Posts RSS Comments RSS 135 Posts and 0 Comments till now

Archive for June, 2008

Ottawa tabs Hartsburg as new head coach

Ottawa tabs Hartsburg as new head coach
Craig Hartsburg is the new coach of the Ottawa Senators, the third time he has led an NHL team. Hartsburg takes over from Senators …

Letts nets ice crown
KITCHENER, Ontario, Canada — Corona del Mar High graduate Ryan Letts, a wing on the fourth line for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League, helped his team defeat the Kitchener Rangers, 4-1, Sunday to claim the Memorial Cup, junior hockey’s version of the Stanley Cup.

NHL 09

Wings Assistant McLellan New Sharks Coach

Wings Assistant McLellan New Sharks Coach
Sharks hire Stanley Cup-winning assistant McLellan to replace fired Ron Wilson.

Senators Select Hartsburg as New Coach
OTTAWA — Craig Hartsburg is the new coach of the Ottawa Senators, the third time he has led an NHL team.

Senators select Hartsburg as new coach (AP)

Senators select Hartsburg as new coach (AP)

Ottawa Senators new head coach Craig Hartsburg smiles as he answers questions during a news conference at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on Friday, June 13, 2008.

Craig Hartsburg is the new coach of the Ottawa Senators, the third time he has led an NHL team. Hartsburg takes over from Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who finished the season behind the Ottawa bench after coach John Paddock was fired in late February. Hartsburg, who signed a three-year contract, also has coached in Anaheim and Chicago, and was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia…


Wings Assistant McLellan New Sharks Coach
Sharks hire Stanley Cup-winning assistant McLellan to replace fired Ron Wilson.

NHL 09

Wings Assistant McLellan New Sharks Coach

Wings Assistant McLellan New Sharks Coach
Sharks hire Stanley Cup-winning assistant McLellan to replace fired Ron Wilson.

Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium
Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium

Source: 6-time Vezina winner Hasek set to retire

Source: 6-time Vezina winner Hasek set to retire
Dominik Hasek is expected to announce his retirement, a person in the NHL told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The Detroit Red Wings scheduled a news conference for Monday morning without revealing details.

Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium

Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium
Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium

Fundraising Hockey Players
Anaheim Ducks players and their wives put on a fashion luncheon fundraiser.

Red Wings’ Success Rooted in Players’ Sense of Family

Red Wings’ Success Rooted in Players’ Sense of Family
The Red Wings have kept a core group of players despite the salary cap that was instituted after the 2004-5 lockout.

NHL: Detroit Takes Game 4 In Finals
The Detroit Redwings win game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals, heading into game 5 with a 3-1 series lead.

New The Ultimate Fighter show featuring Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin off to a great start with new formula

New The Ultimate Fighter show featuring Quinton Jackson and Forrest Griffin off to a great start with new formula

So apparently Dana White is so sick p**sies sneaking covertly on the show that couldn't take it any longer and for this block buster season of The Ultimate Fighter show featuring the first Ultimate Fighter winner, top light-heavyweight contender and a big fan favorite Forrest Griffin versus the current UFC light-heavyweight champion and Pride FC veteran Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Dana decided to turn the show "upside down"..well…at least for the opening of it.

He must have though to himself real hard - "hmmm…..no matter how hard the coaches make the contestants work out in the opening show, some how the "p**sies" still make it through….I got it!…. it's cause may be possibly "pu**sies" can be good at working out and be all into fitness and stuff but can't really fight!….so now I'll make them fight for the opening show! Ha, let them try sneaking in now!"

I have to say that it was definitely the most effective show opening for the series since ever. What a better introduction to the aspiring ultimate fighters than having them fight right off the bat and show everyone what they have as far as fighting skills versus fitness. The fans in turn got to watch a bunch of exciting fights with most of the fighters really putting it on the line to stay on the show. If the series will continue it's run, this should definitely the way to start the next runs.

Anyways, I'm sure you've seen the show yourself by now, so a few quick notes:

  • I don't know why but the 5 minute rounds seemed like forever, even in exciting fights. May be cause of the atmosphere of a small warehouse and just a few people cheering. 
  • Amir Sadollah won tough fight and is the fighter to watch in my opinion
  • I didn't think the producers did a good job with the play by play that Forrest and Rampage were doing, they should have had the Picture-in-Picture of the both at all times and even Dana too and turned up the volume a bit.
  • Dana should have changed the rules a bit and kicked both those guys that had the most boring fight of the night off the show and kept the guy that cut 17 pounds that gassed against Cale, he was good and exciting and would have been a contender I think, with some stamina of course.
  • Poor Dave Roberts! The guy somehow got to debut in MMA at UFC 20 against some pure BJJ'er at 19! Those were the dark ages of UFC for many, at least me and a few other people. Dammit, I watched that show in an empty hockey rink's coach's room by myself on DirectTV….I can't believe I did that just to watch a crappy UFC card.
  • Dana is such as sellout, he was willing to scare "the bejesus!" out of both Rampage and Forrest by making them watch the new horror flick "The Ruins"….just for a damn commercial!

Great show but I'm looking forward to more of Rampage entertaining for the rest of the episodes. I want to see more stuff like below!

Devils sign Finnish D Salmela (AP)
The New Jersey Devils signed free agent defenseman Anssi Salmela of Finland on Friday. Contract terms were not immediately available. The 23-year-old had 16 goals and 16 assists in 56 games with Tappara of the Finnish League last season. His 16 goals were tops among defensemen in the league. Salmela had 36 goals, 42 assists and 208 penalty minutes in 226 games in the Finnish League.

Penguins look to turn momentum into Stanley Cup tie
The Detroit Red Wings held the series lead but the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed the momentum on Friday as the teams prepared for game four of the Stanley Cup finals.

Blues hire Armstrong as GM-in-waiting (AP)

Blues hire Armstrong as GM-in-waiting (AP)
Doug Armstrong, fired as the Dallas Stars general manager in November, was hired by the St. Louis Blues as their GM-in-waiting on Thursday. The 43-year-old Armstrong was selected the vice president of player personnel and will become general manager in 2010. The Blues extended the contract of current GM Larry Pleau, whose wife is battling cancer, through 2009-10.

NHL Rookie Killed In Motorcycle Accident
Luc Bourdon, a defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, is killed in a motorcycle crash in northern New Brunswick.

Fundraising Hockey Players
Anaheim Ducks players and their wives put on a fashion luncheon fundraiser.