NHL Stanley Cup Finals Starts Tonight

              The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals kick off tonight in New Jersey. This series is set to be yet another thrilling match-up between the Veteran lead New Jersey Devils and the shocking ,8th place finish, Los Angles Kings. As Time Magazine puts it, its all about the magic of momentum. The Devils look to win they're 4th Stanley Cup. The Devils past 3 Cups were lead by Marty Brodeur who yet again will lead his Devils in this battle against the Kings who are looking for their first cup. The Kings were last in the Finals lead by the legendary Wayne Gretzky. There's defiantly a new era of players playing for the Kings. The Kings are lead by the likes of Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick. "You never know when you're going to get here or when you're going to come back again," Kopitar said at Tuesday's off-day press conference. "Right now everybody is really excited to get going. I think it's obviously going to be fun and hard working at the same time. We have to make sure we're ready." The Kings are ready to show everything they got here on the Big stage after shockingly throwing off the Canucks, Blues, and Coyotes. Now they face the biggest task yet, beating the Devils for the holy grail of hockey.

                The Devils will not let this happen very easily. "It's excitement really. A little nervous," Parise said about being in the Finals for the first time. "Maybe today now going through all this, but I guess it hasn't really sunk in that we're in the Final yet. But we got a lot of work. That's the thought process. We got a lot of work to do. We know how great a team L.A. is." The Devils beat the Kings 2-1 in a shootout earlier this season in their 1st match-up.Quick stopped 36-of-37 shots in a losing effort in the 1st game. Brodeur only faced L.A. for 20 minutes in the regular season, leaving the 1st game after one period due to body soreness. The 2nd match-up ended with a 3-0 Devils victory. Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus had two goals each in the season series for New Jersey, while Gagne had the lone goal for L.A.
                 

                What should really make this series interesting is the combination of great goaltending. Marty Brodeur and Jonathan Quick have both been spectacular throughout these playoffs. You should defiantly expect this to be a low scoring series. They both have similar Save Percentages (Quick .946 Brodeur .923.) Quick has a better GAA with a 1.54 but Brodeur only has a 2.06. These to goaltenders will more then likely be the difference makers in this Stanley Cup Final. One thing Brodeur has over Quick is his previous 3 Stanley Cup rings and many more years of experience. However, Quick has proved against tough opponents in these playoffs and appears to be ready for almost any challenge ahead of him.

               Both teams may also see a key player return to their line-up. The Devils may see the return of defensmen Henrik Tallinder after he suffered from a major blood clot. For the Kings, the may see the long awaited return of Simon Gagne. Gagne suffered a concussion back in December and he would be a very important return to this Kings line-up. If the Kings put Gagne with Richards and Carter, they will defiantly be a shut-down line as they were during their Philly days.

                This series is yet again going to be another amazing year for the Cup. Fans will not be able to see this great show down between the Kings and Devils. The epic battle of goaltending should defiantly highlight this series along strong goal scoring. As everyone knows, there can only be one Champion. Two teams, one common goal. Only one can be victorious and the battle shall begin.   

Dominik Hasek: Return To NHL?

             The NHL off season hasn't even started yet and already there is a huge shocking rumor. It's been reported that legendary former NHL goaltender Dominik Hasek is planning a NHL comeback. Hasek spent the 2010/11 season in the KHL with the Spartak Moskva where he lead the league with 7 shutouts. So the Dominatior's stats were still dominate so to speak. Hasek then retired after that season and has spent the last season training. Hasek was reported to say that he's been training for this moment and is really interested to making yet again, another comeback into the hockey world. Hasek has been cycling and skiing as well as playing soccer and volleyball. "We are working on (a new deal) but I don't know the answer yet," Hasek told Denik Sport. "Of course, my agent Rich Winter knows about what I want. But I don't want to comment on that any further. Nothing changed in my plans. But right now, I don't have anything in front of me. So I'm waiting. I think in June the decision will be made," Hasek said. "I know where I would like to play, but I don't want to talk about it. I think it's better to keep it between the two sides involved. It wouldn't be appropriate to publish anything right now."

              The teams Hasek is rumored to be negotiating with are the Tampa Bay Lightning and two of his former teams, The Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings. It is also rumored that he would like to be a starter but if he has to be a backup, he'll just be happy to be back in the NHL. Another team that may be interested in Hasek is the Toronto Maple Leafs Here are some of the reasons why Hasek may be interested in them and why some teams are interested in him.

Tampa Bay Lightning

               The Lightning may be a great place for the Dominatior to make his return as they have a strong scoring team and have plenty of potential to win a Stanley Cup. However, They just need a strong goaltender. That was the Lightning's major downfall this season. Also, in Tampa, Hasek will more then likely be the Starter. The Lightning would love to add his Veteran skill to there line-up to replace soon to be retired Dwayne Roloson. With Hasek in goal and Stamkos, Lecavalier, and St. Louis up front, they feel they can be a dominating force and push to the cup. 

Toronto Maple Leafs

                 The Leafs may consider acquiring Hasek because of his skill. After missing the playoffs for the 7th straight season. The Leafs have done multiple goalie changes since then and have yet been able to solve the problem. The Leafs are a veteran lead team so Hasek would be a perfect fit for them. The Leafs goaltending consist of James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson.

Detroit Red Wings

                  Hasek may look to making a 3rd return to Hockey Town. The Red Wings is the team he won his 2 Stanley Cups with. However, here he would most likely be the back up to Jimmy Howard. But, Hasek would also be on a stacked team with tons of skill and which knows how to win a Stanley Cup because most of them were there before. The Red Wings may lose a key veteran to retirement, Nicklas Lidstrom. So without Lidstrom, would Hasek still be interested?

Buffalo Sabres

                     Finally, would the Dominator return to the team that pretty much lunched his career? The Sabres, like the Red Wings, would also use Hasek as a Back up. However, Hasek has been spotted at multiple Sabres games this season. Also, last season he did a special ceremonial puck drop in a game against the Thrashers. Hasek appears to be very close to new owner Terry Pegula. Could Pegula be the major reason Hasek makes his return to Buffalo? Pegula has appeared as friendly and as a mentor to many people. Pegula also brought back and reunited almost a hundred Sabres Alumni for the 2010/11 Season Regular Season Closer. Pegula Grew up as a season ticket holder. He saw Hasek play during his prime and know what he is capable of. Hasek's unique style of play could lead to being a solid back-up to Miller. What would that mean for current back-up Jhonas Enroth? That is unsure. Would the Sabres go with 3 goalies? Would the send Enroth back to Rochester? Only time would tell if the Sabres did decide to sign the future hall of famer.

                         

                           It's kinda been clued that Hasek has tons of interest in the Sabres and has been in the Buffalo area the last few days. For example, on Saturday May 26, Terry Pegula's daughter Kelly tweeted "Going to the Falls #americanside," When just the day before, she stated they were in Florida. Why would the Pegulas all of a sudden make a trip back to Buffalo? 

                              Also, Hasek's charity group Hasek's Heroes tweeted on May 29, "Nice to see Dominik Hasek in Buffalo he recently met with Heroes Board of Director and visited the program and rinks," shows that Hasek is currently in the Buffalo area and showing lots of interest, Was Hasek just in town to meet with his charity or was he also here to talk about a new deal with the Buffalo Sabres?

                                   Only time will tell for this epic Hasek tale. This isn't the first Hasek comeback and who knows if it is the last. The decision will be released sometime in June as the hockey world sits on the edge of their seats waiting to find out where the Dominatior lands next.

Buffalo Sabres Alumni Spotlight: Andrew Peters

        When Buffalo Sabres fans think about some of the great enforcers during the Franchises history, Original fans think of Jim Schoenfield, Larry Playfair, and Jerry Korab. Then fans during the 90s defiantly can't forget the line of Enforcers consisting of Rob Ray, Matthew Barnaby, and Brad May. Now fans look to guys like Cody McCormick and Patrick Kaleta to stand up for their team. However, Sabres fans can't forget who protected the Sabres after Rob Ray was traded to Ottawa in '03.

             Andrew Peters was selected 34th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1998 NHL draft. Peters wouldn't even have to leave the area for team relations as the Draft was held in Buffalo that year. However, "Prime Time" remained with his OHL Oshawa Generals and his final year with the Kitchener Rangers until 2000-01 when he joined the AHL Rochester Americans. While in Rochester, Andrew got into an on-ice fight with his brother Geoff Peters. Andrew stated in an interview after the game that he did not know it was his brother that he was fighting. Later on, for a short time, the two brothers played together for the Amerks. In Peters 2nd year with the Amerks, he lead the league with 388 penalty mins.

                In Peters' 1st season with the Sabres, Peters played 42 games, scored 2 goals, and had 151 Penalty mins. Peters had taken over right where Rob Ray left off. The two hard nose enforcers even were engaged in a fight during a Sabres VS Ottawa contest. Peters continued to harass players around the NHL. February 22, 2007 was no different.

                On February 22, 2007 Sabres Captain Chris Drury was hit by Sens Enforcer Chris Neil. Drury was taken out of the game with a concussion but the next play is when everything occurred. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff sent out his top fighters to send a message to the Sens that they weren't going to be messed with. As soon as the whistle blew, everyone was looking for a partner including the goaltenders. Marty Biron went after Ray Emery and the scrambled for awhile. After the referees attempted to break up the brawl, Peters skated over to Emery and had some unfinished business to accomplish. The two of them started to go at it for awhile before being split up by the refs. However as this was going on, the coaches also wanted a piece of each other. The coaches started a huge yelling match between the benches. Coincidentally, Rob Ray was once again in the middle of this as he was doing TV work for the Sabres. Peters and a few others were thrown out after the fight. Peters was not only trying to go after Emery, he really wanted a piece of Chris Neil who was sitting in the penalty box during the brawl from the previous hit.

                 Surprisingly enough, on January 6, 2009 Peters was once again involved in an incident with the Senators. Sens forward Jarkko Ruutu and Peters started to get into a scrum. Ruutu was unhappy with Peters and grabbed his hand and bit him. Ruutu denies he ever bit Peters but it was clear he really did. Ruutu even stated, "I had his fingers in my mouth but didn't bite." The next day Ruutu was suspend for 1 game by the NHL. Peters was very shocked by the incident and said he never saw anything like that before.

                 Following the 2009 season, Peters would not return to the Sabres. He was invited to the Devils training camp and later signed to a 2 year deal. However after a poor season, the Devils waived Peters and he was bought out of his 2nd year. He signed with the Panthers the following year and was sent to the Amerks. In October, he was traded to the Canucks and following being kicked off the Amerks, Peters announced his retirement 3 months later.

                 Peters now resides in the Buffalo area and is part of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni. He is frequently spotted attending Sabres games and still very involved with the team. Aside from hockey, in his free time, Peters helps numerous charities, and made several visits to Children's Hospitals in both Buffalo and Rochester during his career.He was also a featured member at Ryan Miller's "Catwalk for Charity" events. In 2008, Peters would tend bar at the Pearl St. Grill and Brewery during the summer with all tips going to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.Peters and his wife also did work to promote the Family Justice Center of Western New York, which works with women who have been victims of domestic violence.In 2010, Peters was a big part of two charity hockey games. In the first ever "Hockey Night in St. Catharines" he was able to gather some other NHL players from the area to play in the game which ended up raising over $100,000 for the United Way. Also, he participated in a game in Rochester for the late Craig Charron, who was a former teammate of Peters.

                  Andrew is always very kind with fans. Always willing to talk and chat. He will also willingly sign autographs for fans who ask. Peters has always been known as a piratical prankster. Peters is also now involved with the Time Warner Sports show Enforcers with Rob Ray.  

Edmonton's Race For The Memorial Cup Begins Tonight

            Tonight the quest for the Memorial Cup Begins tonight. Its the Edmonton Oil Kings vs the Shawinigan Cataractes and the London Knights vs the Saint John Sea Dogs. Edmonton won their first WHL Championship since rejoining the league 5 years ago. The win marked the Oil Kings first WHL Championship title since 1972. Lead by captain Mark Pysyk (Prospect in the Buffalo Sabres organization) the Oil Kings were able to dominate the Portland Winterhawks with a 4-1 lead.''We know Shawinigan is a good team,'' Laxdal Coach of the ,Oil Kings, said Thursday as the coaches from the four teams in the 10-day tournament met with the media. "They've got a deep back end and a lot of speed up front.'I know they didn't have the playoffs they wanted, but they had a good season. And they'll have the crowd behind them. It'll be an outstanding game.'' Coach Laxdal also said, "We’re very proud of the kids,to bring back the Oil Kings name from the ’60s and ’70s and start it all up again and to be going to the Memorial Cup and having the league championship is outstanding.”

       "Chances are it will be the last year,” Pysyk said as the team prepared to head to Shawinigan, Que., for the four-team tournament.“I’ll probably end up in the American Hockey League next year, so to finish off with the WHL championship and maybe a Memorial Cup coming up, that’s definitely pretty special.” Pysyk knows this is a huge task ahead of them and is ready to lead his team all the way to the Cup.

Besides Pysyk, the Oil Kings defence is anchored by players such as 6-foot-5 Edmonton Oilers prospect Martin Gernat and 6-foot-4 draft eligible Griffin Reinhart, the son of former Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks defenceman Paul Reinhart (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/oil-kings-dig-deep-aim-for-the-top/article2435105/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2435105).

          The Memorial Cup is something that gives players a great feeling, what it'll feel like to eventually play in the NHL. This is the final chance for the remaining players in this years draft class to show what they got. However the Oil Kings will most likely lose Key Players like Pysyk, Kristians Pelss, and Keegan Lowe to the NHL this season. After this year, the Oil Kings will need to find new leadership to fill those loses. However the team isn't worried about that right now. All they have on their mind is to win the Memorial Cup. The Oil Kings have not played the Shawinigan Cataractes this season so this might lead to a very interesting series to see how these two teams play against each other.

          “We don’t know a whole lot about the other teams, other than Saint John won it last year, London is always a good hockey team and Shawinigan must have a pretty good framework if they’re hosting a Memorial Cup,” said defenceman Keegan Lowe. "They’re all going to be good teams, but we all play in different leagues, so whether we’re the underdog or the favourites, I couldn’t answer that. There’s no way of telling until we play the games.”Goaltender Laurent Brossoit said “You have to have a little (swagger), but you can’t have too much, We know how good we are, but we know how good they are, too.”

           As the players are very excited about their return to the Memorial Cup, they are ready to face-off tonight and attempt the run and the Cup. If they win this series, they'll move on to face ether the Knights, after the return of head coach Dale Hunter, or the Saint John Sea Dogs. This is set up to be another great series of hockey for the young guns.

Capitals Force Game Seven

         Well Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals have pulled it off again. The Capitals forced game 7 for the 2nd straight series with Wednesday's 2-1 win in the nation's capital. The Capitals shocked the Rangers with a quick 1st period power play goal by Captain Alex Ovechkin. That goal was followed by Jason Chimera's mid-second period tally to give the Caps the 2-0 lead over the Rangers. However, Holtby's shut out was spoiled by a late Marian Gaborik goal. However, this was not enough for the Rangers to post a win against the red hot Capitals.

          The players took the lose very rough however no one took it as badly as Rangers head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella did not want to hear anything from reporters as he pretty much blew up on them as a result to almost any question he was asked. He definitely let his anger out during the post game however would not show it in the locker room or on the ice until the next day. As you can see by Tortorella's post game interview (watch video on side for full interview), he was not happy at all. He continuously stated that he though they sucked. He also refused to comment on individual players. After less then 2 minutes of frustration, Tortorella got up and left. He was not in the mood to be interviewed. Period.   

            The players also thought they played poorly. "We can't let it," Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. "We have to put this one behind us. We have to go in Saturday ready to play." Callahan realizes that game 7 is do or die. He hopes to lead his team past the Caps in game 7 Saturday when the take home ice at MSG.

"I'm probably a little more nervous the older I get because I was kind of young and stupid at that time," Richards said Friday after practice. "It's a fun day. You cherish the chances you get to be in them. You treat it like a great day in your life. You don't get many chances to do something like that at Madison Square Garden; Game 7 on a Saturday night. Where else would you want to be?"

            From the Caps point of view, they are so happy and relieved they forced game 7. They also do realize this could be the end of the road though if they take 7 too lightly. "It was tough, but we thought about it in the room the next day, watched some film in the locker room and we thought 'we played a good game,'" Hendricks told NBC. "Great job by 'Holtsie', he stood on his head tonight, and now we look forward to Game 7." It was planned to be the least amount of a distraction to the team as possible," Holtby said Friday after practice. "It was a great day. Mom and baby are doing great, but now the focus is on hockey." "We know what we have to do," Backstrom said. "If we can win in Boston, we can do it up at Madison (Square Garden), too. We're looking forward to it."

           From both sides, fans are excited for game 7. It's a battle of the best. Both teams want to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Devils. This game is the highest priced event at MSG in over a year at an average of $435 a ticket. MSG is sure to be rocking tomorrow night for Game 7. As a result, it will sure be a huge hit around the US and Canada. Both teams appear to be desperate as they face elimination. It'll be fight to the bitter and end and probably come down to win goal and who wants it more. After tomorrow we will know who will play the Devils. The Capitals have already thrown off the 2nd place Bruins in game 7 in the 1st round. Can they repeat and continue their hot streak, or will the 1st place Rangers move on. This year has been a very entertaining playoff year and I don't expect anything different from tomorrow's game.

Philly Flys Out of Playoffs After Game 5 loss to Devils

            The Philadelphia Flyers were eliminated yesterday from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center in Philly. The Flyers struggled throughout the series to find strong goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers were strong scorers, however when it came to stopping the puck at vital times, Bryzgalov was unable to be solid to lead the Flyers to victory. Yes, Bryzgalov was able to make some huge saves, however, he wasn't able to stop them when the Flyers needed him to the most."I wanted to put the puck in the corner for Kimmo (Timonen) to start back up," Bryzgalov said about the numbing pass he attempted that ended up behind him, "and the puck, I don't know, hit him in his stick and going in the net. A bad bounce, unfortunately. It could go anywhere — in the corner, higher, lower, but it goes straight between the legs." Bryzgalov was very disappointed in his play. The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to a 9-year, $51 million contract this past summer and fans now are starting to question "Was he worth the money?"

               Even with the key additions of Bryzgalov, Jaromir Jagr, Max Talbot, and Brayden Schenn, they still suffered many key losses. They traded Richards and Carter away during last off-season. Also, the Flyers were hit by the injury bug through out the entire season. The list included key players such as Danny Briere, James van Riemsdyk, and the long term injury to Chris Pronger. During the 2011/12 season, the Flyers suited up 14 different rookies. 

               Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr stated after the lose, "From the organization to the last player on the team, and the fans, they were so nice to me, I hate to finish it right now. That's the worst feeling. You finish the whole story, the whole year, that's a sad day.I want to cry right now."

            The Future of Jagr with the Flyers is uncertain. The 40 year old veteran has been in this league for many years and felt similar results in the past. The former 2-time Stanley Cup Champion, hopes he can win another cup sometime. However, does he have enough in him? He was third on the team with 54 points, but faded in the playoffs and was a non-factor against the Devils. Most teams would still be interested in Jagr, although the question is, where will he decide to play?

             Head Coach Peter Laviolette stated after the lose, "We could never seem to get down that road." Laviolette knew his team was struggling to get past the Devils, but was unsure how to shake up the struggling Flyers. Some fans may ask "Why didn't you give Sergei Bobrovsky a chance?" The Flyers had to much faith in Bryzgalov, that they didn't want to give up on him. Bobrovsky may have been the starter for most of last season and the playoffs, but if you remember, the Flyers had goalie trouble last season as well. The Flyers continually would switch between Bobrovsky and current Hurricanes back-up Brian Boucher. Is it a goalie problem in Philly or is it just poor defense? The answer is both. The Flyers have put a lot of effort in finding great goalies as they also have Michael Leighton playing for their minor league team the Adirondack Phantoms. The Flyers should look more into strengthen their defense and not as much their goaltending. They already have plenty of talent in the net even if it didn't show in the playoffs.

             Even though the Flyers played poorly, you can't  say that the Devils didn't have a strong series.They had a lot of success from veteran goalie Martin Brodeur. They also had strong scoring from players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and David Clarkson. Clarkson stated following the Game Five 3-1 victory, “I’ll take ’em any way I can get ’em,” referring to the goal he scored that was the go ahead winning goal after a bad play by Flyers goalie Bryzgalov. “I’ve never been this far,” said Zach Parise, the first-year captain. “It’s a good feeling. But we’re only halfway there. It’s only going to get harder.” The Devils know they have a long road ahead of them in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, they need to get ready to face off against the winner of the Capitals-Rangers Series. They know it'll not be an easy road ahead as the continue their battle for the Cup. When asked if  he was excited for a break as they wait for the end of the Capitals-Rangers series, Kovalchuk responded, “I want to play as soon as I can.”

             No one on this Devils team wants to wait long as they are ready to make a run for the cup. The Devils have not won a Stanley Cup since 2003 and would love to add another banner to the rafters of the Prudential Center. "It seems forever for a lot of guys," Future hall of famer goaltender Marty Brodeur said following the win. "It's tough to do that. We're fortunate to have made it there so far." Brodeur is another veteran that many fans are unsure how many years he's got left. The Future Hall of Famer has been part of all 3 Devils Stanley Cup Championship teams and has been the solid backstop for the Devils since 1993. The Devils have a huge task in front of them and will have to play even better if they want to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Fast Exit for Blues in 2nd Round of Playoffs

         The St. Louis Blues were shockingly quickly eliminated from the playoffs by the LA Kings this past Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It was a lot faster then the 2nd place Blues hoped or even expected to be eliminated as they were swept with a 3-1 win by the Kings.

          The Blues appeared like there was "No Gas Left In The Tank" as they fell to 8th place Kings. However, these are the same Kings that eliminated the 1st place Canucks in the first round in just 5 games! So is it possible that it's not the Canucks and Blues playing poorly or are the Kings just playing that well? Jack Adams Trophy Finalist Ken Hitchcock stated at the locker clean out today, "What we feel now and (Blues general manager) Doug (Armstrong) said it best, 'This is as close as this organization has ever been to chasing the Cup, but we want to build on this,'"

Hitchcock Also said, "I think there's a lot of lessons here down the line. We'll talk to the players about that over the coming weeks."

            The management staff is not the only ones disappointed in the early exit, the players are too. Blues Captain David Backes said, "We're not satisfied with this as a growing process, It's disappointing right now. It stings a lot." The Blues had many leaders on this team and were only 2 points behind the Canucks for winning the President's trophy as the NHL's top team during the regular season. They were lead by David Backes and T.J. Oshie's 54 points and the unexpected dramatic duo Goalie combo of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot with 15 shutouts between the two of them. Elliot, who was signed during free agency this past summer, was expected to be only used as a back-up to Halak. Elliot registered 9 Shutouts and 1.59 GAA.

             However, the strong leadership on this team was not enough to make it past the Kings and as a result they are getting ready to hit the Golf Course. Most fans expected huge things from the Blues, but they just didn't show it when it was needed most in the playoffs. The Blues head into the off-season with a few key players who are free agents as of July 1. This list includes the likes of T.J. Oshie, Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner, David Perron, Barret Jackmen and Chris Stewart. There is a lot of thought and choices that need to be made during this coming off-season. The Blues need to decide who to bring back next season and who to bring in in order to make another run at Lord Stanley's cup next season.

               As the Blues clear out the locker room today, the Kings prepare for the Western Conference finals against their divisional enemy the Phoenix Coyotes who sent the Predators home packing last night with the 2-1 win that clinched them the 4-1 series. Kings Captian Dustin Brown said today after their brief practice

“We’ve been in the same division, playing six times a year, a couple preseason games, It’s bringing excitement to different markets, and it shows the parity in the league where you probably have two teams that weren’t expected to be in this situation playing for a chance to be in the Cup finals.” This is set to be a great series match up between the Desert Dogs and the Royal Army as they face off in the Western Conference finals to see who moves on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Trevor Petersen Interview

We just finished another great interview with Caitlin from The Puck Stops Here ! This time with Trevor Petersen of the OHL Niagara Ice Dogs!

Despite not being drafted in the OHL draft Trevor Petersen has found a home with the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL. Peterson was determined to work hard and show the OHL what they had missed by passing home over, he worked hard and was able to get the attention of the Ice Dogs. Petersen and the Ice Dogs are battling it out for the OHL championship against the London Knights.
Trevor will have one more season in the OHL before his NHL draft year and will look to have a bigger role with the Ice Dogs next season and solidify his chance of getting drafted. Trevor is a solid two way player who has the ice and the skill to compete against the best. He's making a name for himself on a star studded Niagara Ice Dogs team!

(Campbell,Caitlin The Puck Stops Here)

1. Who has had the biggest influence on your life?
The biggest influence has been my parents, they have always been there for me whether things are going my way or not. They have taught me so much about growing up and being a good person outside of the rink which has really helped my character!

2. What are your plans for next season?
Next season I see myself having a bigger role with the ice dogs as the majority of the top 6 forwards are leaving. It is also my draft year next season (as I have a late birthday) so I am aiming for a 30-40 point season next year.

3. Your first fight in the OHL was against your high school friend Joseph Blandisi, what was it like fighting a former friend? Did you win?
Joe and I planned that fight as we both wanted to get our first OHL fight out of the way. It wasn't much of a fight, more of a wrestling match as we are still good buddies.

4. Looking back was not getting drafted in the OHL better for your career? (many players who had gotten drafted have yet to make their teams).
Not getting drafted was really difficult at the beginning, a lot of the teams were talking to me and telling me they would take me in one of the first 5 rounds. After not getting drafted I refocused on getting a NCAA school to take me on for next season Maine, UNH, and Quinnipiac all contacted me. Robert Morris ended up offering me a spot on the Niagara Ice Dogs and I felt coming to Niagara would be the best fit for me. So yes not getting drafted originally opened up more roads for me.

5. Whats it like playing/hanging out with players like Dougie Hamilton, Mark Visetin and Ryan Strome?
These guys are players who I can admire both on and off the ice. They are really great guys to have around and have taught me so much this season: From leading by example to giving me little tips here and there. Most importantly these gentleman have taught me to be mature and that you need to be loyal both on and off the ice.

6. At what age did you know hockey was your sport?
My dad laced me up around the age of 5 but my first year of house league hockey was pretty rough. That summer I enrolled in hockey schools and power skating lessons, the next season I came back and was a superstar from that moment I knew I wanted to play at the highest level of hockey possible! Hockey is such a unique sport, whenever I'm on the ice it just clears my mind and I feel so relaxed while doing what I love for a living.

7. What is your greatest hockey memory?
There have been a lot of great memories, but the ones that I remember the most are playing shinny with the buddies during summer break and skating on the out door rinks during the Christmas holidays. There's nothing better!

8. What is your favourite NHL team?
My favourite NHL team is the Chicago Blackhawks. Patrick Kane.

9. If you could meet any player past or present who would it be?

Wayne Gretzky, he is considered to be the best player to ever play the game. So I think it would be cool too meet him and hear what he would say about his greatest moments and memories throughout his career.

10. If you could play for any NHL which would it be and why?
Honestly playing for any NHL team would be a huge honour! My agent and I have already been contacted by a few teams and whenever a new team contacts us I get really excited and it just motivates me to work that much harder. Playing in the NHL would be a dream come true, and right now I'm all about making my dreams become a reality!

Mike Eruzione Interview

We just finished our interview with Mike Eruzione! Great guy and great interview from the formor Team USA Captain! Questions are in blue, answers in red!

1) Who did you look up to when you were younger?
My Parents

2) What is th greatest memory you've had as a hockey player?

Beating Finland to win the Gold 

3) If you could meet any NHL player in the league (past and present), who would it be?

I've met most of the great ones so maybe Glenn Hall

4) What was your favorite NHL team growing up?
Chicago Blackhawks
5) What are your intrest outside of hockey?
Golf and more golf
6) How did it feel to be captian of Team USA in the Olympics?
It was a great honor but I also had a team of captians
7) What were your emotions when you beat the Soviets and moved on to beat Finland for the Gold Medal?
Excited and proud we worked hard to get where we were. So our emotions were pretty high
8) What made you decide to stand up against legendary coach Herb Brooks after the tie against the Norwegian National Team in the scrimage when he drilled you guys with endless "Herbies?" Also how did it feel when you did that?
Don't believe everything you watched in the movie, it was a team stand. 
9) Do you ever think there will be another "Miracle on Ice?"
I hope so but with the pro's playing we are now considered one of the favorites, I hope we win Gold everytime we play.
10) Were you worried to play the Soviets again after the loss in the scrimmage against them in MSG?
No, we were a diffrent team the 2nd time we played, much more confident and playing much better.

11) Has anyhting in the world ever compared to feeling after scoring such a big goal in the Olympics? (refering to the GW goal against the Soviets)
Yes the birth of my 3 children was greater

Alex Biega Interview

I'm going to showcase the hockey interviews I've done in the past from my other blog before writing my first article! Please enjoy!

We recently did our first interview with our new partner Caitlin (The Puck Stops Here) (Check her blog here at: http://thepuckstopshere30.blogspot.ca/)  with Alex Biega! It turned out great! Here it is!



         1) Who did you look up to when you were younger?



My dad. Always working hard and never complaining. He raised four boys and Made so many sacrifices for us to succeed.

2) When you were drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, what were your emotions?

Was drafted in 2006 in the 5th round. It was one of the proudest and memorable moments to this day. Especially to be drafted by buffalo  having such rich history.

3) When you were excepted into Harvard, how did it feel?

I I was expected to hear by 2pm on a Friday I got in or not. I never received a phone call until 4pm, having someone tell me I was accepted. Just like the NHL draft, it was such a rewarding feeling for all the hard work and sacrifice that was made.

4) What is the greatest memory you've had as a hockey player?

Winning the Salisbury schools first ever New England championship. One of my brothers was on the team with me at the time which was great to share the experience with.

5) What was your favorite NHL team growing up?

Grew up in Montreal so hard not to say the Canadians

6) If you could meet any NHL player in the league (past and present), who would it be?

Would have to say Gordie Howe. Just a legend.

7)What did you major in while attending Harvard?

Sociology. Took a lot of different classes in different fields while I was there.

8) Do you know Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick considering you both attended Harvard?

I don't know him but seen him at Harvard once in the summer training for the off season. He is obviously a legend there and think he visits when he can make the trip.

9) What are your interests outside of hockey?

I'm a big movie guy and I try to learn to play the guitar from my room mate.

10) What do you like best about living/being in Rochester/Buffalo?

The fans. Avid fans who are so compassionate about their hockey.

11) Do you like any other sports besides hockey?

I played soccer all my life even in prep school. Love the sport and I can't say I don't get excited for the world cup!



         12) You attended Harvard the same time as New York Knick Jeremy Lin, did you know him? If so how well did you know him?



 I took a class with him but didn't know him that we'll. The select few times we did hang out, he is a low key and quiet guy. Great person though.



We'd like to thank Mr. Biega for a great interview! Thanks Again Alex! Great pleasure working with you!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog! This blog will talk about tons of things that go on around the hockey world, not just the NHL, but also the AHL, CHL, and maybe some KHL! I will also Showcase some interviews we get over time from some hockey players! You may also know the other blog I do with my friend Mike Known as Mike and Josh Memorabilia Blog Please Click Here to Visit my other blog! Enjoy and watch for post often!