The Pendleton Panther

Jaroslav Halak

For the first time in NHL history, a number eight seed has defeated a number one seed.  But that’s not all.  For the first time in NHL history, a number eight seed has defeated a number one seed, while trailing three games to one in the series.  Jaroslav Halak denied every shot that the Caps tried to take, and did a brilliant job at it.  Halak was unstoppable.  What makes the situation even worse, is that the Caps have Alex Ovechkin.  Not only did Halak silence the Caps while they were in the lead, but he silenced many a time MVP, Alex Ovechkin.  Halak played extremely well in the Olympics, and showed his consistency while ousting the Caps.  This is the third season in a row where the Caps have lost on home ice in a game seven playoff round.  There is always next year Caps and Ovechkin, keep your head high because you make millions of dollars.  At least you’re not as bad as the Nationals.

Josh Hamilton was selected as the first overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999. He was thought to be the fastest player drafted out of high school to make it to the pros. However, this did not go according to plan. You might ask, what stopped him from making his debut in 1999? Weeks after arriving in the minor leagues, a season ending injury occurred in 2000.  Days before the start of the 2001 season, Hamilton was involved in a motorcycle crash which kept him on the DL for the entire season.  More injuries in 2003 kept him out of play for nearly 263 straight games. With much free time on his hands, the 19 year old began to hang with the wrong crowd. With no baseball  Josh started decorating his body with 32 tattoos and soon after became addicted to cocaine. This caused him to fall deeper into the black hole, he was already heading towards. After failing multiple drug test in 2004 and 2005, he never played a game.  His lowest point in 2005 was when he found himself lying on his grandmothers doorstep with his body wasted away at 2:30 am. After his grandmother got him back on his feet that morning, he started his road back to baseball. In the next year Hamilton was traded to the Reds, found the Lord and got married.  In 2007 the superstar that everyone thought they would see in the pros in 2000 made his debut with the Reds. Hamilton currently is with the Texas Rangers and is one of the most feared hitters in the game and has not done drugs since 2005.

Round two is here and the first two games in Detroit have concluded.  The series is currently tied 1-1 in a dramatic fashion after a prolonged finish to game two.  Detroit brought the heat in game two however hit a hot goalie Hiller playing for the Anahiem Ducks.  The game when I turned it on was 3-2 for Anaheim in the 2nd period.  The same score concluded the second period and maintained a good time into the third until a spectacular goal by Franzen, assisted from Zetterburg and Cleary.  Fans began to think overtime, however probably were not prepared for what was to come.  The Red Wings dominated the play keeping the puck in Anaheim’s end for a good portion of time.  However Hiller stood on his head for the Ducks multiple time sending the game into a third overtime.  At the start of the third overtime the Ducks fired a low percentage shot that found the back of the net as it went over top of Osgood’s glove side shoulder. Hiller ended the game with 62 shots against him and 59 saves.  Detroit heads to California for game 3 tomorrow hoping to prevail with a win.

Could this be an important piece for the Washington Capitals to win game 7? They will be without Donald Brashear after he was suspended for 6 games when he “blind-sided” Blair Betts. The reasoning from Colin Campbell, the NHL’s senior executive VP of hockey operations said “Brashear delivered a shoulder hit to an unsuspecting player” and that “It is also my opinion that the hit was delivered late and targeted the head of his opponent, causing significant injury.” Brashear known for his physical play, plays a key part with protecting other plays and keeping up the physical play. I mean you don’t need people to get stupid and make dumb decisions for trying to hurt someone, the league is doing the right thing, they need to protect the players. We will just find out soon if he could be the reason why they lose game 7 and get out of the first round.

Detroit pleased its fans as it usually does come playoff time.  I am not talking about the Pistons who just got swept by the Cavaliers, I am talking about the Red Wings.  Although their opponent was no great challenger the Wings had many stars step out as usual dominating the games.  Chris Osgood seems to have silenced critics so far, acquiring a .33 GAA in the first three games of the series.  However he was injured during the final game and let in 5 goals in the 6-5 series winning game over the Jackets.  With the amount of time given before the next series he should be ready for action come game one.  Columbus was an enormous underdog in this series.  You have the past season champions on one side and Columbus on the other as they made their first ever playoff debut.  Umbergger played well for Columbus although could not penetrate Detroit’s defense on his own and struggled to put points on the board for his team.  Detroit will go into the next series favored once again.

The NHL is always fun to watch this time of year.  Mostly because it is crunch time for teams trying to crack the top 16 spots.  As of today, Edmonton has the 16th spot to themselves by a point with 79 points.  The Red Wings are behind San Jose for the top spot by a point with 105 points.  As for other teams it may be time to look towards next season.  Tampa Bay has an All-Star roster yet fail to play and win as a team.  They are currently in second to last place with 64 points.  Ryan Malone went to Tampa Bay after last season hoping to show his talent as he was overshadowed by teammate Crosby when with the Penguins.  I wish there were a way for me to get the Detroit channels down here to watch some quality hockey games.  Hopefully Versus gets coverage or CBC for the playoffs so I will be able to watch the games.  Although Versus currently has an announcer that no one can tolerate when watching the games.  He is obnoxious and clueless, as well as quite often behind pace.  Yet all I want is to be able to watch the playoffs.

Well after a great year last year and leading his team to the Stanly Cup finals the Pittsburgh Penguins have fired their head coach Michel Therrien with 25 games remaining. The team has struggled this year and are currently 10th place in the eastern conference. The team does have superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. During the offseason the team has lost a lot of key players and making those losses were a big factor of their struggles this year. This team has two really special players, Crosby and Malkin, but it doesn’t seem that they can get it together so far. If a team starts to struggle the head coach gets all the blame but in many cases it’s really never the head coach’s fault.  Michel Therrien is a really good coach but with all the losses in the off season it seems that they don’t have enough pieces of the puzzle to be an elite team.

I recently went to a Tampa Bay Lightning game against the Florida Panthers.  My dad scored some front row seats which include tickets to the clubs in the rink.  First we went to the bottom club where the players walk through.  We were greeted with free drinks, white castle sliders, chicken wings, and other appetizers.  After watching the warm-ups we found our way to the VIP club on the fourth floor.  There we were greeted with steak, turkey, seafood, Belgian waffles, and ice cream.  This food was once again free, and very good.  My dad and his friend enjoyed the free alcohol, as this experience is unheard of in Detroit at the Joe Lewis Arena.  When the Red Wings are at home, the arena sells out.  Detroit does not need to treat there fans like Tampa Bay.  Tampa has an amazing rink, and cherish their fans, however hockey just isn’t as popular here and the team is in a drought right now.

Coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts was the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl. This is a great feature, but this is not what makes Tony Dungy such a special person. Before coaching the Indianapolis Colts, Dungy came into a coaching job for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This coaching job wasn’t an easy one, as the team was thinking about moving to possibly Los Angeles or Baltimore, and also the team hadn’t been to the playoffs in almost a generation. Dungy overcame these tasks and sent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs, but his impact as a person was bigger to some players then as a coach. Dungy stuck with his kicker Micheal Husted, even after missing not only field goals but also extra points. Dungy told him that he was “his” kicker even when everyone else in the media doubted Dungy and Husted. The next game Husted kicked a game winning field goal; this speaks for Dungy’s ability to coach and his willingness to be there for each and every one of his players he coaches. I thought this article was very good, and I appreciate what Dungy did for Michael Husted. I believe that if all coaches were like Dungy then the entire NFL would benefit from it.

Sydney Crosby just broke Jaromir Jagr’s record for most fan votes into the NHL all-star game. With two weeks still left until the all-star game Crosby already received over 1,020, 327 mark which was set as most votes ever by Jagr in 2000 when he was a Pittsburgh Penguin. This is a notable feat that Crosby has accomplished, especially at such a young age, and with days still left before total votes come in, you can bet that the number will be a fair amount higher then Jagr’s. Also Crosby’s team mate Malkin was only 19,000 votes behind Jagr’s record with two weeks still left before the all star game. So there is a possibility that not one, but two players will surpass Jagr’s mark, and coincidentally are on the same hockey team. There seems to be a trend going on with the Pittsburgh Penguin players, they must really have a nack for picking fan favorites.

It has been reported that Joe Sakic will be out for at least three months due to the condition of his three broken fingers. Sakic broke his three fingers in some type of fluke accident, in which he was using his snow blower. When Sakic’s team, the Colorado Avalanche, were asked details about what happened to their teammate they denied giving out any details. Sakic was already presumed to be out until mid-January due to his back problems in which he has a herniated disc. This just adds to the problems for Sakic, as well as his teammates, as he was one of their star players and a veteran to the team. Sakic’s teammates believe that he will have a full recovery and will be able to play sometime near mid-March. If possible I’m sure the team will want him back earlier, in hopes of having him help the team get into the playoffs and win a possible championship.

Honestly the Detroit Red Wings are by far the most talented team in the National Hockey League.  However, their goalkeeper weighs them down.  Chris Osgood played well last season in the playoffs so he deserves credit for his success. Yet had he been playing for any other team he would have been lucky to be in the playoffs.  The Red Wings often times out shoot their opponents but lose games that should not be lost. The fact is Chris Osgood is holding back the Wings.  Most fans believe they have great goal tending, but compared to the rest of the team, his goal tending is pathetic.  Obviously, the salary cap is making it hard for the Red Wings to get a solid goaltender, but a good draft pick would be beneficial in several years.  As I am writing this I have watched Osgood let in not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 weak goals in less than ten minutes cutting the wings 5-2 lead to 6-6.  It seems every time the Penguins enter the zone, which isn’t very often, they get a free goal off of Osgood. I am going to go insane if a trade isn’t made soon!

Marion Hossa has been the perfect edition to the 2008-09 Red Wings roster.  Acquired from Pittsburgh at the end of last season, fans were skeptical whether he was worth the price tag on his back but after scoring several game winning goals and showing his skills and pure talent night after night he is earning the respect of the crowd.  Hossa has already racked up an astounding 12 points in 9 games, including 5 goals and 7 assists.  Could this be a repeat season for the Wings? As long as the stars of Detroit’s lineup keep producing and they maintain decent goal tending you can expect to see Detroit on top of the NHL again at the end of the season.  Hossa has played on four NHL teams since 1997 which was his rookie season.  Hossa caused a lot of controversy with the Pittsburgh fans by moving to Detroit. The Pittsburgh fans do not really understand that this is the effect of the salary cap.  Now the question is will Crosby be the same without Hossa setting him up?

Alexei Cherepanov, a prominent prospect of the New York Rangers, has passed away at the young age of 19. He collapsed on the ice during a game in his native Russia, he was immediately rushed to the hospital where he could not be revived. The official reasoning for his death has been withheld from the public by the New York Rangers organization, regional Moscow investigators have deemed the cause of death chronic ischemia, a condition that restricts blood from the heart and other vital organs. He will be sorely missed by the entire New York Rangers team, as  In his memory, the team observed a moment of silence before playing the New Jersey Devils.

Alexei Cherepanov, a potential star for the New York Rangers suddenly died at the ripe, young age of nineteen during a hockey game in his homeland Russia. The cause of death has not yet been released to the public by the Rangers.

It was reported in the New York Times that he died of a heart attack but it is not known if that was the only cause of his untimely death.. Paramedics were on call and tried desperately to revive him. However, it took about 15-20 minutes for him to be transported to the nearest hospital and he could not be resuscitated.

To honor his memory, the rangers held a minute’s silence before playing the New Jersey Devils. The New York Ranger’s general manager released a statement to the media saying that the whole team was saddened by his passing and that he was a bright, energetic player who had much potential that the world never got to see.

Reigning Champions the Detroit Red Wings are ready to go as the pre-season is set to start. After the Red Wings got the Cup back some were skeptical about how tough they would be this year. Experts expect they’ll be tougher than last year which is what most teams didn’t want to hear. The Red Wings kept all of their stars for the upcoming season as well as signing Marion Hossa. Hossa was the number one goal scorer for the Pittsburg Penguins in the playoffs this past season.  The Penguins suffered a loss in last year’s Stanley Cup final, 4 games to 2.  After that blow, they soon after lost Hossa to the Wings, and also lost star forwards Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu, Gary Roberts, Georges Laraque and Adam Hall. With all the young guns on this team expanding their careers the salary cap would not allow this team to stay together and are going through yet another rebuilding year. However with Crosby and Marc-Andre Fluery stamping their names on the association there is still hope.   Last year the NHL conducted a game on a pond outside. They built a rink around the pond and played in a snow storm. The opening games this season are scheduled to start in Czech Republic and Sweden on Oct 4 and 5. There will be two games in each location between the Rangers vs. the Lighting and the Senators vs. the Penguins.