Monday, December 05, 2011

Monday Musings

Before tonight's game against the Leafs here are few things that caught my eye.

NHL.com:
Rangers, Flyers on pace for prolific Classic matchup--

If the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers maintain their current form, the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic could be more special and historic than any of the outdoor games that have preceded it.

Giving or taking a fraction of a point, the Rangers are on pace to arrive at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia with 52 points in 36 games, while the Flyers are on pace for 48 points in 36 games. It could be the best Winter Classic matchup in terms of point totals of the two teams in the game's five-year history...
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NHL.com:
Realignment tops Board of Governors agenda --
Realignment is a necessity because off the off-season move of the Atlanta franchise to Winnipeg after the Thrashers were sold and relocated from Georgia to Manitoba. The geographic disparity between those two locations precludes the Jets from playing another season, after this one, in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference.

So, it is a given that the Jets will be moved to the Western Conference. As a result, several other teams -- motivated by their own geographic concerns -- have made proposals to take the place of Winnipeg in the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings have been among the most vocal clubs in lobbying for a move to the Eastern Conference, believing that such a move will alleviate the hardship of being an Eastern-based team playing in the Western Conference...
USA Today:
NHL realignment needs Eastern OK --
The proposal has been tweaked clearly with an eye toward attracting more Eastern support. Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday night that the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are now being lumped with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. That would seem like it would be attractive to the Florida teams because of the number of Canadians who spend winters in Florida. The Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals now would be with the New York Islanders and Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and Flyers. It's a logical approach...
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Did you notice that Henrik Lundqvist has started using Twitter recently?


Twitter / HLundqvist30:
The mask arrived last week, my winter classic pads from @BauerHockey should be here any day now... Getting closer.. #Ibetterdresswarm
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Success is the result of psychologically preparing yourself for it, prior to achieving it!!!!!!!
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The NY Times has an extremely interesting profile of the 'Boogyman', Derek Boogard. Being an NHL enforcer is the most difficult and dangerous job in sports. Read this story and try and argue otherwise.

NY Times:
Derek Boogaard: Blood on the Ice --
When Boogaard closed his right hand, though, it was a weapon, the most feared in the N.H.L. The thought of Boogaard’s right fist kept rival enforcers awake at night. It made them alter their strategy and doubt their fighting acumen. And, in the case of Todd Fedoruk, that fist shattered his face and dropped him to the ice, all while officials and teammates watched, an arena full of hockey fans cheered and Boogaard’s Minnesota Wild teammates banged their sticks against the boards in appreciation.

No single punch announced the arrival of a heavyweight enforcer the way it did on Oct. 27, 2006. Fedoruk, 6 feet 2 and 235 pounds, had built a career as a nuisance and willing combatant. Trying to avenge a hit that the 6-8 Boogaard had laid on an Anaheim Ducks teammate, Fedoruk chased Boogaard down the ice. He baited him with tugs on his jersey.

Seven seconds after their gloves dropped, the damage was done. Surgeons inserted metal plates and a swath of mesh to rebuild the right side of Fedoruk’s face. His career was never the same.

Message sent. Players around the league took notice of the Boogeyman...
Boogaard played 1,411 minutes in six N.H.L. seasons and spent 589 minutes in the penalty box

Parts 1 and 3:
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Just wanted to add this photo from Saturday to our growing collection of Rangers wearing hats.

Blueshirts United:
Rangers forward Derek Stepan, who scored the game-winning goal to beat the Lightning with only 3:19 remaining in regulation at Tampa, was the recipient of the postgame Broadway Hat on Saturday. Stepan, who was still suffering from a sore ankle after blocking a shot in Thursday's win at Carolina, also assisted on the game-tying goal by Artem Anisimov. He is the first Rangers player to win the Broadway Hat twice, having also claimed it on Nov 6.



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