image: TSN.ca

It has been almost nine years since the Blue Jackets were added to the NHL and I’m sure this victory was sweet since they were the only active team to have never qualified for the postseason.  They only needed one point to secure the playoff spot.  “To get that one point was huge, to come back after being down 2-0,” Rick Nash said. “To get the win was even more important. We’re going to try to win these last two games to keep our position in the standings. I don’t know if it’s quite sunk in yet. We’re so used to playing out the season.”

There are only four playoff berths remaining but the Blackhawks also need a single point to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2002 (and only its second in 11 seasons).

I’m glad the Calgary Flames traded Kristian Huselius to them because he really had lost his game and it seems like he’s back to playing the way that he should.  Of course, rookie goaltender, Steve Mason, is making a huge impact despite suffering for a while with mononucleosis.  Will he lead this team to the finals in his first year in the NHL the way Cam Ward did for the Carolina Hurricanes?  I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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Gagner has had problems with the ankle all season but expected to feel better after resting over the All-Star break.  When things didn’t improve, he was sent for an MRI.  Whatever it is, it hasn’t kept him from playing – he’s missed just three games, averages 16 minutes of ice time and has posted four goals and 13 assists.

image: TSN

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Now, it’s being reported that the Continental Hockey League suspended four officials today in connection with the death.  “Avangard’s president, general manager and one of its team doctors were suspended indefinitely from positions in the league. Vityaz’s president was also suspended.” 

I was curious about the Vitayz suspension but it turns out they it’s related to the fact that they’ve been accused of improperly organizing medical services at the arena.  Indeed, it took 12 minutes for help to arrive but their defibrillator’s battery had not been charged.  It’s so tragic on so many levels.

I hope that justice will be served in this situation and that the appropriate action is taken to prevent this from happening to another young and rising star.

image: TSN

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Crazy times.  Good to see Sid fired up, though.  McLean said he was surprised to look up and see Crosby swinging at him.  Yeah, I am sure that was a shock!

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• Tampa Bay at Montreal – 7:00 PM
• Carolina at Philadelphia – 7:00 PM
• Nashville at Columbus – 7:00 PM
• NY Islanders at Pittsburgh – 7:30 PM
• Florida at Edmonton – 9:00 PM
• Minnesota at Phoenix – 9:00 PM
• St. Louis at Los Angeles – 10:30 PM
• Anaheim at San Jose – 10:30 PM

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If you are in the area, please stop by the b5media booth.  For registration information, visit the official BWE site.  For information on who is speaking at the conference, click here!

Here is a list of my scheduled presentations.  I hope to see you there!

image credit

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See ya in a week!

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Wow! This is great! The CalgarySun is reporting that Calgary Flames defenceman and James Norris Trophy nominee, Dion Phaneuf, has been announced as the new spokesperson for the EA Sports NHL 09 game. He will therefore, be gracing the cover for the video game on different gaming platforms such as the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.

David Littman, producer of NHL 09, shared why he was more than happy to have Phaneuf as the spokesman. “There are always a lot of options for who we want on our cover, and Phaneuf was a perfect choice for us this year. He was very positive, and he was pretty pumped about being able to be on the cover.”

Known for his hard hits and being one of the top scoring defenceman in the league, Phaneuf seemed perfect as this year’s spokesman, due to the fact that the game will feature more realistic hits and more control over defensive play. New features will also include tutorials geared at learning the game’s controls and general hockey strategies as well.

Read more after the jump!

On a final note, Littman also commented on the fact that Dion Phaneuf is a big fan of the gaming series. “That’s a big part of how we pick our cover athlete. They have to be gamers and have to play the game.”

Other faces of the NHL video games include:

• Eric Lindros (1999)
• Chris Pronger (2000)
• Owen Nolan (2001)
• Mario Lemieux (2002)
• Jarome Iginla (2003)
• Dany Heatley (2004)
• Markus Naslund (2005)
• Vincent Lecavalier (2006)
• Alex Ovechkin (2007)
• Eric Staal (2008).

What do you guys think? Is Dion Phaneuf the right choice for the upcoming NHL 09 game?

image credit to Newscom

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For me, it truly does involve hockey and my big brother, Freddie.  He was always so enthusiastic and, because he was so much older than me, he was able to teach me so much about the game (even though I wasn’t always listening).  One year, I even got a Wayne Gretzky doll (click to enlarge image).  It was perfect because it was the same size as my Barbie dolls so Wayne gave Ken a run for his money with the ladies.  Good ol’ Wayne…

My brother also played hockey and my grandmother and I would sit in the stands and watch him play.  He was so much smaller than the other guys but he was so fast!  This was back in the days before everyone wore helmets and my grandmother would be yelling at the other players to leave Freddie alone (how embarrassing!) but then she’d also be yelling at him to fight back.  Isn’t that how we all feel about hockey?  We want our team to do the hitting but we get all upset when we get pushed around. 

I think I was born in the right city at the right time to be a hockey fan.  The Montreal Canadiens had won the Stanley Cup two years in a row leading up to my birth, then they won in each of my first two years of life and then again in 1986 and 1993.  It was truly incredible and really made hockey so much of my day-to-day life.  Now that I’ve moved to Calgary, I’m hoping they can have similar success but the fan base here is pretty fantastic anyway – now I just support both teams!

I’d love to hear from you – what’s your favorite childhood sports memory (it doesn’t have to include hockey)?

image via Classic Auctions

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MTL:Plekanec, T. (PPG, 07:29 in 3rd), Koivu, S. (PPG, 08:41 in 3rd)

PHI:Upshall, S. (07:04 in 2nd), Richards, M. (SHG, 15:12 in 2nd), Umberger, R. (18:19 in 2nd)

Here are the highlights for that game:

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