P. Marlowe

The good thing about a tank is there's no tires to kick.

Quite a read this one... http://longform.tsn.ca/searching-for-matt-johnson

"The run of play appeared harmless – defenceman Dan Girardi was collecting the puck in the neutral zone with little immediate pressure. Girardi had a few options – skate and push the play north, circle back on the play, or find an open passing lane to a teammate. He chose a fourth option: throw the puck against the boards into no man’s land, launching a lethal Ottawa rush. These plays have become far too common for the Rangers blueline over the years, with Girardi as the most frequent contributor. His degradation has hampered the team for some time now. Girardi was never an offensive contributor, and his defensive game has diminished on something of an exponential curve. So goes the story of most rugged ‘defensive defencemen’ as they accumulate mileage on the body – they can’t move the puck or skate well, so they end up spending just about every shift trying to survive in the defensive zone." "It’s important not to mince words on this: Girardi is getting crushed out there. It was true in the Montreal series and it’s true in the Ottawa series. He is 47 shots underwater through eight games, good for eighth worst out of about 250 regular playoff skaters. And it’s not a blip on the radar – it’s been a consistent theme for Girardi this season, and really, much longer than that." TSN.ca "There’s no place for the Rangers to hide Girardi" "It's not as though the Rangers don’t recognize the decline in Girardi’s play – last season’s 19:06 time on ice per game was his lowest since his rookie season – but he routinely puts up some of the worst relative possession stats in the league." TSN.ca "Puck possession has long been a problem for the Rangers with Dan Girardi on the ice, and it appears to be catching up to the 32-year-old veteran, who played 20:19 per game last season, his lowest average time on ice since 2006-2007. The trick for the Rangers now, is to figure out what they can do with a shot-blocker like Girardi, who still has four years left on his contract. Can Girardi fill a role on the third pair? Perhaps, but it certainly appears that Girardi should no longer be placed in a tough matchup role if at all possible." TSN.ca (2016)

Crosby to miss Game 4 with concussion

Eaves in walking boot after Game 3 Patty has got some bad luck with injuries.

Mark Hartigan and Matt Ellis are retired too.

Of Brett Lebda, Andreas Lilja and Derek Meech only Meech is still playing.

I made this last year. Hedman and Stamkos are hurt, Filppula and Johnson are having bad years and Mrazek won't be starting in net... Oh well.

Happy Birthyear. Congratulations, Matt.

NHL.com Video Lately Patrick Eaves has gotten playing time in Stars' first line with Seguin and Benn and he has 7 points in the last 4 games. Last night against Chicago he scored a hat trick in the first period. The game ended 4-2. TSN.ca

TSN.ca/nhl Scott Cullen Gossip on.

"I swear that puck was going at least 200 MPH!" "I think you're off at about 100 miles..." "What?! You mean it was going 300 MPH?!" - NHL 2002 Announcers

His uncle is a shadow he doesn't deserve. If you're going to judge Tyler do it without comparing him to Todd.

Yeah, it's easy to chalk her off as crazy, but you have to remember the situation she is in. I hope it all clears up.

Has there been any explanation about what the mother was trying to gain by claiming she found the bag?

I suppose the salary cap and how high the average salaries are reasons why recent bad contracts are even worse than they used to be. Still it would be interesting to read about bad contracts from previous decades. Something like in 1953 Bruins gave a monstrous $500/year contract to a defender who ended up being a bust and the francise barely escaped bankruptcy.

Few would disagree. The point is that there's probably not room for him next year with all the kids coming up. Especially since many play similar styles to Quincey's but are much cheaper.

Interesting. I've never heard of him but he was drafted by NYI in the 4th round four years ago. I suppose he starts below Kronwall, Green, Dekeyser, Ericsson, Quincey, Smith, Kindl, Marchenko, Ouellet, Jensen and Sproul making him the 12th defenceman in the depth chart. He's as old as Ouellet and Sproul and year younger than Marchenko.

I could make up some gossip too but I think this is just the case of Toronto offering too good a contract to refuse. Like with Babcock. The salary cap puts teams on an even field only regarding player contracts. Wealthy teams can still have their way acquiring personnel if they want.

That's cute.

I agree.

Well if you only mean World Championship tournaments then Russia is by far the most successful team during the last eight years with four golds and two silvers. I agree with what you are saying though as they seem to live and die by their offensive play. That tournament is a big thing in Europe. Russia isn't the only country where the nationalism gets too involved in sports. Canada and USA would sure have more success in the tournament if they cared about it more.

He couldn't score on an empty net but he sure would try and fight that wall.