TSN.ca has elevated Steve Mason to #3 in it’s Player Power Rankings, released January 6. This was the first time Steve was eligible for the list, under their Games Played criterion, which requires 28 games played. He trails only Alexandre Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin on the list.Congrats Steve!!!
January 7th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 1 comment | ContinuedArchive for Jeff Little
A native of the SF Bay Area, my first exposure to hockey was the SF/Oakland/California Golden Seals, including Charlie Finley and the white skates. Fast forward to the late 1980's when Gretzky and the Kings came up to the Bay Area for an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, for which we had glass seats. I was at the first San Jose Sharks game in the Cow Palace, and followed them for their first few pathetic years, before moving to Columbus in 1994. I attended the first pro-NHL rally downtown, and have been a season ticket holder since Day 1, wife & I are active in the Jacket Backers, and son is an avid fan as well. I cover the Jackets for Inside Hockey, and contribute regularly to a variety of hockey sites. I maintain contact with the Jackets organization, and like to dig into stories, bringing a fresh, and sometimes irreverent perspective to hockey.
Game Effort — Hold Your Breath . . .
What can you say about last night’s game? Gutsy effort. Missed chances. Skeleton crew. Pretty much sums it up, don’t you think?First, on the “A” topic on everyone’s mind, Puck-Rakers is reporting that Nash’s injury is not viewed as long term, and that he was seen walking out of the Joe last night without assistance. [...]
January 7th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 1 comment | Continued
Detroit Preview and Other Ramblings
As we head into the Motor City with our band of walking wounded, it is tempting to abandon all hope. However, from this seat, I see a recipe for success, even with the ranks depleted. Keys for tonight’s game: 1. Strength in our own zone — from Mason on out, we need to disrupt Detroit’s [...]
January 6th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
With Injuries Mounting, Time To Pull The Trigger???
With this morning’s Dispatch reporting that Huselius is out for at least Tuesday with concussion-like symptoms and Novotny is also down, it seems like time to make some important personnel decisions.With the rumors flying about a Toronto deal for Antropov and Kubina, or an Ottawa deal of some sort, now would seem like a perfect [...]
January 5th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 3 comments | Continued
Rumor Mill
Interesting discussion at Light The Lamp over trade possibilities, including interest in Spezza. However, most intriguing for me is the tidbit contributed by Hitch Rules concerning a possible Toronto deal. The original source of that item is actually today’s Toronto Sun, which you can view here. I am never one to put a lot of [...]
January 4th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Out Of Gas . . .
Remember that purring car I wrote about last night? Well, it ran out of gas tonight in a 5 – 2 loss to St. Louis. Zero even strength goals by the Blues. We were a step slow all night, and the Blues came out with high intensity (and a substantial number of cheap shots). That [...]
January 4th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 3 comments | Continued
All Star Absurdity
OK, I get it. The All Star Game returns to Montreal for their 100th Anniversary. Wonderful! Terrific!! C’est Magnifique! I hope Montreal really revels in their season long celebration of a century of hockey. Why, though, must this celebration destroy the All Star Game???Let’s look at the starting lineups. Really pretty simple to do: 4 [...]
January 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 2 comments | Continued
Domination!!!!
Ever work on an old car?? You put months, maybe years of effort into it. It starts looking better, but still doesn’t run. Then, with some more tinkering, a little praying and a lot of swearing, one day it comes to life. At first it sputters, but then it settles in, and the longer it [...]
January 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 3 comments | Continued
Night of Upsets!!!
This was not the day to be a favorite in the hockey world. First, at the World Junior Championships, Slovakia stunned the USA 5 – 3, riding the goaltending of Jaroslav Janus to the biggest upset of the tournament thus far. Describing it himself as “the best game of his life”, Janus tuirned away 44 [...]
January 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
World Juniors Update
After Canada prevailed over the USA, 7 – 4, in their highly anticipated battle to end pool play, they enjoy a bye into the semis, as does Sweden, who had a surprisingly easy time in beating Russia 5 – 0. Today, the US takes on Slovakia for the right to go against Sweden, while Canada [...]
January 2nd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Game Day Preview — Jackets vs. Colorado Avalanche
The first game of 2009 is just 12 hours or so away! Here are some tidbits to consider for tonight’s contest, which will mark the halfway point in the Jackets current road trip, the longest of the season. This also marks the front end of a tough back-to-back, with St. Louis on tap for tomorrow.To [...]
January 2nd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
What A Way To End 2008!
Let the record reflect that there were fewer than 30 minutes remaining in the 2008 calendar year when the Jackets wrapped up their 3rd consecutive shutout win — a 2 – 0 decision over the Anaheim Ducks. The Orange County Register blogger who questioned the existence of the Bluejackets in today’s Ducks’ blog now most [...]
January 1st, 2009 | Jeff Little | 3 comments | Continued
Big Victories at World Juniors — Showdowns Loom
No nail biters today at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa. The winning sides had big margins of victory to work with. Laughers will be only briefly enjoyed, however, as the last day of 2008 brings two big showdowns to the rink: Russia vs. Sweden @ 2:30 PM Eastern tomorrow, and Candada vs. USA at [...]
December 31st, 2008 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
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