Some of you may be experiencing playback issues of the podcast on the site, it will sound all distorted. Some computers seem to not be effected by the problem, but if you are one of the ones who is, click subscribe and let it download to iTunes. If you let it play off iTunes, it works.

I apologize for the inconvenience. We are working on getting it resolved as quickly as possible.

Greg Balloch

EDIT: This problem seems to be affecting users of Mozilla Firefox more so than users of other browsers. It may be due to a certain add-on that I will try to find out. If it doesn’t work, try a different browser.

Tags: podcast

Mike Smith of the Tampa Bay Lightning got into it a little bit last night in New York with forward Aaron Voros. Something must have been said or done that I’m not aware of, because Smith laid into Voros quite a bit:

I wonder if it has anything to do with Voros lighting up netminders all year long so far (5 goals in the first 8 games of the year).

I have no idea why a Lightning player didn’t step in and fight Voros, you shouldn’t let your goalie go at it with a player like that, especially an agitator like Voros who you know is going to come right back at him. He could have easily broken a hand, or been kicked out of the game. That’s not something you want to happen to your star netminder.

Another interesting thing is how the linesmen broke it up right away. Both of them clearly wanted to fight, and there was no advantage to either side yet (although Smith did land a beauty uppercut, as you probably saw). Let them go at it some more! I understand you’re looking out for their safety, but they should have let it go on until one of them had the clear advantage.

Some entertaining stuff nevertheless.

EDIT: Now Rangers coach Tom Renney wants Smith suspended. Hah, nice try. Almost as nice a try as trying to get compensation for prospect Alexei Cherepanov’s death. Disgusting.

Tags: aaron voros, fight, goalie, mike smith, new york rangers, tampa bay lightning

Earlier this week Nick Kypreos had a little bet going with Blue Jays Catcher and Sportsnet playoff baseball analyst Gregg Zaun. Zaun believed that even though he had only skated twice before in his life, he could stop Nick Kypreos in a shootout. He figured that he already wears the helmet, and hurls his body at 100+ MPH projectiles, so why not give it a shot. Kypreos bet Zaun that he could score 10 out of 10 shots on him, and this was the result:

Haha, looks like ol’ Zaunie gets the last laugh. Hockey isn’t as easy as it looks, eh? Even help from CuJo couldn’t save him. Turns out they may actually do the rematch on Zaun’s turf. It may be Kypreos having to block a fastball in the dirt, or trying to steal off Zaun. Great stuff from the crew at Sportsnet!

Tags: baseball, blue jays, funny, gregg zaun, nick kypreos, shootout, sportsnet

Yes, they are.

It’s a story that won’t take long to develop. The emergence of the league’s most storied franchise is undeniable and their stacked roster will only strengthen as the year’s progress.

Right off the bat, let’s take a look at the Habs’ depth chart:

Position

Left Wing: A. Kostitsyn A. Tanguay S. Kostitsyn T. Kostopoulos

Center: T. Plekanec S. Koivu R. Lang M. Lapierre

Right Wing: A. Kovalev C. Higgins G. Latendresse G. Laraque

Defenseman: A. Markov M. Komisarek R. Hamrlik F. Bouillon J. Gorges R. O’Byrne

Goaltender: C. Price J. Halak

Let’s start with their strongest asset — goaltending. Stability and dominance will reign between the pipes in Montreal for the foreseeable future. Why you ask? Carey Price. The 21-year old AHL Calder Cup MVP didn’t take long to find his place among the mass of the NHL. In his first season, Price registered a remarkable .920 SV%, a 2.56 GAA, 3 SO and a 24-12-3 record in 41 games played. His poise and composure was so impressive that GM Bob Gainey opted to trade goaltender Cristobal Huet, sending him to the Washington Capitals for a 2nd-rnd pick. Price then took the starting role and never looked back, leading the Montreal Canadiens into the Stanley Cup Playoffs — where they would eventually fall to the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. For a goaltender so young — age 25 is the usual age for a goaltender to break into the league — Price had a spectacular rookie season. With more experience and added pressure, Price could now become the Habs’ catalyst for the entire season, showing the NHL only glimpses of his dominance that is surely to come.

Upfront the Habs boast an impressive group as well, one that uses their speed and transition game to overcome their opponents. While the Habs lack a superstar forward, they contain a balanced group to round out four solid lines. Statically, Alexei Kovalev stands as the Habs top player, serving as their sniper and one of their many leaders. At 34, he will continue to lead the group, prolonging his chemistry with Tomas Plekanec and countryman Andrei Kostitsyn. While captain Saku Koivu’s production appears to be dwindling, his character and leadership will never diminish. On a young team like the Canadiens, Koivu’s determination and fiery attitude will benefit the team for years to come.

Taking a look at the Habs’ depth chart above, it’s easy to see how their offensive attack will get more lethal as the young guns mature, and considering they scored 257 goals last season (ranked 1st overall on the PP), that’s reason enough to be feared. Perhaps the most promising of their young forwards though is Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec broke-out last season with 29 goals and 69 points, ranking 2nd overall on the Habs in points. Among other talented young forwards include the Kostitsyn brothers (Andrei and Sergei), who many are hoping will bring a similar dimension to what the Sedin brothers bring in Vancouver. While not on the team as it stands, the talented Max Pacioretty is expected to bring some size and grit to a Habs club that is still in need of it upfront. It’s not unrealistic to expect the young powerforward to find his place on the team this season, barring injuries or poor play from the regulars.

Defensively, the Habs are among the strongest in the league. They contain a strong defense core that brings size, skill and speed. They own one of the best offensive defenseman in the league with Andrei Markov and he’s proven that he knows his way in his own end as well. They also have one of the better defensive defenseman in the league with Mike Komisarek. The young, aggressive, stay-at-home defender ranked 1st overall in blocked shots last season and was 2nd in the hits department. To round out the D, Josh Gorges, Roman Hamrlik, Ryan O’Byrne and Francis Bouillon are present, giving the Habs a lethal mix of offensive and defensive capabilities.

Going to the Pittsburgh Penguins comparison, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that the Habs will be in a better position than the powerful Pens. While both teams display strong rosters, the Habs have the upper hand in one crucial aspect; it’s what makes the world go around — money. Looking ahead to the ‘09/10 season, the Pens have US$ 41.3M tied up on 11 players, leaving 14 left to be signed (6 RFA’s and 8 UFA’s). Among that group are Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan, Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal, Hal Gill, and others. It’ll be a challenge to sustain the same core for the future, and the Pens will probably have to weaken in order to fit under the NHL Salary Cap.

The Habs also have 14 players to sign for the ‘09/10 season (10 UFA’s and 4 RFA’s), but only have US$ 23.3M invested in their returning players. That leaves a whopping US$ 33.4M for the Habs to spend on players like Tanguay, Koivu, Kovalev, Lang, Komisarek, Plekanec, and others. Even with Plekanec, Higgins and Komisarek due for raises, the Habs can easily manage to contain their core while staying under the Cap.

That’s not to say the Pens will fall from grace or anything, with players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the charge, their destined for greatness. With that said, however, the Eastern Conference has a new sheriff in town, and it’s the Montreal Canadiens.

That’s right, it’s coming. We will be recording our first episode on Friday, so I hope to have it up later that night. Make sure you listen in to all the hockey talk! We’ll just be recapping the hockey news of the week, adding our personal opinions and humour. It is going to be a weekly thing, so make sure you subscribe on iTunes. You can do that by clicking “Subscribe Free” on the right hand side of this page.

I encourage you to send in e-mail questions to everythinghockey (at) gmail (dot) com. If you want to hear us talk about a certain thing, send it in.

Thanks, hope to see you around!

Preseason has concluded for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After 9 games of juggling line-ups and testing their young guns, the Leafs have finished with a 2-6-1 record. However, this blog does not have the objective to bash the Leafs and bring the fan base to a heaving sigh. Instead, let’s take a different approach. Let’s go into the season with our heads high. Let’s go into the season with an optimistic state of mind. Let’s go into the season to watch some hockey!

These warm-up sessions have long been a deceiving affair. That’s not to say the Leafs won’t struggle like they have these past few weeks, but putting too much merit into these match-ups would be a mistake. After all, the intensity that engulfs the game of hockey is toned down in preseason. This alone affects the flow of the game, ultimately altering the final outcome.

Another important factor to consider is the Leafs’ revamped line-up. Nearly half the roster is new faces, so chemistry has yet to be established at a comfortable level. That, and the Leafs are considerably younger than years past, so some adjusting may be in need.

While in the end goaltender Vesa Toskala will be praising his new defense, he too, like the rest of the club, is going to have to adjust to the new defensive system put in place by head coach Ron Wilson. At first glimpse, the Leafs appear to have learnt nothing, but a pattern has been followed throughout the past few weeks. One that has fought with the franchise many times in the past, and that is 3rd period collapses. When the Leafs learn to contain leads, they will change their fortunes dramatically. If the Leafs were graded after 2 periods of play, consistency would describe them more often than not. However, things aren’t that simple for the 41-year Cup-less franchise, so some work will have to be done by Wilson and co.

Instead of moping over the possibility of an Ottawa Senators playoff quality team, let’s go into the season with our minds open. If Wilson could sell the defensive system to the players, the playoffs are not a far cry. Achieving the fallow goal wouldn’t snub the rebuilding plan either, as some valuable experience would be had from the wide-range of youngsters.

On the other hand, a season full of L’s on the calendar would assure a quality prospect in a draft pool that is expected to be strong. This would further to the new era of promising youngsters that is beginning to re-ignite this fallen club.
No matter what the outcome, some interesting stories will be developing throughout the course of this season. And no matter what hardships the Leafs endure, it’s refreshing to see a legitimate rebuilding plan in motion.

Let’s enjoy this season, not only because it’s hockey, but because it’s a new page for a franchise in dire need of one.

Tags: etc., hockey, Leafs, preseason, Wilson

Twenty-nine teams had a shot a a top-tier goaltender, who won the Stanley Cup no less than 4 seasons ago, and every single one passed on him. Now that doesn’t mean the twenty-nine teams thought they wouldn’t improve if they took Nikolai Khabibulin, there are about 5 teams I can name off the top of my head that would benefit greatly from the addition of Khabibulin (*cough Nashville,Ottawa,Detroit,Boston,Colorado *cough*). Sure, if you force the Blackhawks to release Khabibulin then you can reduce the hefty price tag of 6.75 Million, but then he’ll be free to sign anywhere he wants. If you’re a struggling team, then don’t bet on him coming your way.

My explantion is that General Managers are afraid of taking risks. Mis-managing the cap can lead to tough decisions, and may cost them their job.

Although the addition of Khabibulin may boost the club’s talent level, GMs aren’t willing to sacrifice that much money under the cap. They would rather take the risk and sign him on an open market, or trade for him, dumping some salary in return. We’ve seen this time and time again, with both big and small name players.

Where will Khabby end up? That’s yet to be seen. Hopefully it’s somewhere where they need him, as it was clear he wasn’t needed in Chicago. I’m just hoping the place doesn’t end up being Russia. He is far too talented to let go. He left once before during a salary dispute, in the 1999-2000 season, so I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate leaving now.

To the twenty-nine General Managers in the league who can get Khabibulin, do it! Get him! He’s well worth the risk!

Tags: blackhawks, chicago, goaltending, khabibulin, waivers

It’s time for Ponikarovsky to step up.

No more excuses. The now-Canadian citizen is going to have display his talent and prove to the Leafs why he should rejoin them in the long-term. The six-foot-four, 220 pound sniper has shown glimpses of being top-six forward quality, but that’s as far as he goes before falling back into inconsistency.

In Ponikarovsky, the Leafs have a solid two-way player who has above average skating abilities and can snipe the puck with deadly precision. While he has a big frame, ‘Poni’ tends to be a little soft at times, taking his size for granted. If he’d be able to finish his scoring chances more often (he misses a lot), he could potentially become a 30-goal scorer.

While he was no stranger to the first line, Ponikarovsky only averaged 15:57 of ice-time last season. If he could find chemistry with Antropov again, he could spend a lot of time on the first-line and PP. In order to become a legitimate threat though, he’ll have to find the consistency he’s been lacking in his NHL career so far.

Much like teammate Alexander Steen, Ponikarovsky is often discussed in terms of potential. Now 28, it’s time for him to realize his upside and become a staple on the Leafs’ offensive attack. On a rebuilding club like the Leafs, it’ll be up to players like him to lead the charge and set an example. He’s had time on the top-line before so it’s not as if he’s new to the pressure that resides with Toronto. However, he hasn’t posted dominant numbers in his past few years with the Leafs.

Ponikarovsky’s last three seasons in the NHL:

2005-06: 81 21 17 38 68 +15

2006-07: 71 21 24 45 63 +8

2007-08: 66 18 17 35 36 +3

For a player who has often been called upon for playing with former-Leaf Mats Sundin (notice the “former”, I refuse to bring bad vibes and make him re-sign here), these point totals are simply not good enough. If he improves on finishing plays, however, Ponikarovsky could find his niche as a 25-goal, 50-point player who can contribute to the PK, but Wilson has some work ahead of him in order for this to happen. In any case, that’s the kind of player you want on a rebuilding team (or any team for that matter).

Of course, Ponikarovsky is not alone in this boat. In fact, nearly half of the Leafs’ current roster are underachievers who are being depended on to step it up in a big way.

Some work is in order, but if they can find their drive, the Leafs could surprise. There’s no time like the present, make your stamp or suffer (enjoy) the fate that players like Tucker and Wellwood shared.

As always, it’ll be an interesting season in Leaf Nation.

Fearless prediction: Ponikarovsky posts career numbers and finishes with 23 goals and 53 points.