Spider-Man NL

Craig Rivet deserves RESPECT!! He has made a remarkable turnaround this season. He is playing his best hockey this year and maybe in years!! With that asswhooping over Marchment and last nights game winning goal in overtime, him and Markov will give us a very good defence going into the playoffs with Souray and Breezer.

I watched the game tonight on TSN, and during the 2nd period when the players were getting ready for a faceoff, I seen something that really p*ssed me off. TSN showed a close up shot of a couple of "so called habs fans" holding a sign that said something like "Stop showing Koivu & Rivet pity, trade them now." Well first of all I am a die hard Habs fan and in my view any habs fan that would bring a sign like that to a Canadiens game ain't a true Habs fan, they are nothing but a bunch of Gut-less Bastar*s. [Edited on 2004/2/25 by Spider-Man NL]

This is going to be a tough one. :ghg:

3-1 :hlogo: at the end of 2 periods of play. :clap: Rangers are out shooting the :hlogo: 22-14 :ghg:

Ribs scores late to give the :hlogo: a 2-0 lead at the end of the 1st period :clap: :hlogo: have a 9-5 lead in shots on goal.

:ghg:

This is going to be a big game for the :hlogo: because the Islanders well be plaing Buffalo tonight. Hopefully the guys can put in 60 soild minutes of hockey. :hlogo::ghg::hlogo: :can: [Edited on 2004/2/21 by Spider-Man NL]

3-1 :hlogo: at the end of 2 periods. :clap: :hlogo: are out shooting the Flames 24-11 :ghg:

Thrashers win 4-1 :nono: :mad:

3-1 Thrashers at the end of the 2nd period. :nono: Shots on goal : 22-14 :hlogo: I think its time to give Garon a start.

1-1 at the end of the 1st period. Bulis scored for the Habs, Koivu & Zednik got the assist Shots on goal: 14-5 :hlogo: :ghg:

Corson coming back?? Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (edited to fix page width) [Edited on 2004-2-15 by puck7x]

Here is a nugget from the Gazette/Spector's Trade Rumours: WHAT MOVES WILL GAINEY MAKE? MONTREAL GAZETTE: Pat Hickey reports it'll be interesting to see what moves Canadiens GM Bob Gainey makes in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline. One thing that could influence his decision will be how serious the recent knee injury suffered by all-star defenceman Sheldon Souray is. If he's out for the rest of the season, Gainey may need to shop for a top-two defenceman, although the pickings are slim and include "half-blind Bryan Berard, aging Luke Richardson, defensive liability Sergei Gonchar and former habs Sean Hill." Hickey suggest Gainey might also stand pat which would be seen as a vote of confidence to his present defence corps. Spector's Note: Gainey is one of the shrewdest and most patient GMs in hockey. He won't be swayed by panic or deadlines, but will assess the Habs in the next several weeks and make his decisions then. If he does opt for a top-two blueliner, the best of this bunch appears to be Sean Hill, who may not cost that much to bring over from Carolina, although Berard has certainly played well for the otherwise woeful Chicago Blackhawks.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=71979 Associated Press 2/12/2004 NEW YORK (CP-AP) - Centre Jeremy Roenick broke his jaw Thursday night when he was struck in the face by a puck during the Philadelphia Flyers' 2-1 win over the New York Rangers. Roenick was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital for X-rays, and the Flyers said on their media hotline he suffered a broken and lacerated jaw. Roenick said he was unconscious for about a minute. ``When I came to I was spitting up blood,'' he said. ``I just made sure I didn't choke on my blood. ... ``Right now my jaw is very unstable, but my head is clear,'' said Roenick. ``We'll get it wired up as soon as possible, hopefully it won't be too long.'' Dr. Andrew Feldman, the Rangers' physician, said surgery is likely for Roenick. ``Jeremy ... sustained a very bad fracture of the left jaw ... he was out pretty much for three or four minutes,'' said Feldman. ``The jaw is a problem and I'm sure he's going to need surgery on that.'' The puck caught Roenick in the face and he collapsed in a pool of blood to the left of Flyers goalie Sean Burke with 15:51 remaining in the third period. ``I was on the ice and it was a bang-bang play,'' said Flyers forward Tony Amonte. ``I don't think he had a chance to see it before it hit him.'' Roenick was motionless for several minutes before getting up and slowly leaving the ice while clutching a towel to his face. He waved to the fans, who gave him an ovation as he left. ``It's not often you get cheered at Madison Square Garden,'' Roenick said through team spokesman Zack Hill. ``They showed a lot of class and I wanted to respond.'' Roenick was later helped onto a stretcher and taken to hospital. ``He had the presence of mind to wave to the crowd,'' Amonte said. ``He had his bearings, but it definitely didn't look pretty out there. ``This is a huge loss. We're going to cross our fingers and hope for the best.'' Roenick, who assisted on Simon Gagne's goal, is the Flyers' No. 2 scorer with 45 points on 18 goals and 27 assists. The Flyers lost another centre less than a minute later. Keith Primeau was helped from the ice after a collision with the Rangers' Bobby Holik. ``He got his bell rung,'' said Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock. ``He's feeling a little better now. ``We'll give you a better update (Friday) at practice.''

Welocome to habsworld, NOHF.:/) I say lets see what Beauchemin can do. [Edited on 2004/2/13 by Spider-Man NL]

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NA...d=1052251718073 Injuries part of Gratton's makeup 'He wants to be where the puck is,' coach says of Bulldog captain's style of play By Garry McKay The Hamilton Spectator The characteristics that make Benoit Gratton such a good hockey player may also be a contributor to his injury problems. The Bulldogs captain may return to the Hamilton lineup tomorrow when the Dogs host the St. John's Maple Leafs after missing almost a month with a concussion. In the past two seasons he's also suffered a serious hand injury, a separated shoulder and a painful neck condition that's probably related to the shoulder problem. "He plays the game all out, 100 per cent," says Bulldogs' head coach Doug Jarvis. "He wants to be where the puck is. He wants to have the puck and he wants to be in the action and when you're in those scenarios, there are things that can happen. "But that's what makes him an effective player, his tenacity and wanting to have the puck." Those are also the qualities that have resulted in fans around the American Hockey League voting him to the starting lineup for Canada at the league's annual all-star game. Last year, when the game was in Portland, Gratton was injured and couldn't go. Gratton very much wants to take part in this year's festivities, which go Sunday and Monday in Grand Rapids, Mich. "Hopefully, I'll play Saturday, that will be a game-time decision, but I'm going to the all-star game for sure," Gratton said yesterday. "The all-star game isn't usually as demanding as a regular game. There's really no hitting, so it's not as intense." Gratton will be joined in Grand Rapids by Jozef Balej and Tomas Plekanec, who will play for the PlanetUSA stars. "I played once before and it was a lot of fun," Gratton pointed out. "Last year, I missed it and this year, I almost missed it again. It's a good experience to go and meet the best players in the league. It's a good event to be part of." Gratton skated at practice yesterday and says he has no symptoms of the concussion. He's hoping to use the all-star game as a springboard to a strong, injury free, finish to the season. And he has good reason. His contract with the Montreal Canadiens is up at the end of this season and with the uncertainty of whether the National Hockey League will even play next year, Gratton has to think about his future. "We'll see after the season what my options are," he says. "Maybe Europe or maybe the WHA or maybe the NHL. "I want to put up some numbers the last part of the season but more important are the playoffs." The Bulldogs are edging closer to getting most of the injured and ailing players back. Gratton, of course is day to day. That's the same status as Andrew Archer and Jimmie Olvestad, both of whom have the flu, and Chris Higgins, who has a concussion. Gordie Dwyer (infected elbow) could be back some time next week. Goaltender J.F. Damphousse (broken thumb) will be a while yet. * The Bulldogs have announced a major contribution to the McMaster Children's Hospital. The hockey club is donating $20,000 from last year's second annual Charity Golf Classic to the hospital. The club also announced that the eighth annual TD Canada Trust Smiles on Ice game will be played Sunday, Feb. 15, at Copps Coliseum when the Dogs take on the Manitoba Moose. Proceeds from that game will also go to the McMaster Children's Hospital. Tickets are available at area TD Canada Trust branches, the Copps Coliseum box office and at all Ticketmaster locations.

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NA...d=1052251718073 Jozef Balej's road to All-Star status By Garry McKay The Hamilton Spectator Jozef Balej was nine years old when his father sat him down to discuss his future in hockey. Jozef Balej Sr. was a truck driver and hockey coach in Senica, Slovakia, and had put young Jozef in his first pair of skates at age three. He was a strict disciplinarian who wanted his son to run and do pushups instead of playing with the neighbourhood kids. And he always had Jozef playing hockey with players who were older than he was so when he finally did play with guys his age, he was much better than everyone else. The elder Balej was now delivering the news that any nine-year-old would find unsettling. Jozef, at age nine, would have to leave home. His father had arranged for Jozef to play for a team in Skalica about 30 miles away where he would board with the local coach and his wife. "My dad said that if I wanted to go somewhere in hockey you have to move on. You can't stay in a city that isn't going anywhere," said Balej. "He said it would be better for me to go and play for a better team. "At that age I didn't understand but I took his word for it. He was always strict and I couldn't say no, anyway." And so off he went, beginning an odyssey that led Balej to the Hamilton Bulldogs, only one step removed from his ultimate goal of playing in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. From the age of nine to 13, Balej developed his skills in Skalica. Then it was time to move on again. "The best team in the country had seen me play and wanted me to join them," said Balej who moved to Trencin where he shared an apartment with a 16-year-old teammate. But don't think this apartment shared by two teenagers was party-central. "It was part of an army complex and we were under their rules. We had curfews and everything. It was pretty strict," said Balej. "By that time I was pretty mature. I knew how to cook and clean and take care of myself." It was during this time that Balej hired an agent who helped him plot his route to the NHL and that road led through North America. He came to Canada and joined the now defunct Thunder Bay Flyers of the United States Hockey League at age 16. It was a big year for Balej who had to adapt to the North American game and smaller ice surface and teach himself English at the same time. "We had English in school back home and I thought I knew a little but when I came over here I didn't understand anything, maybe 'yes' and 'no,' that was it," says Balej. "That was a weird year because I couldn't talk to anyone and if I wanted to order food I had to point it out. I knew chicken was chicken so I'd point it out and hope that it was going to be good." Balej taught himself English by carrying a piece of paper and pen everywhere he went. He wrote down every word he didn't understand and then in the evening looked them all up in his Slovak-English dictionary. "Sometimes it was 20-30 words a day but I'd know them by the next day," said Balej who also watched as much TV as he could. In his sixth season playing in North America, Balej is completely self taught and fluent in English. And he can understand how some European players, his teammate Alexander Perezhogin, for example, have a tough time playing their first pro season in North America when they don't speak English at all. Dogs' top scorer left home at age 9 to continue his journey ST. JOHN'S AT HAMILTON Bulldogs, 27-15-7-2, first in the North Division. Maple Leafs, 21-23-5-2, fifth in the North Division. When: Today, 3:30 p.m. Where: Copps Coliseum. Radio/TV: Radio-820 CHAM. TV-Rogers' Sportsnet. Season series: Eighth of 12 meetings. Hamilton leads 6-1. The last time: The Bulldogs won 4-3 at St. John's on Jan. 28. Streaks: Hamilton, two-game unbeaten. St. John's, one-game losing. Last 10 games: Hamilton 6-1-2-1. St. John's 2-5-2-1. Bulldogs' last game: A 4-1 win over Rochester at home on Wednesday. Maple Leafs' last game: A 4-2 loss to Syracuse at home on Wednesday. Bulldogs next home game: Next Wednesday against St. John's Leaf rot: Aaron Gavey leads St. John's in scoring with 13 goals and 25 assists. Kyle Wellwood is second at 12-24-36. The Leafs hold the last playoff spot in the North Division but are only three points ahead of Toronto and four up on Manitoba. Dog Bytes: The Bulldogs are expecting their largest crowd of the year, to date. The advance sale is around 8,000 which could put them past the 8,044 fans who showed up at Copps to watch the Dogs play St. John's on Dec. 28.

Here's an interesting article by Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning New, on the "State of the NHL Game in the US" . There's also some excellent input from Daryl "Razor" Reaugh. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NHL's appeal on thin ice High salaries, low scoring and dismal ratings have mucked it all up for the NHL It was almost 10 years ago that Sports Illustrated declared hockey the sport of the future. "The NHL is Hot," proclaimed the headline, "the NBA is Not." Yet heading into the All-Star break, the NHL has not only lost ground on the "Big Three" of football, baseball and basketball, it also has been surpassed in popularity by auto racing and the X Games. In recent months, the ratings of ABC hockey games have been bettered in head-to-head competition by curling and arena football. "If you looked at it as one big business, you'd have to say it's a poorly run company," said Stars broadcaster Daryl Reaugh. As a former goalie, a close friend of management and a member of the media, Reaugh has an unusually broad perspective on the league. "I mean, let's be serious," Reaugh said. "They're paying their employees too much, they're charging too much for their product, the product is not making the consumers happy and their marketing department is a failure. So the question is how do you fix that?" NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the only thing broken is the league's finances. His top priority is getting a better deal for the owners without allowing a work stoppage when the current collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15. "The problems really start and end with the economics," Bettman said. "You can't pay out 76 percent of your revenue in player salaries. It just doesn't work." But there are problems on the ice, as well. Scoring has dropped to a modern-era low of 5.18 goals per game – two goals per game fewer than when Bettman took over in 1993 – prompting talk of tinkering with the rules. The league has said it would like to roll out any rule changes by the time the new CBA is in place. Possibilities include a wider ice surface, bigger nets and full-time 4-on-4 play, as well as less radical departures such as smaller goalie pads. Change comes hard Changing habits, however, is tougher than changing rules. Before the season, the league announced a crackdown on obstruction – defensemen illegally clutching and grabbing opponents away from the puck. Referees were told to strictly enforce the rule. But the clutching and grabbing has continued, and scoring continues to drop. Some claim that rule changes are the culprit, not the cure. Since 1989, goalie pads were expanded from 10 inches in width to 12 inches; the nets were moved three feet farther from the end boards, shrinking the neutral zone; a second referee was added; the so-called instigator rule was inserted to curtail fighting; and an extra point was awarded for each overtime loss. "Honestly, if they just went back to the way the game was before all of the rule changes, I'd have no problem with it," said Stars forward Stu Barnes. A recent poll by The Hockey News revealed that while players want to be involved in changes to the league, they disagree on what needs to be changed. "But get us in a room and let us talk it out, and we'll come up with an answer," said Stars winger Bill Guerin. As scoring falls, the NHL has struggled to market its product or attract a television audience. Once a regional league composed of six Northern franchises, the NHL has moved into Sunbelt locales such as South Florida, Phoenix and Atlanta during Bettman's reign. Yet national TV ratings have been bad in general and at times downright embarrassing. How about 1.4 and 1.1 for the first two games of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals on ESPN? The league's contract with ABC/ESPN is up at the end of the season, and network officials are offering a two-year deal at a greatly reduced price. The league has little choice but to take what it is given. It needs ESPN to market the sport if there's going to be any real future on television. ESPN has heavily promoted its Thursday night hockey series, featuring ice-level sound and such innovations as "cable cam," a camera the slides on a rail just above the glass. Reaugh said the NHL and the networks should go even further, pointing to NASCAR's success at "taking something that was regional and making it fun for newcomers." "We need to get people down on the ice, into the bench," Reaugh said. "We need to mike players and coaches. We need to give viewers something that will bring them out of their seats." Marketing questioned Stars captain Mike Modano says the problem goes beyond improving the game and making it more fun for TV viewers. "I don't think they have ever wanted to market the individuals in this game," Modano said. "They have always wanted to market the game itself, and I'm not sure that's ever going to work." Guerin, his teammate, also wonders where the national marketing has been. He says that Modano was a stranger to Dallas sports fans when the Stars moved from Minnesota in 1993. "But once they watched him do what he does best, once they got to know him, they fell in love with him," Guerin said. "Now, they'll pay a lot of money to come watch him play hockey. Why can't that be done on the national level?" Thanks largely to expansion and licensing agreements, Bettman has helped NHL revenue grow from $500 million to $1.93 billion during his 11-year tenure. But most of that money has gone to the players, who have seen their compensation grow from $300 million to $1.46 billion during that same period. Reaugh compares NHL players to brewery workers who make $500,000 a year. "Does it make the beer any better to pay them that?" he asked. "No, but it sure makes the beer a lot more expensive." Bill Daley, NHL executive vice president, says the goal is to bring salaries down to $31 million per team from the current $45 million. The challenge is enormous: getting players and their agents to accept a 30 percent cut in pay. But the league says the benefits are also huge: lower ticket prices, more fans and a foundation for growth. "It can be fixed; anything can be fixed," Guerin said. "It's just a matter of going out and doing it."

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=70961 Canadian Press 2/4/2004 OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government is investigating on-air comments about francophones made by Don Cherry, the provocative commentator on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. An aide to Dyane Adam, official languages commissioner, confirmed that she is looking into allegedly anti-francophone remarks made by Don Cherry between periods on Hockey Night in Canada. ``The commissioner feels it's an important enough issue that she's going to investigate,'' said the aide, who asked not to be named. ``There was no formal complaint filed here, but she has on her own initiative decided to investigate. She feels that the allegations are serious enough.'' During a Jan. 24 broadcast, Cherry berated those who were calling for the mandatory use of protective visors by NHL players in the wake of several recent eye injuries. The only players who wear the visors are ``Europeans'' and ``French guys,'' he said. In an earlier segment aired after reports that players were using drugs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Cherry, without giving any evidence, said drug use in junior hockey is confined to the QMJHL. Adam is looking into both comments, the aide said. CBC spokeswoman Ruth-Ellen Soles said Wednesday the broadcaster had not yet heard from Adam, but added ``if they do launch an investigation, it's our intention to co-operate with them.'' She said the head of the CBC sports department spoke with Cherry on Wednesday morning and asked him to confine his on-air remarks to the game. Cherry agreed, Soles said. ``We feel he should stick to talking about hockey,'' she said. Cherry could not be reached for comment. Adam's aide couldn't say if Adam had contacted the CBC or Cherry or anyone else, but said ``there will be contact made. Normally when there is an investigation we would advise the institution.'' The investigation was launched after a B.C. group, Canadian Parents for French, filed a complaint with the CBC ombudsman. Cherry is no stranger to controversy. He has made a habit of questioning the courage of European hockey players. His on-air support for the war in Iraq last year was also considered provocative, and prompted the CBC to remove the segment from its website. Last March, Cherry questioned the patriotism of Quebecers during an interview with syndicated sports talk show host Jim Rome while discussing the booing the U.S. national anthem by some fans before a Montreal Canadiens game. ``It's just a damn shame they had to boo the Star Spangled Banner in Quebec. The true Canadians do not feel the way they do in Quebec there.'' The aide to Adam could not say if the official languages commissioner will investigate remarks attributed to Ron Maclean, Cherry's sidekick on the show. At the opening of the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame in Parry Sound, Ont., last July, MacLean allegedly noted that Cherry has nothing against French immersion, ``he just figures they don't hold them down long enough.'' Soles has said the network does not condone the comments by Cherry and MacLean. ``The opinions are Don's and Ron's and not CBC's, and we don't agree with them.'' Adam is the first francophone from outside Quebec to be appointed official languages commissioner. This government investigation may give CBC the opportunity to cut Cherry loose, and point the finger elsewhere. They can fire him, and blame the government, thereby saving a large part of their viewers who agree with Don.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl_network/news_...ame=nhl_network Lawyer trying to bring NHL to Hamilton Canadian Press 2/4/2004 TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto lawyer is making another attempt to bring a National Hockey League team to Hamilton, city officials said. Richard Rodier, who represents HHC Acquisition Corp., will appear before a committee of Hamilton's city council Wednesday, with a proposal to take over the management of Copps Coliseum. City councillor Terry Whitehead said Rodier's plan is to acquire an NHL team, move it to the Coliseum and then take over operation of the arena. He added the city is interested in the idea but remains cautious. ``We are all approaching this cautiously and with lots of cynicism because we have been down this road before,'' Whitehead told the Globe and Mail. Whitehead is also the vice chairman of the current operator, city owned Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. The city contributes about $2-million annually to HECFI. Rodier declined to comment Tuesday on any plans for an NHL team or who is backing the proposal.

JOHN MEAGHER The Gazette Friday, January 30, 2004 So, exactly how do the Canadiens decide whose sweater number to retire? Most Cups won, Hall of Fame credentials, or most playoff beers sold in April for Molson? Well, Canadiens brass is not saying, at least publicly. But Donald Beauchamp, the club's vice-president (communications), said yesterday such internal matters are occasionally discussed by senior club officials and ownership. "Of course, it is being discussed by the higher ranks," said Beauchamp, who would not offer more policy detail than that. Beauchamp added that even if formal criteria for sweater retirement exist, the organization would be unwise to disclose it publicly. "The minute you give details on that, you have to be very specific," he said. Needless to say, sweater-retirement candidacy is a hotly debated topic in Montreal, where seven legends have been accorded the honour by the NHL's most successful organization. They are, in numerical order: Jacques Plante (1), Doug Harvey (2), Jean Béliveau (4), Howie Morenz (7), Maurice (The Rocket) Richard (9), Guy Lafleur (10) and Henri Richard (16). Interestingly, Lafleur is the only Hall of Famer from the club's 1970s dynasty to have his sweater retired, which Beauchamp acknowledged as an obvious "gap of generations." Eight other players from that era have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. But of that elite group, only Larry Robinson was selected by the fans as a member of the Canadiens' all-time dream team in 1985 on the club's 75th anniversary. Will Robinson's No. 19 sweater ever be hoisted to the Bell Centre rafters? Canadiens fans will just have to wait and see. "It's being discussed ... it's not as if we're ignoring the situation," said Beauchamp, who cautiously agreed more sweaters deserve to be retired. But it seems few can agree on who deserves to go up next or, more important perhaps, who to leave out? For example, Patrick Roy's No. 33 sweater was retired this season by the Colorado Avalanche, which begs the question: does the former goaltender merit the same honour in Montreal, where he backstopped the team to its last two Stanley Cups? "There is a time for everything, " Beauchamp said. jmeagher@thegazette.canwest.com

According to Friday's edition of Le Journal de Montréal, the Habs originally called up Gordie Dwyer to play vs Buff and Minny, but Dwyer had to pay a visit to the hospital for some kind of shoulder infection, if I recall correctly, and therefore could not join the team.

After 52 games last season, the Habs' record was: 21-19-7-5 54 points Right now, after 52 games, the Habs are: 25-19-6-2 58 points It really is surprising that we're only 4 points ahead of last year's pace, but we have to remember that teams like the Islanders, Rangers, and Capitals were doing way better last season than they are this year. The time to see a big difference is coming up. Last season, after their 52nd game, the Habs went on a 4-game losing streak. A couple of weeks later, they enjoyed a 9-game winless skid. Then, near the end of the season, they had a 3-game losing streak. Despite all of this, the boys missed the playoffs by only 6 points or so. If this year's edition can continue to bounce back after a couple of losses, then we might be in good shape. In any event, we should be FAR better than most pundits and experts predicted we'd be.

1-0 Wild at the end of the 1st period. :nono: Shots on goal: Habs 9 Wild 9 :ghg:

1-1 at the end of the 2nd period. Buffalo has a 21-18 edge in shots. hopefully the Habs can score a couple in the 3rd to win it. :ghg: