#97

Biscuits and Breezers

    Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog we will be talking about Kris Letang's recent health scare, some Olympic news, and Emelin's fine for butt-ending. It has been quite a busy week since the 2014 Sochi Olympics have started and many Olympians have already achieved their golden dreams. The weather isn't the only thing heating up as rivalries continue to get stretched to their limits. Women's hockey is doing very well for all countries and men's is set to start in about 2 days. Starting with the Olympic news, both Koivu and Filppula have been scratched for Team Finland only days before they were set to play at the Bolshoy Arena. Mikko Koivu has decided that his right ankle, that recently underwent surgery to repair it, has not healed enough to allow him to play comfortably in Sochi. His ankle was broken on January 4th blocking a shot and had surgery on January 6th. Finland has also lost forward Valterri Filppula to another unfortunate ankle injury. He sustained a non-displaced fracture Thursday night against the Maple Leafs. Filppula is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. No replacements have been named for these two yet (Sean Bergenheim and Jarkko Immonen are expected to take their roster spots)  but Teemu Selanne has been named Captain for the Finns taking what was Koivu's expected role. One last Olympic update is that Washington Capitals' Marcus Johansson will replace Henrik Sedin on Team Sweden after Sedin dropped out last week due to rib injuries. 

  After a couple of days suffering from a  suspicious illness, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been diagnosed of suffering a stroke last week. He is expected to be out at least 6 weeks and will be put on blood thinners immediately. Tanger was experiencing episodes of nausea and dizziness and was kept out from the game against the LA Kings but when these episodes worsened, tests were performed in Phoenix that first pointed out indications of a stroke. Later tests in Pittsburgh confirmed the diagnosis. Unknown to many people, Kris has had a small hole in the wall of his heart since birth that did not close successfully when he was born. Everyone has this before birth but it usually seals shut. He will be re-evaluated again in 6 weeks after treatment from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. This is not thought to be career threatening but almost everyone in the league is taking a second look at the possibilities of what could happen considering he is a very fit and young athlete.  Best of luck to Letang and hopefully he will continue on a path of a healthy recovery!

(Credit to Google Images-csnphilly.com)

   The last thing before we go to the reviews would be that Alexei Emelin, defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens, has been fined $5k for butt-ending Canucks' Pascal Pelletier. No penalty was called during the game but his fine was announced Friday night. The announcement was made by the NHL's Department of Player Safety. 

  Now for the "Players of Today!" For the junior pick we have Southern Oregon Spartans forward Ben Henry. For the goaltending pick we have Missoula Maulers goalie Cody Janzen. For the European pick we have HV71 SHL forward William Karlsson.

   Ben is 5 ft 9 in, 154 lbs, and is from Alpena, Michigan, USA. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 10 goals in 28 games played, 14 assists, 24 TPs, 37 PIMs, and a +/- of - 17. I recently reviewed his brother Jason on December 10th I believe and I just have to say the pair of Henry brothers are some of my favorite siblings in hockey right up there with the Staals. Both are playing with the Southern Oregon Spartans in the WSHL. Last season he made a tour of the AWHL playing with the Bozeman Icedogs and Helena Bighorns. Between the two, Ben is the forward and definitely knows how to expertly pair his excellent rushing game with his brother's defensive style. He is very fast and works a great game at both ends of the ice. He is very smart throughout his entire game and knows when and when not to let the puck out of his possession. From the games I have watched him play in, Ben is the type of forward who picks up the points when he needs to but when the circumstances call for it, he can get incredibly aggressive. This part of his game is crucially important because it allows him to be versatile in his playing field but at the same time it allows him the advantage of taking control of a play or getting the biscuit back from an opposing player. In my opinion, Ben is a great guy for young kids to watch because they can learn a clean and safe aggressive game that lets them rack up the points. I can't wait to see what he brings to the ice in his seasons to come because he constantly improves almost every season. Good luck Ben with the Spartans and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Heather Henry)

   Cody is 6 ft 0 in, 165 lbs, and is from Wymark, Saskatchewan, Canada. In the 2012-2013 season, Janzen had 3.30 goals in 22 games played and a .904 save percentage. I have watched Cody play for about 2 years now and I am thoroughly impressed  at where he has come to at this point in his career. Janzen has grown so much throughout his two seasons in Missoula and now is one of the goaltenders I feel will go a long way in the sport of ice hockey. Cody is a very mature and calm tendy and when something goes wrong, he pushes it out of the way and goes onto the next obstacle ahead of him. He takes the classical route in terms of playing style and it pays off for him very well. Cody is very attentive to all of the players rushing around during periods and is always trying to plan out what he will do to be able to beat the opposing team. His glove side is very strong and he uses that highly to his advantage. He is keen on the puck and almost always has a constant watch on it. With 3 years left to go in his junior career, Janzen is soon to make a statement and soon to come out on top. He has so much potential to go far, and if he keeps up with his stride, we could for sure see him as an NA veteran and possibly even farther. Hopefully he will get pulled up to an NAHL team for next season so he can fully explore the playing style he really is capable of. I feel that he needs to get out of the lower level juniors because he has expanded his skills to the brink and doesn't have room to reach any farther. This guy really is a phenomenal goaltender and if you ever have the chance to see him, you will understand what I am talking about. Good luck Cody with the WSHL and your future hockey career!

Best yellow pads ever! (Credit to  jpsphotos.net)

   William is 6 ft 0 in, 176 lbs, and is from Marsta, Sweden. He was drafted 53rd overall in the 2nd round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. In the 2012-2013 season, William had 4 goals in 50 games played, 24 assists, 28 TPs, 12 PIMs, and a +/- of 17. Karlsson has great hands, quick skates, and an incredibly high hockey IQ. He plays a great game at both ends of the ice and is very skilled defensively. He has great tape to tape passes and creates a lot of opportunities for scoring chances. William is always pulling something new out of his pocket of tricks to put the biscuit in the basket or toss some sick sauce to a line mate. Hopefully we will see him raise to some of the top scorers in the SHL and gain more attention as a powerful and incredibly talented forward. Good luck William with the HV71 and your future hockey career!

(Credit to hockeysverige.se)

  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 your 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!