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July 30, 2007

Arbitration Hurts Feelings

If you're a hockey player going to arbitration, you're going to need to brush up on your Daily Affirmations. It's a tough, tough process -- players do their best to convince an arbitrator of all the ways he contributes...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 9:50 AM |

June 29, 2007

Congratulations to an Overlooked Great

One of the few things my mom and I have in common is a crush on Scott Stevens. She likes his rugged yet handsome face, ripped muscles and gentlemanly glasses. I like his attitude, his leadership, his undeniable excellence,...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 12:20 PM |

June 28, 2007

Gary Bettman Inexplicably Hates Canada

When I heard that the Nashville Predators were almost guaranteed to move to the metropolis that is Hamilton, Ontario, I wondered how they'd compete with the Maple Leafs. Hamilton has 1/5th the population of Toronto. It's also located between...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:09 AM | | Comments (2)

May 29, 2007

Let's Root for Scott Niedermayer's Failure

I am a bitter, vindictive person. Know that. To compound the issue, I once read a quote that goes, "The only true loyalty in sports lies with the fans, for their team. Everything else is temporal and an illusion."...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:47 AM | | Comments (1)

April 21, 2007

A Playoff Beard Update

All is well. A few days ago, with the Devils staring down the barrel of a 2-1 series deficit, looked dead in the water. Martin Brodeur was off his game, the offense couldn't outwork the Lightning forecheck, and Vincent Lecavalier...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 3:36 PM |

April 12, 2007

Playoff Beard

The NHL playoffs are upon us. Tonight, the Devils start their journey towards the holiest of grails with a tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. I, frankly, am urinous with anticipation. The NHL has, bar none, the best playoffs of...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 5:25 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)

April 11, 2007

Coming to America

The shiny new (and excellent) NHL FanHouse brings good news regarding the typically terrible TV coverage of hockey in America -- we get Don Cherry! NBC doesn't do hockey terribly -- Doc Emrick certainly helps -- but I still...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:01 AM |

April 3, 2007

Lou Lamoriello Is Not Impressed With Winning Records

When I saw "Devils" in the top stories on the front page of ESPN.com, I knew something was afoot. It could have been one of two things -- that I had missed the word "Blue" and it was another...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 9:32 AM |

April 2, 2007

A Record Could Go Down

I've been trying to get more recognition for the wonderful game of hockey for years. Hasn't happened. Even in the midst of a 30+ year record on the brink of destruction by not one but TWO goalies, you've got...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:20 AM |

March 23, 2007

Todd Fedoruk Isn't Good At Fighting

The over-sensitive anti-NHL brigade is in full force again after Colton Orr knocked Todd Fedoruk out with one clean punch, as you can see above. Fedoruk's season might now be over, and, as has been the case a few...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:11 AM |

March 9, 2007

Rule In On The Cam Janssen Hit

Following Chris Neil's hit on Chris Drury (which sparked a brawl), and Chris Simon's baseball swing last night on Ryan Hollweg (which was especially despicable), Cam Janssen's hit on Tomas Kaberle doesn't seem so bad. At least, that's what...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:47 AM |

March 5, 2007

Lou Lamoriello Takes A Back Seat to No One

The blogosphere is tearing this list ranking every major sports' GMs already, but allow me to focus on the most egregious error. The second-best GM in sports, according to those athletic wizards at Forbes, is the Tampa Bay Lightning's...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:52 AM |

February 9, 2007

Martin Brodeur Is God

Last night, I witnessed greatness. I've actually been watching it for the last 13 years, and I don't understand why the nation isn't making a bigger deal of it. Actually, I do understand -- it's hockey. Still, Martin Brodeur...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:45 AM |

January 31, 2007

The Future of Devils Hockey?

Thanks to With Leather for this terrifying glimpse at the future of the Devils. It's been bad enough watching this team play without Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko; I haven't even wanted to tempt myself into thinking about the...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 9:46 AM | | Comments (2)

January 23, 2007

New NHL Uniforms Arrive

For three years, Reebok and the NHL have worked together to design a new uniform that all 30 teams will use. And, as you can see from the picture to your left, they are....exactly the same as the last...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:13 AM | | Comments (1)

January 19, 2007

Rigged Against Rory?

I've been avoiding this story, mainly because I think it was all a bit silly in the first place and All Star games rank right behind teeth cleanings and just in front of watching E! on my list of...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:29 AM |

January 16, 2007

Ted Nolan Is No Fan Of Bobby Fischer

When you've been blacklisted from the NHL coaching fraternity for almost a decade, and the only way to end it is to take a job with the Islanders, you shouldn't be poking fun at anyone. I won't go through...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:51 AM |

December 8, 2006

Come Back, Scotty

Jerry Rice is like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith: once great, arguably at the top of their game, but hung around way too long and made a joke out of themselves. On the other hand, Scott Stevens is Pavement,...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:42 AM | | Comments (1)

December 7, 2006

Culture of Winning?

I was at the Devils/Canadians game last night for work. Afterwards, I shimmied my way to the locker room to grab some quotes when I saw Zach Parise sitting alone -- the reporters hadn't fully made their way into...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:24 AM | | Comments (2)

December 6, 2006

Is It Something In The Water?

The Atlantic Coast has great beaches, the best bagels and pizza in the country (if you live in New York/New Jersey), and the worst athletic competition you'll ever see. The NHL and NBA factions of the Atlantic used to be...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:37 AM |

November 30, 2006

NHL Walks The Runway

Say what you want about the NHL -- their attendance numbers are low, their players are boring, the scoring isn't enough, the Islanders are a mess (although they are second in the division and, as much as it pains...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:24 AM |

November 10, 2006

Good Night in New Jersey

What a great win in New Jersey last night. I'm talking, of course, about the Devils' 2-1 shootout victory over the Blackhawks. Man, it was sweet. Zach Parise and Brian Gionta scored in the shootout for the win. I...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:54 AM | | Comments (1)

November 9, 2006

Atlanta, Hockey Hotbed

It's surprising enough that the Penguins, Ducks, and Sharks -- teams not typically at the top of the league -- are having such great seasons. But do you know that the Atlanta Thrashers are on top of the NHL this...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:45 AM |

November 7, 2006

Screw McGeough

Per Off-Wing Opinion, fans are calling for referee Mick McGeough to be fired after a blown call that cost the Oilers a chance at overtime Friday night. The Oilers scored a game-tying goal on a slapshot off of a...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:17 AM | | Comments (1)

November 3, 2006

Stephen Colbert Can Single-Handedly Save the NHL

The man has roasted Bush to his face, had a bridge in Hungary named after him, and invented a word ("truthiness"). Now he's going to save hockey in America. The Saginaw Spirit's Colbert-inspired mascot, Steagle Cobeagle the Eagle, has...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 9:23 AM |

November 2, 2006

Evgeni Malkin Will Eat Your Children

Pittsburgh phenom Evgeni Malkin, who's probably just relieved to be able to eat something other than potatos, is doing what some might consider really fucking good for the feisty Penguins so far this year. Malkin has seven goals in his...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:17 AM |

October 21, 2006

What's Wrong with the Flyers?

For years, the Flyers have been one of the NHL's consistently good teams. They've also got probably the best (if not most injury-prone) player in the world, Peter Forsberg. So why are they having such a dismal start to the...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 1:53 PM |

October 12, 2006

How's That 15-Year Deal Working Out?

So I don't know if you heard, but the Islanders got their first win last night, a 5-4 decision over the No Longer Mighty Ducks. After giving up 12 goals in the first three games, all losses, it's nice to...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:53 AM |

October 6, 2006

Forza Diavoli

That warm, tingly feeling coursing through my body right now could only mean one thing -- the Devils drop the puck on their season tonight. It's true, after losing to the Hurricanes in the second round last year, the Devils...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:38 AM |

October 4, 2006

Drop the Puck

Yes! It's finally here. You see, as much as I love the Saints, I'll never love a team more than the New Jersey Devils. They were my turnstile into the world of a sporting fan when I was just a...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 9:42 AM |

September 12, 2006

Oh, Those Wacky Islanders

Thank your personal deity for the Islanders giving us a bushel of laughs during a painfully inactive hockey offseason. The team that brought you (and then took away) Neil Smith, the team that brought you backup-goalie-turned-GM Garth Snow, now brings...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:52 AM | | Comments (2)

August 8, 2006

And So It Begins...

If you read our thoughts on the NHL's arbitration system and how it will undo all of the progress made by the leagues new CBA, this should probably come as no surprise: The Sabres decided to part ways with...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 2:24 PM |

August 7, 2006

So, Uh, Why All The Fuss?

The Evgeni Malkin situation in Pittsburgh is not over. Malkin wants to play in the NHL, for the Pittsburgh team who drafted him. Metallurg Magnitogorsk, who deserve no respect with a name like that, claim they have Malkin locked...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 5:46 PM |

July 25, 2006

A Slippery Slope

When the NHL started drafting its new CBA, its biggest concern was keeping salaries at a tolerable level and maintaining a reasonable cap that would allow every team to keep their best players, despite market size. The level they set...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 8:42 PM | | Comments (1)

July 23, 2006

What Will Become Of The Penguins?

I spent a year of my life in Pittsburgh. I have no sentimental attachments to the area. But it makes me sad, as a sports fan, to see a city on the verge of losing a team. That's why...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 10:50 AM | | Comments (2)

July 19, 2006

Picking Up The Pieces

Although things have settled a little bit on the Neil Smith/Garth Snow debacle emanating from Long Island, there's still an air of mystery and conflicting reports as to exactly what happened, who's the bad guy, and how in the hell...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 4:20 PM |

July 18, 2006

One Man Who Really Is An Islander Unto Himself

It wasn't a long stay in Long Island for recently hired Islanders GM Neil Smith. Smith, who was drafted by the Islanders as a player and then hired on June 8th after serving as GM to the New York...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 2:00 PM |

July 7, 2006

T.O., He Ain't

The mood around the Meadowlands right now is bright enough to overcome even the heaviest of the swamp's smell. That's because the New Jersey Devils have had the best offseason in the NHL, despite not spending a dime to...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 8:28 AM | | Comments (2)

June 24, 2006

Someone Should Tell The NHL They Have Until October Before Next Season...

It seems like less than a week ago that Carolina Hurricane Ray Whitney was hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head, shouting "This shit rocks!!" through spaces where non-hockey players have teeth. Well, it was. But alas, the NHL is...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 11:48 AM |

June 18, 2006

Bring It Home!

The three words above were the ones chanted by a rabid fan-base in Edmonton last night, sensing a historical run by their Oilers and the first legitimate taste of the Stanley Cup since 1990. The Oilers completely dominated the Hurricanes...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 9:15 AM |

June 16, 2006

In Defense of Hockey

It's important to note, for the apathetic American masses, that the NHL is enjoying an absolutely stellar Stanley Cup Finals, the perfect endcap to a predictably entertaining playoff and surprisingly successful comeback season. Only a year ago, the world of...

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Posted by Tom Mantzouranis at 2:26 PM |