Jarome Iginla Chooses To Miss NHL All-Star Game
Jarome Iginla, superstar captain of the Calgary Flames, has decided to take a pass on this year's NHL All-Star Game to attend to his ailing grandmother.
Jerome Iginla, superstar captain of the Calgary Flames, has decided to take a pass on this year's NHL All-Star Game to attend to his ailing grandmother. This would have been his 6th all-star game in his 14-year career, spent entirely with the Flames in his home Province of Alberta. Philadelphia Flyers center Daniel Briere will replace Iginla.
Throughout his career, Iginla has acknowledged that his grandparents, Richard and Frances Schuchard, were quite influential in his life and referred to them as his "second parents". His grandfather passed away in May. The 33-year-old winger will take advantage of the All-Star break, which runs from January 28th through the 30th.
High-definition satellite television will ensure that all eyes will be on Raleigh, North Carolina that weekend for all of the festivities, including the All-Star Draft on Friday night to the 2011 All-Star game on Sunday afternoon.
Hurricanes Barely Make A Breeze In Boston
So here's the way the universe works: Whenever you play a game in which 12 players scores 12 goals, including 5 goals from one team in the closing period, there's a game waiting in the proverbial wings that's going to unfold in quite the opposite manner. If you're a regular reader of this column, or wouldn't dream of missing a Bruins game on satellite TV, then you know I tell the truth.
Last Thursday the Bruins and Flyers played just that game, finishing with the Bruins on top, 7-5. Fast-forward to Monday night for the "opposite" game. In Monday's game, only 5 players accounted for all the score, a 7-0 drubbing of the Carolina Hurricanes, and 3 of those goals came from one player, the 6' 9" defenseman Zdeno Chara . In fact it was his first career hat trick, and as a defenseman in his 13th NHL season, probably his last.
See what I'm talking about? In the game last week 12 centers and wingers scored 12 goals, and not one of those hired gunslingers came close to getting a second goal, let alone a hat trick. In Monday's game not only did the Hurricanes wind up getting blanked on the scoreboard, but they let a defenseman tall enough to play in the NBA dump in three past a pair of worthy keepers.
I wonder what the universe has in store for tonight's rematch, when both teams lace 'em up in Carolina tonight?
Professional Hockey Teams up With...ADT?
Didn't think that you would ever hear the word home security intertwined with professional hockey? Well, neither did I. But it just so turns out that the home security industry is more interested in the world of sports than anyone ever suspected.
I found this really interesting ADT blog post that says how ADT has teamed up with the Florida Panthers to recognize important people that have impacted professional hockey. They are going to honor Bill Lindsay, former Florida Panthers great, on Jan. 15 when the Panthers play the New Jersey Devils.
I find it quite interesting that a company such as ADT that prides themselves on protecting people has joined forces with a team full of angry, ruthless hockey players. How ironic. What's next? Ringling Brothers Circus teaming up with PETA?
Check out the post, it is worth reading!
A Dozen Players Score A Dozen Goals In Boston Thursday Night
The first goal came at 3:34 of the 1st period; the last one at 19:53 of the 3rd. In between, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins chipped in another 10 goals- -2 in the 1st, 3 in the 2nd, and a whopping 7 in the 3rd including 5 from the Bruins. The Bruins ended up going on to upend the Flyers 7-5 when it was all said and done.
Take it from a guy who really loves watching a 1-0 game on his satellite TV system, there are few things more exciting than a high-scoring hockey game. The tension is still palpable, but it's a more casual, breezy event when the pucks are hitting the back of the net every handful of minutes.
Especially noteworthy from this game is that 12 different players scored. No hat tricks, just lots of goals and lots of assist- -21 of them to be exact. Only Steve Kampfer's goal at 18:46 of the 3rd was unassisted. For Bruins fans in Boston, this game will be the talk of the town today and rightfully so. Hockey is an extremely exciting sport and on any given night a dozen players can score a dozen goals.
Ron Wilson Gets 600th Win As Head Coach
Anyone who's followed hockey for the past two decades knows that Ron Wilson is an extraordinary head coach in the National Hockey League.
Wilson has taken 4 teams to the post season on 8 different occasions, including a trip to the Cup finals in his first year as head coach of the Washington Capitals. Even though Wilson holds dual citizenship of Canada and the United States, he has represented the United States as both a player and a coach, including the head coaching duties for the 2010 US Men's Olympic hockey team.
This week Wilson won his 600th game as a head coach when his Toronto Maple Leafs won 4-2 over Wilson's previous team, the San Jose Sharks. Known as a terrific defenseman for both Toronto and the Minnesota North Stars, now the Dallas Stars, Wilson brings that type of hard-nose mentality to his teams, often leading the NHL in total defense.
Wilson is also a huge proponent of state-of-the-art technology, including using personal computers and tablet computers during each game. It's only fitting that DISH Network, through the use of leading-edge technology, brings you every hockey game of the season, from the first faceoff to the final goal in the Stanley Cup Finals in the most stunning high definition in the premium home television industry.
Choose DISH Network and NHL Center Ice for end-to-end hockey coverage all season long!
