After back to back blowout wins, a few of Metallurg Magnitogorsk's players entered this game amongst the KHL league leaders. Center Cal O'Reilly began the day 3rd in assists, with 7 in 8 games. Winger Sergei Mozyakin came into this matchup 4th in goals (5), 5th in points (10), and leading the league in game winning goals (3). Meanwhile, goalie Ari Ahonen was 2nd in goals against average (1.63).
The KHL's website lists him a less intimidating "Shatan"
Ahonen would not get the start though as Georgi Gelashvili was between the pipes against HC Slovan Bratislava. Slovan entered the game in 4th place in the Western Conference as they continue through their inaugural season in the KHL. Last year, HC Slovan won the Slovak Championship behind leading point scorer and captain, Miroslav Satan. Over the summer, they petitioned to join the KHL and were accepted.
Much like the last two wins, Metallurg was off to a quick start on the opening faceoff and would score just a few shifts later. Defenseman Georgi Misharin pinched into the zone and chipped a puck behind the net to Cal O'Reilly. O'Reilly quickly fed the puck in front to Enver Lisin who scored from about 3 feet away. After Metallurg took a 1-0 lead, the teams traded powerplay opportunities and Slovan picked up their pace. The first would end 1-0 though.
The second period started with more failed powerplay opportunities, first by Metallurg and then by Slovan. As Slovan's powerplay ended though, Cal O'Reilly made a great diving play at the red line to chip the puck up to Sergei Mozyakin who had just exited the penalty box. Mozyakin entered the zone on a breakaway and scored on a top shelf wrist shot to make it 2-0 Metallurg. The second period came to a quiet end with Metallurg holding on to their 2 goal lead.
Slovan finally got on the board 7 minutes into the 3rd period as Miroslav Satan and Libor Gudachek entered the offensive zone 2 on 2. Satan passed to Gudachek on the right, who beat goalie Gelashvili with a seemingly harmless wrist shot. The goal sparked Slovan and they tied the game roughly a minute later. Andrei Stastny got away from Evgeni Malkin on the boards behind the net and deked around defenseman Viktor Antipin in the slot before beating Gelashvili with a nice backhander.
The tie would last 5 minutes before Metallurg took the lead back for good. As Metallurg worked the perimeter on a delayed penalty, Evgeni Biryukov took a shot from the point and Mikhail Yakubov put a stick on the shot to deflect it into the net. Slovan pushed for the tying goal in the last minute with their goaltender pulled, but Metallurg held on until the final buzzer.
Starting to like that Steel Fox more than Iceburgh.
Final Score: Metallurg wins 3-2.
Metallurg moves to 5-0-2-2 and HC Slovan Bratislava drops to 4-2-1-3.
Player Notes
Things I don't like: Malkin on the ground
after a scrum.
Evgeni Malkin - Malkin had a very quiet game, only recording 2 shots in 22:48 of ice time. He did go 14 for 24 in the faceoff circle, though he seemed to struggle with big offensive zone faceoffs. He retained the same linemates from last game (Mozyakin and Platonov) and seems to be developing great chemistry with Mozyakin especially.
Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar was also quiet in this one, only recording 1 shot in 20:56 of ice time. A big reason both him and Malkin were quiet was because of a great penalty kill effort by Slovan. Gonchar and Malkin were kept to the perimeter on the powerplay and were pressured immediately before they had the opportunity to create chances.
Cal O'Reilly - O'Reilly added 2 assists to keep him amongst the league leaders and had another great defensive game on the penalty kill and overall. Through the 5 games I have watched, O'Reilly has been a very solid 2 way center and has shown great vision for where his teammates and/or the puck will end up.
Miroslav Satan - As captain of HC Slovan, Satan led by example and effort in his skating all over the ice. He was limited to 1 shot in 18:39 of ice time and recorded an assist, but he was easily noticeable because of his presence all over the rink. He was accountable in the defensive zone and tried to create in the offensive zone, though Metallurg defended him pretty well. Satan looked far more comfortable with HC Slovan than he ever did in Pittsburgh.
Next Game: 10/1, 9am EST vs CSKA
Links:
onhockey.ru came up big with the live stream again. It looks like that may be the most dependable site for KHL streams.
Former Pens: Alexandre Picard, Erik Christensen, Tomas Surovy Other NHLers: Jiri Hudler, Jakub Voracek, Michael Repik, Jakub Klepis, Marcel Hossa, Jiri Novotny, Lubos Bartecko
Recap
We finally meet a Steel Fox!
Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar made the most of their home debuts as Metallurg Magnitogorsk throttled the Western Conference leader, HC Lev Praha. Praha came into the game boasting a league-low 12 goals against thanks to goalie Tomas Popperle. Popperle entered the game leading the league in goals against average (1.22) and shutouts (4) while sitting 3rd in save percentage (.950).
Malkin received opening faceoff duties for the 2nd game in a row, but with new linemates as Sergei Mozyakin and Denis Platonov joined him. The home crowd erupted the first time Malkin touched the puck and then again 6 minutes into the game when the first goal was announced. Mozyakin dropped a pass for Malkin, who skated it through the neutral zone before dishing it off to Platonov who gave Metallurg the early 1-0 lead. The first period would end tied at 1 though as Jakub Klepis, who played 2 seasons with the Washington Capitals, blasted a shot from the point that beat goalie Ari Ahonen high on his glove side.
Unfortunately, the first 3 minutes of the 2nd period are a mystery as the online stream went down during intermission. When it returned though, former NHL defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky drew a 4 minute powerplay for taking a high stick to the face. Metallurg capitalized on the double minor twice thanks to the magic of Sergei Gonchar. For the first powerplay goal, Gonchar sent Evgeni Malkin on a breakaway with a long two line pass. Malkin was stopped, but the rebound sat uncovered for Mozyakin to score easily. The second powerplay goal came just a minute later as Gonchar fired a shot from the point and Viktor Antipin scored on the rebound.
Cal O'Reilly..international star.
Less than a minute after that, Metallurg made it 4-1 on an offensive zone faceoff where Dmitri Kazionov positioned himself directly behind center Mikhail Yakubov. Yakubov won the faceoff straight back and Kazionov fired a quick shot that beat Popperle (think the James Neal faceoff play). HC Lev immediately called a timeout but could not stop the bleeding as Antipin scored his 2nd powerplay goal of the game, assisted by Justin Hodgman and Cal O'Reilly later in the period.
The powerplay was not done yet though. Towards the end of the 2nd period, Sergei Mozyakin took a pass down low from Platonov at the point and threw a beautiful saucer pass across the crease to an uncovered Malkin. Malkin was left with a wide open net as the puck landed perfectly on his stick and he finished it off to score his first goal of the season. In Geno tradition, he celebrated with a right leg kick and went straight to banging on the glass behind the net.
Aside from some chippy play towards the end of the period, the 3rd went along quietly and Metallurg won their 2nd game in a row behind Malkin's second 3 point game in a row. It will not be long before he approaches the KHL scoring leaders at this rate due to his assists.
Final Score: Metallurg wins 6-1.
Metallurg moves to 4-0-2-2 and HC Lev Praha drops to 6-0-1-3.
Player Notes
Sometimes, you just wanna bang on the glass.
Evgeni Malkin - Geno finally got on the scoreboard with a goal which must be a major relief for him. He is also quickly approaching the assist leaders in the league as well with 2 more in this game. Malkin's play looks much more fluid and dynamic. He still hasn't been able to deke through a defender yet (he tried four times in this game with 1 on 1 situations), but his confidence is quickly building to keep trying new things. Beware KHL, Malkin is getting his stride back quickly. The one downside to his game today was that he was only 8 for 21 in the faceoff circle.
Sergei Gonchar - Sarge captained the powerplay to perfection as he earned 2 powerplay assists. He looked very comfortable passing and shooting from the center of the blue line and is clearly developing chemistry with his defensive partner, Alexey Bondarev. Most importantly, I did not see a single mishap in his own zone. No turnovers, misplayed pucks, or getting caught pinching. This was easily Gonchar's best game early in the season.
Cal O'Reilly - O'Reilly entered this game leading the team in assists and managed to pick up another one in this game. He gets time on the 2nd powerplay and late in penalty kills and is clearly important to this team. He had an excellent game in the defensive zone, intercepting two passes during the last penalty kill.
Tomas Surovy - Surovy was pretty quiet in this game, but I had to include him since he was one of my favorite Penguins in the "dark years" of the early 2000's. He had a couple shots and was involved in a scuffle towards the end of the game, but nothing panned out...much like with his career as a Penguin.
Jakub Voracek - Honestly, I did not notice Voracek much aside from a shift or two. He had 0 shots and was 2 for 5 in 16:34 of ice time.
Erik Christensen - Christensen seemed like one of the favorites for the announcers to talk about since I recognized his name at least 10 times. He was on the first powerplay, but unfortunately for him, this game did not go to a shootout so his real specialty was wasted. Christensen generally looked good though, the open ice seemed to benefit him more than most players as he skated around. He finished with 4 shots in 16:30 of ice time and was 5 for 11 in faceoffs.
Next Game: 9/29, 7am EST vs. Slovan.
Links:
Site I used to watch the game this time: onhockey.ru. Add that to stopstream.tv and livetv.ru as the links I have been using. My next post will be a long set of links that will be useful during this lockout to watch hockey and learn other leagues.
Even though kickball signups are over, you can still come as a spectator ($10 - covers food/donation) or donate to the cause!! If you wish to do so, send donations to heelsandhockey@gmail.com via PayPal or bring money to the registration table on the day of the events!
Kickball will begin at 1:00pm. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your team’s first game to check in.
Parking is limited, so please carpool with your teammates when possible!
Game Rules:
Single elimination rounds
Each game’s home team will be determined via coin toss
Games will be limited to 5 innings except in the event of a tie
3 Strikes anyway you are out
Throws must be kept at shoulder level- hitting a player above the shoulders will result in the player being called safe (this is not dodge ball!)
Must kick from behind home plate
Unnecessary force to throw a player out will result in the runner being called safe (umpire discretion)
Winning team will receive medals
If you would like to umpire games, please contact Stevie Watson at heelsandhockey@gmail.com!
Other important information:
When signing in, you will collect your shirt and a ticket to be used for food- choice of hamburger, hot dog, hot sausage, or kilbasa, two sides, corn on the cob, and a drink
All extra plates of food will be at a cost of $5 per plate to the vendor
Drinks and snacks will be sold throughout the day at a reasonable price- all proceeds to benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
A limited amount of Hockey Kicks Cancer shirts will be available for purchase at the event
Glitter tattoos and eye black can be purchased for $2 each- all proceeds to benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
50/50 raffles will take place during each game
2-3 cornhole sets will be available to play between games
Tickets for prize baskets will be sold all day- winners will be contacted via phone if not present when tickets are pulled at the end of the night
Silent auction winners winners will be contacted via phone if not present when the auction ends at the end of the night
Checks for all auction items will be made payable to High Heels & Hockey
All proceeds from auction items and raffle tickets will benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Anyone who is not currently signed up to attend as a spectator may pay $10 at the registration table on the day of the event.
If games run quickly and we have time at the end, we can play some pickup games.
PLEASE BRING CASH AND CHECKS!!!!
Please see this post for more info on prizes and vendors.
Lost in the madness of figuring out Russian and learning the KHL, a new CrosbyFTW podcast was recorded on Saturday! Adam debuted his highly anticipated lockout song, "We Want It Our Way (The Lockout Song)." Listeners can find the podcast, along with the song, under CrosbyFTW on iTunes!
This week's podcast discusses CBA discussions, more player movement overseas, Malkin's KHL debut, the whereabouts of current Penguins, and some NHL 13 talk. In the spirit of the NHL Lockout, this week's "Where Are They Now" brings back memories of a former Penguins player who also refused to play hockey numerous times.
Corrections: Please excuse the editing gaffe, the podcast is only an hour long followed by 20 minutes of dead air (blame Adam). Also, Meesh accidentally says Swiss league instead of Swedish league numerous times. Please allow him a pass!
Nail Yakupov, Oskar Osala. (Refer to previous posts for Metallurg players)
Recap
Paul Maurice isn't used to winning when Malkin is involved.
On our third endeavor into KHL hockey for the sake of watching Evgeni Malkin, Metallurg Magnitogorsk faced off against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (which is not a keymash). Neftekhimik came into the game 3rd in the conference through 8 games with only 1 regulation loss. Metallurg had lost their past 2 games (in OT and in a shootout), which left Malkin and Sergei Gonchar looking for their first KHL win of the season.
Metallurg started Georgy Gelashvili in net who was returning from some injury that I was unable to translate. Malkin started the game at center with Nikolai Kulemin and Enver Lisin as his wingers. Malkin started the game on fire (I know it's Russia, but I don't literally mean that) from the first puck drop and was causing havoc around the Neftekhimik net. On his 2nd shift, Malkin circled the net, took the puck behind the cage and made a perfect pass to Nikolai Kulemin in front for a 1-0 lead. In recent interviews, Geno frequently mentioned how much he wanted to score his first KHL goal of the season. His play clearly showed that.
Not the first jersey I expected to watch Yakupov in.
After the first period, Metallurg led 1-0 and Geno led all skaters with 5 shots. Also of note in the first period, Cal O'Reilly was LEVELED by Nail Yakupov. O'Reilly then promptly retaliated with a slash which cost him a 2 minute minor and a 10 minute misconduct. It was one of 4 penalties taken by Metallurg in the 1st.
The scoring took off in the 2nd period, though none of it was by Evgeni Malkin. Justin Hodgman made it 2-0 Metallurg about halfway through the 2nd. The goal was answered 20 seconds later as Igor Polygalov put Neftekhimik on the board to cut the lead to 2-1. 14 seconds later, Neftekhimik took a penalty for "rudeness" according to the Google Translation that I hypothesize is roughing. Metallurg made them pay for their rudeness as Sergey Mozyakin blasted a shot from the point that went in. Both Malkin and Gonchar assisted on the powerplay goal that made it 3-1.
Later in the 2nd period, Gelashvili would show his rustiness in net as he tried to make a pokecheck that was clearly out of his range. Pavel Kulikov took advantage of the move and slid the puck around him to cut the lead to 3-2. Metallurg would take over from here though as Yaroslav Kosov scored on a penalty shot, followed by an Enver Lisin goal (set up by a gorgeous long pass from Cal O'Reilly) within 33 seconds.
Heading into the 3rd period 5-2, Neftekhimik put in their backup goalie and play continued on rather quietly through the first half of the period. Halfway through the 3rd, Neftekhimik's Alexander Seluyanov was called for "attack to the head and neck" (read: headshot) and received a 2 minute minor and 10 minute misconduct. Metallurg made it 6-2 on the ensuing powerplay with a Denis Platonov goal assisted by Malkin. Finally, with 2 minutes left, Enver Lisin would score his 2nd goal of the game, yet again assisted by Cal O'Reilly.
Final Score: Metallurg wins 7-2.
Metallurg moves to 3-0-2-2 and Neftekhimik drops to 3-3-1-2.
Player Notes
Malkin did not look pleased after the game with his lack of goals
Evgeni Malkin - Finished with 12 shots, 3 assists, and 18 for 29 in faceoffs in 21:01 of ice time. Malkin's shot choices leaned heavily on his slapshots as he tried shooting through defenders a few times. He continues to look better with every shift and every game. It won't be long before he's lighting up the goal column as well.
Sergei Gonchar - Gonchar's ice time dropped a little bit despite numerous powerplay opportunities for Metallurg. He finished with 5 shots in 18:15 of ice time. I only noticed one turnover of his though, and no awful mistakes, so maybe less hockey is good hockey for Gonchar right now.
Beautiful sprawling save on the left side of the net.
Nail Yakupov - This was the first time I have seen Yakupov play live and he looked pretty solid. He definitely has great awareness of where to be on the ice and where to go when he doesn't have the puck. Yakupov clearly doesn't shy away from the physical game (as Cal O'Reilly can attest to now) but he was smart about it. He was kept off the score sheet though after absolutely robbed on a shot right on the crease.
Cal O'Reilly - I still can't get over the fact he's a leader on this Metallurg team. That's pretty much the big thing that reminds me this is the KHL (and also those pesky Russian announcers I can't understand). O'Reilly finished 12 for 18 in faceoffs with no shots and 2 assists in 14:18 of ice time. His ice time was rather limited due to his 12 penalty minutes.
Next Game: 9/27, 9am EST vs. Leo.
This will be Metallurg's first home game since the NHLers arrived. Will Geno's parents be in the stands???
Links:
Different (and more dependable) site to watch the KHL games at: www.stopstream.tv. Click on the game and it will provide 2 or 3 different video links to try.
Before we get to Evgeni Malkin’s 2nd game of the ’12-’13
KHL season, let’s all look at how suave he is!
Evgeni Malkin – Your 2012 Russian Sportsman of the Year
The Matchup:
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
(2-0-1-2, 7 pts)
@
Ak Bars Kazan
(5-0-1-1, 16
pts)
Players you may recognize:
Metallurg: Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Cal O’Reilly, Nikolai
Kulemin, Oleg Tverdovsky, Alexander Pechurski
Ak Bars: Aleksey Morozov, Janne Pesonen, Niko Kapanen
After thinking the KHL was less dangerous in my first
experience watching an overseas game on Thursday, I’ve taken a complete 180
turn. Sticks were flying at head level
and players were getting boarded just like it was an NHL game.
Errr, coming up next, Sportscenter?
Ak Bars scored the 1st goal of the game midway
through the first period. A slapshot
squirted behind Metallurg goalie Ari Ahonen and was sitting on the doorstep for
Dmitry Obukhov to tap in for a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after this, Ak Bars’ forward Artem Lukoyanov took a 2 minute
boarding penalty to put Magnitogorsk on the powerplay.
Leaving the NHL last season = Greatest decsion ever
Head coach Paul Maurice had his powerplay adjust from the
last game, using more of an umbrella format with Gonchar taking the middle of
the blue line. Malkin was positioned a
little deeper than Gonchar in the zone on the right side, but not quite as deep
as his usual side-boards position that you see with the Penguins. The new setup was immediately successful as
Gonchar fired a shot from the blue line, Malkin Kulemin chipped at the rebound, and
Justin Hodgman (or Dzhastin Hodzhmen if you ask Google Translate) scored to tie
the game at 1.
The second period was rather quiet (Google translate says “speed
slept, went quiet game”). The third
period was far more tense as Metallurg had two powerplay opportunities and Ak
Bars had one. The 2nd penalty
of the period was taken by Malkin as he tripped a player behind the net. He made up for it by drawing a penalty late
in the period as he tried to split the defense driving to the net. All three powerplays were unproductive
though.
With the game on his stick...fail.
After a 5 minute, 4 on 4 overtime, the teams remained tied
and went to a shootout. Metallurg’s
first shooter, Sergey Mozyakin, scored on a nice little deke to open up the 5
hole (think Chris Kunitz’s move). Denis
Abdullin came right back and tied it for Ak Bars on the next shot. The second round began with Evgeni Malkin,
who shot wide left and missed the net.
Aleksey Morozov then took his turn for Ak Bars and scored on a gorgeous
backhander, top-shelf with Ahoren sprawled out (think Crosby on Theodore). Metallurg’s chance to tie was on Cal O’Reilly’s
stick. He proceeded to shoot it directly
into the goalie, and that was it.
Final Score: Ak Bars
Kazan 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1 (SO)
Evgeni Malkin
Geno looked much more comfortable as a physical presence in
his 2nd game of the season.
He started leaning his shoulder into players and was not afraid to get
gritty in the corners when necessary. He
finished with 7 shots, 2 PIM, 9 for 16 in the faceoff circle, and an assist (the assist was later given to Kulemin instead) in
22:26 of ice time. I have no doubt he
will be scoring soon as his comfort level increases. It is still fascinating to me that KHL
players really do not shy away from him though – players do not back off from
him at all. Also of note, he did play a
little bit on the penalty kill, but not as much as last game.
I'm gonna pretend Dan Potash is holding the mic.
Sergei Gonchar
Gonchar looked much more defensively responsible than he did
last game, though he was also tested less.
The move to the umbrella powerplay also helped him out in terms of
quarterbacking the top powerplay line.
His final stat line was 2 shots and an assist in 20:13 of ice time.
Misc. Notes
Cal O’Reilly acts like a sniper (and might very well be)
in the KHL. He looked very comfortable
flying down the left wing and just shooting the puck. O’Reilly looked much more confident in this
game than any of the small sample size of games he had with the Penguins.
Aleksey Morozov was rather quiet throughout the game but
came up big when it mattered in the shootout.
Maybe there’s just another team in the KHL that he treats like the
Devils.
Janne Pesonen was non-existent; I can’t remember a single
play he made.
I only noticed today that Alexander Pechurski is the
backup for Magnitogorsk. If you
remember, Pechurski had a one game tryout contract with the Penguins on an
emergency basis in Vancouver a few years ago.
He was not expected to play, but John Curry was so awful that he needed
to go in.
It appears that follow through high sticks (ie – a high
stick after a shot) are not called in the KHL.
They occurred at least 3 times (Malkin committing one of them) and can
be awfully dangerous. That’s not
something I want to see around the Penguins superstar.
I cannot vouch for it since I haven't used it, but it's worth a look if you're searching for one. You can customize it to Malkin's name in English or Russian.
PS - I'm going to adjust the formatting and color scheme this weekend, so sorry if this post and the next few look odd. Thanks for reading!!
I've been reduced to streaming, live-tweeting, and writing about KHL games...sad, right?
For many Pens fans, today was the beginning of a new hockey journey. Superstar Evgeni Malkin and former teammate/roommate/surrogate father Sergei Gonchar made their return to the KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. After days of debating where to find an online stream (apparently everywhere according to Google) and what the time difference was (Moscow is 8 hours ahead of EST), it was time to sit down and watch a KHL game for the first time.
MATCHUP
Metallurg Magnitogorsk (2-0-0-2)*
vs.
Salavat Yulaev Ufa (2-0-2-2)*
*I'm still trying to learn the standings, but that reads (W, OT W, OT L, L). I'll do a KHL post this weekend.
My initial thoughts about the KHL were the expected ones: a larger ice surface leads to more skating, less hitting, and fewer stoppages. Once you get past those small changes, watching KHL hockey is just like any other type of hockey (except I can't understand the announcers).
Salavat clearly looked like the better team through most of the game. Their passing was crisper and they had more chances than Metallurg did. Despite this, Magnitogorsk made a game of it and was very opportunistic with their chances.
Final Score: Salavat 4 Metallurg 3 (OT)
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin looked like he was more in pre-season form than regular season form in his first professional game of the season. He finished with 22:37 of ice time, 3 shots, 1 assist, and went 9 for 13 in the faceoff circle. Despite the regular ice time, he wasn't able to take control of the play as we have seen on so many occasions. I noticed that the KHL defenders were much more comfortable closing in on him and taking away his time and space in comparison to NHL defenders. Also, multiple Salavat players were always ready to take him on at the same time.
Despite the new (old) environment, Malkin adapted well as the game went on. He received regular powerplay AND penalty kill time on the first lines. He also drew a tripping penalty trying to cross the blue line and eventually assisted on the game-tying goal with 39 seconds left in the game. He (or coach Paul Maurice) may need to adjust on the powerplay though - he is positioned on the right half boards which creates a sharper-angled shot than it would in the NHL.
Geno's regular linemates were Dmitry Kazionov (4th round pick in 2002 for Tampa Bay) and Yaroslav Kosov (5th round pick in 2011 for Florida), so he might miss James Neal just a little bit right now. I'm looking forward to the inevitable game where he turns into dominant Geno and just crushes a team by himself.
Faceoff right before Metallurg tied the game.
Sergei Gonchar
It appears Sergei Gonchar will probably take longer to transition back to the KHL game than Malkin will. The abundance of open ice does not play well to Gonchar's skating with his career is on the decline. He finished with 23:38 of ice time, 2 shots, and 1 assist. Unfortunately, he was on for 3 goals against, including the overtime winner. Gonchar tried to bat the puck out of the air as the last defenseman back, but missed it and a Salavat forward took it in for a breakaway goal in overtime.
Isn't it nice seeing those 2 together again?
Misc. Thoughts
It was awesome seeing former Ducks (amongst other teams) defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky. I was a huge fan of his in the NHL and I had no clue he was still playing. He wore #90 for Magnitogorsk.
On the other hand, I was shocked to see Cal O'Reilly playing (and taking a tripping penalty). I'm not really sure how his game translates well to the KHL, but I guess we'll find out as the season progresses.
Though it was only a one game sample size, I didn't see a single dangerous or dirty hit, or anything near the head. Again, only a one game sample size.
Finally, both teams went through a full handshake line at the end of the game. It was a nice gesture of respect in comparison to how the Pens and Flyers end every game.
I probably won't post/live-tweet about every KHL game, but we will see how long this lockout goes. I'll try to tweet out a link to watch for every game, or you can always check out thepensblog.com because they will surely have links as well. Looks like it's time we all got adjusted to the KHL together...
After a HAPPY opening to the podcast, Adam and Meesh slowly descend into the reality that is the NHL lockout. This episode is filled with a plethora of signings and player movement as teams scrambled to prepare for the lockout. Meesh covers the details about many of these players while Adam struggles to pay attention (as he prepares to debut a new twitter name). Both co-hosts proceed to point fingers at both the players and owners and rant about who is to blame for everything and how this could be fixed. Finally, they take a quick look at how the fans are affected and fall into a deep depression as the Lockout commences with Lockout Podcast #1.
Other Topics:
NHL 13 - Join our GM Connected league (CrosbyFTW on Xbox)
Fantasy Hockey - Join our Yahoo! league, ID #: 3479, password: crosbyftw
Hockey Kicks Cancer - Click here for details or just sign up now: Hockey Kicks Cancer Form
Worst case scenario...and not close to happening yet.
As we all counted down in a pointless fashion on twitter,
the NHL and NHLPA rested comfortably in their beds. There were no last minute negotiations, nor
any negotiations on the last day before the CBA expired at all. But here’s a question, does it make a
difference?
As of 12:00am on 9/16, teams can no longer use players as
marketing devices. Teams also cannot
perform any transactions (signings, trades, etc) at all. Players can no longer use team facilities and are not getting paid
right now (though I believe everyone receives at least $100,000 in escrow payments to get
them through such tough times, we could all be so lucky).
What changes though? Nothing happened so far and nothing is happening now. Training camps will be delayed…but they haven’t been yet. No games have been cancelled yet. Nothing has changed. This artificial midnight deadline means
literally nothing and will continue to mean nothing until something important
(read: a regular season game) is cancelled.
Just remember that as you freak out about how there is currently a
lockout.
Other Lockout Thoughts:
The Essential Problem:
The owners want the players to give up some of their share of revenue. The players refuse to accept
such a fate, whether it be via revenue splits or a salary rollback. Even the definition of hockey related revenue
seems to no longer be at issue; it’s just a matter of honoring contracts that
have been signed and paying out revenue to the players. The NHL and NHLPA both have taken the stance
that there is no point in negotiating until the other side backs off of their
desires a bit. So how will this be
resolved? Either the owners have to
honor everything as is or the players have to accept less money. Once that happens, there will be a middle
ground to create a common framework and then things will fall in place
quickly. This part will take a while,
especially because Fehr will keep the players united. The owners still have the upper hand though,
so this could last a while for that reason.
Who’s At Fault:
This is a messy question and answer that most hockey fans
seem to screw up. The answer is
EVERYONE. Players aren’t budging, that
isn’t good for the game or the fans.
Owners aren’t budging, same thing.
Fehr is representing his side properly, as is Bettman. They are both doing their jobs and trying to
get the best for their clients. Personally,
I think both sides are being absurdly greedy.
One side gets paid to play a game and other side makes money off of people
playing a game. If you can side with
either group there, I question your logic a little bit.
This man is worth $2 billion. Take a second and blame him. Bet you didn't even know he existed.
While I do blame both the owners and players, both Bettman
and Fehr, one thing is increasingly clear:
the top owners based on net worth in the NHL are ABSURD. Jeremy Jacobs owns the Boston Bruins. He is a billionaire and he is the leader of
the owners. He was at all of the
meetings talking about how the owners needed lower salaries or more revenue. He then signed Brad Marchand, Tyler Seguin,
and Milan Lucic to long-term and lucrative deals in the week before the
lockout. Ummmm, what?!? Other owners have done it to (Washington,
Dallas, etc lately). THAT is the
problem. The owners that can flex their
bank accounts are doing so, but arguing that things need to change for the low
budget owners. Meanwhile, look at those
low budget owners – Tampa Bay, New Jersey, etc – no long deals right before the
lockout, they know what they need to fight for right now. Owners like Jacobs are the ones hurting the
NHL by arguing for the little guy but then bullying the market and spending
like a big guy. It should be one or the
other, not both. (With that being said
though, the players are not in the clear either, taking 10-20% less to play a GAME
is not nearly as unreasonable as one might have you think).
The owners will remain united though because if the top
owners get what they want, the low budget ones will still get what they need as
well. This is a staring contest
now. Who is going to blink first and
when will it happen? My guess is the players
will have to concede first, but I wish I could tell you when. (I’m still thinking a Nov 23rd
start date, but I waiver on that constantly).
What Now for Fans?
GET A LIFE. NHL 13 is
a favorite for people to turn to as hockey seems to disappear. Don’t forget in this internet age, you can
watch and stream hockey from pretty much anywhere. AHL, OHL, NCAA, WHL, KHL, etc. – name a
league, find it online, follow it, watch it, stop complaining and remember that
you love HOCKEY. The NHL is one
product. What happens when a product
disappears? YOU REPLACE IT. Want the best way to protest the NHL? Do nothing and move on.
Podcast will be recorded tomorrow with a ton of transactions
and hockey angst. Pens AHL roster
updates to come soon as well. Thanks for
reading!
We have finally arrived at the last offseason podcast!! Unfortunately, as Adam and Meesh discuss, the impending lockout will likely take over soon. Meesh is still reeling from a rough sports weekend while Adam is a little overly focused on wrestling. We take you through a CBA and lockout update, any Pens news we can find anywhere, and a few signings around the NHL. Finally, our "Where Are They Now" segment will make you want pickles...but in a highly edited podcast, neither host mentions that. Other topics: ESPN Franchise Rankings, Shane Doan, Do Penguins Eat Sharks, NHL 13, and Hockey Kicks Cancer (SIGN UP NOW!!). All kinds of random links after the podcast on here. Download it on iTunes or listen below!
As we continue through September and (some) players return
to their teams for informal workouts, it’s time to say goodbye to another NHL
offseason. Though there is still plenty
of CBA uncertainty and a lockout looming on the horizon, the actual offseason
will be over as of September 15th.
Yes, the calendar moves on even if the NHL does not.
It has been four long months since the Penguins were knocked
out by the Flyers, how have we passed the time?
April 22:
Pens season officially ends at the hands of a 5-1 loss to the Flyers in
the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Memories of the series: Blown 3 goal leads, Neal Suspension Watch, Kris
Letang shushes the crowd, Crosby fights Giroux, Collapse of the
Defense/PK/Fleury, Jordan Staal’s potential assent to stardom.
This moment will live in infamy. How will he explain that to
his kid one day?!?
April 25: Joel Ward scores the winner for Washington to
knock the defending Cup Champion Bruins out of the playoffs. Tim Thomas gestures at his daughter to smile
in the crowd while Ward gets berated by racists on the internet.
May 12: The
Conference Semifinals end as the Rangers, Devils, Kings, and Coyotes
advance. Pens fans rejoice at seeing the
Flyers and Caps go down while NHL fans are confused to see the existence of a
Pacific Division that plays at 10pm EST.
May 25: The
Conference Finals end as the Devils and Kings advance to the Stanley Cup
Final. NBC executives sob in a dark
corner due to the unexpectedly sudden death of their tv ratings.
May 31:
Future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom retires thinking that the NHL’s
postseason had already ended.
June 4:
Tim Thomas announces on facebook that he will take a year off from the
NHL. Millions realize it’s time to get
off of facebook.
Yes.
June 11:
The Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup in a 6-1 rout, forever
boosting their fan base unless something crazy like a lockout might occur 3
months later.
June 14:
Fans go f*cking crazy about the f*cking Kings thanks to Jonathan f*cking Quick.
June 20:
The NHL wows its fans in Vegas with a horrible awards show. Brendan Shanahan is not amused. Malkin takes home ALL of the awards
(literally, for display at the draft).
June 27:
At the NHL draft in Pittsburgh, fans go wild as Jordan Staal is traded
to Carolina in the first round. Fans
later go wild again when the Trib’s Rob Rossi suggests that the team might
acquire Keith Yandle from Phoenix.
Reports are later confirmed that the Pens actually just gave away Zbynek
Michalek as a charitable donation to Phoenix instead. Rumor has it, the donation was tax
deductible.
June 29:
Pittsburgh agrees to a 12 year deal worth $104.4 million with Sidney
Crosby. Instead of rejoicing over a
signing, Pens fans tear each other apart over whether the term was too long and
what Malkin should get.
June 30: NHL fans hit DEFCON 1 as they prepare for a free agent frenzy that is
led by bidding wars for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
July 1:
The “frenzy” begins at 12:30 as Jonas Gustvasson signs with
Detroit. 10 hours later, NHL fans
realize they have no life in the summer.
Meanwhile, HockeyyInsiderr reports that Parise and Suter will both go to
Pittsburgh, Detroit, New Jersey, Minnesota, or some mystery team over the
course of a few days.
Errrrr....
July 1: Jordan Staal signs a suspiciously familiar 10 year, $60 million extension
with Carolina. Pens fans start to consider
the idea that maybe he didn’t want to stay in Pittsburgh, but go unconscious at
the thought of such a concept.
July 2: Parise
Watch continues as the media and fans fight each other about where Parise will
end up. Mark Madden leads the charge
with arguments suggesting that there is no way Parise would turn down
Pittsburgh and Crosby. Fans vomit.
July 3:
Everyone hits the snooze button as the watch continues.
July 4: In a patriotic move that forces reporters to do work on a national
holiday, Parise and Suter sign with the Minnesota Wild. Pens fans call them stupid for turning down a
chance to play with the magical Sidney Crosby and for the best franchise that
was every created in the history of the universe. Ha, and Tortorella thinks Pittsburgh is arrogant…
July 5:
Pittsburgh shifts to Doan watch after the Parise debacle. Historians later determine that the Mayans
were not predicting the end of the world, but actually suggesting the end date
for Doan Watch.
July 12:
As the wait for Doan continues, head coach Dan Bylsma suggests that Eric
Tangradi could play a role on one of the top lines as the Pens search for a
winger. Fans call for Bylsma’s head,
begin questioning Shero’s abilities, and look to bang bodies.
July 14:
The NHL makes its first CBA offer to the players. The offer restricts seemingly everything
about player careers, ranging from contract lengths to brands of
toothpaste. Fans side with the players
and the lockout monster dusts himself off after a 7 year slumber.
July 17:
The Flyers offer Shea Weber a massive offer sheet worth $110 million
over 14 years. The contract is truly in
the spirit of the new CBA offer as it would violate every single clause of it. Nashville has 7 days to match as they argue that
they can’t afford to compete in the NHL with these player salaries.
July 23:
Scott Howson wakes up and realizes it has been roughly a month since his
last trading gaffe. Forgoing his
traditional call to Philadelphia, he decides on the Rangers and sends Rick Nash
to New York for role players. This would
also be the last morning that Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky would ever
smile.
July 24: Nashville matches the Weber offer sheet as the
NHLPA scratches its collective head about the owners not having enough money to
spend.
August 1: Doan watch continues as he is
reportedly interested in every NHL, AHL, KHL, and somehow OHL team, according
his agent. He has also been spotted in 8
different cities with 4 different kids wearing 6 different jerseys at the same
time and is expect to sign “soon” with all of those teams. There is also a rumored mystery team that
offers him a winning powerball ticket.
August 14:
The NHLPA finally sends the NHL a counteroffer after a month of
consideration. Bettman tells the media
that the NHLPA clearly put some thought into their counteroffer. In a helpful and revolutionary method of
protest, fans begin using 3 seconds of their day to type “No Lockout”, create
twitter accounts, and sign petitions.
The owners use those 3 seconds to double check their bank accounts
instead of paying attention or caring.
August 21:
EA Sports releases their NHL 13 demo.
The game receives universal praise for gameplay while dealing with harsh
critiques about its realism with no lockout mode.
August 29:
The NHL provides the players with their 2nd CBA offer. Hope grows as the media leaks that the NHLPA
will provide a counteroffer within a day or 2.
August 30:
NBC releases its national tv schedule for the NHL. Advertisers take note of which 3 hour periods
to avoid until 2013.
August 31:
The NHLPA meets with the NHL briefly; talks stall and break off
completely with no future scheduled meetings.
The lockout monster swallows hope whole.
September 1:
An anti-lockout video goes viral as fans try to protest the upcoming
lockout. The video runs 8 minutes and 31
seconds. NHL owners collectively earn
thousands of dollars in interest during that time and laugh about it on their
way to the bank.
Want the harsh truth? Together we can't make a difference because together we don't matter. Get over yourselves. Also, if you cry over a lockout, I strongly urge you to reconsider what you're doing with your life.
September 4:
Gabriel Landeskog is named the captain of the Colorado Avalanche. Pens fans have a meltdown that Crosby is no
longer the youngest captain in history, arguing about Crosby’s achievements and
skill level in comparison to Landeskog.
Crosby finds out he was once the youngest captain in NHL history and
shrugs.
Today, September 6: Nothing.
And nothing is anticipated until…
Magnitogorsk
(4-0-2-2)
vs
HC Slovan
Bratislava
(4-2-1-2)
Magnitogorsk 
