#104
In the lovely Finnish town of Lappeenranta, the 2014 U18 IIHF Men's Hockey Championships have been underway since the 17th of April. The final-gold medal game was played on April 27th and the medal was awarded to, yup you guessed it, the stars and stripes of the USA. With a final score of 5-2, the Americans beat the Czechs to take home the gold and place the Czech Republic with a silver. The bronze medal game, however, was between two hockey super powers, Canada and Sweden. In the end though, with a final score of 3-1, the Canadians took home the bronze medal leaving the Swedes in 4th place. 10 teams competed in this event (Group A consisting of Canada, Sweden, Russia, Slovakia, and Germany and Group B consisting of the USA, Finland, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Switzerland) and many players showed their talents as definite future NHL draft picks. Many players such as William Nylander (Sweden), Jakub Vrana (Czech Republic), and Kevin Fiala (Switzerland) are already large headliners and highly sought after prospects going into this year's NHL Entry Draft taking place in Philadelphia, PA. It is absolutely phenomenal seeing all of this talent in one tournament and very exciting to see the future of professional hockey in these young players. Great job to all the teams that participated and congratulations to medal winners! (Photos credit Total Hockey and IIHF Facebook pages)
Josh is 5 ft 9 in, 163 lbs, and is Fife, Scotland. In the 2013-2014 season, he had 5 goals in 24 games played, 4 assists, 9 TPs, and 4 PIMs. I am very impressed with Smith as a player because, yes he may not be one of the biggest guys out there, but he plays with the most heart. Josh is not necessarily out there to score the most goals or to get the most penalty minutes. He is out there to play the best hockey he can and have the best time doing it. Josh is constantly seeing how hard he can push himself to be able to play the best he can and is always pushing the boundaries. On shifts, he is always playing 100% of the time. He may be tired, exhausted, or in pain but you can put money on it that he is still playing full force. He is extremely determined and nothing on this planet will stop him from helping as much as he can to get the win. Smith is without a doubt the type of player who is doing whatever he can to make sure his team succeeds and gets the victory. I am very impressed with him because even when he is at the lowest point in the game, he is always playing his absolute best game, wholeheartedly, and is there until the last second ticks off of the clock. Wickedly amazing player with determination and drive that are out of this world. Good luck Josh with the Cobras and your future hockey career!
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!
Biscuits and Breezers
Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! The NHL playoffs are well underway and before I get to the news, I would like to tell you all the end results of the Round 1 series:
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Canadiens win series 4-0
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: Penguins win series 4-2
Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings: Boston Bruins win series 4-1
Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues: Blackhawks win series 4-2
Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars: Ducks win series 4-2
Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild: Wild win series 4-3
New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Rangers win series 4-3
San Jose Sharks vs. LA Kings: Kings win series 4-3
Now for the news! Today we will be discussing the Calgary Flames' new GM, 2 NHL rulings, Lightning's Bishop and Philly's Grossmann to have surgery, and the results of the U18 World Championships! First off with the Calgary Flames! After aiding the Phoenix Coyotes through 7 incredibly tough seasons without one specific owner for 4 of them, Brad Trevling is trading sand for snow and has packed his bags and is off to his new home in Calgary, Alberta. Trevling has agreed to take the position of General Manager for the Flames after Jay Feaster was relieved of his position on December 12th, 2013. It was expected that Brian Burke, Flames President of Hockey Operations, was to wait at least until after the 2014 NHL Entry Draft to find his new GM but thanks to the Phoenix Coyotes organization and their GM Don Maloney it only took a 10 day window. The entire Flames organization is now hopeful that with Trevlig's helpful hand, the Flames will have many successful seasons and playoff runs in the years to come. Best of luck to the Calgary Flames with their new general manager!
Next, we have the surgeries. First off, the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender, Ben Bishop, underwent surgery on his right wrist Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic. The successful procedure was to repair a torn ligament in Bishop's wrist. He is expected to be out at least 3-4 months for rehabilitation but should be ready for the start of the 2014-2015 Lightning training camp. Nicklas Grossmann of the Philadelphia Flyers will also be out for a procedure but this surgery will be performed to repair tendon damage in his right ankle. He is expected to be out at least 8-10 weeks and is out of the 2014 NHL Playoffs for good. He sustained the injury in Game 4 of the round 1 series against the New York Rangers. He will be replaced by Erik Gustafsson (temporarily by Hal Gill.) Get well soon!
Ryan Garbutt of the Dallas Stars has been fined $1,474.36 for spearing Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks in the groin area as he was headed back to the Stars' bench and Perry was jumping into the game. This fine was the maximum according to the CBA based on Garbutt's $575,000 average salary. Last but not least we have repeat offender Matt Cooke. With an incredibly long rap sheet with the NHL, Matt Cooke is adding another suspension to his resume. Unfortunately showing the darker side of hockey, Cooke (now of the Minnesota Wild) has been suspended 7 games for kneeing Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie during Game 3 of the 1st round of the NHL Playoffs. If the suspended games are not fully served in the playoffs, the rest of the time will take place in the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. I am a huge fan of large, defensive plays/hits but I draw the line when certain players, in my opinion, are just out on shifts to take people down. It is absolutely ridiculous, in my opinion, to have a player constantly suspended for critically injuring other skaters. Matt Cooke is a physical player out on the ice, yes, but sometimes he pushes the limits and is out there demolishing guys. I think that we need to keep the physical side of the sport because it is part of the history and tradition of the game, but we can't have guys out there who are critically injuring players for basically no reason. I respect Matt Cooke as a player, just as I do to every player in the league, but hopefully we will see some sort of adjustment in the near future.
Next, we have the surgeries. First off, the Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender, Ben Bishop, underwent surgery on his right wrist Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic. The successful procedure was to repair a torn ligament in Bishop's wrist. He is expected to be out at least 3-4 months for rehabilitation but should be ready for the start of the 2014-2015 Lightning training camp. Nicklas Grossmann of the Philadelphia Flyers will also be out for a procedure but this surgery will be performed to repair tendon damage in his right ankle. He is expected to be out at least 8-10 weeks and is out of the 2014 NHL Playoffs for good. He sustained the injury in Game 4 of the round 1 series against the New York Rangers. He will be replaced by Erik Gustafsson (temporarily by Hal Gill.) Get well soon!
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| (Credit to Google Images - boltsbythebay.com) |
Ryan Garbutt of the Dallas Stars has been fined $1,474.36 for spearing Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks in the groin area as he was headed back to the Stars' bench and Perry was jumping into the game. This fine was the maximum according to the CBA based on Garbutt's $575,000 average salary. Last but not least we have repeat offender Matt Cooke. With an incredibly long rap sheet with the NHL, Matt Cooke is adding another suspension to his resume. Unfortunately showing the darker side of hockey, Cooke (now of the Minnesota Wild) has been suspended 7 games for kneeing Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie during Game 3 of the 1st round of the NHL Playoffs. If the suspended games are not fully served in the playoffs, the rest of the time will take place in the beginning of the 2014-2015 season. I am a huge fan of large, defensive plays/hits but I draw the line when certain players, in my opinion, are just out on shifts to take people down. It is absolutely ridiculous, in my opinion, to have a player constantly suspended for critically injuring other skaters. Matt Cooke is a physical player out on the ice, yes, but sometimes he pushes the limits and is out there demolishing guys. I think that we need to keep the physical side of the sport because it is part of the history and tradition of the game, but we can't have guys out there who are critically injuring players for basically no reason. I respect Matt Cooke as a player, just as I do to every player in the league, but hopefully we will see some sort of adjustment in the near future.
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| (Credit to Google Images - cbc.ca) |
In the lovely Finnish town of Lappeenranta, the 2014 U18 IIHF Men's Hockey Championships have been underway since the 17th of April. The final-gold medal game was played on April 27th and the medal was awarded to, yup you guessed it, the stars and stripes of the USA. With a final score of 5-2, the Americans beat the Czechs to take home the gold and place the Czech Republic with a silver. The bronze medal game, however, was between two hockey super powers, Canada and Sweden. In the end though, with a final score of 3-1, the Canadians took home the bronze medal leaving the Swedes in 4th place. 10 teams competed in this event (Group A consisting of Canada, Sweden, Russia, Slovakia, and Germany and Group B consisting of the USA, Finland, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Switzerland) and many players showed their talents as definite future NHL draft picks. Many players such as William Nylander (Sweden), Jakub Vrana (Czech Republic), and Kevin Fiala (Switzerland) are already large headliners and highly sought after prospects going into this year's NHL Entry Draft taking place in Philadelphia, PA. It is absolutely phenomenal seeing all of this talent in one tournament and very exciting to see the future of professional hockey in these young players. Great job to all the teams that participated and congratulations to medal winners! (Photos credit Total Hockey and IIHF Facebook pages)
Now we have come to the "Players of Today" segment of our blog! For the junior pick we have Ogden Mustangs captain and forward Jimmy Peplinski. For the NHL pick we have New Jersey Devils forward Tuomo Ruutu. For the European pick we have Toronto Predators forward Josh Smith.
Jimmy is 6 ft 4 in, 205 lbs, and is from Howell, Michigan, USA. In the 2013-2014 season, he had 20 goals in 36 games played, 27 assists, 47 TPs, and 81 PIMs. If you want one of the best junior players you can get, sign Jimmy Peplinski as quickly as you can. Peplinski is a player that exudes the term "junior hockey" and is absolutely phenomenal on skates. His style of play is absolutely out of this world and it will blow you away every time he takes the ice for a shift. Jimmy is the perfect player for many reasons but specifically he is a strong and confident player that has an unbelievable knack for finding the back of the net and supports his team every step of the way. Peplinski is always out during games working as hard as he can and to the fullest extent. He is the type of player that gives the game his all but at the same time he is a very stable supporting base for his entire team to rely on. If I was to ever have a youth hockey team, I would make sure to show them videos on how Jimmy Peplinski plays because he embodies everything a skater needs to be a wickedly amazing hockey player. He uses his large frame to his advantage and is a very strong, clean and physical player. He is constantly out there doing whatever it takes to get his team the win whether that is circling the puck and getting it into his opponent's zone, filling in the holes in the lineups, working the boards, dropping the mitts, or firing the biscuit into the back of the net. You have the players that are the scorers or the physical ones or even the fighters, but in Peplinski, he has it all. Essentially, he is one of the most complete and well rounded players I have ever seen play the game. I can't wait to see where Jimmy plays next because he has a phenomenal amount talent that will take him a long way in the sport. Good luck Jimmy with the Mustangs and your future hockey career!
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| (Credit to Facebook - Christine Ferrario) |
Josh is 5 ft 9 in, 163 lbs, and is Fife, Scotland. In the 2013-2014 season, he had 5 goals in 24 games played, 4 assists, 9 TPs, and 4 PIMs. I am very impressed with Smith as a player because, yes he may not be one of the biggest guys out there, but he plays with the most heart. Josh is not necessarily out there to score the most goals or to get the most penalty minutes. He is out there to play the best hockey he can and have the best time doing it. Josh is constantly seeing how hard he can push himself to be able to play the best he can and is always pushing the boundaries. On shifts, he is always playing 100% of the time. He may be tired, exhausted, or in pain but you can put money on it that he is still playing full force. He is extremely determined and nothing on this planet will stop him from helping as much as he can to get the win. Smith is without a doubt the type of player who is doing whatever he can to make sure his team succeeds and gets the victory. I am very impressed with him because even when he is at the lowest point in the game, he is always playing his absolute best game, wholeheartedly, and is there until the last second ticks off of the clock. Wickedly amazing player with determination and drive that are out of this world. Good luck Josh with the Cobras and your future hockey career!
Tuomo is 6 ft 0 in, 205 lbs, and is from Vantaa, Finland. He was drafted 9th overall in the 1st round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. Tuomo is a phenomenal NHLer just for the fact of what he can accomplish. He is a very versatile player in the sense that he is very well rounded in both ends of the ice, he can score the goals, he can work the boards, and he can lead his team to get the victory. I am very much a fan of how Ruttu plays because he took an old school style and put a new age twist on it. He is very skilled in connecting team mates with the biscuit and calming down his team in order to perform well. Tuomo has quick skates and can whip around the rink with ease. He is always trying to see what he can do to help out his team mates. Now that he is signed with the Devils, he will be a great addition to that team for the fact that he will bring great leadership skills to a team full of talented prospects. I can't wait to see how he impacts the New Jersey hockey scene and how the rest of his career plays out. Good luck Tuomo with the Devils and your future hockey career!
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| (Credit to Google Images - montrealerhockeyreport.com) |
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!
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