Friday, October 19, 2012

A Holiday From the Ice

Maybe it was the endless Tweeting by the player agent Allan Walsh that led me to believe it was time to take leave from any lockout talk.

In short, it is great to know that when Mr. Walsh is your agent, he will spare no finger to support your cause and raise his middle one to the NHL owners, Gary Bettman and anyone who does not agree with him.

And if you missed his Tweets the first time around, rest assured that he will repeat them again in a few hours.

Mix those in with the endless Tweets by writers accounting for the number of games being canceled and you get the picture. The room is stuffy; time for some fresh air.

So I will be opening up the windows in the Lounge. I'll watch the NHL Network tonight at 7 Eastern -- Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters will visit the Kitchener Rangers in an Ontario Hockey League game being televised tonight -- and then I will listen to a lot of music and sample whatever I have chilling in the fridge.

But after the Otters-Rangers game, I'll let the NHL owners, players, players union, beat writers and Mr. Walsh stew in their own juices for a week. They can Tweet all they want.

You won't hear a peep from me.

See you next week.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thursday in the KHL



Just one game this afternoon, and it is in St. Petersburg.

At SKA 2, Sibir 0
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

The Wednesday Night Rewind

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Chicago 2, Peoria 1 OT
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Trenton 3, Reading 1
Idaho 7, at Colorado 6 SO
At Ontario 5, San Francisco 4 SO
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Sherbrooke 6, at Cape Breton 5 OT
At Moncton 4, Acadie-Bathurst 3 OT
Halifax 7, at Prince Edward Island 5
At Quebec 5, Saint John 2
Blainville-Boisbriand 3, at Rimouski 1
Chicoutimi 5, at Baie-Comeau 4 SO
At Gatineau 5, Shawinigan 3
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Sault Ste. Marie 3, Sudbury 1
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Kamloops 5, at Edmonton 4 SO
At Lethbridge 6, Brandon 1
Everett 3, at Swift Current 1
At Saskatoon 3, Tri-City 2 OT
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
Indiana 5, at Green Bay 3
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

NCAA DIVISION I
No games scheduled.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wednesday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Avangard 5, Spartak 3
At Barys 6, Donbass 1
At Yugra 4, Dinamo Riga 3 (video below)
Lokomotiv 4, at Avtomobilist 3 OT (video above)
At Traktor 6, Torpedo 3
At Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3, Atlant 1
At Salavat Yulaev 4, Lev 2
At Ak Bars 5, CSKA 2
At Severstal 6, Slovan 0
At Dinamo Minsk 3, Vityaz 1
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

The Tuesday Rewind

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Binghamton 3, at Rochester 1
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Brandon 7, at Medicine Hat 6
At Moose Jaw 5, Everett 2
Tri-City 2, at Prince Albert 1 SO
Kamloops 4, at Red Deer 0
Calgary 5, at Prince George 0
At Seattle 6, Spokane 4
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
Muskegon 4, at USNDP 2
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

NCAA DIVISION I
Atlantic Hockey
Holy Cross 6, at American International 2
At Bentley 7, Sacred Heart 1
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Whalers Inspired Mayhem



Just heard this touted on RadioBDC and had to get this on the blog. Nothing says the spirit of hockey, and the joy of a Hartford Whalers goal, like mosh-pit mayhem set to "Brass Bonanza," the theme song of the Hartford Whalers.

You've got to love it.

No Sleep in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Saturday
At Avangard 4, Dinamo Riga 2
At Barys 5, Spartak 1
SKA 6, at Avtomobilist 5
At Traktor 4, Atlant 2
Lokomitiv 3, at Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2 SO
At Salavat Yulaev 3, Slovan 2 SO
CSKA 5, at Neftekhimik 4 OT
At Ak Bars 4, Lev 2
Donbass 1, at Vityaz 0
At Dynamo Moscow 3, Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2
Sunday
At Dynamo Moscow 4, Amur 1
Monday
At Avangard 2, Donbass 1
At Barys 5, Dinamo Riga 0
At Yugra 6, Spartak 3
At Avtomobilist 1, Atlant 0
Lokomotiv 3, at Traktor 2 SO
At Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3, Torpedo 2
CSKA 4, at Salavat Yulaev 1
At Neftekhimik 3, Lev 2 SO
Slovan 3, at Ak Bars 2 SO
Vityaz 3, at Severstal 1
At SKA 4, Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2
Tuesday
At SKA 7, Amur 3 (video above)
Sibir 3, Dynamo Moscow 2 OT
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

Minor Leagues Rush In

Yes, I was trying to listen in on a few of these games, too. In all, I heard a lot of hockey. And I am recovering from it now. But it is good to have the AHL and the ECHL back in play.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
Milwaukee 3, at Grand Rapids 2
Manchester 3, at Providence 1
At Rochester 6, Syracuse 5 SO
Bridgeport 6, at Connecticut 4
At Lake Erie 2, Oklahoma City 1
At Norfolk 4, Worcester 2
At Abbotsford 4, Peoria 1
Saturday
Oklahoma City 3, at Lake Erie 2
At Toronto 3, Rochester 1
Manchester 2, at Albany 1
At Adirondack 6, Portland 3
At Bridgeport 4, Providence 2
Hamilton 4, at Grand Rapids 3 SO
At Springfield 4, St. John's 2
At Binghamton 2, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1
At Norfolk 4, Worcester 3 SO
At Syracuse 4, Hershey 3
At Chicago 1, Rockford 0 SO
Texas 2, at San Antonio 1
Charlotte 3, at Houston 1
At Abbotsford 6, Peoria 2
Sunday
St. John's 3, at Connecticut 2
At Springfield 4, Adirondack 0
Lake Erie 4, at Toronto 0
At Chicago 5, Rockford 3
At San Antonio 3, Houston 2
At Texas 4, Charlotte 3 SO
Monday
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
At Elmira 3, Reading 2
At Trenton 3, Greenville 1
At Florida 5, Orlando 4 OT
Kalamazoo 4, at Fort Wayne 1
Alaska 6, at Colorado 3
Utah 5, at Idaho 3
Bakersfield 4, at San Francisco 3
Ontario 2, at Stockton 1
Saturday
At Florida 4, Orlando 2
At Elmira 7, Greenville 1
Trenton 6, at Reading 2
At South Carolina 4, Gwinnett 3
At Toledo 4, Kalamazoo 1
At Cincinnati 3, Wheeling 2 SO
Fort Wayne 6, at Evansville 2
Stockton 4, at Ontario 0
At Colorado 3, Alaska 1
At Utah 2, Idaho 1
At San Francisco 6, Bakersfield 5
Sunday
Las Vegas 3, at Bakersfield 2
Monday
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

Junior Mania Produces Headache



Sometimes I try to do too much. Watch a game while listening to another. And when you try to watch two games while listening to two more games, well, the brain finally decides enough is enough.

Which is a safe way to explain how migraine headaches make a visit to the Lounge from time to time. I had two laptops, an iPad and the HD monitor working the games this weekend. With ear pieces to each laptop, I had two feeds of junior games while I was trying to watch two college games.

Just for fun, I threw in a few AHL games during a lull, just to fill my night. But that led to a headache that left me enjoying the darkness of a dead Monday in hockey across North America.

But while I was among the living during the weekend, I managed to listen to several of these games. It was time well spent, uhm, for the most part.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
At Moncton 4, Val-d'Or 3
At Prince Edward Island 4, Acadie-Bathurst 3 OT
At Saint John 6, Rouyn-Noranda 5 SO
Blainville-Boisbriand 7, at Sherbrooke 0
Halifax 5, at Drummondville 2
Quebec 4, at Gatineau 1
At Rimouski 4, Baie-Comeau 2
Chicoutimi 6, Shawinigan 1
Saturday
Baie-Comeau 2, at Rimouski 0
Halifax 4, at Shawinigan 1
Drummondville 5, at Victoriaville 4
Rouyn-Noranda 6, at Prince Edward Island 3
Val-d'Or 7, at Saint John 1
Sunday
Acadie-Bathurst 5, at Cape Breton 2
Rouyn-Noranda 3, at Moncton 2
Victoriaville 5, at Blainville-Boisbriand 3
Chicoutimi 7, at Gatineau 3
Monday
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
At Kingston 3, Kitchener 2
Belleville 2, at Brampton 0
At Guelph 6, Erie 3
At London 4, Plymouth 1
At Mississauga 3, Ottawa 2
Barrie 4, at Oshawa 3 SO
Saginaw 6, at Sudbury 1
Saturday
Mississauga 4, at Erie 3
At Belleville 4, Oshawa 1
Sault Ste. Marie 3, at Plymouth 2 OT
At Sarnia 4, Niagara 3 OT
At Barrie 2, Sudbury 1
At Owen Sound 5, Peterborough 4 SO
Sunday
At Brampton 5, Saginaw 3
At Guelph 7, Peterborough 6 OT
At Ottawa 6, Kitchener 2
At Sarnia 3, Sault Ste. Marie 1
Niagara 4, at Windsor 3 SO
At Oshawa 5, London 3
Monday
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
Everett 3, at Brandon 2 OT
At Kootenay 4, Saskatoon 3
At Lethbridge 3, Prince George 2
Portland 5, at Prince Albert 2
Swift Current 3, at Regina 2 OT
Calgary 5, at Edmonton 4 SO
At Red Deer 2, Medicine Hat 1
At Kamloops 5, Spokane 1
Kelowna 4, at Victoria 1
Seattle 6, at Vancouver 4
Saturday
Tri-City 4, at Brandon 3
At Calgary 4, Red Deer 2
Saskatoon 5, at Lethbridge 2
At Moose Jaw 9, Prince Albert 0
At Regina 4, Everett 3
Portland 6, at Swift Current 3
At Medicine Hat 7, Prince George 2
At Spokane 5, Vancouver 2
At Victoria 3, Kelowna 2
Sunday
Kamloops 5, at Calgary 2
At Kootenay 1, Edmonton 0
Saskatoon 6, at Medicine Hat 3
Tri-City 5, at Moose Jaw 0
Monday
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
Chicago 4, at USNDP 3 OT
Dubuque 4, at Youngstown 1
Muskegon 3, at Cedar Rapids 2 OT
At Des Moines 6, Omaha 2
At Lincoln 3, Tri-City 2 SO
At Waterloo 4, Green Bay 1
At Sioux Falls 4, Indiana 2
At Fargo 6, Sioux City 3
Saturday
Chicago 9, at USNDP 5
Dubuque 4, at Youngstown 1
At Sioux City 3, Indiana 2 OT
Lincoln 4, at Tri-City 1
At Des Moines 3, Muskegon 2 SO
Green Bay 8, at Cedar Rapids 7 SO (video above)
At Waterloo 2, Omaha 0
At Sioux Falls 6, Fargo 5 OT
Sunday
No games scheduled
Monday
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

Pass/Fail Weekend of College Hockey

If you needed another example of why you cannot manufacture the atmosphere of college hockey in new buildings far away from campuses that have the college game, I give you last weekend's IceBreaker Classic at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Plenty of good seats available to watch the tournament featuring Nebraska-Omaha, Maine, Notre Dame and Army.

Now I know that when I was in school, UNO was not known for having a great number of football fans travel for road games (Northern Colorado was a member of the great Division II North Central Conference back then), so I was not surprised to see a vast number of empty seats that could have been filled by those Nebraskans and Iowans who might take in a Mavericks game at home.

And those fans are familiar with traveling to Kansas City to see the Royals or the Chiefs play. Hmm, maybe that whole Royals experience has killed the urge to make the drive down. But there still is barbecue there... and now I am on another tangent.

The hockey was fine, but it had a house league feel, and that was not the best atmosphere to drop these four teams into.

I used to attend the early season tournament that was held first at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and then at the Pond in Anaheim.

The last tournament I attended had Miami University playing a Michigan State team that had Anson Carter and Jason Muzatti. The hockey was fine, but the place was deathly quiet.

In short, maybe the teams got something out of the visit, but I doubt it was worth the time away from campus, where maybe some students might have dropped in for a game or two.

But that's me. I was never a big fan of the NHL's neutral-site league games back in the early 1990s. I say keep them on campus as much as possible. Or find a small building where a cozy group of fans can actually keep each other warm (passing a flask, perhaps?) while watching the college game.

Time to put the soapbox away. Here are the weekend scores.

FRIDAY
Hockey East
Vermont 1, at Massachusetts-Lowell 1 OT
Nonconference
Union 5, at Bowling Green 3
At Colorado College 5, Clarkson 4
At Miami 3, Colgate 0
At Providence 8, Sacred Heart 2
American International 3, at Penn State 2 OT
At RPI 3, Ferris State 1
Minnesota State 4, at Alabama-Huntsville 1
At Minnesota-Duluth 6, Ohio State 2
At Minnesota 5, Michigan State 1
At New Hampshire 5, St. Cloud State 3
At Massachusetts 4, Connecticut 1
At Michigan 7, RIT 2
Northern Michigan 2, Wisconsin 1 at Green Bay
St. Lawrence 4, at Western Michigan 3 OT
Nebraska-Omama 5, Army 1 at Kansas City, Mo.
Notre Dame 1, Maine 0 at Kansas City, Mo.
Air Force 3, Alaska 3 OT at Anchorage
Alaska-Anchorage 2, Canisius 0 at Anchorage

SATURDAY
Atlantic Hockey
At Niagara 2, Mercyhurst 1
Hockey East
At Boston University 4, Providence 2
At Northeastern 3, Boston College 1
Nonconference
Union 4, at Bowling Green 1
At Colorado College 5, Clarkson 4
At Michigan Tech 8, Lake Superior 4
At Miami 5, Colgate 1
At Penn State 4, American International 3 OT
At Quinnipiac 4, Robert Morris 0
Ferris State 2, at RPI 2 OT
Minnesota State 2, at Alabama-Huntsville 2 OT
Ohio State 3, at Minnesota-Duluth 2
At Minnesota 7, Michigan State 1
At New Hampshire 4, St. Cloud State 2
Northern Michigan 4, Wisconsin 2 at Green Bay
At Western Michigan 3, St. Lawrence 2
Air Force 3, Alaska-Anchorage 3 OT at Anchorage
Canisius 3, Alaska 1 at Anchorage
Maine 4, Army 3 at Kansas City, Mo.
Notre Dame 3, Nebraska-Omaha 2 at Kansas City, Mo.

SUNDAY
Nonconference
Robert Morris 4, at Quinnipiac 0
Summaries and recaps for the entire weekend are here.

Friday, October 12, 2012

School Is Back in Session



The NHL lockout is old news. The new word is that Friday night is college hockey night once again in this great land. And there are several games on TV tonight, should the Minnesota rouser not get you in the mood to plant an elbow in someone's ribs. (I am fired up and I LOATHE the Gophers. That goes for you Wisconsin Badgers, C.C. Tigers (haha, you're boring and you're weak, C.C.), U.M.D. Bulldogs and the North Dakota Formerly Fighting Sioux, too.)

On the NBC Sports Channel starting at 7 Eastern, Maine and Notre Dame play the opening game of the IceBreaker Tournament, which is being played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Once that game is over, NBCSN will stay with the tournament and broadcast the Nebraska-Omaha vs. Army game.

Fox College Sports has two regular-season games that you should be checking into if you get this package of channels on your cable system or satellite provider.

At 7 Eastern, Michigan State plays Minnesota on the big ice in Minneapolis. This game will be on Fox College Sports Central, nationally. I assume Fox Sports Detroit and Fox Sports North will be the regional carriers.

At 7:30 Eastern, Fox College Sports Pacific will show St. Cloud State (advance video on link to 4:02 mark) at New Hampshire.

I don't have to tell you how my early hockey years were influenced by college hockey and the mighty Denver University Pioneers. But hearing the bands and the students take me back to my parent's basement, a bologna sandwich, a big bag of potato chips, a cold soda and a black-and-white TV showing the Pioneers ruling the WCHA in the late 1960s.

I could yell or cheer as loud as I wanted. I could body check a chair or I could stickhandle around the second-hand couch. No problem. My parents knew I was safe at home with hockey.

You can say that again tonight. Drop the puck.

Friday in the KHL

It would be strange to lead with a video roundup, in English, of Thursday's games, so you will have to wait until I am done listing the full slate of Friday's games in the league.

Here you go.

KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Torpedo 6, Yugra 2
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

Thursday in the Juniors/NCAA

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Ottawa 4, at Niagara 3
Kingston 4, at Peterborough 3 OT
At Windsor 7, Sault Ste. Marie 4
At Barrie 8, Saginaw 5
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Fargo 6, Indiana 5
Summary and recap are here.
Standings are here.

NCAA DIVISION I
Nonconference
At Lake Superior 4, Michigan Tech 2
RIT 5, at Michigan 4 OT
Summaries and recaps are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
The league was dark Thursday.
Standings are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
The league was dark Thursday.
Standings are here.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Thursday in the KHL



Despite the best efforts of ESPN2, the comedy cable channel, to drop the KHL game to the level of say any of their idiocracy programming, the league is drawing a growing level of interest in North America.The KHL is the best league in the world while the NHL chooses to launder suits and turn itself into a long-running show on the Employer-V-Labor channel.

To address this growing audience, the KHL is putting out a daily report in English that can be found on its website. After today's scores, you can find the English update for the Oct. 10 games in the KHL.

KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Metallurg Novokuznetsk 5, at Sibir 3 (video above)
At Neftekhimik 5, Slovan 4 SO
Dinamo Minsk 5, at Donbass 4
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

Wednesday in the Juniors/NCAA



A highlight clip for Nathan MacKinnon of the Halfiax Mooseheads and a memorable first, also from the QMJHL, where the Sherbrooke Phoenix win their first game. As an expansion franchise, the Phoenix were a long way from matching the dubious achievements of the Plattsburgh Pioneers, who dropped the class before finishing their freshman season in the QMJHL.

John Torchetti, who has been an assistant or interim coach in the NHL, was on that sad franchise, which the QMJHL, its unofficial historian (use a browser with a transaltor) and a sincere but overtrusting scribe would like us all to forget about.

The league can vacate all the results of games they want. The games were played and I am certain that whoever paid to watch games involving the Pioneers did not get a refund. When the league vacates the revenue from these games, then I might rethink the Pioneers' role in QMJHL history.

Until then, I say to the QMJHL regarding the Pioneers, je me souviens.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Val-d'Or 7, at Cape Breton 2
At Halifax 5, Moncton 1
At Prince Edward Island 4, Saint John 0
Rouyn-Norands 5, at Acadie-Bathurst 4
At Sherbrooke 6, Drummondville 2
Baie-Comeau 4, at Victoriaville 3
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.
The CHL's weekly ranking is here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Owen Sound 4, Plymouth 2
At Belleville 2, Brampton 1 SO
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Prince George 5, at Kootenay 4
Edmonton 4, at Medicine Hat 2
Portland 4, at Saskatoon 0
At Kamloops 5, Victoria 2
Spokane 6, at Kelowna 4
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
The league was dark last night.
Standings are here.

NCAA DIVISION I
Hockey East
At Northeastern 4, Merrimack 2
Summary is here.
Recap is here.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Wednesday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Amur 5, Avtomobilist 1 (video above)
Ak Bars 3, at Salavat Yulaev 2 SO (video below)
At Torpedo 5, Barys 4
Yugra 3, at Lokomotiv 2
Avangard 4, at Atlant 3 OT
Vityaz 3, at Spartak 2 SO
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

Tuesday in the Juniors/NCAA

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Rimouski 5, at Chicoutimi 2
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Peterborough 3, Niagara 1
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Prince Albert 4, at Lethbridge 1
At Regina 3, Portland 2 OT
Red Deer 3, at Swift Current 2
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
No games scheduled
Standings are here.

NCAA DIVISION I
Nonconference
At Colgate 10, Niagara 2
Summary is here.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tuesday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Donbass 4, Severstal 1 (video above)
At Dinamo Riga 2, Dinamo Minsk 1 OT (video below)
Dynamo Moscow 1, at Lev 0 (video at bottom)
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.



And here is Puck Daddy's breakdown of the KHL broadcast today on ESPN2, which you can catch again when it is rebroadcast this evening.

Did we not expect Barry Melrose to be at his playing weight when it came to this broadcast? Yes we did. And when it comes to the bigger picture, did we expect ESPN, the Duce, the cube or whatever they call the outlet that will carry the rest of the KHL games they have planned, to present the game with some insight? You know, do some homework?

Nope. Not on this one. Just plenty of comedy, which means this broadcast should fit in nicely with all the screaming newspaper hacks and radio shills they have filling up the daytime slots on ESPN and family.


And in This Corner, the Toughest League Around

Yes, one league no one appears to be jumping to just yet during the NHL lockout is the LNAH, or the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey.

During the last lockout, several NHLers punched the clock, and more than a few opponents, in the LNAH while waiting in vain for the 2004-05 regular season in the NHL to get underway.

Also in the league, you can usually find some former NHL prospect goaltenders who are from Quebec.

But whether the league has cleaned up its image a bit or a lot, you can still count on the rough stuff to get the crowd going in Quebec and in a pocket of southeastern Ontario.

The lineup of teams this season is as follows:

Trois-Rivières Caron et Guay
Saguenay Marquis
Cornwall RiverKings
Sorel-Tracy HC Carvena
Thetford Mines Isothermic
Rivière-du-Loup 3L
St-Georges de Beauce CoolFM

The season began late last week. Time to keep your head up.

Monday in the Juniors

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Mississauga 4, at Brampton 3 OT
At Oshawa 4, Belleville 3 OT
Sarnia 3, at Windsor 2 SO
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League and United States Hockey League were dark last night.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Monday in the KHL



We're just a day away from hearing Barry Melrose attempt to announce more than a few names of Russian origin.

If you get ESPN3, you will get this game via a streaming cast. If you get ESPN2, the Lev-Dynamo Moscow game can be seen Tuesday at 1 Eastern/10 Pacific.

The game, live from Prague, will have a few familiar names. Remember, the game is played on the big sheet (200 by 100), so adjust your thinking as far as hits along the halfboards, as they are way out there. If you are on the halfboards, you are not likely to be in the play.

OK. I've given you fair warning about your TV viewing habits tomorrow. Now, on with the day in the KHL.

KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3, at Amur 0
Avtomobilist 3, at Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2 SO
At Sibir 2, Traktor 1
At Torpedo 7, Avangard 3
At Lokomotiv 4, Barys 2
At Atlant 4, Yugra 2
SKA 4, at CSKA 2 (video above)
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Roundup is here.

The Wait Grows Lonely



I gathered with the usual set of rogues for our annual hockey round table. The setting was Shorty's on Ninth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, the part of Manhattan you hope you never have to spend too much time in unless you are pounding alcohol.

But once you have reached altitude, count yourself among the feeling no pain crowd that calls this block, between 42nd and 41st Street, home.

The round table covered a number of topics -- how to reduce the boring shot blocking that sucked the life out of the Rangers-Capitals playoff series, how to get both sides back to the bargaining table in the NHL lockout, how to reduce the overall amount of time it takes to play a game and how to pay for all this food and beer.

The next morning, the hangover came. Not from beer, but from the realization that there would be no NHL hockey coming in the next week. The group had talked a good game, but there was nothing from the NHL coming down the pipe.

And that left me wondering why there are not more players walking outside arenas, saying in effect to "let us in." Perhaps they could organize some street hockey games with children to allow the NHLPA members to get their word out.

Hand out free NHLPA practice jerseys, T-shirts and caps to get those who follow the game to develop an emotional investment in the cause of the players.

But there is very little of that. The league and the players have a large gap between them, and the gap they have maintained between themselves and the fans is even larger.

The KHL, the minors, the juniors and the colleges will help with the visuals of hockey: I get to see a game and I feel somewhat better.

But they remain, for those of a certain age, a case of blank-label generic beer. The buzz is there, but it isn't quite as satisfying. I spent too much time in college trying to guess just which brewery made this no-label beer. My thoughts only grew more murky as the night wore on and the cans in the case dwindled to single digits.

The round table hangover led to weekend blackout. I hit empty, about as empty as Seattle's Smith Tower, which Benjamin Gibbard was singing about at the start of this post. I feel bad about the blackout, but who can blame me. I should be looking forward to the Kings-Rangers game on Thursday. Instead, I am looking forward to the college games on Friday.

Should be fun, but they are not the same. OK, got that out of my system. And now, here is my lost weekend of hockey.

NCAA DIVISION I MEN
Nonconference
Friday
No games
Saturday
Quinnipiac 2, at Maine 1
Bowling Green 2, at Niagara 2 OT
Merrimack 4, at Union 1
Sunday
No games

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
At Indiana 3, USNDP 2
Youngstown 9, at Waterloo 6
Dubuque 3, at Green Bay 2 SO
At Lincoln 5, Des Moines 2
At Sioux Falls 5, Omaha 3
At Cedar Rapids 5, Fargo 2
At Tri-City 4, Sioux City 3
Muskegon 3, at Chicago 1
Saturday
At Muskegon 4, Indiana 1
At Chicago 4, Green Bay 3 OT
Omaha 3, at Sioux City 2 SO
Youngstown 5, at Cedar Rapids 1
Sioux Falls 2, at Des Moines 1
At Dubuque 2, Fargo 0
Sunday
No games
Standings are here

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
Halifax 4, at Saint John 3
At Quebec 4, Victoriaville 3 OT
At Baie-Comeau 5, Acadie-Bathurst 2
At Blainville-Boisbriand 6, Prince Edward Island 2
At Chicoutimi 1, Moncton 0
Shawinigan 4, at Drummondville 3
At Gatineau 7, Sherbrooke 4
Cape Breton 4, at Rouyn-Noranda 3
Saturday
Moncton 7, at Baie-Comeau 4
Acadie-Bathurst 2, at Chicoutimi 1
Prince Edward Island 6, at Shawinigan 1
At Halifax 11, Saint John 2
At Drummondville 2, Victoriaville 1 OT
At Gatineau 2, Blainville-Boisbriand 1
At Quebec 7, Rimouski 2
Cape Breton 5, at Val-d'Or 3
Sunday
At Blainville-Boisbriand 4, Quebec 2
Rimouski 2, at Shawinigan 1
Prince Edward Island 5, at Sherbrooke 4 SO
At Val-d'Or 7, Cape Breton 3
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
At Erie 5, Brampton 1
Owen Sound 4, at Sarnia 3
At Sault Ste. Marie 4, Kitchener 2
Niagara 4, at Sarnia 0
At Guelph 5, Plymouth 4
At London 8, Windsor 2
Barrie 4, at Mississauga 3 SO
At Oshawa 6, Kingston 4
Saturday
London 4, at Erie 3 SO
Sudbury 3, at Kingston 2
At Belleville 5, Ottawa 3
At Plymouth 6, Niagara 3
Sarnia 6, at Sault Ste. Marie 3
At Saginaw 2, Kitchener 1 SO
At Barrie 4, Peterborough 3
At Owen Sound 4, Guelph 3 SO
Sunday
Sudbury 6, at Ottawa 4
Standings are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday
Portland 2, at Brandon 1
Prince Albert 5, at Calgary 4 SO
At Regina 3, Red Deer 2
Swift Current 10, at Saskatoon 1
At Kamloops 7, Seattle 2
At Prince George 6, Kelowna 3
At Spokane 5, Victoria 3
At Tri-City 4, Lethbridge 1
At Vancouver 6, Medicine Hat 1
Saturday
At Brandon 2, Red Deer 1
At Edmonton 4, Saskatoon 1
At Moose Jaw 4, Portland 2
At Swift Current 2, Regina 1
At Kamloops 4, Medicine Hat 1
Kelowna 7, at Prince George 5
At Seattle 5, Everett 2
At Spokane 4, Lethbridge 2
Victoria 4, at Tri-City 3 SO
Sunday
At Calgary 6, Edmonton 5 OT
Victoria 2, at Vancouver 1
Prince Albert 5, at Kootenay 3
Red Deer 4, at Moose Jaw 3 SO
Tri-City 5, at Everett 3
Standings are here.

KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Saturday
At Amur 2, Traktor 1
At Metallurg Novokuznetsk 4, Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1
At Sibir 3, Avtomobilist 2
Avangard 5, at Lokomotiv 2
Barys 3, at Atlant 1
SKA 4, at Lev 3
Sunday
Salavat Yulaev 4, at Ak Bars 3 SO
At Spartak 4, Dinamo Minsk 1
Vityaz 2, at Donbass 1
Severstal 1 at Dinamo Riga 0
Dynamo Moscow 3, at Slovan 2
Standings are here.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Friday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Salavat Yulaev 5, Neftekhimik 2 (video above)
At Spartak 3, Severstal 2 OT
At Dinamo Riga 2, Vityaz 1 OT
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

Thursday in the Juniors

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Rimouski 5, Victoriaville 2
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Brampton 4, Kingston 1
At Niagara 3, Mississauga 2
Sudbury 4, at Peterborough 1
Guelph 5, at Windsor 0
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Prince Albert 4, at Edmonton 1
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Roundup is here.
Buzzing the Net's three stars of the night are here.

The United States Hockey League was dark on Thursday.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Quick Hits on a Slow Day

The National Hockey League has canceled the first two weeks of the regular season, which pretty much was assumed a few weeks ago.

Here's the reaction from Donald Fehr of the NHLPA:

“The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners. If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner."

And we sometimes try to be fair, so here is a statement from Bill Daily of the NHL:

"We were extremely disappointed to have to make today’s announcementThe game deserves better, the fans deserve better and the people who derive income from their connection to the NHL deserve better. We remain committed to doing everything in our power to forge an agreement that is fair to the players, fair to the teams and good for our fans. This is not about ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ a negotiation. This is about finding a solution that preserves the long-term health and stability of the League and the game. We are committed to getting this done.”

The NCAA Division I regular season begins Saturday with a few games. Some are playing exhibition games against Canadian colleges and universities. Either way, more games are a good thing.

Craig Custance of ESPN.com has selected 10 American players as top prospects for the 2013 NHL Draft.

They are:

1. Seth Jones -- D -- Portland Winterhawks -- WHL
2. J.T. Compher -- F -- US Development Program -- USHL
3. Adam Erne -- F -- Quebec Remparts -- QMJHL
4. Ian McCoshen -- D -- Waterloo Black Hawks -- USHL
5. Steven Santini -- D -- US Development Program -- USHL
6. Michael Downing -- D -- Dubuque Fighting Saints -- USHL
7. Ryan Hartman -- F -- Plymouth Whalers -- OHL
8. Hudson Fasching -- F -- US Development Program -- USHL
9. Justin Bailey -- F -- Kitchener Rangers -- OHL
10. Ryan Fitzgerald -- F -- Valley Junior Warriors -- EJHL


And the final note concerns the NHL's 2013 Guide and Record Book, which was made available to the media in a PDF. The cover has the Kings surrounding the Stanley Cup. I wonder if this book will ever be opened. I have the 2005 Guide with the champion Tampa Bay Lightning on the cover. It's sitting on my shelf, still in the original shrink wrap.

We shall see. But, just for fun, notice whom you do not see anywhere in this picture? The owner, because he doesn't play the game.

Thursday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Traktor 6, at Metallurg Novokuznetsk 0 (video here)
Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2, at Sibir 1 (video here)
CSKA 2, at Spartak 1 OT (video here)
Torpedo 3, at Dinamo Minsk 0 (video here)
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

The video at top has the saves of the week. The one below has the goals of the week.

Wednesday in the Juniors



QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Blainville-Boisbriand 2, Drummondville 1
At Rouyn-Noranda 5, Cape Breton 2
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Sault Ste. Marie 6, Saginaw 5
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Regina 4, Moose Jaw 1
Red Deer 5, at Saskatoon 3 (video above)
Tri-City 2 at Everett 0
At Kelowna 7, Vancouver 0
At Victoria 4, Medicine Hat 3 OT
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.
Buzzing the Net's three stars are here.

The United States Hockey League was dark on Wednesday.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wednesday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Yugra 6, Amur 4 (video below)
Slovan 1, at Avtomobilist 0
Neftekhimik 3, at SKA 2 SO (video above)
At Dynamo Moscow 2, Ak Bars 0
At Donbass 4, Dinamo Riga 2
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

Tuesday in the Juniors

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Halifax 6, Acadie-Bathurst 2
At Shawinigan 5, Val-d'Or 1
At Victoriaville 5, Sherbrooke 1
Quebec 2, at Chicoutimi 1
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Prince Albert 5, Red Deer 4 SO
Summary is here.
Standings are here.
Recap is here.

The Ontario Hockey League and the United States Hockey League were dark on Tuesday.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

In Case You Forgot


OK, so maybe the image is a little too shadowy for your taste, but that may be appropriate considering the NHL is in meltdown mode.

This is the Stanley Cup with the names of the 2012 champion Los Angeles Kings engraved on it.

This is the best look for now. Wonder when the team will get one last lap around the ice with it before the defense of the Cup begins.

Tuesday in the KHL



The first words of the day came to me via my phone, telling me that ESPN was picking up the rights to broadcast the Kontinental Hockey League in the United States, with broadcast being a rather broad word to describe the placement of KHL games on ESPN3, the streaming or, for those of you who choose to use the now archaic term, online service.

The service is tough to get for many fans, which puts a smile on my face in the way ESPN tries to tell everyone they are picking up hockey when in fact they are giving it the same back of the hand they always have.

Any thoughts of this being a big extended middle finger by ESPN to the NHL for wisely leaving the pay-me-no-mind list of worldwide leader of college football, college basketball and NFL gab shows needs to think again.

If ESPN were truly interested in giving the big bird to the NHL, the worldwide leader would put the KHL games on the original channel, live during the day and then again at night during the NFL gabfests and NBA shillfest.

But no. ESPN is keeping it as a streaming option. For those of you who thought OLN/Versus/NBC Sports Network is a tough truffle to snuffle up, ESPN 3 (via WatchESPN) will only make you long for a better internet connection, a better TV or a better provider.

Still, it is hockey and if you can get it and have time off during the days, this will help you pass time during the NHL lockout. Thanks for throwing us a crumb, ESPN.

And now, for the day's KHL action.



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Severstal 4, Atlant 0 (video top)
At Vityaz 4, Torpedo 2 (video above)
Lokomotiv 2, at Dinamo Minsk 1 (video below)
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Monday in the KHL



KONTINENTAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Avangard 2, Sibir 1 OT
At Barys 3, Amur 1
At Yugra 4, Metallurg Novokuznetsk 3
Lev 5, at Avtomobilist 3
At Traktor 3, Slovan 1
CSKA 2, at Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1 SO (video above)
At SKA 5, Ak Bars 2
At Dynamo Moscow 5, Neftekhimik 1
Salavat Yulaev 3, at Dinamo Riga 2 OT
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

Sunday in the Juniors

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Prince Edward Island 6, Gatineau 2
At Acadie-Bathurst 5, Rimouski 4 SO
Saint John 5, at Moncton 1
At Quebec 4, Val-d'Or 2
Baie-Comeau 4, at Chicoutimi 2
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Kingston 5, Niagara 4
Guelph 4, at London 1
At Windsor 5, Sudbury 2
At Oshawa 7, Brampton 4
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Kamloops 3, at Victoria 0
At Vancouver 3, Spokane 2
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Recaps are here.
Buzzing the Net's three stars are here.

The United States Hockey League was dark on Sunday. All four junior leagues are dark on Monday, with the QMJHL and WHL returning to action on Tuesday. The OHL resumes play on Wednesday. The USHL will be back on the ice on Friday.