#74                                                              

Biscuits and Breezers

   Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Finally we have gotten back to just another regular blog! I mean don't get me wrong I love when people ask me to write a blog for them or about their company but it is always such a relief to get back to the original normal routine that I know all of you love. I am breaking up the Meet the Players blogs because I also know that not everyone knows or wants to know about that team and I entertain you all as well because you guys are the best and I wouldn't want to disappoint! A lot has happened since our last blog and there is quite a bit of news to catch up on before we get to the regular season! Yes regular season is almost upon us seeing that it is the last day of September! What we will talk about today is the preseason scores and games, Alexander Ovechkin carrying the Olympic torch, and Kris Letang being out indefinitely with a lower body injury. I hope you all enjoy and the next regular blog put out will be over the regular season games of the 2013-2014 season!

   First off we will talking about Letang. For me this was terrible to hear because 1) Letang is one of my favorite players 2) He was helping out the Penguins so much and 3) He is just a generally sick player who now can't put all that talent to good use! Coach Bylsma confirmed Tanger did not skate with the team on Saturday at a practice in West Point, New York where the team is staying before the season opener against New Jersey. Kris is scheduled for a medical re-evaluation when the team returns to Pittsburgh. Now it can't be determined how long he will be out but right now it appears to be 10 games and 24 days. Also it is classified as a Long Term Injury (LTI.) All I can say right now is that I hope he gets better very soon and is back on the ice as soon as he can! Rest up and heal fast Kris!

  Next off we have Alexander Ovechkin. We all know that the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are being held in Russia and beside Evgeni Malkin one of the best Russian players is Alexander Ovechkin. So it was a clear choice that one of the most talented Russian athletes would carry the torch as did Crosby for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The start of the torch run will be in Greece and end in Athens and then it is headed to Sochi. Ovechkin was the second person to accept the torch after 18 year old Alpine Skier Ioannis Antoniou handed it off. It was lit ceremonially in the 2,600 year old Temple of Hera. The torch was lit in honor of the Greek god Apollo by using a mirror to harness the sun's rays to light the flame. Alexander said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something I will never forget." The torch will go through 2,900 towns/settlements and 83 regions of Russia on it's journey to Sochi. Also it will be the first ever to visit space where Russian cosmonauts will have a spacewalk with it aboard the International Space Station. No flame will be present though due to safety issues. Congratulations Alex on fulfilling a dream and representing hockey (Russian) athletes everywhere! Here are some pictures from the ceremony found on Google:

The lighting of the torch in Athens 

Lighting the first torch of the relay

The hand off between Antoniou and Ovechkin

Ovie's leg of the historical journey!

    

    We have come to the preseason games and the scores since the 18th are: 9/18: Columbus-Carolina 5-4, St. Louis-Tampa Bay 3-4 SO, Florida-Dallas  2-3 SO, Anaheim-Colorado 2-1, Edmonton-Vancouver 4-1 9/19: Detroit-Boston 8-2, Carolina-Buffalo 2-5,  New York Islanders-New Jersey 5-3, Toronto-Ottawa 3-2, Nashville-Tampa Bay 1-5, Pittsburgh-Chicago 4-3 SO, Minnesota-Winnipeg 4-1 9/20: Chicago-Washington 5-4 SO, Montreal-Carolina 6-0, Tampa Bay-St. Louis 4-3, Dallas-Florida 4-1, L.A.-Colorado 3-4 OT, Anaheim-San Jose 3-2 OT 9/21: Columbus-Pittsburgh 5-3, Toronto-Buffalo 3-2 SO, Boston-Detroit 2-0, Carolina-Montreal 3-1, New Jersey-New York Islanders 3-0, Florida-Tampa Bay 4-5 SO, Winnipeg-Minnesota 3-4 SO, Dallas-St. Louis 2-3 OT, Vancouver-Edmonton 2-5, Phoenix-San Jose 2-3 OT 9/22: Chicago-Detroit 4-3, New York Islanders-Nashville 0-2, Buffalo-Toronto 3-5, Colorado-Anaheim 2-1 9/23: Washington-Boston 2-3 OT, Minnesota-Colimbus 2-1 SO, Chicago-Pittsburgh 2-3 SO, New Jersey-Montreal 2-3, Rangers-Calgary 1-4, Winnipeg-Edmonton 1-2, Phoenix-Vancouver 1-6 9/24: New Jersey-Philadelphia 2-1, Ottawa-Toronto 3-2, Tampa Bay-Nashville 1-2, Dallas-Colorado 5-3, Rangers-Edmonton 3-5, Anaheim-L.A. 1-2, Vancouver-San Jose 0-5 9/25: Columbus-Buffalo 0-3, Nashville-Washington 1-4, Pittsburgh-Detroit 5-1, Montreal-Ottawa 2-5, St. Louis-Minnesota 1-3, Phoenix-Calgary 3-2 9/26: Carolina-Columbus 2-1, Philadelphia-New Jersey 1-4, Ottawa-Montreal 1-3, Florida-Tampa Bay 2-3, Boston-Winnipeg 3-2, Colorado-Dallas 1-5, Rangers-Vancouver 0-5 9/27: Buffalo-Carolina 0-1, Nashville-Islanders 4-6, Philadelphia-Washington 3-6, Toronto-Detroit 2-5, Dallas-Edmonton 4-0, Minnesota-St. Louis 1-4, Winnipeg-Boston 0-5, San Jose-Phoenix 1-2, Rangers-L.A. 1-4 9/28: Tampa Bay-Florida 3-5, Detroit-Toronto 1-3, Washington-Chicago 3-4, San Jose-Anaheim 6-5, Colorado-L.A. 3-2 9/29: Ottawa-New York Islanders 2-5 and 4-1. NHL Network released a Season Preview about 7 things we learned during the preseason. According to the website those things were: 1. PTOs can work 2. Best laid plans don't always work out 3. Patience, Morrow make the Blues better 4. Oiler's center depth getting tested 5. No questions, it's Fleury's net 6. Dallas has some rookies to watch and 7. Rangers might be in deep trouble to start the season. With that I leave you all to your "Is it October yet?" memes, regular season fantasies, and the excitement of another NHL season! 

(Credit to Google Images)

    We have come to the "Players of Today" segment of our blog. For the prospect pick we have Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman and New York Islanders draft pick Ryan Pulock. For the Goalie pick we have San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi. For the European pick we have Sheffield Steelers center Maxime Lacroix.

    Ryan is 6 ft 0 in, 209 lbs, and is from Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada. He was drafted 15th overall in the 1st round by the New York Islanders in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 14 goals in 61 games played, 31 assists, 45 TPs, 22 PIMs, and a +/- of -7. Pulock was captain of the Wheat Kings last season and will also wear the "C" this season. Ryan is a very strong defenseman who isn't afraid to work the boards and bang bodies once in awhile. He has a wicked shot and just fires it into the back of the net. He plays very well at both ends of the ice and is a very good all around player. One thing he would need to work on would be his skating though. I do like his style of play. Hard hitting physical defenseman who also goes top shelf. Even though my personal opinion of the Islanders isn't the best in the world, Pulock was one of my top draft picks and I am really excited to see him suited up as an Islander and up in the show with the big dogs. Good luck Ryan with the Wheat Kings and your future hockey career!

   Antti is 6 ft 2 in, 210 lbs, and is from Vantaa, Finland. He was undrafted. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 24 wins in 43 games played, 12 losses, 6 overtime losses, 93 goals against, 1,120 shots against, 1,127 saves, .924 save percentage, 2.16 goals against average, 4 SO, 2 PIMs, and 2,581 minutes played. Ranked 1st in the league in wins, there is a definite reason other than stats why this is. He has great butterflies and glove catches. He watches the puck like a hawk and almost never lets it out of his sight. Antti is right up there with the great Finnish goaltenders. I am excited to see what he brings to the game with the new net/icing rules and the shorter pads. Niemi is a great goaltender to watch because he sticks with the classic moves but always brings something new to the game. Good luck Antti with the Sharks and your future NHL career!

    Maxime is 6 ft 0 in, 198 lbs, and is from Quebec, Quebec, Canada. Now the reason that I had him as the European pick is because he has a French citizenship. He was drafted 127th overall in the 5th round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 15 goals in 40 games played, 25 assists, 40 TPs, and 36 PIMs. Before I started writing this guy was the player that I admired the most. I mean this guy did it all. Chirped in French, hit harder than a lot of the guys in the NHL, and had a rocket shot. He has great vision out on the ice and has amazing hands. From what I watched he was wicked fast and had great stick handling skills.  I really want to see him playing in D.C. with Backstrom. I love the connection he had with team mate Pierre Luc-Obrien. It really showed the meaning of a good relationship on a team. Good luck Maxime with the Sheffield Steelers 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 and it's a lifestyle not just a sport!