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08-09 Playoff Bracket
By TonyH | April 29, 2009
Get your 08-09 NHL Playoff Bracket
Sorry for being late, see downloads section
Once again we are glad to provide these for you. If there is some custom pics you would like to use, please let me know and we will see what we can do for you.
Please feel free to down load our brackets. We will try and update these as often as possible. I am away alot these days and I will do my best.
Topics: NHL Playoff's, Site News | No Comments »
Versus to be your NHL Home
By TonyH | April 29, 2009
VERSUS to Air Wall-to-Wall coverage of the
2009 nhl stanley cup PlayoffS
Beginning April 15 at 6:30 p.m. ET
Network Skates into Postseason with Double-Digit Viewership Growth
NEW YORK, N.Y. (April 13, 2009)- VERSUS, the network that celebrates real competition and the exclusive cable television home of the National Hockey League (NHL), will kick-off its wall-to-wall coverage of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Conference Quarterfinal round beginning Wednesday, April 15. The network will start the night with a special playoffs preview Hockey Central show at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by game one of the series between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m. ET. At 10 p.m. ET VERSUS will televise the first game in the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks series. VERSUS will air coverage of all rounds of the playoffs, including games three and four of the Stanley Cup Final. All games in each round will be produced and presented in HD where available.
Now in its fourth season as the exclusive cable television home of the NHL, VERSUS enters the 2009 postseason with double-digit viewership growth for the 2008/09 regular season as compared to the 2007/08 campaign. Total viewership showed an increase of 21 percent and household impressions were up 23 percent, while viewership for all key male demos also showed substantial increases: Men 18-34 (up 51%), Men 18-49 (up 43%) and Men 25-54 (up 41%). The network’s coverage of the 2008/09 NHL regular season reached 32.9 million total viewers, the most ever for an NHL on VERSUS regular season (up 13% from last season).
“VERSUS is heading into the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs with tremendous momentum. In 2008, the network not only aired some of the most-watched NHL postseason games on cable since 2002, but was also the fastest growing cable sports network in the country. That growth continued this year resulting in substantial viewership increases throughout the regular season,” said Marc Fein, Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Business Operations for VERSUS. “When you combine all of VERSUS’ successes with the momentum the NHL is currently seeing, we’re extremely excited to get this year’s postseason underway.”
Each night throughout the postseason, VERSUS will televise at least one game, however most nights during the first two rounds will feature a doubleheader. In the Conference Quarterfinals, VERSUS’ coverage is non-exclusive and subject to local blackouts. In the Conference Semifinal round VERSUS will air two exclusive games per series and during the Conference Finals the network will air exclusive coverage of both series. The total number of games will vary depending upon the length of each individual series. VERSUS will, when feasible, simulcast games from Canadian networks to give viewers bonus postseason action.
VERSUS’ 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage will culminate with games three and four of the Stanley Cup Final. This is a change from the past three seasons as VERSUS previously aired games one and two of the Final. NBC will broadcast games one and two of the Final as well as games five, six and seven, if necessary.
VERSUS will air its dedicated NHL studio show, Hockey Central, each night the network televises a game. Throughout the 2008/09 regular season, compared to year-ago figures, VERSUS’ Hockey Central telecasts doubled in ratings and saw a 34-percent increase in total viewership. Hosted by Bill Patrick with Brian Engblom and Keith Jones, Hockey Central provides extensive insight and commentary of the games and what’s happening around the NHL in the 2009 Playoffs.
Some of the regular segments of Hockey Central include: highlights from all the games being played as well as Plays of the Week; a telestrator segment in which Engblom will breakdown and discuss plays in a visually engaging manner; Parting Shots, where Engblom and Jones debate bullet point debate topics in rapid fire fashion; Live-Look-Ins wherever possible, bringing viewers live action from games being played concurrently during VERSUS’ telecast; and features on NHL players away from the ice.
Each night VERSUS airs a game, the network will deliver a condensed highlight version of the game via the network’s VOD platform. These will be available the morning after game play, so that hockey fans who may not have seen the previous night’s game won’t miss any of the postseason action.
The network’s website, www.VERSUS.com <http://www.versus.com/> , is the online destination for NHL fans to find extensive information about the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The site will include editorial coverage from some of the most knowledgeable hockey sources and will feature exclusive videos and interviews as well as daily highlights from all of VERSUS’ games. The website will also include editorial coverage from HockeyBuzz.com, which will provide viewers with game projections for each of the network’s telecasts.
Viewers will also have access to daily insider video featuring the Hockey Central analysts where they give the inside scoop on what has happened to-date in the playoffs, as well as their predictions for the future games in the series. Fans can also play the Stanley Cup Playoffs trivia game on the website for their chance to win weekly prizes. Additionally, the website will have the Playoff Forecaster which allows fans to track and follow their team’s progression to the Cup.
Viewers will also be able to go to www.VERSUS.com <http://www.versus.com/> to enter their mobile telephone number to receive real-time game alerts throughout the playoffs so they know when games are about to go in to sudden-death overtime.
Source: Versus Media Release
Topics: TV News / Schedule / Analyst | No Comments »
Vegas to host 09 NHL Awards
By TonyH | March 13, 2009
2009 NHL Awards heads to Las Vegas for first time
NHL announces three-year agreement with Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
NEW YORK – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that its annual awards celebration will take place in Las Vegas June 18 and will serve as the inaugural event of a three-year agreement with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). The 2009 NHL Awards, the first ever to originate from Las Vegas, will be broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on VERSUS in the United States and CBC in Canada.
“Las Vegas specializes in shining the spotlight on outstanding performers,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “Its innate energy offers an exciting setting for our celebration of excellence.”
This year’s event will bring together more players, celebrities, business partners and fans than ever and will provide more opportunities for all to participate in the celebration. Fans will be able to purchase tickets to attend the NHL Awards. Tickets to the 2009 NHL Awards will go on sale on Tuesday, March 24 at Ticketmaster.com and at the Pearl Concert Theater Box Office.
“We are honored to welcome the NHL Awards, and look forward to having the League’s top players and loyal fans take a break in our wonderful city,” said Terry Jicinsky, Senior Vice President of Marketing for the LVCVA. “Millions of people enjoy our sports and entertainment offerings every year, and having such a special celebration gives them one more reason to visit Las Vegas.”
“We are so thrilled to be the host of the 2009 NHL Awards,” said Palms Owner George Maloof. “Working with the National Hockey League in bringing this event to Las Vegas is something that will be great for our community.”
As part of the agreement, the NHL and the LVCVA are holding an “NHL Awards Vegas Getaway” sweepstakes to give fans the opportunity to celebrate alongside some of the NHL’s biggest names by providing a trip for two to the 2009 NHL Awards. In addition to two tickets to the 2009 NHL Awards, the winner also will be awarded two tickets to the exclusive after-party, roundtrip airfare and accommodations for two nights. Fans across North America can enter for a chance to win at NHL.com/Vegas beginning March 15 through May 10.
The 2009 NHL Awards will feature announcement of the League’s top regular-season performers in a host of categories including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy).
More details regarding the 2009 NHL Awards festivities, entertainment, ancillary events, broadcast details and media information, will be announced at a later date.
Source: NHL.com
Topics: NHL Awards, NHL News | No Comments »
Blackhawk ticket prices to hold steady
By TonyH | March 12, 2009
Blackhawks freeze season-ticket prices for 2009-10
The Blackhawks have hosted 30 capacity crowds in 30 home dates this season
The Chicago Blackhawks have announced today that season ticket prices for the 2009-10 season will not increase from 2008-09 season ticket package prices.
“Chicago Blackhawks fans are unique in that they have remained loyal to our team through many seasons of challenge,” Blackhawks Chairman W. Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz said. “We are incredibly grateful of this support and recognize that during these challenging times, we are acting in the best interests of our fans and our community by keeping our season ticket prices flat for the 2009-10 season. With a solid record for the current season, contention for playoff play and a team of young stars, the Chicago Blackhawks are well-positioned to be a force in Chicagoland professional sports for many years to come. With much gratitude to all of our fans, we look forward to providing an exciting and winning tradition well into the future.”
“We want to be respectful of our fans and their allegiance to the organization with regard to the nature of today’s economy,” Blackhawks Team President John McDonough said. “We also want to remain consistent with our big picture approach as we attempt to improve all aspects of our franchise.”
The Blackhawks have hosted 30 capacity crowds in 30 home dates this season and 33 consecutive dating back to the end of last season. Chicago, which has hosted 11 crowds of over 22,000 fans this season, leads the NHL with an average of 22,395 fans per game. The Blackhawks are currently on pace to surpass the all-time franchise record of 835,977 fans that attended games during the 1995-96 season.
Prices offered to new season ticketholders will remain constant with the prices provided to season customers who joined the Chicago Blackhawks for the current season. Fans wishing to purchase season tickets for the 2009-10 season may join the priority waiting list by contacting the Chicago Blackhawks at (312) 455-7000. Season ticket packages may be available starting at $15 per ticket, based upon seating availability.
Source: story from NHL.com
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Commissioner Bettman talks GM Meeting
By TonyH | March 12, 2009
Bettman talks economy, fighting as meetings end
Bettman: “I was very pleased with the level of discussion and analysis that went on by the group.”
NAPLES, Fla. – Two issues dominated discussion between NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the media as the NHL GM Meetings ended here at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort: The state of the NHL economy and the issue of fighting.
Fighting, particularly ways to change the culture of fisticuffs in today’s game, dominated the first two days of the three-day session. Wednesday, it was more about the economic outlook for a league — like all businesses — that is being buffeted by the intense storm raging across the global economy.
For Bettman, education is a key to survival in troubling times. He asked NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly to make a presentation to the 30 general managers on where the salary cap stands today and where it might be for the 2009-10 season.
“There was no message, in particular, given; other than Bill Daly made a presentation that, in effect, showed the operation of the (salary) cap and potential impacts, as a general matter, on what will happen if the cap is flat or goes down a little bit,” Bettman said. “But we didn’t give a whole new series of financial projections. They’re still pretty much as I projected them at the All-Star Game.”
Bettman’s predictions back in January suggested that real growth in revenues would occur, but the adjusted growth — for salary cap purposes — would mean the cap would hover near the present-day threshold of $56.8 million per team.
The cap, however, could see a little bump, Bettman said Wednesday, if the National Hockey League Players’ Association decides to apply the inflator it is entitled to exercise by the CBA. Bettman added the widespread concern that the salary cap — which is based on a percentage of hockey-related revenues — could go down in the 2010-11 season cannot be discounted.
Source: more from Shawn Roarke of NHL.com
Topics: Coaches/GM's/Owners, NHL News | No Comments »
Have you tried BLADETAPE Yet
By TonyH | March 9, 2009
If you have not tried Bladetape, why not!
A great product at great prices.
Blade Pro Products, the maker of BladeTape, is now offering savings for repeat customers to our online store as part of our new Customer Loyalty program.
You can save as much as 30% on your BladeTape purchases just by ordering through our online store. The more you buy, the more you save.
Visit our online store for more information
http://www.bladetape.ca/storefront
New products being offered:
NHL BladeTape: Get all the benefits of using BladeTape, and show your team pride at the same time. NHL BladeTape now available for 17 NHL teams. For our website to see a complete listing.
http://www.bladetape.ca/ourproducts_nhllogos
Camo BladeTape: Go to war on the ice with our new desert and winter camouflage lines. Available Sept. 15th, 2008.
Custom BladeTape: Now it’s personal. Make your own BladeTape. You get to select the design. Get your team, league or corporate logo.
Contact us to get more information: info@bladetape.ca
BladeTape and Goalie BladeTape now available in steel gray.
BladeTape NEWS:
Chris Mason, NHL goalie for the St. Louis Blues, is our new goalie sponsor. Watch for his new custom goalie BladeTape. You can order your own now too. Contact us.
BLADETAPE has been selected by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as an Official Licensee in the categories of winter sporting equipment
and hockey bladetape. For more info please visit http://www.vancouver2010.com.
Watch for VANOC-licensed BladeTape. We will be launching at least 5 new designs before the start of the 2010 Olympics.
Topics: Equipment | No Comments »
GM’s meeting in Florida
By TonyH | March 9, 2009
NHL GM’s are currently meeting in Florida.
Hot topic is fighting. GMs ponder pros and cons of fighting
NAPLES, Fla. – There is no ground swell to eliminate fighting in the NHL at this time. That much was easy to deduce after just one day at the 2009 NHL General Managers Meetings.
The consensus among the GMs is no one wants to see the pugilistic aspect of the game eliminated. But the power brokers meeting here in Southwest Florida for three days will continue to discuss fighting, the hot button topic in the hockey world, because issues ranging from safety and sense are now part of the conversation.
New Jersey’s Lou Lamoriello, Washington’s George McPhee, Vancouver’s Mike Gillis, Philadelphia’s Paul Holmgren, Minnesota’s Doug Risebrough and Ottawa’s Bryan Murray made up the sub-committee that addressed the issue of fighting Monday.
They will bring their findings to the entire group Tuesday.
“One of the statistics that we looked at is there have been 24,000 fights in some period of time and there hasn’t been a reason to amend that yet,” Vancouver GM Mike Gillis told NHL.com, “but being a progressive league and trying to make sure the game is as safe and entertaining as possible, you have to explore different options and that’s the purpose of these meetings.”
The main issue the GMs are discussing is safety of the players who do fight. They’re all asking the same question:
Source: the rest of Dan Rosen’s article at NHL.com
Limiting head shots high on the agenda
NAPLES, FLA. — Player safety was at the forefront of the agenda of the 2009 General Manager’s Meetings here at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort.
And while the debate about fighting’s place in the game attracted the majority of the headlines going into the three-day summit of the 30 managers, NHL Players’ Association Executive Director Paul Kelly made sure the subject of head shots shared top billing on the agenda.
Kelly spoke shortly after Monday’s meeting began and told the group that head shots — not fighting — was the most pressing issue facing his constituency.
“I would say better than three-quarters of the players say that we need to have a new rule on hits to the head,” Kelly said after his hour-long meeting with the GMs, a talk where he broached a number of issues, including fighting, Olympic participation, the World Cup of Hockey and All-Star participation.
But it was clear Kelly wanted to talk most loudly and most often about blows to the head. And it was also clear that he found a very receptive audience in the general managers, who already had the subject on the week’s agenda.
Buffalo’s Darcy Regier, in fact, was part of the smaller committee that addressed hits to the head during a workshop after the general assembly. He said his group has another day to work on the matter, but progress was being made.
Source: more of Shawn P. Roarke’s story at NHL.com
Topics: Coaches/GM's/Owners, NHL News | No Comments »
Guy out, Gainey in for Habs
By TonyH | March 9, 2009
Gainey fires, replaces Carbonneau
Guy Carbonneau was 124-83-23 in his third season as head coach
MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau has been fired, and general manager Bob Gainey is taking over behind the bench for the second time in three years.
The surprise announcement came Monday, a day after the Canadiens ended a two-game losing run with a 3-1 victory over the Stars in Dallas.
“The last eight weeks of performance have been below average, and I believe a change in the direction at ice level is necessary,” Gainey said Monday in a news conference.
Gainey will coach his first game Tuesday night against the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
Associate coach Doug Jarvis and assistants Kirk Muller and Roland Melanson will stay in their jobs.
Source: Canadien Press via Sportsnet.ca
Montreal Canadiens’ General Manager, Bob Gainey, Monday announced that he is taking over as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens from Guy Carbonneau effective immediately. Associate coach Doug Jarvis, assistant coaches Kirk Muller and Roland Melanson will be staying on the coaching staff.
Bob Gainey became the 15th General Manager in the history of the Montreal Canadiens on June 2, 2003. Gainey, 55, spent his entire NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 to 1989, playing 1,160 games winning five Stanley Cup championships (1975 to 1979 and 1985-86).
Gainey’s career as an NHL head coach started in Minnesota when he assumed the coaching duties of the North Stars back in 1990. One year later, he led that team to the Stanley Cup finals. He was the Stars’ Head Coach and General Manager from 1992 to 1996 and looked over the franchise’s transfer from Minnesota to Dallas.
With Minnesota and later with Dallas, Gainey coached a total of 415 regular season games. With the Canadiens, after taking over the team on an interim basis on January 14, 2006 for the remainder of the 2005-06 season, he maintained a record of 23 wins, 15 losses and 3 OTL in 41 games. In the 2006 playoffs, the Canadiens fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals.
Bob Gainey will conduct his first team practice Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Bell Sports Complex, in Brossard and coach his first game that same night when the Edmonton Oilers will be at the Bell Centre to face the Canadiens.
Source: NHL.com
Topics: Canadiens, Coaches/GM's/Owners | No Comments »
Wings fans mourn passing of Colleen Howe
By TonyH | March 7, 2009
Colleen Howe passes at age 76
Red Wing fans mourn passing of Mrs. Hockey Colleen Howe, wife of Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Colleen Howe, the wife of the hockey great Gordie Howe and one of the first women to be a sports agent, died Friday at her home here. She was 76.
Her death followed a battle with Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s, the Detroit Red Wings said.
Known as “Mrs. Hockey,” Colleen Howe promoted the sport in her own right, was known for her charitable work and was a successful businesswoman and author.
“Mrs. Hockey” and “Mr. Hockey” — nicknames the Howes trademarked for themselves — were inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000 along with their sons Mark and Marty. She was recognized for her work in youth hockey. She founded the Detroit Junior Red Wings, the first junior hockey team in the United States, and developed the first indoor ice arena, Gordie Howe Hockeyland, in the Detroit suburb of St. Clair Shores.
The Red Wings confirmed that Howe, who was known as Mrs. Hockey, died today in Bloomfield Hills. She was 76.
Colleen Howe had been battling Pick’s disease, a progressive dementia that alters a person’s personality, since 2002.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Gordie, Mark, Marty, Cathy, Murray and the entire Howe family,” said Red Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch. “Colleen was a pioneer hockey wife and hockey mom and devoted her entire life to the betterment of the game. She will be sincerely missed by us and all who knew her.”
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
“Obviously a great wife, a wonderful mother, a great hockey mother,” said Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. “Between her and Gordie, Mark and Marty, they were hockey’s first family for a long, long time. A big loss.
“We were all aware that she was battling for her health. I think it’s great that Mark got to Detroit a lot. I think the family saw each other a lot more once Gordie and Colleen moved back to Detroit (from Traverse City).”
Holland said there would be a moment of silence before Saturday’s game against Columbus to honor Howe.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called her a “formidable woman, the wife and partner of our iconic player, the matriarch of a remarkable hockey family.”
Sources: Detroit Free Press and the NY Times
Topics: Coaches/GM's/Owners, NHL Legends, Red Wings | No Comments »
Wings to open 09-10 season in Sweden
By TonyH | February 20, 2009
Zetterberg thrilled Wings will start ‘09-’10 in Sweden
Zetterberg: “We’ve got a great fan base over there, and it would be wonderful to play there,”
BY HELENE ST. JAMES • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • February 19, 2009
It’s finally official: The Red Wings will open the 2009-10 season in Sweden, the land that’s home to seven current Wings.
The NHL has just released the details. On Oct. 2 and 3, the Wings and Blues will play a home-and-home series at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm.
“We’ve got a great fan base over there, and it would be wonderful to play there,” Swedish Wing Henrik Zetterberg said. “The Cup was almost two weeks in Sweden, so Red Wings are big in Sweden, so I think they will be really happy if we can come there.”
It’s long been something Nicklas Lidstrom, the team captain, has wanted to see happen. The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay opened the 2008-09 season in Prague, Czech Republic, and Anaheim and Los Angeles opened the 2007-08 season in London.
Source: more of Helen St. James article from the Detroit Free Press
Topics: NHL News, Red Wings | No Comments »