Nordiques to Invade Islanders Game

Quebec has always been a hub for hockey. Many of the greatest players in hockey history have come out of the province. "Rocket" Richard, Patrick Roy, just to name a few. And the province of Quebec has a professional hockey team, the NHL's most successful franchise, in the Montreal Canadians. But there was once another. The Quebec Nordiques. The team was losing money and moved to Colorado in the mid-1990's and became the Avalanche, leaving a strong following or Nordiquers behind. But now, with a few clubs struggling with money and attendance, thoughts are popping up of relocation. There are quite a few markets open such as Winnipeg, Hartford, and, of course, Quebec. Winnipeg has not done much to garner interest, but Hartford and Quebec have. Hartford's AHL team recently changed names to the Connecticut Whale, in homage to the old Hartford Whalers, which is still, arguably, the NHL's most popular franchise, selling more merchandise than any other EXISTING team. Quebec is showing their support in another way. The Nordiques fan club, Nordiques Nation, is setting up a trip to invade tonights game between the New York Islanders and the Atlanta Thrashers, two struggling clubs. Plus, with the NHL's headquarters in New York, they are sure to get the attention of the league.  According to tsn.ca, "Fans have purchased about 500 seats behind each net. At the 15-minute mark of each period, the fans will cheer for 30 seconds to mark the 15-year anniversary of losing the Nordiques." This show of support is sure to get the NHL thinking, so sit back and grab a Quebec pizza (pop-tart and ketchup) and see if this immense show of Nordiques patriotism has an effect, and I sure think it will.


- Ryan McDermott

Sean Avery: Gutless Puke? Or Secret Weapon?

All around NHL fan boards, the subject of Sean Avery comes up. Avery has been up to a lot lately. The incident with Smid, throwing punches at Kennedy while they were on the ground among others. With the Smid incident, Avery was challenged to fight because of a clean hit, allegedly said no, then went on to give Smid a concussion with a vicious shot to the head. This was not a sucker punch. All the Avery haters are obviously going to say it was, but, was it really. Players like Matt Cooke and Carcillo and McSorley and Chris Simon are true sucker punch artists. But Avery? He was challenged and even though he turned down the fight, he was face to face with Smid. They both dropped gloves and Avery got there first. I have even asked numerous Avery-haters and even they believe it was not a sucker punch. Then there was his fight with Tyler Kennedy Monday night. It was a spirited scrap. Kennedy fell at the end and Avery throwing, but why? From the looks of the video, Kennedy threw a shot first from the ground. But I still dont think Avery should've kept throwing. A bigger person would have said forget it and would have obeyed the code. But Avery being Avery was not going to take that. So where should Avery be placed? Is he a cheap shot? He has gotten better. Years ago, Avery was on that list with Simon and Cooke. But he has been playing cleaner hockey and scoring points. So no I would not call him a cheap shot. But he certainly is an agitator. All of this talk about him? He is getting to your head. And that is exactly what he wants you to do.

-Ryan McDermott

Near Wreckage for Weekes

Our staff here at LateNiteLockerRoom would like to give out a great thanks too the good lord for sparing the life of nhl goalie turned broadcaster, Kevin Weekes.
Thanks to an alert and active Edmonton crew, the black anchorman was able to walk away from the scene unscratched.
Had the Rexall Place workers alarmed the oblivious broadcasting duo a split second later, results could have been catastrophic.
The near horrific incident can be seen here.



-Jim Farley

Connecticut Whale. Pass or Fail?

For many years, the New York Rangers' AHL affiliate has been the Hartford Wolfpack. But the true Connecticut hockey fan knows the only hockey team in Hartford should be the now-defunct Whalers. The Whalers have long been a part of NHL history and is the fan favorite vintage jersey sold according to NHL.com. But with the Whalers gone, how could younger fans experience the sensation that was the Whalers? Well, Howard Baldwin, CEO of Whalers Sports and Entertainment and former Whalers owner, has brought it back. The Hartford Wolfpack are now the Connecticut Whale. The new name and jersey debuted on November 26th to a crowd of 13,000+. The jerseys are green and blue with white accents like the old Whalers jersey. So pass or fail? Well the jerseys are absolutely incredible. One of the best in the AHL I'd say. But the name? And the logo? The name is a sure fail. The team was not called the Whalers to save it in case they become a NHL franchise again. Which is unlikely. And the logo looks like something out of a child's cartoon. Not very tough. But lets be thankful. It could be a lot worse and it is sure good to see green and blue back in Hartford. Overall I say the Whale is a pass. Now let's see if the team can help them turn their dismal season around.

-Ryan McDermott

Brodeur trade? NO, shutup!

Trade rumors are a popular and effective marketing strategy to help bring in more visitors and follows too their website/blog.

Although there are in fact a few reliable sources who actually do get the inside scoop, the majority is nothing more then sun roasting bull's shit.

If you came across Brodeur trade rumors then be sure too unfavorite that site from your web browser and never return again.

Marty Brodeur is not going anywhere via trade as he will continue to ride out the end of his contract into the spring of 2012. The end of Brodeur's career in NJ is more likely to end from the 2012 apocalypse then a trade.

If Marty was to in fact finish his career with another team, it would be with his hometown team, the Montreal Canadians. 

But expect the same look in net for NJ for another full season after this year, and don't be surprised if he's not re-inked in the garden state after that. Or even on ice for that matter.

-Jim Farley

Is 50 in 50 a possibility?

Young Steven Stamkos has been lighting the lamp recently at a rate of just under a goal a game. Through 24 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stamkos has amassed 21 goals. He is 3 goals behind the magical number of 1 goal a game, but a few multi-goal games are a definite possibility. The last time this rare and incredible feat was done was in the 1991-1992 season when Brett Hull netted 50 in 50. With Stamkos' current pace I really believe he can do this. Players like Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are the best point scorers in the league, but Stamkos is by far the best pure goal scorer. Nobody is netting them faster or with more style. Even The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, has said he believes Stamkos can make this dream a reality and not only that, but he wants to be there to witness it. I think Stamkos is what the league and the Lightning organization have lacked. Recently, especially over the lockout year, the league has tried numerous ways to have more goals scored per game. They did things like make goalie equipment smaller and get rid of the two line pass rule (which was completely useless anyway) but what they really needed was another pure
sniper to put those pucks in the oven. And the Lightning have needed anyone to bolster up their goal scoring. In previous years Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier have been producing league leading amounts of points. But the one problem was that they had way more assists than goals. Do not get me wrong they had a solid amount of goals, but nothing outstanding. That's where Stamkos comes in. His superior goal scoring ability feeds of the work of St. Louis and Lecavalier. With combinations like this be ready for Stamkos to stay atop the NHL goal stat. And look for him to score 50 goals in 50 games.

-Ryan McDermott

fantasy hockey helper: deal the hot meal!

Whether you're playing in a fantasy league for big bucks, or bragging rights against friends; I'm sure there is that one weak link who's hockey knowledge is very limited. This guy is your target for a trade you won't regret.
Mathieu Garon, a prime example of a low status player riding one hell of a hot streak that most likely will drop cold as quick as it heated up.
Just look at Brent Johnson; distinct backup to start the season with Pittsburgh, propels team to key victories all while Fleury fails to perform and has the Pens dropping games. With all star stats to start the season for Brent, many analysis's argued a reverse in the starting position in the steel city.
Had you have picked Johnson up during that time and put him up on the trading block, you had high hopes of reeling in a proven player.
Glance over at the status of Johnson now and although you'll see great numbers up still, Fleury has also gotten back into his groove leaving no question in Head Coach Dan Bylsma's head but to stick with his man Marc-Andre as the starter, setting Johnson back too the bench for the majority of the Pen's games.
Garon, now in a similar situation as backup goalie behind Steve Mason of Columbus likely won't pull ahead of Steve who is now getting back into his groove as well.
But too that weak link in need of a goalie, .950 save%, 1.33 gaa, and 6 wins in 7 starts (3 in which are shutouts) can certainly win you over a solid steal offensively.
That is of course if you decide not too keep this guy on reserve for yourself. Wow, those sure are legit numbers from a backup!


-Jim Farley

inside the Devil's early season woes

What a big summer it was for media coverage in New Jersey this year. With accusations of the powerful center Jason Arnott, the hard hitting/shot blocking Anton Volchenkov, the solid stay at home defenseman Henrik Tallinder, and of course the $100 million dollar man, Ilya Kovalchuk on top of an already strong New Jersey team. On paper this roster certainly stands out as one of the best offensive units ever brought together by Lou, heck many even predicted this 2010-11 Devils team as a top contender for the Stanley Cup.
There was no wonder why Downfall in NJ was not a headline during the anxious awaiting for the start of another NHL season, but it certainly became more and more of a concern as losses shockingly began to pile up landing NJ in the basement of the league joining teams like the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, and Toronto Maple Leafs after 20+ games into the season.
So we all surprisingly know where the Devils stand, but many are baffled as to why they're there. Yes, thats right, the New Jersey Devils. How in the world are they in struggling to win? John Maclean? No.
When questions need answers, and a team that is supposed to contend for the cup now needs a miraculous turn around to even make the playoffs; the easy thing to do is to blame and fire the coach. For many fans who want these answers they are quick to blame the coach faster then anyone else. Why? I dont Know. I don't know many fans who have access inside the Devil's locker room, but I do think many fans would like to believe a quick change up in the coaching staff will magically turn things around and have their team comfortably back in the playoffs as opposed to accepting the fact the problem is deeper then that.
John Maclean is backed up by a proven winner in Larry Robinson at the assistant coach position as well as Adam Oates, who put up all-star numbers throughout his NHL career. The staff is loaded with men who know the game as good as anyone else. If there was in fact a coaching problem you can be sure Lou would have already been on that change up, as Lamoriello is not a patient man when it comes to losing.
Although I do believe Johnny Mac is far from losing his job, I would argue against some of his line combinations. With a struggling offense of just 45 goals scored thru 24 games (dead last in league), there is obvious struggle in finding offensive chemistry. Which is the reason I wonder why we did not see more of the Parise, Zajac, and Langenbrunner unit playing together. That combo was a very well cycling line who fed off eachothers hard work down low in the corners. Although they didn't always produce the prettiest goals, the keyword is there was goals and lots of them from that line.
It's now unfortunate the Maclean does not have the option of even reuniting that line as injury has plagued the Devils from the opening gate of the season. Brian Rolston missing the first 15 games, Langenbrunner currently needing rest from an awkward hit into the boards, Bryce Salvador all season- concussion (yes he is still apart of the organization), Zach Parise out until February with knee complications, and Martin Brodeur with a reoccurring aggravated elbow bruise (is old age setting in?).
Without forgetting the salary cap issues to start the season where even then Maclean could not coach a full roster for a game. It really would be without insight for someone to blame this on coaching.
"The first thing you learn is that you come out of these slumps in steps," Hitchcock said in a recent interview. "To come out of these dips, it's not an immediate process. It's a gradual process"


Although an unusual and excessive amount of rookies are having to be played due to these injuries, there is still without a doubt enough talent to get past these woes. The Devils players need too dig deep and find motivation within not anyone but themselves.  A big win over Philly Saturday afternoon is a good start, but they MUST START TO CONSISTENTLY BUILD ON THESE VICTORIES. 
A big plus also goes out to Kovalchuk who finally started to flash the brilliance we all knew he had on Saturday. The guy is doing all he can and he took a big step (8 quality shots) to get back on track even though he was held pointless in his most recent game. How NJ comes out to build on their defeat over arguably the most complete team in the Flyers will be a big indication of where NJ will right the ship.  


-Jim Farley

Hank is Back

Yesterday the Rangers walked away with a shootout win against the Predators. The most important thing for the Rangers from this win is the return of Lundqvist's play. A stellar performance by the Swede helped lift the Rangers to victory in this low scoring battle. There were only two regulation-time goals scored so the game went to overtime where the game remained deadlocked. Come shootout time, Lundqvist looked ready to go and proved it by stopping all three Nashville attempts. For the past week or two, Martin Biron, the definitive back up goaltender for the Rangers was getting called on to start. He put up impressive numbers as King Henrik sat on the bench and watched. But, after getting the nod for Nashville, Lundqvist looked determined to prove to coach John Tortarella that he was ready to back in between the pipes. And prove it he did. Lundqvist is a clear leader for the Rangers and his play affects his teammates. Expect the Rangers to take momentum into Mondays home game against the Pens. It should be good to be home after the long road trip.