#96

Biscuits and Breezers

    Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! It is almost time for the Olympics to start and we all know what that means. Major victories, minor upsets, and the quest for gold. News is going to be very limited over the next couple of weeks but I promise to keep you all updated at what is going on seeing that the junior leagues are about to go into their playoff runs and there will be non-stop Sochi updates for ice hockey starting on the 12th. The news for today is as follows: Canada's roster switch right before it's time to head over to Russia, Patrick Kane's absence following his grandfather's death, and a few Sochi updates! Let's start off with the big news shall we? After breaking his right tibia on November 11th on a disastrous play and going through intense rehab, Steven Stamkos has announced that he will not be traveling to Sochi with Team Canada. The cause of this sudden, yet expected, news would be that a recent CT scan Wednesday afternoon showed that the tibia bone is not completely healed the way it should be. He will continue his rehab and be reevaluated in 2-3 weeks but for the mean time Lightning captain Martin St. Louis, an obvious choice to fill the void who should have made the squad initially, will be taking his place in Sochi. Hopefully we will see Stamkos healed up and back on the ice for Tampa Bay but for now let's set our sights and see if Crosby, Toews, and now St. Louis can bring a gold back to their beautiful Canadian home country.

St. Louis and Stamkos previously together on Team Canada
(Credit to Google Images-nextimpulsesports.com)

   Now we turn things over to the Western conference for a look at Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane. Losing a loved one is always hard that is without a doubt, but when Patrick Kane heard the news about the loss of his beloved grandfather right before he and the rest of the Blackhawks took on the L. A. Kings on Monday with a final score of 5-3 he played with passion and immense love for his grandfather. Kane scored 2 goals and added an assist in memory and for his paternal grandparent. He played against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday but will take a personal leave to attend the burial and memorial service back in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. According to a quote from ESPN.com, his grandfather was extremely close to him and his death is undoubtedly making an impact on his life at the moment. The services would be on Friday at 9:30 AM at St. Ambrose Catholic Church for Kane's 87 year old grandfather according to the Buffalo News website and ESPN.com. After the ceremony, Kane is due to leave for Sochi this weekend seeing that he is a Team USA member. R.I.P. and here is the interview showing Patrick Kane's softer side with a heavy heart and a few shed tears. My condolences to the Kane family. Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqntvOBRmtU 

Kane scoring a geno and dedicating it to his grandfather
(Credit to Google Images-larrybrownsports.com)

 Before I shift over to player reviews I have three important announcements that just came over onto NHL and Olympic news sites. First of all, Henrik Sedin has just pulled out of Team Sweden due to bruised ribs and not physically being able to play. He will be replaced by Calgary's Mikael Backlund. Columbus' Marian Gaborik has also dropped out of the Olympics and will not represent Team Slovakia due to the fact that he has still not fully recovered from a broken collar bone. Former NHL player Branko Radivojevic who is on roster for Bratislava in the KHL is expected to take his place. Lastly, Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild is under speculation for his broken ankle sustained on January 4th. He hasn't been pulled out for Team Finland just yet, but if he unfortunately is, Finland will have to rush in order to find another forward capable of living up to Koivu's standards. 

 Now for the "Players of Today!" For the junior pick we have Janesville Jets forward Robin Hoglund. For the NHL pick we have New York Rangers (now Nashville Predators) defenseman Michael Del Zotto. For the European pick we have Dusseldorfer EG forward Alexander Preibisch.

  Robin is 6 ft 3 in, 205 lbs, and is from Molndal, Sweden. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 9 goals in 46 games played, 15 assists, 24 TPs, 44 PIMs, and a+/- of 9 with the Soo Eagles. Where to start with Hoglund. This guy is utterly amazing. He is a Swedish phenomenon just coming out of the gates for what I suspect is to be a glorious career ahead of him. He plays with a full heart and enormous amounts of passion every single game and no matter what happens during those 60 minutes, he will never give up hope. If things get tough, Robin gets even tougher. He is always there to create scoring potentials for he and his team mates even if takes getting physical with someone or working the boards to take out a potential obstacle. If you want a play to happen there is one player to look towards; Robin Hoglund. He will back his team 100% and will make sure that by the end of the night, everyone in that rink will know his name. He is determined, he is a leader, and he is winner. In my opinion, Hoglund is a good player for the youth players to look up to because he sets such a great example of how hockey should be played; with respect towards other players, respect for the logo on front of the jersey, and respect and confidence in yourself as a player. These mentalities, I feel, will lead him on a long road full of victories, personal triumphs, and success. Good luck Robin with the Jets and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Gametime Sports Photos)

   Michael is 6 ft 0 in, 195 lbs, and is from Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. He was drafted in the 1st round 20th overall to the New York Rangers in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 3 goals in 46 games played, 18 assists, 21 TPs, a +/- of 6, 18 PIMs, 1 short handed goal, 81 shots on goal, and a 3.7 S%. Even though he might not be the most impressive defenseman in the show, he knows how to stand up for himself and for his team mates. When he steps on the ice, Michael is prepared and set to play the game no matter what intensity the bar is set at. Del Zotto is the type of defenseman that goes out there to lend a hand to his team mates and keep them going through tough situations. I like the way he plays because he is almost always level-headed, concentrated, and determined to get his team the two points. He isn't afraid of getting physical once in a while and doesn't shy away from working the boards. He was traded to the Nashville Predators on January 22nd of this year in exchange for Kevin Klein. Even though this may have been for a stronger d-man, Del Zotto will show Nashville what working the blue line's really all about; hard work and an unending drive. Good luck Michael with the Preds and your future NHL career!

(Credit to Google Images-committedindians.com)

  Alexander is 5 ft 9 in, 150 lbs, and is from Cologne, Germany. In the 2012-2013 season, Alex had 1 goal in 40 games played, 6 assists, 7 TPs, 6 PIMs, and a +/- of -17. This season so far he has 6 goals in 44 games played, 8 assists, 14 TPs, 26 PIMs, and a +/- of -23. Compared to most hockey players Alex is on the smaller side but that is not even a factor in the way he performs out on the ice. He is very fluid with his passes, he takes time to execute plays out, and is very precise to when and where he releases the biscuit. He can easily slip through players to get to the puck and almost always is there to set up his team mates for a great scoring opportunity. He has incredibly silky mitts, great on-ice vision, and has an extremely high hockey IQ. In my opinion, he is one of the best players in his field due to the fact that he will never give up on his team, he is constantly looking for scoring opportunities, and is a player that isn't afraid to get a little dirty to accomplish the tasks that need to be done in order for his team to pull in a win. I highly recommend you all watch he and his team because they are very impressive without a doubt. I hope that we see more of Alex in hockey related news in the future because I think if he was given the opportunity, Preibisch could tackle many feats other players won't have the mind set to do so. Good luck Alexander with Dusseldorfer and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Birgit Hafner)

  Thanks for reading another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Every blog will be filled with updated hockey news, player reviews, and much more! Until next time remember, don't get you breezers in a bunch because hockey is always around the corner. Remember, it's always a great day for hockey and it's a lifestyle not just a sport!