Sharks Being Sharks; Choking on a Great Start?

The world continues to turn.

The sun continues to burn.

And the San Jose Sharks choked on a great start to the season.

The pain... it Burns.

After kicking off the season on a dominant 7-0 tear, the Sharks have now dropped five games in a row bringing their record down to 7-3-3. While a record like that is good enough to earn them the fourth spot in the West for now, further struggles could see the Sharks drop down the standings, and fast.

Critics have said it time and time again, but it bears repeating; the Sharks big guns need to come up huge for them to win big, including goaltender Antti Niemi. Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton both got off to a fast start, but in the Sharks four losses, they've been held to only one point, both of which came in their second most recent 2-6 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This team has mad potential. Cup winning potential even. But before that they need to get their shit together, big time.

In Marleau's Eyebrows We Trust

Twas the Day After Christmas...

Hope has escaped me.  I genuinely don't think there's going to be a season, and as you can see, I have begun to lash out at my friends and family.

Yesterday I was sitting at the dinner table with my family, eating Christmas dinner, and when my grandma asked me to pass the cranberries. I thought she said Crosb-erries so I blacked out and cut her with a 2005-2006 Yann Danis rookie card.

I fucking cut her.

Locked Out: D2N vs. Depression

It's been a little while, hasn't it?

Scary Gary

We're sorry.  Truth be told, there have been better days for this blog. I mean let's be honest, it ain't easy being cheesy, and by cheesy, I of course mean writing about a league so broken that it's players can't come to an agreement with their teams, or the man whom they pay to get them to an agreement with said teams.

This lockout hurts, and there's no getting around it.  It evokes a deep stinging in the heart, as most would describe it.  More NHL related pain and butthurt after the jump...

Patrick Kaleta Headbutted a Guy. Shit Got Real.

Buffalo Sabre's forward Patrick Kaleta has been suspended for 4 games following an incident in the Sabre's November 2nd game against the Flyers, and by incident, I mean Kaleta headbutted another player for the second time of his career.

In a National Hockey League where hundreds of players and coaches are concerned with concussions and head shots, Patrick Kaleta stands alone.  What a ballsy move, endangering another player's head and his own head in a single play. What an over-achiever.

Around the League: Season's Greetings

Hockey season started and stuff.

Sorry guys, we really dropped the ball for a while there.

Really though, this season is off to a solid start, and for what its worth, we're coming back to blogging with a vengeance*.  Some points of interest from this young season so far after the jump.



*Vengeance is subject to change.  Make the jump, like a boss.

The Beauty of Twitter in the NHL, Pt.9

Hey guys.

Mike Modano has a Twitter and stuff. Halloween's right around the corner.

Straight up gross. Nobody wants to see Modano's wrinkly old balls.

Season Preview: Evgeni Malkin

″I hope people understand this is (a) new me,″ Malkin said. ″I've changed my workouts because maybe I was lazy before. Maybe I just played hockey, and that (was) good enough, but (there) is more for me to do."
″My motivation now is very good.″ Additionally Malkin stated that he was, "coming for foreskins," and that, "he forgot his sense of mercy back in Chernobyl."

The other 29 teams better keep their heads up, because it looks like this season Evgeni Malkin is taking over.  From watching him play and reading his interviews, it looks like Malkin is taking his game to a whole new level, and taking no prisoners.

This article by Pittsburgh Trib writer Rob Rossi, confirms what Pens fans have been waiting all off-season to hear. Malkin is coming back from injury with a vengeance. In that article you can find Malkin's daily schedule, which is notably missing his half hour "Mock Gretzky" sessions, and his favorite two exercises ("Team Lifting: Literally Putting the Team on His Back" and "Kicking Down Doors Into Business Meetings").

Believe me, I hate to come off as a homer by writing Malkin's praises before the season starts, but he just looks so solid that it's hard for any analyst to not take notice. 

Jonathan Cheechoo Is Still Geting Paid To Play Hockey

To the surprise of many hockey fans (at least I assume), Johnathan Cheechoo has been signed to an NHL contract. Coming this season he will be under a 2 way $600K contract with the St. Louis Blues. I flat out don't understand where the Blues are going right now with their recent signings.

Pictured: Cheechoo days before his talent was reported missing.

Cheechoo was once a 50 goal scorer, but that was literally one season. The next seasons he played just didn't click for him. He's tallied a mere 17 NHL goals between 2008 and 2010 with the Sharks and Senators (the Sens bought out his contract and he played a season with the AHL's Worcester Sharks). Needless to say, I'm no Cheechoo fan, I don't think he'll do well, and I think as far as goal-scorers go he's a one hit wonder, but I guess we'll see how he does in St. Louis...

Probably badly.

St. Louis Signs 2 Old People; Whatever.

Earlier today the St. Louis Blues signed ex-Devils Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott to one year contracts, which is great and cool and stuff...

Personally, I feel awkward about this deal. Langenbrunner is 35 and Arnott is 36, and I have nothing against older players, but I dont understand why the Blues feel they need both.  I don't think this is a deal that will make or break the Blues (unless injuries happen) but I think there were better players available to be signed.

Kaberle Signs in Carolina; Bruins Bring in Corvo

Today has been an uncharacteristically busy day for free agency. I know this because I've been working the Ducks2Nucks twitter today, and it is blowing up with signings rumors and trades. Two of the most impacting transactions of the day have been Tomas Kaberle's new contract in Carolina, and Joe Corvo being moved by the Hurricanes to Boston in exchange for a 4th round draft pick.


It's no secret that Kaberle didn't work out the way fans wanted him to in Boston, and we knew he wasn't resigning there, so maybe playing in Carolina will click better for him and show an upgrade in stats. As far as Joe Corvo and the Bruins go, Boston was just looking for an avid replacement for Kaberle on the blueline, and Corvo could very well be that replacement.

Corvo hasn't ever put up as many assists as Kaberle, and usually doesn't match his point totals, but as of late he's stepped up as a veteran defensive leader who can put the puck in the net.

Ducks2Nucks Embraces Technology; Joins Twitter

Everyone's favorite amateur hockey blog has officially joined Twitter.

http://twitter.com/#!/Ducks2Nucks

Hit up the link and give us a follow for quick quips on NHL news and happenings, and new post alerts.

Sharks Deal Heatley

San Jose GM Doug Wilson and Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher are no strangers to each other. After last night, the GM's have completed two big trades with each other in just over a week.

Earlier, the Sharks traded Devin Setoguchi for All-Star defenseman Brent Burns. Now the teams have swapped superstar wingers, with San Jose sending Dany Heatley to Minnesota for Martin Havlat.

Free Agent Frenzy; Big Names Sign With Teams

75 free agents signed with their respective teams July 1st, and 18 additional players followed suit on the 2nd.  A lot of big names were moved around including Simon Gagne, Tim Connolly, Ville Leino, and Michael Ryder, but today we will look at the top free agent signing at the forward, defenseman, and goalie position.

Top Forward:

Brad Richards

Brad Richards waited it out through day 1 of free agency while 75 other players found new teams or re-signed with their former teams.  Early on in day 2, Richards made his decision to go with the New York Rangers by signing a 9 year deal worth $60 million.  He finished last year with 28 goals and 49 assists in 72 games. He'll also surely help out the Rangers, who at times, struggled to put the puck in the net.

The New Look of the Nashville Predators

Earlier this week the Nashville Predators released an image of their new logo set, a solid updated version of their old logo with some new splashes of color.  However, only days ago, a picture was leaked of what may be the new home and away jerseys of the Nashville Predators. 

Rumor has it that these are not the final designs but are extremely close to what the final designs will look like (Basically the same, from what I hear).  Personally, I have mixed feelings towards the jerseys.  I'm always a fan of color but the piping and stripes strike me oddly.  Regardless, we'll all have to hang on and see what becomes of these newly leaked photos.

Flyers Make Major Shakeups Before The Draft

Earlier today the Philiadelphia Flyers turned their salary cap standings and team roster upside down by shuffling some of their bigger names off to other teams and bringing in a bonafide goaltender with a huge price tag.

First the Flyers sent scoring winger Jeff Carter to Columbus in exchange for Jakub Voracek, a first round pick, and a third round pick. Carter was recently signed to a huge multi year contract that will last until the 2021-2022 season

Later in the day the Flyers sent their captain, Mike Richards, to LA for forward Wayne Simmonds and young star Braydon Schenn.  Richards is set to be in LA until the end of the 2019-2020.

Finally, with their newly freed cap space GM Paul Holmgren signed superstar goaltender Ilya Brygalov to a huge 9 year 51 million dollar deal (too high a price tag for Ilya in my opinion).

The Beauty of Twitter in the NHL, Pt.8

Nashville Predators forward Jordin Tootoo tweeted a couple weeks ago apparently after a successful hunt...


Beautiful. Nutritious. God help us all.

Sell Out

13,000 in 17 minutes.

That is the number of season tickets that were sold to Winnipeg fans during a 3 day pre-sale and 17 minutes into their public sale. 5,850 were sold during that 17 minute span as the other 7,150 were sold to the season ticket holders of the Manitoba Moose the previous 3 days.

The numbers equate to this:

-5,850 season tickets sold in 17 minutes.
-344 season tickets sold per minute.
-6 season tickets sold per second.

In addition, each season ticket holder must retain their tickets for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 5 years.

So, 3-5 years of 13,000 season tickets sold during a pre-sale and in 17 minutes?  It would appear that the Winnipeg fans are itching for hockey and as the days go by, they get closer and closer.

Winnipeg: Back in the NHL at Atlanta's Expense

In case you haven't heard, earlier last week it was announced that, as speculated, the Atlanta Thrashers were purchased and will move from Georgia to Winnipeg.  Less prominent in the headlines is that this move has caused the AHL's Manitoba Moose to be relocated to St. Johns, Newfoundland.

There has been no word on the official name for the new Winnipeg franchise, but rumors have passed with names like the Falcons, Polar Bears, and of course the Jets.

The Beauty of Twitter in the NHL, Pt.7

Today I'll show you a couple of tweets from the infamous Phoenix Coyotes fourth liner Paul "Biznasty" Bissonette, who is clearly enjoying his summer break.

 

Clearly Biznasty is doing well with his summer endeavors.  Ducks2Nucks supports him and his extracurricular activities.

Jake's Take: NHL Redivide

By now, you’ve read about the potential of the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg by as early as next season.  If you rely on some news sources, the move has already happened and could possibly affect the NHL in a big way.

But probably not in the way you thought.

From the time of its inception the NHL has, like many other leagues, divide teams for organizational purposes.

Now I could start to describe as to why this is important . . . but honestly it’s truly boring.

So let’s dive into the possibilities now that Atlanta has left us and Winnipeg seems to have return to the NHL.

Let’s take a look at the "Ducks to Nucks Awesome Map":