Happy New Year!

I would like to wish all my friends, family and everybody a very happy, safe, and healthy new year. may this one be better for all than 2010 was! And here is hoping that your NYE does not end up like this:

Islanders Trade Wisniewski to Canadiens for Draft Picks!

Yesterday Islanders General Manager Garth Snow traded the teams best Defenseman James Wisniewski to the Montreal Canadiens for draft picks. Here's the story from nhl.com:

 The Montreal Canadiens added a level of offense to their blueline Tuesday, acquiring defenseman James Wisniewski from the New York Islanders in exchange for a pair of draft picks.

The 26-year-old Wisniewski is having a career offensive season for the Islanders, with his 21 points tying him for the team lead. He also has a team-best 18 assists.

Wisniewski automatically becomes the highest-scoring defenseman in Montreal in the absence of Andrei Markov, who is out for the season with a knee injury. Markov had 1 goal in seven games prior to his injury; as a team, the Canadiens have just 11 goals from their blue line.

Roman Hamrlik's 3 goals and 16 points currently lead Montreal's defensemen.

Wisniewski will join his fourth team in six NHL seasons. A 2002 fifth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, Wisniewski was dealt to the Islanders during the summer after posting a career-best 30 points in 69 games with the Anaheim Ducks.

In 286 NHL games with the Blackhawks, Ducks and Islanders, Wisniewski has 20 goals, 118 points and 282 penalty minutes.

The Islanders will receive a second-round compensatory pick the Canadiens were due to receive at the 2011 Entry Draft. If the Canadiens make the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Wisniewski plays in at least 50 percent of the Canadiens' playoff games, the Islanders will receive the Canadiens' 2012 fifth-round pick; if that pick is unavailable the Islanders will get a fourth-round pick in 2013.


This is starting to make me wonder what is going through the mind of Garth Snow. I can understand this from Montreal's perspective, in that they need a good solid defenseman who can move the puck well and put points on the board. The Canadiens needed the help, with the loss of Andre Markov for the year with a knee injury. But the Islanders got basically nothing back in return for him but draft picks. I can understand Snow wanting to try and build his team through the draft and things like that but I mean come on. I would think that Wisniewski might have been able to draw a little more than just draft picks away from the Habs. I would think he would be worth a little more than what the Islanders got for him.

And what makes this move even more questionable is the timing of it. Most already know that the Islanders are a banged up hockey club as it is. But trading away one of your better players, and right now your best healthy defenseman isn't exaxtly a smart idea. Not only that, but the timing of the trade is also a bit off because it comes 1 day before having to face the Pittsburgh Penguins who are one of the hotter teams in the NHL right now and have by far the hottest player in the game in Sidney Crosby come in riding a 25-Game point scoring streak. In the overall scheme of thinngs the trade as a whole just dosen't make much sense.

Chris Osgood Wins #400 and Moves into 10th Place in Career Wins!

Niklas Kronwall scored the overtime goal to give Chris Osgood his 400th career victory last night from the Pepsi Center in Denver, as the Red Wings knocked off the Avalanche in Overtime 4-3. The victory not only gave Osgood 400 for his career, but moved him into 10th place on the all time wins list for goaltenders in NHL history. He now trails #9 on the list Grant Fuhr by only 3. Osgood has posted his 400 wins over 17 years and with 3 different teams. He has made 2 separate stints with Detroit, he started his career with them, then was claimed by the New York Islanders and played a year and a half for them, played a year and a half in St. Louis and is now back in Detroit again with the Red Wings.

Now that Osgood has moved over the 400 win mark this starts to beg the question as to whether or not he should be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame at the end of his career. I say absoutly yes he should be in. I mean if you look at the facts, of the players who are in the top 10 all time in career victories for goalies, 6 of the top 10 are in the hall. The guy leading the way, Martin Brodure, is pretty much a lock to go in. The only other 2 who are not in are Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfor have a real good shot at going into the hall, as does Osgood. Congratulations are in order for Chris Osgood on career win #400 and here's to hoping he goes into the hall of fame once his career is over.

John MacLean Replaced Behind Devils Bench with Jacques Lamaire

Here is the story that was broken today on nhl.com:

Thursday, 12.23.2010 / 10:33 AM / News By Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer
245
Share
NEWARK, N.J. -- After 189 days on the job, John MacLean's tenure as head coach of the New Jersey Devils is finished.

With the team spiraling to the bottom of the NHL standings and entering Thursday's game against the New York Islanders at Prudential Center on a three-game losing streak, Lou Lamoriello, the Devils GM, decided to fire MacLean. After 33 games, the Devils have just 20 points and nine wins.


Former coach Jacques Lamaire takes over the reins on an interim basis, beginning with Thursday night's game against the Islanders. It is the third time Lemaire has coached the Devils.

"Maybe we teased with signs at different times (to make a coaching change), but, as I've said, I take responsibility for waiting to try to get it to where it should be and under no set of circumstances should all this responsibility be on the coach," Lamoriello said. "Responsibility lies on the players and myself for what couldn't be done. Lately, our power play and penalty killing were good but our 5-on-5 play … for whatever reason. I called Jacques (Wednesday night) and had a conversation with him and asked him where he's thoughts were and how he felt. He'll help whatever way he can."

It marks the third time Lemaire, 65, will be behind the bench for the Devils. His second stint was last season, when he led the team to their ninth Atlantic Division championship while reaching the 100-point mark for the 12th time in 15 full seasons. He resigned following the team's five-game setback to the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarterfinal round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I asked (Lemaire) to come back for the second half so we can find out who we are and where we're at," Lamoriello said. "I also felt that there is time to get back on track. He's totally committed and will be coming to stay to get the job done."

Beyond this season, however, it remains to be seen who will coach the Devils. But, Thursday night it will be Lemaire, aided by the assistant coaches -- Adam Oates and Larry Robinson -- who began the season in those roles.

After spending nine seasons as the head coach for the Minnesota Wild, where he compiled a 293-255-108 record, Lemaire rejoined the Devils on July 13, 2009. The Montreal native previously coached New Jersey from 1993-94 through 1997-98 and guided the club to a 199-122-57 ledger, five postseason appearances and the 1995 Stanley Cup.

Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, while saddened to see MacLean suffer as a result of a team collapse, feels Lemaire should offer immediate results.

"I think stability defensively is important," Brodeur said. "We're struggling offensively, but struggling defensively also and that's why we're last in the League. Jacques knows how to get his players to play, so we'll see the offense we can create. It's a familiar face coming back, so the period of adjustment shouldn't take to long."

The Devils are last in the League with a 1.73 goals-per game average and 26th with a 3.09 goals-against average. Despite the timing of it all, Brodeur feels that change might be good at this stage.

"It's exciting," he said. "When you see a defensive-minded coach come in, especially when we need to keep it out of our net a little bit and play better 5-on-5 play. Our power play and penalty killing the last 10 games has been good."

Despite firing MacLean, Lamoriello said Thursday that he, still believes MacLean could be an influential coach. He said that MacLean woUld likely stay with the organization in a yet to be defined role.

"John is a professional and it's no secret John spent a lot of time with me in different capacities over the last few years so it wasn't easy on both sides, but he understood," Lamoriello said. "John is a class act in every way and a franchise and organizational person. We'll get together over the holidays and he'll be right back in work within the organization doing something. I do not feel his coaching career is over, if that's the career he wants to pursue.

"In my opinion, he's an outstanding coach but this is the profession we're in. For different reasons it happens, you see it everywhere. I take that responsibility standing here in trying to get it to work."

Fourth-year Devils forward David Clarkson, who also had MacLean as an assistant coach, was upset by the decision but realized something was eventually going to give.

"It's tough, you feel bad for Johnny," he said. "I had him a long time as an assistant coach and now as a head coach and around this time of the season … we weren't doing the job. It was a situation where something was going to happen, but you feel bad. You don't want to see that happen to anybody, especially the type of person he was. I had a lot of respect for him, I liked him and it's tough.

Clarkson also believes this type of change could create a spark.

"I think, at this point, anything can help," he said. "We don't have too much positive going on. Jacques is a really smart coach, he knows the game really well, so I'm sure there's little things he'll be trying to do to get us going and working again. Do I think Johnny was doing anything wrong? No. It's just the situation that happened."


In reality it's not that big of a surprise that something like this has happened. Devils GM Lou Lamrillo has done things like this in the past. On occasion he has put himself behind the bench and he has made the change in coaching late in the season as well. With the Devils playing well below their standards and sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conferance with a 9-22-2 for 20 points, tied with the Islanders the team they play tonight. Hoping to make a change and trying to get the Devils to start playing better Lemaire was brought back into the fold hoping to bring back the winning feeling to the club. They start the turn around tonight at home against the Islanders in the last game before the christmas break.

Oswego State Women's Hockey First Half Recap

Oswego_State_Womens_Hockey_4x6.jpg">

The first half of the 2010-2011 season has come and gone for the Oswego State Women's Hockey team and this is a very different hockey team then fans have seen in the past few seasons as the team is on their way to the best season in program history. With 7 freshman and 7 transfers it was going to be interesting to see how well the team would gel together and it appears as it has gelled perfectly. The season started off on the road with a split against Adrian College. Game 1 was a 2-0 loss but Game 2 was a bounce back with a 3-1 victory. Scoring in game 2 was provided by Kelly Collins, transfer Mackenzie Lee, and freshman Olivia Boersen. The first home weekend for the Women was going to be a true test as nationally ranked Elmira made the trip to Oswego. The outcome was testament to the recruting job head coach Diane Dillon had done as in game one Oswego pulled off a huge shock as they were able to skate away with a 1-1 tie. The lone goal for the Lakers was from Kristen Metzger. In game 2 of the weekend it was Elmira coming out with a 3-1 victory, with Mackenzie Lee providing the lone goal for Oswego. However that weekend did get the Lakers recognition nationally as they had earned 2 votes in the USCHO Coaches Polls that week, a first in the history of the program.

The following weekend Oswego tried to gain more momentum on the road with a 2 game series at Cortland. All the Lakers could muster that weekend was a pair of ties. Game 1 of the weekend series ended in a 1-1 tie Mackenzie Lee again scoring the goal for the lakers. The next night it was a 2-2 tie for the Lakers as freshman goalie Catherine Cote got the start and gave up 2 goals on 16 shots. Lee and freshman forward Megan Howe provided the offense for the Lakers on this night. However the return to home ice the next weekend would not be as kind to Oswego as they fell in both games of the weekend set to Utica. Game 1 was a tough 2-1 loss with the lone goal coming of the stick of Kelly Collins. The next night Utica walked away with a 3-1 victory with the lone Oswego goal coming from Captain Kathryn Sbrocchi. Since that loss to Utica, the Lakers have come out like a house of fire and won 5 straight games.

The winning streak started the Tuesday before thanksgiving in a 5-1 victory over Hamilton college at home. Emi Williams got the win making 39 saves and the scoring was provided by Mackenzie Lee, who scored twice, Megan Big Snake, Lauren Gilpin and freshman Carly Henderson. After the american thanksgiving hit Potsdam came to town and Oswego took both games from the Bears. Game 1 was a 2-1 victory for Oswego with Emi williams making 33 saves and scoring coming from Olivia Boersen and the game winner scored short handed by Alex Szypryt. The next night Oswego's offense had a bit more of a spark to it, beating Potsdam by a 5-2 score. Kelly Collins scored a pair in the game with the 1st one coming 17 seconds into the contest. The other goal scorers were Emily Grippin, Jillian Bergeron, and Megan Howe.

The final weekend of the first half saw Division 1 Sacred Heart make the trip to the shores of Lake Ontario. Oswego's offense EXPLODED for a total of 12 goals in the 2 games. Game 1 saw Oswego dominate Sacred Heart by a score of 7-0. Scoring on this night was provided by Mackenzie Lee, who scored twice, Carly Henderson, Sarah Hannon and the 1st career goals for Mady Paul, Chelsea Hunt, and Jocelyn St. Clair. Game 2 of the series saw Catherine Cote get her 1st career start at home and her 1st career victory as Oswego won 5-2. Cote stopped 14 shots allowing 2 goals and the offense for Oswego was provided by Carly Henderson, Megan Howe (2 goals 1 assist) and Kelly Collins (2 Goals). A 5 game winning streak is the longest the program has ever had, and they end the 1st half of the season 6-4-3 overall and 2-3-3 in the ECAC West.

Leading the way on offense is transfer Mackenzie Lee who has 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points. Freshman Megan Howe is 2nd on the team with 4 goals and 6 assist for 10 Points. Kelly Collins is 3rd in scoring with 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points. The 2nd half of the season is going to be a good test for Coach Dillon's Lakers. The team returns to the ice January 14th and 15th with a weekend series at Neuman College against the Knights. Then January 19th the team travels to Hamilton College to take on the Continentals. Oswego returns to home ice on January 22nd and 23rd as they host Chatham. The 1st weekend road trip of the spring semester is going to be very tough as on January 29th and 30 Oswego has to travel to Stafford Ice Arena in Plattsburgh to take on the Nationally Ranked Cardinals, a homecoming of sorts for Mackenzie Lee who transfered here from Platty. Senior weekend rolls around on February 4th and 5th as the Bengals of Buffalo State make the trip to the Campus Center. The last road trip for Oswego is to Rochester to take on Nationally ranked RIT on February 11th and 12th. The final game of the regular season for the Lakers is February 22nd against Castleton State at the Campus Center. Playoffs begin for the ECAC West on February 26th and the top 6 teams in conference make the playoffs.

The one thing I have always noted Oswego State for is there heart. They will play every opponent tough night in and night out. The results may not have been there but the effort sure was. Now this season, the effort is still there, and the results on the scoreboard are different. Oswego has gotten that winning feeling in the locker room and it's showing on the ice. Play has been better and more crisp for the team, as the freshman and transfers are clicking great with the returning players. Everybody has a role and they are executing to the fullest. The big question for the team the rest of the way is will they be able to play the way they have against the top tier teams in conference such as Plattsburgh and RIT. Only one way to find out. Watch!

First Half Recap for the #1 Ranked Oswego State Lakers

The first half of the 2010-2011 season has come and gone for your Oswego State Lakers. And the teams seems to have picked up right where they left off last season. Currently sitting #1 in the nation in Division III Hockey, the team is 12-1-0 overall and 8-0-0 in the SUNYAC Conference. The season started off the same way it did last year with a home and home with the Soaring Eagles of Elmira. The difference between last year and now is now the guys skated away with 2 wins. The home opener was a 4-1 victory, on the strength of goals from Laganiere, Fox, Whitelaw and Rodrigues. The rematch the next night was another win for Oswego this time a 4-2 victory in which 3 Lakers all scored there 1st career Laker goals. Freshman David Titanic and transfers Dan Bremner and Ian Boots hit the back of the net along with Chris Laganiere. Moving to Halloween weekend Buffalo State and Fredonia made the trip to the Campus Center here in Oz. Sadly for them it was the same results as Elmira had faced the prior weekend, 2 more wins for Oswego to move to 4-0 on the year. Buffalo State fell first on October 29th 5-2. Then for the first time in a very long time on Oswego Netminder pitched a shutout. October 30th was the date and Fredonia was the opponent. Paul Beckwith got the 3-0 shutout victory with Chris Muise, Ian Boots, and Andrew Mather provide the offense.

Then the big weekend arrived first weekend of November. Whiteout weekend hit the shores of Lake Ontario. First up was the Potsdam Bears on November 5th and the Lakers were not overlooking the Bears as they handed out a 7-1 beating, the largest margin of victory this year. Justin Fox had a solid game that night with 2 goals and an assist. But he was outdone by Luke Moodie who scored a hat-trick to power the offense. Then the big night. November 6th, the Whiteout game vs. Plattsburgh. Oswego won all 3 meetings last season and extended the winning streak to 4 straight with a 5-3 victory on that night. The scoring against platty that night came from Luke Moodie, Andrew Mather, Tyler Leimbrock, Ian Boots and an Empty netter from Owen Kelly. Boot's goal may have forever endured him to the faithful of Oswego State.

The Hot start continued with a 6-1 beating of Cortland to end the 3 game homestand. After that Oswego took it's show on the road for a 5 game swing heading into thanksgiving. It started at the Aud in Utica and was another win for the Lakers this time by a 3-1 score. Morrisville was the next victim with a 4-2 win for Oswego. Brockport and Geneseo were the next teams on the road swing and the result was the same as before victories for the Lakers. Scores were 4-2 and 4-0 respectively. Oswego was already flying high at this point, ranked #1 in the nation at a perfect 11-0-0 record. Then things got a bit tough as stud goalie Paul Beckwith was struck by the injury bug again for the 3rd time in his career, this time a collar bone injury leaving him out 3-6 weeks.

With Beckwith down the coaching staff had to go with Dan Jones, a sophmore goalie who had not played a minute his entire career. He got his 1st career start against Utica at home on December 10th and was thrown into the fire against the Pioneers. Jones was able to hold the fort and walk out with his 1st career victory by a score of 2-1. The win pushed Oswego to 12-0-0. However this wave of momentum came to a crashing hault in the final game of the first half after a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Hobart Statesman. Oswego ended the 1st half 12-1-0 and #1 ranked team in D3 Hockey.

Justin Fox leads the team in scoring with 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points followed closely by transfer Ian Boots at 16 points. Now unlike last season, this year games for the Lakers have been closer. Last year around now Oswego was beating the living tar out of every team put in front of them. Now that isn't exactly the case. However this may be better for the Lakers, in that the scoring seems to be more balanced among the team, as they seem to be having the 4 lines playing better and more evenly then last years club. The new players on the team are having an impact there is no doubt but it's not as obvious on the score sheet as last years club. It's the little things away from the puck that are having the biggest impact.

Looking ahead to the second half of the season Oswego has an interesting road ahead. The team is off until New Years when it hosts its annual Pathfinder Bank Oswego Hockey Classic December 30th and 31st. December 30th the 4pm game will see Hobart take on Wisconsin Stevens-Point. The 7pm night cap will see the Lakers take on Hamilton College. New Years Eve will have the consolation game at 1 and the Championship game at 4pm. After the tourny Skidmore college comes to town on January 4th and then Curry College makes the trip to Oswego on January 8th. Both games at 7PM.

The Lakers return to conference play on January 21st as the Lakers travel to Buffalo State to play the Bengals and then the next night, January 22nd they will play the Blue Devils at Fredonia. January 28th and 29th the Lakers make the North Country trip as on the 28th they play at Potsdam and the 29th at Plattsburgh. The 5 game road trip to start the spring semester ends on February 4th when the team travels to Cortland. Oswego returns home on February 12th to take on Morrisville. The final weekend of the regular season also happens to be senior weekend on February 18th and 19th as Brockport and Geneseo (Senior Night) make the trip. SUNYAC playoffs begin February 26th and the NCAA Championships are in late March.

Lakers have a busy schedule ahead but knowing head coach Ed Gosek will have the club ready to go and face whatever challanges lay ahead.

Scott Gordon Gone as Islanders Head Coach (THANK GOD)

Yesterday morning the announcement was made that Scott Gordon has been removed as head coach of the New York Islanders. He has been moved to the GM office as a special assistant to Garth Snow. Replacing Gordon on the bench will be Jack Capuano. Here is the story off the Islanders website:

It was undoubtedly a tough day at Iceworks when the news came down that Scott Gordon had been reassigned and that Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Jack Capuano had been named interim head coach of the New York Islanders.

In light of the Islanders current 10 game losing streak, management has made the decision to promote Capuano to fill the role as interim head coach of the Islanders. Scott Gordon will remain with the organization as an adviser to General Manager Garth Snow.

“Having a coach like Jack Capuano that has a familiarity with our players not only in our system through Bridgeport, but from taking part in our training camps here, there’s a comfort because there doesn’t need to be a feeling out process with our players,” Snow said. “He knows our players and that familiarity to me made it seem like the best fit at this point.”

This will not be Capuano’s first stint behind the Islanders bench. He served as an assistant coach during the 2005-06 season before becoming the head coach the Islanders American Hockey League affiliate.

Islanders interim head coach Jack Capuano on the bench coaching the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders American Hockey League affiliate.

In three years as Bridgeport’s head coach, Capuano led the Sound Tigers to a 133-100-8-14 record, including a team best 49 wins during the 2008-09 season. His record brings confidence in Snow’s opinion, especially since Capuano has coached 10 players on the Islanders current roster includingBlake Comeau, Frans Nielsen andMatt Martin.

“He’s helped guide a team that had a record of 49 wins two years ago in Bridgeport,” said Snow. “We have a young group there as well where we’re in a mode to develop and he’s done an excellent job in that area. For me, it’s a good fit.”

But as he tries to inspire his players to turn the club’s record around, having the opportunity to coach the Islanders is a little bittersweet.

“Scott (Gordon) and I were close, even before the Islanders we coached in the ECHL together, so I’ve known him a long time,” said Capuano. “It’s not the ideal situation, but at the same time I have an opportunity now that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. I’ll do whatever I can to help these guys try to get back in the playoff picture, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

Capuano thought his first day at practice went well, adding that the players were very approachable. During their morning meeting, he told the players that there are “controllable and uncontrollable circumstances” and right now, the Islanders are the ones in control of their future.

“Right now, that’s our work ethic and passion and trust in one another,” Capuano said. “I just wanted to explain to them that there could be some minor tweaks. They were very receptive to the meeting this (Monday) morning.”

Islanders captain Doug Weight met with the media and made no excuses for the team’s current situation, saying that management had to make the change to shake things up and it was not solely the fault of Gordon. Instead, what happens next is the hands of the players on the ice.

“Cappy (Capuano) is coming in here with a great mindset,” said Weight. “It’s a new start. It’s a fresh beginning for all of the guys on the team. It’s up to us to take advantage of this opportunity to play and have this fresh feeling. We have to win some hockey games, enough of the excuses or whatever has been going on. We are starting new and hopefully Wednesday begins with a win.”

Despite the coaching change, Capuano only plans to simplify a few areas of the Islanders system and doesn’t want to shake things up too much by planning a complete revamp of the same system he used in Bridgeport.

“I think the coaches here have done a real good job with structure,” said Capuano. “I think that’s the one thing Scott (Gordon) did when he first got here; played a lot more structured hockey than we’ve played in the past. Obviously, there’s a few tweaks that we’ll make. But for the most part, it’s not going to be a major overhaul, especially right off the bat.”

Although, Weight said small changes were made immediately.

“We changed a lot of things today,” said Weight. “Simplistic things, but things I think some guys are having trouble with. Cappy (Capuano) came out and simplified our game a little bit. We need to use our speed and put the puck in good spots and our systems aim towards to all of that. You have to rely on your defense to make some plays from time to time. I think we’ve made some changes that some of the guys are excited about.”

The Islanders will continue with one more day of practice before Capuano makes his debut as interim head coach on Wednesday. In light of the change, assistant coaches Dean Chynoweth and Scott Allen will remain on staff in their current capacities. In Capuano's absence, Sound Tigers assistant coach Pat Bingham will assume head coaching duties.

The new head coach will make his debut tomorrow night at the Coliseum when the Islanders play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning. And of note the last team the Islanders were able to gain a win against was the Lightning in Overtime down in Tampa on October 21st.

After the First Month of the Season Islanders Are Looking So-So

So the first month of the NHL Season has come and gone and for the New York Islanders it has been an interesting one at that. As of now the Isles sit 4th in the Atlantic Division with a 4-5-2 record, good enough for 10 points, just a tad bit better then the New Jersey Devils who sit in last place in the division. The Isles opened the season with a 5-4 Overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. What impressed me the most about that game was the fact that the team twice overcame 2-goal deficits to force overtime and earn a point. They followed that up with a 6-4 beating of the rival New York Rangers (who i oh so lovingly call the New York Retards). 3rd game of the season saw the team's first regulation loss a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals. The lone positive taken from that game was the 1st career goal from Nino Niederreiter. If you have yet to see the video here it is:

So after the loss to the Caps, the Isles moved on to Pittsburgh where they lost another heartbreaker 3-2 in Overtime to the pens. The next night was a 5-2 beatdown of the Colorado Avalanche. The Biggest game to this point, in terms of emotion, was a 2-1 overtime win by the Islanders in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on October 18th. For the 2nd time in less then a year the Islanders basically steal 2 points from the Leafs in Toronto in a game they really had no business winning. Dwayne Roloson made 29 saves and got help from 2 goals waved off and Martenek making a diving stop late in the 3rd period and John Tavares winning it in the extra frame with a wicked wrist shot. The Isles next game 2 days later was another overtime win this time against Tampa Bay and with Matt Moulson being the hero. Since that game however the Isles have lost 4 straight games. The only bright spot during that losing skid was John Tavares scoring his 1st ever NHL Hat Trick against the Panthers in a 4-3 loss.

So theIsles seem to be holding their own in the division without their 2 best players in Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo, who are both out with shoulder injuries. The injury bug has flown around the Islanders room a bit as Rob Shremp, Trent Hunter and Josh Bailey have missed time due to various injuries. All 3 are now back in the lineup. The big surprise on offense early on has been the play of both Blake Comeau and P.A. Parenteau. Rick DiPetrio has been able to stay healthy through the 1st month which to me is a bit of a surprise given his injury problems over the past 2 seasons. James Wisnewiski is leading the team in points right now with 11 on 2 goals and 9 assists. Next on the list is team Captain Doug Weight with 8 points. Weight is tide with Parenteau and Moulson with 8 points each. The team seems to have a bit more of a balanced scoring attack this season then they did last year but it is still early on in the year.

November is going to be a tough month for the team as they have the west coast swing early in the month. Here is what the month looks like for the Islanders in November:

11/3-@Hurricanes 7pm

11/4-@Senators 7:30pm

11/6-vs Flyers 7pm

11/10-@ Ducks 10pm

11/11-@ Sharks 10:30pm

11/13-@ Kings 10:30pm

11/17-vs. Lightning 7pm

11/20-vs. Panthers 7pm

11/21-@ Thrashers 5pm

11/24-vs. Blue Jackets 7pm

11/16-vs. Devils 1pm

So as you can see the month of November is gonna be a tough one for the team but here's to hoping they can get through it and be in the top 8 in the Eastern Conferance by the time december hits.

The Time Has Finally Arrived. NHL HOCKEY IS BACK!

The Night that most of us hockey fans have finally arrived as the NHL has kicked off the 2010-2001 NHL Season. There has been a lot that has gone down in hockey since the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in June. The big surprise in the off season was the fire sale the Champion Hawks had during the summer. The team traded away the likes of Dustin Buflygin Ben Eager and Brent Sopel to Atlanta then sent Kris Versteeg to Toronto and walked away from goalie Antti Niemi in salary arbitration and Niemi went on to sign with the San Jose Sharks after the Sharks bought out Evgani Nabak0v.

The 2 biggest signings during the off season had to be the Ottawa Senators snagging Sergi Gonchar for 3 years at $16.5 million and then Ilya Kovalchuck signed a 15 year $100 Million contract with the Devils. Both signings made major waves in the league and were a shake up to hockey epically the Kovalchuck signing. Here are some more notable moves. New Jersey Signing Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder Andy Sutton signing with Anaheim, Jordan Leopold and Rob Neidermeyer in Buffalo, Oli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay in Calgary Mike Modano with Detroit Paul Martin in Pittsburgh Jaroslav Halak in St Louis. Other than that it was major resignings to teams.

Now its time for predictions in the divisions:

Atlantic:

1-Flyers

2-Penguins

3-Devils

4-Rangers

5-Islanders

Northeast:

1- Buffalo

2-Boston

3-Ottawa

4-Montreal

5-Toronto

Southeast:

1-Washington

2-Carolina

3-Atlanta

4-Tampa Bay

5- Florida

Central:

1-Chicago

2-Detroit

3-St Louis

4-Nashville

5-Columbus

Northwest:

1-Vancouver

2-Calgary

3-Minnesota

4-Colorado

5-Edmonton

Pacific:

1-San Jose

2-Los Angeles

3-Dallas

4-Anaheim

5- Phoenix

So there you have it. The season preview in a nutshell. Keep checking the website for updates every week and for all things NHL

Islanders Hit with Injury Bug and THE SEASON HASN'T STARTED YET

Reports coming from nhl.com say that the Islanders will be without the services of both Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo for the bulk of the season. Here is the story from nhl.com:

The New York Islanders suffered their second devastating blow this week and it's still early.

The team announced Tuesday that forward Kyle Okposo's ailing right shoulder will require surgery that will keep him out indefinitely. This news comes roughly 48 hours after the team announced that defenseman Mark Streit would miss the bulk of the season after undergoing surgery to repair damage to his left shoulder that is reported to be a torn rotator cuff and labrum.

The Islanders have now lost both of their alternate captains to extended shoulder injuries and the season hasn't even started.

The team also announced it has signed former New Jersey defenseman Mike Mottau to a two-year contract. Mottau, 32, spent the last three seasons with the Devils and last season recorded a career-high 18 points in 79 games.

"Mike is a solid puck-moving defenseman who will bring more experience to our blue line," GM Garth Snow said in a statement.

Okposo finished second on the team last season with 19 goals and 52 points in 80 games. He had 18 goals and 39 points as a rookie two seasons ago. It is unclear when he suffered his shoulder injury, though there is speculation that it happened during an intrasquad scrimmage last week.

The story was published about a half an hour ago. These are 2 huge losses for the Isles. Streit is by far there best defenseman, but now with the new additions he might not be AS big of a loss then say this time last year. And as far as Okposo is concerned, he is one of the teams best playmakers and offensive threats. The Islanders just better hope the new additions to the team can step up and fill the holes or this could be another long season for us Islanders fans.

Full NHL Preview will come next week so keep checking often

NFL Week 3 Winners and Losers

Week 3 of the NFL season has come and gone and had a few changes in the league. Due to the recent struggles of the Buffalo Bills they have cut ties with Quarterback Trent Edwards. In yesterdays contest the Bills went with Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Edwards and the BIlls ALMOST pulled a huge upset but fell 38-30 to the New Englad Patriots. In this game CJ Spiller started to show some flash and giving Bills fans a little bit of hope when he returned a 95 yard punt for a touchdown in the First Half. Fitzpatrick actually gave Brady a run for his money which may have been why the Bills let go Edwards.

The biggest game of the week had to be the sunday night contest between the Jets and Dolphins. In what was a very exciting game the Jets pulled out a 31-23 win improving to 2-1 and handing Miami their first loss of the season. Mark Sanchez again threw 3 touchdown passes. The only problem from the Jets perspective was that Brandon Marshall was matched up against rookie Kyle Wilson because of Derell Revis being out with a hamstring injury. No word as of yet whether Revis will play against the Bills sunday.

Taking a look at the standings overall in the NFL there are a few surprises. One being the fact the Dallas Cowboys are 1-2 after beating previously undefeated Texans. The reason I call this a surprise is because right now it don't look too good for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who made the prediction that his Boys will be playing in the Super Bowl this year, which by the way happens to be in Dallas. SDo it just seems a little shocking and somewhat good to see this happening. I just love it when owners run their mouths and end up with egg on their face.

For more news on football go to nfl.com

NFL Week 2: Payton Wins Manning Bowl and Jets Beat Pats

Week 2 has come and gone in the National Football League. The 2 big games in my mind were the Manning Bowl, as in Peyton's Colts against Eli's Giants, and the Jets taking on division rival New England. We start with the Manning Bowl where it was Peyton's Colts coming out on top by a score of 38-14 over Eli and the Giants. Peyton went 20 of 26 for 255 Yards and 3 TD's. His favorite Targets was Reggie Wayne who caught 7 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. The other 2 touchdowns were caught by Dallas Clark and Austin Collie. Meanwhile Eli when 13 of 24 for 161 yards 2 touchdowns and a pick. Manningham was Eli's favorite target as he caught 4 passes for 75 yards. The Colts were rushing Eli and the rest of the Giants forcing the turnovers and allowing the Colts high powered offense to do it's job and come away with the victory.

As for the Jets it was a totally different story from the week 1 loss to the Ravens. The first quarter was quiet and then the 2nd was when the offenses finally decided to wake up. New England got on the board first thanks to a 6-yard TD reception by Wes Welker. The Jets came back and scored to tie the game on a Braylon Edwards 10 Yard TD Catch. The Pats took the lead 14-7 with a incredible one handed TD Catch. The half ended with a Jets field goal to make it 14-10. 2nd half was a nightmare for the Pats as Brady was picked off twice and Sanchez threw 2 TD passes one in the 3rd quarter to Cotchery and the other to Keller. Mark Sanchez ended the game throwing 3 TD passes and went 21 of 30 for 220 yards. Now for a look at the rest of the interesting games in week 2.

The Buffalo Bills once again failed to show up as they got blasted 34-7 by the Green Bay Packers. Michael Vick made his first start for the Eagles and his first start in the NFL since December of 2006 as the Eagles beat the Lions 35-32. The win was good enough to earn Vick the starting job again for the Eagles again this Sunday. The biggest surprise of the first 2 weeks has to be the play of the Huston Texans who started the season off 2-0. The Texans beat the Colts in week 1 and then here in week 2 beat the Redskins 30-27 in Overtime. The Monday Night game saw the San Fransisco 49ers put up a valiant effort but came up short to the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints as the Saints won 25-22 on a last second field goal. This all coming after the 49ers made an amazing drive down the field to take the lead only to see the Saints win it on the final field goal.

Looking ahead to week 3 in the NFL is as follows. The New York Giants will play host to the Tennessee Titans at 1pm at the New Meadowlands. Eli Manning will look to have a bounce back game after dropping the Manning Bowl to older brother Payton. Meanwhile the Buffalo Bills will have to travel to New England to take on the Patriots at 1pm. As for the New York Jets they will have to travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins on NBC in the Sunday night game. Other interesting matchups in week 3 are Monday NIght Football as the Green Bay Packers head to Soilder Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Also Michael Vick will get the start for the Eagles as they take on the Jaguars.

After Long Last Ilya Kovalchuck is Finally A New Jersey Devil!

After a very long holdout and debate the Ilya Kovalchuck saga is finally over as he was signed by the New Jersey Devils this past saturday. The following was the story posted on nhl.com:

Kovalchuk will be a New Jersey Devil after all, and the circumvention investigations of the contracts for Roberto Luongo, Marc Savard, Chris Pronger and Marian Hossa will not be pursued.

Early Saturday morning, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association agreed to a global settlement to cease the investigations linked to cap circumvention for the above contracts while adopting regulations to govern long-term contracts of five or more years.

The regulations will be added as a supplement to the Collective Bargaining Agreement and apply to all contracts signed from today. As a result, NHL officials agreed to register the new Kovalchuk contract as it was submitted by New Jersey last week and terminate their reviews of the contracts already registered for Luongo, Savard, Pronger and Hossa.

The Kovalchuk contract reportedly calls for him to make $100 million across 15 years, including $90 million in the first 10 years and $10 million over the last five -- with an annual salary cap hit of $6.67 million. Kovalchuk, who turned 27 in April, will be 42 upon completion of the contract.

Kovalchuk originally had agreed to a 17-year, $102 million contract that was rejected by the NHL based on circumvention of the CBA. That rejection was upheld through arbitration after the NHLPA filed a grievance on Kovalchuk's behalf.

Once system arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled in favor of the NHL's position that the original contract had circumvented the CBA, the League and the NHLPA began working toward today's settlement and regulations.

"We're pleased to be able to establish bright line rules for these contracts going forward and are happy we can turn the page on existing contracts so we're looking forward, not backward," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told NHL.com. "From start to finish of the process the Players' Association was responsive, interested and shared our objective to create certainty in this area."

The NHLPA released a statement from Roland Lee, Director of Salary Cap/Marketplace & Associate Counsel for the NHLPA:

"We are pleased to finalize an agreement which ends the League's circumvention investigations and also establishes rules on long-term contracts that will provide players, their certified agents and general managers clarity for the negotiation of new contracts," Lee said. "Turning the page on this process is something that will benefit all parties involved."

The agreement includes two major regulations that go into effect immediately and will be a part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement until its expiration on Sept. 15, 2012. If there is no CBA at the start of the 2012-13 NHL season, the rules will be grandfathered until a new CBA is negotiated:

1. While players and clubs can continue to negotiate long-term contracts (five years or longer) that include contract years in a player's 40s, for purposes of salary-cap calculation the contract will effectively be cut off in the year of the contract in which the player turns 41.

This basically means that if a 33-year-old player signs an eight-year contract, the amount owed to him in the first seven years of the contract will be averaged for the purposes of salary-cap computation. Then, in Year 8 of the contract, the salary he will make for that particular season will determine his salary-cap hit for that season.

So, if Kovalchuk's contract applied to this rule, the average of what he's owed in the first 13 years would be applied to the Devils salary cap from 2010-2023 and the cap hit would be $7.15 million because he is reportedly due to make $93 million across that span. Then, per the reported terms, the cap hit would change to $3 million in 2023-24 (as Kovalchuk turns 41 in April of that season) and $4 million in 2024-25.

2. In any long-term contract that averages more than $5.75 million for the three highest-compensation seasons, the cap charge will be a minimum of $1 million for every season in which the player is 36-39 years of age. That $1 million value will then be used to determine the salary cap hit for the entire contract. If the contract takes the player into his 40s, the previous rule goes into effect.

For example, Savard's contract reportedly calls for him to make $525,000 per season in the final two years of his seven-year, $28 million deal. He will be 38 and 39 in those seasons. If his contract was subject to these new regulations, for purposes of calculating the salary cap the final two years on his deal will reflect as if he was making $1 million. That would make his reported $4 million cap hit go up to $4.14 million.

The club and player still can agree to a contract that pays a player less than $1 million when he is at those ages, but for salary-cap purposes the number applied to the team's annual average salary will be $1 million.

The regulations are designed to keep diveback numbers in contracts to a minimum.


So there you have it. The biggest fish in this year's free agent market in the NHL is signed finally. More on NHL Free Agent news to come. NFL Preview coming up this weekend

New York's All-Time Best by Uniform Number!

OK so I was rummaging through my room the other day and stumbled on to something very interesting I saved from a copy of Newsday, the Long Island Daily Newspaper, from December of 2006. It is the best of New York Sports (Downstate only) by Jersey number. Now I know this is out of date by about 4 years but still I think it will make for great debate anyway. So now here is the Best of New York Sports from #1 to #99 Enjoy!

1- Pee Wee Reese Shortstop Brooklyn Dodgers
2- Derek Jeter Shortstop Yankees
3- Babe Ruth Outfielder Yankees
4- Lou Gehrig 1st Base Yankees
5- Joe DiMaggio Center Field Yankees
6- Joe Torre Manager Yankees
7- Mickey Mantle Center Field Yankees
8- Yogi Berra Catcher Yankees, Mets
9- Roger Marris Right Field Yankees
10- Walt Frazier Point Guard Knicks
11- Mark Messier Center Rangers
12- Joe Namath Quarterback Jets
13- Don Maynard Wide Reciver Jets
14- Gil Hodges 1st Base Dodgers Mets
15- Dick McGuire Guard Knicks
16- Whitey Ford Pitcher Yankees
17- Keith Hernandez 1st Base Mets
18- Darryl Strawberry Outfield Mets Yankees
19- Willis Reed Center Knicks
20- Monte Irvin Outfielder Giants
21- Tiki Barber Running Back Giants
22- Mike Bossy Right Wing Islanders
23- Don Mattingly 1st Base Yankees
24- Willie Mays Center Field Giants Mets
25- Bruiser Kinard Offensive Tackle Giants
26- Dusty Rhodes Outfielder Giants
27- Pete Reiser Outfielder Dodgers
28- Curtis Martin Running Back Jets
29- Alex Webster Running Back Giants
30- Martin Brodeur Goalie Devils
31- Billy Smith Goaile Islanders
32- Julius Erving Center Nets
33- Patrick Ewing Center Knicks
34- Charles Oakley Forward Knicks
35- Mike Richter Goalie Rangers
36- David Cone Pitcher Mets Yankees
37- Casey Stengle Manager Mets Yankees Dodger Giants
38- Roger Craig Pitcher Mets
39- Roy ACampanella Catcher Dodgers
40- Joe Morrison Fullback Giants
41- Tom Sever Pitcher Mets
42- Jackie Robinson 2nd Base Dodgers
43- Johnny Antonelli Pitcher Giants
44- Reggie Jackson Outfield Yankees
45- Emelen TYunnell Defensive Back Giants
46- Andy Pettitte Pitcher Yankees
47- Jesse Orosco Pitcher Mets Yankees
48- Karl Spooner Pitcher Dodgers
49- Ron Guidry Pitcher Yankees
50- Ken Strong Kicker Giants
51- bernie Williams Outfield Yankees
52- Pepper Johnson Linebacker Giants
53- Harry Carson Linebacker Giants
54- Goose Gossage Pitcher Yankees
55- Stout Steve Owens Defensive Tackle Giants
56- Lawerance Taylor Linebacker Giants
57- Mo Lewis Linebacker Jets
58- Carl Banks Linebacker Giants
59- Kyle Clifton Quarterback Jets
60- Larry Grantham Linebacker Giants
61- Bob Talamini Guard Jets
62- Al Atkinson Linebacker Jets
63- Karl Nelson Right Tackle Giants
64- Jim Burt Tackle Giants
65- Joe Fields Center Jets
66- Jack Stroud Offensive Line Giants
67- Dave Herman Right Guard Jets
68- Jaromir Jagr Right Wing Rangers
69- Jason Fabini Guard Jets
70- Sam Huff Linebacker Giants
71- Bob Lurtsema Linebacker Giants
72- Osi Umenyora Defensive Tackle Giants
73- Joe Klecko Defensive End Jets
74- Abdul salaam Defensive Tackle Jets
75- Winston Hill Offensive Line Jets
76- Rosey Grier Offensive Line Giants
77- Red Grange Running Back Football Yankees
78- Al DeRogatis Defensive Tackle Giants
79- Roosevelt Brown Iffensive Tackle Giants
80- Wayne Chrebet Wide Reciever Jets
81- Andy Robustelli Defensive End Giants
82- Mickey Shuler Tight End JEts
83- George Sauer Wide Reciever Jets
84- Art Powell Wide Reciever Titans
85- Del Shofner Wide Reciever Giants
86- Verlon Biggs Defensive End Jets
87- Laveranues Coles Wide Reciever Jets
88- Al Toon Wide Reciever Jets
89- Mark Bavaro Tight End Giants
90- Dennis Byrd Defensive End Jets
91- Butch Goring Center Islanders
92- Michael Strahan Defensive End Giants
93- Mary Lyons Defensive Tackle Jets
94- John Abraham Defensive Tackle Jets
95- Rick Lyle Defensive Lineman Jets
96- Bill Voiselle Pitcher Giants
97- Marvin Washington Defensive Lineman Jets
98- Jessie Armstead Linebacker Giants
99- Wayne Gretzky Center Rangers

The 2010 MLG All Star Game Goes in Favor of The National League.

For the first time since 1996 the National League was victorious in the All Star Game. This year was very kind to the NL as they were able to finally defeat the AL in the mid-summer classic by a 3-1 score and were able to gain home field advantage in this years World Series. The festivities began with a moment of silence for late Yankees owner George Steinbrener who passed away yesterday at the age of 80 from a massive heart attack. The highlight of the game offensively was the bases clearing double hit byu eventual game MVP and Braves catcher Bryan McCann. Matt Capps of the Nationals got the win, Phill Hughes of the Yankees was credited with the loss and Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers got the save. Now as most of you know none of the stats collected in the all-star game affect regular season numbers. So anyway besides McCann getting the big hit for the NL, the only other big highlight of the night was the baserunning blunder by Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers. In the 7th inning with 1 out and the American League down by 2, Andrus is on 1st. He takes off to steal 2nd and initially makes it in safely on a high throw to Reds 2nd Baseman Joey Votto. The throw pulled Votto off the bag and Andrus slid right under but overshot 2nd base. As he is looking around for the ball he forgets to put his foot back on the bag and is tagged out by Joey Votto who had the ball he whole time.

Now as I stated before, this was the first time the National League had won an All-Star game since 1996 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The NL took that game by a score of 6-0. John Smoltz of the Braves got the win while Charles Nagy of the Indians took the loss. There were 2 long balls hit in the contest, one by the games MVP Mike Piazza of the Dodgers, and the other by Ken Caminiti of the Padres.

Ever since that 1996 All Star game the American League has taken every one, other than the tie a few years back at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Now with the win by the National League this year, tehy get home field advantage in the World Series, which to me really is a stupid concept. But that is besides the point. So now that the All-Star game is out of the way lets take a quick look at what is coming up in teh 2nd half of the season.

For the Mets, they start the 2nd half of the year off on a 10-game west coast road trip starting tomorrow night in San Fransisco against the Giants. As for the Yankees they start the 2nd half off with a homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays firday night at the stadium.

Also something else to look forward to in the 2nd half of the season, here are some milestone achievements that indivudal players are close to catching:

Batters
600 Home Runs
Alex Rodriguez: 3

450 Home Runs
Chipper Jones: 18

400 Home Runs
Albert Pujols: 13
Jim Edmonds: 14

350 Home Runs
Paul Konerko: 4

1,500 Runs Batted In
Chipper Jones: 22

1,000 Runs Batted In
Jorge Posada: 7
Aramis Ramírez: 22
Derrek Lee: 25

500 Doubles
Chipper Jones: 12

100 Triples
Carl Crawford: 2
Johnny Damon: 3
Jimmy Rollins: 4

2,500 Hits
Chipper Jones: 33

1,500 Runs Scored
Chipper Jones: 9

1,000 Runs Scored
Derrek Lee: 12
Luis Castillo: 14

And for pitchers:
200 Wins
Tim Wakefield: 8

150 Wins
Javier Vazquez: 1
CC Sabathia: 2

100 Wins
Cliff Lee: 2
Joel Pineiro: 4

600 Saves
Trevor Hoffman: 4

550 Saves
Mariano Rivera: 4

200 Saves
Jose Valverde: 14
Brian Fuentes: 21

1,500 Strikeouts
Kerry Wood: 12
Ryan Dempster: 14
Tim Hudson: 37

So there you have it. A recap of this years All-Star game and some things to look forward to in what should be a very exciting 2nd half to the Major League Baseball Season!

Major League Baseball First Half Recap

The first half of the 2010 Major League Baseball Season has come and gone and nnow might be the perfect time to take a look back at the first half of this season. Some of the events that have taken place this season have been pretty surprising. Here are the league standings through the first half of the season:

AL East:
New York Yankees 56 32 .636
Tampa Bay Rays 54 34 .614
Boston Red Sox 51 37 .580
Toronto Blue Jays 44 45 .494
Baltimore Orioles 29 59 .330

AL Central:
Chicago White Sox 49 38 .563
Detroit Tigers 48 38 .558
Minnesota Twins 46 42 .523
Kansas City Royals 39 49 .443
Cleveland Indians 34 54 .386

AL West:
Texas Rangers 50 38 .568
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 47 44 .516
Oakland Athletics 43 46 .483
Seattle Mariners 35 53 .398

NL East:
Atlanta Braves 52 36 .591
New York Mets 48 40 .545
Philadelphia Phillies 47 40 .529
Florida Marlins 42 46 .477
Washington Nationals 39 50 .438

NL Central:
Cincinnati Reds 49 41 .544
St. Louis Cardinals 47 41 .534
Milwaukee Brewers 40 49 .449
Chicago Cubs 39 50 .438
Houston Astros 36 53 .404
Pittsburgh Pirates 30 58 .341

NL West:
San Diego Padres 51 37 .580
Colorado Rockies 49 39 .557
Los Angeles Dodgers 49 39 .557
San Francisco Giants 47 41 .534
Arizona Diamondbacks 34 55 .382

So that is where everybody is currently sitting in baseball right now. As some people may have figured there have been managerial changes that took place during the year. The biggest name to take over as a manager is the Arizona Diamondback's new bench boss Kirk Gibson. Gibson, as most people probably know by now, hit that famous walk off home run for the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series off A's closer Denis Eckersly.

Now lets take a look at the league leaders in both leagues as of this point in time:
American League Leaders
AVG-Miguel Cabrera-DET & Josh Hamilton- TEX .346
HR-Jose Bautista- TOR 24
RBI-Miguel Cabrera- DET 77
R-Carl Crawford- TB 70
H-Ichiro Suzuki- SEA & Josh Hamilton TEX 118
SB-Juan Pierre- CWS 32

Pitching leaders
W-David Price- TB & CC Sabathia- NYY 12
L-Jeremy Guthrie- BAL 10
ERA-David Price- TB- 2.42
K-Jered Weaver- LAA 137
IP-Felix Hernandez- SEA 137.2
SV-Joakim Soria- KC 25

A stat worth noting is that Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers has a shot at becoming Baseballs first Triple Crown Winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Cabrera is trailing in the home run department but leads in RBI's and is teid for the lead in batting average, so he still has the outside shot at it.

Now lets take a look at the NL Leaders to this point in the year.

NL Batting:
AVG-Rafael Furcal-LAD .333
HR-Joey Votto-CIN & Adam Dunn-WAS 22
RBI-David Wright-NYM, Ryan Howard-PHI, & Corey Hart-MIL 65
R-Brandon Phillips-CIN 66
H-Martin Prado-ATL 121
SB-Michael Bourn-HOU 28

Pitching leaders
W-Ubaldo Jimenez-COL 15
L-Wandy Rodriguez-HOU 11
ERA-Josh Johnson-FLA 1.70
K-Tim Lincecum-SF 131
IP-Roy Halladay-PHI 148.0
SV-Francisco Cordero-CIN & Heath Bell-SD 24

Of the stats listed above, really there are no surprises. The fact that David Wright of the Mets is leading the National League in some kind of offensive catagory is really saying something to me, as a Mets fan. Its finally starting to show that he can hit in a lineup where he really is the focal point for the opposing pitchers.

Now I think would be a good time to take a look at the 4 biggest pitching performances of the first half. First up were the 2 perfect games that have been thrown. The first perfecto came on Mother's Day May 9th when Dallas Braden of the Okland A's threw the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4–0. It was also the second perfect game in Oakland A's history; the first coming on May 8, 1968 when Jim "Catfish" Hunter beat the Minnesota Twins, 4–0. Then exactly 20 days later, Roy Halladay of the Phillies threw perfection, the Florida Marlins 1–0. This achievement marked the first time in the modern (post-1900) era that two perfect games were pitched in the same season. In 1880, both Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward both hurled a perfect game five days apart. It was also the first perfect game for the Phillies since Jim Bunning's Father's Day perfect game on June 21, 1964. The big story was the near perfect game thrown by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers. Galarraga was able to retire 26 straight Cleveland Indians, but had trouble getting the 27th. What happend was first base umpire Jim Joyce made an errant call on Galarraga's coverage of first base on a flip throw by first baseman Miguel Cabrera, which would have been the final out. Jim Joyce later stated that he did make the mistake and blew the call.

Besides that, 2 no hitters have been thrown during the year. Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies threw the first no-hitter in the Rockies 18-year history by blanking the Atlanta Braves 4–0 on April 17. It was also his first career no-hitter and the first no-hitter of the season. The 2nd No-no came from Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks when he blanked the Tampa Bay Rays in a 1-0 win on June 26th. It was the second no-hitter in Diamondbacks history and his first in his career. The only other pitcher to have a no-hit game was Randy Johnson against Atlanta, and that was a perfect game in 2004.

Lineups Announced for Next Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game

This past Saturday, the Starters and Reserves were announced for this year's Major League Baseball All Star Game, which will be taking place in Anaheim. First lets look at the American League Starters, which were selected by the fans. The AL Starters are as follows: C Joe Mauer-Minnesota, 1B Justin Morneau-Minnesota, 2B Robinson Cano-N.Y. Yankees, 3B Evan Longoria-Tampa Bay, SS Derek Jeter-N.Y. Yankees OF Ichiro Suzuki-Seattle, OF Josh Hamilton-Texas, OF Carl Crawford-Tampa Bay, and DH Vladimir Guerrero-Texas. Of the starters chosen for the AL, the only real surprise, if you want to call it that, is Robinson Cano of the Yankees, only because this is his first All-Star Game. And what makes that even more interesting is that in the past 7 years the American League has had 7 different men start at 2nd Base. Also another stat of interest, over the past 20 years, the AL has had only 2 men start at shortstop, Derek Jeter and Cal Ripkin. That goes to show just how flat out good those 2 guys have been over the years.

Now here is the rest of the lineup for the American League: C Victor Martinez-Boston (unable to play due to injury), C John Buck-Toronto (Replacement Player), 1B Miguel Cabrera-Detroit, 2B Dustin Pedroia-Boston (Injured), 2B Ian Kinsler-Texas (Replacement), SS Elvis Andrus-Texas, 3B Alex Rodriguez-N.Y. Yankees, 3B Adrian Beltre-Boston, INF Ty Wigginton-Baltimore, OF Torii Hunter-L.A. Angels, OF Vernon Wells-Toronto, OF Jose Bautista-Toronto, and finally DH David Ortiz-Boston. Seeing some of the names here, it is nice to see the change of pace, and the changing of the gard if you will. A few of the guys here are first timers.

Finally the Pitching staff for the AL is as follows: Clay Buchholz-Boston, Trevor Cahill-Oakland, Fausto Carmona-Cleveland, Neftali Feliz-Texas, Phil Hughes-N.Y. Yankees, Cliff Lee-Seattle, Jon Lester-Boston, David Price-Tampa Bay, Mariano Rivera N.Y. Yankees, CC Sabathia-N.Y. Yankees, Joakim Soria-Kansas City, Matt Thornton Chicago White Sox, and finally Jose Valverde-Detroit. Now of this pitching staff, the 2 guys with the most experience at the All-Star Game would be CC Sabathia (4-time All star) and Mariano Rivera (11-Time All Star) of the Yankees. The AL pitching staff boasts 8 guys who will be playing in the All-Star Game for the very first time, so depending on who gets used when, if at all in the game, could possibly help the National League.

Now moving on to the Nation League. First the Starters as selected by the fans: C Yadier Molina-St. Louis, 1B Albert Pujols-St. Louis, 2B Chase Utley-Philadelphia (injured and will be replaced by Martin Prado of Atlanta as the starting 2nd baseman), 3B David Wright-N.Y. Mets, SS Hanley Ramirez-Florida, OF Ryan Braun Milwaukee, OF Jason Heyward-Atlanta, and OF Andre Ethier-L.A. Dodgers. As of writing, the National League has yet to announce a Designated Hitter. The surprise of the starters for the National League would have to be Jason Heyward, as the rookie has put on a very strong showing through the first have of the season. It was also a bit of a shock to the system, with me being a life-long National League fan, seeing an Outfielder from the Atlanta Braves not be named Andrew Jones starting. Again something very strange to see.

Now for the reserves for the NL: C Brian McCann-Atlanta, 1B Ryan Howard-Philadelphia, 1B Adrian Gonzalez-San Diego, INF Omar Infante-Atlanta, SS Troy Tulowitzki-Colorado (injured), SS Jose Reyes-N.Y. Mets (replacement), 2B Brandon Phillips-Cincinnati, 3B Scott Rolen-Cincinnati, OF Michael Bourn-Houston, OF Marlon Byrd-Chicago Cubs, OF Corey Hart-Milwaukee, OF Matt Holliday-St. Louis, and finally OF Chris Young-Arizona. For the NL reserves the 3 biggest names left off the list in my opinion were Prince Fielder of the Brewers, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies, and Chipper Jones of the Braves. Now that does not eliminate the possibility of those 3 guys still showing up, Fielder could possibly be used as a DH since the game is being played in an American League park. I understand Jose Reyes is a replacement for Troy Tulowitzki, who is hurt, but I dont necessarly think Reyes should have been taken over say Hanley Ramerez of the Marlins, who I feel right now might actually be a better shrotstop then Reyes. BUt hey that's just the way I see things.

Finally here is the Pitching Staff for the NL: Jonathan Broxton-L.A. Dodgers, Chris Carpenter-St. Louis, Matt Capps-Washington, Yovani Gallardo-Milwaukee, Roy Halladay Philadelphia, Tim Hudson-Atlanta, Ubaldo Jimenez-Colorado, Josh Johnson-Florida, Tim Lincecum-San Francisco, Evan Meek-Pittsburgh, Arthur Rhodes-Cincinnati, Adam Wainwright-St. Louis, and finally Brian Wilson-San Francisco. This pitching staff I think may have the edge, not only based on experiance at the All-Star Game, but experiance in general of pitching in the big leagues. A few critics have questioned the fact that phenom Stephen Strausberg of the Nationals will not be participating. I happen to agree with the fact he isnt going to play in the game this year. The reason being is he has not spent enough time at the big league level to warrent it. No if he had been with the Nats from opening day of the season right through to now then yes he is an All-Star. But otherwise no.

The All Star Game will take place on Tuesday July 13, at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Coverage will get underway around 8pm et and will be live on Fox. Be sure to check back here the day of the game for a complete recap of the first half of the 2010 MLB season.

NHL Awards Goes off With A Bang!

The 2010 NHL Awards were this past wednesday night and they were a bit of a surprise. The first award worth discussing is the Mark Messier Leadership Award which is awarded to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season. This year's winner was Sidney Crosby of the Penguins who is the undoubted leader of the Pens. Next up was the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. This years winner was Shane Doan of the Coyotes. Doan has been with the franchise since thier last season in Winnipeg as the Jets, his rookie season. Doan may actually be one of the best underrated players in the NHL. He plays in Phoenix which would possibly explain why throughout his career he has not really been noticed but has put up very solid numbers in a good career.

Moving on we have the Ted Lindsay Award which is the Awarded to the NHL's outstanding player as selected by the members of the NHL Players Association. This years winner was Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. It was really no surprise that Ovechkin took the award. Ovechkin has been tearing the league up since coming in as a rookie in 2006 and was no surprise he walked away with the trophy. The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, was up next. This year's winner was Jose Theodore of the Capitals. Jose Theodore was known for his time in Montreal, has been a backup in D.C but has known for his charity work in the area. This was the most emotional award of the night as Theodore was saddened by the loss of his son almost a year ago.

Next up was the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. This years winner was Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was actually a surprise to me. The reason being is that it feels like St. Louis seemed to fall off the planet. In 2004, the year before the lockout, St Louis won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Since the Lockout St Louis has posted 61, 102, 83, 80, and 94 points respectively. But the thing is that whenever you hear about coming out of Tampa is either Steve Stamkos and his success, or how bad the Lightning are. So for St Louis to get the award and get some positive notoriety for himself and the Lightning is nice to see.

Next up is the Frank J. Selke Trophy which is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. There was no surprise when the award went to Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings. This again is no surprise that Datsyuk won the award, he has won it for the last 3 years straight. In fact of the last 6 Selke Thophies that have been awarded 4 of them have been one by a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Datsyuk has won the last 3, and Kris Draper was the other Red Wing, when he won it in 2004. The only non Red Wing to win the award was Rod Brind'Amour who won the award in back to back years before Datsyuk took it 3 straight times.

Now for the biggest awards of the night and we start with the Jack Adams Award which is Awarded to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success. The winner this year was Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett. Again another award that wasnt really a surprise due to where the Coyotes finished. Next up was the Calder Memorial Trophy which was awarded to the league's most outstanding rookie player. The winner this year was Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres. Meyers winning was not a surprise one bit. He was one of the key reasons the Sabres made the playoffs and was by far the team's best defenseman, which knowing the Sabres is kind of saying something.

Next up are the 3 biggest individual awards the NHL has. First up is the James Norris Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position. This years winner was Duncan Keith of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. This was a nice changeup for the award. Since the start of this decade the award has been won by the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom (who won it 6 times) Zedano Chara, last years winner, Scott Niedermayer, and Chris Pronger. The fact that the none of those guys were finalists shows the direction the leagues is going. It really is nice to see. What makes this so cool is that Keith lost 7 teeth in the playoffs just to win the Cup, showing his heart and guts. Next up is the Vezina Trophy which is awarded to the league's top goaltender. This year's winner was Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. Of all the awards that were given out this one seemed like a give me. Miller pretty much carried the US to the Gold Medal game against Canada, and really if he wasn't in goal for the Sabres I really feel that they would not had won the division and made it took 6 games in the playoffs. The way Miller played this year for the Buffalo seemed a lot like what people are used to seeing out of Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.

Finally on to the biggest trophy of the night, Hart Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the league's most valuable player. This years winner was Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks (Pictured above). HE actually beat out Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for the trophy. Like I said this was the biggest surprise of the night, but in retrospect it really wasnt. The reason was because you expect the huge numbers year after year from Ovechkin and Crosby but the fact tha Sedin won the scoring race with 112 points and help the Canucks get into the 2nd round of the playoffs was a big statement.

Scott Neidermeyer Announces Retirement

The announcement came down at 5:25 today. One of the best, and probably most gifted, defensemen in the past decade, Scott Neidermyer announced his retirement today from the game of hockey. The following story provided by nhl.com.

There's a reason that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer is the only hockey player in the world to win the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, the World Championship, World Junior Championship, the World Cup and the Memorial Cup.

Niedermayer, 36, who retired Tuesday after 18 NHL seasons, was simply one of the best defensemen in the history of the game and certainly one of hockey's all-time best skaters. Schooled in the tight defensive style of the New Jersey Devils, Niedermayer was transformed from one of the best offensive defensemen in Canadian junior-hockey history into one of the NHL's top shutdown players.

Niedermayer also was selected as the 2004 Norris Trophy winner as the best all-around defenseman in the NHL. He also was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he led the Ducks to the championship. Niedermayer captained the Ducks in his final four seasons.

"I could not have dreamed of such an amazing journey," Niedermayer said at a press conference with Ducks Executive Vice President and General Manager Bob Murray. "... I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me this is going to be your career. I've been very lucky."

Niedermayer said he could never have won those titles without the help and support of great players and coaches, but there's no doubt those coaches and players would say the same thing about playing with Niedermayer, a consummate professional and elite player.

"Scott was a tremendous addition, an asset to our defensive corps and he quickly showed the dynamic skating ability that he had," former Devils defenseman Bruce Driver. "I watched him grow as a hockey player. A lot of people point to the huge goal he scored against Detroit when we won in 1995, when he went end-to-end. People compared it to a Bobby Orr or Paul Coffey rush. It opened a lot of eyes to the ability and speed that he had.

"He skated so smoothly that sometimes it looked like he wasn't working hard, but that's experience and that fluid stride he had. He could go from first to fifth gear in a hurry. There weren't a lot of us who could skate the way he could.

"A lot of people thought early on that he was just an offensive defenseman," Driver continued. "I got to appreciate as I watched him grow how smart he is and how good a defensive defenseman he was. Part of that was God-given ability and part was ability to move laterally so quickly. His Devils teammates and coaches taught him well. He played with Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko, tremendous defensive defensemen, and he had Larry Robinson as a head coach and an assistant. What he didn't learn himself, they taught him."

Niedermayer's combination of foot speed, balance and anticipation made him one of the most effective shutdown defenders of all time. Niedermayer was also an important offensive force for the Devils and Ducks, his only NHL teams. Niedermayer had 172 goals and 568 assists for 740 points in 1,263 games, or 0.59 points per game. More than half his goals, 90, were scored on power plays and he had one shorthanded goal. Nearly a quarter of his goals, 39, were game winners.

He had 25 goals and 73 assists for 98 points in 202 Stanley Cup Playoff games, or 0.49 points per game. Niedermayer had 12 power-play goals, three shorthanded goals and eight game winners in Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was plus-167 during NHL regular seasons and plus-20 in Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Niedermayer tied Jamie Langenbrunner for the Devils' scoring lead in the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 18 points, including a team-high 16 assists. Niedermayer won three Stanley Cups with the Devils in 1995, 2000 and 2004. He signed as a free agent with the Ducks in 2005 and helped lead them

to the 2007 Stanley Cup. He led the Devils to an historic 1994 Eastern Conference Championship series against the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the New York Rangers. He was also a strong defensive presence against the Colorado Avalanche in 2001 when the Devils' again went to the Stanley Cup Final. He tied for Anaheim's third-leading scorer in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Ducks were defeated in the Western Conference Final by the Edmonton Oilers.

Born in Edmonton, Niedermayer was raised in Cranbrook, B.C., and led the Cranbrook AAA Midgets with 55 goals and 92 points in 1989. He had 14 goals and 69 points as a rookie with the 1989-90 Kamloops Blazers to help them into the Memorial Cup. He had 26 goals and 82 points the following year and helped Canada win the World Junior Championship, leading the Devils to select him with the No. 3 pick in the 1991 Entry Draft.

The Devils gave Niedermayer a four-game trial at the start of the 1991-92 season and then sent him back to Kamloops for more seasoning. They were thrilled when Niedermayer led Kamloops to the 1992 Memorial Cup title.

With Niedermayer in their lineup, the Devils missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs only once, in 1996, the year after they won and even then they were eliminated on the final day of the season. The Ducks had missed the playoffs in four of the five seasons prior to signing Niedermayer. This season was the only time they failed to make the playoffs in his five seasons in Anaheim.

Niedermayer was an Olympic gold-medal winner for Team Canada in 2002 and 2010 and played on Canada's championship team in the 2004 World Cup. He was a member of Canada's 2004 World Championship team.

Niedermayer said the three biggest highlights of his career were winning his first Stanley Cup; winning again in 2007 with his brother, Rob, as a teammate and winning the 2010 Olympic gold medal with Team Canada on Canadian soil.

"I'm humbled to have this number of things to pick from," Niedermayer said. "I've been surrounded by a lot of great people."

Murray said Niedermayer's press conference was indicative of what kind of person he is. Niedermayer went back years thanking teammates, coaches and executives, but took much longer to go through a lengthy list of front-office workers, trainers, publicists, fans and the media. He named every Devils coach as well as Ducks coach Randy Carlyle. He also named every member of the Devils defensive corps when he broke in -- Driver, Stevens, Daneyko, Slava Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov and Tommy Albelin. He thanked Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli and former Devils owner, the late John McMullen and his family.

"I could not have dreamed of such an amazing journey. I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me this is going to be your career. I've been very lucky." -- Scott Niedermayer Niedermayer went through his retirement conference with the same skill and fluidity he showed on the ice until he got to thanking his children, Logan, Jackson, Josh and Luke, and his wife, Lisa.

"I owe a big thank you to my family," he said. "Having you in my life is what made it possible to do my job. ... I want to mention my brother Rob, who is a great friend and has always been very supportive. We did everything together so getting the chance to play together here in Anaheim and winning the Stanley Cup together was amazing."

Murray said Niedermayer has agreed to remain with the Ducks as a consultant.

"You can never have enough winners around," Murray said.

Scott finished his brilliant 18 year career with 4 Stanley Cups, 3 with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, 2000 And 2003, and 1 more with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. During his career he played in 1,263 regular season games, while collecting 172 Goals, 568 Assists for 740 Points. He was a plus 167 in his career. His best year offensively was in 2006-2007 while with the Ducks when he played in 79 games recording 15 Goals and 54 Assists for 69 Points. In the Playoffs, Scott played in 202games recording 25 goals and 73 assists for 98 points.

Thanks for the memories Scott Neidermayer!