Hey Silver

BU Boys Fly the Coop

As NCAA teams close out their season, their top guns fly the coop. Come late March/April there's always an exodus of top Division I players to the pro ranks. Since BU's season came to a halt, five players have left.


+ Eric Gryba: Arguably the most loved Terrier over the past four years, Gryba signed with Ottawa. He is currently playing for Binghamton in the AHL. I imagine he'll spend awhile down there as he grows and finds his role - which I would guess is going to be that of an enforcer. His size and strength will benefit him in the long run. Once he finds his role and excels at it, I actually think he'll find himself in the show someday.

+ Zach Cohen: Cohen is coming off an awesome year. He was one of the top goal scorers and really just came into his own. He signed with Colorado making the Avs the official home of BU alum. He joins Joe Sacco, David Quinn, Brandon Yip and now Colby Cohen & Kevin Shattenkirk in the organization. Kieran Millan is also a Colorado draft pick.

+ Nick Bonino: One of BU's best players since he got here. Bonino signed with Anaheim a few weeks ago and has since been playing alongside guys like Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry.  He already notched his first goal. If he keeps it up, it doesn't look like he'll be going anywhere. Even so, I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see him spend some minutes in the A next year.

+ Kevin Shattenkirk: Arguably the biggest loss for BU. Not surprised about his early departure at all. I'm pretty sure everyone saw this coming when he arrived. He's been excellent for BU. A class act if I ever saw one who will without a doubt be a fan favorite throughout his playing career.

+ Colby Cohen: I've had a love-hate relationship with this kid. The hate part mainly being that half the time I look at him he's whining. But he's been awesome ever since he's been here. I have no complaints, and I will forever owe him for scoring the game winner in the NCAA Championship game.

The only senior left to sign somewhere is Luke Popko. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for him. I'm sure he will get a shot with at least an ECHL team. The kid is a grinder. He's always out there hustling and working hard. His downfall is his size. He has to overcompensate for his 5-10" frame (and that's being generous).

So where does this leave BU? Well, they obviously took a hit. Losing those five players, they managed to lose five of their six top scorers. They're going to have to get a stronger year out of Millan. If he can revert back to his freshman year form, that will be a big plus. Guys like Ross Gaudet, David Warsofsky, Corey Trivino, Vinny Saponari and Alex Chiasson are going to have to lead the team. It looks like it will be another transition year for the Terriers. You never know though. That's the great thing about hockey. They could be surprising. We'll see how the incoming class is and what they bring to the table.

Best of luck to the boys who have moved on!

Photo.

600.

Amazing. 

One of the best scored his 600th goal last night. 

Congrats buddy.

Photo.

LinkNation

I read a ton of great hockey stuff everyday, so why not share it? I figure it's a good way to keep things going here during the off-season. Check 'em:

+ Coyote Ugly: A Call for 10 Depositions (James Mirtle)
Mirtle is a go-to guy for anything hockey. He's been doing an awesome job covering the whole Coyotes mess. It's where I go to try and make sense of it all.

+ Pens Universe Preseason Top 20 (Pens Universe)
A look at some of the top prospects in the system. For the most part I agree with the rankings. I would move Strait up a spot or two; Rummel is absolutely right when he says Brian's game is simple and solid, but it's also very smart. Then again, that's at the college level. I think he'll have no problem adjusting after a little while.

I'd also relax a bit with the Thiessen 'overtaking Curry by the end of the season' remark. I like Thiessen a lot, but I still think he has some maturing to do (as most goalies do when they transition). Curry beats him out by a mile there. That extra year at Northeastern would not have hurt Thiessen, but oh well. What can ya do. He'll be alright.

+ BC-BU Hockey a go at Fenway (Boston Herald)
January 8th is the magic date. It will be unbelievable. My only complaint: BC would be the 'home team'. Um, Fenway is pretty much ON the BU campus. So that really makes no sense. But whatevs. I think I'll be as nervous for this game as I was in the playoffs.

Hey -- remember when BU was down 3-1 but scored three goals in 59 seconds to push the NCAA championship game to OT? And then they won in OT? Unbelievable.

+ The Hockey News' AHL Jersey Rankings (The Hockey News)
Ugh, who picked these this year?! Okay, I agree with the first three. They're cool. But then it's all downhill from there. I would get into it, but I'm not even sure where to begin.

+ AHL Regular Season Schedule (The AHL)
DO IT PENS. Even if you did lose pretty much all of your offense.

+ The Replacements (Empty Netters)
A look at who might replace Talbot while he's out for the first two months.

+ War Simulation Puts Ducks' Battles in Perspective (OC Register)
Bobby Ryan & George Parros (how can you not love that guy?) visited Fort Irwin and got to see what it's like over in Iraq. Love seeing them do this stuff. Helps them see how really, really, really lucky they are.

This, Headline Made Me Laugh

My first thought when I read this: 'Oh Ryan Whitney was invited to try-outs!'


It's an announcement for Bobby Ryan and Ryan Whitney.
Yeah ... sorry. I found it amusing.

Goodnight Sharks

The San Jose Sharks just choked. Bad. Like really bad. All I have to say is this:

+ Joe Thornton was worthless. This series actually made me dislike him. It's a shame really because the guy lights it up during the regular season. But until he figures out how to lock it up in playoffs, I don't want him on my team. I'd rather have guys like Max Talbot who bring even more to the table than just points.

+ The saddest thing is watching a team give up. That was San Jose in pretty much the entire third period (I didn't get to see the rest of the game due to VS screwing me out of it by playing a 'bonus' game). I truly do believe that anything can happen in the game of hockey. BU overcame a 3-1 deficit in 59 seconds. Carolina scored a winning goal with .2 seconds left. It was beyond possible for the Sharks to tie -- if not win -- that game. But they didn't believe it. And that's what hurt them the most. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect to get anything done?

+ Give me a break with the penalty with one second left. I don't care how obvious it was. So annoying.

+ I've never been a Jeremy Roenick fan, but my heart goes out to him. How can a guy retire after a team playoff performance like that? Stick it out one more year buddy. Hopefully San Jose will make some necessary "adjustments" and make it right next season.

+ Everyone will be pointing out how the Sharks blew it, but you have to give credit to the Ducks. More specifically you have to give credit to Jonas Hiller. One key ingredient to a successful playoff run is a hot goaltender. Hiller is the definition of that right now. I can't really even describe how well he played.

+ Would things be different if the Sharks PP showed up when the Ducks kept giving them chances? Well it certainly wouldn't have hurt.

+ All that regular season success isn't providing much comfort for the Sharks and their fans right now. Just goes to show facing some adversity during the regular season isn't such a bad thing.

Now back to rooting for Anaheim in the West. They've always been my second favorite (after Pittsburgh), but this series had me torn. The Sharks really grew on me this year. Their time will come. It just wasn't now.

Definition of Hot

Seriously.

Source.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have found my favorite series of the first round:


Granted I've only seen Pitt/Philly, Boston/Montreal and Chicago/Calgary, but the Sharks/Ducks game last night made me eager to watch some more. I waited through the Hawks game (thank you for scoring 11 seconds in OT) for VS to jump in just in time for the second period. I stayed up until one in the morning to see the finish (yes, that's late for me when I have class in the AM).

Here's my game thoughts:

+ Hello hits. I felt sore just watching those two teams throw the bodies around. Ryane Clowe was an animal out there.
+ Anaheim is the better 'playoff' team. They just are. You know a playoff team when you see one. They just have all the elements needed -- like Boston. It goes beyond skill. A successful playoff team has a little of everything. Can SJ lock it up or will they choke? How they respond in Game 2 will say it all.
+ Ducks really need to cool their love for the penalty box. Took way too many penalties and fortunately San Jose's power play was completely ineffective. As I always say though, taking penalty after penalty will catch up with you.
+ Hiller. I hate to see Giguere sit because I have all the respect in the world for the guy, but Hiller is hot right now. So important for the postseason.
+ Anaheim held Thornton to one shot. No other words needed.
+ The only time I heard the Shark Tank get quiet was towards the very end. The rest of the time they were very loud. That's awesome, but clearly their team didn't respond. For a Sharks team that was so good on home ice, losing the first one when you have home ice advantage is not so good. Anaheim's already in a good spot coming out of NorCal with at least one win.
+ My team above anyone else is the Penguins, but I will openly admit that I love Western Conference hockey.

Other series Notes

+ The Bruins & Canadiens are a close second for my favorite series. The score was tight up until the end. Gotta give one huge shout-out to my most hated player in the NHL, Josh Gorges, for taking a penalty and costing his team the game. Nice job bud! You're a winner.

Photo Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

No. 1 vs. No. 2

I read the Orange County Register's Ducks updates daily, and today Mark Whicker caught my eye. He brought up the idea of Bobby Ryan and Sidney Crosby being on the same level now. I'm just not so sure I can agree with that. I know I constantly rant against Ryan -- sometimes a little unfairly -- but let's think about this. To Whicker's credit he points out their stats as of the past two months:

Since Nov. 16, Ryan has 11 goals and 14 assists.
Since Nov. 20, Crosby has 10 goals and 21 assists.
But Crosby has scored only three goals since Nov. 29. Ryan has nine.

You can't argue with stats, but I'd still take Crosby over Ryan any day. Sure, Ryan had some salary cap issues that kept him at bay, but the kid wasn't in tip top shape until this past off season anyway. I'm not sure what he was waiting for prior to that. Also, I still stand by his "I don't care" attitude he had before he secured a spot on Anaheim's roster. I can only imagine how frustrating it was for him to suffer through that knowing he was good enough to play in the show, but that attitude gets you no where. I don't want a guy on my team who feels like he's owed something all the time. That's not to say Sid doesn't have his brat moments, but they still have very different ways of handling and dealing with things.

Plus, I personally believe Crosby is just more talented overall. There's a reason he was the no-question number one draft pick. Then again, not many guys can be as talented as Sid the Kid. Bobby Ryan will be a fantastic player in years to come, there's no doubt about that (especially if he starts throwing his body around a bit more. The kid is huge). Just not my preference of the two.

And just for kicks -- if Ryan was on Crosby's level, he would've at least made the Young Stars game. ;-)

Update:

Just scanning over the Ducks message board, where someone posted this:

Talking with Bobby, he was actually hoping he wasn't going to be named because before the AS break, we have the east coast road trip and he wanted to hang with friends and family.

Another example. Rather chill out than be named an All Star? Okay, then Bobbo. You never fail to surprise me.

Quote Me

"I think the first period was a poor period for everybody, but being the youngest, I guess you sometimes take the brunt of that. The second period didn't start off the way I wanted to, but when you're young you don't get many chances, I guess. I found the middle of the bench pretty quickly." - Bobby Ryan

No, there's nothing thrilling or amusing about this quote. I just wanted to use it to point out how Bobby Ryan can't just say, 'Hey, listen. I didn't play that well, and I paid for it. I gotta get out there and work harder.' If you start paying attention, you'll see this in a lot of his quotes. He always has to attribute poor play to other things. I think it reflects poorly on him. Even if he feels he's getting jipped, acting like a baby is no way to get people on your side. Swallow your pride, bud. The whole hockey world knows you got screwed when you got demoted for salary cap issues. Guess what? Everyone is over it. You're in the show now, so they really could care less to hear you whine. You're part of a team. Act like it.

I'll dig around to find similar boo-hoo quotes from him.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Burke Out?

Rumors have started swirling around that Brian Burke is no longer the GM of the Anaheim Ducks. When I get more word on this, I'll update.

Stay tuned ...

Really Ron Wilson?

As you may have heard by now, Leafs' coach, Ron Wilson, decided to play Curtis Joseph in the shootout after Vesa Toskala played the entire 65 minutes before that. Apparently this is because Joseph has a better shoot-out record. Okay, fair enough. But really though?

I think it shows a lack of confidence in Toskala. The kid played the entire game for you -- and kept the Leafs in the game (granted he only faced 21 shots). You say thank you by putting Joseph in? I know it's totally legal, but it's just strange to me. It'd be different if both goalies had seen action during regulation, but that was Toskala's game. Let him finish it.

Needless to say, the Ducks ended up winning the shoot-out. Way to go Ron Wilson.

Photo Credit: Dave Sandford/Getty Images

October is Hilarious

Okay, so the beginning of the regular season is so amusing to me. Can I just point out some examples?

+ The Maple Leafs beat Detroit in their first game. Sure, that's been their only win so far -- but it's still funny. Suck it Detroit.

+ The Ducks are 0-4. Not one point. Zero. Awful. Hint: stop taking penalties like it's your job ... it's not.

+ Chicago already tossed out their coach.

+ The St. Louis Blues are in first place in the Central Division.

+ I really don't care if the Rangers have been sick so far this year. They will choke in the post-season as they always do.

Just some Friday musings after a week of midterms. Gross. Bu vs. Merrimack tonight. Pittsburgh vs. Boston on Monday. Sooo excited.

OH... RED SOX ANYONE???

More on B.Ry.

For anyone watching the Pittsburgh/Ottawa game on Versus right now, how good does it feel to have hockey back? It brought a little smile to my face.

Anyway, more on the Bobby Ryan issue I briefly brought up last time. The kid is hoping for a trade, and I don't really blame him. At the same time, it's not as if they're sending him down to be outright dicks; they just don't know how to handle money very well. There were rumors about Toronto being interested in him; that would be interesting considering Brian Burke will probably end up there after this season. No matter where Ryan ends up, he still needs to adjust the attitude. I still stand by what I've said before: he has unreal hands that help him score but has offered little else. He has size, he should use it. And now that he's a skinny minnie, he should be faster.

Bottom line is, the Ducks probably saw beforehand that this problem would arise. Why did they hype him up so much and 'pencil' him in then? It makes them look bad. That might be my PR education speaking, but it is what it is.

Photo Credit: Christian Petersen, Getty Images

This Makes the Afternoon Interesting ...

I'm way overdue for an afternoon nap, but the Ducks sent Bobby Ryan down to the AHL today.

Although I have my complaints about him, it does hurt to be sent down for 'salary cap reasons' -- especially after everyone in the Ducks organization has spent basically all preseason talking him up.

Bobby Ryan often feels like he's owed the NHL, so there's no doubt he is complaining right now. And for once, I can't really blame him.

Poor kid. Maybe he should take a nap too.

More on this after some zzz's.

Some Scranton Love ...

The LA Times had a little clip about prospect Eric Tangradi. It also noted a bit about his time spent playing in Kingston, PA:

Tangradi played high school hockey at Wyoming Seminary Prep, which is not in Wyoming, but Scranton, Pa., and had nothing to do with those who wish to become a Catholic priest.

"Just a fancy name for a prep school," Tangradi said. "It was probably the stepping stone to my hockey career."

That quote will probably only be amusing for those from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. Sem isn't even in Scranton either, but that's okay. And most of my friends who went to Sem never even considered becoming Catholic priests. In fact, it's a Methodist school.

Hahahaha.

Regardless, it's still pretty cool to see a kid that played in the WBS area continue his hockey career.

B.Ry Ready for the Show? Hmm...

The OC Register did a piece on Bobby Ryan basically being given a position on next year's team by Brian Burke. Maybe this was a motivational thing -- Ryan is strange with that. He doesn't get motivated by criticism (unlike some players who take negative remarks as a fire under their ass), so maybe if they kiss up to him he'll actually go out there and shake things up a bit. That's not to say he's not talented. I watched the kid in the A's Eastern Conference Final against the Baby Pens (number one in my heart). And even though Wilkes-Barre finished on top, Bobby Ryan was the one guy you simply couldn't let touch the puck. He undressed goaltender John Curry twice. And Curry's a smart goalie. Sometimes it seemed like his reach was never ending. He has unreal hands, and even though I may have called him a pussy once or twice, he did throw his body around a bit. That said, he was quick to give up the puck if he was pressured.

The kid has a great heart, he really does. I'd love to see him do well. The key to his success is keeping him motivated and interested. He can't get discouraged because he won't want to go out there and play. Does that mean "guaranteeing" him a spot on the Ducks' roster? Maybe. But for all we know, maybe his skill level just won't transfer to the NHL game. This has happened to AHL stars like Martin St. Pierre and Robbie Schremp (so far). Bobby Ryan has God-given talent, and sometimes that's harder to pull out of players than those that have the will to work as hard as they possibly can 24/7 throughout the entire season.

Maybe this is Brian Burke's way of indirectly getting back at Kevin Lowe for calling Ryan a 'questionable' draft pick?

Time will tell I guess. I wish the kid the best. Hopefully he'll tear it up next year. If not ... well, I won't be completely surprised.