It's Hockey Season!!

“Gotchya.......

Where is that old hockey puck Geode??”

“The hockey season is almost over. The Phantoms took a 3-0 lead in the finals last night. It could be over on Friday night.

The Purple Rain is awesome. 'course, they lost every game I went to.”

“Phantoms Are Calder Cup Champions


(PHILADELPHIA, June 10, 2005) – The Philadelphia Phantoms are the 2005 Calder Cup champions!

Jon Sim and Patrick Sharp each scored twice tonight to help the Phantoms complete a four-sweep of the Chicago Wolves with a 5-2 victory in Game Four of the Calder Cup Finals. An AHL playoff-record 20,103 fans attended the game at the Wachovia Center.

Antero Niittymaki made 28 saves on 30 shots to earn the win and clinch the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs. Niittymaki finished the postseason with a 15-5 record and 1.75 goals-against average, including stopping 132-of-136 shots faced against Chicago.”

“Battle of the Hockey Enforcers to debut Aug. 27 in Prince George, B.C.

..12 players on the ice to slug it out for cash....."It'll be hockey fights without a hockey game," said Wolski. "And our guys won't have to sit in a penalty box for five minutes.

"The puck drops and away they go for 60 seconds."

A panel of five judges will determine winners of each fight.

There'll be pay-per-view TV of the event, said Wolski, who declined to reveal what the prize money would be.

Woe is me.....how low have hockey fallen.....”

“Ah, Stan, I feel your pain. We just need a regular season this year. I might actually get cable back for that...”

“The NHL is over if it doesn't make it back this year.”

“They may still be a bit rusty.”

“That's just depraved!!!”

“She's only saying that because they didn't invite her.”

“Anyone else hear this?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/3721780”

“Yes, it's been all over the news here.

What an ass!”

“Roenicke was always a fan favorite here. When he first started the tirade, I thought maybe he'd say something to let people know where he was coming from. I think he just went off like a Roman candle without really thinking about what he was saying. The apology should come anytime now.

Regardless, I'm priced out of the NHL. He doesn't have to worry about losing my business. He lost that a looooong time ago!”

“I'm a big JR fan but that's a load of you-know-what and he knows it. That's why these guys don't get any sympathy from the fans. Hockey's always had the "regular guy" players that you could relate to, but this is not what they need---especially after booting an entire season.
I agree, his apology will be out any time.”

“"Anyone who thinks athletes are spoiled can kiss my ass..."

Way to tell em, JR. I am a big hockey fan. JR just... should shut his mouth before he gets emotional. Heck, that's good advice for anyone. Anyway, a great way to prove athletes are not spoiled is not to act like a spoiled brat in the same sentence. Here's hoping there is a season.”

“Y'all mean speak softly and carry a big stick???

So to speak?”

“Lol!”

“A deal has been reached
Thank God.”

“Whoo Hoo!”

“Those who are still under contract will have their salaries reduced by 24 percent, a concept first proposed by the union last December. Some expensive players will also be on the market as teams pare payrolls to get down to the cap.

LET THE FREE FOR ALL BEGIN!!!!”

“What does this have to do with that great move Lance put on yesterday? The man still has it!”

“Dear Geo,

The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League
Players' Association have reached an agreement in principle
on the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Details of the new Agreement will not be made available
publicly pending the formal ratification process by the
NHLPA Members and the NHL Board of Governors.


It is anticipated that the ratification process will be
completed next week, at which time the parties will be prepared
to discuss the details of the Agreement and plans for next season.”

“They said a draft will be taking place next month!!! I am SO there!”

“I could use a good draft. It's pretty hot here.”

“I hope Stevie Y plays another season!! Go Wings!”

“I would guess it depends on the celery cap.”

“SWEET!”

“They should've done this LAST season.

Happy they got the show on the road.....”

“ohhhh tango
a little birdie told me there will be hockey this year......”

“Ah, the hockey pucks are happy......the universe is back in balance.

mapleleaf, you talkin' to those kooky birds again?”

“LET'S GO DEVILS!”

“Satin whorshipper!!!”

“crosscheck the owners into the penalty box - don't go to the games”

“will the fans come back?”

“I'm THERE already!

I hope the birdy didn't peck you in the ear Mapes!!!!

I AM A VERY HAPPY GIRL!!!!

The New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets have the best chance of drafting Sidney Crosby first overall in the 2005 NHL draft. But any team has a chance to pick first.

I've got to get up to speed on the draft.



To all the single guys in Orlando starting in September I am busy Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights until mid June!
last edited: 7/14/05 12:36:29 PM”

“Hockey pucks!!”

“Geo....cool cartoon...thanks for posting....I can relate dude...

I've played hockey since age 12...and recently had to stop when Hazel Mtn in Shenandoah tore 3 ligaments in my ankle...I actually reached as high as playing at the NCAA Club level many years ago but....to this day...I still have a problem with watching hockey on the tube.....it just don't translate well....and the season is like 20 or 30 games way too long.....the trap sucks....rules needs to be changed.....anywho...i'd rather be on the rink than watching it on my sofa.....”

“I'll take it any way I can get it.


Minds out of the gutter guys!
last edited: 7/18/05 9:38:30 PM”

“New rules for the next season designed to make fans come out to more games:

Six more referees will be assigned to each game.

Goalies will play with no masks or pads.

Players will play with no helmets.

Coaches must skate a shift.

Paint a few more lines on the ice.

Nobody can touch another player.

Centers will skate naked.

At least one center on each team will be a female.

Instead of a puck, a yellow Nerf ball will be used.

Rather than bothering playing three periods, shootouts will commence on the opening whistle, shortening the game so fans can get home in time to watch Sports Center.

Free beer for the first round of the shootout.

One lucky fan picked at random will get to take home the center of his/her choice.

The coach will drive one lucky fan to and from the game in a stretch limo.

Each season, one lucky fan chosen at random will get to whiz on Rocket Richard's grave, a chore formerly reserved for Gary Bettman.”

“The NHL Entry Draft will be July 30 in Ottawa. This year's event will be drastically scaled back as the league slowly comes back to life after a 301-day lockout.

It is the first time in the history of the entry draft that each team will have the chance to select first overall.

ESPNews will present the lottery results between 4-4:30 p.m. It will also be Internet streamed via NHL.com”

“There is some 17-year-old kid who is supposed to be the real deal who will go to whoever draws that number one pick. They're calling him "The Next One."”

“It will be broadcast live in Canada, but not in the US because ESPN is still at odds with the NHL.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2113650

I will be away that day anyway.”

“Sidney Crosby is the kid's name. He may be coming to a rink near you soon!”

“I hope the Pens get him!”

“Me too!”

“Flyers here.”

“Anyhoo, supposedly this kid is better than Lindros and of the same caliber as Gretzky.

Makes me wonder if some small market team snarfs him up whether they would not try to trade him as happened with Lindros.”

“Hockey's Bling Crosby
Phenom already has endorsement deals; maybe he can help rejuvenate NHL
By ED BARKOWITZ
barkowe@phillynews.com

NOTE: This story has been CORRECTED.

Most 17-year-olds are sweating out college applications and wondering whether cold spoons really do remove hickeys.

Sidney Crosby is not your typical 17-year-old.

In the last 5 months, Crosby has signed two major endorsement deals and tomorrow he begins rescuing the NHL. Heady stuff for a guy who isn't even allowed to vote yet. Fair or not - and it's probably not - Crosby carries like a gorilla the nickname "The Next One," an obvious off-handed reference to Wayne Gretzky's moniker "The Great One." He's a 5-11, 193-pound center (and still filling out) who is the undisputed prize in a Crackerjack box of NHL prospects.

"I remember the first time I saw him," Flyers assistant general manager Paul Holmgren recalled, "my thought was: There's somebody's franchise. He's the real deal."

Many folks who know these sort of things, like Gretzky himself, say Crosby is the best young prospect since Mario Lemieux. (Yep, he's even more highly regarded than Eric Lindros.) Crosby, who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and lives in Cole Harbour, has twice won the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League's MVP award.

In 62 games this season with his junior club, Rimouski Oceanic, Crosby had 66 goals and 102 assists. He wore jersey number 87, not in tribute of Lindros' No. 88, but merely because his birthday is Aug. 7, 1987 (8/7/87, get it?).

"He's got a little bit of Gretzky in him," Holmgren said. "He's also got a little bit of Joe Sakic; a little bit of Peter Forsberg, from a competitive standpoint. For a young kid, he's got tremendous poise on the ice, a solid personality off the ice. He's going to bring everything."

In March, Crosby joined Allen Iverson and LeBron James*** and Mike Modano as Reebok pitchmen. Earlier this month, Gatorade signed him to an endorsement deal. While the NHL lockout was mired in uncertainty, he turned down a 3-year, $10 million offer to play in Switzerland. In 2003, he became the youngest player ever to score a goal for Canada in the world junior championships. The puck rests in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Tomorrow, when the NHL conducts its draft lottery, Crosby will be the prize for whichever team draws the first pick. The lottery was weighted so that the four teams that haven't made the playoffs nor had the No. 1 overall choice in the last 3 years - Buffalo, Columbus, the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh - have three chances at this year's top pick. The Flyers are among a group that has just one chance.

Holmgren's reference to Crosby's off-ice charisma can be directly contrasted to Lindros, who was the last mega prospect to come out of the Canadian junior leagues.

When Lindros was selected by Quebec with the No. 1 overall pick in 1991, he made it clear he never would play for the small-market Nordiques. He forced a trade that landed him in Philadelphia a year later for, among others, Forsberg.

Crosby has set no such restrictions. He has a keen sense of the game's history and even told Edmonton officials he would have no problem playing for the small-market Oilers. Edmonton, of course, is where Gretzky set numerous records and won four Stanley Cups. "From our standpoint, if you pulled a pin out of a grenade, the bang wouldn't be as big as it would be if we got Crosby," Oilers spokesman Allan Watt told the Edmonton Journal. "Our parking lot wouldn't be big enough."

After Crosby, there's an intriguing group of defensemen, always a premium position on draft day.

"There are eight or nine guys that are all in the same boat," Holmgren said. "They all have different strengths and weaknesses and I wouldn't be surprised if they went bang-bang-bang-bang-bang in the upcoming draft. That's how close they are."

Bobby Ryan, a 6-foot, 210-pound winger from Cherry Hill, also will be selected very high. The Flyers would be quite happy to land him.

"We'd be ecstatic if that was the case,'' Holmgren said. "In our opinion, he's going to be a very high pick. He's a strong skater, big guy, tremendous hands, can score, but can also make plays. He's a good pro prospect with the big frame that he's got.

"To get him, you'd have to be drafting in the top 5. We need a little magic when those lottery balls start coming down."

But make no mistake, while most teams would be thrilled with Ryan, defenseman Jack Johnson or left winger Benoit Pouliot, this lottery is really the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes.

"We haven't broken out the rabbit's feet yet," Holmgren joked, "but we were talking about it the other day."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CORRECTION:

The Daily News incorrectly reported LeBron James' endorsement deal yesterday in a story about hockey prospect Sidney Crosby. James is signed with Nike.”

“There is some 17-year-old kid who is supposed to be the real deal who will go to whoever draws that number one pick. They're calling him "The Next One."”
Geobeet

is he Eric Lindros Jr.?”

“Try Sidney Crosby. See story above.”