#41 

 

Biscuits and Breezers

 

  

         Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog, we will be talking about the Wayne Simmonds' "event" in the Czech league and recent Stanley Cup champion Dustin Brown signing with a Swiss team for the lockout. Starting out with Simmonds' problem.  During a game with the Liberec White Tigers, a local team named the Chomutov Pirates aimed racial chants at the Flyers player.  The club was fined 30,000 koruna ($1,554) by the discipline committee and an apology was given by the Tigers. They are "aiming" to prevent any abuse in the future. In the pre-season last year a banana was thrown at Wayne during a game in Ontario. Even though the Flyers aren't my personal favorite team, no one deserves to criticized for their race, ethnicity, or any thing else in that general area. I mean during the playoffs last season, Joel Ward was heavily criticized by Bruins fans after he scored the overtime winning goal and eliminating the former Stanley Cup Champions. Taking to Twitter, these Bruins fans went wild. But Joel pushed forward and said it didn't faze him at all. Simmonds is taking the situation the same way. He is not letting it effect his season, or life, for that matter. You have to give a big hand to him for standing up to stuff like that because it can get pretty stressful and messy sometimes. I don't want to get into any arguments with anyone over this either I am just saying in my opinion, this isn't right to treat someone like this. But that is just my opinion. Good luck with the rest of the season!

 

        Now we will talk about Dustin Brown. Being the captain of the 2012 Stanley Cup champion team, he is a very sought after player during this lockout. Finally, a team has won that draw. That particular team is the reigning Swiss league champions, the ZSC Lions. You have to understand that an already very powerful team, just got a lot more strength. He will play his first game on November 13th. The team already has Ryan Shannon, Jeff Tambellini, and Matt Lashoff. This lockout is making a huge impact on both the European leagues and the American leagues. The AHL, ECHL, and other various North American leagues are being crowded with players from the NHL that possibly younger players are being pushed out of the spotlight. It is the same thing with the European leagues. Rosters are being continuously crowded with NHL players where some talent doesn't even match up. But in Dustin's case, he could potentially have some competition. These Swiss players are very talented and are going to take the game very seriously. All I have to say is good luck Dustin, these boys are going to take things seriously.

 

         I just want to take the time and say how impressed I am of all the beauts playing out there this season. Anywhere from the AWHL to the AHL, you guys are doing great. Pat yourself on the back and be proud because so far, you have earned it. Some very important players will be moved up this year and great talent will be brought up front, so be prepared to work harder and be ready to be the front of the pack. I hope every one's season is going well. Continue the good work!

 

        We have come now to the "Players of Today" part of this blog. For the NHL pick we have Detriot Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg. For the junior pick we have Great Falls American defenseman BIlly Grillo. For the European player we have Vaxjo Lakers J20 forward Patrik Johansson.

  

      Starting off with the NHL player. Henrik is 5ft. 11in, 197lbs, and is from Njurunda, Sweden. For the 2011-2012 season Henrik had 22 goals in 82 games played, 47 assists, 69 TPs, a +/- 14, 47 PIMs, 3 power play goals, 4 game winning goals, 267 shots on goal, and an 8.2 S%.  He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings 7th round 210th overall in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Henrik is a very well rounded players who stuns everyone when he steps on the ice. His shots are accurate, swift, and quick. Players are intimidated to be on the ice with him constantly. Hopefully, he will be back playing for the Red Wings next year. Good luck Henrik with the Red Wings and your NHL career!

       Next off, we have the junior pick. Billy is 6ft. 2in, 200lbs, and is from Hermantown, Minnesota, USA. He is playing for the Great Falls Americans this season. I couldn't find any stats from the 2011-2012 season but I do have stats from this season so far. Currently, he has 1 goal in 9 games played, 4 assists, 5 TPs, a +/- of 6, 23 PIMs, and 2 power play assists. I saw him play against the Maulers yesterday and let me tell you, he is a very very good defenseman. He is plays with the aggressiveness of a forward but at the same time has the concentration of a skilled and experienced veteran. His playing style is a tad nontraditional, but effective enough. Billy's hands are very soft, and even though he doesn't have many goals yet, there are more to come trust me. He is very impressive with his techniques and his approach towards the game. Good luck Billy with the Americans and your future hockey career!

       Lastly, we have the European player. Patrik is 5ft. 10in, 159lbs, and is from Vaxjo, Sweden. He is playing for the Vaxjo Lakers J20 team. In the 2011-2012 season, Patrik had 1 goal in 34 games played, 6 assists, 7 TPs, 4 PIMs, and a +/- of -7.  But in his 2010-2011 season, he had 6 goals in 31 games played, 15 assists, 21 TPs, and 4 PIMs. He is a very good, aggressive forward who loves to get control of the puck. He may not get a goal, but you better be sure that before the game ends, Patrik has had control of the puck at least 15 times. This guy is crazy about ice time too. He is always willing to go out no matter what. Patrik is a player that is a building block of a team. A great guy in the locker room, a player willing to do whatever it takes to lift the team in a time of crisis, and someone who tries his hardest on every shift and practice just so he can do better than any opposing players he might face or even the guy he was the day before. I sincerely wish this guy the best of luck because he is going places and going there fast. Good luck Patrik with Vaxjo and your future hockey career!

 

     Thanks for reading another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Every episode 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!