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Showing posts from February, 2015

On This Day In Hockey History

1941 The Boston Bruins go 23 games unbeaten with a record of 15-0-8 which in doing so sets an NHL record. 1981 : In a game between Boston Bruins and the Minnesota North Stars ,  the record for most penalties in a game is set. In this game there were a total of 84 penalties that equaled 392 minutes.  2005: The Walt Disney company agrees to sell the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim franchise to billionaire Henry Samueli.

Has Balotelli Been Worth The Trouble?

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After scoring the winning penalty in Liverpool's Europa League win over Besiktas on Wednesday, Mario Balotelli has once again succeeded in upsetting the apple cart. As Jordan Henderson was preparing to take the spot kick himself, Balotelli proceeded to snatch the ball from him. This triggered a heated confrontation between him and teammate Daniel Sturridge . Ignoring both of them, Balotelli coolly slotted the winner. The aftermath is the seemingly meaningless affair has gone to a deeper core- Steven Gerrard has now accused Balotelli of showing disrespect ! When a respected figure like Gerrard starts to call you out, you know this no small opinion. Since arriving for £16.5 million in the summer, this guy was once again the hot topic of discussion and many questioned Brendan Rodgers ' decision to bring him in. In the past he has proven to be disruptive, but he has normally made up for this with his scoring ability. This season though it appears that the goals has all but

On This Day in Hockey History

February 20th 1971- Phil Esposito became the quickest NHL player to reach 50 goals in a season while at Boston Bruins. 1974- Mr Hockey himself, Gordie Howe comes out of retirement to play alongside his sons for the Houston Aeros! 1993- The New York Islanders retired the great goalie, Billy Smith 's #31 jersey 2004- Sergei Zubov  notches up his 600 point while playing for Dallas Stars 

Meet Steve Moses

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On Wednesday night in the KHL, the single season goal scoring record was broken- but to everyone's surprise it was an American who did the job. Ever heard of Steve Moses ? Well you would be forgiven if you hadn't because this guy has been flying under the radar most of his career. Currently playing for Finnish team Jokerit, who only joined the KHL this year- his 36 goals have been something extraordinary! After playing for New Hampshire Wild Cats whilst at University of New Hampshire, Moses impressed enough to secure an amateur try out with Connecticut Whale. After nine games and two goals, he didn't manage to secure a long term deal. Since 2012 he has been playing with Jokerit and has been doing- but this season against competition such Ilya Kovalchuk- this man has finally began to stand out! His size may hinder his talent (Moses is only 5 ft 8) but he seems to be possessing a budding scoring talent which NHL may want to take note of! At only 25 years of age, we shall

Hammond the Hamburglar

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In Ottawa Senators win over the Montreal Canadiens last night, rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond made a big impression in his debut, making over 42 saves to secure a 4-2 win for the Sens. But more than anything, it was his cool Hamburglar helmet design that made him stand out, try finding a cooler display this year!

Marcus Stroman: Armed and Dangerous

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As the new MLB season draws ever closer to us, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to have an unlikely secret weapon in starting pitcher Marcus Stroman ! After impressing in his debut season last year (and becoming my player jersey of choice) the young man from Bedford, New York appears to have a variety of ammunition in his arsenal that could well seem him make the jump from prized prospect, to future all star! If you read Jeff Sullivan's excellent article on Fangraphs, you being to realize that this young player is a loaded gun. On his sinker and four seam fastballs, Stroman has proven to very effective. Some may On his breaking balls, he being closely compared with last season American League Cy Younger, Corey Kluber! His slider in particular resulted in a strike nearly 70% of the times that he threw them!  Last season he threw more than 65% on strikes and over 60% of his pitches resulted in groundouts! After seeing him last season, I can personally vouch that this guy is one pla

Early Contenders For Hart Trophy

Tyler Seguin  Currently the beating heart of what is a patchy Dallas Stars team, Seguin currently sits second in the points standing with 59. He has a keen eye for goal and seems to score at will which if the Stars management can work out a plan promises great things. Seems inconceivable now that Boston traded him back in 2012 for Loui Eriksson- see how well that deal worked out boys! At only 23 years of age, Seguin is looking like he could be something remarkable! Jacob Voracek The biggest surprise of this season so far, Voracek has already scored an amazing 59 points, which nearly equals his entire season total of 62 points last season! The Philadelphia Flyers have endured a lacklustre season, from which the Czech winger has one of the few highlights. Many will say he have a fluke season and this will never again continue. They maybe right, but this season Voracek has deserved all the praise that has come his way and his name of the trophy would be fitting! Pekka Rinne  Sta

Should Evander Kane Leave Jets?

After last nights scathing attack by Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada, it appears that the critics are out on Winnipeg Jets winger Evander Kane ! In recent weeks, Kane has come under criticism from the hockey world due to his decision to go for shoulder surgery which will keep him out for over 4-6 months. Doesn't sound bad on the surface, but it appears there is indeed more to the story. After being a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game against Vancouver, Kane angered his team mates by turning up for a team meeting wearing a tracksuit instead of a suit and tie! Incensed by this apparent disrespect shown to the dress code, team mate Dustin Byfuglien allegedly threw Kane's clothes into a bath of cold water. Kane then left the rink in a rage and did not travel with the team for the pre game and did not inform the team until half an hour before game time that he would not play!After Kane's benching was made public knowledge, he has appeared to end his season premat