Big D Hockey

BDH Has Its Own Website!

2009-03-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Because I didn't realize I hadn't posted it officially here, but I have promoted it solely on Twitter, this may have slipped through the cracks a bit. But, the news is that Big D Hockey now has it's own URL!

Please visit http://www.bigdhockey.com to read anything new in Texas hockey news. See you there!

Texas CHL Teams Involved in Quiet Deadline Deals

2009-02-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) trade deadline expired on Monday at 3:00 PM (CST) with very little movement. The Tulsa Oilers made two deals and several players who were dealt prior in the season were on the move again finding new homes at the deadline.

The Mississippi RiverKings made a late splash finalizing a deal just minutes before the deadline expired that had high-scoring forward Martin Gascon of the Tulsa Oilers on the move again. Gascon was traded from the Arizona Sundogs to the Oilers on January 27th and in six games with Tulsa he scored a goal with an assist. On the season, Gascon has 46 points (8-38=46) in 47 games.

To get Gascon, the RiverKings sent forward Jason Weitzel and future considerations to Tulsa. Weitzel was acquired earlier in the day by Mississippi from the Amarillo Gorillas as the future considerations in the Brad Bonello deal that happened earlier in the season. Weitzel has 11 goals and 14 assists in 39 games with the Gorillas.

The other deal made by the Oilers sent forward Jereme Tendler to the Corpus Christi IceRays in exchange for defenseman Matt Smyth. Tendler has four goals and three assists in 36 games with Tulsa this season. Smyth has three goals, seven assists and 113 penalty minutes in 44 games with the Rays this season.

The Laredo Bucks made a four player swap with the Rapid City Rush on ‘deadline day’ acquiring forward Josh Bonar and the rights to forward Mickey Gilchrist from the Rush in exchange for forward Mitch Stephens and defenseman Ryan Hand. Bonar has no points in five games with Rapid City but was a 20-goal scorer a year ago with Rio Grande Valley. Gilchrist is currently playing in Asia but could join the Bucks in the coming weeks upon his return to North America.

The Rush get Stephens (acquired by the Bucks from New Mexico at the end of January) who has 50 points (14-36=50) in 47 games this season combined with Laredo and New Mexico. Hand has two points (1-1=2) and 57 penalty minutes in 22 games with the Bucks.

Deadline Deals:
-Mississippi gets Jason Weitzel (F) from Amarillo as a part of future considerations from a previous trade
-Mississippi trades Weitzel to Tulsa along with future considerations in exchange for Martin Gascon (F)
-Corpus Christi trades Matt Smyth (D) to Tulsa in exchange for Jereme Tendler (F)
-Laredo trades Ryan Hand (D) and Mitch Stephens (F) to Rapid City in exchange for Josh Bonar (F) and the rights to Mickey Gilchrist (F)

Stars May Be Buyers at the Deadline

2009-02-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

The Dallas Stars' hot play of late is not going un-noticed around the league. Winners of five games in a row, and going for their sixth in-a-row tonight against Colorado, the Stars are hunting down that 5th playoff spot in the West. This is the type of team the pundits around the league envisioned when they were previewing the league last summer. After a rough start, they have finally gotten here.

The strong play of younger players and new arrivals have really boosted the Stars in their play. James Neal and Loui Eriksson have both been having banner years - although he probably won't win it (the competition is VERY stiff), Neal is in the chatter about contenders for the Calder Memorial Trophy, the award given to the league's top rookie. Although quiet in the points department, Brian Sutherby has really chipped in with some great physical play since his acquisition in December. And, of course, there's Brad Richards. After a slow start, he has become the Stars' leading scorer.

There are rumors that the Stars may still be in the hunt for that "missing piece" before the trade deadline at the end of this month, though, and I have to agree that it's a strong possibility. Although the offensive side of things has looked pretty strong all season, the defense has been suspect at times, as has the goaltending, and those are areas the Stars may want to shore up before the deadline passes.

Before suffering a broken hand in last night's game against the Avalanche, Toronto's Tomas Kaberle was one of the most talked about names for available top-tier defensemen. Kaberle has a no trade clause in his contract, but he has said many times before that he is willing to waive it if he is not in the Maple Leafs' long-term plans. It still appears he isn't, but with this injury, he may be much more difficult to move at the deadline. I wouldn't completely rule him out, however, as he is arguably the most talented defenseman available when he's healthy.

Because of this injury, I think the Stars will look elsewhere. They still want a puck-moving defensemen who is a proven contributor, but I believe they want someone who can step into that role as soon as he's acquired. They may look at another Canadian team in the Eastern Conference - the Ottawa Senators. Filip Kuba is in the final year of his contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Sens will probably want to get what they can for him while they are able, and the Stars are a prime canidate. Kuba is a capable, offensive-minded D-man who knows how to chip in and be mobile. Kuba has 25 points this year (1 G, 24 A) through 41 games.

Whether or not the Stars look for a goaltender remains to be seen. With Marty Turco's strong play of late, and the organization's announcement that they're not looking at anyone else to start games this year, that speculation is starting to dwindle. They may wish to get another able veteran if they can find one at a reasonable price (no small feat) if they are worried about Stephan's lack of experience for a playoff run, but more than likely they will stay put in this area. Personally, as I have stated before, I would like to see them sign Curtis Sanford. He'd be a lot more comforting as a backup if things get serious. Let's just hope no rash decisions are made...the chemistry is finally looking good this season.

Stars Prospect Tyler Shelast Loaned to Hamilton

2009-02-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

Boise, Idaho – The Idaho Steelheads announced today that forward Tyler Shelast has been loaned to the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs via the Dallas Stars. Shelast is currently under contract with Dallas, Idaho’s NHL affiliate.

The 24-year-old Shelast began the 2008-09 season with Hamilton, playing in three games, before being reassigned to the Steelheads by Dallas. In 23 games with Idaho, the 6-1, 205-pound rookie has scored 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points, and racked up 21 penalty minutes.

The Steelheads play the second game of a two-game set in Bakersfield on Saturday. Idaho (25-14-3) scored four unanswered goals and battled back from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Condors (14-26-6) 4-3 last night at the Rabobank Arena. They travel to Stockton to take on the Thunder on Monday.

Texas’ Scott Sheppard Wins January’s Oakley Three Star Award

2009-02-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that Scott Sheppard of the Texas Brahmas has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of January/2009. Sheppard will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Sheppard scored a league-high 13 goals during the month and also had four game winning goals. All four of his game winners came in either overtime or a shootout. The Brahmas leading scorer with 52 points finished with one First Star nod and five Second Star recognitions. On Tuesday, Sheppard was named the Sher-Wood/CHL Player of the Month for January.

The regular season Oakley Three Star standings show Odessa’s Sebastien Thinel and Colorado’s Andrew Penner tied for the lead with 44 points. Sheppard’s year-long total has him at 36 points.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Scott Sheppard, Texas Brahmas
Position: Forward
(January Totals)
Games – 14
Points – 25
Goals – 13
Assists – 12
+/- – +9
First Star – 1 time (5 points)
Second Star – 5 times (15 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 20

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
December – Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
January – Scott Sheppard, Texas Brahmas

Jeff Bes’ Milestone Voted CHL Performance of the Week

2009-01-27T12:45:00.001-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Laredo Bucks forward Jeff Bes has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for the period of January 12-18. The Tillsonburg, Ontario native wins the honor thanks to his four-point night (one goal, three assists) on January 16th in the Bucks 6-3 win over Corpus Christi. His four points also pushed the 6th year Buck veteran to a milestone reaching 900 career professional points.

Bes received 40% of the 924 total votes cast (371 votes for Bes) narrowly beating out Colorado’s Konrad Reeder who’s four goals and CHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player effort received 35% of the vote (327 votes for Reeder).

In his career, Bes (the reigning CHL Most Valuable Player) has scored 315 goals with 591 assists for 906 points. This season, the 6-0, 190-pound forward ranks second in the CHL with 60 points (14-46=60).

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 14 of the season (Jan. 19-25) are as follows:
-Bossier-Shreveport’s Travis Clayton scoring four points (2g, 2a) with a +4 in 4-1 win at Tulsa on January 22nd
-Corpus Christi’s Justin Quenneville scoring a pair of goals in 2-1 win at Rocky Mountain on January 23rd
-Texas’ three-goal third period in 4-3 win at Amarillo on January 24th
-Laredo scoring four unanswered goals in 5-4 SO win vs. Texas on January 21st
-Rocky Mountain’s three-goal third period in 5-4 comeback win vs. Rapid City on January 25th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, February 2nd with the winner being announced on Tuesday, February 3rd.

Corpus Christi's Tebbs Earns Player of the Week Award

2009-01-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 25th, 2009 are forward Bobby Chaumont of the Mississippi RiverKings and Kris Tebbs of the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Chaumont broke out of his mini-slump (scoreless in four straight games) in a big way scoring three points in each of the RiverKings games last week, both victories. In Friday’s 4-3 win versus Rio Grande Valley, the Sudbury, Ontario native scored the first goal for the RiverKings and assisted on two others including the game winner. He had a game-high 10 shots on net. In Saturday’s 5-3 win versus Laredo, the 6-0, 200-pound forward scored a first period goal and had two assists. For the season, the CHL All-Star leads the RiverKings with 22 goals and nine power play goals. His 38 points are second on the team.

Tebbs won all three starts for the IceRays last week, all on the road. During his hot stretch, the Calgary, Alberta native allowed five goals on 107 shots (.953 save percentage) and finished the week with a 1.67 goals against average. The 5-10, 170-pound goaltender’s wins came against Rapid City, Rocky Mountain and New Mexico. Tebbs is 13-10-3 on the season winning each of his last four starts vaulting the IceRays into the fifth and final playoff spot in the Southern Conference.

In recognition of their achievement, both Chaumont and Tebbs will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: +1

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Kris Tebbs, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.67
Save %: 0.953
Saves: 102 of 107

Some Thoughts About All-Star Weekend

2009-01-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

It was fun watching all of the hockey world's elite come out to celebrate the game as well as the 100th anniversary of the Montreal Canadiens franchise at the All Star Game this weekend.

Every year, it seems like fewer and fewer people are actually interested in the All-Star Game itself, and more are interested in the Skills Competition the night before. I know that is what interests me. It's always nice to see new records set - Al Iafrate's cannon-like shot has been the mark to be for years, and this year Zdeno Chara broke the 16-year old record for hardest shot with a blazing 105.4 MPH blast. Quite the shot from the point there - something the Stars have been missing with Sergei Zubov out of the lineup, even if his hardest probably comes in 4-6 MPH slower...

As I said, normally the Skills Competition is what interests me most...and when they debuted the "Breakaway Challenge" last year, I was excited. It most readily equates to the "Slam Dunk Competition" the NBA has, and gives players a chance to go out and have some fun with their shots. And, even though he didn't make it, Alexander Ovechkin's shot last year was a jaw-dropper...just the creativity alone made it a winner. But after seeing AO's "winning" shot this year, I am ready to be done with it if fans are going to vote the winner. The pandering, goofy, half-hearted attempt Ovechkin submitted and fans endorsed was pathetic. Seriously? THAT is what qualifies as the best shot? Gimme a break...

In the "Big Game" itself, Modano and Robidas were pretty quiet. Modano did have the primary assist on the third-period opening goal by Shane Doan, but was held off the scoresheet otherwise. Robidas had a shot on goal, and not much else. Both players were near the bottom of the pile in minutes played. But, the game was fast-moving and quick-paced, and neither Star was lost in the motion.

Brahma's Jaeger Winner of Weekly CHL Award

2009-01-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 18th, 2009 are forward David Morelli of the Rocky Mountain Rage and Brett Jaeger of the Texas Brahmas.

Morelli has been one of the hottest players in the league over the past two months scoring 22 points (10-12=22) over his past 23 games. Last week, the Burnaby, British Columbia native scored four goals with an assist and was a +5. In Friday’s 7-1 Rage win over Wichita, Morelli notched his first multi-goal game of the season scoring a hat trick (had game winning goal). In Sunday’s 3-1 win over the Thunder, he scored the game’s first goal and added an assist. The 5-10, 175-pound forward has already eclipsed last year’s season totals with his 15 goals and 29 points. He is just one goal shy of his career high set in the 2006-07 season.

Jaeger has been on quite a roll lately along with the Brahmas. The Peace River, Alberta native went 2-0 last week and has won nine of his last 10 games. Friday night, Jaeger stopped all 37 Arizona shots he faced earning his second shutout of the season. The 5-10, 190-pound goaltender followed that up with a 27 save performance in the Brahmas 6-2 win over Laredo on Saturday night. On the season, Jaeger is tied for second in the league with 18 wins, tied for first with a .924 save percentage and is third with a 2.36 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Morelli and Jaeger will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
David Morelli, Rocky Mountain Rage
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 4
Assists: 1
Points: 5
Plus/Minus: +5

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Brett Jaeger, Texas Brahmas
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.970
Saves: 64 of 66

Do the Stars Need a Backup Plan?

2009-01-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of talk, especially over the last week or so, about the Stars' plan in net. A couple of weeks ago, Coach Dave Tippett revealed that he plans to ride Marty Turco, good or bad, to the end. And, barring any sort of injury, Turco would be his man in net for the rest of the season. Obviously, with Turco's sub-par performance so far this year (the worst of his career) that statement raised several eyebrows. Oh, really Tip? Why exactly does he get this sort of trust?

Well, I will play the role of devil's advocate briefly here before I go into some other options I think are a bit more sane. The past has shown that when Marty hits the skids, the only way he gets out of it is by playing through it. It has also shown that when he gets on a roll, he tends to stay on one for a good long time. Tippett might just be thinking if he stays with Marty long enough, he's bound to play through this horrible spell of bad performances, and get on a hot streak - a hot streak the Stars can ride up the standings.

The problem is, if this theory backfires, the Stars could well be out of the playoff picture by the time the trade deadline rolls around. And that isn't a picture fans are used to or want to contemplate for this season.

One popular refrain this week, from sports writers and "hockey insiders", was for the Stars to make a move for recently waived Vancouver Canucks netminder Curtis Sanford. His career numbers are very palatable for a #2 goalie - he is 37-37-16 with a 2.76 GAA and .901 save percentage. Sanford is reasonably priced, too, at $650,000/yr and an unrestricted free agent this summer (so no further commitment is necessary). I think he'd be a very nice signing by the Stars, if they can get the Canucks to part with him cheaply. Thoughts are that he can be had for next to nothing.

As a more expensive option (and there are a couple), the Stars could make a play for Manny Legace, making $2.15 million this season in St. Louis, but also a UFA at year's end. Legace struggled this season in St. Louis, posting some puffy-looking numbers (11-8-1, 3.23 GAA, .888 save percentage), but he's still a solid #2.

And recently, the Ottawa Senators have grown tired of their former #1 netminder, Martin Gerber. Gerber comes at a pretty price, though, as he signed a 3-year, 11.1 million dollar deal with the Sens in 2006. He's in the final year of that deal, which leaves him a UFA at the end of the season, but if the money was evenly-distributed over the three years of the contract, Gerber is due roughly 3.7 million dollars this year. That would be pro-rated, but the price tag would still be about 1.8 million dollars. The Stars don't have that kind of room, so they would need to move players instead of (or maybe in addition to) draft picks.

Personally, I think Sanford is the most attractive pick, as long as Tippett will play another goalie.

Photos courtesy of Wikipedia

Eagles Soar Above CHL All-Stars

2009-01-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

Loveland, Colorado – The 2009 CHL All-Star Game took on a unique format on Wednesday night at the Budweiser Events Center in Northern Colorado with the host team, the Colorado Eagles, taking on a team of CHL All-Stars. The game featured an “Old Time Hockey” theme and the players on the ice brought that slogan into the world of reality with a highly-competitive, intense game in front of a sellout crowd of 5,219.

For complete All-Star Game Box Score visit
http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=920150&seasonid=3654

The Eagles lit up the crowd with a five-goal third period en route to an 8-4 victory.

The star of the night was Konrad Reeder as the first-year Eagle earned the game’s Most Valuable Player Award with four goals and an assist. Laredo’s Darryl Smith Earned the MVP Award for the CHL All-Stars scoring a goal with an assist.

In the game, it took 72 seconds for teamwork to show its value as the Eagles rushed the puck into the offensive zone making three passes that culminated with a Konrad Reeder one-timer from the left circle. Kevin Ulanski and Ed McGrane earned the assists with Ulanski’s cross-ice pass setting up the Reeder blast at 1:12 of the first period. It was the sixth point in all-star play for Reeder and the first of five points on the night (he notched a goal and four assists in last year’s contest for the Southern Conference).

Some intricacies of the game showed later in the period, ones that you don’t usually see in an all-star game as Eagles defenseman Tom Reimann went to a knee to block a Russ Moyer blast and the first hit of the game came from who else, Fraser Filipic, who knocked New Mexico defenseman Aaron MacInnis to the ice with a hard check to the left of the all-star’s net.

The Eagles extended their lead at the 8:41 mark with a history-making goal from Greg Pankewicz who turned and beat all-star goaltender Andy Franck for his ninth career all-star goal setting the all-time CHL record for goals in all-star play. Erik Adams and Reeder earned the assists. Pankewicz is also the all-star leader with 18 points.

The first penalty in an all-star game since 2006 was called at the 14:55 mark on Colorado’s Steve Haddon for hooking. The all-stars were unable to convert on the power play.

A majority of the remainder of the period belonged to Eagles goaltender Andrew Penner (19-1-1 on the season) who stopped 17 straight shots to begin the game before being beat by Rio Grande Valley rookie defenseman Nicolas Dumoulin who pinched in on the left wing and took a laser pass from Amarillo defenseman Sam Ftorek and pushed it past Penner at the 19:15 mark.

The score was 2-1 after one period with the CHL All-Stars outshooting the Eagles 18-9.

The CHL All-Stars needed just 23 seconds to tie the score in the second period with Laredo rookie Darryl Smith taking a pass that was banked off the wall by Odessa’s Dominic Leveille and quickly snapping it over the shoulder of Penner.

Laredo goaltender Sebastien Centomo began the period in net ending the night Franck who finished with seven saves on nine shots.

The all-stars had a chance to take the lead with a second power play chance but again failed to convert but instead shortly after the penalty expired fell behind again. The go-ahead goal was scored by Reeder (his third point of the night) assisted by Ed McGrane who made a great pass to the back door for Reeder to finish. McGrane and Reimann earned the assists giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead.

Penner’s night was done leading 3-2 when he was pulled at the 9:04 mark for Morgan Cey. Penner ended his outstanding night with 25 saves on 27 shots.

Cey was welcomed to the game rather quickly facing a flurry of scoring chances from the all-stars and was most noticeable with about six minutes remaining in the period stopping Bossier-Shreveport’s Travis Clayton after Leveille found him with a behind the back pass. Cey followed that up by robbing Ftorek in front of the net in what looked like a sure score.

The all-stars tied the game on a two-man rush up the ice led by Odessa defenseman Russ Moyer who played give-and-go with Mississippi’s Bobby Chaumont and eventually went to the backhand lifting a shot by Cey. Chaumont drew the only assist on the Moyer goal which tied the score at three goals apiece after two periods. The all-stars outshot the Eagles 19-11 in the period and led 37-20 in the game.

Reeder continued his magnificent night early in the final period when he took a pass from Pankewicz and scored his third goal of the night at the 1:12 mark of the period. The hat trick gave the Eagles a 4-3 lead in the game.

Colorado added to their lead by taking advantage of an all-star turnover. McGrane intercepted a pass, was slick with the puck, pulled it away from the opposition and snapped it by Centomo extending the lead to 5-3 at the 4:02 mark.

The Eagles started to pull away later in the period with Riley Nelson banging a one-timer by Centomo on the power play at the 5:13 mark. Scott Polaski and Ryan Tobler earned the helpers pushing the score to 6-3.

Reeder’s storybook night continued with a shorthanded goal giving Colorado a 7-3 lead at the 8:26 mark of the final period. Kevin Ulanski was given the assist.

Jay Birnie got in on the scoring act scoring late in the third period adding to the Eagles lead and giving the club a five-goal third period. Aaron Schneekloth and Tobler assisted on the goal scored at the 15:12 mark of the frame.

The all-star got a late power play and responded with Joel Irving scoring a goal cutting the lead to 8-4 with just over a minute remaining. Smith and MacInnis earned the assists for the all-stars.

The final shots in the game favored the all-stars 47-30. Cey finished the night making 20 saves in just over half of the game and earned the win. Centomo stopped 16 shots taking the loss for the all-stars.

Stars Affiliate's Game to be Broadcast this Week

2009-01-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

DALLAS - B2 Networks, the “Official Broadband Broadcast Provider of the ECHL,” announced that the program lineup for ECHL TV on B2CableTV.com for Jan. 13-20 will be Wheeling at Cincinnati from Jan. 6, Reading at Idaho from Jan. 9, Las Vegas at Utah from Jan. 9, Gwinnett at Charlotte from Jan. 9, South Carolina at Charlotte from Jan. 10, Alaska at Bakersfield from Jan. 10 and Johnstown at Elmira from Jan. 10.

To watch ECHL games free of charge 24 hours a day go to B2CableTV.com, click on the “Hockey” tab and select ECHL TV.

Viewers need a high-speed internet connection and a current version of Microsoft Windows Media Player to watch the Network.

B2 Networks has broadcast ECHL games around the globe the last six years including the Kelly Cup Finals and the ECHL All-Star Game. The first hockey game broadcast by B2 Networks was the Las Vegas Wranglers in February 2004 and the first hockey championship carried by B2 Networks was the 2004 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

2009 CHL All-Star Team Captains Announced

2009-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the Captains for the 2009 CHL All-Star Team will be forward Travis Clayton of the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and defenseman Tyler Fleck of the Oklahoma City Blazers. The pair will serve as Co-Captains for the CHL All-Star Team that will face-off against the host team Colorado Eagles at the game scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th in Loveland, Colorado at the Budweiser Events Center.

Clayton, playing in his seventh all-star game and 12th CHL season, broke the league’s games played record earlier this season dressing in his 709th career CHL game on November 21st, 2008 in Broomfield, Colorado when the Mudbugs played the Rocky Mountain Rage. Last night (January 8th, 2009) Clayton tied Hardy Sauter for second on the CHL’s all-time assist list with his 527th assist. This season with the Mudbugs, the Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan native has 30 points (11-19=30) in 33 games ranking second on the team.

Fleck, playing in his 10th season with the Blazers, has never dressed for another team during his professional career. The hard-nosed defenseman has played in more than 500 career CHL games and will be appearing in his second all-star game. The Carlyle, Saskatchewan native has served as the Blazers team captain for five straight seasons. This season, he has scored a goal with six assists in 33 games.

The game can be seen LIVE on Altitude Sports and Entertainment (Dish Network channel 410 and DirecTV channel 681) as well as on the CHL Network which will carry the game LIVE (blackout restrictions apply in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah) and also offer all the action on a tape delay in the days following the game.

Texas Brahmas Strong Play is Drawing Attention

2009-01-09T07:49:00.001-08:00

In Friday's Shots From the Point, the CHL talked about DFW's very own Texas Brahmas a little:

The Texas Brahmas (22-9-3) have been on fire going 11-3-2 since early December and have firmly claimed their spot atop the Southeast Division with a six point lead over the second place Laredo Bucks. Texas has won six straight games overall and six straight road games (just one shy of the longest CHL road win streak this season). The Brahmas went 24-7-1 during the second half of the season a year ago and are already 2-0 during their second half this season. Jordan Cameron’s 19 points (7-12=19) is pacing the Brahmas over the last two games followed by Grant Jacobsen’s 14 points (7-7=14). Goaltender Brett Jaeger has won seven straight games allowing just 13 goals over that stretch. Texas should get only better when Friday night forward Travis Banga is in the line-up after being acquired from Rio Grande Valley. Banga, a two-time all-star, has scored 269 points (116-153=269) in 246 career CHL games.

The Brahmas have been strong all year, and have really ramped it up over the last month. It looks like they're starting another 2nd-half rampage a little early this year.

Corpus Christi IceRays vs. Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs - 12/26/08 Fight

2009-01-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Just because of the craziness of it all - the sheer WTF factor - I needed to post this clip when I saw it was available today. The CHL has it's share of fights...but in 5 years of covering games, this is the craziest I've ever seen in this league. Enjoy!

Stars Prospect Matt Climie Honored as ECHL Rookie of the Month for December

2009-01-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

Idaho Steelheads goaltender Matt Climie is the CCM Vector ECHL Rookie of the Month for December.

The 25 year old was 5-1-0 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 2.31 and a save percentage of .920 in six games as the Steelheads went 8-4-0. He played for the Dallas Stars in the NHL Prospects Tournament going 2-0-0 to help the Stars win the event.

He began the month stopping 29 shots and turning aside two of three shooters in the shootout for a 4-3 win against Utah. Climie won his final four games of the month beginning on Dec. 14 when he made 31 saves for his first professional shutout in a 1-0 win at Alaska. He posted back-to-back wins, stopping 27 shots in each game, against Bakersfield on Dec. 17 and 20 and ended the month turning aside 29 shots in a 5-1 win against Utah.

The Leduc, Alberta native is 11-6-0 with a shutout and a save percentage of .913. He is tied for third in the league with two shootout wins and is ninth with a goals-against average of 2.42.

Climie played four seasons at Bemidji State University where he was 45-30-11 with 12 shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.40 and a save percentage of .910 in 95 games from 2004-08. He holds the BSU career record with 12 shutouts while his goals-against average and save percentage rank second.

Photo courtesy of the ECHL web site.

2009 CHL All-Star Team Adds Two Forwards

2009-01-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Central Hockey League All-Star Game is less than a week away scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 in Loveland , Colorado at the Budweiser Events Center. The game features a team of CHL All-Stars facing the host team, the Colorado Eagles.

Today, the CHL announced two additions to the team with Mississippi’s Bobby Chaumont and Wichita’s Chris Greene being named as replacements for two players that will be unable to attend. Chaumont, 24, replaces teammate Louis Dumont on the roster and Greene, 23, replaces teammate Jason Duda. Both Dumont and Duda are unable to attend next week’s game.

Chaumont is playing in his second CHL season and his first with the RiverKings. The Sudbury, Ontario native was an all-star previously during the 2006-07 season while a member of the Laredo Bucks. This season in Mississippi, the 6-0, 200-pound forward leads his team with 19 goals and ranks second to Dumont with 31 points. Chaumont has eight power play goals and is tied for second in the CHL with four game winning goals.

Greene is playing in his third CHL season and is in his second season with the Thunder after being acquired in a trade with Arizona last season. The Massena, New York native has four goals and 13 assists in 30 games played with the Thunder this season. His energy and hard-work on the ice has led the charge for the young Wichita team that has won four of their last six games.

The game can be seen LIVE on Altitude Sports and Entertainment (Dish Network channel 410 and DirecTV channel 681) as well as on the CHL Network which will carry the game LIVE (blackout restrictions apply in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah) and also offer all the action on a tape delay in the days following the game.

Hockey Volunteer

2009-01-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hockey is an wonderful sport, I think we'd all agree. Being fans of the game, it's not a point I figure would bring up much debate with the group who reads hockey blogs. Despite being a very physical and at times violent sport, the men who play the game (for the most part) are some of the most well-mannered gentlemen you'll meet. The duality has always intrigued me. I find that many of it's fans tend to be well-mannered, giving folks as well.

This brings me to an e-mail I received a couple of weeks ago (I've been meaning to mention it, but with the holidays here in the U.S. and being on vacation, things were slid to the back burner). I'll share with you the majority of it:

A few days ago, the NHL donated 6 autographed items (including an NHL hat signed by members of the 08-09 Dallas Stars team) in support of my new initiative: "The Hockey Volunteer" , which has been founded to bring hockey to kids in underprivileged parts of the world and share happiness and the virtues of hockey with them, one puck at a time.

This dream venture officially began less than a month ago, but for me, it unofficially began 2 years ago when I was hired by the New York Islanders to work on their Project Hope initiative that focuses on Northestern China. Through Project Hope I got to see first-hand how hockey can vastly improve the lives of children, and I want to share that joy with children all around the world.

The first destination I will be traveling to will be in Ladakh, a region in the Indian (disputed) state of Jammu and Kashmir (yes, Kashmir) in the Himalayas. Over the past few weeks, support has been pouring in from all around the real and digital world, as coverage and donations have been increasing.

Upon my return, I plan to rapidly work towards expanding this program, and applying for grants from foundations, NGOs, governmental bodies, and increasing support from the NHL and IIHF.

My website (http://hockeyvolunteer.blogspot.com) describes in detail why I am doing this (my motivations, passions, and why Kashmir), the links to the ebay auctions, and links to the websites that have already shown support.

The gentleman doing this, Adam Sherlip, is trying to raise funds through auctions on his site, and through donations. The more money he raises translates into more equipment for these kids (they're in need of sticks & skates). He accepts donations straight through his website, and he's listed all of the items donated by the NHL on eBay, along with an autographed, Olympic game-used stick of Team USA star Angela Ruggiero.

I hope you'll all take a few minutes to visit his site and lend support to this worthwhile initiative. Visit him at his site and if you're on Twitter, follow him. Think about how much hockey has changed YOUR life, and imagine bringing that joy to an underprivileged child. Good luck with your work, Adam, and keep us posted here at Big D Hockey!

2009 CHL All-Star Game On-Ice Officials Announced

2009-01-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today the men that will keep order during the 2009 CHL All-Star Game scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. The referee for the game will be Mark Lemelin and he will be joined by linesmen Jordan Crowell and Pat Smith.

“These officials have worked very hard over recent years and have earned the chance to work in the All-Star Game,” said Wayne Bonney, CHL Officiating Supervisor. “I remember very fondly the 14 NHL All-Star Games I was fortunate enough to participate in and I am confident that participating in this game for these three gentlemen will create similar great memories.”

Lemelin, 27, is in his third season in the CHL and also works in the American Hockey League (AHL) occasionally. Last season, the Albuquerque, New Mexico native worked the President’s Cup Finals. Before joining the CHL, Lemelin worked full time in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and was rewarded with the appointment of the 2006 USHL Finals and 2006 USHL All-Star Game.

Crowell, 26, is in his second season in the CHL after going through the Junior Officiating Development Program from 2005-07. The Overland Park, Kansas native worked game’s three and four of the President’s Cup Finals last season.

Smith, 26, is in his second season in the CHL after working four seasons in the Ottawa District Hockey Association. Last season, the Bainsville, Ontario native worked the President’s Cup Finals and also worked the lines during Game Seven of the Northern Conference Finals and Game Seven of the Southern Conference Finals.

Typical all-star games seem to lack the need for officials with very few stoppages and almost no penalties. This year’s contest could be different as the format of the game has changed to feature the host Colorado Eagles battling a team of CHL All-Stars.

The 2009 CHL All-Star Game will be available on Altitude Sports and Entertainment and on-line via the CHL Network (some broadcast restrictions apply).

Wichita’s Tessier Voted CHL Performance of the Week

2009-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that for the second straight week, a Wichita Thunder player has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week. For week 10, the winner is Thunder defenseman Jason Tessier who notched a hat trick in Wichita’s 6-3 win versus Tulsa on December 26th. Last week’s winner was an outstanding effort by Wichita goaltender Tim Boron in a win versus Mississippi on December 19th.

Tessier’s three goals received 43% of the vote earning 861 of the 2013 votes cast. Finishing second in the weekly poll was the Texas Brahmas’ three-goal third period comeback versus Oklahoma City on December 27th. The Brahmas comeback received 643 votes for 32%.

Tessier has six goals with 11 assists in 31 games this season for Wichita who is 11-18-2 and sitting in fourth place in the Northwest Division. The veteran defenseman has played in 442 career CHL/WPHL games seeing action with El Paso, Austin, Rio Grande Valley, Memphis and the Thunder.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 11 of the season (Dec. 22-28) are as follows:
-Colorado’s 4-3 OT win in OKC after trailing 3-1 in the third period on December 30th
-Wichita’s Troy Ofukany scoring five points (3-2=5) in 7-2 win over Colorado on January 3rd
-Texas’ Justin Kinnunen scoring a hat trick in 4-1 win at Laredo on January 3rd
-Mississippi’s special teams going 4 for 8 on PP and killing 11 of 12 opponent chances in 6-2 win over OKC on January 2nd
-Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs making 44 saves in 2-1 win over Odessa on January 3rd

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, January 12th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, January 13th

Stars Winning Despite Further Injuries

2009-01-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well, finally I get a chance to sit down and get a few thoughts in about the Stars and other hockey matters. So sorry for the delay in this post - I expected to have it up yesterday.

The Stars finished December strongly, and have looked great as of late. They went 8-4-1 in December and are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. While that might not turn heads around the league yet, it certainly is an improvement over October and November. The top performers continue to be the top performers - great, reliable play from Mike Modano, Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards has helped on a regular basis, and strong contributions from young players James Neal & Loui Erikkson has helped. The Stars will play Detroit twice in the next week, so they are hoping their strong play of late can carry on into those matches, at least.

Speaking of Neal, the youngster has pulled into a tie for the league lead in goals by rookies this season. We'll almost certainly see Neal at the end of this month in Montreal for the "Young Stars Game" on January 24th, the night before the All Star Game. I knew Neal had a bright future with the club, just from seeing him skate at the last couple of camps, but it was great to see him seize the opportunity he got this season and run with it.

The Stars have been successful recently, even though they continue to be a banged-up bunch. Landon Wilson is the latest addition to the scratch list. Wilson sustained a rib injury in the game against Edmonton on Saturday, and is currently listed as day-to-day. The Stars hope to get more information about his injury tomorrow. Fabian Brunnstrom has a high-ankle sprain, and will be out for at least the next couple of games. The team hopes he'll be ready in about 7-10 days, but because that kind of injury can be hard to diagnose and even harder to mend, it could be longer. There is good news in that Joel Lundqvist is skating again, and may be back as early as Thursday against the Red Wings. This should limit any call-ups the Stars may need to make this week.

As banged up as they've been this season, and as much as they've struggled, do you think there will be pressure for the Stars to make a deal before the trade deadline this season? Or will the problems assimilating Sean Avery into the group this year still be too strong in everyone's mind for management to make a trade?

Texas’ Kinnunen and Arizona’s Emond Earn Weekly Award

2009-01-05T14:13:00.001-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending January 4th, 2009 are defenseman Justin Kinnunen of the Texas Brahmas and for the second consecutive week, goaltender Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs.

Kinnunen returned to the Brahmas line-up on New Year’s Eve after missing five games with an injury. The recently named starter for the 2009 CHL All-Star Game finished the week with three goals and two assists in three games, all Texas wins. On Saturday, the Negaunee, Michigan native recorded just the second hat trick by a defenseman in Brahmas history in the team’s 4-1 victory over Laredo. The win moved Texas past the Bucks into first place in the Southeast Division. On the season, Kinnunen has eight goals (two shorthanded) and 11 assists ranking just outside the top 10 among defensemen in scoring. His +12 plus/minus rating is fourth among defensemen and sixth among all CHL players.

Emond wins the goaltending award for the consecutive week marking the first time the same goaltender has won in consecutive weeks since Shawn Degagne (Amarillo) during the 2003-04 season. Last week, the Valleyfield, Quebec native went 3-0 stopping 110 of 113 shots (.973 save percentage) allowing just one goal in each game he played. His victories came at home versus New Mexico and on the road versus Bossier-Shreveport and Oklahoma City. The 5-10, 195-pound goaltender has won five straight games allowing just four goals over that stretch and is 12-9-1 on the season with a 3.30 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Kinnunen and Emond will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Justin Kinnunen, Texas Brahmas
Position: D
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Points: 5
Plus/Minus: +2

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.973
Saves: 110 of 113

Arizona’s Emond Wins December’s CHL Oakley Three-Star Award

2009-01-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of December/2008. Emond will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Emond finished the month with a bang being named first star in each of the last three games of December. The Valleyfield, Quebec native allowed just two goals in his final three starts going 3-0 for the defending Ray Miron President’s Cup Champions. For the season, Emond is 12-9-1 with a 3.30 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

In the season Oakley Three Star standings, Laredo’s Darryl Smith leads with 38 points followed by Colorado’s Andrew Penner with 37 points. Emond has 32 points on the season.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: Goaltender
(December Totals)
Games – 10
Record – 5-5-0
Shutouts – 1
GAA – 3.68
Save % – .899
First Star – 3 times (15 points)
Second Star – 1 time (3 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 18

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
December – Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs

Colorado’s Penner Named Goaltender of the Month

2009-01-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that Andrew Penner of the Colorado Eagles has been named the Sher-Wood/Central Hockey League Goaltender of the Month for the month of December/2008. Penner will receive a Sher-Wood/CHL logoed portable DVD player, courtesy of Sher-Wood, to recognize his accomplishment.

Penner went without a regulation loss in December posting a 7-0-1 record allowing 22 goals. He finished the month with a 2.57 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. The first-year Eagle helped push the Northwest Division leaders past Laredo and Oklahoma City in big games during the final month of 2008. The lone blemish on his record was a shootout loss to the Northeast Division leading Blazers. For the season, the Simcoe, Ontario native leads the CHL with 15 wins and ranks eighth in the league with a 2.55 goals against average and third with a .922 save percentage. The 6-2, 223-pound goaltender’s only regulation loss came all the way back on November 1st at Mississippi.

The Eagles have the highest winning percentage in the CHL at .810 reflecting a 23-5-1 record. They are currently 19 points clear of Rocky Mountain in the Northwest Division and are leading the Northern Conference by five points over the Blazers.

Other players receiving consideration for the Sher-Wood/CHL Goaltender of the Month for December include Arizona’s Marco Emond, Bossier-Shreveport’s Jon Horrell, Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs, Laredo’s Ryan Gibbs, Mississippi’s Tyler Sims, Odessa’s Alexandre Vincent, Oklahoma City’s Doug Groenestege, Rapid City’s Miguel Beaudry, Rio Grande Valley’s Christian Boucher, Rocky Mountain’s Scott Reid, Texas’ David Cacciola and Wichita’s Tim Boron.

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month
Andrew Penner, Colorado Eagles
Position: Goaltender
(December Totals)
Games – 9
Record – 7-0-1
GAA – 2.57
Save % – .919

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month Winners
October – Wylie Rogers, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
November – Doug Groenestege, Oklahoma City Blazers
December – Andrew Penner, Colorado Eagles

Texas’ Cameron Named Player of the Month

2009-01-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that Jordan Cameron of the Texas Brahmas has been named the Sher-Wood/Central Hockey League Player of the Month for the month of December/2008. Cameron will receive a Sher-Wood/CHL logoed portable DVD player, courtesy of Sher-Wood, to recognize his accomplishment.

Cameron had points in 10 of the 13 games he played in the month and was a plus or even in every contest. He finished with nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, while also registering a game winning goal and two shorthanded goals. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native was very strong in the second half of the month recording six multiple-point games in his last eight played. For the season, the 6-1, 227-pound forward has 28 points (12-16=28) in 21 games and is tied for the team lead with a +10 plus/minus rating.

The Brahmas are in second place in the Southeast Division trailing Laredo by two points and boasting an 18-9-3 record.

Other players receiving consideration for the Sher-Wood/CHL Player of the Month for December include Amarillo’s Joe Guenther, Arizona’s Joel Irving, Colorado’s Greg Pankewicz, Corpus Christi’s Chris Richards and Ryan Bennett, Laredo’s Jeff Bes and Darryl Smith, Mississippi’s Garrett Larson, Odessa’s Sebastien Thinel, Russ Moyer and Dominic Leveille, Oklahoma City’s Brian Passmore, Rio Grande Valley’s Jesse Bennefield and Tulsa’s Jeff Christian.

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month
Jordan Cameron, Texas Brahmas
Position: Forward
(December Totals)
Games – 13
Points – 19
Goals – 9
Assists – 10
Plus/Minus – +8

Sher-Wood CHL Player of the Month Winners
October – Rich Hansen, Rapid City Rush
November – Michel Beausoleil, Tulsa Oilers
December – Jordan Cameron, Texas Brahmas

2009 CHL All-Star Game Reserves Announced

2008-12-31T16:33:00.000-08:00

One day after announcing the starters for the 2009 Central Hockey League (CHL) All-Star game, scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado, the Central Hockey League (CHL) has named the 12 reserves for the game that will feature a CHL All-Star Team facing the host team, Colorado Eagles. The reserves were selected by the two co-coaches (Doug Sauter of Oklahoma City and Paul Gillis of Odessa).

Making his seventh appearance, most among any player on the team, is Bossier-Shreveport’s Travis Clayton who recently set the CHL record for career games played. Joining Clayton as a reserve for the team is former long-time teammate Jason Duda of Wichita who played alongside Clayton for 11 seasons with the Thunder.

Another reunion among the reserves features Tulsa’s Jeff Christian and Corpus Christi’s Chris Richards who played together for two seasons with the Youngstown SteelHounds (2005-07). During the 2006-07 season both Christian and Richards eclipsed the 100-point mark and both were finalists for the league Most Valuable Player award eventually won by Christian and both were named to the All-CHL Team.

A pair of Odessa Jackalopes (the top team in the Southern Conference) were named as reserves, forward Dominic Leveille (the CHL’s leading scorer with 47 points) and defenseman Russ Moyer (tied for the league lead among defensemen with 30 points).

Also named as reserves for the team are forwards Louis Dumont of Mississippi, Daymen Rycroft of Rocky Mountain along with defensemen Aaron MacInnis of New Mexico, Nicolas Dumoulin (the lone rookie reserve on the team) of Rio Grande Valley and Tyler Fleck of Oklahoma City.

The back-up goaltender in the game will be Laredo’s Sebastien Centomo who is 11-7-1 with a 2.46 goals against average.

The starters for the game were announced on Tuesday with forwards Joel Irving (Arizona), Rich Hansen (Rapid City) and Darryl Smith (Laredo) joining defensemen Justin Kinnunen (Texas) and Sam Ftorek (Amarillo) and goaltender Andy Franck (Oklahoma City) comprising the voted-in starting crew.

2009 CHL All-Star Reserves
Position Player Team/Appearance
Forward Travis Clayton Bossier-Shreveport/7th
Forward Daymen Rycroft Rocky Mountain/2nd
Forward Chris Richards Corpus Christi/6th
Forward Jeff Christian Tulsa/3rd
Forward Dominic Leveille Odessa/3rd
Forward Jason Duda Wichita/4th
Forward Louis Dumont Mississippi/1st
Defenseman Aaron MacInnis New Mexico/1st
Defenseman Russ Moyer Odessa/1st
Defenseman Tyler Fleck Oklahoma City/2nd
Defenseman Nicolas Dumoulin Rio Grande Valley/1st
Goaltender Sebastien Centomo Laredo/3rd

2009 CHL All-Star Game Starters Announced

2008-12-31T16:26:00.000-08:00

Admin note: This was information was released yesterday - sorry for the delay in passing it along. Judging by comments, no one has been too distressed about any delays thus far...

The 2009 Central Hockey League (CHL) All-Star game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado and Tuesday the CHL announced the starting line-up for the CHL All-Star Team that is scheduled to play the host team, Colorado Eagles. The starters were selected following completion of balloting among all CHL Head Coaches, Communications Departments and selected media members in each market. There were 50 total ballots cast in the voting process.

The top vote getter was Oklahoma City goaltender Andy Franck who received 37 of the 50 goaltender votes. As a result, he will start between the pipes for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Reminderville, Ohio native was voted the starter for the Northern Conference while a member of the Youngstown SteelHounds. Franck is 10-4-3 this season with a 2.06 goals against average.

The starting forwards are Arizona’s Joel Irving, Rapid City’s Rich Hansen and Laredo’s Darryl Smith. Irving appeared on 26 of the ballots representing the top vote-getting forward. He is among the league leaders with 41 points and 21 goals for the defending Ray Miron President’s Cup champions. Hansen leads the expansion Rush in scoring with 39 points (13-26=39) and was named the Sher-Wood/CHL Player of the Month for October. Smith (called up to the AHL’s Houston Aeros earlier today) leads all rookies in scoring with 38 points and is tops among first-year players with 19 goals.

The starting defensemen are Amarillo’s Sam Ftorek who led all blueliners with 21 votes. He is tied among all defensemen with 30 points (11-19=30) on the season. Joining Ftorek on defense will be Texas’ Justin Kinnunen who has five goals and 10 assists on the season and is tied for the Brahmas team lead with a +10 plus/minus rating.

2009 CHL All-Star Starters
Position Player Team Appearance
Forward Joel Irving Arizona 1st
Forward Rich Hansen Rapid City 2nd
Forward Darryl Smith Laredo 1st
Defenseman Justin Kinnunen Texas 2nd
Defenseman Sam Ftorek Amarillo 1st
Goaltender Andy Franck Oklahoma City 2nd

CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced

2008-12-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 28th, 2008 are forward Chris Robertson of the New Mexico Scorpions and goaltender Marco Emond of the Arizona Sundogs.

Robertson is coming off a week that saw him score four goals with two assists. The Scorpions center helped put an end to a three-game losing streak and to another more dubious streak, never winning a regulation game in Colorado, by netting his second hat trick of the season in a 6-4 New Mexico win at Colorado on Saturday. The Owen Sound, Ontario native followed that up by scoring the game winning goal on Sunday in the Scorpions 3-1 win over the Southern Conference’s top team, the Odessa Jackalopes. For the season, the 6-0, 200-pound forward has 30 points (14-16=30) in 28 games.

Emond strung together back-to-back wins at Rapid City versus the expansion Rush last week. On Friday night, the Valleyfield, Quebec native made 29 saves earning his first shutout of the season. The next night, the 5-10, 195-pound goaltender made 33 saves as the Sundogs won 2-1. On the season, Emond is 9-9-1 with a 3.66 goals against average.

In recognition of their achievement, both Robertson and Emond will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Chris Robertson, New Mexico Scorpions
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 4
Assists: 2
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: +1

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Marco Emond, Arizona Sundogs
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 0.50
Save %: 0.984
Saves: 62 of 63

Wichita’s Tim Boron Voted CHL Performance of the Week

2008-12-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Tim Boron of the Wichita Thunder has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week 10. The netminder made 53 saves in a 2-1 Thunder victory over Mississippi on December 19th propelling him to the award.

Boron’s effort received 49% of the vote earning 289 of the 591 votes cast. Coming in second place was Laredo’s Darryl Smith who scored the game winning goal with 16 seconds left on the clock in the Bucks 4-3 win over Corpus Christi on December 20th.

Boron has been a lift to the Thunder as of late winning the Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week award earlier in December. He is a deceiving 3-8-1 on the season with a 2.50 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 11 of the season (Dec. 22-28) are as follows:
-RGV’s Christian Boucher making 41 saves in the Bees 1-0 win vs. Laredo on December 22nd
-Wichita’s Jason Tessier scoring a hat trick in the Thunders 6-3 win vs. Tulsa on December 26th
-Odessa’s Russ Moyer netting five points in the Jacks 7-3 win over Amarillo on December 27th
-Texas’ three-goal third period erasing a 3-1 deficit in their 4-3 win over OKC on December 27th
-New Mexico’s Chris Robertson’s hat trick in the team’s 6-4 win at Colorado on December 27th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, January 5th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, January 6th.

Stars Prepare to Close Out 2008

2008-12-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

I think the Stars are happy to see 2008 come to a close. Although there has been lots of good (last year's success in the playoffs, for example), there have been lots of let-downs too (last year's exit from the playoffs and the Sean Avery Show, for more examples).

Although the Stars couldn't pull out the victory in last night's game against the Stars, they did look good matched up against the league's "top team". There was lots of energy throughout the lines, and the physical play that has been missing at several points this season was very evident at the AAC last night. Steve Ott brought the same game he's been bringing since coming back from his hand injury - everything but the fisticuffs. No one wants to bring that aspect back to his game more than Ott, but he's being very smart in how he plays. And there are foes around the league who are taking rain checks, you can count on it. Otter's dance card will be full when he can drop the mitts again. But, as Razor said in his commentary last night, the only thing that might keep Ott out of the lineup for a long time would be a tongue injury. His jawing is key to his game. But it wasn't just the physicality that looked good last night - there were some displays of finesse too. James Neal has looked fantastic in his latest stint with the club, and last night the line of Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen and Neal was the most successful, in terms of chances against the Sharks.

Bottom line - even though the Stars didn't pull out the win, they were right in it all through the game. The Sharks have only been defeated eight times in the 36 games they've played, and four of those times it took overtime to decide the winner. There's no shame in dropping one against San Jose, even though the win would have been nice.

It's time to look onward and upward, though. The annual New Year's Eve game is tomorrow, and this year it brings us the New Jersey Devils. It's been six and a half years since the trade that made Jamie Langenbrunner a Devil; hard to believe sometimes. I don't know about any one else, but it's still difficult to see him playing in another team's sweater. At least he went to the Eastern Conference, and we don't run into him more often...I have a feeling we'd regret that trade more and more if we did.

One more thing to look forward to for the new year - the Annual Winter Classic hockey game played on New Year's Day. This year's matchup is the Blackhawks and the Red Wings and will be played in Chicago's beloved Wrigley Field. I really love what the NHL has done in creating this annual event - the outdoor game is a wonderful oddity, and is great to see. Hopefully the execs who schedule this every year take notice of how well it is received every year by the fans, and will continue to schedule this every year. I would love to see the Stars play in one, but it's pretty obvious that it would have to be a road game if they do. How great would it be to see the Stars take on the Wild up on a lake in Minnesota though? Very cool!

Ho Ho Ho-ly Cow!

2008-12-24T11:55:00.001-08:00

Great win by the Stars last night over Toronto. It feels good to enter the Christmas break on the heels of such a successful road game (even if the trip was only .500). The Stars managed to score 13 goals in the two games, and looked like they may have unclogged whatever was stopped up in the goal production area. If we can get this kind of work from young guns James Neal, Fabian Brunnstrom and Loui Eriksson, and get Mike Ribeiro, Jere Lehtinen and Mike Modano back on path, we're going to be tough to out-score most nights.

The defense was a bit suspect at times in the past few weeks, but it looked pretty good last night. Of course, most of the action was at the Leafs' end for the first two periods, but the chances that were created by Toronto were jumped upon pretty quickly. Marty still needs to work on seeing the rubber a bit more, and the defense should practice positioning and communication over the holiday...but I think most fans will join me in feeling better about the state of things than they did at the start of the month.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all the Big D Hockey readers out there. Stay safe and happy over the break, and we'll see you at the AAC (or in front of your TV/Radio) on Saturday for the Ducks!

CHL Performance of the Week Awarded

2008-12-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that the CHL record-tying 10 combined power play goals in the Arizona/Colorado game on December 13th has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Nine. The Eagles won the Ray Miron President’s Cup rematch by a final score of 7-5.

The Sundogs/Eagles power play exhibition received 36% of the 624 votes cast. Coming in second place was Mike Gorman’s (AMA) 48 save performance in a Gorillas victory in Colorado on December 12th which received 37% of the votes.

Each team went 5 for 12 on the man advantage with Joel Irving (ARZ), Adam Perry (ARZ) and Ryan Tobler (COL) each scoring a pair of power play goals for their respective teams. The first nine goals of the game were scored on the power play.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 10 of the season (Dec. 15-21) are as follows:
-Rapid City’s three-goal third period in 3-2 win versus Rocky Mountain on Dec. 16
-OKC’s 3-2 shootout win over Colorado in the Northern Conference battle on Dec. 17
-Corpus Christi’s Kris Tebbs making 31 saves in the IceRays 2-1 win over Odessa ending the Jacks 11-game win streak on Dec. 18
-Wichita’s Tim Boron making 53 saves in a 2-1 win over Mississippi on Dec. 19
-Laredo’s Darryl Smith scoring the game winning goal with 16 seconds remaining in the Bucks 5-4 win over Corpus Christi on Dec. 20

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 29th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 30th.

Odessa Jackalopes' Gillis Earns Second Coaching Slot in CHL All-Star Game

2008-12-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Odessa Jackalopes Head Coach Paul Gillis will represent the Southern Conference as one of two co-coaches for the 2009 CHL All-Star Team. Gillis joins Oklahoma City’s Doug Sauter as the tandem that will lead the CHL All-Star team in the 2009 CHL All-Star Game.

This year’s game features a unique format with the host Colorado Eagles (coached by Kevin McClelland) playing a team of CHL All-Stars. This year’s All-Star Game, presented by Poudre Valley Health System, will be played on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at the Budweiser Events Center and will be broadcast LIVE on Altitude Sports and Entertainment.

Gillis, in his second season with the Jackalopes, clinched the berth thanks to the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 1-0 victory over the Laredo Bucks on Monday night. Thanks to the loss, Gillis’ Jacks squad will finish the pre-Christmas break portion of the schedule with a higher win percentage than Terry Ruskowski and the Bucks. Odessa leads the Southern Conference with a 19-6-2 record and 40 points.

The playing roster for the team will be made up of 18 players (a minimum of one representative from each team) with the starters for the game announced on December 30th and the reserves on December 31st.

Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week Announced

2008-12-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 21st, 2008 are defenseman Neil Smith of the Amarillo Gorillas and goaltender Tim Boron of the Wichita Thunder.

Smith becomes the first defenseman to win the award this season using his physical presence on the blueline to help the Gorillas to a 1-1 record. In Friday’s 7-5 victory over Rapid City, the Fonthill, Ontario native had an assist and was a team-high +4. Then on Saturday night, Smith set the tone for one of the most physical games of the weekend with an early first period fight and then later assisted on the Gorillas only goal in the 2-1 loss to the RiverKings. On the season, the 6-3, 215-pound defenseman has seven assists in 17 games and is a +1 tying him for the best plus/minus on the team.

Boron has been on quite a roll lately moving up to the top of the league with his 2.20 goals against average (third in the CHL) and .936 save percentage (second in the CHL). Last week, the Winnipeg, Manitoba native went 1-1 stopping a season-high 53 shots in the Thunder’s 2-1 win over Mississippi and then followed that up with 28 saves in Wichita’s 2-1 loss to Rapid City. In the month of December, Boron is only 1-4-1 despite allowing just 10 goals in his six starts. The 6-0, 177-pound goalie has received just five goals of support from his team in the month.

In recognition of their achievement, both Smith and Boron will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Neil Smith, Amarillo Gorillas
Position: D
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Goals: 0
Assists: 2
Points: 2
Plus/Minus: +4

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Tim Boron, Wichita Thunder
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 1-1-0
GAA: 1.50
Save %: 0.964
Saves: 81 of 84

Stars Win a Wild One; Prepare for Road Trip

2008-12-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

Last night's game between the Blue Jackets and the Stars was a wild tilt. A total of 10 goals before the shootout on 45 shots. So, the netminding wasn't exactly top-notch, but some nights that's how it is going to be. The goals that were getting by the goalies at both ends were not "pretty" ones, for the most part. And again, that's how it is some nights.

Overtime was rather controversial, as the Blue Jackets appeared to win it 13 seconds in. However, upon review, the office in Toronto determined that the goal was scored with a "distinct kicking motion". While watching the replays, I didn't think they'd call it back. There was a kicking motion, but it was pretty apparent the puck had bounced off his leg already and was going in to the net. Apparently Blue Jackets head coach Ken Hitchcock agreed with my thoughts:

"We won that game,'' Hitchcock said. "I don't care what score they put up."

But, this was a similar call to the goal Morrow had called back in the playoffs last year. So, I guess it's good that the league is calling them the same across the board. Stars head coach Dave Tippett was reminded of that goal as well:

"When I saw it on the board up above, it looked exactly like the one Brenden Morrow had called back last year," Tippett said. "If that was the precedent, then I've seen it before and you know my opinion on it."

The shootout showed a couple of very pretty goals. Richards came in so fast and hard for the first shot you would have thought he'd been resting on the bench the whole game - a very pretty shot. And Ribiero was able to go out and have fun again...very little artistic flair on this one, as opposed to his goal against LA and his attempt against Anaheim last month, but he got the goal and it was still a nice looking one. I think it's great we have someone who entertains on this shot - he gets people excited when he comes up to take a shot.

Some things that stood out to me from last night:

* Loui Eriksson continued his hot play, picking up his first NHL hat trick. ESPN is tracking him on a 45-goal pace this season. It's been some time since the Stars have had a 40-goal scorer, and it'd be nice if he can continue the pace. My guess is that he'll remain steady, but it's more likely he'll end up around 35 goals. Still a very successful year if he can do that!

* Brad Richards had a goal and 3 assists - he leads the team with 26 points (7 goals, 19 assists) this season. His 4-point evening matched his point total from the previous 9 games, so this was definitely great to see from him. Richards has been fighting the puck a bit over the past month or so, and he just needs a couple of productive games under his belt and I think he'll return to form.

* James Neal dropped the gloves to fight Derick Brassard in the first period. It was a bit surprising to see Brassard drop the gloves (Neal too, for that matter!) because he's not known as a "fighter". Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, that fight cost them - Brassard injured his shoulder in the melee, and will be out for the next 3-4 weeks. Neal landed 2 or 3 very good rights, and cut Brassard near the eye too. Good scrap by Neal.

The Stars are preparing for a trip to Ontario, Canada now. They play in Ottawa on Saturday night and then will take to the ice on Tuesday to play the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will be the first time many of us will be able to get a look at former Star Niklas Hagman in his new blue-and-white sweater, if he is able to play. Hagman has been sidelined after receiving a concussion on the 6th of December against the Washington Capitols. It looks like he'll be ready to go in time though. The Stars are really missing Hagman this year; obviously more so with all the injuries that have run through the Dallas team. He has 19 points through 27 games so far this season. He's on pace for a 50 point season, which would be a career high for him. Congrats, Hags - take a night off when the Stars come to town, okay?

Zubov Out Indefinitely

2008-12-18T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Stars have confirmed what fans have worried about for weeks - All-Star defenseman Sergei Zubov is going to be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Here's the pressy on it:

FRISCO, Tex. - The Dallas Stars announced today that defenseman Sergei Zubov will undergo surgery on his hip in January, and will be out indefinitely. The surgery will be performed by a hip specialist in Colorado.

Zubov, 38, has collected four helpers in 10 games this season, but has missed the last eight games due to injury. He also missed the season's first 12 games while recovering from pre-season hip surgery.

The Moscow native is the highest-scoring Russian-born defenseman in NHL history, and is the only blue-liner in the league to collect 30-or-more assists in each of the last 12 seasons. Zubov ranks 16th in NHL history in assists by a defenseman (619), and 17th among all-time blueliners in points (771), and is third among active NHL defensemen in both assists and points (behind Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom).

Zubov ranks third in Stars franchise history in games played (839) and assists (438), and is just five points shy of tying Bobby Smith for fifth on the franchise's all-time scoring list (111-438-549).

Hopefully some of the young defensemen that will take his spot (Niskanen, Fistric - I'm looking at you) can step up and embody his spirit.

In positive news, Dallas will get 3 players back for tonight's game against the Blue Jackets; Steve Ott, Stephane Robidas and Joel Lundqvist will all be in action tonight.

OK City Coach Doug Sauter to Coach in CHL All-Star Game

2008-12-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

First, the press release:

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Oklahoma City Head Coach Doug Sauter will represent the Northern Conference as one of two co-coaches for the 2009 CHL All-Star Team. The 2009 CHL All-Star Game features a unique format this season with the host Colorado Eagles (coached by Kevin McClelland) welcoming a team of CHL All-Stars. This year’s All-Star Game, presented by Poudre Valley Health System, will be played on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at the Budweiser Events Center and will be broadcast LIVE on Altitude Sports and Entertainment.

Sauter is entering his 14th season as the coach of the Blazers and is the CHL’s all-time winningest coach with 522 wins. The Fairlight, Saskatchewan native reached several milestones last season winning his 1200th professional game and becoming the first CHL coach to reach 500 wins. This season, his team is in first place in the Northeast Division with a 17-4-2 record.

The two coaches for the CHL All-Star Team will be comprised of the coaches with the top winning percentage in each conference following the games of December 23rd. Joining Sauter behind the bench will be either Paul Gillis of Odessa (.760 win percentage) or Terry Ruskowski of Laredo (.717 win percentage).

The playing roster for the team will be made up of 18 players (a minimum of one representative from each team) with the starters for the game announced on December 30th and the reserves on December 31st.

****

Secondly, even though the Blazers aren't a Texas team, they're close enough that they qualify as a step-cousin or something (along with the Mudbugs). Anyway, Doug Sauter is a man's man. While looking for a photo for him, I came across this very amusing story that happened last fall (2007). Wow!

Stars Nip the Coyotes in Overtime, Try to Get Healthy

2008-12-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

The Stars got a good effort last night, team-wide, despite giving up a point to the team they're chasing in the standings. The 2-1 victory over the Phoenix 'Yotes was one of the "must-wins" being talked about in the media so much lately. It's tough to see the Stars surrender a point to a team they're trying to catch, but progress is progress, and it's better than flipping those points around if Phoenix were to get the win.

Loui Eriksson had both of the Stars goals last night - neither score was a finesse one, but they put points on the scoreboard. It's really nice to see a young talent the Stars have been touting for years step up when the team needs him to. This is the kind of production they were hoping Antti Miettenan and Junior Lessard would give them, but never did. Right now, Eriksson is on pace to have 38 goals and 22 assists for a 60-point season.

A few things about injuries have come out in the last couple of days. Stephane Robidas had a metal plate stitched into his jaw last week to repair the latest damage he's taken. Word is that he is eager to get back out on the ice already. This man is like a Terminator robot; he just keeps coming at you. While his eagerness to get back is laudable, Coach Dave Tippett is urging him to take it slow, and Robidas will need to get medical approval to return. Chances are that won't be for Thursday's game against Columbus.

The other folks on the mend who could return to action soon are Joel Lundqvist, Jere Lehtinen and Brian Sutherby. Lundqvist has been mentioned by both Mike Heika and Tracey Myers as the most likely to return to action by Thursday, but even that is probably remote. But, all are skating, and that's a good sign.

Thursday's game is another big one that we probably have to have in order to get back into the hunt for the playoffs. It's weird to think of playoff pictures already, but when you're this far back and other teams are performing as well as they are, every game counts. It's unlikely the Stars will catch the Sharks for a division title this year; the Sharks are just so good and so deep this year, it'll be difficult. But, the #4 spot is still a good one, and it's never to early to think about positioning yourself well.

The Blue Jackets (13-14-1-2) have a very similar record to our own (12-14-2-2). We're playing at home, though, where we've played better this year. And the Jackets are pretty atrocious on the road so far this year (4-9-1-1). Their young goalie, Steve Mason, has been playing well lately though - he earned rookie of the month honors in November with a 1.98 GAA in 14 games. Turco will probably start for the Stars, and if he's on his game, we could see another low-scoring match.

Horrell's Shutout Voted Award-Winning

2008-12-16T10:34:00.001-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Bossier-Shreveport’s Jon Horrell has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Eight after making 31 saves in a 1-0 shutout win versus his old team, the Wichita Thunder, on December 4th. The Beckenham, England native made 12 saves in the third period and turned away six Thunder power plays in the game.

Horrell’s shutout earned more than half of the 1,244 votes cast finishing with 630 votes. Coming in second place for the second straight week was Texas’ David Cacciola whose 36-save shutout effort on December 5th earned 278 votes (22%).

Horrell was signed by the Mudbugs due to injuries to Ken Carroll and Ryan Mior. In four decisions, Horrell is 3-0-1 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week nine of the season (Dec. 8-14) are as follows:

-Corpus Christi’s Dustin Traylen making 33 saves in 2-1 shootout win versus Laredo on December 11th
-RGV’s Grant Goeckner-Zoeller’s hat trick in the Bees 6-2 win over New Mexico on December 12th
-Amarillo’s Mike Gorman making 48 saves in a 5-3 road win versus Colorado on December 12th
-Rocky Mountain’s Marty Magers making 31 saves and stopping all five shooters in the Rage’s 1-0 shootout win at Wichita on December 13th
-Arizona and Colorado combining for a CHL record-tying 10 power play goals in the Eagles 7-5 win on December 13th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 22nd with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 23rd.

Winter Weather Postpones CHL Game

2008-12-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League, in conjunction with the New Mexico Scorpions and the Amarillo Gorillas, announced today that Tuesday’s game between the Scorpions and the Gorillas (CHL game #182) has been postponed due to inclement weather. No makeup date has been announced.

The game was scheduled to be the Scorpions Kid’s Day Game in Rio Rancho, NM, with a special 10:30 AM face-off time.

New Mexico will play next on Friday night when they host the Colorado Eagles and the Gorillas are back on action on Friday as well when they host the Rapid City Rush.

CHL's Arizona Sundogs Purchased by Consolidated Sports Holdings

2008-12-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc. has purchased Prescott Valley Hockey Club, LLC, operator of the Arizona Sundogs, and that Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc. will take over the day-to-day operations of the CHL team beginning immediately. Tim’s Toyota Center will host a formal press conference to introduce the new ownership group early in the New Year.

“Consolidated Sports is delighted to become a partner in the CHL and especially in Prescott Valley and we look forward to the wonderful opportunity that this location provides. We are assuming control of an ongoing operation, the Arizona Sundogs, complete with management, staff and a players roster that has been a successful franchise for the last three years,” stated Bill Yuill, President of CSH.

Consolidated Sports has been involved in minor league baseball for many years and more recently owns and operates sports properties in the USA. This CHL franchise will compliment the organization that operates a major junior hockey franchise in the Western Hockey League, located in Everett, Washington.

Consolidated Sports Holdings (USA) Inc., has appointed Bill Yuill as Governor and Terry Thom as Alternate Governor for the balance of the 2008-09 season.

“On behalf of the Prescott Valley Hockey Club, we would like to thank the wonderful community of Prescott Valley and Prescott for their support of the Arizona Sundogs since the very first shovel was put in the ground of Tim’s Toyota Center, which became home of the Champion-to-be,” said Shawn Fowler, co-owner of the Arizona Sundogs. “We are truly appreciative of the support from the community, the league, league officials, and all of the Central Hockey League member teams. We wish the new Owners great success for many years to come.”

“The Central Hockey League is proud to welcome Consolidated Sports Holding (USA) Inc. to the CHL family,” said CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis. “Their history of success in running sports franchises, as well as other businesses, speaks for itself, and they will retain the high standards set by the Arizona Sundogs organization. On behalf of the entire League, we would like to thank the ownership group of Eric Lacroix and Shawn Fowler for their leadership in establishing the Sundogs as one of the premier sports teams in the country. We are certain the Northern Arizona area will see a smooth transition in the ownership of the club, and we all look forward to their continued success long into the future.”

About the Arizona Sundogs
The Sundogs are in their third season in the CHL playing their home games at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The Sundogs reached the plateau of the CHL last season by winning the Ray Miron President’s Cup in just their second year as a franchise. They did so in impressive fashion by becoming the first CHL team in a decade to win The Cup via a series sweep in the finals.

The Arizona Sundogs next home game is Wednesday, December 17th when they begin a three-game home stand versus the Texas Brahmas.

Ulanski and Traylen Earn Oakley CHL Awards

2008-12-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 14th, 2008 are forward Kevin Ulanski of the Colorado Eagles and goaltender Dustin Traylen of the Corpus Christi IceRays.

Ulanski had six points in three games for the Northwest Division and Northern Conference leading Eagles. Colorado went 2-1 on the week and the Madison, Wisconsin native had points in each game and scored the game winning goal in each victory. In his first CHL season, the former Denver University star ranks just outside the league’s top 10 with 31 points (11-20=31). Last week, he notched the game winning shootout goal and an assist in the Eagles 3-2 win in at Rapid City. After recording an assist in Colorado’s loss to Amarillo, Ulanski scored the game winner and had a pair of assists in the team’s 7-5 win versus Arizona.

Traylen is coming off a 2-0 week that saw him tested by 74 shots. His first start of the week came against Laredo where he turned away 33 shots and all three shooters he faced in the Rays 2-1 shootout win. The Kirkland, Quebec native followed that up with a 39 save performance in Corpus Christi’s 7-1 road win in Amarillo. On the season, Traylen is 4-4-0 with a sparkling 2.18 goals against average (third in the CHL). He is fourth in the CHL with a .928 save percentage.

In recognition of their achievement, both Ulanski and Traylen will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Kevin Ulanski, Colorado Eagles
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 2
Assists: 4
Points: 6
Plus/Minus: E
GWG’s: 2

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Dustin Traylen, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2
Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.973
Saves: 72 of 74

Stars Down Wings, Fall to Preds

2008-12-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to last night's game against the Detroit Red Wings. The same Wings that put us out of the playoffs last year were coming back to pick on a team that has very little resemblance to last year's squad that made it to the Western Conference Finals. And fresh off a loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, perennial whipping boys of the Pacific Division, things didn't look good.

But, when I stumbled across a deal on a pair of tickets, the opportunity to see one of my favorite rivalries was too great. My father-in-law and I picked up the tickets and joined the fans at the AAC for what turned out to be one of the better games of the season, thus far. It was kind of interesting to watch the number of Wings fans that turned out to cheer for their team. It was rather like being at a Texas Rangers game against the Boston Red Sox - nearly half the fans were rooting for the other side. Slightly bizarre.

Marty Turco was "Turcolicious" in net, stopping all but one of the 38 shots. Detroit peppered him in the third, but he held strong. A couple of his saves will be on Stars' highlight reels for the next year or two at least. And Stevie Ray Vaughn sent the fans on their way home singing - "If the house is a rockin', don't come a-knockin'..."

The Stars hopped on a plane and were off to Nashville for a game the next night. Tobias Stephan got the nod in goal for his first start since Halloween of this year. Unfortunately, probably in part due to fatigue from the previous night's game, the Stars came out flat and looked that way for most of the game. Stephan looked very good in net though, stopping several fantastic bids. One of the saves will probably be reflected upon as a top 10 save of the NHL season, as he robbed Nashville's Greg Zanon of a 3-on-1 goal with a quick glove save.

But, in the end, the Preds offense was too much for the beleaguered Stars. Down 2-0 in the final minutes, they pulled Stephan for an extra attacker, and the Preds got the empty netter to nail the coffin shut.

The Stars are set to play again tomorrow night, facing the Phoenix Coyotes once again at the AAC.

In transaction-type news.... The Stars confirmed what most fans believed already: Sean Avery will not be suiting up for Dallas again. Too much had happened (very little of it publicized) for him to return to the team and be a trusted, contributing member of the team. I held out hope that Avery would be a good addition to the Dallas roster when they signed him in July...but I worried about the rumors. Unfortunately the rumors were too true.

Dallas swung a minor trade over the weekend - the Stars sent minor leaguer David McIntyre (a fifth round pick in 2006) and a conditional sixth round draft pick in 2010 to the Anaheim Ducks for Brian Sutherby. Sutherby was the Washington Capitals first pick (26th overall) in 2000. He has struggled to make a name for himself, but at 26 years old, is still pretty young, and has a good upside. It hurts to lose McIntyre though...a big guy with good hands who is still playing in the college ranks. I kind of agree with what Mike Heika had to say on this one - not much of an upside on this trade, but maybe Sutherby will be another missing piece like Hagman was a couple of years ago.

Rapid City Goaltender Wins CHL Performance of the Week

2008-12-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Rapid City’s Miguel Beaudry has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Seven after shutting out the Northwest Division leading Colorado Eagles, 4-0, in the Rush’s home opener on November 29th. Beaudry made 27 saves in the game.

Beaudry’s memorable first impression to Rapid City hockey fans earned 699 votes (41%). Coming in second place was Texas’ David Cacciola who made 41 saves in a shootout win over his old team, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (619 votes). The total votes cast in the weekly poll were 1,704.

Beaudry was one of the key signings for the expansion team in the off-season and is 4-4-3 on the season with a 3.72 goals against average. In his CHL career, the Rush are his fourth team also seeing action with New Mexico, Memphis and Austin. He has a career 94-91-24 record with 11 shutouts.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week eight of the season (Dec. 1-7) are as follows:

-Bossier-Shreveport’s Jon Horrell making 31 saves in shutout win over Wichita on December 4th
-Texas’ David Cacciola making 36 saves in shootout win versus Bossier-Shreveport on December 5th
-Odessa holding Corpus Christi to 13 shots on goal in 2-1 win on December 6th
-Tulsa’s three-goal third period in 3-1 win versus Oklahoma City on December 6th
-RGV erasing two three-goal deficits in 5-4 OT win versus Corpus Christi on December 5th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 15th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 16th.

Oakley CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced

2008-12-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending December 7th, 2008 are forward Darryl Smith of the Laredo Bucks and goaltender Alexandre Vincent of the Odessa Jackalopes.

Smith is one of the hottest forwards in the league right now sitting with a 10-game point streak and helping the Bucks to a 9-1 record over that stretch. Last week in three games, the rookie scored five goals with four assists and was a remarkable +9. The St. Catharines, Ontario native leads all rookies in scoring with 32 points (16-16=32) on the season. Overall he ranks second in points (32), second in goals (16) and tied for first in game winning goals (4). Six of his last eight games have seen the 5-11, 190-pound forward record multiple points.

Vincent wins the goaltending award for the second time this season (previously won on November 3rd). In fact, the Jackalopes have garnered four of the eight weekly goaltending awards given to date (Juha Toivonen has won twice as well). Last week, Vincent posted a 3-0 record allowing just one goal in each game. He finished with a .944 save percentage (51 saves on 54 shots). On the season, the Drummonville, Quebec native is 5-2-1 with a 2.63 goals against average. Due in large part to the strong goaltending, Odessa has won seven straight games and are in first place in the Southwest Division sitting 11 points in front of their closest competitor.

In recognition of their achievement, both Smith and Vincent will receive a special gift from Oakley.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Darryl Smith, Laredo Bucks
Position: F
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Goals: 5
Assists: 4
Points: 9
Plus/Minus: +9

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Alexandre Vincent, Odessa Jackalopes
Position: G
(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 3
Record: 3-0-0
GAA: 1.00
Save %: 0.944
Saves: 51 of 54

Dallas Stars Resting, Healing & Preparing

2008-12-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to weigh in on this weekend's game yet - a gritty 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche - but that game was won with a lot of heart. These Stars are beat up and were tired, finishing up their third game in four nights, and were just trying to scrape out some points before getting four days off. Thankfully, they are getting that rest now, and were able to get 2 points out of Friday night's match.

Mike Modano got the shootout winner against the Avs, which gives him 11 goals on the year - just one back of Loui Erikson, who leads the team. In the last two games, he's had two goals and an assist, along with a shootout game-winner. Not so bad for a 38-year old.

A few notables - there was a very good article by Stars' play-by-play man Ralph Strangis posted on the team's website today. I think, because he's with the team, he might be pulling back a bit and changing a few nouns and adjectives here and there, but overall it's a pretty honest and accurate piece. Of the two fine men on our broadcast team, Razor is obviously the more outspoken one usually, so it's refreshing to here Ralphie really weigh in on something. And he did a nice job.

Also, On the injury front, there's not a lot of new developments. Obviously Morrow is still lost for the foreseeable future, most likely the rest of the season. Ott has been doing well in rehab, but is looking at mid to late January for his return. Lehtinen and Zubov are being viewed kind of day-to-day, but both are doubtful for Wednesday. The closest to return is Joel Lundqvist, who has been out since late October with a shoulder injury. He is not expected to skate on Wednesday, however.

And lastly, the Stars recalled forward Tom Wandell from the Swedish Elite League this weekend. How's THAT for a call up? You have to board a plane and hop the ocean in order to join your NHL team...don't hear that happen very often. But, the Stars were really pressed for skaters. With most of the eligible call ups already on the team (James Neal, Chris Connor and Toby Peterson), the Stars had to dig deep. All the way to Europe deep. Wandell participated in a partial team skate on Sunday, but some of the veterans were excused from practice that day (Modano, Ribeiro, Richards, etc.). So, we won't get a good idea of what line he'll play on and what his chemistry will be with his linemates until today or tomorrow. Wandell was the Stars' 5th round choice in the 2005 draft (146th overall). He's expected to wear number 48 when he makes his debut on Wednesday.

NHL Hands Avery a Six-Game Suspension; Now What?

2008-12-05T08:18:00.001-08:00

Sean Avery received a six-game suspension from the league this morning. The suspension is retroactive to the Calgary game, so he's already served two of the six games. His first eligible game back would be on Dec. 16 when the Stars host the Phoenix Coyotes at the AAC.

I won't go on too long about this, because lord knows it's everywhere on the net, newspapers and television lately, but there are a few things.

The length of the suspension really didn't matter, other than to set precedence. The players and coaching staff of the Stars have already made their feelings known about Avery, and he's not going to be welcomed back after the suspension is served. Barring a significant change of rhetoric and heart, Sean Avery has probably played his last game for the Stars.

What remains to be seen is how the Stars will handle his contract. Mike Heika has some really great thoughts on this the other day in a DMN article. The first option the Stars have, as he said, is to trade him. I can't imagine anyone crazy enough to take on this mess, but as a friend of mine said the other day, how else did Bryan Marchment have such a long career. Valid point, no? But, I would say the chances are pretty slim of an NHL team wanting to work out a trade for him. He'd be going cheap, I guarantee! After that option, he'll most likely be waived, and if he passes through waivers, he eligible for designation to an AHL club. This is *if* an AHL club wants him. As the Stars are without a full, official, AHL affiliate this year, any of the AHL teams are an option. The only way I could see this working is if a team is trying to up attendance numbers. They might take him on simply for the spectacle of it. And, at the AHL level, I'm sure Avery could be a 20 goal scorer. That's something he has yet to do in his NHL career.

One AHL club with which the Stars have ties - a partial affiliation - are the Manitoba Moose. The Moose (Meese?) have already said they're not interested in taking him. There have been rumors and speculation about other clubs, but nothing concrete. But, it will be interesting to see what becomes of Avery. I foresee his Stars jersey being DEEPLY discounted in the StarCenters in the near future.

CHL Launches CHL All-Star Game Fan Experience

2008-12-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL), in conjunction with the Colorado Eagles, announced today that the 2009 CHL All-Star Fan Experience contest will begin today (Thursday, December 4th) at 5:00 PM (CST) and run through Thursday, December 18th at midnight (CST).

The contest gives fans a chance to enter to win two tickets to the 2009 CHL All-Star Game (presented by Poudre Valley Health System) at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th, 2009. In addition, the winner will receive two round-trip airline tickets (does not apply in the state of Colorado), two night’s stay at the Fort Collins Marriott, two tickets to the 2009 CHL All-Star Banquet at the Fort Collins Marriott on Tuesday, January 13th and a seat in the Eagles penalty box during the second period of the game.

Fans can enter online at www.centralhockeyleague.com or at www.coloradoeagles.com with the winner chosen and announced on Friday, December 19th. (Note: winner must be 18 years of age or older)

For full contest details along with rules and regulations, visit www.centralhockeyleague.com.

Stars Coming Home; Will Avery Join Them?

2008-12-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

It was a disappointing last night for Stars fans. I knew going into the game it was going to be tough; it was the second game in as many nights for the Stars, all on the road. In addition, they're embroiled in a controversy that has received a lot of press and put them under the microscope.

What I wasn't expecting last night, though, was a strong game out of #9. Mike Modano almost single-handedly brought the Stars back into the game. Down 3-0 in the third period, Mo notched two goals, and had the Stars within one in the final minutes of the game. But, with Turco on the bench, and the extra skater in, Matt Niskanen made a poor decision with the puck (he had a few last night, but this one couldn't be covered up), and the Oilers tallied an easy open-net goal. They put an extra nail in a coffin that was already well sealed seconds later. A defensive breakdown by Fabian Brunnstrom left an Oiler unchecked in front of the net, and a redirection gave us the final score of 5-2.

New Stars forward Mark Parrish was hit in the face with a puck last night and didn't return to the game after the injury. That could cost the Stars another forward. It's been a long time since I've seen the team this depleted by injuries. You hate to use that as an excuse, but it's hard not to offer it up as an explanation for the 9-12-2-2 record.

But, that said, the Stars are returning home. They get to play in front of their home crowd, which all teams love to do, and hopefully they can pull some inspiration from that. The next two games are against opponents that have also struggled this season, and are very winnable. The third game is against the hated Red Wings, and that will be a difficult one to win. But if the Stars can get another two wins under their belts, and are winners of four of the last five games they've played going into the Detroit tilt? Who knows...

***

Sean Avery and Stars Co-GM Brett Hull are meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in New York this morning to determine what further punishment will be doled out for Avery's comments on Tuesday. But, regardless of what fines and suspensions are given out by the league, Avery is going to have to face his team when he comes back to Dallas. And, from the reactions they've had the last couple of days, that may be the biggest barrier to him returning to the Stars lineup any time soon.

Stars Head Coach Dave Tippett has his finger on the pulse of the team better than anyone else, outside of the players, and had this to say:

"From a coach's standpoint, I try to build a team that has an atmosphere where players care about each other and play with each other and play with continuity, and I find it hard to believe that Sean could come back in that dressing room and we could find that continuity again,"

Tippett had been talking to the media just minutes before Avery's off-color remarks, and had been defending him. For Tippett, the biggest insult wasn't the words Avery made - it was the pre-meditation of the statements, and the way he went out of his way to break a promise he gave the coach. Tippett said:

"It's frustrating for me to go out and defend the guy. It's disappointing, because in the morning with all the stuff going on in the media, I approached Sean and asked him if he was going to talk to media; he told me, no. He talked to our PR people and he told them, no, he wasn't going to talk to the media ... and to have a calculated response like that ... it was a calculated statement for what I feel was personal gain."

Many players have come out and denounced Avery's words as well. But it runs deeper than this incident, and that is becoming more and more obvious. The words that have been used - "unacceptable", "disappointing", "embarrassment", etc. - go to describe the team's feelings about Avery himself, and not just his stupid remarks. Avery may be back in town with the team on Friday, but I have a feeling it will be some time before we see Sean Avery in a Stars jersey again - if we do at all.

Former Texas Tornado Defenseman Lyon Messier Signs with CHL's New Mexico Scorpions

2008-12-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Scorpions have beefed up their defense by reaching into NHL Hall of Fame bloodlines. Head coach Randy Murphy has signed Lyon Messier to a contract.

Messier is the son of former NHL star and Hall of Fame member Mark Messier. The younger Messier, 21, is a defenseman who started the season with the Charlotte Checkers.

Previously, Messier spent four seasons in the junior ranks. Last year he played with the Lincoln Stars in the USHL appearing in 46 games. The Dallas, Texas native scored 17 points (5G, 12A) and collected 45 penalty minutes, helping Lincoln advance to the league semi-finals.

While playing in the USHL he was known for his skill on the power play. During the 2007-08 season, 13 of his 17 points came with his team on the man advantage.

Messier joins current Scorps defenseman Aaron MacInnis as players with NHL ties. MacInnis is the nephew of NHL Hall of Fame member Al MacInnis.

To make room on the roster, defenseman Dylan Row has been waived. In 19 games Row collected eight assists and 26 penalty minutes.

Michael Beynon will be activated from the injured reserve this week. Beynon has played in four games picking up four penalty minutes and a +2 plus/minus rating. Rookie forward Sam Bowles has been waived.

Bobby Chaumont of the CHL's Mississippi RiverKings Wins November's Oakley Three-Star Award

2008-12-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that Bobby Chaumont of the Mississippi RiverKings has won the Oakley Three Stars Award for the month of November/2008. Chaumont will receive a pair of Oakley THUMP sunglasses which feature blue tooth technology and a built in MP3 player. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Chaumont, 24, had a great offensive month of November scoring 10 goals (six on the power play) with six assists. He helped lead the RiverKings to an impressive month that saw them post a 9-4-0 record and a league-leading 18 points. During the month, the Sudbury, Ontario native earned 20 points in the Oakley Three Star tabulating being named first star of the game four times.

In the season Oakley Three Star standings, Chaumont also leads with 25 points sitting two points in front of Amarillo’s Sam Ftorek and Colorado’s Andrew Penner.

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month
Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings
Position: Forward
(November Totals)
Games – 13
Points – 16
Goals – 10
Assists – 6
First Star – 4 times (20 points)
Second Star – 0 times (0 points)
Third Star – 0 times (0 points)
Total Points – 20

Oakley CHL Three Star Player of the Month Winners
October – Travis Clayton, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
November – Bobby Chaumont, Mississippi RiverKings

Stars Down Flames, Look Forward

2008-12-03T07:41:00.001-08:00

The Dallas Stars went into Calgary, Alberta, last night, and after Sean Avery took himself out of games for the forseeable future, still had to face a hot Calgary team on the ice. The 3-2 victory over the Flames was one of the best wins for the club so far this year, and has fans all over hoping that this is the start of something good. With the victory on Sunday over the Oilers, it was the first back-to-back regular-season wins for the Stars since February of this year.

The Stars have a tough stretch ahead of them to keep the momentum going. They will immediately take the ice again tonight for another match against Edmonton, and then return home for a 3-game stand with the Avalanche, Coyotes & Red Wings. And while many people may argue that schedule isn't filled with the conference's top competitors (excepting the Red Wings, of course), the Stars are still playing with a very depleted roster, and even games that might once have been forgone conclusions will be closely contested.

And, the Avs may be starting to come together this season. After a host of setbacks (injuries, poor performances), similar to those of the Stars, Colorado is beginning to look pretty dangerous. They've won their last two games and look more like the team they were forcasted to be this season.

To quickly return to the Sean Avery issue - and I won't stay here long - I'm interested in hearing what you all might think about how his role with the Stars in the future will be effected. Eklund (that anonymous hockey blogger) - has told me he believes this to be the ticket for Sean Avery out of Dallas. While I don't know that I agree 100%, I can't see how the rest of the team can welcome him fully back into the fold, when they didn't seem to be very happy with him before the comments. Mike Modano's response is also interesting:

"It's unacceptable. Our perception around the league has been tarnished a bit. Our attitude with the refs has been rough this year. We don’t get the benefit of doubt because we're very vocal in those areas. In the past, we've been a quiet, confident group, and we simply need to get back to that.''

Sean Avery has a guaranteed contract in Dallas, which limits how the Stars can react to this kind of situation. But, they still have the ability to place him on Waivers or trade him, if another team is willing to take this mess on. In a response about Avery's return to the team, if that happens, Modano hinted that it might not be an easy thing:

It's going to take some time. It certainly will be a situation we'll have to address when that time comes ... if it does.

I know Mo wasn't 100% comfortable with the "C" on his chest, but those are the kind of quotes that come from a good captain. And I think the Stars should let him take this team again, and make it official. I also believe that Mark Parrish would make a nice "A" alternate as well to take Modano's place.

League Suspends Sean Avery Indefinitely

2008-12-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

When he became a Dallas Star, fans knew that Sean Avery brought a certain level of hot-headed-ness to the game. He ruffles feathers and gets under other players' skin, and that's one of his attributes as a player. But, where does he cross the line into "going too far".

The league thinks he did that this morning. While being interviewed by Canadian press, Avery said the following:

I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight.

Avery was referring to a relationship between his ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert, and Calgary Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf.

Did the league overreact? I don't think so. It's pretty obvious that his statement was in poor taste, and I think shows very little class. And the Stars have a reputation of being a pretty classy organization. If the NHL hadn't reacted, I believe the Stars would have. As far as the "indefinite" tag on this suspension - I think that will be re-defined in the next 48 hours, and we'll have what amounts to a 4-6 game suspension on our hands.

The question is - how does this effect the team? Well, first of all, it leaves them shorthanded for Tuesday night's tilt against the Flames. But will it have a lasting effect on the dressing room? It's hard to say, but it's obvious that some of Avery's teammates are already bothered by his actions and statements. Brad Richards had the following reaction when asked about Avery's comments:

"It's none of my business what he says and I'd rather not talk about Sean. He's got his own thing going on."

Marty Turco added:

"We all are competitive enough and focused to get out there and do your job. But when it continues over time, you know, things certainly can be (distracting)."

More distractions and setbacks are not what the Stars need right now. What are your thoughts on this suspension? What should the Stars do in response, or do they need to do anything additionally?

Stars Clubbed by Blackhawks - More Problems?

2008-11-21T08:34:00.001-08:00

Last night the Dallas Stars hosted the Chicago Blackhawks, and after playing one of the most solid first periods of the year, they proceeded to allow the Hawks back into the game and then let them run away with it in the third period. As much as they dominated the first period, they were dominated in the latter portions of the second and most of the third. So, without beating a dead horse, how do the Stars correct this? Are they able to?

All along, I've said that I don't think that firing Dave Tippett will have the effect that fans calling for his head want. But, it's getting to the point where the team will be forced to do it just to show that no one is safe. I'd hate to see that happen, because I think Tippett is the right man for this team...but maybe the players have stopped listening to him. He didn't seem to be inspiring much between periods.

And, although a couple of the goals Marty Turco surrendered last night could hardly be his fault, there were a couple that were clearly stoppable. I am thinking mainly of the one that beat him five-hole from about twenty feet away. That's a stop he has always made and isn't making now. Without a reliable backup to lean on, it's a gamble handing the reigns over to young Tobias Stephan...but how can we do worse? I think it's time to bench Marty and let him know that this isn't his team. He's lost that. When he wants to put the focus and intensity back into his game, and show that he wants to be the Stars netminder again, then we can talk about him being the starting goaltender again. But I think this approach would give him the kick in the rear end he needs. Nothing else has worked for him. Hit him in the pride and see if he reacts - I bet he will.

Serious Lapse in Posts

2008-11-19T08:48:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the outage in posting, hockey fans. I took the easy way out when illness and busy schedules hit my family's household, and cut back on the blogging. WAY back. But, I'll be back at the helm here again, and looking forward to posting more thoughts and news, and looking forward to hearing from you! Please comment away, or feel free to drop me a message on my twitter account!

Claude Lemieux Training with CHL's Arizona Sundogs

2008-10-22T07:22:00.001-07:00

Several weeks ago, I had posted a story that mentioned Claude Lemieux's interest in returning to the NHL after a five-year absence. Well, it seems that Claude hasn't given that dream up just because no teams have been interested so far. He's eyeing pro hockey in North America again - this time in the CHL. The league sent out the following press release:

The 2008 Central Hockey League Ray Miron President’s Cup Champion Arizona Sundogs have announced that four-time Stanley Cup Champion and former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Claude Lemieux has joined the Club for formal on-ice workouts. In September, Lemieux expressed interest in making a return to the National Hockey League (NHL).

Lemieux, 43, won four Stanley Cup Championships with three different teams (Montreal – 1986, New Jersey – 1995, Colorado – 1996, New Jersey – 2000) during his 20 seasons in the NHL. A veteran of nearly 1,200 NHL games, Lemieux won the Conn Smythe trophy while with New Jersey in 1995, selected as the league’s playoff MVP.

In 1197 regular season NHL contests, the Buckingham, Quebec, native registered 379 goals, 406 assists and 1756 penalty minutes (PIM).

Known for strong play in the postseason, Lemieux added 80 goals, 78 assists and 529 PIM in 233 playoff appearances and ranks among the league’s all-time best in several playoff categories. His 233 playoff appearances rank tied for fourth all-time and his 80 career playoff goals rank ninth all-time. Lemieux also ranks third all-time in career playoff game-winning goals (19) and career PIM (529).

Lemieux has been skating with the Sundogs for the past week and will continue to do so in an effort to pursue a comeback to the NHL. Five years removed from the game, Lemieux retired from NHL play in 2002-03 after splitting his final season with the Phoenix Coyotes and Dallas Stars.

The Sundogs next take on Southwest Division foe New Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. Game time is set for 7:05pm. Tickets are available by phone at 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), on the internet at www.gettix.net and in person at the Tim’s Toyota Center Box Office.

CHL's Performance of the Week Fan Poll Returns

2008-10-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today the five nominees for the CHL’s Performance of the Week. Fans can vote for the winner of the weekly award at www.centralhockeyleague.com in the CHL Performance of the Week fan poll.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week one of the season are as follows:

-Corpus Christi’s Chris Richards scoring seven points (4-3=7) in 12-3 win versus Tulsa on October 18th

-New Mexico’s Jason Wolfe making 25 saves in the Scorps 6-0 shutout win at Amarillo on October 18th

-Rookie Mudbugs goaltender Ryan Mior making 27 saves in 2-1 win at Laredo on October 18th

-Tulsa’s Kevin St. Pierre making 55 saves in 3-2 shootout loss at OKC on October 17th

-Laredo rookie Daryl Smith netting a hat trick in the Bucks 7-1 win over RMR on October 17th

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, October 27th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, October 28th.

CHL’s Hat Tricks for Kids
The CHL and Infinity Pro Sports have partnered for the 2008-09 season for a new program called Hat Tricks for Kids. Infinity Pro Sports will donate $25.00 for every hat trick scored throughout the CHL regular season. Fans are also able to donate money to the program that will donate all proceeds to The Hoffen Foundation (www.hoffenfoundation.org). To follow the Hat Trick’s Tote Board and see how much money has been donated to date or to donate money yourself visit www.hattricksforkids.org.

CHL All-Star Game on January 14th in Loveland, Colorado
The 2009 CHL All-Star Game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. The game is hosted by the Colorado Eagles and presented by Poudre Valley Health System. The format for this year’s game features a team of CHL All-Stars taking on the Colorado Eagles. For more information and for all-star updates visit www.centralhockeyleague.com or www.coloradoeagles.com.

Stars Down New York Rangers for Second Win of the Year

2008-10-20T21:43:00.001-07:00

Dallas looked good in their game against the Rangers tonight - the defense looked tighter than it has all season, and the Rangers forwards were smothered trying to bring the puck into the zone against a physical Stars squad.

Modano netted his third goal of the season, which was also the game winner. Morrow put in his second of the year. It's good to see the leaders of this team putting in goals. And, the defense only allowed one goal, Turco stopping 28 of the 29 shots on goal.

I'd say more, but I'm late, and it's tired. Tell me what you thought of this game - is this a change in the way the Stars will be playing games this year? Or is it only a "breather" in the defensive beatings we're going to suffer this year?

Oakley CHL Player/Goaltender of the Week Announced

2008-10-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

The Central Hockey League announced today that the recipients for the Oakley CHL Player and Goaltender of the Week for the period ending October 19th, 2008 are center Chris Richards of the Corpus Christi IceRays and goaltender Juha Toivonen of the Odessa Jackalopes.

Richards led the IceRays to a 12-3 win over the Tulsa Oilers in their only game of the week. The Cornwall, Ontario native scored four goals and added three assists leading the league in scoring despite playing just the one game. He also finished the game with a +4 plus/minus rating. The seven-point game matches a career high for the veteran center who had four goals and three assist on February 1st, 2007 while a member of the Youngstown SteelHounds. The 5-10, 180-pound forward was one of the biggest off-season signings in the league after recording 278 points over his last three seasons (all with the SteelHounds).

Toivonen went 2-0 this past weekend making 46 saves on 49 shots (.939 save percentage) in the two road victories versus the defending CHL Champion Arizona Sundogs. The rookie made 22 saves in the Jacks 7-2 victory on opening night and 27 saves in the team’s 3-1 win the following night. The Hattula, Finland native was a member of the 2005 Team Finland club that played in the Under 18 World Junior Championships. The 21-year-old has the Jacks one of five teams that have started the season 2-0.

In recognition of their achievement, both Richards and Toivonen will receive a pair of Oakley sunglasses.

Oakley CHL Player of the Week
Chris Richards, Corpus Christi IceRays
Position: C

(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 1
Goals: 4
Assists: 3
Points: 7
Plus/Minus: +4

Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week
Juha Toivonen, Odessa Jackalopes
Position: G

(Weekly Totals)
Games Played: 2

Record: 2-0-0
GAA: 1.50
Save %: .939
Saves: 46 of 49

Problems in Net?

2008-10-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you other Stars fans out there, but what I've seen from our team so far is really puzzling.

It's as though there are two different teams playing. On opening night, the Stars faced a determined Blue Jackets team,and posted four goals on the scoreboard, forcing an overtime, and a tough loss. On Wednesday night, the Stars beat the Predators and put the puck in the net six times. That's the team Stars fans saw on paper and were hoping would show up to the rink each night.

The other two nights, the Stars only managed to get a single goal. That doesn't mean that it's all the offense's fault. The offense has looked pretty strong so far - and the Stars have come up against some good goaltending. But, it does stick out.

The biggest thing that stands out, though, and one of the only consistencies in this young season, is the weak play of Marty Turco. The Dallas Morning News gave Turk's stats this morning in the wrap-up article from last night's game: Through four games, he has a 4.59 goals against average and an anemic .822 save percentage. Last night, in arguably his worst performance in the young season, he allowed five goals on 18 shots, and Dave Tippett had to bench him. Is there something wrong?

I'd like to believe it's still just the rust working it's way out of his system. Maybe Marty didn't get to the gym as much as he should have during the off-season, or his on-ice workouts weren't as focused as they should have been. But, whatever the reason, this isn't the Marty of old. And we need him back.

The other area of concern might be the defense...a lot of odd-man rushes have been allowed, and that puts a focus on the goaltending. If the goaltending isn't there, you end up with what we have had so far...but if the defense addresses the problems it has been having, perhaps that can take some of that focus off of the net.

Thoughts? Comments?

Stars Struggling Early

2008-10-13T21:57:00.001-07:00

Well, the Dallas Stars have gotten off to a bit of a rough start with their 0-1-1 record. They played a Columbus team that had started 0-2 and was fighting with all they had not to fall to 0-3, and then took it on the road the next night, gassed after an overtime scrap with the Jackets, and faced a gritty Nashville squad. It wasn't a great way to start things off, but hopefully it's gotten everyone's hockey blood flowing.

The Stars are going to square off against the Preds again on Wednesday, this time at the AAC, and then again hit the road the following night, this time up to St. Louis. It's a little bit of an odd start for the year, but I'm hoping to see the heart inside these Stars.

Also, an overdue update - the CHL has resolved it's player strike mentioned a couple of weeks ago. While not fully resolved, the league and the players association have come to an agreement that will allow players to continue with their clubs and negotiations to continue. More details soon.

Stars Hit the Ice Tonight!

2008-10-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Okay boys and girls, tonight is the official start of the Dallas Stars 2008-09 season. The games start counting tonight, so it's time to get behind the team and root them on to another fantastically successful season.

In honor of the opening night, and to get everyone in the mood for some Stars hockey, here's a video for everyone to enjoy. Go Stars!!

Stars Claim D Doug Janik from the Blackhawks

2008-10-02T17:14:00.001-07:00

From the Dallas Stars press release: The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has claimed defenseman Doug Janik off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. The club also assigned two players to the American Hockey League and one to the Finnish Elite League.

Janik, 28, signed a free agent contract with Chicago on July 15, 2008. The 6-2, 209-pound defenseman spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, skating in 136 games and registering 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) with 98 penalty minutes. The native of Agawam, Mass., also appeared in 10 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres from 2002-04, and in 146 career NHL games, has recorded 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) and 119 penalty minutes.

Originally drafted by Buffalo in the second round (No. 55 overall) of the 1999 Entry Draft, Janik skated three seasons at the University of Maine, where he won a Division I National Championship in 1999 during his freshman season. In 110 games with the Black Bears from 1998-2001, he posted 12 goals and 42 assists for 54 points with 150 penalty minutes.

The Stars training camp roster now stands at 33 players.

Pre-Season Game 5: Colorado 3, Stars 1

2008-10-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a different game, but the same result against the Avs in Colorado on Wednesday night. The Stars lost by 2 points once again, falling to Colorado 3-1. I was going to be on Twitter, tweeting the game, but was told that this was the one preseason game that was going to be radio broadcast. So, I settled in for the Red Sox/Angels game instead. Then, it turns out the game wasn't broadcast. So, sorry about the lack of a play-by-play on the game again. But, hopefully I will get the opportunity to keep you all up to date on the next game. However, with the changes made to the NHL site, you can't get the "live" feed of it the same way you used to. You can get it on the iPhone, but unfortunately this blogger hasn't got one of those. Donations are accepted to the iPhone fund, though, if you're feeling generous...

So, Steve Ott netted his second goal of the pre-season, and Matt Climie, currently third on the Stars depth chart in net, played the whole game. He finished with 25 saves on 28 shots. Not too bad for the young guy - he was facing some pretty good shooters from the Avs - Smyth, Wolski, Sakic, Stastny...etc. The Avs got great play in net from Peter Budaj, who saved 29 of the 30 shots he faced, and earned the #1 star of the game.

From what I've read, the Stars were in the game for the most part. They pulled to within a goal at the 4:56 mark of the third period, and played Colorado tough. They're going to need to play them tougher when the games start counting, and that's just around the corner now.

The Stars are back in Dallas today for another matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 'Hawks beat the Stars 4-3 last Sunday, and it'll be good to see them with an opportunity to even the score. I expect to see Marty Turco in goal tonight, although it would be good to give Tobias Stephan some time as well...I thought we'd see him last night for part of the game. Perhaps tonight will be a split in net. Only 8 more days until opening night!

The Professional Hockey Players’ Association Authorize CHL Strike

2008-10-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Some big news just came in regarding the upcoming season for the Texas Brahmas and other Central Hockey League teams. The Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) has authorized a strike against the CHL, as the two sides can't come to agreement over the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This strike is effective immediately. The CHL issued a press release regarding this turn of events, and CHL Commissioner Duane Lewis had this to say:

“We are disappointed that the PHPA has taken this step at this point in the negotiations. The CHL is and has been negotiating in good faith with the PHPA and have already come to agreement on many issues benefiting the players. Some of which have been instituted already. There are many critical issues to both sides that cannot be negotiated in a short time frame.”

The CHL and PHPA have met four times this summer discussing an initial Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Previous negotiations between the PHPA and similar hockey leagues have taken as much as 15 months to be successfully bargained.

“This is not a quick process,” said Lewis. “We have worked for 16 seasons to build rapport with the players and feel from their accounts in the past that we have been successful in doing this. To the best of the League’s knowledge there has been no vote of the majority of players to authorize a strike. We are confident we will be playing hockey on October 17th.”

The PHPA seemed to hint that the discussions haven't been as close as the CHL is intimating. They say the league has yet to respond to some of the issues that are part of the agreement, and are still on the table.

"The economic impact of the PHPA’s comprehensive proposal package, most of which has yet to be countered, is modest by today’s standards,” stated PHPA Executive Director Larry Landon. “The League has not responded to necessary player priority components for a finalized agreement such as salary cap, off-ice insurance, per diem, and travel reimbursement, which has significantly impeded the negotiation process.”

“On May 22, we submitted a new Standard Player Contract (SPC) proposal to the CHL Owners modeled on the player contracts in the NHL, AHL and ECHL. It did not contain any provisions which were out of the ordinary or inconsistent with recognized practices in professional hockey. Although we have repeatedly asked for the Owners to respond to our SPC proposal, and although many promises have been made to us about a pending answer to our requests, the CHL Owners have offered nothing. It is all too obvious that there is no willingness to negotiate even these basic contract provisions,” added Landon.

“We ask all CHL players to stand united. We believe the League’s tactics are calculated to break the Players’ Association. The PHPA’s negotiating team will continue in its quest to deliver an Agreement that we can recommend which meets the needs of players and their families, while respecting the future well being of the League and it’s Member Clubs.”

A copy of the letter sent to CHL players from the PHPA can be found here.

Training camp for all CHL teams is set to open on Monday, October 6th. How the league will move forward when that date arrives remains to be decided. Hopefully the league will not end up embroiled in the same sort of strike situation that the NHL was in a few years ago; that's not good for the league, the players or the fans. What are your thoughts on this, readers?

CHL Partners With NFT for 2008-09 Season

2008-10-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Central Hockey League (CHL) and Network Foundation Technologies (NFT) today announced that they will partner once again to provide fans with the CHL Network for the 2008-09 season. Last season, the two entities unveiled NiFTy Online Television (the first “FREE-for-View” Internet broadcast in professional hockey) and this season the broadcasts will feature a higher resolution for improved quality.

The new, updated CHL Network player will be available for download on Monday, October 13th at www.nifty-tv.com/chl/.

“Last season was a revolutionary year for the CHL providing fans free internet broadcasts,” said Bob Hoffman, CHL’s Director of Communications. “We were very fortunate to showcase the outstanding talent and product that we can present on the ice and were very pleased with the number of fans that tuned in.”

Broadcasts will begin with the league’s opening night on Friday, October 17th and will continue through the Ray Miron President’s Cup Finals. The 2009 CHL All-Star Game from Loveland, Colorado (hosted by the Colorado Eagles) will also be available for internet view through the CHL Network.

The CHL Network provides world-wide access to all CHL regular season and playoff games at no cost to the viewer. Fans are able to view the entire game with the choice of listening to either the home or away radio announcer. A complete CHL schedule of game is available at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

More than 500,000 fans took advantage of watching their favorite CHL team last season at no charge.

“CHL’s online audience numbers with NFT’s FREE-For-View model are now 40 times higher than they were when using Pay-Per-View,” said Dr. Mike O’Neal, Founder and Chief Scientist of NFT. “For the 2008-09 season we will be rolling out a whole new version of the CHL Network player. This new version of CHL Network supports a bit rate twice as high as was used last season, and as a result picture quality will be substantially improved over last season – especially in full-screen mode. The fans are ‘pumped’ and we have no doubt that the league’s audience – both in and out of the stadium – will continue to grow steadily.”

About Network Foundation Technologies, LLC
Network Foundation Technologies, LLC (NFT: pronounced ‘NiFTy’) is a name that is quickly becoming synonymous with the online broadcasting of large, live events to worldwide audiences. NFT’s patented technology overcomes the scalability and cost bottlenecks associated with online broadcasting, enabling the company to bring large-scale, advertiser-supported, television-style broadcasting to the Internet for the very first time. Please visit NiFTy-tv.com for more information.

About the CHL
The CHL will be entering its 17th season of play this fall, with 16 member teams across nine states. The CHL saw more than 2.3 million fans attend games during the 2008-09 season and has led North American professional ‘AA’ hockey leagues in average attendance for six of the past seven seasons. In 2009, the CHL will welcome Independence, Missouri and Allen, Texas as expansion teams for the 2009-10 season. The CHL is administered by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corporation (AMEX: GEE), a company engaged in sports management, multi-purpose events and entertainment center and related real estate development, facility and venue management and marketing, and venue ticketing. For more information about the CHL visit the league’s website at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

The Stars in Colorado

2008-09-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

I do feel kind of bad that I didn’t get the chance to Twitter Sunday night’s 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks to you folks, and write a bit of a wrap-up about it. And I thought about doing one today; just a chance to pour over the stats and have a look at what might be gleaned from them. But, when thinking about it further (I swear, not out of laziness - well, not completely), I decided to let the missed opportunity be just that, and move on.

I don’t know about you (I really don’t - the comments section is REALLY quiet - c’mon boys and girls, make some noise!), but I love it when the Dallas Morning News or the Dallas Stars' website runs a bit of a “human interest” piece, and lets you into the Life of an NHL Hockey Player. I guess it stems from wanting to be a pro sports figure of some sort since I was a kid. The sport changed several times, but the dream never did - it’s like that for lots of boys and girls I’d imagine. But, the more I learn about how whirlwind and fast-paced the hockey players’ lives are, the more I feel like I missed the boat.

Case in point. If you haven’t read it yet, there’s a great blog piece by Matt Niskanen out on the Stars website today. I recommend it - it’s a quick read. And, there’s another piece in the DMN about Landon Wilson - journeyman forward and son of the Stars’ very own Rick Wilson.

Just a few quick notes for you. The team was expected to announce some cuts today (or possibly early tomorrow) to get the working number down to around 30. No word on those moves yet. The Stars hit the ice again on Wednesday in another pre-season tilt, this time against the Colorado Avalanche. Not a surprise for those of you reading the links above, as at least one mentioned the Stars’ team-building exercises in the mountains of Colorado.

Pre-Season Game 3: Dallas 4, St. Louis 3

2008-09-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

The Stars mounted three-goals in the third period, and survived a late push by the visiting St. Louis Blues, in order to hang on for their first pre-season victory, 4-3. As with all previous pre-season games, this game was not broadcast through radio or television, so all impressions are gained by looking at the stats.

First, it was nice to finally get a win. The Blues should be a decent club this year (though probably not serious contenders in the heavily competitive Western Conference).

Second, from reading the stats, it appears that St. Louis goaltender Chris Mason had a really great night. Mason made 31 stops on 35 shots. That’s still giving up four goals, but any night where your goaltender faces 35 shots is a pretty rough night for him. If he can play like this through the season, he’s going to give the Blues another great option in goal.

By comparison, Marty Turco played the entire night in net for Dallas, and faced 19 shots, stopping 16.

Lastly - the Stars really kept the competitive fire going last night, pulling out a rally in the third period, and holding off a rally by the Blues. That really gives a boost to a team’s offense AND defense. I’d like to see them carry that momentum on into the next game, tonight in Chicago.

As far as stats go, Brenden Morrow continued his strong pre-season play, adding another goal to his totals, and defenseman Nicklas Grossman had two assists on the night. Stars’ roster hopefuls B.J. Crombeen and James Neal each had a goal as well. Competition for that last forward spot available for a promising rookie looks like it’s building up even stronger.

Stars Open House

2008-09-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

I was going to share a shot of center ice with you folks, as I took one with my camera phone while I was skating at the American Airlines Center today. But, the forces that negotiate transfers via Bluetooth from phone to Mac are not being cooperative today. So phooey.

But, I did attend the Open House the Stars held this morning, and watched Dave Tippett run the players through their workouts. Also, snagged two tickets for an upcoming game (Oct. 29th - Dallas faces Minnesota). AND, got to skate on the ice at the AAC. Altogether a pretty productive Saturday morning!

The attendance at the event looked pretty good. I don't know if there were a thousand people there, but if you counted the kids that were in attendance as full-sized individuals, then I think you could make an argument for it. I didn't make it in until 10:30, by which time the players had all taken the ice and run a few drills. I was hoping for a small scrimmage, but no such luck. Everyone seemed pretty loose, and it was a lot of fun watching the younger players really enjoy the camp. In particular, I noticed James Neal, B.J. Crombeen and Chris Conner all picking at one another about missed goals and one-timers on one particular goal. I mention this because I think it's a good sign. When the young players are at ease enough to let loose and joke around a bit, but still really work and put 100% effort into the practices, it shows that the veterans have done a good job in making them feel welcome, and allowing them to put nerves aside more than usual. At least, that's my take on it.

Another note - the ice in the AAC in September is every bit as bad as the ice in the AAC in June. The surface was really carved up, and the Zamboni did what it could between the practice and the public skate, but it just wasn't cold enough to refreeze the surface completely. Hopefully it will improve in the next couple of weeks!

Pre-Season Game 2: Colorado 4, Dallas 2

2008-09-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

The Stars dropped their pre-season home-opener versus the Colorado Avalanche tonight, 4-2. Once again, the game was not broadcast via television or radio - we’re getting closer to those soon though - so the opinions and thoughts being shared tonight are no more than analysis derived from pouring over the box score and reading notes from around the league.

I will say, though, that starting the year 0-2 is better in the pre-season than in the regular. So, it’s good that the Stars are getting it out of their season before the Games That Count start. The coaches will tell you that it really doesn’t matter (the wins and losses) in the preseason, because they’re there to analyze lines, observe how young players react to a game played at NHL speed, and get a feel for how the other bench coaches. And they’re right, of course. That doesn’t mean that Dave Tippett wouldn’t have liked to get that win on home ice, though.

Mike Ribeiro, Brendan Morrow and heralded European Fabian Brunnstrom all had two points in the match - Both Morrow and Ribeiro had a goal and an assist, and Brunnstrom pitched in two helpers. Great news, because Ribeiro and Morrow seem to be picking up right where they left off last season with their great play, and Brunnstrom is showing how he’ll fit in with the scoring talent that the Stars have.

For the Avs, perennial Star-killer Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist. Without seeing the play, I can only picture it in my head, but I imagine he was the gritty, hard-nose player he’s always been, and will have the year he should have had last year when the Avs signed him as a free agent. The only question will remain - can he stay injury-free? He’s only played 73 games over the past two seasons, and he appears to be well-rested this year. I have a feeling he’s going to be the Avs toughest weapon as the season moves on.

In off-ice notes - the Stars announced that rookie prospects, defensemen Trevor Ludwig and Guillaume Monast, signed three-year entry-level contracts. Ludwig, son of former Stars defenseman Craig Ludwig, is expected to play for Idaho of the East Coast League and Monast will return to Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior League, the team he skated for last season.

The Stars take to the ice again on Saturday, when they play the St. Louis Blues at the American Airlines Center at 7pm. Don’t forget - the Stars are having an Open House event Saturday morning, and everyone in attendance will get two free tickets to one of the remaining three home pre-season games. I’ll see you there!

New NHL.com Beta Site Preview

2008-09-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

NHL.com announced they have a new beta site, showcasing significant changes to the layout of their website. For now, their old format is still the default.

From what I've seen of it, I really like it. I have to admit to being tipped off to this by fellow hockey blogger Mother Pucker, and thanks to him for that! Has anyone had any trouble navigating the site or accessing information? Should they switch to this permanently soon? Tell me what you think!

Claude Lemieux Pondering a Return?

2008-09-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite hockey bloggers, Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo's Puck Daddy Blog, commented on the rumors of a comeback return by infamous former Avalanche hit man and one-time Dallas Star, Claude Lemieux.

The Two-Line Pass sent over this headline last night from French language sports news outlet RDS: "Claude Lemieux tente un retour." And while we're not exactly Babel Fish over here, I believe the loose translation is, "Claude Lemieux is coming back to the NHL to own all your asses and win another Conn Smythe."

While I don't necessarily agree that this is a smart move by Claude, it does raise some interesting questions. Namely - where would he return? Who wants a 43-year old enforcer in today's NHL? Wyshynski said: "What about a line of Steve Ott-Sean Avery-Claude Lemieux on the Dallas Stars?". While a line of Ott, Avery and an in-his-prime Claude Lemieux is a very juicy thought, I don't know that this guy has what it takes any more. Besides, his last stint in Dallas only lasted for a few months. After coming over to the Stars as part of the Jamie Langenbrunner/Joe Nieuwendyk/Jason Arnott swap with the New Jersey Devils, he played in 32 regular-season games for the Stars and only tallied 6 points (2 G, 4 A) and 14 penalty minutes. In the 7 playoff games he was in, he could only muster 1 point (an assist), though he did have 10 PIMs. I barely noticed he was HERE. Can he do much more than this today? Hmmm...prolly not. But, good luck Claude! Just not on our team. What do you think?

Pre-Season Game 1: St. Louis 3, Dallas 2

2008-09-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Stars were downed by the Blues tonight in the first pre-season game of the year, 3-2. There was no broadcast of the game, but the box score shows that Steve Avery made his presence known in his first appearance in a Stars uniform. Unfortunately, the Blues had three players - Lee Stempniak, Andy McDonald and Brad Boyes - who each had a goal and assist. Still, despite the mark in the loss column, it appears to be a good first outing for the Dallas Stars.

CHL Announces Pre-Season Schedule

2008-09-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

This just in from a CHL press release:

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced on Tuesday its 16-game pre-season schedule that begins on Wednesday, October 8th and concludes on Saturday, October 11th. All 16 CHL member teams will compete in a minimum of one pre-season game. Training camps for CHL teams begin on Monday, October 6th.

A pair of charity games will open up the CHL pre-season schedule with the Rocky Mountain Rage visiting the Colorado Eagles on October 8th in a game that will benefit Les Borsheim, a three-year member of the Eagles who was injured in a motorcycle accident earlier in the summer. The second benefit game will be between the Tulsa Oilers and the Wichita Thunder who will raise money for the Rob Guinn Memorial Fund, a former CHL player with Tulsa and New Mexico who was killed during the off-season in a car accident.

The defending Ray Miron President’s Cup Champion Arizona Sundogs will host the Wichita Thunder at the Tim’s Toyota Center in a pair of pre-season games. The games are scheduled for Friday, October 10th and Saturday, October 11th.

The expansion Rapid City Rush will take the ice for the first time on Friday, October 10th with a pre-season game scheduled versus the Rocky Mountain Rage at the Broomfield Event Center.

2008 CHL Pre-Season Schedule (All Start Times Are Local)

Wednesday, October 8
Rocky Mountain at Colorado, 7:05 p.m. at the Budweiser Events Center
Tulsa at Wichita, 7:05 p.m. at the Wichita Ice Center

Thursday, October 9
Rio Grande Valley at Laredo, 7:00 p.m. at the Laredo Entertainment Center
Oklahoma City at Tulsa, 7:00 p.m. at the Oilers Ice Center

Friday, October 10
Rapid City at Rocky Mountain, 7:05 p.m. at the Broomfield Event Center
Laredo at Rio Grande Valley, 7:35 p.m. at the Dodge Arena
Wichita at Arizona, 7:05 p.m. at the Tim’s Toyota Center
New Mexico at Amarillo, 7:05 p.m. at the Amarillo Civic Center
Bossier-Shreveport at Mississippi, 7:05 p.m. at the DeSoto Civic Center

Saturday, October 11
Laredo at Corpus Christi, 7:05 p.m. at the American Bank Center
Rapid City at Colorado, 7:05 p.m. at the Budweiser Events Center
Tulsa at Oklahoma City, 7:10 p.m. at the Blazers Ice Center
Odessa at Texas, 7:00 p.m. at the NYTEX Sports Centre
Wichita at Arizona, 7:05 p.m. at the Tim’s Toyota Center
Bossier-Shreveport at Mississippi, 7:05 p.m. at the DeSoto Civic Center
Amarillo at New Mexico, 7:00 p.m. at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center (Santa Fe, NM)

CHL’s 17th Season Begins October 17th; Catch the Action on the CHL Network
The CHL’s regular season begins on Friday, October 17th with six games on the schedule. The league’s 512-game schedule concludes on Saturday, March 25th. Catch all the action of the CHL on the CHL Network. The easy-to-download network player is available at www.centralhockeyleague.com and is powered by NiFTy Online Television (www.nifty-tv.com).

CHL All-Star Game on January 14th in Loveland, Colorado
The 2009 CHL All-Star Game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. The game will be hosted by the Colorado Eagles and presented by Poudre Valley Health Systems. The format for this year’s game features a team of CHL All-Stars taking on the Colorado Eagles and the game can be seen nationally on Altitude Sports and Entertainment. For more information and for all-star updates visit www.centralhockeyleague.com or www.coloradoeagles.com.

About the CHL
The CHL will be entering its 17th season of play this fall, with 16 member teams across nine states. The CHL saw more than 2.3 million fans attend games during the 2008-09 season and has led North American professional ‘AA’ hockey leagues in average attendance for six of the past seven seasons. In 2009, the CHL will welcome Independence, Missouri and Allen, Texas as expansion teams for the 2009-10 season. The CHL is administered by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corporation (AMEX: GEE), a company engaged in sports management, multi-purpose events and entertainment center and related real estate development, facility and venue management and marketing, and venue ticketing. For more information about the CHL visit the league’s website at www.centralhockeyleague.com.

Hitting the Ice

2008-09-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Big D Hockey, and thanks for taking a look at what's going on here. I hope I'll be able to bring you an educated look into this NHL season and spark some discussion about how things unfold for the Dallas Stars, the Western Conference and the league itself. Everyone has their favorite team, and I'm no exception to the rule (Go Stars!), but I'm a pretty objective person, I think, and I'm looking forward to some great debates and discussions this season if we can get enough people involved. Please don't be afraid to toss the gloves off and be the "third man in" if you see a discussion you want to weigh in on.

Also, being a fan of the sport of hockey at all levels, I'll do my best to get you some updates from the CHL, a league I used to cover when I was the beat writer for the Odessa Jackalopes at the Midland Reporter-Telegram. I still follow the players and coaches, and have a few contacts I can check with throughout the year, so I hope to give you some insight for a few teams in that league as well. This season will be a wash for the NAHL's Texas Tornado, located up in Frisco, due to some renovations being done to the Deja Blue Arena, where they play. But, if I hear any news surrounding the team, that's certainly fair game as well.

Look forward to seeing you as the season moves along. Go Stars!! And Game On!!