Thursday, August 30, 2007

Rangers' top prosect Cherepanov hurt at Super Series

Alexei Cherepanov, the New York Rangers' first pick in this year's draft, was injured yesterday during the Russia vs Canada game in this year's Super Series. Cherepanov came down the ice into his own zone, clipped Canada's Brandon Sutter on the leg, knocking him to the ice. Cherepanov then received the puck and brought it into the Canadian zone, pulled up to look towards the net and was met with an elbow to the head by Sutter. Not only was the hit mainly with Sutter's elbow, but he also left his feet when delivering the hit. Cherepanov sustained a mild concussion on the play, and is said to be out at least the next two games.

At what point does Glen Sather get on the phone and have his number one draft pick removed from the tournament? I understand the fact that Cherepanov is thrilled and honored to be representing his homeland Russia in this tournament, but the Rangers have an asset to protect. Cherepanov has been compared to Pavel Bure by several scouts recently. If that's true, he would be a force in the NHL in the coming years. Pull him from the tournament, let him get healthy in time for training camp and watch him start to light the lamp in the Rangers' system for right now. He has a whole career ahead of him in the NHL to look forward to, let's not jeopardize it now before he even gets here.

The video can be seen on youtube via this link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x7WTtWHOmf4

Friday, August 24, 2007

Sabres-Pens Ice Bowl Back On?

According to a report, Pittsburgh and Buffalo will take each other on at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year's Day at 1:00 PM on NBC.

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/rss/s_523982.html

Neither NBC or NHL officials would confirm, but the announcement is expected on Sept. 10

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Rangers Pass on Peca

After setting a deadline of today to be offered a contract by the New York Rangers, it looks like Michael Peca will be joining.. the Columbus Blue Jackets. Glen Sather opted to pass on signing Peca, and I for one feel it is a good non-signing. Leaving the cap room available should we acquire a defenseman is the first good thing that comes from this. Second, should Hossa not be on the top line, replaced by Straka, it gives some kids a chance to compete for the third line center position. Thoughts?

Monday, August 20, 2007

A Moment of Seriousness...

Keep Boltsmag head-man John Fontana in your thoughts, as he is recovering from surgery right now. John has helped with a couple of my undertakings over at SFM, and is a stand-up guy. Pray for him.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Devils Re-Sign Paul Martin

Oh boy. Let me contain my excitement.

Tom Gulitti is reporting that it's a multi-year deal.

All I know is that it's time for Pauly Martin to man up this year and show off the potential we all thought he had.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Versus Exclusive Games Schedule

Here are the games where the NHL has Exclusive Treatment for VERSUS.

Oct. 3, 7:00 - Ducks vs. Red Wings
Oct. 3, 9:30 - Stars vs. Avalanche
Oct. 9, 7:00 - Hurricanes vs. Maple Leafs
Oct. 16, 7:00 - Thrashers vs. Flyers
Oct. 23, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Penguins
Oct. 30, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Wild
Nov. 6, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Islanders
Nov. 13, 8:00 - Red Wings vs. Blues
Nov. 20, 8:00 - Bruins vs. Maple Leafs
Nov. 27, 7:00 - Flames vs. Red Wings
Dec. 4, 7:00 - Red Wings vs. Canadiens
Dec. 11, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Flyers
Dec. 17, 7:00 - Capitals vs. Red Wings
Dec. 31, 7:00 - BLues vs. Red Wings
Jan. 14, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Penguins
Jan. 21, 7:30 - Capitals vs. Penguins
Feb. 4, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Devils
Feb. 11, 7:00 - Coyotes vs. Stars
Feb. 18, 8:00 - Red Wings vs. Avalanche
Feb. 25, 7:00 - Flyers vs. Sabres
Mar. 3, 7:00 - Bruins vs. Capitals
Mar. 10, 7:00 - Rangers vs. Sabres
Mar. 17, 7:00 - Avalanche vs. Wild
Mar. 24, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Islanders
Mar. 31, 7:00 - Penguins vs. Rangers

NBC Thoughts

-Really, Montreal? Well, I guess it's a start. But I guess their appearence over 8 NHL teams in the US is ok, I suppose.

-The schedule's fine with me, as long as NBC's willing to select the right game. I mean there are a few obvious choices (Sid vs. Alex, Rangers-Devs on the season's last day) but many of the choices WILL likely hinge on the team's performances this year.

-3 selections for the Philly-Pittsburgh rivalry, 2 Boston-Rangers games, 2 Nashville-Detroit games.

-Carolina, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, the Isles, Phoenix, St. Louis and Tampa Bay will make no appearences on NBC regardless of flex scheduling.

-The Rangers are on the potential schedule 8 times, Detroit and Pittsburgh 7, Boston and Philadelphia 4, Washington and Buffalo 3, Anaheim, Chicago, Dallas and Nashville twice, and Atlanta, Colorado, Columbus, New Jersey and San Jose once.

-The real judgement will have to be made down the road on what games are selected. NBC's courage to take the better game over the big markets will mean a lot.

NHL On NBC Flex Schedule 07-08

Enjoy:

January 20th, 1:30 PM
Boston vs. NY Rangers OR
Anaheim vs. Dallas

February 3rd, 2:00 PM
NY Rangers vs. Montreal

February 10th, 3:30 PM
Anaheim vs. Detroit OR
Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh OR
NY Rangers vs. Washington

February 17th, 3:30 PM
Detroit vs. Dallas OR
Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo OR
San Jose vs. NY Rangers OR
Colorado vs. Chicago

March 2nd, 12:30 PM
Detroit vs. Buffalo OR
Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers OR
Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh

March 9th, 12:30 PM
Pittsburgh vs. Washington OR
Boston vs. NY Rangers OR
Nashville vs. Detroit

March 16th, 12:00 PM
Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh OR
Detroit vs. Columbus OR
Boston vs. Washington

March 30th, 12:30 PM
NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh OR
Nashville vs. Detroit OR
Boston vs. Buffalo

April 6th, 12:30 PM
Chicago vs. Detroit OR
NY Rangers vs. New Jersey OR
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia

Thoughts on the VERSUS PR

- Well, Bill Clement's firing from NBC looks less ambiguous now. It's clear he's prepping for a return to ESPN when they bid for a piece of the NHL rights, so he may re-join Gary Thorne.

- For a small profile of Bill Patrick, not to be confused with William Patrick Hitler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Patrick_Hitler), check this USA Network profile, since he heads up their PGA coverage as a play-by-play man: http://www.usanetwork.com/sports/pgatourgolf/theshow/characterprofiles/patrick/index.html

- The schedule is fairly standard, your usual load of lots of Rangers, Flyers, Wings, Avs and Pens. Lots of Sabres and Bruins as well. Once again, most of the games feature Eastern teams, and the Western Conference clubs, particularly everyone but Detroit and Colorado, are mostly ignored. Because the Stanley Cup Finalist from the Western Conference never comes from the Pacific Division or Canada or anything.

-Speaking of Canada, all 6 teams from the Great White North make at least one appearences, with the Maple Leafs making three appearences and the Canadiens making 5, more than about 15 American teams. It's clear the NHL is using these two clubs, Original 6's with fans around North America, to draw some interest into the league.

-The NHL on VERSUS' 3 Inter-Conference games are real barn-burners: Carolina-Nashville, Washington-Detroit, and Pittsburgh-Minnesota. To be fair, Caps-Wings should be exciting, but Canes-Preds and Pens-Wild? Okay, you go do that VERSUS.

-Overall, there's really not much to say. VERSUS should be covering the Saturday London game, but they're not due to a Big 12 telecast. NBC can't cover it due to their round the clock President's Cup coverage. Perhaps the first game will be a launching pad for the NHL Network? Eh, maybe they'll just be dumb enough to not show it. Never know with this league.

VERSUS Announces 2007-08 Schedule

VERSUS RELEASES NHL SCHEDULE FOR 2007-08 REGULAR SEASON
Schedule Features 57 Exclusive Games Including Game of the Week

Network Also Announces Addition of Bill Patrick as New Studio Host for “Hockey Central”

STAMFORD, Conn. (August 15, 2007)—VERSUS, the national cable television home of the NHL, today announced the television schedule for the 2007-08 regular season and the addition of Bill Patrick as the new studio host of “Hockey Central.” The network opens its coverage with a southern California showdown between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings in London on September 30 at 12 p.m. ET. Then, on October 3, VERSUS’ coverage returns to the U.S. with a double-header featuring a match-up between Anaheim and Detroit at 7 p.m. ET and Dallas and Colorado at 9:30 p.m. ET. Bill Patrick will be making his “Hockey Central” debut on October 3. All of the network’s regular-season games are exclusive and VERSUS’ regular-season schedule features an exclusive Game of the Week wherein VERSUS will be the only place on television to watch the NHL game in the U.S. at that time. Every NHL game on VERSUS will be produced and shown in hi def where available.

VERSUS’ 2007-08 NHL schedule highlights some of the most exciting hockey games of the season and every U.S.-based team will be featured on VERSUS at least once during the regular season, with teams like the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers making a season-high eight appearances each. In total, VERSUS will present 57 regular season games, All-Star weekend, wall-to-wall playoff action and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final. Mike “Doc” Emrick will return as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer. He will be joined all season long by the best NHL announcers in the game today, including Eddie Olczyk, Joe Beninati, and Darren Eliot. Additions to the network’s hockey commentating team will be released as details become available.

“In the network's third year as the exclusive cable television home of the NHL, we worked closely with the league to deliver a schedule that features the best match-ups and most exciting games to continue building off the momentum of last year’s 31-percent increase in viewership during the regular season,” said Marc Fein, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for VERSUS. "With our superior production quality, all games produced and available in hi def, along with first-rate announce teams and the addition of veteran sports broadcaster Bill Patrick as the host of ‘Hockey Central,’ VERSUS’ coverage this season will be the best viewers have ever seen."

As always, the network will wrap up the evening with its stellar NHL studio show, “Hockey Central,” with new host Bill Patrick and returning analysts Keith Jones and Brian Engblom. A veteran broadcaster, Patrick currently serves as an anchor for NBC’s Sports Desk and recently completed his fifth year as play-by-play host of USA Network’s PGA Tour coverage. Patrick, who first attained national prominence as a SportsCenter anchor on ESPN, has covered world-class sporting events such as the Super Bowl, NASCAR, Stanley Cup Final games, U.S. Open Golf and Tennis among other high-profile events during his 30-year broadcasting career.

The network’s full schedule follows (subject to change):
*Denotes exclusive Game of the Week

DATE GAMES TIME (ET)
Sun. Sept. 30 Anaheim at Los Angeles 12:00 PM
Wed. Oct. 3* Anaheim at Detroit 7:00 PM
Wed. Oct. 3* Dallas at Colorado 9:30 PM
Tue. Oct. 9* Carolina at Toronto 7:00 PM
Wed. Oct. 10 N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 15 Toronto at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Oct. 16* Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 22 Boston at Montreal 7:30 PM
Tue. Oct. 23* N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 29 San Jose at Dallas 8:00 PM
Tue. Oct. 30* Pittsburgh at Minnesota 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 5 Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers 7:00 PM
Tue. Nov. 6* N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 12 Carolina at Florida 7:30 PM
Tue. Nov. 13* Detroit at St. Louis 8:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 19 Tampa Bay at Atlanta 7:00 PM
Tue. Nov. 20* Boston at Toronto 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 26 Buffalo at Washington 7:00 PM
Tue. Nov. 27* Calgary at Detroit 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 3 Dallas at Columbus 7:00 PM
Tue. Dec. 4* Detroit at Montreal 7:30 PM
Mon. Dec. 10 Boston at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Dec. 11* Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 17* Washington at Detroit 7:00 PM
Tue. Dec. 18 Ottawa at Boston 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 31* St. Louis at Detroit 7:00 PM
Wed. Jan. 2 Atlanta at Carolina 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 8 Colorado at Detroit 7:30 PM
Mon. Jan. 14* N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 15 Montreal at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Mon. Jan. 21* Washington at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Tue. Jan. 22 Boston at Montreal 7:30 PM
Sat. Jan. 26 All-Star Skills 7:00 PM
Sun. Jan. 27 All-Star Game 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 29 Buffalo at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 29 San Jose at Edmonton 9:30 PM
Wed. Jan. 30 Anaheim at Minnesota 7:00 PM
Wed. Jan. 30 Chicago at Colorado 9:30 PM
Mon. Feb. 4* Pittsburgh at New Jersey 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 5 Carolina at Nashville 8:00 PM
Mon. Feb. 11* Phoenix at Dallas 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 12 Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 12 Anaheim at Colorado 9:30 PM
Mon. Feb. 18* Detroit at Colorado 8:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 19 Chicago at St. Louis 8:00 PM
Mon. Feb. 25* Philadelphia at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Feb. 26 New Jersey at Carolina 7:00 PM
Mon. March 03* Boston at Washington 7:00 PM
Tue. March 4 Buffalo at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Tue. March 4 Vancouver at Colorado 9:30 PM
Mon. March 10* N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. March 11 New Jersey at Montreal 7:30 PM
Mon. March 17* Colorado at Minnesota 7:00 PM
Tue. March 18 Atlanta at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. March 24* Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders 7:00 PM
Tue. March 25 Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers 7:00 PM
Mon. March 31* Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers 7:00 PM
Tue. April 1 TBD
Tue. April 1 Colorado at Vancouver 10:00 PM

VERSUS (VERSUS.com) celebrates real competition in all its forms. Now in more than 72 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events like The Tour de France, the America's Cup, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Professional Boxing, the Boston Marathon and Davis Cup. The network also offers collegiate sports from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can't find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.

Isles ink Vasicek

According to TSN, the Islanders have signed Josef Vasicek for 1 year at $750,000. He's a big center at 6'5 and should get plenty of ice time playing for Ted Nolan. Solid pick up for the talent level and price tag, this could turn out to be a nice little signing by Garth.

A Battle of New York Apology...

We'd like to say we're sorry for not getting you the TV schedule.

A VERSUS PR rep and The Globe and Mail's Bill Houston told me in good faith that we would see it today (Wednesday, August 15, 2007).

Besides, we reported it first. So there.

Anyway, we'll show it to you tomorrow. We promise.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

A little speculation to satisfy your NY Rangers cravings.

While we wait to find out if Michael Peca will be joining the Broadway Blueshirts, let's try to speculate how the lines will look on October 4th when the Rangers open up at home against Florida. The biggest wild card should be the third line center position, which would be filled if Peca is signed. With the players that the Rangers have, there are potentially three scoring lines and one checking line. Here's what I would do for Opening Day:

Hossa - Drury - Jagr
Avery - Gomez - Shanahan
Prucha - Dubinski - Callahan
Orr - Betts - Hollweg

Rozsival - Malik
Tyutin - Girardi
Mara - Staal

Lundqvist, Valiquette

Scratches: Dawes, Strudwick

The only thing I might look at differently is the defense if Kasparaitis comes into camp in the shape that everyone is proclaiming he is in. If Kasper really is 20 pounds lighter and skating at the speed he was skating two or three years ago, I might put him with either Mara or Tyutin. Give me some of your input. I would like to hear what other people are thinking.

Hockey Declared 2nd Toughest Sport

Behind Boxing, ahead of everything else.

I don't know if I agree with behind Boxing

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

In the poll, Hockey is winning the most difficult, and in last in terms of least difficult. So I'm proven right.

Peca Likely to Sign with Rangers

TSN is reporting that Michael Peca is very likely to sign with the Rangers sometime in the very near future.

Monday, August 13, 2007

NHL VERSUS to announce sked Tomorrow

So says the title of the post.

We'll be here tomorrow to give u the official release before ANYONE ELSE. We promise.

And then, later in the day, check out our analysis of what looks to be an interesting year 3 of The NHL On VERSUS.

The NHL On NBC may be announcing their sked as well tomorrow, so stay tuned to Battle of NY ALL DAY.

Halen or Jovi

November 3rd, Van Halen will be at the Continental Airlines Arena.

On that very night, Bon Jovi will be at the Prudential Center.

I will be watching the Devils play the Rangers at the Garden.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Battle of NY and Battle of PA - Getting Along, unlike the Teams We Cover

Shout out to the folks at Battle of Pennsylvania (The new one, that you can find in the links). Me and Danny, who runs BoPA, have agreed to network each other's sites. The first of these was with Battle of California, but we don't get to use Earl and Mike and James as much because we rarely see our teams.

Here are the details:
-Battle of NY's blog posts on the days of Games between the Rangers, Devils or Islanders against the Pens or Flyers will be posted on Battle of PA, and vice versa.
-Battle of NY's bloggers will do anywhere from 5-10 Liveblogs this year on Game Nighs.
-Battle of PA will post comments on each other's sites when there is big news on any of each other's teams.
-Dustin, our graphical genius, will design graphics for them.
-We'll do our best to promote each other's sites, and Danny and hopefully Kristin from Battle of PA will help out with the SFM preview. BTW, Frank and Lenny (boy I wish Frank's name was Carl, oh well) will also be a part of it, as well as the wonderful Patricia from 2 Man.
-We'll have them take part in the upcoming debates we'll be having soon.
-We'll generally be nicer to each other than Stevens and Lindros were.

Visit Battle of PA and give them a shout out. See you all soon!

Friday, August 10, 2007

Isles Sign Andy Sutton

Finally, the Isles have signed a D man. Three years, 9 million. Not a bad signing. At three million per year, Garth may be able to afford one more decent player under the cap. Markov maybe? Eklund seems to think so.

Sutton brings tenacity and toughness to the Isles' back line. He doesn't score much, but will keep the opponent honest and protect Ricky. He uses his body and blocks lots of shots.

Rangers on the verge of signing Peca?

Quiet week this week for the New York Rangers. The biggest news of the week came yesterday, when the news broke that Michael Peca was on the verge of signing with the Broadway Blueshirts. Having Peca as the third line center makes sense in some ways and creates havoc in others. Having Peca does give a team a boost on defense, and on the penalty kill. He also has a leadership mentality that can be complemented with the already deemed leaders in Straka, Jagr, Shanahan and Drury. A healthy Peca would be a fantastic addition to any team, but he has not played a full season since 1998-99 and only played 35 games last season with the Maple Leafs. Peca has also been lacking in the offensive statistics. Over the past few seasons, Peca has recorded point totals of 42, 40, 23 and a point total of 15 for last season. While that might be all a third line is expected to produce, do we really want to shell out the million dollar contract it will take to sign him, or should we give the kids a chance? Any thoughts?

Weekes to Join O'Ree on "Everybody Hates Chris"

From the NHL Today:

New Jersey Devils goaltender Kevin Weekes will join Willie O'Ree on the set of "Everybody Hates Chris" today in Los Angeles. Weekes will play an extra in O'Ree's scene. In the episode entitled "Everybody Hates Gretzky," Chris (played by Tyler Williams) and his brother, Drew (played by Tequan Richmond) ditch school to meet his hockey hero, Wayne Gretzky, when the Edmonton Oilers visit the New York Islanders. When they realize they are lost, they stop an older gentleman (played by O'Ree) for directions but also get a hockey history lesson. An air date for the episode has not been set.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Jessica Alba to Play Hockey Owner

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/08/09/jessica-alba-the-worlds-hottest-hockey-owner/

From Greg Wyshynski at NHL Fanhouse:

Alas, it seems Ms. Alba has actually been hired for "The Love Guru," a movie that will introduce the next Mike Myers character that your annoying friends will quote incessantly until you literally beg them to go back to saying "Do I make you horny, baby?" in a faux British accent. According to Michael Fleming in Variety, Myers has tapped Alba (he should be so lucky), "Blades of Glory" actor Romany Malco and his "Austin Powers" buddy Verne Troyer as his co-stars for a film set to be released in June 2008.

------------------------

I gotta be honest, this looks like it could suck. But then again, a spy from the 60's who looks for his mojo is pretty shitty an idea too.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The 2007-08 NHL On VERSUS Schedule

Hey, Look what I found!

Sept. 30 – 12:00 Anaheim vs. Los Angeles
Oct. 3 – 7:00 Anaheim vs. Detroit
9:30 Dallas vs. Colorado
Oct. 9 – 7:00 Carolina vs. Toronto
Oct. 10 – 7:00 NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders
Oct. 15 – 7:00 Toronto vs. Buffalo
Oct. 16 – 7:00 Atlanta vs. Philadelphia
Oct. 22 – 7:30 Boston vs. Montreal
Oct. 23 – 7:00 NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh
Oct. 29 – 8:00 San Jose vs. Dallas
Oct. 30 – 7:00 Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
Nov. 5 – 7:00 Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers
Nov. 6 – 7:00 NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders
Nov. 12 – 7:30 Carolina vs. Florida
Nov. 13 – 8:00 Detroit vs. St. Louis
Nov. 19 – 7:00 Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta
Nov. 20 – 7:00 Boston vs. Toronto
Nov. 26 – 7:00 Buffalo vs. Washington
Nov. 27 – 7:00 Calgary vs. Detroit
Dec. 3 – 7:00 Dallas vs. Columbus
Dec. 4 – 7:30 Detroit vs. Montreal
Dec. 10 – 7:00 Boston vs. Buffalo
Dec. 11 – 7:00 Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
Dec. 17 – 7:00 Washington vs. Detroit
Dec. 18 – 7:00 Ottawa vs. Boston
Dec. 31 – 7:00 St. Louis vs. Detroit
Jan. 2 – 7:00 Atlanta vs. Carolina
Jan. 8 – 7:30 Colorado vs. Detroit
Jan. 14 – 7:00 NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh
Jan. 15 – 7:00 Montreal vs. NY Islanders
Jan. 21 – 7:00 Washington vs. Pittsburgh
Jan. 22 – 7:30 Boston vs. Montreal
Jan. 26 – 7:00 All-Star Skills Competition/Young-Stars
Jan. 27 - ??? All-Star Game
Jan. 29 – 7:30 Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay
Jan. 29 – 10:00 San Jose vs. Edmonton
Jan. 30 – 7:00 Anaheim vs. Minnesota
Jan. 30 – 9:30 Chicago vs. Colorado
Feb. 4 – 7:00 Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey
Feb. 5 – 8:00 Carolina vs. Nashville
Feb. 11 – 8:00 Phoenix vs. Dallas
Feb. 12 – 7:00 Philadelphia vs. NY Islanders
Feb. 12 – 9:30 Anaheim vs. Colorado
Feb. 18 – 8:00 Detroit vs. Colorado
Feb. 19 – 8:00 Chicago vs. St. Louis
Feb. 25 – 7:00 Philadelphia vs. Buffalo
Feb. 26 – 7:00 New Jersey vs. Carolina
Mar. 3 – 7:00 Boston vs. Washington
Mar. 4 – 7:00 Buffalo vs. Philadelphia
Mar. 4 – 9:30 Vancouver vs. Colorado
Mar. 10 – 7:00 NY Rangers vs. Buffalo
Mar. 11 – 7:30 New Jersey vs. Montreal
Mar. 17 – 8:00 Colorado vs. Minnesota
Mar. 18 – 7:00 Atlanta vs. Philadelphia
Mar. 24 – 7:00 Pittsburgh vs. NY Islanders
Mar. 25 – 7:00 Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers
Mar. 31 – 7:00 Pittsburgh vs. NY Rangers
Apr. 1 – 7:00 VERSUS Choice Game
Apr. 1 – 10:00 Colorado vs. Vancouver

Games By Team:

Colorado - 8
Detroit - 8
NY Rangers - 8
Philadelphia - 8
Pittsburgh - 8
Buffalo - 7
Boston - 6
Carolina - 5
Montreal - 5
NY Islanders - 5
Anaheim - 4
Atlanta - 4
Dallas - 4
Washington - 4
Minnesota - 3
New Jersey - 3
St. Louis - 3
Toronto - 3
Chicago - 2
San Jose - 2
Tampa Bay - 2
Vancouver - 2
Calgary - 1
Columbus - 1
Edmonton - 1
Florida - 1
Los Angeles - 1
Nashville - 1
Ottawa - 1
Phoenix - 1

Sabres on VERSUS

Well...they're a New York team. Do not judge me...


Mon. Oct. 15 Toronto vs. Buffalo 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 26 Buffalo vs. Washington 7:00 PM
Mon. Dec. 10 Boston vs. Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Jan. 29 Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay 7:30 PM
Mon. Feb. 25 Philadelphia vs. Buffalo 7:00 PM
Tue. Mar. 04 Buffalo vs. Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Mon. Mar. 10 N.Y. Rangers vs. Buffalo 7:00 PM

Devils Sign Asham

The Devils have signed former Islander Aaron Asham.

Good signing for the Devils. You can tell Lou wants a toughness on this year's Devils that simply wasn't there last year, particularly during the Ottawa series.

Friday, August 3, 2007

VERSUS info...

VERSUS' schedule of NHL games, along with likely NBC's, will be released the week of August 13. Of course, NBC's games will be flex-scheduled, with the 1 Game of the Week chosen 2 Weeks in advance.

Also, I'm sure many of you would be wondering if VERSUS is going to go to England and cover the two Ducks-Kings games at the 02 Arena in London.

The answer is yes...and no. They will be covering ONE game in England, the Sunday game on 9/30. It is not known yet whether or not they will air the Saturday game.

The thought behind that is that...NBC will air it if the plans for an outdoor game fall through, or VERSUS will move the start time of the TBD Big 12 Football Game from 12:30 to as late as 4:30, since they have less wiggle room than usual because they have a PBR event at 8 and a Mountain West game at 10

Thought you'd all like to know.

Why the NHL Needs to Be on a Network in the Afternoon

When I was a kid in the mid-late 90's, my dad tried hard to get me into hockey. I played the sport in grade school on the floors of gyms, but it was hard to watch the games as my bedtime fell before the then 3-hour games would end.

That's when network TV came in. I LOVED the NHL On FOX and ABC as a kid. It gave me an oppurtunity to see all my favorite players, since the Devils were rarely on. Watching the New York Rangers get crushed on National TV every week against guys like Lemieux, Fedorov, Lindros and Amonte in the early part of the contract. I watched the Devils win the Stanley Cup in 1995 on FOX. In later years, the Devils would actually get an appearence against the Rangers or the Islanders once in a while, and many of the Devils playoff heartbreaks were broadcast on FOX.

By the time 1999 came around, I was 10 and watched the NHL On FOX every week. It was the game's last year on FOX, and they only showed a couple of regional games a week, which meant once in a while, the Rangers WOULDN't BE ON. That was fun. At the end of the year, they showed Wayne Gretzky's final game as an NHL player on the network. After yet another Devils heartbreak in the playoffs in '99, I stopped watching the games (except for the Finals) and that was it for FOX NHL Saturday.

The NHL On ABC continued the tradition of afternoon hockey, but by the time that came around, my dad would let me stay up to watch most games. That, combined with the fact that ABC rarely broadcast games, and I couldn't stand Gary Thorne (who would do the game of the week) I kind of lost interest.

NBC and VERSUS have sort of revived my love affair with the game, outside of the Devils. NBC broadcasts nearly as many games as FOX and devotes time to an online pre-show. VERSUS has been interesting to follow as well.

My point is, the NHL needs to keep some games on network TV to get kids interested in the games. It would help if there were more games, but I'll take what we have now.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Rangers ink Artem Anisimov

The New York Rangers signed 19 year old centerman Artem Anisimov to a professional contract. Could this be the answer to the third line center position in question? Possibly. From articles I have read, he seems like he could be the real deal. Any thoughts?

Best of the Puck-o-sphere (8/2/07)

This is a new feature I'm going to be toying with over the next few weeks. The Top 3 Columns of the Day from the Hockey Blogs:

3. "That's Coach Hawerchuk To You, Kid" by Greg Wyshynski at NHL Fanhouse (http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/08/02/thats-coach-hawerchuk-to-you-kid/)
2. "Refuse and Redeemers" by pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog (http://www.onfrozenblog.com/2007/08/02/refuse-and-redeemers/)
1. "Dustin Penner is an Edmonton Oiler" by James Mirtle (http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2007/08/dustin-penner-is-edmonton-oiler.html)

Hockey Bloggers

Check out the Facebook for Hockey Bloggers at the Following Link:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2233092946&pwstdfy=ac152ac975a0ccd34abac5a0166c6b13

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Welcome!

A hearty Hi ho to our new Rangers blogger, Lenny. He will be joining us to comment on the day-to-day actions of the Broadway Blueshirts.

Say hi in the comments!

New to BoNY, now let's talk Rangers!

Hey everyone. My name is Lenny and I'll be doing some New York Rangers blogging. It's been a busy couple of days, so let's get right to it.

July 31- Rangers sign Marcel Hossa to a 1 year, $780,000 contract. Hossa earned a $180,000 raise from last season. Hossa played a large part in helping the Rangers get to the playoffs last season, playing on the top line with Jagr and Nylander. He scored 10 goals and had 8 assists in 64 games.

August 1- Sean Avery awarded $1.9 million for 1 year by an arbitrator. NYR accepts. Avery registered 10 goals and 12 assists in 29 games with the Rangers last season.

Both of these moves were strong moves for the Rangers. Hossa provides a strong board presence, plays a strong, physical game and has always been tabbed as "underachieving" when it comes to his point totals. Avery seemed to rediscover himself in New York following the trade last season. Instead of being an arrogant distraction, Avery became an agitating, intimidating force that had surprising offensive talent. Avery also provides penalty killing ability, which the Rangers took a hit on when Ortmeyer moved on to Nashville and Cullen was traded back to Carolina.

The biggest few questions that remain:
1) Who will be backing up Lundqvist this season? Valiquette? Montoya? Free Agent signing?
2) Who will be centering the third line? Avery? Dubinski? Another prospect? Michael Peca?
3) Who will be the starting six defensemen? Is Kasper back to NHL form?

There are plenty of possibilities that can happen over the next 63 days before the Rangers' season opener. Feel free to discuss this and let me know how my first try at this looks.

The Zach is Back

Zach Parise re-signed with the Devils today! 4 years, $12.5 Million.

Well done by both parties. Parise is clearly this franchise's offensive future. It will be key for him, as well as Gionta, Elias and Zajac, to step up their games in Gomez's absence and the unknown that is Dainius Zubrus.

However, if Paul Martin ends up getting more money, I'll be pissed.

HOCKEY ON TV ALERT!

And it's one of them fictional TV comedies too! And a good one at that.

This from the NHL Today:

Former NHL player Willie O'Ree will film an episode of The CW's "Everybody Hates Chris" on Thursday, August 9 in Los Angeles. In the episode entitled "Everybody Hates Gretzky," Chris (played by Tyler Williams) and his brother, Drew (played by Tequan Richmond) ditch school to meet his hockey hero, Wayne Gretzky, when the Edmonton Oilers visit the New York Islanders. When they realize they are lost, they stop an older gentleman (played by Willie O'Ree) for directions but also get a hockey history lesson. An air date for the episode has not been set.


Very interesting. Can't wait to check it out. "Chris" is a pretty good show, though it's 2nd season wasn't quite up to snuff with the first. Think an urban version of "Malcolm in the Middle" sparked by Chris Rock's unique comic voice.

Another strike in my "NHL on CW" campaign!

Search This Blog

Stats