Steven Stamkos Penalty Shot - Wow!

NHL Plays of the Night 12/30/10

50 Goals in 39 Games

Today in 1981 Wayne Gretzky did the unthinkable, he scored his 50th goal of the regular season in only the 39th game.
He also set a record with the most 4 goal games in a season, he had 4 by this point, the last 2 in back to back games.
The way the game is played today this will never happen again, this was truly incredible.

Darryl Sutter resigns

Darryl Sutter resigns, Jay Feaster new GM of Calgary Flames - NHL - SI.com

NHL Plays of the Night 12/27/10

2010-2011 World Junior Championships

Boxing Day 2010 brings the start of the annual Ice Hockey World Junior Championships.
This year's host city is Buffalo, New York.

HSBC Arena will be host to all of the Group A games and final round, while Dwyer Arena will have the majority of the Group B and all elimination round games.

Today, December 26th, Group A has Germany vs Switzerland at 1230 eastern and USA vs Finland at 8pm (seen on the NHL Network).
Group B will also have 2 games today with Russia vs Canada at 4pm (NHL Network) and Norway vs Sweden also at 4pm in Dwyer Arena.

See the complete schedule of games by clicking this link

Plays of the Night

Plays of the Night for 12/23/2010

Penguins @ Capitals 12/23/10

A preview of the Winter Classic and if they play like this again it will be a classic!

Today in Hockey History - The NHL Begins

1917 - The first games of the new National Hockey League were played on this day. Five teams made up the league: Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers.

The National Hockey Association had suspended operations on November 22nd and the NHL was formed as its replacement.

Joe Malone scored five goals in a 7–4 victory for the Canadiens over the Senators on opening night; he finished the 1917–18 season with 44 goals in 20 games.

24/7 Pens/Caps: Episode 1

The entire first episode of the 24/7 the Penguins and Capitals - The Road to the Winter Classic.

good stuff!!!

Islanders WIN!

Islanders beat Ducks 3-2 for 2nd win in 22 games

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- After a long string of losses, one win wasn't about to leave the New York Islanders giddy.

P.A. Parenteau, Blake Comeau and Matt Moulson scored in a 99-second span and New York won for only the second time in 22 games, beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Thursday night.

Rick DiPietro stopped 30 shots for the Islanders, who had lost six straight. DiPietro has both wins for New York in the last 22 games. The other was a 2-0 victory Nov. 26 over the New Jersey Devils .

"It's good that we won, but we're not happy," DiPietro said. "When we win 10 in a row, then we'll be a bit happy."

Joffrey Lupul and Jason Blake scored for the Ducks, who were coming off an overtime win the night before in Washington.

Curtis McElhinney started in net for Anaheim and allowed three goals on 12 shots. Jonas Hiller came on in relief and made 17 saves.

"Tonight, things were tough around here," Blake said. "We have to forget about it and move on."

The Islanders did something unusual in the first period - they scored three times.

During a back-and-forth period, Parenteau put New York up 1-0 on a power-play snap shot at 15:06. Just 28 seconds later, Comeau ripped a shot past McElhinney. And 71 seconds after that, Moulson made it 3-0 on a backhander for his team-leading 11th goal.

That was the end of the night for McElhinney.

Anaheim got on the board at 10:35 of the second period when Lupul sneaked one in on a power play. Blake, a former Islander, made it 3-2 when he put a rebound past DiPietro 90 seconds into the third.

"Nothing surprises me," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We played a great first period and then we had to hang on, but we did."

NOTES: Anaheim entered tied for first place in the Pacific Division with Dallas at 38 points. ... The Islanders (6-18-5) are last in the NHL with 17 points. ... New York defensemen Milan Jurcina and Radek Martinek returned to the lineup. Martinek missed two games with a hand injury. Jurcina had been out for weeks with a hamstring problem. ... Four of New York's next six games are at home. The two road games will only require bus trips, to play the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils .

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2010/12/16/26885_recap.html?eref=sihp#ixzz18OxEMLP3

Atlanta Thrashers stage fake police chase involving mascot to sell tickets

Atlanta Thrashers stage fake police chase involving mascot to sell tickets - NHL - SI.com

What the heck!?!?!?

NHL Plays of the Night 12/14/10

NHL Plays of the Night 12/13/10

Why I Hate the Shootout

An article from SI.com's Stu Hackel on the shootout staying around a little longer in the NHL.

Why I Hate the Shootout

Sidney Crosby's game keeps growing, Ron Wilson safe in Toronto

Sidney Crosby's game keeps growing, Ron Wilson safe in Toronto - Michael Farber - SI.com

NHL Plays of the Night 12/7/10

NHL Plays of the Night 12/3/10

The Seven Sexiest Women Married to Mediocre NHL Players

The Seven Sexiest Women Married to Mediocre NHL Players

NHL Plays of the Night 12/2/10

The Quebec City Oilers?

The Quebec City Oilers?

From the Truth and Rumors section on SI.com/NHL. Why would a Canadian team have to move why not the Coyotes? moving to Hamilton would be a smart move because the fan base could sustain another team unlike Phoenix that cant support one.

NHL Plays of the Night 11/25/10

Taylor Hall game-winning goal 11/25/10

I hope Edmonton keeps these all season as their home colors, love the old school colors.

Today in Hockey History

Today in 1988 as a member of the LA Kings, Wayne Gretzky scored his 600th Goal against the Detroit Redwings

Former NHL coach Pat Burns dies at 58 - NHL

Former NHL coach Pat Burns dies at 58 - NHL - SI.com

sadly the last time I posted on Pat Burns I knew it just a matter of time before we saw this article.

NHL Plays of the Night 11/17/10

NHL All Star Ballot

Here is your first look at the ballot for this season's All Star Game

Check this link for the All Star wannabes

NHL Plays of the Night 11/11/10

Report: NHL changes format for All-Star game

Report: NHL changes format for All-Star game - NHL - SI.com

NHL Plays of the Night 11/4/10

NHL Best of the Week 11/2/10

NHL Plays of the Night 10/30/10

NHL Plays of the Night 10/27/10

Another night with Hat tricks

NHL Plays of the Night 10/26/10

Today in Hockey History October 26th

Today in 1995 Mario Lemieux joined the 500 goal club by getting goal number 500 against the New York Islanders.
Lemieux got his 500th in his 605th NHL game which is the 2nd fastest, behind only Wayne Gretzky who reached 500 in 575 games in 1986.
The 1995-1996 season would see Mario win his 3rd Hart trophy as league MVP and 4th of 5 Art Ross Trophies as the league top scorer with 69 goals and 92 assist.

Hat Tricks for 10/23/2010

Selanne scores 610th Goal

October 23rd 2010

Teemu Selanne ties Bobby Hull with his 610th career goal.

NHL Plays of the Night 10/22/10

A night of hat tricks

NHL Plays of the Night 10/21/10

NHL Goals of the Week 10/19/10

Rocket Richard Anniversary

October 19th 1957 - Maurice "Rocket" Richard scored his 500th goal. The Canadiens were hosting the Chicago Blackhawks (naturally) and the Rocket one timed a pass from Jean Beliveau pass BlackHawk goalie Glenn Hall.

This gave the NHL its first member of the 500 goal club, which now stands at 41 members.

Now to make this more painful for my Blackhawk buddies, Richard scored his 100th,200th,400th and 500th goal against Chicago.

5 years later on March 14 1962 The 500 goal club welcomed a new member in the Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe.

Plays of the Night 10/13/2010

Wayne Gretzky's son commits to San Diego State

Wayne Gretzky's son commits to San Diego State - NHL - SI.com

Highlights

Highlights from games on Monday

Opening Night 2010

It didnt do any good!






So are the Oilers putting together a new "Kid Line"?

Capitals Winter Classic Jersey

Thanks to Icethetics for the story

Caps Unveil Winter Classic Jersey!

Penguins, Capitals to star in HBO Winter Classic reality show

Penguins, Capitals to star in HBO Winter Classic reality show - NHL - SI.com

I can't wait to watch this, finally the NHL getting some love from HBO.

Pat Burns' health worsens: reports

CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - NHL- Pat Burns' health worsens: reports

Sad news

Blast From the Past

The 1987 Patrick Division Semi finals went the full 7 games between the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders.
here are the highlights for the 4 overtime game 7.

San Jose Sharks sign goaltendeer Antti Niemi to one-year deal

San Jose Sharks sign goaltendeer Antti Niemi to one-year deal - NHL - SI.com

Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin gets 30 days in DUI case

Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin gets 30 days in DUI case - NHL - SI.com

Well isnt this just lovely!?

Top 20 Playoff Goals of the 1980s

Your Video Classic

The Oilers and Kings "Fight". Pretty sad until Jim Playfair and Marty McSorley get involved.

Former Ice Now Coaching Cincinnati

From the Cyclones Facebook page:

CINCINNATI, Ohio – The 2010 Kelly Cup Champion Cincinnati Cyclones, proud ECHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators, announced today that they have named 39-year-old Jarrod Skalde as the sixth Head Coach in franchise history.

The Niagara Falls, Ontario native comes to Cincinnati after spending two years behind the bench of the Bloomington Prairie Thunder (IHL). He has 19 years of service in professional hockey, 17 as a player. Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Skalde went on to log 115 games with eight different teams in the National Hockey League. In addition to the Devils, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. He also played professionally in the IHL, AHL, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan during a career that spanned 1,071 games. In 1992-93, Skalde appeared in four games with the Cyclones – putting up three points (1 goal, 2 assists). He was the first player in Cyclones history to have been called up directly to the NHL.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the Cyclones organization,” said Skalde. “It’s great coming into a place that has had tremendous success with ownership and fans that expect excellence. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and building on that.”

A five-time team captain and seven-time assistant captain, Skalde was a member of championship teams in Oshawa (OHL, 1990) and Orlando (IHL, 2001). During his professional career, he scored 308 goals with 513 assists for 821 points. He was named the Utah Grizzles “Community Man of the Year” while playing there in 2004.

Skalde has learned the coaching craft from some of the best to ever stand behind the bench. He played for the legendary Herb Brooks, Stanley Cup Champion coach Ken Hitchcock, Jack Adams award-winner (NHL Coach of the Year) Bill Barber, and former Cincinnati Stingers great Robbie Ftorek.

“We’re very excited to bring Jarrod on board,” said Cyclones President Ray Harris. “His years of coaching and NHL playing experience will undoubtedly help him guide and improve our talent. I’m confident he will be able to carry on the championship tradition we’ve built here in Cincinnati.”

Skalde and his wife, Erin, have two children, 12-year-old daughter True and 7-year-old son Skate.

The defending Kelly Cup Champion Cyclones open their home schedule on Saturday, October 30 at U.S. Bank Arena against the Wheeling Nailers. Discounted ticket packages for the 2010-2011 season are available now. For more information, call 513.421.PUCK (7825) extension 3 or visit CyclonesHockey.com.

Skalde's playing and coaching statistics are available by downloading the PDF release here.

Heritage Classic 2011

For the Montreal/Calgary game this season.

Blackhawks sign Turco to replace Niemi

Blackhawks sign Turco to replace Niemi - NHL - SI.com

I dont think the Blackhawks lose much in this deal. Turco could and has been better than Niemi but time will tell.

Stockton Thunder

From the Stockton Thunder Website, the Thunder, Edmonton Oilers and SJ Sharks are going to make a major announcement on Monday Aug 2nd.

Read the story here

This Winnipeg Fan Needs Help

One Winnipeg Jets fan decided enough was enough and decided to call 911 and demand the return of the Jets!

Blast From the Past

From the 1982 NHL Playoffs.
NY Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 5 tying goal and overtime series winner.

Bob Probert 1965-2010

AM800 news has learned that former NHL star Bob Probert has died after efforts to revive him when he was rushed to a Windsor hospital with no vital signs. Probert, a former Detroit Red Wing forward, was on a boat in Lake St. Clair when an emergency call was made. EMS and fire met the boat and started CPR, but sources say Probert was not revived.

courtesy CKLW

Happy Birthday to the Finnish Flash

If you can believe it Teemu Selanne is celebrating his 40th birthday today!

He joined the NHL in 1992 with the Winnipeg Jets and scored his first NHL goal October 8th against Jeff Hackett of the San Jose Sharks. He went on to break the rookie record for goals in a season with 76 and 132 points for the rookie record for points in a season.

Here is list of the records he holds or shares

• Winter Olympic Games all-time points leader with 20+18=38 points^[1][28]
• NHL single-season record for goals by a rookie (76 in 1992–93)
• NHL single-season record for points by a rookie (132 in 1992–93)
• NHL single season record for most goals by a European player (76 in 1992–93 tied with Alexander Mogilny)
• NHL calendar month record for most goals (20 in March 1993)
• Anaheim Ducks franchise record for career points (743)
• Anaheim Ducks franchise record for career goals (352)
• Anaheim Ducks franchise record for career assists (391)
• Anaheim Ducks franchise record for career power-play goals (110, established February 24, 2008)
• Anaheim Ducks franchise record for career hat-tricks (12 as of October 31, 2008)
• Anaheim Ducks franchise playoff record for points scored (30, established April 13, 2007)
• Anaheim Ducks single-season record for power-play goals (25, established in 1998–1998 and tied in 2006–2007)
• Anaheim Ducks single-season record for points (109, established in 1996–1997)
• Anaheim Ducks single-season record for goals (52, established 1997–1998)
• Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes single-season record for goals (76, established 1992–1993) (as a rookie)
• Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes single-season record for points (132, established 1992–1993) (as a rookie)
• First European to score a hat-trick in an NHL All-Star game (1998)
• First player in NHL history over the age of 35 to record consecutive seasons with 40-plus goals
• One of only three European-trained players, along with Jaromir Jagr (646) and fellow Finn Jari Kurri (601), to score more than 600 goals (606), a record for Finnish NHL players
• Most recent NHL player, along with Mogilny, to score 70 goals in a season

He won the 1993 Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the year, he won the first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 1999 and the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2006.
And he was a member of the 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks.

Carolina Hurricanes

Brindamour retires and moves to Hurricanes front office.

click the headline to read the full story on Yahoo Sports.


Also, Carolina to host 2011 NHL All Star Game

Bluejackets

Courtesy of The Cannon, a Blue Jacket Blog

An interesting move by the Jackets today- they claimed winger Ethan Moreau on waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. It would seem that General Manager Scott Howson is constructing a checking line of Samuel Pahlsson, Chris Clark and now Moreau.

If that's the case- this is a great move. Look at the positives:

• He's a veteran leader, wearing the "C" in Edmonton last season. With a team as young as Columbus, he will be a huge asset in the locker room
• He's in the final year of his contract, which is paying him only 1.75 mil. It's a 2 mil cap hit.
  
• In a checking role, he won't be relied on for offense, and he could focus on shutting down opposition forwards.
  

I'm still hoping for Nikita Filatov to return to the lineup, if that's the case I could see RJ Umberger move down to the third line, pushing Clark to the fourth, where he spent some time last year. Overall, great move.

Speaking of Blue Jackets, here is the logo for their Tenth Anniversary Season (10 years already?)

NHL 2010 Entry Draft

Here is your overall #1 pick this year by the Edmonton Oilers.

Taylor Hall, LW, Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers chose Taylor over Tyler (Seguin) in a draft that had two players worthy of being selected first overall. Hall, 18, won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Windsor Spitfires, taking home MVP honors both times. He is the fourth straight Ontario Hockey League player chosen with the No. 1 pick.

NHL Awards

Tonight on VS are the 2009-2010 NHL Awards from Las Vegas. Should be a craptastic show like last year. I will tape it and give you my thoughts on it and a complete rundown of the winners.

Enjoy

Today in Hockey History

1992 - Ottawa Senators make goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz their 1st draft




1992 - Tampa Bay Lightning make goalie Wendell Young their 1st draft

How the Chicago Newspapers See it

2010 Stanley Cup Champions

The Chicago Black Hawks

1992 Stanley Cup Finals

With the Chicago Blackhawks back in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992, I thought I would write about that appearance against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 1992 Cup Finals (the 99th year of the Stanley Cup) opened in Pittsburgh with the Blackhawks jumping on the Penguins with a 4-1 lead, but the Pens fought back and shocked the Hawks with a 5-4 win.


Game 2 was all Pittsburgh 3-1.
The Blackhawks went back to Chicago for games 3 and 4 down 2-0. Game 3 was a hard fought game with the Pens pulling it out 1-0.
Game four was a relative barn burner with the Penguins winning 6-5 and sweeping the Blackhawks for their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.


The Blackhawks, led by captain Dirk Graham,reached the Stanley Cup final for the first time since the 1973-74 season. They got to the finals with relative ease by beating St Louis 4-2 in the first round, by sweeping the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers to capture the Prince of Wales Trophy the Black Hawks set a then record of 11 straight wins to reach the finals.

The Penguins started out the playoffs against their rival the Washington Capitals and the Pens came out on top 4 games to 3. In the 2nd round they faced the President's Trophy winner New York Rangers and took that series 4-2.
They moved on to sweep the Boston Bruins to win their second straight Clarence Campbell Bowl.

The Penguins had looked to be down and out as they struggled with the loss of their very popular head coach "Badger" Bob Johnson early in the season, but Scotty Bowman stepped in and guided the team back to the playoffs. They rewarded him with a 4 game sweep to capture their 2nd Stanley Cup.

The winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP was Penguins Captain Mario Lemieux for the 2nd year in a row.

The 75th NHL regular season award winners were:

Art Ross Trophy (scoring) - Mario Lemieux (131 points) (3rd)
(for the first time in his career Wayne Gretzky did make the top 2 in scoring, he finished 3rd behind Lemieux and Kevin Stevens of the Penguins.)
The only player in the top 10 of scoring in 1992 without 100 points was Adam Oates who had 99 points. Brett Hull led the league with 70 goals.

Hart Trophy (MVP) - Mark Messier - NY Rangers (2nd)

Norris Trophy (Defenseman) - Brian Leetch - NY Rangers (1st)

Vezina Trophy (Goaltender) - Patrick Roy - MTL Canadiens (3rd)

Selke Trophy (Forward) - Guy Carbonneau - MTL Canadiens (3rd Time)

Lady Byng Trophy (Gentlemanly Play) - Wayne Gretzky - LA Kings (2nd)

Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) - Pavel Bure - Vancouver Canucks

Adams Trophy (Head Coach) - Pat Quinn - Vancouver Canucks (2nd)

2010 Mark Messier Leadership Award

Chara, Crosby, Iginla named finalists for Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award

Hartford Whalers?

In a story on Yahoo! today, there is a story of the former owner of the Whalers is trying to build interest in bring back hockey to Hartford. The problem is that the NHL doesnt want to be in Hartford or the Whalers would have stayed just like they bent over backwards to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix instead of (God Forbid) moving back to Canada.

Read the Updated story.

2010 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 highlights

2010 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1

Blackhawks defeat the Flyers 6-5 to take 1-0 lead in the Finals.

The goaltenders are trying for the Grant Fuhr trophy for giving up the most goals and still win the game.

No matter who it is, Stanley Cup victor will be worthy

No matter who it is, Stanley Cup victor will be worthy - Sarah Kwak - SI.com

2011 Winter Classic

It was announced today by NHL Commissioner Gary Betteman that the 2011 Winter Classic will be played in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. The opponent will be the Washington Capitals.
So the NHL will try to showcase the 2 top players in the league on its immensely popular New Years Day game.
here is the press release:

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Saturday, January 1 at Heinz Field, it was announced today by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

“The Winter Classic has become an iconic event in its four years of existence, and the opportunity to host the game here in Pittsburgh, before a packed stadium of 65,000, is a tremendous honor for our organization,” Penguins resident David Morehouse said. “With the cooperation of our friends at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Heinz Field, it will give us an opportunity to showcase the city to an international audience while celebrating Pittsburgh’s reputation as one of the premier sports towns in the United States.”
The 1:00 pm game will be televised nationally by NBC in the United States and CBC and RDS in Canada. Morehouse said the Penguins are in the preliminary stages of planning activities surrounding the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic and will work with the Mayor and County Executive, VisitPittsburgh, the Steelers and officials at Heinz Field to make the 2011 Winter Classic “a truly memorable event with a Pittsburgh touch.”
Details on ticket availability will be released by the NHL at a later date. All Penguins season ticket holders and suite holders will have the opportunity to purchase tickets. Fans can receive Winter Classic ticketing alerts and news updates by visiting nhl.com

1989 Calgary Flames

The 1989 Stanley Cup finals came to a close on this day in 1989 with the Calgary Flames winning Lord Stanley's Cup on the home ice of the Montreal Canadiens with a 4-2 series victory.
The regular season ended with the Calgary Flames as the overall #1 team with 117 points followed closely by the Canadiens with 115.
In the playoffs the Flames met a stiff challenge in the first round going 7 games to move on to the second round. The Flames then beat the Vancouver Canucks in 7 games and swept the LA Kings with their new superstar center Wayne Gretzky in the 2nd round.
In the Campbell Conference finals the Flames dispatched the Chicago BlackHawks 4-1.
The Canadiens swept the Hartford Whalers in the first round and beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 in the second round. In the Prince of Wales Conference Finals they sent the Philadelphia Flyers packing 4-2 to set up an all Canadian Stanley Cup final.
In the Finals the Flames came out and won the first game on home ice but then the Canadiens bounced back with 2 straight wins. Calgary didn't blink and answered with 3 straight wins including the Cup clincher in Montreal by a score of 4-2. Doug Gilmour scored the game and Cup winning goals for the Flames.
The Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP went to Calgary defenseman Al MacInnis who scored 31 points in the playoffs and became the first defenseman to win the award.


Award winners for 1988-89:

Hart Trophy (League MVP) - Wayne Gretzky (LA Kings)
Art Ross (scoring champion) - 199 points - Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) - Brian Leetch (NY Rangers)
Selke Trophy (best forward) - Guy Carbonneau (MTL)
Jack Adams (Coach of the Year) - Pat Burns (MTL)
Lady Byng (Gentlemanly Play) - Joe Mullen (Calgary Flames)
Jennings Trophy (team goals against avg) - Patrick Roy/Brian Hayward (MTL)
Vezina Trophy (top Goaltender) - Patrick Roy (MTL)
Norris Trophy (defenseman) - Chris Chelios (MTL)

Quote of the Day

When discussing the tradition of not touching the Conference trophies before winning the Stanley Cup, I got this great quote from my friend Rusty:


Flyers have nothing to lose so why would they care about superstition? They aren't supposed to be here and aren't expected to compete in the finals so who cares? Touch all you want. Chicago is on a mission and don't want to do anything that might interfere so they stick to the tradition.

Guess what...It doesn't make a friggin bit of difference if you touch it or not! The best team will win; the team that works harder will win; etc.


Now if you put the wrong glove on first or the wrong sock, you're doomed of course.

2010 Eastern Conference Finals

Your Prince of Wales Trophy winners as Eastern Conference Champions 2010 the Philadelphia Flyers

1990 Stanley Cup Finals

Today in 1990 the last of the Stanley Cup victories and the end of the Edmonton Oilers era in the NHL. They have been back to the finals only once since 1990 and lost to Carolina in the 2006 Finals.
In 1990 the Oilers surprised the league by getting to the Finals against the Boston Bruins. Everyone just figured with the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, gone from Edmonton the days of Stanley Cup victories were over. Mark Messier had different ideas and captained the Oilers to 4-1 Finals win over the Cam Neely, Ray Bourque Boston Bruins.
The first game of the Series was in Boston went 3 Overtimes before Petr Klima scored the game winning goal at 15:13 of the 3rd OT.
Game 2 was a runaway as the Oilers won 7-2 and took a 2-0 lead back to the Northlands Coliseum. Boston managed a victory in Game 3 but would lose the next 2 and give the Oilers their 5th and to date last Stanley Cup.

Bill Ranford, the Oilers goaltender would be named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

The Oilers reached the 1990 Finals by beating the BlackHawks 4 games to 2 in the Campbell Conference Finals. The Bruins swept the Washington Capitals 4-0 for the Price of Wales Conference Championship. The only trouble in the playoffs that either team faced was in their first round series. The Oilers were taken to 7 games by the Winnipeg Jets and the Bruins needed 7 to dispose of the pesky Hartford Whalers. After that both teams rolled as Boston lost only one more game before the finals and the Oilers only 2 (to the Chicago Blackhawks) before capturing the Stanley Cup.

The Award winners for the 1989-90 season:

Art Ross Trophy (scoring) - Wayne Gretzky 142 points
Calder Trophy (rookie) - Sergei Makarov
Selke Trophy (best forward) - Rick Meagher
Hart Trophy (Regular Season MVP) - Mark Messier
Jack Adams Trophy (head coach) - Bob Murdoch -Winnipeg Jets
Norris Trophy (Defenseman) - Ray Bourque
Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly play) Brett Hull
Vezina Trophy (goaltender) - Patrick Roy
Jennings Trophy (team goals against average) Andy Moog/Reggie Lemelin (Boston Bruins)

2010 Western Conference Finals Game 4

The BlackHawks sweep the San Jose Sharks 4-0 to win the Western Conference and the Clarence Campbell Bowl.

Your 2010 Western Conference Champions

The Chicago Black Hawks
(click on link for story)

2010 Western Conference Finals

2010 Conference Finals Game 2

Stan Mikita

Today is the 70th birthday of one of the greatest NHL players and arguably the greatest Black Hawk, Stan Mikita.

Here is a great profile of Stan by GreatestHockeyLegends.com.

In 1968 Stan Mikita was the first NHL player to win the Triple Crown of season awards as he took home the Lady Byng, Art Ross Trophy as scoring champ and the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP. He set the standard for outstanding play with this season.

2010 Conference Finals Game 1

Top Ten Greatest LA Kings of All Time

The LA Times finishes off its list of the 10 Greatest LA Kings players of all time and guess who topped the list? Thats right Wayne Gretzky, see the list right here

2010 Western Conf Finals

With last nights victory over the Canucks, the Blackhawks move on for the second year in a row to the Western Conference Finals.


This year they meet the #1 seeded San Jose Sharks who disposed of the defending Western champ Detroit Redwings.

3rd Jersey (Part 1)

Earlier this week I stumbled on a picture of the St Louis Blues 3rd jersey that they never did get to wear and for good reason it was horrible.
It might have made a good jersey to sell to the fans but not for a professional team to wear in competition. See below.

Now speaking of 3rd Jersey's there were some nice ones that year but the "alternate" jersey didnt really get a good upgrade until the last few years, like the LA Kings of recent seasons.

However, the Kings did try this little design in 1995

Then there were the 1980s Vancouver Canucks who decided this would be a good look and not as an "Alternate" but as the regular road sweater. Well at least it got them to the Finals.

Then they modified the look in the 1990s and made the finals again.
As we neared the end of the 90s the Canucks had new ownership, who owned a company called Orca Bay, they made a drastic change to the entire logo and jersey colors and brought in high priced talent and did not make it to the finals.

As we move into the 2010-11 season the Canucks have gone back to the future with the color scheme from the original Canucks jerseys. The have added an alternate jersey that is a replica of the first ones worn as an expansion team in the 1970s with the simple sleek hockey stick logo.