A look back on Christmas wishes 2013 from Hockey Players

Whether they spent the holidays at home with family or with their hockey teams, your favorite NHLer’s took some time to wish you Happy Holidays. So, while the halls are still decked with boughs of holly, let’s take a look at some of the good, the bad and the hilarious holiday wishes:

Vancouver Canucks: Netminder Eddie Lack @Eddielack wanted to make sure he wished his friends, family and fans a Merry Christmas. He did it with this slightly frightening smile:

Ottawa Senators: Erik Karlsson @Erikkarlsson65 might have been drinking too much Christmas spirits with the guys. First he tweets a warm and fuzzy photo in some Christmas onsies followed by a creepy photo of himself posing with what I hope is a present. Merry Christmas?

Phoenix Coyotes: Paul Bissonette @BizNasty2point0 who is known for his "creativity/humor" on twitter sent out a tweet about his Christmas present. This guy is a handful, what a comedian!

New York Rangers: Ryan McDonagh @RMcDonagh27 took to twitter with a photo of some old time boot hockey and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

The Boston Bruins made a video for Christmas, proving that Hockey players doing anything besides hockey is funny.



Anaheim Ducks: Dustin Penner @Dustinpenner25, named the number one player to follow on twitter by Bleacher Report, wished his fans Merry Christmas a few times. First by making the Ducks #1 in the league and then with a picture of a frosty the snowman sand sculpture.

 

Buffalo Sabres: Luke Adams @LukeJAdams wished fans a Merry Christmas from Switzerland.

Chicago Blackhawks: Andrew Shaw @Shaw15er, celebrated Christmas numerous times. He built a gingerbread house and he brought out a hump day joke for Christmas which fell on a Wednesday this year. Creative Shaw, we tip our hats!

                                                 

Columbus Blue Jackets: Cam Atkinson @CamAtkinson13 enjoyed sometime in his home sweet home posting a picture to Instagram from the air.

Minnesota Wild: Zenon Konopka @zenonKonopka a real comedian on social media is always posting pictures of his bunny rabbit Hop. So out of the numnerous Christmas photo’s that he posted over the holiday I bring you “Look at this little gift under the Xmas tree #hoppylife #waitingforsanta”

Montreal Canadiens: We’ve seen hockey players singing and that is pretty funny. We’ve seen hockey players looking fairly frightening over the holidays but one thing that is forever adorable is hockey players with babies or in this case little kids in their dads’ team jersey and number. From George Parros @GeorgeParros, we bring you: “I know u got tree envy @maydayhockey #12footer”

Toronto Maple Leafs: John-Michael Liles @hoosierjm26 showed us some traditional family hockey. Nothing brings family together like pond hockey, especially when you have an NHLer in the family, I wonder how they split the teams up?

Washington Capitals: Brooks Laich @brookslaich is a very proud uncle to a niece and nephews, he is always telling us that through twitter. So, it only makes sense that his Christmas photo involves his niece and nephews who gave him, his favorite Christmas gift this year:

While some NHLers posted photos and tweets, some just enjoyed the much needed time off with their friends and families. If your favorite NHLer didn't make the list click HERE to check out more NHL players tweets.

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My Three Favorite Things this week

Where is the puck? Is it in the net? In a bizarre play during the overtime game between the Coyotes and Sabres the puck landed perfectly on the back of the Coyote goaltender’s pants right before he slide deep into the net. As he crossed the goal line he scored for the Sabers. The puck was perched perfectly on back of his pants and it was deemed a good goal, sparking celebration for the winning Sabres.



There are 6 outdoor games scheduled for this year and one in a quite unconventional hockey venue: Dodger Stadium in California on January 25 between the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings. With historical temperatures averaging at a high of 68 and low of 48 degrees the fans will not have to bundle up that much, but some are wondering how successful this game will be. Let’s go into the archives circa 1991, Las Vegas hosted an exhibition game outdoors at Caesars Palace between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings in September where temps were in the 80s during the game.



And, brought to you by Lunis Klasen from Sweden. A goal that could be deemed the best shootout goal ever.



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Washington Capitals give the Phildelphia Flyers the go ahead during a 5-minute power play

The revolving door between the Washington Capitals and their AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears is still spinning as they called up winger Casey Wellman for last night’s game.  The Capitals faced the Philadelphia Flyers again after just rallying a 3^rd period come back to beat them in their contest on Sunday. Although Wellman jumped right into the action with contributions early in the game, not even the “Great 8” Alex Ovechkin could rally the Capitals for a victory as the Flyers trumped the Caps for the first time this season.

Frequently, the Capitals have been reaching down into the American Hockey League to add more depth to their roster, filling in the blanks from illness or injury. Taking the 130 mile drive from the sweetest place on earth to the nation’s capital recently has been: Michael Latta, Philipp Grubauer, Nate Schmidt, Patrick Wey and Dmitry Orlov. Along with a list of other players, no strangers to the Hershey to Washington and visa-versa trip, relying on the American Hockey League teams for depth has become a part of the game.

“It was a pretty even game. Both teams had their moments,” said Head Coach Adam Oates.

Ovechkin said that the Capitals played a normal game last night.  With a game changer coming in the 2^nd period, the hard hit on Brayden Schenn by Tom Wilson, put the Capitals in the red as the Flyers netted 2 power play goals. The Flyers, not uncommon to a 3-point lead on the Capitals as they claimed a 3 goal lead for the 2^nd time in 3 days, managed to hold on last night.

The big win by the Flyers wasn’t enough to put the controversial hit on Schenn to rest. This hit, seen by the Capitals as a clean hit not even deserving of a penalty has drawn quite the controversy. Of course, the Flyers have a different opinion on what they call the reckless and endangering hit a 2-3 feet away from the boards on one of their top players. These are the types of hits that the league is trying to eliminate from the game, with good reason as there has been a lot of them this season. B. Schenn left the game last night with a mysterious upper body injury.

The young Wilson, 19 years old, has no record with the NHL but could be the next player to receive a suspension.  Dangerous hits are getting out of hand in the NHL and that is reflective in the suspensions being handed out by player safety, recently with Shawn Thornton appealing his 15 game suspension.  This being Wilson’s first offense, hopefully he will not receive anything outrageous if anything. Wilson, not seeming to have any ill intentions yesterday, announced his arrival in Philadelphia with this tweet:

 

The Capitals and the Flyers certainly have budded quite the rivalry. With the November 1^st line brawl including a goaltender fight and back-to-back home-and-home games with a controversial hit on a top Flyers player, things are definitely heating up. The Capitals and Flyers will take a break from seeing each other but will square off again in back-to-back games March 2nd and 5th. Although Brendan Shanahan will have the final official say about the Wilson hit, the Flyers might have more to add to that when they see the Capitals in March.

Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers to the net during shootout

After last night’s rapid turn of events, the Philadelphia Flyers now have 2 dramatic losses to the Washington Capitals. The first loss being back on November 1^st, when the frustration of a 0-7 game sparked a line brawl and a beating from Goaltender Ray Emery to Caps Goaltender Braden Holtby that he will never forget.  Now the teams are set to face off again on Tuesday, this time on Philadelphia home ice, but will there be a different outcome?

Yesterday the two teams took the ice, and were looking a little different than they did back on November 1^st.  Both teams had different goaltenders in net.  Steve “magic mitts” Mason, who has been exceptional, was in between the pipes for the Flyers.  And, fresh out of the American Hockey League the rookie Philipp Grubauer, who’s sprawling saves have been wooing Caps fans everywhere, was posted up in goal. Although the goaltender fight from last month’s game might have been in the back of their minds, I don’t think that there was much fear of Mason skating the length of the ice to fight the rookie Grubauer.

With the constant changes happening in the Capitals organization there was a surprise appearance from Michael Latta last night. This isn’t his first appearance in Washington, the young centerman has been back and forth between Hershey and Washington several times this season. Less than 24 hours before the Capitals faced the Flyers, Latta was in Hershey suiting up against the Binghamton Senators.  Latta had a knock out fight during that game in Hershey than packed up and headed to Washington, where troublemaker Zac Rinaldo dropped the gloves and went a round with the young scrapper.

Two guys that helped keep the Capitals on top last night were Grubauer and lethal number 8, Alex Ovechkin. Grubauer once again dazzled and impressed in goal for the Capitals as he was calm and composed in the net, appearing to be more of a veteran than a rookie.  But, that could be because he has already guarded the Capitals goal through 3 shootouts in his short tenure with the Capitals this season. Late, in the third period the Capitals took Grubauer out to add an extra player, that extra player was Ovechkin who is always a dangerous force on the ice.  With less than a minute left in the game Ovechkin sprung off the bench, netting the equalizer and taking this game into overtime. Ovechkin, who is always dangerous when out on the ice broke through his scoring drought last night and lead the Capitals to victory during the shootout.

The Philadelphia Flyers put in a partial effort last night, as they controlled 2 ½ periods of the contest. Claude Giroux came through with a goal, only his 7^th of the season and their rookie, who has been hot on the ice for the Flyers, Michael Raffl was on hand to make plays and score goals. Raffl has been a great addition to the top line, a play maker great at helping out linemates Giroux and Voracek where it counts. He is showing great offensive skills, his progress and growth is promising.

The Flyers earned a much needed extra point for their record during overtime last night.  But, the Washington Capitals aren’t done with them just yet. In less than 36 hours they will be facing the Washington Capitals again. Things that they need to learn from yesterday are: Ovechkin is a lethal weapon, even with only 60 seconds to play.  Try to stay out of the penalty box because the Washington power play is lethal. The Flyers will have to skate hard, play a 60-minute hockey game, because not even a 3 point lead will keep them safe from the force of the Washington Capitals.

 

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Neither snow nor freezing rain kept the fans from watching the Hershey Bears sweet victory last night

It’s always special when your AHL goaltender gets their chance in the NHL and that’s how it has been for Hershey Bears fans watching Phillip Grubauer’s sprawling saves between the pipes for their NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals. But, it doesn’t just end there for the sweetest place on earth, who was treated to receiving their ’09 & ’10 Calder Cup Champion Goaltender, Michal Neuvirth, Friday on a conditioning loan from the Capitals.

“I thought [Neuvirth] got better as the game went on, I really did.  I thought he made some really big saves in the 3rd,” said Head Coach Mike Haviland. “He needs to play, he needs to play games. He even said to me right after, 'I got better as the game went on,' and I said 'you did'.”

The fans don’t mind having Neuvirth in town for a while either. With all of the movement throughout the Capitals organization this season, the fans are visually seeing the affiliations between the teams, as a player is on Hershey ice one night and on their TV screen the next.  That might be due to Capitals Head Coach Adam Oates’ team-first attitude, and the fans can definitely get behind that.

For some, seeing Grubauer between the pipes for the Capitals is like seeing into the future of the organization. An organization with great goaltending from top to bottom, which will develop great goaltending for seasons to come.  The fans are getting in on the goaltender love as well, Dave Null said: "To have three goalies in the system that can step between the pipes on any given night will boost the confidence of the Caps and Bears players."

Last night, through the blizzard a few thousand faithful Bears fans trekked to the Giant Center to watch their Hershey Bears suit up against the Binghamton Senators for the 5^th time in 3 weeks. It was the faithful that trekked through the snow but this encouraging tweet from the Broadcaster/Dir. Of Media Relations of the Hershey Bears could have helped put the spring in their steps:

 

It was the kind of over the hills and through the woods drive on white snowy roads to a hockey game that set the night up to be a memorable one. The kind that had fans commiserating about their drive to the Giant Center with jokes like: “The car hydroplaned three times. I had a whistle with me though and every time the car slid, I blew it and yelled icing.” The fans were in good spirits and the few thousand that attended could still make that arena roar.

“It shows the loyalty and it shows the passion that our fans have and they are the best fans in the American Hockey League. They showed it tonight. It’s a great feeling to come out there even on a winter storm and you get thousands of people that come,” said Haviland. “It’s a great feeling to have fans like we do.”

The game could have gone either way last night.  Half-way through the Sens and the Bears were tied up but due to the offensive contributions from the Bears, they were able to spring ahead and run away with the 3^rd period. And, although the icy conditions continued to worsen outside, announcements were made to fans but the faithful Bears fans stayed till the end to cheer on their team to this sweet victory.  

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A big W for the Philadelphia Flyers at home

The loved and adored Danny Briere returned to Philadelphia, a place that he calls home, for the first time last night after the Flyers had bought out the remaining 2 years on the veteran’s contract last summer. The Flyers, who had the most expensive payroll in the NHL last season and missed playoffs, were looking to shred in order to get under the salary cap. Numerous Briere Flyers jerseys were being worn around the arena last night as a tribute video was shown, honoring Briere’s 6 seasons in Philadelphia. The fans gave Briere a standing ovation, displaying the love to Briere, who gave a wave but all the love in the world did not mean the Flyers would let Danny’s new team win.

“We were trying to come out hard and play in their end,” said Michael Raffl who put the Flyers on top early in the game.

And that they did, as they nearly shutout the Montreal Canadiens last night during their return to home ice. The Canadiens couldn’t score on the Flyers at even strength and they couldn’t score on the Flyers during their power plays. It took pulling their goaltender and playing 6 on 5 during the last minute of the 3^rd period for the Canadiens to racket one to the back of the net, cutting the Flyers lead in half.

“We are pretty excited to play at home again. To play in front of our fans is always a little boost,” said team captain Claude Giroux who scored last night for his 6^th goal of the season. “We learned the hard way in Chicago, I don’t know how many power plays they had, to stay outta the box.  Momentum stays on our side and when we did have a penalty kill we did a good job.”

The Flyers have been good during the 1^st period and last night was no exception although they usually let off the gas after that. But last night, the Flyers played a complete game, pedal to the metal, with great goaltending. Only thanks to Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was the score kept low, as he came through with the big saves to keep his team in the contest. The Flyers had plenty of opportunities to run up the score board but they could not convert their power plays, after the Emelin/Downie incident that gave the Flyers 5 minutes of advantage that was left unanswered.

“I think there’s a lot of character in the room. They certainly weren’t happy about that loss in Chicago because they wanted to show that they could compete with that team and it didn’t work out,” said Head Coach Craig Berube.

It took the Canadiens 59 minutes to find the back of the net and then they had mere seconds to find their equalizer. That equalizer never came for the Canadiens but this game could have been too close for comfort if an earlier goal for the Canadiens was not waived off. After 2 big loses on the road, this was a big win for the Flyers, over a team that has been steam rolling on the road.

“Good win tonight. They showed up and played a good team game,” were the final words of a satisfied coach.

This was the 6^th consecutive win for the Philadelphia Flyers on home ice…but wait a minute Steve Mason sparked a brawl after the game as he shoved an opposing player out of his crease.  Is Ray Emery rubbing off on him? Finally the initiation Mason needed to become a true Flyer, as he sported a small gash and stream of blood under his right eye during his post-game interview. That a boy Mas!

With high hopes that the winning habit is catching on in Philadelphia, hopefully these boys can take the habit on the road with them as they head to Washington – their fathers in tow.  Fathers who seemed to have been a good luck charm last night because no one wants to disappoint their father.

 

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The game that got away: The Philadelphia Flyers fall to the Chicago Blackhawks 2-7

The game that got away, the Philadelphia Flyers have been having a few of those lately.  First the runaway Dallas Stars game (1-5) on Saturday and last night Chicago Blackhawks (2-7). The Blackhawks dominated this game from the second period on, with 7 different goal scorers from the Blackhawks, the Flyers could not capitalize on any of their chances after the first period.

The one thing Craig Berube definitely understands is what games are important to players on an individual level. First Vinny Lecavalier in Tampa and now Goaltender Ray Emery, as he got the start last night, facing the Blackhawks for the first time since he helped win the Stanley Cup last season. Although, after giving up his 6^th goal at the start of the 3^rd period, Steve Mason replaced Emery in net to finish the night. Not the brightest moment for Emery as he took a seat on the bench, and although he didn’t have a chance at preventing some of the goals, he couldn’t have felt good about being benched.

Earning the first power play, scoring first and winning the first period did not help the Flyers, instead seemingly energized the Blackhawks as they came back, boosting their lead to 5-2 during the 2^nd period. This is the second time this season that the Flyers have given up 5 goals in one period.

“Stay calm and stay with it,” head coach Craig Berube encouraged the Flyers to maintain composure during a 2^nd period timeout.

A composure that slowly slipped away as the Blackhawks increased their lead to 7-2 and the Flyers increased their penalty minutes. The Flyers had solid opportunities during the 3^rd period. There were breakaways that could have turned into goals giving the Flyers a hope at a comeback, but that didn’t happen.  The Blackhawks achieved the upper hand by capitalizing on their speed and took control of this game.

A 4-day game break lapsed between falling to the Dallas Stars and then again to the Chicago Blackhawks.  A break that did not help the Flyers, as the opposing teams both took advantage of the leeway the Flyers left for them.  This time not even a 24 hour rest awaits the Flyers as they will suit up and face the Montral Canadiens tonight at 7pm.  Danny Briere will be back in town for the first time since his departure, how will the Philadelphia fan reach? I am thinking the boo-birds will be out to greet him.

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