General, Hockey Media

NHL 14 Dynamic Ratings Updates

The developers of NHL have released more details on their upcoming NHL 14, scheduled to release September 10 in North America.

NHL 14 will now feature a dynamic ratings system for “Play Now” and “Online Versus” mode, based on how they play in real-life!

For example, if Sidney Crosby performs well over a stretch of games, then his in-game character will get a ratings boost, whereas if Crosby played poorly for a stretch, then his in-game character’s ratings will decrease.

You’ll be able to check which players are on a “hot” or “cold” streak but checking in the edit lines screen, or the Starting Lineups loading screen and checking a player singularly will tell you which categories are changed based on their streak.

Full details on the new Dynamic Ratings can be found at the link below:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-dynamic-ratings

Don’t forget to pre-order NHL 14 for exclusive pre-order content at your favourite game retailers! Details on NHL 14 pre-order bonuses can be found at the following link:

http://www.easports.com/nhl/news-updates-gameplay/article/nhl-14-pre-order

That Damn Hockey Blog

That Damn Hockey Blog: I Want A Contract With The Islanders pt.1

Ah, the Islanders. They currently have the most room in the salary cap, according to CapGeek.com, which is surprising, considering the Islanders have probably the two worst contracts in the history of hockey. One of which ended only recently because of a compliance buyout, and the other is for someone who hasn’t played since 2007. They are, of course, Rick DiPietro and Alexei Yashin.

DiPietro was drafted first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, three years after the Islanders drafted Roberto Luongo. Considered to be the real future of the franchise, Luongo was traded to the Florida Panthers the same day DiPietro was drafted, so the pressure was on even before he hit the ice. After just 3 wins out of 20 in his first season, he never played again in the NHL until the 2002-03 season (which was only 11 games, one of which was a playoff shutout), before gaining the starting role the following season.

After four season of not the greatest goaltending, and 2 wins from 9 in playoffs, DiPietro was signed to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract. A week before his 26th birthday, the Islanders actually wanted to make the signing a year earlier, but the NHL discouraged the idea. The NHL knew that giving him a 15 year contract would be absolutely stupid, given the contract they gave Alexei Yashin in 2001 (I’ll get to it, don’t worry), but the Islanders gave him the contract anyway.

After one win from four in the first year of his 15-year deal, his last playoff appearance, 2007 also saw the decline of DiPietro, as injuries began to take their toll, and since 2008, has only played in 50 games for the Islanders, for just 14 wins. The misery finally ended, when his contract was bought out on July 1, 2013. However, even though it doesn’t affect the salary cap, DiPietro will still be paid $1.5 million until 2029. He will be 48.

If you think that the Islanders screwed that one up, the next part will prove that they didn’t learn from their mistakes.

For those who want to follow yours truly on Twitter for some unknown reason, it’s @ThatDamnDoubleC. Also, go visit BoredWrestlingFan.com, as we’re like brothers or something. You like the little icon in the top corner where the title of this blog is? I found that here.

Chicago Blackhawks

BoredHockeyFan.com congratulates..

BoredHockeyFan.com congratulates the Chicago Blackhawks in winning the 2013 Stanley Cup, by defeating the Boston Bruins in 6 games.

After being behind by 2 games to 1, the Blackhawks win three straight, including two goals from Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland in 17 seconds of Game Six to clinch their second Stanley Cup in four years.

Patrick Kane, who scored the Cup winner against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, walked away with the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Kane finished with 19 points (9G, 10A), including nine points, in his final ten games.

Chicago Blackhawks

Analyzing The Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have had one of the best starts to not just an NHL season, but any sport. In their first 19 games, the Blackhawks have a record of 16-0-3.  That’s 16 wins, and 3 losses all via the way of a shootout. They have not lost a single game in regulation thus far. Just three years off since their Stanley Cup victory, Chicago look poised to enter this year’s playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference, already amassing an 8 point advantage over the second placed Anaheim Ducks. The reason they have had such an amazing start is no coincedence. it all starts with their goaltending.

Corey Crawford, through the 11 games he has started, as a GAA of 1.5, and his back-up, Ray Emery has started 8 games with a GAA of 2.08 for a combined GAA of 1.79. When you’re conceding less than two goals a game, you should be at least winning more games than you are losing, especially when your opponents have only 34 goals past your goalies.

Patrick Kane on the other hand, is leading the way on offense, with 24 points in 19 games. Being helped along by the usual suspects of Marian Hossa (9G, 6A), Jonathan Toews (7G, 8A) and Patrick Sharp (4G, 11A), Chicago have a 4th best 3.1 goals per game, and with star defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook starting to find form, it seems that the streak could last a lot longer in Chi-Town.

Flashback Friday, PUCK YOU!

PUCK YOU! 3.1: The 2011-2012 Season Begins… Part 2 (repost)

Logo

While the 2012 NHL Lockout is underway, every Friday will be known as “Flashback Friday.” On this day of the week, a classic installment of PUCK YOU! will be released for your enjoyment.

This was originally published on Oct 24, 2011

And so, the debate about ice hockey continues… here is the second part of the Wonderpod Online Crew sounding off about the start of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season.
Continue reading