One of the toughest players to ever put on a sweater died today in Windsor, Ontario. Bob Probert was one of the players that made me truly love hockey as a little kid. I could appreciate its toughness when watching a guy like Probert.
I once saw Enrico Ciccone in a restaurant the day after fighting Probert, and recognized him immediately not because I knew Enrico’s face, but because I saw the highlight on Sportcenter of the fight, and just realized Enrico’s face had to be in bad shape. It was!
There are not [...]

Steve Yzerman’s first task as the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning was to bring in a coach that he felt could guide the team through another rebuilding season, and stick it out for the long haul.  Instead of going through the retread stack of NHL coaches which is the norm for most NHL teams, Yzerman went with youth.
He hired Guy Boucher from the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the AHL where in his first season, he won the Memorial Cup.  Boucher will become the youngest coach in the NHL at 38 years old.
From someone who has always been frustrated by the [...]

After waffling back and forth on  his interest in the Tampa Bay Lightning GM position, it appears as though Steve Yzerman will be named the Tampa Bay Lightnings’ General Manager today at a press conference scheduled for 3pm.
“This did not take us by surprise because for years Stevie has said one day he would like to be a general manager in the NHL,” Red Wings Senior Vice President Jim Devellano told the Detroit News. “It was something he wanted to do, but it had to be the right opportunity for him and his family.
“It was a tough decision for Steve, [...]

Just got an update that the Bolts have moved Jeff Halpern to the Los Angeles Kings for forward Teddy Purcell and a 3rd round pick.
Let’s hope that Mike Smith turns into our goaltender of the future because the trade that sent Brad Richards to the Stars and landed us Jussi Jokinen (who we inexplicably put on waivers last year), Jeff Halpern and Mike Smith doesn’t look so good now.  Smith and a 3rd round pick are all we have to show for that trade, and Richards is in the top 10 in the league in scoring.
Purcell hasn’t produced much at [...]

I was talking with a good friend before yesterdays goal medal tilt with the Canadiens, trying to summarize my level of excitement for the game.  My friend, said he hadn’t been this excited for a hockey game since the Bolts were in the Stanley Cup Finals.  I personally felt that even then, I didn’t have as much anxiety, and giddiness leading up to the game.  I can only remember one time in my life having a real nervous stomach before a sporting event that I didn’t personally play in, and that was the Bucs Super Bowl vs the Raiders.  I [...]

With a 6-1 walloping of the Fin’s yesterday in semifinal play, the US moves to the gold medal round on Sunday @ 3pm EST.
This was a completely one sided affair almost from the start.  The US looked hungry, and the Fins made some early mistakes coupled with some awful goaltending and the game was a wrap at that point.
Early in the game, Ryan Malone, cleared a puck out of the defensive zone down the ice.  Due to the hustle of Phil Kessell, Finnish goalie Miika Kiprusoff was forced to come out and play the puck, and instead of passing it [...]

I had never been more excited for a Winter Olympics than this year.  It wasn’t for the chance to win the overall medal count, or to see Bode Miller or Shaun White wreak havoc, it was for one thing, and one thing only, the United States Olympic Hockey Team.  I thought Brian Burke did a fantastic job of putting together an American team with heart, grit, size and enough talented playmakers to make up for the fact that we don’t have as many elite level All Stars as the Canadiens or even the Russians for that matter.
The lines for the [...]

After beating the Islanders last night at the St Pete Times Forum, the Lighting are 5-1-1 since their demolishing defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers.
The Bolts crushed the Isle last night 5-2 in a game that was better played than the score might appear.  Antero Niitymaki continued his string of dominance, leading the Lightning to a W.
In the first period, Steven Stamkos started the scoring with a shot that is no becoming his patented goal, the PPG from the crease to the right of the opposing netminder.  If he gets a pass that isn’t bouncing and lands [...]