About Last Night: 11/19

The events off the ice yesterday overshadowed the actions on the ice as far as the Lounge is concerned. Pat Burns, a coach who found success in the juniors and in the National Hockey League, died yesterday of cancer.

Burns led the Hull Olympiques to the championship of the QMJHL and then coached briefly in the AHL before reaching the NHL, coaching at Montreal, Toronto, New Jersey and Boston. He won the Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003. Here is the NHL's tribute on its Web site.

Included are list of reactions from former coaches, colleagues and players of Burns.

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Pittsburgh 5, Carolina 4 SO
Minnesota 4, at Detroit 3 OT
At Buffalo 4, Los Angeles 2
At Atlanta 5, Washington 0
At St. Louis 5, Ottawa 2
At Colorado 5, N.Y. Rangers 1
Phoenix 4, at Edmonton 3 SO
At Calgary 7, Chicago 2
Columbus 4, at Anaheim 3
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Charlotte 4, Adirondack 3 OT
Houston 5, at Grand Rapids 0
At Manchester 3, Worcester 1
At Binghamton 4, Hershey 2
Bridgeport 4, at Providence 3 OT
Norfolk 4, at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1
At Lake Erie 2, Toronto 1
Hartford 5, at Springfield 2
Albany 4, at Syracuse 3 SO
Hamilton 5, at Rochester 3
At San Antonio 4, Milwaukee 3 SO
Texas 2, at Oklahoma City 1 SO
At Peoria 2, Abbotsford 0
At Manitoba 3, Rockford 1
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Greenville 6, Wheeling 2
Trenton 5, at Reading 2
At South Carolina 4, Gwinnett 3
At Cincinnati 5, Kalamazoo 2
At Florida 8, Toledo 1
Alaska 5, at Utah 4 OT
At Bakersfield 7, Las Vegas 1
Victoria 4, at Ontario 3
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Prince Edward Island 8, at Cape Breton 3
At Halifax 3, Rouyn-Noranda 2
Lewiston 4, at Quebec 3
Montreal 3, at Baie-Comeau 1
Gatineau 5, at Chicoutimi 2
At Rimouski 5, Drummondville 4
At Shawinigan 4, Victoriaville 3 OT
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Sarnia 4, Saginaw 3 OT
Plymouth 4, at Guelph 2
At Kitchener 4, Kingston 3
Windsor 7, at London 3
At Mississauga 2, Niagara 1
At Sault Ste. Marie 3, Brampton 2 SO
At Ottawa 5, Belleville 2
Owen Sound 4, at Sudbury 1
At Oshawa 10, Erie 3
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Calgary 5, at Brandon 3
Saskatoon 2, at Kootenay 1
Prince Albert 9, at Lethbridge 3
At Red Deer 4, Swift Current 2
Kelowna 4, at Prince George 2
At Chilliwack 4, Tri-City 3
At Vancouver 5, Regina 4 OT
At Everett 4, Kamloops 2
At Seattle 2, Spokane 1 SO
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Muskegon 4, Dubuque 3 SO
Omaha 5, at Youngstown 2
At Waterloo 4, Tri-City 1
At Green Bay 2, Des Moines 0
At Lincoln 3, Sioux City 2
Fargo 3, at Sioux Falls 2
At Chicago 7, Cedar Rapids 5
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S HOCKEY
ATLANTIC HOCKEY
At Army 9, American International 3
At Bentley 3, Connecticut 2
Air Force 1, at Canisius 1 OT
At Niagara 4, RIT 1
Mercyhurst 3, at Robert Morris 1
Holy Cross 7, at Sacred Heart 2

ECAC HOCKEY
Brown 5, at Colgate 2
Yale 4, at Cornell 2
At Princeton 1, Harvard 0
At Quinnipiac 2, Dartmouth 0

HOCKEY EAST
At Boston College 4, at Maine 0
Northeastern 3, at Providence 3 OT
Merrimack 4, at Massachusetts-Lowell 3
At New Hampshire 5, Boston University 2

CENTRAL COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
Miami 4, at Bowling Green 3
At Ferris State 3, Western Michigan 1
At Notre Dame 6, Michigan State 2
Northern Michigan 1, at Alaska 1 SO (UA wins)
At Michigan 7, Lake Superior State 2

WESTERN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
At Denver 3, Bemidji State 1
Minnesota 6, at Michigan Tech 4
At Alaska-Anchorage 3, St. Cloud State 2
North Dakota 6, at Nebraska-Omaha 5
Minnesota-Duluth 6, at Wisconsin 5 OT

Summaries and recaps are here.
Standings are here.

It's Friday. Pass the Clicker.

There is so much hockey on the grid and I have only so much time, patience and attention span to cover what will be a busy night.

It's college night on the Lounge's Big Screen, which will have Minnesota-Duluth at Wisconsin (Fox College Sports Central) at 8 pm Eastern. As soon as that game finishes, the Big Screen will join the Bemidji State at Denver (Fox College Sports Atlantic), which starts at 9:30 Eastern. A live college look-in coverage on the Big Screen will be Yale at Cornell (CBS College Sports), which starts at 7:30 Eastern.

On the modestly sized HD monitor, the Lounge will feature Los Angeles at Buffalo (Center Ice) at 7:30 Eastern. Once the Kings and Sabres wrap things up, the HD monitor will switch the focus to Chicago at Calgary (Center Ice). That game starts at 9:30 Eastern.

The N.Y. Rangers/Colorado game lands on the low definition CRT set (MSG Plus). That game starts at 9 Eastern.

What's left? Live look-ins on the the HD monitor for Carolina/Pittsburgh, Minnesota/Detroit, Washington/Atlanta, Ottawa/St. Louis, Phoenix/Edmonton and Columbus/Anaheim.

Internet radio? We'll the Lounge is going to try and see what we can find regarding the juniors and AHL tonight? In the OHL, Kingston at Kitchener is one we'll be searching for. The matchup between Lewiston and Quebec is on the must list for the QMJHL. Out in the WHL, Saskatoon at Kootenay will draw our interest. In the USHL, Dubuque at Muskegon makes the list.

Whether we find any or all of these games is not known at this time, which makes tonight's search all that more interesting.

At the bar is the usual selection of beverages. And from the kitchen, I'd say you better try the green chile tamales, chips and salsa. Why? Because it's my kitchen and I say they will fire you up and keep you warm all night.

Now let's get ready for hockey. Limber up to this little treat from when I was a young lad.

Here's "Suavecito" by Malo. Thanks for stopping by.

About Last Night: 11/18

The Tampa Bay at Philadelphia game was truly the right call on Thursday night. Reminded of old Edmonton/Chicago or Edmonton/Winnipeg (when the Jets had that brief flash of Dale Hawerchuk surrounded by some talented skaters) games where your head swiveled like you were playing video Pong.

End-to-end action, an 8-7 victory by the Lightning and five-point nights for Steven Stamkos (three goals) and Martin St. Louis.

And while the Big Screen in the Lounge was on fire, the modestly sized HD monitor had all the early big hits between Nashville and Montreal. Those two teams may not know each other, but now they may not like each other the next time they meet.

And watch Marcel Goc score his final goal of the night for the Predators in a 3-0 victory. Did the Red Sea part? Doesn't matter. Goc put a little salt in the wound for the Canadiens fans, who on Tuesday night were roaring for Carey Price and his efforts in a 3-0 victory over the Flyers.

Last night, it was Pekka Rinne who deserved the cheers. Actually, all the games were entertaining. Throw in some frosty adult beverages and my creation of a flame-broiled burger with pastrami, dijon mustard, raw onion slices, lettuce and a little cole slaw and I wound up with a tasty product all around. Perhaps messy all around, but well worth the effort.

More later.



NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Boston 4, Florida 0
At Toronto 3, New Jersey 1
Tampa Bay 8, at Philadelphia 7
Nashville 3, at Montreal 0
At Dallas 5, San Jose 4 OT
Roundup is here.
Summaries is here.
Standings are here.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Rockford 1, at Manitoba 0
Recap is here.
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Greenville 4, Wheeling 2
At Stockton 3, Idaho 2 SO
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Cape Breton 7, Val-d'Or 4
At Quebec 6, Gatineau 4
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Erie 4, at Peterborough 1
At Saginaw 7, Brampton 3
Sudbury 6, at Barrie 3
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

Quick Picks to Click

Tampa Bay at Philadephia, anyone? That's the Big Screen game, at 7 pm on the NHL Network. Nashville at Montreal goes on the modestly sized HD monitor (7:30 Eastern, Center Ice). The low definition CRT model gets New Jersey at Toronto (7 Eastern, MSG Plus) only because I can put a local game on the menu.

Florida at Boston (7 Eastern) is another Internet radio game (Florida feed). San Jose at Dallas (8:30 Eastern, Center Ice) will get live look-ins until the Lightning/Flyers game is over. After that, the Sharks and Stars will graduate to the Big Screen.

Firing up the grill tonight. Still seasonally warm in New York. At least, it's not freezing or raining yet. Burgers flamed to order. A hunk of burning love. Get yours in now.

More later. Thanks for stopping by. Take it away, Elvis.

About Last Night: 11/17

Well, it looks like the Los Angeles Kings' penalty kill is still holding up at home. But Columbus spoiled the Kings' run at home with a 5-3 victory. Sooooo, we shall see if the Kings can live up to their raised expectations as they make their way east.

Now here's a new thought. The Oilers are jinxed. At least Edmonton is falling apart. Please put Nikolai Khabibulin back on the injured list, according to TSN.

A groin injury has placed Khabibulin on the injured reserve list, where he can rest and recover while his various replacements try to keep the pucks, and there have been many, out of the net.

I'm working on my picks to click. Perhaps I can consult with Khabby. He has some time on his hands. (For what it's worth, the uniforms the Oilers wore last night are the ones that should be the primary home uniform, not the bland blue or, for that matter, the bland glacier white ones as the road jerseys.)

More later.



NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 4, at N.Y. Islanders 2
Boston 3, at N.Y. Rangers 2
At Pittsburgh 3, Vancouver 1
At Washington 4, Buffalo 2
At Carolina 7, Ottawa 1
Florida 2, at Atlanta 1
At Detroit 7, at St. Louis 3
At Minnesota 2, Anaheim 1 OT
At Colorado 4, San Jose 3 OT
Phoenix 3, at Calgary 1
Chicago 5, at Edmonton 0
Columbus 5, at Los Angeles 3
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Manchester 4, Hartford 3
San Antonio 3, Peoria 1
At Charlotte 2, Adirondack 1
At Lake Erie 3, Grand Rapids 0
Binghamton 4, at Syracuse 0
At Houston 3, Chicago 2
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Bakersfield 3, Victoria 1
Reading 3, at Trenton 2
At Florida 4, Toledo 2
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Halifax 6, Rouyn-Noranda 1
Acadie-Bathurst 4, at Prince Edward Island 2
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Owen Sound 8, Belleville 3
Recap is here.
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Muskegon 6, Omaha 5 SO
Cedar Rapids 4, at Indiana 3 OT
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

Wednesday's Quick Picks to Click

Time's short, so hang on.

Florida at Atlanta (7 pm Eastern, Center Ice) goes to the Big Screen. Boston at N.Y. Rangers (7 pm Eastern, MSG) goes on the modestly-sized HD monitor. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders (7 pm Eastern, MSG Plus) goes on the low-definition old-school CRT set. Florida at Atlanta (7 pm Eastern) is an Internet radio option (you must listen to Randy Moller's goal calls).



Live look-ins for Vancouver at Pittsburgh (7 Eastern), Buffalo at Washington (7 Eastern), Ottawa at Carolina (7 Eastern), St. Louis at Detroit (7:30 Eastern), Anaheim at Minnesota (8 Eastern) and San Jose at Colorado (9 Eastern).

Columbus at Los Angeles (10:30 Eastern, Center Ice) gets the Big Screen late. The modestly-sized HD monitor will pick up the action of Phoenix at Calgary (9:30 Eastern, Center Ice) in progress. Chicago at Edmonton (9:30 Eastern) is an Internet radio game, Chicago feed.

Thanks for stopping by.

About Last Night: 11/16

Do you trust your political leaders? Do you trust business leaders? Now, and here is the big question for today, do you trust either of the above group to always be their public selves when they send private e-mail messages to each other?

The public debate about Colin Campbell and his e-mailed complaints (or jokes?) to a director of officiating leaves me wondering whether we have truly lost sense of how the world operates today.

I'm not talking about how the world should run today. Take two business executives. Put a pile of cash in front of them and say it is there for the taking. The smart executive negotiates a plan to split the pile. Once the agreement is reached, that executive then dashes to pick up the cash (as stated in the agreement) and points out that the entire pile is now belongs to him/her. You don't like it? See you in court.

Sad, but true.

Same goes for e-mail. Once an executive gets past the initial training -- How does this work? -- and the initial skepticism -- Why do I need to know this? I'll never use it -- that person takes a slow yet steady approach to where we are now.

First you send short messages. Then some forwards. Then some chain mailings. Then you begin to feel like a sports columnist, firing off snarky little remarks that are, between you and me, to be kept between you and me.

Then you get mad. And that is where the private side comes into play. I will flame this person, but it's between you and me. It's wrong, we can both agree on that, but you do it anyway. And when this conversation or practice blows up, defense mechanisms go into action.

Feel bad, call it a joke, call a lawyer, whatever. It happened, now deal with it. But don't act surprised that this happens. Ray Ratto, who once was the reason for this graveyard shift editor to get up around noon to pick up that morning's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, expresses some shock.

But I say it's misplaced. Again, are we surprised? Really? I would be surprised if this only happened in the NHL. So let us take a deep breath and redirect some questioning in this direction of Stephen Walkom and Dean Warren, the other two players in this situation, have to say? Let's have someone take this to court and get a proper airing. That would be best for all. Seriously, Campbell's firing or resignation would only be window dressing. A public hanging that does not solve the problem. (Elliotte Friedman of the CBC touches on this and a bigger issue in his blog post.) And the business world has a big problem that we are not even close to touching.

I consider this just another day and another business. (Such conflicts of interest should be considered wrong, as Friedman suggests in an earlier blog post, but I assure you they are taking place as I write this.) See those skyscrapers? They have elevators. Inside them, executives are talking. They may be ready to eliminate your job, or cut up another pile of money, perhaps at your expense. (Ask Ratto how that joint operating agreement between the Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner worked out. While your at it, ask him when did he finally figure out the fix was in for one or both of those newspapers.) Or they may be quickly sending a text message that locks in a spot at an exclusive school for their undeserving son or daughter, effectively blocking your deserving son or daughter from landing a seat and getting a shot at a better life. Connections beat merit? Say it isn't so.

Those are my two cents, anyway. But keep it between you and me, OK?

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Toronto 5, Nashville 4
At Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0
At Dallas 2, Anaheim 1
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4, at Albany 1
At Hamilton 2, Toronto 1 SO
At Springfield 4, Bridgeport 3
At Texas 8, Chicago 2
Roundup is here.
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
Kalamazoo 3, at Cincinnati 2 OT
At South Carolina 3, Greenville 1
Summaries are here.
Standings are here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Kitchener 7, Guelph 1
Recap is here.
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Portland 4, at Brandon 2
Recap is here.
Summary is here.
Standings are here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
Lincoln 8, at Tri-City 0
Summary is here.
Standings are here.