#94

Biscuits and Breezers

    Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog we will be talking about Canada's final decision on their captain, some current injuries, a contract extension, the final hearing on Tortorella/Hartley, and as usual a couple of videos. To start off, injuries are coming up first! Although this is not an injury, Henrik Lundqvist sat out last night against the Islanders after suddenly succumbing to the flu. Most are unsure how long he will be out. The Detroit Red Wings goaltender, Jimmy Howard, has been ruled out of the line up for at least a week after sustaining an injury to his left knee again. The Red Wings organization is possibly considering that it is another injury due to his previously sprained ligament 2 months ago. Last but not least, Florida Panthers rookie Aleksander Barkov has been sat out due to a lower body injury that occurred in the game against the Buffalo Sabres. Just to give an update on Pittsburgh's Tomas Voukoun, he has finally been able to skate by himself after having surgery for a blood clot near his pelvis. Tomas is still on a 3-6 month basis but these are some very important steps in his full recovery. He did not take any shots and is still on weekly blood thinners to prevent another clot. Get well soon!

   Before we get to the Olympic news, we have some NHL updates. First off Matt Stajan of the Calgary Flames has signed a 4 year contract extension worth $12.5 million. Next, Michael Del Zotto of the New York Rangers has been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Kevin Klein. This was confirmed on Wednesday and is largely due to the fact that Del Zotto has not been able to keep a consistent roster spot and scoring streak. Also the Rangers supposedly wanted another right handed defenseman considering Michael was never comfortable on the right side. Last but certainly not least we have the Canucks/Flames suspensions. After a hearing within the past 48 hours, head coach of the Vancouver Canucks John Tortorella has been suspended 15 days with out pay and Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley has been fined $25,000 for the brawl in the opening face off and the events that followed.

(Credit to Google Images-imgur.com)

    After the much anticipated wait, Canada has finally announced their captain for the men's hockey team.  The lucky player is.......Sidney Crosby!! Yes he was the obvious choice after his previous Olympic career and his NHL seasons leading up to this point. A's were given to Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Nashville's captain Shea Weber. It was a tough decision for Coach Mike Babcock to make but in my opinion he made the right one. I have to give large amounts of respect to Crosby and Toews for their professional take on the matter and for the fact that Crosby wanted the OK from Toews before he accepted the position. Congratulations Sidney and I can't wait to see you and the rest of Team Canada in Sochi in 16 days! (Picture from the 2010 Olympics)

(Credit to Googl Images-fanpop.com)

Here are the videos I promised!

First one is a player being forced to play goaltender after both of his goalies were ejected in a Czech league. He does pretty well actually considering he wasn't allowed any protective gear:

This next video comes to you from the professional hockey world of Germany. A player dropped his stick during a play and his team mate effortlessly flings it back to him with out breaking his stride. It is very impressive! The moment occurs at about 0:12 just to let you know because it is a little hard to see:

       Now for the "Players of Today" segment of our blog! For the prospects pick we have Saginaw Spirit left wing Blake Clarke. For the junior pick we have London Knights forward Matt Rupert. For the European pick we have Sodertalje Allsvenskan forward William Nylander. 

   Blake is 6 ft 1 in, 190 lbs, and is from Wildwood, Missouri, USA. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 19 goals in 68 games played, 32 assists, 51 TPs, 42 PIMs, and a +/- of -2. He is projected to go 3rd overall in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Overall, Blake plays an amazing game. His advanced hockey skills pair dangerously with a large and powerful shot. He is almost never afraid to battle someone on the ice for the puck and will play as big as he can for as long as he can. Of course there is time for him to expand his skills but for now he is right on queue. I hope we see him drafted early on in Philly because I believe he will be highly beneficial. Good luck Blake with the Spirit and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Google Images-thehockeywriters.com)

   Matt is 5 ft 9 in, 183 lbs, and is from Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. He hasn't been drafted yet but he did follow his twin brother Ryan to the Toronto Maple Leafs prospects camp after Ryan was selected in the 6th round 157th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 26 goals in 56 games played, 21 assists, 47 TPs, a +/- of 22 and 78 PIMs. Matt is a player you would want on your team's roster because he is player that isn't afraid to play dirty and would never shy away from a fight. He is a guy who likes to play rough and couldn't imagine the game any different. If you watch him play, you can see that Matt is key on to everything going on around him and is constantly either looking for the puck or a guy that needs to pushed around a little bit. I hope that we see him in the draft as well because the NHL certainly could benefit from a guy like Rupert. Good luck Matt with the Knights and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Google Images-cksn.ca)

  William is 5 ft 11, 170 lbs, and is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Although he was born in Canada, William holds a dual Swedish/Canadian citizenship seeing that his father is a Stockholm, Sweden native. In the 2012-2013 season, William had 15 goals in 27 games played, 28 assists, 43 TPs, 14 PIMs, and a +/- of 14. Nylander is expected to be drafted 6th overall in the 1st round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft to the Carolina Hurricanes. William is a constant threat on the ice and is always figuring out where the puck is and where he needs to get it to put the biscuit in the basket. He is extremely skilled with silky mitts, quick skates, and an enormous shot. He has an incredibly high hockey IQ and likes to keep the puck moving as much as he can. His passes are tape-to-tape and he is very agile out on the ice. William is one of my personal favorite prospects coming into this draft year and I am very excited to see where he ends up. Good luck William with Sodertalje and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Google Images-hockeyprospect.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 lifestyle not just a sport!