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 [...]

In my head, there were a few goals to start this FA period for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
1.  Lock up Steven Stamkos to a long term deal
2.  Resign Martin St Louis to a 3-4 year deal
3.  Move one money contract from the roster, preferably Andrej Meszaros
Stevie Y accomplished both 2 and 3 on the first day of FA.    For starters, he locked up Marty to a 4 year 22.5 million dollar deal.
“Today is a great day for the Lightning organization,” Yzerman said. “Marty means so much to this franchise, both on and off the ice. His hard work [...]

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, [...]

This has nothing to do with the Lightning, but more to do with my insane level of hatred that I have for Sidney Crosby.
While rooting for the Canadiens is normally akin to sticking my head into a pile of dog throw up, I have to say, I was rooting for the Halak’s to beat the Penguins bad, not just last night but all series.  Why would I root for the gross Habs (even though by doing so, I was forced to stab myself in the eyes each night with an old fork), because I hate Sidney Crosby that much.
Everything about [...]

Although the playoffs don’t involved our beloved Lightning, Versus provides great NHL coverage for both the playoffs and throughout the year.

I’m sure everyone already knew this fact, but Barry Melrose is a moron.  It’s not just his douchey hair, or his douchebag suits, it’s his idiotic comments that truly make him a real moron.  As THN.com said in an article about Steven Stamkos this morning:
Former Lightning coach Barry Melrose will probably never live down his assessment of Stamkos as a rookie last season. After he was fired by the Bolts and replaced by Rick Tocchet, Melrose questioned whether Stamkos was ready for the NHL and to handle the physical play against the league’s big defencemen.
Stammers now has 41 goals, 3 [...]

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 [...]