Sidney Crosby put on show last night for the hometown Pittsburgh faithful scoring three goals and adding assist to lift the Penguins easily over the Brodeur-less New Jersey Devils 4-1. Devils goaltender Scott Clemmenson was assaulted with 30 shots on net.

Crosby who started the season slow now has 10 goals in his last nine games, and 6 in his last three. He now has 34 points in 23 games on the season.

Brian Burke was named the new President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday... wow what a shock. Burke recieved a 6 year deal reportedly worth $3 million per year. The Leafs rewarded their new leader with a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday.

Are the Boston Bruins really this bad ass? The Bruins dismantled the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 yesterday, securing their ninth straight home victory and chasing Wings keeper Ty Conklin from the match. The Bruins are now tied for the Eastern Conference lead with the New York Rangers.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The injury bug is swarming throughout the NHL, and taking out some it's highest profile players. An NHL season is generally a war of attrition, and throughout the 82 games, injuries are expected. However the number occurring so far have been staggering.

Personally, my fantasy rosters (I manage three) are lit up like Christmas trees with bold red IR's and DTD's. I have been banging my skull against the wall in frustration as my players drop like flies.

Here's the toll so far:

New York Islanders
Rick DiPietro (knee), Brendan Witt (knee), Kyle Okposo (hand)

New Jersey Devils
Martin Brodeur (elbow), Brian Rolston (ankle), Bobby Holik (unibrow)

New York Rangers
Scott Gomez (leg)

Philadelphia Flyers
Daniel Briere (groin), Randy Jones (hip)

Pittsburgh Penguins
Ryan Whitney (foot), Sergei Gonchar (shoulder)

Boston Bruins
Andrew Ference (knee)

Buffalo Sabres
NONE

Montreal Canadiens
Mike Komisarek (shoulder)

Ottawa Senators
Chris Neil (knee), Mike Fisher (knee)

Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Van Ryn (concussion)

Atlanta Thrashers
NONE

Carolina Hurricanes
Frantisek Kaberle (foot), Justin Williams (Achilles)

Florida Panthers
Bryan Allen (knee), Cory Stillman (concussion)

Tampa Bay Lightning
Ryan Malone (leg), Barry Melrose (inability to coach after 10 years)

Washington Capitals
Alexander Semin (upper body).

Chicago Blackhawks

Columbus Blue Jackets

Detroit Red Wings
Chris Chelios (right tibia)

Nashville Predators
Jason Arnott

St. Louis Blues
Andy McDonald (leg), Paul Kariya (lower body)

Calgary Flames

Colorado Avalanche
Joe Sakic (back)

Edmonton Oilers

Minnesota Wild
Marian Gaborik (lower body).

Vancouver Canucks
Kevin Bieksa (foot)

Anaheim Ducks
Francois Beauchemin (knee)

Dallas Stars
Jere Lehtinen (health), Sean Avery (personality)

Los Angeles Kings

Phoenix Coyotes

San Jose Sharks
Evgeni Nabokov (lower body).

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

The Barry Melrose era in Tampa Bay has officially ended just two months into this young NHL season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning officially annouced the firing (relieved) Barry Melrose of his head coaching responsibilities and named assissant coach Rick Tocchet the new interim head coach.

Many questioned the move of hiring Melrose who hadn't sat behind an NHL bench in over a decade, and the results of a 5-7-4 start have apparently proved the critics right. Tampa GM Brian Lawton (who may also draw criticisms soon as a first time NHL General Manager) found the current state of the team unacceptable and chose to remove his head coach.

Rumors are abound that Melrose was tough on the veterans, and perhaps a back-door mutiny occurred? I wonder if they think Tocchet will be any easier on them?

I bet not!

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Well Toronto Maple Leaf fans, your day has arrived!

The Anaheim Ducks will be holding a press conference this afternoon where they plan to announce that Bob Murray will be taking over as General Manager in place of Brian Burke. Burke will be in attendance and reportedly be speaking as well.

The Brian Burke to Toronto Maple Leafs rumor has been flying around for nearly a year and looks as though it will finally become a reality. One has to wonder how long before he assumes control of that ship.

Food for thought... I wonder what Burke and Sundin really spoke about last week when they met? Bosh is rubbing his whiskers.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Holy crap did I jinx this guy.

The New Jersey Devils announced today that goaltender Martin Brodeur will undergo surgery on his left elbow and will remain out of the lineup for up to 4 months. Brodeur sustained the injury during the Devils weekend win over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Backup goaltender Kevin Weekes is expected to receive the bulk of the work in net for the Devils in Brodeur's absence.

So what does this mean?

Brutal loss for the Devils. Huge loss to everyone in the Fantasy Hockey World (like myself) who drafted Martin Brodeur. Big loss to everyone in the NHL as this was the year Brodeur was to eclipse the milestones set by Terry Sawchuk, and Patrick Roy.

However, this will be a glimpse at what the Devils will be like when Martin Brodeur does eventually retire. Granted I'm sure GM Lou Lamoriello will have a much better plan in place than Kevin Weekes when that time comes, but don't count the Devils out now. This team has always been built around a 'removable parts' philosophy, and the system is what keeps them winning. This will surely be it's biggest test to date. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they respond.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The New York Rangers and New York Islanders both recieved a harsh lesson about playing a 60 minute game last night.

The Montreal Canadiens produced a 4 goal effort in the third period to complete their come from behind win over the Islander 5-4 last night. Forward Alexei Kovalev's second score of the game completed the comeback win for the Habs.

The New York Rangers got a major wake-up call from the never say die Toronto Maple Leafs who potted 5 goals in the final 5 minutes of the game. The Leafs quickly erased the Rangers 2-0 lead and kept on scoring to seal the 5-2 route of their Original Six rival. The Leafs who were predicted to be the worst team in the NHL by many this season are playing some inspired hockey under new head coach Ron Wilson and refuse to yield.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has been listed as day-to-day with a hip injury that occurred during Thursday night's 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. Crosby left during the third period of the game and did not return to action.

Almost like a page torn from Pro Wrestling, Washington Capitals rising star Alexander Semin called out Crosby and the league by asking "What is so special about Sidney Crosby?". "I don't see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else." To read his entire interview, click here.

Semin is clearly shouting from a position of strength right now, as he flew out of the gate putting up 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists) in his first 9 games and is tied for the lead league in scoring with Pens forward Evgeni Malkin. The Capitals have also been lucky that Semin's production has somewhat masked the curiously slow start by superstar winger Alexander Ovechkin.

What reaction this kind of statement will bring is unclear, but I wouldn't be surprised if Gary Bettman swoops in to squash any controversy that may develop. Crosby is not the kind of player to respond to this, but I would look for some reaction from his fellow teammates and the next time the Pens and Caps meet... that is gonna be fun.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh

Posted by captbosh at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)