So it sounds like Teemu will be back for another year, pending the dissipation of the cap situation. Selanne is quoted as saying, “I have made a decision, I’m not going to say what my decision is, but I have made a decision and I’m skating every day.” In response to the cap situation: “There’s no rush,” Selanne said. “The only thing I can say is that I haven’t been skating every day for the last four weeks just for fun. There is a reason.” Sure, its not “official” that he’ll be back, but just yesterday a Finnish news outlet parroted these sentiments, asserted that Selanne indeed will be back for a 16th season. As a fan, that’s as good a indication as any other. Dan Wood from the OCRegister also reports that Selanne was skating at Anaheim Ice today with Bobby Ryan and Paul Kariya. Seriously. One of these days I’ve got to head down there and see if I’m lucky enough to see these three in person.
On August 9, 1988 Wayne Greztky was sent to the Los Angeles Kings with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski in exchange for, well does anyone remember? Seriously though. Martin Gelinas and Jimmy Carson, $15 million in cash, and a bunch of draft picks.
Remember, this is around the prime of his career. This was an incredible trade.
I don’t want to take a lot of time to write about my feelings on it, but think about this.
How many hockey teams existed in the NHL in 1988 that were west of the St. Louis Blues/Minnesota North Stars and not in Canada?
The Los Angeles Kings.
That’s it.
What about now? What about after the Gretzky trade?
Anaheim Ducks. Phoenix Coyotes. San Jose Sharks. Colorado Avalanche (it should be noted that the “Colorado Rockies did exist before Gretzky entered the NHL and they were moved to New Jersey to become the Devils). Dallas Stars.
Just to the east we now have a few more teams too.
Nashville Predators Atlanta Trashers (okay, so they too once had a team that was moved to Calgary) Tampa Bay Lightning Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets Carolina Hurriances
I exclude any Canadian team here because it is to show the growth of the sport in the USA. Sports need big players to make big games to attract big crowds. No one can deny the influence Gretzky has on the sport just by this list to show the expansions the NHL has had since the Gretzky trade. Who will be the next? Sidney Crosby? I don’t know. I think he has great potential to be, but I can’t say for another three years.
How many of those teams have won Stanley Cups? Anaheim, Colorado, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Dallas.
Who would have won those cups had Gretzky never gone to Southern California? I don’t think we will ever know and I like it that way.
So a year ago, there was this video game that sent shockwaves throughout the sports games community. If you haven’t heard, NHL 08 was praised by almost every reviewer and won Sports Game of the Year from Gamespot.com. Just in case you haven’t noticed, the 08 season has come to a close and the 09 season is about to start. What does this mean for EA’s NHL franchise? Probably back-to-back awards.
Before I go on, if you haven’t a next-gen game console, now might be the time to buy it (especially since Microsoft slashed the price of the Xbox 360 premium to 300 dollars, down from 350). Can this game possibly be this good? It sure looks like it.
Hearing the accolades for NHL 08, I bought myself a copy, and boy was I glad I did. I spent countless hours in franchise mode building the Ducks into a powerhouse of a team. I think I steered them to 4 or 5 Cup dynasty, but I suppose that is neither here nor there. Point being, NHL 08 was ridiculously awesome and NHL 09 promises to improve on that formula in leaps and bounds. How, you say?
Be A Pro.
This is the name of a new mode they’re introducing. In it, you almost literally strap on your own skates and develop yourself as a player from the minors to superstardom. What sets this apart from other hockey games (or game modes) is the fact that your success does not require the finger dexterity to pull off a spicy button combination to score highlight reel goals. This new game mode instead opts to test you on your hockey smarts. In this mode, you exclusively control your own player on the ice – with or without the puck. Do you position yourself for the one-timer? Do you screen the goaltender for your teammates? Do you join in on the rush? These are decisions made by real hockey players and for the first time, the couch potato can join in on the fun. As a player, you can select several templates including, but not limited to, standup goaltender, defensive defenseman, playmaker, grinder, etc. How well you play is determined on how well you play according to the expectations of your role.
The success of your player would depend on three factors, how well you position yourself, how you interact with your team, and how well you show up on the stat sheet. With this mode, gone are the days where all that matters is lighting it up. Yes, if you’re often caught out of position, the coach WILL notice. If you always hog the puck, the coach WILL notice. If you don’t shoot enough, the coach WILL notice. As line changes happen, you step off the ice and watch the game from the bench, at which point, the coach will give feedback. As you progress in your career, you are given points to spend on a variety of attributes, giving the player choice on whether he should choose to improve his speed, reflexes or whatnot. If that’s not revolutionary, I don’t know what is.
On Xbox Live, at least, there will be an EA sanctioned official hockey league. Teams are created and players would be recruited to teams with other players. They would play to advance to higher divisions and division 1 teams would play for a trophy, which I hear is an actual physical trophy (don’t ask me, I don’t know how it works).
The game hasn’t been released yet, so the details are a little fuzzy. Personally, I’m excited to see how much realism is involved with this mode. Do I get to negotiate contracts with teams? Do I get traded? Mayhaps I can negotiate an NTC? At this point, only the folks at EA know the more fine details of this fine new game mode.
You can bet top-dollar that on 09.09.08, I’ll be dropping 60 bucks for NHL 09.
So a year ago, there was this video game that sent shockwaves throughout the sports games community. If you haven’t heard, NHL 08 was praised by almost every reviewer and won Sports Game of the Year from Gamespot.com. Just in case you haven’t noticed, the 08 season has come to a close and the 09 season is about to start. What does this mean for EA’s NHL franchise? Probably back-to-back awards.
Before I go on, if you haven’t a next-gen game console, now might be the time to buy it (especially since Microsoft slashed the price of the Xbox 360 premium to 300 dollars, down from 350). Can this game possibly be this good? It sure looks like it.
Hearing the accolades for NHL 08, I bought myself a copy, and boy was I glad I did. I spent countless hours in franchise mode building the Ducks into a powerhouse of a team. I think I steered them to 4 or 5 Cup dynasty, but I suppose that is neither here nor there. Point being, NHL 08 was ridiculously awesome and NHL 09 promises to improve on that formula in leaps and bounds. How, you say?
Be A Pro.
This is the name of a new mode they’re introducing. In it, you almost literally strap on your own skates and develop yourself as a player from the minors to superstardom. What sets this apart from other hockey games (or game modes) is the fact that your success does not require the finger dexterity to pull off a spicy button combination to score highlight reel goals. This new game mode instead opts to test you on your hockey smarts. In this mode, you exclusively control your own player on the ice – with or without the puck. Do you position yourself for the one-timer? Do you screen the goaltender for your teammates? Do you join in on the rush? These are decisions made by real hockey players and for the first time, the couch potato can join in on the fun. As a player, you can select several templates including, but not limited to, standup goaltender, defensive defenseman, playmaker, grinder, etc. How well you play is determined on how well you play according to the expectations of your role.
The success of your player would depend on three factors, how well you position yourself, how you interact with your team, and how well you show up on the stat sheet. With this mode, gone are the days where all that matters is lighting it up. Yes, if you’re often caught out of position, the coach WILL notice. If you always hog the puck, the coach WILL notice. If you don’t shoot enough, the coach WILL notice. As line changes happen, you step off the ice and watch the game from the bench, at which point, the coach will give feedback. As you progress in your career, you are given points to spend on a variety of attributes, giving the player choice on whether he should choose to improve his speed, reflexes or whatnot. If that’s not revolutionary, I don’t know what is.
On Xbox Live, at least, there will be an EA sanctioned official hockey league. Teams are created and players would be recruited to teams with other players. They would play to advance to higher divisions and division 1 teams would play for a trophy, which I hear is an actual physical trophy (don’t ask me, I don’t know how it works).
The game hasn’t been released yet, so the details are a little fuzzy. Personally, I’m excited to see how much realism is involved with this mode. Do I get to negotiate contracts with teams? Do I get traded? Mayhaps I can negotiate an NTC? At this point, only the folks at EA know the more fine details of this fine new game mode.
You can bet top-dollar that on 09.09.08, I’ll be dropping 60 bucks for NHL 09.
Excuse me while I step out of the Duck spotlight and expose thoughts on modern sports.
It seems that nowadays there are a lot of athletes who think that they can guarantee some sort of win when they are in a hopeless situation. Several basketball and football athletes can be named who did so.
I think that this is a gesture that should only be made at the right time (it’s easy to say that it is the wrong time when the team ends up losing, isn’t it?) and made by the right player.
Joe Nameth. I don’t know much about football. I can tell you who plays for what team, the legacy of the Packers and Steelers, why L.A. can’t keep a football team, but really I can’t defend all the guarantees made. Now, I can say that Joe Nameth stepped up and did it. I know he wasn’t huge beforehand, but he made his professional career out of that event.
Ever since Adam, a friend of mine who writes a darn good sports blog (go-cougs.blogspot.com), mentioned that he could name a few hockey players. Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros (this surprised me), and Messier. Now Messier was already a great player before he played with the Rangers. Five Stanley Cups in Edmonton.
This, however, is what most people who don’t know anything about hockey should remember.
Excuse me while I step out of the Duck spotlight and expose thoughts on modern sports.
It seems that nowadays there are a lot of athletes who think that they can guarantee some sort of win when they are in a hopeless situation. Several basketball and football athletes can be named who did so.
I think that this is a gesture that should only be made at the right time (it’s easy to say that it is the wrong time when the team ends up losing, isn’t it?) and made by the right player.
Joe Nameth. I don’t know much about football. I can tell you who plays for what team, the legacy of the Packers and Steelers, why L.A. can’t keep a football team, but really I can’t defend all the guarantees made. Now, I can say that Joe Nameth stepped up and did it. I know he wasn’t huge beforehand, but he made his professional career out of that event.
Ever since Adam, a friend of mine who writes a darn good sports blog (go-cougs.blogspot.com), mentioned that he could name a few hockey players. Gretzky, Lemieux, Lindros (this surprised me), and Messier. Now Messier was already a great player before he played with the Rangers. Five Stanley Cups in Edmonton.
This, however, is what most people who don’t know anything about hockey should remember.
Yesterday, the Ducks announced their2008-2009 Schedule. As many of us know, the NHL is trying to round out the schedule a little more. This year, the Ducks will play every other opponent in the NHL. Games against division rivals have been reduced to 6 each in order to bring up the amount of inter-conference play to 18 games, and the 4 games against the other Western Conference teams remain the same. The three Eastern Conference teams that the Ducks face both home and away are the Rangers, the Hurricanes, and the Sabres.
The schedule starts with a very important sequence of games against division rivals, the hated Oilers, and, quite randomly, the Hurricanes. The start of any season is very important because it can set the tone for the rest of the season, but going against division rivals (and the hated Oilers) is exponentially more important. Every game against the Kings, Coyotes, Sharks, and Stars is a must-win, as each of those games is a four-point game when looking at the standings. However, on the brighter side of things, four of the first 6 games of the season are at home, and the two away games are short travels to San Jose and Los Angeles.
The Ducks have two lengthy stretches at home: a 6-game homestand in November, and a 5-game stretch in March. The one in March is a very fortunate and important one for them, as the season will be winding down and every point will count. The home advantage during this time will be very helpful facing the Stars, Wild, Canucks, Sharks, and Predators, all very competitive and dangerous Western Conference teams. Their longest road trip is in late-February, spilling into March.
This season, the Ducks have 17 sets of back-to-back games, one more than last season. Last year, they were 15-14-3, not terrible, but far from spectacular. However, these games will be excellent times to get young Jonas Hiller some more NHL experience in net.
The end of the season looks very similar to the start of the season: filled with division-rival games. I see April being a very exciting, nerve-wracking time, more so than usual. And, as we host Phoenix to open at home, it only seems fitting that we close the season as visitors in Arizona.
On a personal note, there are two games that I’m very happy about. First is the home opener, Sunday, October 12 against the Coyotes. Not only is this the home opener, but I will actually be in California visiting for the three-day weekend. So, with luck, I’ll be able to be there to welcome the boys back to the Honda Center. The second is Thursday, February 26 at Boston. Why is a game against the Bruins so exciting? Because I live in Boston, and for the past two years while attending Emerson, the Ducks have not been to Beantown. I fully intend to buy tickets right by the visiting team’s tunnel so I can cheer them on between periods and make sure they know they have a fan in the house.
Yesterday, the Ducks announced their2008-2009 Schedule. As many of us know, the NHL is trying to round out the schedule a little more. This year, the Ducks will play every other opponent in the NHL. Games against division rivals have been reduced to 6 each in order to bring up the amount of inter-conference play to 18 games, and the 4 games against the other Western Conference teams remain the same. The three Eastern Conference teams that the Ducks face both home and away are the Rangers, the Hurricanes, and the Sabres.
The schedule starts with a very important sequence of games against division rivals, the hated Oilers, and, quite randomly, the Hurricanes. The start of any season is very important because it can set the tone for the rest of the season, but going against division rivals (and the hated Oilers) is exponentially more important. Every game against the Kings, Coyotes, Sharks, and Stars is a must-win, as each of those games is a four-point game when looking at the standings. However, on the brighter side of things, four of the first 6 games of the season are at home, and the two away games are short travels to San Jose and Los Angeles.
The Ducks have two lengthy stretches at home: a 6-game homestand in November, and a 5-game stretch in March. The one in March is a very fortunate and important one for them, as the season will be winding down and every point will count. The home advantage during this time will be very helpful facing the Stars, Wild, Canucks, Sharks, and Predators, all very competitive and dangerous Western Conference teams. Their longest road trip is in late-February, spilling into March.
This season, the Ducks have 17 sets of back-to-back games, one more than last season. Last year, they were 15-14-3, not terrible, but far from spectacular. However, these games will be excellent times to get young Jonas Hiller some more NHL experience in net.
The end of the season looks very similar to the start of the season: filled with division-rival games. I see April being a very exciting, nerve-wracking time, more so than usual. And, as we host Phoenix to open at home, it only seems fitting that we close the season as visitors in Arizona.
On a personal note, there are two games that I’m very happy about. First is the home opener, Sunday, October 12 against the Coyotes. Not only is this the home opener, but I will actually be in California visiting for the three-day weekend. So, with luck, I’ll be able to be there to welcome the boys back to the Honda Center. The second is Thursday, February 26 at Boston. Why is a game against the Bruins so exciting? Because I live in Boston, and for the past two years while attending Emerson, the Ducks have not been to Beantown. I fully intend to buy tickets right by the visiting team’s tunnel so I can cheer them on between periods and make sure they know they have a fan in the house.
One of the rumors we have run into a lot this summer is the departure of Mathieu Schneider. Schneider did the best job he could filling the void for Niedermayer, but cannot be looked over for contributing to the trade of C Andy McDonald to St. Louis.
I like Schneider. I think he is a good defensemen. However, with Scott Niedermayer back for his, most likely, last season, Schneider has been rumored to be off to another team. I have heard L.A. wants him, Phoenix will trade for him, and that Barry Melrose’s mullet could see him in Tampa.
My “dream on” trade would be Jussi Jokinen for Schneider and a 3rd round pick in 2009. That would free up some cap space for a possible Selanne re-signing. It would also give the Ducks something they have needed since the 05-06 season- power to win a shootout. The Tampa Bay Lightning lost Dan Boyle to San Jose. Sure, they picked up Matt Carle and some other picks, but they lost their Power Play Quarterback. With Pronger, Beauchemin, Niedermayer all on the power play for the Ducks, I think we can see the departure of Schneider. We need some more power up front. Brendan Morrison should help fill that void, but I will get to that another day.
Schneider, we love you, but we would rather have Selanne + a younger forward. Nothing against you, but it would help out your fantasy team too.
