FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif FanHouse http://www.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Knuckle Puck: What's Wrong With Vaccinating National Treasures? http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/knuckle-puck-whats-wrong-with-vaccinating-national-treasures/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/knuckle-puck-whats-wrong-with-vaccinating-national-treasures/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/07/knuckle-puck-whats-wrong-with-vaccinating-national-treasures/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

There's something to be said for Canadians and their level-headedness at least as it compares to us Americans. They always seem so much calmer. But during the past week our neighbors to the North have been in an uproar about Calgary Flames Flu Vaccination Crisis 2009. Sure, they're rightfully up in arms in Alberta that the Flames and their peeps received shots before some of the neediest people in the province but that almost seems like a trivial matter compared to what's going on down here.

 

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]]> Dany HeatleyDanyHeatleyjosh saccoJosh+SaccoJoshSacco Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-11-07T11:30:00 00:00 A Look at NHL's October Attendance http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/a-look-at-october-attendance-numbers/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/a-look-at-october-attendance-numbers/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/04/a-look-at-october-attendance-numbers/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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The first month of the NHL season is behind us, and I'm taking a look back at the early returns on attendance numbers for October. According to ESPN, the numbers aren't that peachy for the NHL. Only nine teams had an average attendance higher than their average attendance last season. On the flip side, 18 teams are down, including five which are down more than 10 percent from their 2008-09 averages. Of course, looking at stats for only one month is a small sample size, but I still think these numbers give us a look at some of the early trends around the league.

After the jump are the full numbers for the entire league.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-11-04T17:22:00 00:00 Knuckle Puck: Michael Jackson and the Skivvy Shootout Imitators http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/knuckle-puck-michael-jackson-and-the-skivvy-shootout-imitators/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/knuckle-puck-michael-jackson-and-the-skivvy-shootout-imitators/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/knuckle-puck-michael-jackson-and-the-skivvy-shootout-imitators/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

You've got to love the spirit of minor league hockey. The promotional departments for the teams love to give fitting tributes to things that usually have a tenuous relation -- if any -- to their teams, sport and locales. I'm not criticizing, simply stating an observation. The latest team to host a promotional night chosen from their Wheel-O-Random Promotions (I hear all minor league teams keep one snugly in the back of the marketing office for when the mood strikes them) is the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors.

The team hosted King of Pop Tribute Night on Friday complete with Michael Jackson jerseys and players wearing one white glove. And don't worry, the media was naturally all over the clever puns.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-31T12:00:00 00:00 The Pink Slip Index: Which Coach Will Be First to Go? http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/the-pink-slip-index-which-coach-will-be-first-to-go/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/the-pink-slip-index-which-coach-will-be-first-to-go/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/30/the-pink-slip-index-which-coach-will-be-first-to-go/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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In the NHL, coach firings are as common as parking tickets in New York City. Throughout the NHL season I'll be taking a bi-weekly look at five coaches who are the most likely to get fired. Be advised your local coach may be axed at any moment. Consider this fair warning.

We've made it through the first month of the NHL season and not one coach has gotten fired yet. That's got to be some kind of record. This is the NHL! Coaches are fired for lots of reasons and sometimes no reason at all. How is no team displeased enough to have fired a coach yet? And what have you got to say for yourself, Lou Lamoriello? Why is your finger not on the trigger?

 

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]]> pink slip indexPinkSlipIndex Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-30T10:00:00 00:00 Canadians Upset Over Green Jerseys http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/canadians-upset-over-green-jerseys/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/canadians-upset-over-green-jerseys/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/26/canadians-upset-over-green-jerseys/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Next year, the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships will be held in Regina and Saskatoon, cities in the Saskatchewan province of Canada. To honor the province and their CFL football team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hockey Canada has decided to unveil a green version of the team's jerseys to be worn twice during the tournament.

In a press release, Hockey Canada COO Scott Smith had high praise for the jerseys. "We believe fans in Saskatchewan, and throughout Canada, will rally around the green jerseys prior to and during the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship," he said.

They're rallying all right, but it's not the kind that Smith had in mind.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-26T10:00:00 00:00 Former Player Criticizes Ron Wilson http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/former-player-criticizes-ron-wilson/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/former-player-criticizes-ron-wilson/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/former-player-criticizes-ron-wilson/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Doesn't that sound like a juicy headline?

It probably does and has probably left you wondering who it was taking on the Toronto coach. Was it Joe Thornton? Maybe Evgeni Nabokov or Olaf Kolzig? Well, the answer is none of the above. The former player who laid into Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson on TSN's Off the Record this week was Jim Thomson.

If you just said 'who?' you're not alone.

 

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]]> jim thomsonJimThomsonoleg tverdovskyOlegTverdovskyron wilsonRonWilsonteemu selanneTeemuSelanne Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-25T13:00:00 00:00 Knuckle Puck: Don Cherry Jerseys, Naked Breakaways and Red Line Love http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/knuckle-puck-don-cherry-jerseys-naked-breakaways-and-red-line/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/knuckle-puck-don-cherry-jerseys-naked-breakaways-and-red-line/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/24/knuckle-puck-don-cherry-jerseys-naked-breakaways-and-red-line/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

This has been a banner week for Knuckle Puck, easily the wackiest and most interesting since I started this feature about a month ago. I have so much to write about that I don't even know where to start things off. Do I go with the Kingston Frontenacs wearing Don Cherry styled jerseys? Or what about the Lightning getting kinky at practice? Then there are the folks at UniWatch showing some love for the red line, and retailer River City Sports trying to trick Islanders fans into buying Rangers hats. What's a writer to do? Well, for starters, you can follow me through the jump.

 

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]]> Don CherryDonCherryMartin St. LouisMartinSt.LouisRick TocchetRickTocchetSteven StamkosStevenStamkos Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-24T12:30:00 00:00 Toronto Star Chooses to Look at Lighter Side of Leafs' Streak http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/toronto-star-chooses-to-look-at-lighter-side-of-leafs-streak/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/toronto-star-chooses-to-look-at-lighter-side-of-leafs-streak/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/22/toronto-star-chooses-to-look-at-lighter-side-of-leafs-streak/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Of all the cities in the hockey world, no town's media may be quite as big or as hard on the folks it covers than the one in Toronto. The Toronto Maple Leafs are covered from every angle -- two or three times over -- and every year it seems the Leafs are going to trade for every star player in the NHL. Add to that a very fine microscope that is placed on the players and employees in the organization and, well, we get one of the toughest places to play in the NHL in terms of media attention.

But today, I'd like to take a moment to credit the Toronto Star for taking the time to laugh at itself and the team in a good, ease the pain, therapeutic kind of way after the Leafs' 0-6-1 start to the season.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-22T10:00:00 00:00 Knuckle Puck: Youth Movement Taking Over NHL http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/knuckle-puck-youth-movement-talking-over-nhl/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/knuckle-puck-youth-movement-talking-over-nhl/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/17/knuckle-puck-youth-movement-talking-over-nhl/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. This is the first edition. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

One of the stories to watch this season is the youth movement that is currently taking over the NHL. I'm not talking about Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. At 22 and 24 respectively, those guys are old news. The kids I'm talking about are a bit younger and dare I say, better.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-17T12:15:00 00:00 It's a YouTube World, Kid http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/its-a-youtube-world-kid/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/its-a-youtube-world-kid/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/16/its-a-youtube-world-kid/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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When was the last time that the evening Sportscenter (I'm not talking about Sportscentre, mind you) led off with a teaser about something that happened in the hockey world?

That's a rhetorical question, since I'd have to do a lot of digging through a lot of film that I don't have access to to find the answer. Maybe it was when the Penguins skated the Cup around Detroit after winning Game 7. Or it could be further back, when Chris Simon stomped on Jarkko Ruutu, possibly?

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-16T10:00:00 00:00 2-on-1: Early Season Reactions http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/12/2-on-1-early-season-reactions/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/12/2-on-1-early-season-reactions/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/12/2-on-1-early-season-reactions/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin SchultzAlex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green

Every Monday during the season, two of our hockey writers will debate one topic. It's the 2-on-1. This week, Chris Botta and Kevin Schultz discuss the top stories of the young NHL season.

 

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]]> AlexanderSeminAlexOvechkinButchGoringdaniel sedinJohnTavaresKyleOkposomatt ducheneMatt MoulsonMichael Del ZottoMichaelDelZottoNicklasBackstromvictor hedmanVille LeinoVilleLeino Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-12T13:00:00 00:00 Knuckle Puck: Why We Must Stop the Biting Epidemic http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/10/knuckle-puck-why-we-must-stop-the-biting-epidemic/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/10/knuckle-puck-why-we-must-stop-the-biting-epidemic/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/10/knuckle-puck-why-we-must-stop-the-biting-epidemic/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. This is the first edition. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

There are a lot of issues facing the NHL. We can argue about the NHL's policy on hits to the head till we're blue in the face, or we can debate the shootout all night. Then there's the situation in Phoenix and the Versus/DirecTV squabble. Sure, all of that is very important. But there's no bigger issue in the NHL today than the biting epidemic. The league must act swiftly to ensure the hands of our favorite stars stay intact and not in the mouths of other players.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-10T11:00:00 00:00 Flyers, Devils Celebrate New Season With Street Fights http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/flyers-devils-celebrate-new-season-with-street-fights/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/flyers-devils-celebrate-new-season-with-street-fights/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/flyers-devils-celebrate-new-season-with-street-fights/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Sports fans in Philadelphia get a bad rap as one of the worst groups of sports fans in the country. There's the old legend that they booed Santa Claus and there's the factual occurrence of their booing Donovan McNabb. But, as with any sweeping generalization, there's a part based in rumor and legend as well as a part somewhat based in truth. While details are still sketchy about what happened one thing is clear -- Flyers and Devils fans decided to open the season with a bang with some European style hooliganism on the streets of New Jersey and Philly (Note: Fair warning, there are some graphic, NSFW descriptions after the jump).

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-05T10:30:00 00:00 Knuckle Puck: Maybe He Is Simply a Grain Enthusiast http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/03/knuckle-puck-maybe-hes-simply-a-grain-enthusiast/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/03/knuckle-puck-maybe-hes-simply-a-grain-enthusiast/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/10/03/knuckle-puck-maybe-hes-simply-a-grain-enthusiast/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. This is the first edition. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

Sometimes when naming a child, a parent chooses to give their child a special name. Occasionally, they name their offspring after a parent, a friend or someone else who has been influential in their lives. Other times, well, the child is named after a Canadian junior hockey club in Western Canada. This is one of those times.

 

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]]> jeff FingerKyle wellwoodRon Wilson Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-10-03T11:39:00 00:00 Seat Already Warm for Some Coaches http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/29/seat-already-warm-for-some-coaches/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/29/seat-already-warm-for-some-coaches/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/29/seat-already-warm-for-some-coaches/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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The NHL season is almost upon us. That means the weather is getting colder, leaves are falling off trees and coaches are ever closer to getting the proverbial axe. Last year, it took only four games for the Chicago Blackhawks to fire Dennis Savard. The Penguins let Michel Therrien go with 25 games left in the season and it was just what the doctor ordered. The team went 18-3-4 under Dan Bylsma the rest of the season on their way to a Stanley Cup victory. Here, I'll be taking a look at the coaches most likely to end up like Savard -- coaches who are starting the season on the hot seat.
NHL FanHouse Season Preview:
Season Predictions | Other Predictions
Hot Seat Coaches | Coaches in Waiting
Ray Shero Discusses Life After the Stanley Cup
The John Tavares Handbook

 

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]]> Andy murraybarry melrosedan bylsmadave tallondennis savarddon waddelljacques lemairejoel quennevillejohn andersonjohn stevensken hitchcocklen barrielou lamoriellomichel therrienoren koulesrick tocchetterry murray Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-09-29T15:21:00 00:00 Coyotes Slash Opening Night Prices http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/coyotes-slash-opening-night-prices/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/coyotes-slash-opening-night-prices/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/24/coyotes-slash-opening-night-prices/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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The Phoenix Coyotes are, if only for one night, going to try and look like a healthy, happy franchise with a supportive fanbase. Of course, anyone following their plight knows that is not the case. The hockey team from the desert has been in a fierce ownership battle in bankruptcy court and is now missing their owner/coach, who is entangled in the battle. Things got worse when the team drew only a few thousand fans -- depending on who you ask -- to a preseason game last week and received some media scrutiny for it.

With opening night almost two weeks away, the team's PR and marketing departments have awoken from their summer slumber to offer fans an opening night discount that looks like a failing car salesman's last stand. "Come down to Crazy Coyotes Motors! Everything must go! Go! GO! Our prices are low! Low! LOW!"

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-09-24T09:00:00 00:00 NHL's Expansion Follies Started in '66, Writer Says http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/23/nhls-expansion-follies-started-in-66-writer-says/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/23/nhls-expansion-follies-started-in-66-writer-says/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/23/nhls-expansion-follies-started-in-66-writer-says/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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Sidney Crosby, Mike Richards should be playing for Original Six teams! Bah humbug!When people criticize the NHL's move to southern markets, usually the new locales of the 1990s and 2000s are targeted. The expansion to Tampa Bay, Miami, Nashville, Atlanta and the Whalers' relocation to Carolina tend to come to mind. Each has their supporters and detractors and now that the Phoenix Coyotes, who moved to the desert in 1996, are in trouble, the topic comes up for debate more often.

Given this much ammunition, detractors usually keep busy trashing on the likes of Phoenix, Nashville and their southern brethren. But not Frank Deford of NPR. When it comes to trashing the NHL's expansion, he takes it old school. And by 'old school' I mean 'back to the first time the NHL expanded in 1966.'

Mr. Deford -- 43 years after the fact, mind you -- thinks the NHL was better off with only six teams.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-09-23T15:00:00 00:00 Lightly Attended Preseason Game Somehow Deemed Newsworthy http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/lightly-attended-preseason-game-somehow-deemed-newsworthy/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/lightly-attended-preseason-game-somehow-deemed-newsworthy/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/17/lightly-attended-preseason-game-somehow-deemed-newsworthy/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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The Phoenix Coyotes attracted only a few thousand fans to their first preseason game at home Wednesday night. Now, in any other year, would that be a newsworthy headline on any story? No, of course not.

But since the Coyotes are in Bankruptcy Court Limbo, under a microscope and expected by many to draw negative fans this season, it is. Anyway, the AP felt the need to publish the story. Some local outlets also weighed in giving even more grim numbers accompanied by pictures of worried fans. It was all really kinda manufactured and poorly reported.

 

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]]> Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-09-17T09:30:00 00:00 Bloggers React to Heatley Trade http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/14/bloggers-react-to-heatley-trade/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/14/bloggers-react-to-heatley-trade/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/14/bloggers-react-to-heatley-trade/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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It's been a couple days since Dany Heatley was shipped from Ottawa to San Jose, so we've all had a little time to take a step back and look a the trade. Today, some of the best and brightest in the two blogospheres involved have taken the time to share their views on the trade with us. I have an odd feeling that the Senators' bloggers feel a lot of relief now that the trade has been mad but, to find out, follow me through the jump.

 

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]]> dan boyledany heatleydevin setoguchidoug wilsonjoe pavelskijoe thorntonjonathan cheechoomilan michalekpatrick marleaurob blakeryane clowetodd mclellan Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-09-14T14:00:00 00:00 NHL Preview: Judging Offseason Moves http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/10/roundtable-the-best-and-worst-offseason-moves/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/10/roundtable-the-best-and-worst-offseason-moves/ http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/09/10/roundtable-the-best-and-worst-offseason-moves/#comments Kevin Schultzby Kevin Schultz

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FanHouse begins its four-part preview of the upcoming NHL season. Check back every Thursday from now until opening night for the rest.

The calendar has flipped past Labor Day in the States, and that means the start of the NHL's regular season is fast approaching. We're going to take one last look back at the summer and discuss the best and worst moves -- in some cases, non-moves -- of the offseason. Who took a step in the right direction and who took a step back?

 

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]]> bob gaineybrent sutterbrian boucherchris higginschris prongercraig mctavishdaniel briereDany heatleydoug wilsonjonathan cheechoomarian gaborikmarian hossamartin havlatpat quinnpatrick marleauray emerysaku koivuscott gomez Kevin Schultz kevin-schultz 2009-09-10T12:00:00 00:00