolina Hurricanes defenceman, Tim Gleason, during the first period.

I know that they are playing it down by saying he’s stiff and sore right now but he had to be helped off the ice after being on the ice for a few minutes. He was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct (for the second time in three games!).

I’m sure the Caps are hoping their cash cow is okay. So far this year, Ovie has 18 goals, 30 points and 44 penalty minutes. You won’t be surprised to learn that he’s leading the team.

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Kiprusoff Shuts Out Struggling Red Wings

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 40 shots on goal to earn his second shutout of the season when the Calgary Flames took on the Detroit Red Wings last night. I’m happy for Kip since I think this is a real confidence booster for him but I do have to make note of the raw deal that was handed to Detroit.

image: TSN

Before you jump all over me, let me just say that I don’t particularly like the Red Wings so I’m not trying to defend their honor or anything. They did, however, put the puck in the net twice, only to have both goals not count.

First, Dan Cleary scored during a power-play at the end of the first but then the ref ruled that he was in the crease. Unfortunately, Cleary was denied a second time when he put the puck behind Kipper just as the ref whistled the play dead.

Weirdness… Again, it’s almost like the rumors about a conspiracy against Detroit are actually true.

Still, I don’t want to take the moment from Kiprusoff who made 32 saves in the first two periods alone. He was really tested and he came up huge for the team. Let’s hope he keeps this going.

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Alexander Ovechkin Ejected From Game

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:42:39 +0000

Alexander Ovechkin got himself ejected from the game against the Buffalo Sabres last night after he delivered a brutal should check to Patrick Kaleta. He got a major and game misconduct in the third and was ejected from a game for the second time in his career.

Ironically, both of the incidents occurred while playing opposite Buffalo at the Verizon Center (last time was after he hit Daniel Briere from behind on December 2, 2006 – almost the exact same time of year too!).

image: TSN

“I just go take a hit and (Kaleta) just fell into the boards. … Max, it’s got to be 2 minutes,” Ovechkin said. Uh huh…

In case you missed it, here’s a video of the hit. Some people want him to get a suspension but I’m not sure it warrants all of that. I think being ejected was good enough but you can decide for yourselves:

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Tim Thomas Out With Broken Hand

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:27:50 +0000

No team wants to lose a player but when it’s the goalie, especially a goaltender like Tim Thomas, it really sucks. I’m sure the Boston Bruins were not thrilled to learn that he had suffered a broken hand but they are hoping that it’s not too serious. I don’t know, though. It’s kind of a big deal for a goalie to have hand issues, isn’t it?

image: TSN

“It’s one of those injuries that we have to allow him to get better,” coach Claude Julien said. “Yet it could be something that could be cured on a day-to-day basis.”

Fortunately, they’ve got promising rookie, Tuukka Rask, to defend the team between the pipes just in case Thomas is out for a bit. Rask started for the fifth straight game against the Minnesota Wild last night. He stopped 28 shots in the 2-1 victory and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the Bruins have won four in a row. I gotta say that Boston is pretty lucky to have two good goalies to choose from which should take some pressure off of the team if Thomas is sidelined.

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Sens Lose Goalie Leclaire to Cheek Fracture

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:06:22 +0000

Goaltender, Pascal Leclaire, will need surgery to fix his fractured cheekbone after being struck in the face by a pick during the team’s win over the Washington Capitals last night. It was such a weird bounce (it hit the glass behind Ottawa’s bench and then hit him in the face) so it pretty much sucks.

image: TSN

He’ll be out of the lineup for about four weeks. No team wants to lose their starting goalie for a month so I’m sure they have high hopes for Brian Elliot who will be replacing him. Mike Brodeur has been brought up from the AHL to serve as a backup.

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Laraque Banned for 5 Games for Kronwall Hit

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:56:27 +0000

Montreal Canadiens trouble maker, Georges Laraque, was allowed to plead his case (even though he phoned it in instead of flying out to meet with them in person) but, ultimately, the NHL has decided that he should be banned for five games after his knee-on-knee collision with Red Wings defenceman Niklas Kronwall over the weekend.

image: TSN

Kronwall will be out for about a month and had to be helped from the ice since he couldn’t put any weight on that left leg. He suffered a significant sprain of the medial collateral ligament. “There is no ACL damage and that’s good news,” Red Wings’ general manager Ken Holland said. “They are saying it’s between a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 sprain; Grade 3 being the most severe. So he’s out a month for sure and beyond that, it depends on how he heals.”

Laraque claims that the collision was unintentional: “There were four refs on the ice and they didn’t call anything. If they called a match penalty it would be different. There was no intent, there was no reason why I would try to go and hurt him. It was a pure accident, that’s why they called it tripping, so I’m not worried at all.”

Judge for yourself. Here’s a video of the hit:

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Latendresse and Pouliot Switch Teams

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:41:23 +0000

The Montreal Canadiens have acquired Benoit Pouliot from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Guillaume Latendresse. The pair of them are pretty comparable in terms of age and goals/assists amassed so far this year so I’m not completely sure why this trade happened.

image: TSN

Latendresse is 22, has scored two goals and recorded one assist. Meanwhile, Pouliot is 23 and has scored two goals and two assists in 14 games this season. “The forwards are two players at the same stage in their careers who were still looking to make a place for themselves with the teams that drafted them,” Canadiens GM Bob Gainey said. “Often times a different environment, new teammates and a new situation can be beneficial for a player.”

We’ll see. Pouliot has been out of commission since suffering an upper body injury on November 13th but is expexted to be back in the lineup sometime in the near future.

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Columbus Puts Dorsett On Injured Reserve

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:44:24 +0000

After getting hit by James Neal last Thursday, Derek Dorsett has been placed on the injured reserve by the Columbus Blue Jackets and it’s unclear when he will return to the lineup.

Neal hit him from behind and got a game misconduct but received a two-game suspension from the league a couple days later. Honestly, I don’t think it was long enough for the hit he delivered (watch it here). I swear the NHL coddles certain players…

Dorsett has one goal and three assists in 18 games this season.

image: TSN

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