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!

2010-2011 NHL Schedule Announced

Today for somebody like me is a very very good day. Why? Because it is the announcement of the schedule for the following season in the National Hockey League. As you could have guessed the schedule was announced for the 2010-2011 NHL Season. We will get to the Schedule for the Islanders in a little while. But for right now here are some highlights of other games worth interest at this point in time.


Oct. 7-10, NHL Premiere
For the fourth straight season, the NHL regular-season will launch in Europe. This time the contingent is six teams, as Carolina and Minnesota play twice in Helsinki, Finland (Oct. 7 & 8), Columbus and San Jose will face off for two games in Stockholm, Sweden (Oct. 8 & 9), and Boston and Phoenix clash twice in Prague, Czech Republic (Oct. 9 & 10).

Oct. 9, Detroit at Chicago
The Blackhawks host the Red Wings, their Original Six rival, at United Center – and before the game, they'll raise the fourth Stanley Cup championship banner in franchise history, and first since 1961.

Oct. 30, 14 games
On the busiest night of the schedule, 28 of the 30 teams will be in action.

Nov. 6, Buffalo at Toronto
Two days before the official induction of Dino Ciccarelli, Cammi Granato, Angela James, Jimmy Devellano and Daryl Seaman, the Maple Leafs will host the Sabres in the Hockey Hall of Fame Game, an annual rite in which the induction class is honored in a pregame ceremony at Air Canada Centre.

Nov. 20, NY Rangers at Minnesota
Marian Gaborik, the one-time franchise wunderkind of the Wild (2000-2009), returns to Minnesota for the first time as the opposition. The Rangers did visit St. Paul last season, but Gaborik did not play due to a leg injury.

Nov. 24, Boston at Florida
The Panthers had high hopes for Nathan Horton, the No. 3 pick in the 2003 Entry Draft. Shortly after the 2010-11 schedule was released, he was dealt to the Bruins after six seasons and 142 goals scored for Florida. This is his first trip back to the BankAtlantic Center.

Dec. 2, San Jose at Ottawa
Two-time 50-goal scorer Dany Heatley, traded by Ottawa to San Jose last summer, returns to Scotiabank Place as a visitor for the first time -- and probably won't receive a warm welcome. Last season, the Senators and Sharks only met in San Jose.

Dec. 16, Toronto at Calgary
Rugged defenseman Dion Phaneuf, the new captain of the Maple Leafs, returns to Calgary for the first time since his surprising trade to Toronto last season. Phaneuf was a fan favorite for five seasons with the Flames, his first NHL team.

Dec. 23, Pittsburgh at Washington
Round 1 of Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby comes one week before their expected epic of an outdoor game.

Jan. 1, 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
For the fourth consecutive season, the NHL takes it outside on New Year's Day with the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. This edition is a mega-watt star showdown between Alex Ovechkin's Capitals and Sidney Crosby's Penguins at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Forbes magazine labeled the Winter Classic the best new sporting event of the last decade.

Jan. 20, Anaheim at Toronto
In nine seasons with the Ducks, goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere guided them to the Stanley Cup twice, winning it all in 2007. Tonight, he faces Anaheim for the first time as an opponent.

Jan. 22, Anaheim at Montreal
It should be an emotional evening when Saku Koivu returns to Montreal for the first time as a visiting player. He captained Montreal for most of his tenure from 1995 through 2009 before leaving as a free agent. Koivu played against the Canadiens once last season, but the game took place in Anaheim.

Jan. 23, Philadelphia at Chicago
The Stanley Cup finalists meet for the first time since Patrick Kane's overtime goal ousted the Flyers in Game 6.

Jan. 30, NHL All-Star Game
The League's 58th annual mid-season spectacular visits the Carolina Hurricanes and the city of Raleigh. The NHL SuperSkills takes place on Jan. 29 at the RBC Center.

Feb. 6, Pittsburgh at Washington
Round 3 of Ovechkin vs. Crosby is a Sunday matinee at Verizon Center.

Feb. 12, Hockey Day In Canada
CBC's 11th annual Hockey Day In Canada offers a "Hockey Night in Canada" triple header -- Ottawa at Edmonton (2 p.m. ET), Toronto at Montreal (7 p.m. ET), and Calgary at Vancouver (10 p.m. ET).

Feb. 17, Detroit at Tampa Bay
Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman faces the Red Wings, the team he starred for as a player for 22 seasons before beginning his executive career, for the only time this season.

Feb. 20, Montreal at Calgary
The NHL Heritage Classic returns to Canada for the first time since 2003 and pits the Canadiens against the Flames in an outdoor game at McMahon Stadium. Bring your long johns.

Feb. 20, Hockey Day In America
As part of USA Hockey's Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok, the day-long event will celebrate hockey in the United States with Washington at Buffalo, Philadelphia at the New York Rangers and Detroit at Minnesota. Also, in a meeting of the last two Stanley Cup champions, Pittsburgh visits Chicago.

Feb. 21, Washington at Pittsburgh
Round 4 of Ovechkin vs. Crosby is a Monday night showdown at Consol Energy Center.

March 10, Montreal at St. Louis
Though he didn't reach the sainted status of Patrick Roy, Jaroslav Halak was certainly the most popular Slovak in Montreal last season, rescuing the team down the stretch and leading the Canadiens to playoff upsets of Washington and Pittsburgh before losing to Philadelphia in the conference final. He was traded to the Blues last week as he approaches restricted free agency on July 1.


SCHEDULE NOTES:
-John MacLean makes his regular-season debut as the Devils' coach and Jason Arnott marks his return to the club Oct. 8 when New Jersey hosts Dallas
-Scott Arniel makes his regular-season debut as the Blue Jackets' coach against San Jose in Stockholm Oct. 8 and makes his regular-season North America debut Friday, Oct. 15, against the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks
-Guy Boucher makes his regular-season debut as head coach of the Lightning when Tampa Bay hosts Atlanta Saturday, Oct. 9
-GM Steve Yzerman and the Lightning are home to the Detroit Red Wings, Yzerman's long-time former team, Thursday, Feb. 17
-Tampa Bay owns the season's longest homestand, 12 games from Jan. 23-Feb. 25, while Los Angeles faces the season's longest road trip, 10 games from Feb. 1-23
-The cross-state rivalry between Florida and Tampa Bay gets underway Oct. 16 when the Lightning provide the opposition for the Panthers' home opener. The teams are led by new general managers – Yzerman in Tampa and Dale Tallon in Florida
-The St. Louis Blues and former Canadiens G Jaroslav Halak host Montreal Thursday, March 10
-The Ottawa Senators play their concluding 26 regular-season games against Eastern Conference opponents
-The Los Angeles Kings play their concluding 23 games against Western Conference, including the last five against Pacific Division opponents
-The Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes both play their concluding 20 games against Western Conference opponents
-Carolina makes the latest North American home debut – October 27 against Washington.


So that takes care of the league in general. Now here is what I really care about, the 82 games that will be played by the New York Islanders during the 2010-2011 season:

Oct 9, 2010 vs DALLAS 7:00 PM
Oct 11, 2010 vs NY RANGERS 1:00 PM
Oct 13, 2010 @ WASHINGTON 7:00 PM
Oct 15, 2010 @ PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Oct 16, 2010 vs COLORADO 7:00 PM
Oct 18, 2010 @ TORONTO 7:00 PM
Oct 21, 2010 @ TAMPA BAY 7:30 PM
Oct 23, 2010 @ FLORIDA 7:00 PM
Oct 27, 2010 @ MONTREAL 7:30 PM
Oct 29, 2010 vs MONTREAL 7:00 PM
Oct 30, 2010 @ PHILADELPHIA 7:00 PM
Nov 3, 2010 @ CAROLINA 7:00 PM
Nov 4, 2010 @ OTTAWA 7:30 PM
Nov 6, 2010 vs PHILADELPHIA 7:00 PM
Nov 10, 2010 @ ANAHEIM 10:00 PM
Nov 11, 2010 @ SAN JOSE 10:30 PM
Nov 13, 2010 @ LOS ANGELES 10:30 PM
Nov 17, 2010 vs TAMPA BAY 7:00 PM
Nov 20, 2010 vs FLORIDA 7:00 PM
Nov 21, 2010 @ ATLANTA 5:00 PM
Nov 24, 2010 vs COLUMBUS 7:00 PM
Nov 26, 2010 vs NEW JERSEY 1:00 PM
Dec 2, 2010 vs NY RANGERS 7:00 PM
Dec 3, 2010 @ NY RANGERS 7:00 PM
Dec 5, 2010 vs PHILADELPHIA 1:00 PM
Dec 9, 2010 @ BOSTON 7:00 PM
Dec 11, 2010 vs ATLANTA 7:00 PM
Dec 13, 2010 @ NASHVILLE 8:00 PM
Dec 16, 2010 vs ANAHEIM 7:00 PM
Dec 18, 2010 vs PHOENIX 7:00 PM
Dec 22, 2010 vs TAMPA BAY 7:00 PM
Dec 23, 2010 @ NEW JERSEY 7:00 PM
Dec 26, 2010 vs MONTREAL 7:00 PM
Dec 27, 2010 @ NY RANGERS 7:00 PM
Dec 29, 2010 vs PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Dec 31, 2010 vs DETROIT 7:00 PM
Jan 3, 2011 @ CALGARY 9:00 PM
Jan 6, 2011 @ EDMONTON 9:00 PM
Jan 8, 2011 @ COLORADO 3:00 PM
Jan 9, 2011 @ CHICAGO 7:00 PM
Jan 11, 2011 vs VANCOUVER 7:00 PM
Jan 13, 2011 vs OTTAWA 7:00 PM
Jan 15, 2011 vs BUFFALO 7:00 PM
Jan 17, 2011 vs NEW JERSEY 1:00 PM
Jan 20, 2011 vs WASHINGTON 7:00 PM
Jan 21, 2011 @ BUFFALO 7:30 PM
Jan 23, 2011 vs BUFFALO 3:00 PM
Jan 25, 2011 @ PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Jan 26, 2011 vs CAROLINA 7:00 PM
Feb 1, 2011 @ ATLANTA 7:00 PM
Feb 2, 2011 @ PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Feb 5, 2011 vs OTTAWA 7:00 PM
Feb 8, 2011 vs TORONTO 7:00 PM
Feb 10, 2011 @ MONTREAL 7:30 PM
Feb 11, 2011 vs PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Feb 13, 2011 @ BUFFALO 3:00 PM
Feb 15, 2011 @ OTTAWA 7:30 PM
Feb 17, 2011 vs BOSTON 7:00 PM
Feb 19, 2011 vs LOS ANGELES 7:00 PM
Feb 21, 2011 vs FLORIDA 1:00 PM
Feb 22, 2011 @ TORONTO 7:00 PM
Feb 24, 2011 @ PHILADELPHIA 7:00 PM
Feb 26, 2011 vs WASHINGTON 7:00 PM
Mar 1, 2011 @ WASHINGTON 7:00 PM
Mar 2, 2011 vs MINNESOTA 7:00 PM
Mar 5, 2011 vs ST LOUIS 1:00 PM
Mar 6, 2011 vs NEW JERSEY 1:00 PM
Mar 8, 2011 vs TORONTO 7:00 PM
Mar 11, 2011 vs BOSTON 7:00 PM
Mar 12, 2011 @ NEW JERSEY 7:00 PM
Mar 15, 2011 @ NY RANGERS 7:00 PM
Mar 18, 2011 @ CAROLINA 7:00 PM
Mar 19, 2011 @ FLORIDA 7:00 PM
Mar 22, 2011 @ TAMPA BAY 7:30 PM
Mar 24, 2011 vs ATLANTA 7:00 PM
Mar 26, 2011 vs PHILADELPHIA 7:00 PM
Mar 30, 2011 @ NEW JERSEY 7:00 PM
Mar 31, 2011 vs NY RANGERS 7:00 PM
Apr 2, 2011 vs CAROLINA 7:00 PM
Apr 6, 2011 @ BOSTON 7:00 PM
Apr 8, 2011 vs PITTSBURGH 7:00 PM
Apr 9, 2011 @ PHILADELPHIA 7:00 PM

So there you have it. The Schedule for the 2010-2011 NHL Season. For more details and information go to nhl.com

Subway Series 2010 Ends in Split as Yankees Take 2 of 3 In Bronx

The 2010 edition of the Subway Series between the New York Mets and New York Yankees has finally come to a close. The Mets took 2 of the 3 games that were played at Citi Field at the end of May. Now in the latest installment at Yankee Stadium this past weekend it was the Yankees turn to take 2 of 3. The series started Friday night with a 4-0 victory for the Mets on the strength of a brilliant pitching performance by Hisanori Takahashi, who went 6 innings allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. K-Rod got the save for the Mets. The offense for the Mets was provided by Ike Davis, Angel Pagan, and Jose Reyes.

The next day in a saturday afternoon affair, the Mets started it off with a BANG, as on the second pitch of the ball game Jose Reyes hit his 16th career leadoff homer. The yanks came back with one in the bottom of the 1st when Mark Teixeira hit into a double play that forced in a run. The Mets retook the lead in the 3rd when Reyes homer for the 2nd time in 3 innings, this time a 2-run shot, to give the Mets the 3-1 advantage. That would not las however as the Yankees got 2-run homers from Mark Teixeira in the 3rd and Curtis Granderson in the 4th. That was all the Yankees would need as they held on for the 5-3 lead. Mike Pelfrey lost only his 2nd game all year, going 7 innings allowing 5 runs on 5 hits while striking out 2. The Yanks got solid pitching on this day from Phil Hughes who went 7 as well, giving up the 2 homers to Reyes giving up one other hit and striking out 4.

Yesterday was the rubber match and featured a rematch from the Sunday Night game the first time around this year, Johan Santana against C.C.Sabathia. The only offense provided in this contest for either side was a grand slam hit by Mark Teixeira in the 3rd. Both pitchers went 6 innings striking out 4 each.

Local newspapers here on Long Island showed a very surprising stat on sunday, the all time record by year of the series. 1997 and 1998 went to the Yankees 2-12. The teams earned splits in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The Yanks won the season series 4-2 in 2000 and 2001. The Yankees swept all 6 meetings between the teams in 2003 and then took 5 of the 6 games last year 2009. The only series the Mets have been able to win were in 2004 and 2008 when the Mets took 4 of the 6 games.

And After 49 Years of Waiting The Chicago Blackhawks Are the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champions!

After a long long wait, the city of Chicago Finally has another Stanley Cup to add to the mantel at the United Center after the teams 4-3 overtime victory last night in Game 6. The Hawks got on the board first at the 16:49 mark as Dustin Byfuglien connected for a power play goal. However before the 1st period was up the Flyers answered at 19:33 with a power play goal of their own thanks to Scott Hartnell. So we stood 1-1 at the end of 1. In that 1st frame, the Hawks out shot the Flyers 17-7 which was pretty indicative of the way play went in the 1st, as it was throughout most of the contest.

To the 2nd period we go and it took only 8 minutes for somebody to strike. And it turned out to be Danny Briere giving the Flyers a 2-1 advantage. The Hawks answered back less than 2 minutes later when Patrick Sharp pick up the tying goal on a great wrist shot from just inside the line. The Hawks would retake the lead with a little over 17 minutes gone in the period thanks to a beautiful tip in by Andrew Ladd. The initial shot came in from the point from Niklas Hjalmarsson. And that strike would hold up at periods end and after 40 minutes it was 3-2 Hawks. Shots in the period again favored the Hawks 10-6 but the Flyers did start showing more fight and desperation after the Ladd goal.

The Flyers offense really woke up in the 3rd, putting a ton of pressure on Hawks goalie Antti Niemi. 3rd period shot totals ended 12-9 for the Hawks but the better quality chances when the way of the Flyers. That was no more evident than at the 16:01 mark when Scott Hartnell scored his 2nd goal of the night to tie the game up at 3. It looked late like the Flyers were on the verge of victory and forcing Game 7 but Antti Niemi made another highlight reel stop on Briere in front. So the game went into overtime tied at 3.

And then 4:06 into overtime THIS HAPPENED:


Patrick Kane scored the Game Winning Goal ending the Hawks 49 year drought. In a small fit of irony the goal in the Box Score reads Patrick Kane from Brian Campbell. Why is that ironic? Kane is a native of South Buffalo and Campbell used to play in Buffalo for the Sabres. At the end of the night Antti Niemi turned away 21 of 24 Flyers Shots while his counterpart Michael Leighton stopped 37 of 41 shots.

The Conn Smyth trophy, which is awarded to the Playoff MVP every year, went to Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews who finished the playoffs with 7 Goals, 22 Assists (which lead all playoff scorers in that catagory) and 29 points, one point behind the Flyers Danny Breiere who finished with 30 points. Dustin Byfugelin also had a huge impact on getting the Hawks into the Finals with something like 5 Game Winners in the Playoffs. Antti Niemi was very solid in net going 16-6 throughout they playoffs with a 2.63 GAA and a .910 SV %. As for the Flyers, they too had solid play from their 3 best players in this 2010 playoffs, Danny Breiere, Michael Leighton, and Chris Pronger. Pronger averaged around 29:00 a game in these playoffs, while Danny Breiere led all skaters in scoring with 30 points on 12 Goals and 18 Assists. The story for the Flyers was the play of Michael Leighton who in 13 Games went 8-3 with a 2.46 GAA and a .913 SV %. Leighton was given a chance in the 2nd round against Boston when Brian Boucher got hurt. Boucher went 6-6 in these playoffs. putting up decent numbers.

Besides the Hawks breaking their own team drought and the curse of Marion Hossa, there are a few other great stories to come out of the playoffs, teh 2 biggest coming from the east. One is the fact that the Flyers in the 2nd round coming back from down 0-3 to beat Boston in 7. Also the story of the other Eastern Conferance Finalist, the Montreal Canadians. They, as an 8 seed, came back from down 3-1 to beat #1 Washington in 7, a feet that had NEVER before been done in teh playoffs. And if beating the Caps wasn't good enough for the Habs, they played another 7 game series in the following round against Sidney Crosby and Company in Pittsburgh. once again the Habs prevailed before falling to the Flyers in the Conferance Finals in 6. Be sure to check in with the blog in teh coming weeks for a NHL Season reacp, the NHL awards and Free Agency news.

Cup Finals Heat Up as Teams Split Games 4 and 5 Hawks Lead Finals 3-2

Heading into Game 4 Last Friday night the Blackhawks had rarely lost 2 straight games on the road. Well Game 4 was the 2nd straight road loss for the Blackhawks as the Flyers took Game 4 by a score of 5-3. Mike Richards got the Flyers on the board first with a power play goal 4:35 into the game. It was a situation where Richards just powered his way out to the front of the net with nobody touching him and he stuffed it in short side on Niemi for the 1st goal of the night. Philly's lead was streched to 2-0 just over 10 minutes later thanks to a wrist shot from Matt Carle, again on another broken play. Patrick Sharp finally got the Hawks on the board with a little under 2 minutes to go in the 1st period. But the Flyers would take back the 2 goal lead before the end of the period, when Claude Giroux scored with 28 seconds left in the 1st period. So after 20 minutes of play it was 3-1 Flyers.

The 2nd period was quiet on the score sheet with nobody being able to light the lamp. The physical play in period #2 was still very evident but nobody could find the back of the net. So as the 3rd period got underway it was still 3-1 Flyers. It took just over 6 minutes of play in the final period for the Flyers to stretch their lead when Ville Leino scored on a nice wrist shot to give the Flyers a 4-1 lead. The Hawks would not go away quietly in game 4 as they cut the lead down to 4-3 thanks to a power play goal from Dave Bolland and an even strength goal from Brian Campbell. That was about all Chicago could to on offense on that night. The Flyers also added an empty net goal from Jeff Carter to take Game 4 by a 5-3 final. Antti Niemi stopped 26 of 30 Flyers Shots while Michael Leighton was able to turn away 31 of 34 Blackhawks shots.

In Games 3 and 4 it looked like a complete role reversal from the 1st 2 games back in the windy city. The start of the series it seemed that the Blackhawks controlled the speed and pace of the games and were able to take the first 2 at home. Then when the scene switched over to Philadelphia, the Flyers seemed to have all the jump and were the ones getting all the breaks.

Game 5 was last night inside the Madhouse on Madison, the United Center in Chicago. The Hawks seemed to once again find their skating legs and their offense as Brent Seabrook got the scoring going for the Hawks with a power play goal just about 13 minutes into the game. Just about 3 minutes later Dave Bolland gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead. That lead would be increased to 3-0 with about 5 minutes left in the period thanks to Kris Versteeg. So the 1st came to a close with the score 3-0 in favor of the Hawks. The Flyers finally got on the board :32 into the 2nd period thanks to Scott Hartnell. The Hawks took back their 3 goal lead a little over 3 minutes later thanks to Buffalo NY native Patrick Kane. A little less than a minute later Kimmo Timonen scored for the Flyers to cut the Hawks lead in half. The scored stayed at 4-2 until there was about five minutes left in the middle period. That's when the Hawks power play FINALLY struck in this series and the goal came from somebody who had been a little quiet in the goal column in the finals Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien was able to get the room in front because Chris Pronger was sitting in the penalty box for hooking. So we move on to the 3rd period with the Hawks leading 5-2. Philyl cut the lead to 5-3 a little over 6 minutes into the 3rd thanks to a goal from James van Riemsdyk. Patrick Sharp scored for the Hawks 10 minutes later to give them a 6-3 lead, then Simon Gagne scored for the Flyers to make it 6-4 and finally Dustin Byfuglien added the empty netter, and capped off a 4 point night for himself, to clinch game 5 for the Hawks by a final score of 7-4.

The 2 big surprises last night were the fact the Michael Leighton of the Flyers was pulled again after the 1st period in favor of Brian Boucher. Also a surprise was the fact thet Byfuglien was able to sort of get himself free from teh grasp of Chris Pronger who really has been dogging Byfuglien all series long. Also, from a Hawks perspective, nice to see Kane and Towes getting going in the past 2 games. Those 2 guys had been held in check for the most part in this series. Game 6 of the finals is wednesday night from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Now the apparent trend here through the first 5 games of this series is that the home team has won every game to this point. And if this trend continues then it looks like the Flyers take Game 6 on Wednesday night and then the Hawks take the cup Friday night at the United Center. But from what I have seen over the past few games who really knows. All that is certain is that is going to be entertaning hockey and the greatest prize in all of hockey and the oldest trophy in all of professional sports, the Stanley Cup, will be in attendance over the final 2 games if necessary

Stanley Cup Finals Now Turning into a Series as Flyers Take Game 3

After the Hawks took the first 2 Games of the Stanley Cup Finals on home ice, they can't hold off the Flyer attack as the Flyers take game 3 in Overtime. The Flyers got on the board first thanks to a beautiful power play goal from Danny Briere. And what made this play so great wasn't the finish by Briere, it was the setup by Scott Hartnell. A shot came in from the point and Niemi made the save and then Hartnell picked up the puck and made almost a blind pass as he was falling down to an open Briere who buried the puck. Here is the video:


So the Briere goal made it 1-0 Flyers at the end of 1. 2nd period and it takes a little over 2 minutes for the Hawks to come back and tie the game thanks to a Duncan Keith goal. Then after a little back and forth action, the Flyers get a power play. After a tough time getting set up a long shot from Pronger comes in from the point that gets tipped by the aformetioned Scott Hartnell. The puck hit Hartnell and seemed to slip over the goal line. The horn sounded and the place when nuts but play continued for about a minute and a half before play stopped. After a video review showed the evidence the goal counted and the Flyers took a 2-1 lead. This lead would hold till about the 17 minute mark when after a clean faceoff win from John Madden resulted in a snap shot goal from Brent Sopel to tie the game at 2. That 2-2 score is how the 2nd period would end.

3rd period got underway and it was a pickup from the first 2 periods in the physical department. About 2:50 into the period the Flyers had a slight defensive breakdown and allowed Patrick Kane to get a breakaway from the blue line in. Bad idea on the Flyers part as Kane beat Leighton stick side to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead. But that 1 goal lead would last for only 20 seconds as Ville Leino buried a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle to tie the game at 3. That is how the score would last through regulation.

Overtime was just as enjoyable to watch and then some. About 5 minutes in Simone Gagne had a golden chance for the Flyers, Gagne picked up the pcuk and the Hawks goal line flung the puck on net and it hit off the post rolled along the goaline and some how it stayed out. They went upstairs on the video review and this again the refs got right and ruled it no goal. About a minute after that close call Claude Giroux was in the right place at the right time in front of the net to tip in a long shot from Carle from the top of the crease to give the Flyers the OT victory. The Hawks lead the series 2-1 going into game 4 at Wacovia Center tomorrow night at 8 on Versus. Game 5 of the series will be back at the United Center Sunday at 8

After Game 1 Slugfest, Game 2 low Scoring Affair with Hawks Coming Out on Top

Game 1 of the Cup Finals was a real Slugfest. Game 2 was more of the Defensive Battle we were all expecting. The 1st period was a quiet defensive battle, with a ton of hitting but no scoring at all. Daniel Carcillo had been put into the lineup for Game 2 to cause havoc, and boy did he ever. He was running after guys like a madman. At one point Carcillo and teammate Jeff Carter both went to hit Tomas Kopecky and actually rammed into each other as Kopescky avoided contact. So after a scoreless first period, we move on to the 2nd. It took over 17 minutes of the 2nd for somebody to finally break through and it turned out to be Marian Hossa who found his own rebound at the side of the net and was able to lift it up over a fallen Michael Leighton. Then :28 later Ben Eager beat Leighton high glove side to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead. The only score for the Flyers in the contest came on a power play goal from Simon Gagne 5 minutes into the 3rd period. The Hawks would hold the fort and hang on for the 2-1 victory in the game and a 2-0 lead in the series. Leighton stopped 24 of 26 Hawks shots while Niemi stoppedf 32 of 33 shots fired by the Flyers.

There were 2 things worth noting from this hockey game besides the low score and physical play. First is the pipe job by Patrick Sharp in the 3rd on a Flyers empty net. Philly had pulled Leighton and Sharp got the loose puck at center ice and came into Flyer real estate and took a shot from just inside the blue line that rang of the post of the empty net. See for yourself :


This is not the first time that something like this has happened as in 2008 Patrick Stefan of the Dallas Stars misses an empty net and allows the Edmonton Oilers to come all the way back and tie the game with 2 seconds left. Here is the video proof:


Thankfully for Patrick Sharp, the Flyers did not tie the game and that leaves Patrick Stefan with egg still on his face

Now one other thing worth noting. In the last 35 years of Stanley Cup Finals play only TWICE has a team won the first 2 games of the series and then LOST the series. The first was in 1970-71 when the Blackhawks fell to the Canadians in 6 despirte having a 2-0 series lead. Also it happened again last year when the Detroit Red Wings were up 2-0 on the Penguins and the Pens won the Cup in 7. So we will have to wait and see what happens with the Hawks in the rest of the series. Game 3 is Wednesday Night at 8 on Versus from Wacovia Center in Philly!