IIHF

2014 Winter Olympics Rosters – Slovakia

Here is the roster for Slovakia for the Winter Olympics in Sochi:

Teams play in the National Hockey League (NHL) unless otherwise stated.

KEY: Player Name, Team, History At Olympics

FORWARDS

Milan Bartovic, HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) (1st appearance)
Michal Handzus, Chicago Blackhawks (3rd appearance – 9GP 4G 3A 6PIM)
Marcel Hossa, Dinamo Riga (KHL) (3rd appearance – 13GP 0G 1A 0PIM)
Marián Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks (4th appearance – 15GP 12G 13A 10PIM)
Tomas Jurco, Detroit Red Wings (1st appearance)
Tomas Kopecký, Florida Panthers (2nd appearance – 7GP 1G 0A 2PIM)
Tomas Marcinko, HC Košice (Tipsport Extraliga) (1st appearance)
Michel Miklik, HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) (1st appearance)
Richard Pánik, Tampa Bay Lightning (1st appearance)
Branko Radivojevic, HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) (2nd appearance – 7GP 0G 0A 6PIM)
Tomas Surovy, HC Dinamo Minsk (KHL) (2nd appearance – 6GP 0G 1A 2PIM)
Tomas Tatar, Detroit Red Wings (1st appearance)
Tomas Zaborsky, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL) (1st appearance)
Peter Ölvecký, HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) (1st appearance)

DEFENSEMEN

Ivan Baranka, Avangard Omsk (KHL) (2nd appearance – 2GP 0G 1A 0PIM)
Zdeno Chára, Boston Bruins (3rd appearance – 13GP 1G 4A 8PIM)
Dominik Granak, HC Dynamo Moscow (KHL) (1st appearance)
Martin Marincin, Edmonton Oilers (1st appearance)
Andrej Meszaros, Philadelphia Flyers (3rd appearance – 13GP 0G 2A 8PIM)
Andrej Sekera, Carolina Hurricanes (2nd appearance – 7GP 1G 0A 0PIM)
Michal Sersen, HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL) (1st appearance)
Lubomir Visnovsky, New York Islanders (5th appearance – 19GP 4G 4A 2PIM)

GOALIES

Peter Budaj, Montreal Canadiens (3rd appearance – 3GP .924 SV% 2.01GAA)
Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues (2nd appearance – 7GP .911SV% 2.41GAA)
Ján Laco, HC Donbass Donetsk (KHL) (1st appearance)

*replaces Marián Gáborík, Columbus Blue Jackets 0n the roster due to injury

IIHF

2014 Winter Olympics Rosters – United States

Here is the roster for the United States for the Winter Olympics in Sochi:

Teams play in the National Hockey League (NHL) unless otherwise stated.

KEY: Player Name, Team, History At Olympics

FORWARDS

David Backes, St. Louis Blues (2nd appearance – 6GP 1G 2A 2PIM)
Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings (2nd appearance – 6GP 0G 0A 0PIM)
Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers (2nd appearance – 6GP 0G 1A 2PIM)
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (2nd appearance – 6GP 3G 2A 2PIM)
Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks (2nd appearance – 6GP 2G 0A 2PIM)
Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs (2nd appearance – 6GP 1G 1A 0PIM)
T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues (1st appearance)
Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens (1st appearance)
Zach Parisé, Minnesota Wild (2nd appearance – 6GP 4G 4A 0PIM)
Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks (2nd appearance – 6GP 0G 3A 4PIM)
Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche (2nd appearance – 6GP 1G 2A 0PIM)
Derek Stepan, New York Rangers (1st appearance)
James van Riemsdyk, Toronto Maple Leafs (1st appearance)
Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets (1st appearance)

DEFENSEMEN

John Carlson, Washington Capitals (1st appearance)
Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes (1st appearance)
Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks (1st appearance)
Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins (1st appearance)
Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers (1st appearance)
Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh Penguins (2nd appearance – 6GP 0G 0A 0PIM)
Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues (1st appearance)
Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild (2nd appearance – 6GP 0G 4A 2PIM)

GOALTENDERS

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings (2nd appearance – OGP 0.00SV% 0.00GAA)
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres (2nd appearance – 6GP 94.56SV% 1.35GAA)
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings (1st appearance)

That Damn Hockey Blog

That Damn Hockey Blog: Captains, Brawls and Blues! Oh My!

Jamie Benn and Mark Giordano have been named Captains of the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames respectively. They replace Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla, who were both traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins toward trade deadline last season.

Giordano, 29, becomes the 19th Captain in Calgary Flames franchise history, and will have Mike Cammalleri and Curtis Glencross as his Assistants, whereas Benn, 24, will be the sixth Captain since the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993, where Ray Whitney and Stephane Robidas will be the Assistant Captains.

How do you make pre-season exciting? Have a line brawl.
How do you welcome your brand new 5.5 million dollar contract with your new team? Get yourself suspended for ten games.

The Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs decided that pre-season games were boring, and decided that an all-in brawl was the best way. It started when John Scott of the Sabres decided that he needed to stand up for his team-mate, Corey Tropp, was mis-matched in a fight with Leaf Jamie Devane and was going to fight the first person he saw after the faceoff. The Maple Leafs countered this, by trying to move the game on, by sending out their big guns, leaving franchise forward Phil Kessel to fight Scott. This started the brawl, which ended with Kessel showing off his wedge skills on Scott’s shin, Goalies Ryan Miller (Sabres) and Jonathan Bernier (Leafs) having a fight of their own, and David Clarkson, who signed from New Jersey in the off-season, came off the bench to get involved. This is a no-no, and coming off the bench in that nature, leads to an automatic 10-game suspension. Way to go Clarkson, way to gooooooo.

Oh, here’s the fight in question..
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frrFsXdhKZ8[/youtube]

Brenden Morrow has signed a 1-year, 1.5 million dollar deal with Dallas Stars 2.0, the St. Louis Blues. Morrow joins former head coach Ken Hitchcock, former GM Doug Armstrong, VP of Business Operations Brett Hull, who scored the cup winning goal for the Stars’ 1999 Stanley Cup victory, and fellow off-season Free Agent signing Derek Roy, as former Dallas Stars applying their trade in St. Louis. Morrow looks like being a third-fourth liner for his new franchise.

General

New Division Names!!

Six divisions have now become four, as the NHL released the names of the new divisions, which will be in place starting from the 2013-14 season.

The Atlantic Division will consist of: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Metropolitan Division will consist of: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

The Central Division will consist of: Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.

The Pacific Division will consist of: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks.

The Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions will make up the Eastern Conference, whilst the Central and Pacific will be the Western Conference. Detroit and Columbus are moving to the East, and Winnipeg is moving West. The schedule makes sure that all 30 teams will play in all 30 arenas at least once in the regular season.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs will still be made up of 16 teams, but qualifying for the dance has been modified. The top three from each division will automatically qualify, and the final four spots will be made up of ‘wild card’ teams from both conferences, regardless of division, meaning it is possible for one division to send five teams, and the other only send three to the playoffs.

The playoff seedings will still be based on points earned in the regular season. The winner of the conference, who will be the division winner with the highest points,  will face the wild-card team with the fewest points. Second in the conference, and the other division winner, will face the wild-card team with the second fewest points.

The four winners will advance on to play for a berth in the conference championship series, with the winner of the conference advancing to the Stanley Cup.

St. Louis Blues

2013 NHL Entry Draft – St. Louis Blues

Here is a look at whom the St. Louis Blues drafted in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, and also any trades they may have partaken in during the draft.

Round – Pick – Player Chosen (position in brackets) – Nationality – Junior/Club/College Team

2 – 47 – Thomas Vannelli (D) – United States – Minnetonka High (USHS)
2 – 57 – William Carrier (LW) – Canada – Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
4 – 112 – Zachary Pochiro (LW) – United States – Prince George Cougars (WHL)
6 – 173 – Santeri Saari (D) – Finland – Jokerit J20 (Jr. A SM-liiga)

Buffalo Sabres

Former Buffalo Sabre Clint Malarchuk – 30 for 30 Short Film

This morning I decided to check my e-mail after a couple of days, and to my surprise, I had an e-mail from Jennifer Cingari at ESPN.  The e-mail contained the press release for their latest 30 for 30 Short Film, “Cutthroat.”  The appropriately titled film is about former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk, who had his throat cut by a skate during a March 22, 1989 game against the St. Louis Blues.  This is an image ingrained in the hockey culture of my hometown of Buffalo, an image intensified as Richard Zednik, then of the Florida Panthers, suffered a similar injury at the HSBC Arena (now First Niagara Center), just across the street from where Malarchuk’s injury occurred.  This is a very powerful film, as the ESPN 30 for 30 series tends to be, and it really is a must watch, regardless of what team you root for.

The next installment of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts series, Cutthroat, debuts today on Grantland.com. The short film focuses on former Buffalo Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk and his emotional and physical recovery from one of the most gruesome injuries in sports history.

Clint Malarchuk was known as the “Cowboy Goalie.” He grew up riding horses but suffered from severe childhood OCD, which he believes helped him focus on his hockey training. During a game against the St. Louis Blues, an opposing player’s skate blade severed Malarchuk’s carotid artery, causing one of the most shocking scenes to ever take place in a hockey rink. From award-winning director Steven Cantor, Cutthroat chronicles Malarchuk’s injury, his remarkable two-week physical recovery and his grueling emotional and mental journey, which spans twenty years and included a six-month stay in a mental hospital for long overdue PTSD treatment.

ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts series is artfully crafted by Blue Moon. Previous films from the series include Arnold’s Blueprint, Ali: The Mission, and The Irrelevant Giant, among others. All can be viewed on Grantland.com.

The UHF Tournament

The Ultimate Hockey Fighter Tournament – Quarter Finals

8 fights remain in the UHF Tournament. Who will survive to the final 4? Only you can decide!

Last week, Rob Ray defeated the lone European in the field in Krzysztof Oliwa.

This week sees two experienced fighters compete in the second quarter final.

Stu Grimson
LW CAN
Calgary Flames, Chicage Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators
6’5″ 239 lbs
4×20 NHL Fights in a season
8×15 NHL Fights in a season
217 NHL Fights 15.5 FPY

(WC) Ian Laperriere
C CAN
St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers
6’1″ 197 lbs
3×20 NHL Fights in a season
8×15 NHL Fights in a season
216 NHL Fights 14.4 FPY

Why you should vote for Stu Grimson:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDz-5V0Sw5U[/youtube]

Why you should vote for Ian Laperriere:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpa3SwY9688[/youtube]

[poll id=”28″]

The UHF Tournament

The Ultimate Hockey Fighter Tournament – Second Round

16 eliminated. 16 remain. Who advances on? That’s entirely up to you!

Last week, Joey Kocur advanced to the Quarter Finals, defeating Peter Worrell.

This week, a co-favourite to take out the whole shooting match, takes on a fighter with a wealth of experience.

Mike Peluso
LW USA
Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames
6’4″ 210 lbs
5×20 NHL Fights in a season
7×15 NHL Fights in a season
179 NHL Fights 19.9 FPY

Tie Domi
RW CAN
Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs
5’10″ 207 lbs
6×20 NHL Fights in a season
11×15 NHL Fights in a season
278 NHL Fights 17.4 FPY

What happened when these two squared off:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e7cO9ffJ1A[/youtube]

Why you should vote for Mike Peluso:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1q374l5eM0[/youtube]

Why you should vote for Tie Domi:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeFC9A4qyhM[/youtube]

[poll id=”26″]

The UHF Tournament

The Ultimate Hockey Fighter Tournament – Second Round

16 eliminated. 16 remain. Who advances on? That’s entirely up to you!

Last week’s matchup saw ‘The Grim Reaper’ Stu Grimson, defeat the wildcard in Donald Brashear.

This week sees a wildcard, and a right winger, taking on each other to see which one makes it to the last 8.

(WC) Ian Laperriere
C CAN
St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers
6’1″ 197 lbs
3×20 NHL Fights in a season
8×15 NHL Fights in a season
216 NHL Fights 14.4 FPY

Kelly Chase
RW CAN
St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs
6′ 2oo lbs
4×20 NHL Fights in a season
7×15 NHL Fights in a season
174 NHL Fights 15.8 FPY

Why you should vote for Ian Laperriere:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iT52TJ7Z4s[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1_JdYDatMY[/youtube]

Why you should vote for Kelly Chase:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6mnYLUBWVE[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbkJ5qYpjn8[/youtube]

[poll id=”22″]

The UHF Tournament

The Ultimate Hockey Fighter Tournament – First Round

Welcome one and all. It is finally here, the beginning of the Ultimate Hockey Fighter Tournament. 32 of hockey’s best fighters square off in a single-elimination tournament to determine just who is the Ultimate Hockey Fighter.

Wildcards are now a perfect 5 for 5 as Joey Kocur defeated Mick Vukota in last week’s matchup.

This week sees a modern day Devil against a fighter with a season of over 400PIMs.

Krys Barch
RW CAN
Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils
6’2″ 200 lbs
1×20 NHL Fights in a season
3×15 NHL Fights in a season
109 NHL Fights 15.6 FPY

Mike Peluso
LW USA
Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames
6’4″ 210 lbs
5×20 NHL Fights in a season
7×15 NHL Fights in a season
179 NHL Fights 19.9 FPY

Why you should vote for Krys Barch:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuoJSD6IhFg[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGyib_mFSWs[/youtube]

Why you should vote for Mike Peluso:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7yCgPftQAA[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiAXcbtWbLo[/youtube]

[poll id=”17″]