Category Archives: NHL

NHL Talk: Yakupov’s OT Goal, Jackie Moon & Logan Couture

Two hockey guys talking hockey

It’s hard to have a site called America’s White Boy without covering a sport where most players look like an average person in street clothes.

If this goes well, I may need to start a sister site, Canada’s White Boy. I would need a maple syrup sponsor or a lifetime supply of Tim Horton’s “Timbits”…so it probably won’t happen.

Joe Pasquali and Eddie Theisen are two diehard NHL fans. They both watch every hockey game every night (almost). Neither have a girlfriend. This is their email conversation the following morning. Continue reading →

Mason Puts Blue Jackets In Tough Situation

It’s hard to look at that picture of Steve Mason with the Calder Memorial trophy and not scream out “What happened?!” He has been one of the most inconsistent goaltenders in the NHL since his rookie season. Head coaches have let him start games, but they have a quick hook on the young man. He has the ability to register a shutout every time he’s on the ice, but he’s also prone to letting pucks get in the net in triplet. What can the Blue Jackets do to help Mason bounce back? The team must figure out if they want win now or build toward the future.

It’s fair to say that Mason has been inconsistent, it’s not an opinion it’s fact. Fans and critics must remember that he has had three head coaches the last two seasons (Ken Hitchcock, Claude Noel, and now Scott Arniel). They have tried many approaches to help the young goalie out. Hitchcock implemented the “ride the hot goalie” method, but at times Mathieu Garon was in net multiple games in a row and Mason sat on the bench collecting dust.

When Hitchcock was fired, Noel took over and modified Hitch’s technique and let Mason go out there and he played very well down the stretch. He built up the anticipation that he will have a good season between the pipes. Arniel decided that he wants to see both goaltenders see action, but so far it’s been a fairly even split. He has pulled Mason out of games quite a bit, but that isn’t new to him, he leads the NHL in that statistic over the last two seasons.

Because Mason’s rookie season was such a success, people forget that he’s only 22 years old. His rookie campaign might have been an anomaly, it definitely isn’t the norm for a rookie to come in and do so well. His 2.29 GAA and 10 shutouts were not expected so soon. Last year, he finished the year with a 3.05 GAA with 5 shutouts and a record of 20-26-9. The team could live with those numbers from a young goalie, but it was the inconsistency that frustrated the team and fans.

After the 6-3 loss in Edmonton Thursday night, Arniel said that Mason was ‘in his own head.” The head coach is starting to sound like a broken record when he comes to him. What can the Blue Jackets do? They are sitting near the 8th spot in a tough Western Conference. The team must decide if this is the year to push their young goalie or maybe it’s time to let him regain his form in Springfield, their AHL minor-league affiliate. The team did send down another top-prospect, Nikita Filatov, just last week. It might be time to give Garon the starting job full-time and call up minor-league goalie, David LeNeveu. LeNeveu is 31-years old, spent nearly his entire career in the minors, with a cup of coffee with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2005-06 and 2006-07. He may not have the ability to dominate, like Mason shows flashes of, but he could keep the pipes warm while Mason gets his form back.

Mason is a fan favorite and the fans of Columbus are hungry for a winning team. This is the tenth year of the club and GM Scott Howson definitely wants to see the team reach the post-season for only its second-time in its history. Making a move like this would take a lot of faith in the process and that Mason wouldn’t completely check-out. He already appears to be a bit fragile mentally. Fans are hoping that Mason can turn it around over the next few games, if he gets a chance to start. Their next game is at home against the Dallas Stars. Garon will likely get the start and will be looking to improve on his 7-3-2 record.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Blue Jackets Need To Improve Power Play

It is no surprise that the Columbus Blue Jackets are last in the Western Conference in power play percentage, they are near the bottom every year. Tonight they play in Vancouver against the Canucks who have one of the league’s best power plays. They have scored on 25% of their chances and amassed 28 goals on the power play this season. The Blue Jackets have scored on 14 goals with the advantage, but only register a 11.7% rate. Something needs to improve if they plan on getting two points tonight in Vancouver.

The Vancouver Canucks (16-8-4) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (16-11-2) are two teams heading in opposite directions. The Blue Jackets have been reeling the last ten games (3-5-2) and the Canucks are moving up the Western Conference standings the last ten (6-3-1). Hendrik Sedin has been killing teams on the power play with half of his 16 goals on the season coming on advantage. Daniel Sedin has played well lately with 12 points in his last eight games. Their defense has been stopping shots from even getting to Roberto Luongo, so the Blue Jackets could have trouble getting shots on goal tonight. The Canucks were 3-1 against the Blue Jackets last season.

The good news for Columbus is that Kristian Huselius will be back on the ice tonight. He has been out and the Blue Jackets could use his leadership and offensive ability tonight. Rick Nash has been hot with 4 goals and 7 points in his last four games. They will need more than just him contributing tonight if they want to earn a win in regulation.

Mathieu Garon will face Roberto Luongo in the net tonight. Garon has not have much luck in Vancouver with 2-5 record and 3.68 GAA. Steve Mason has been worse with a 2-2 record and 4.64 GAA, so coach Scott Arniel might want to keep Garon out there.

The game starts at 10pm EST tonight and should be fun to watch. If the Blue Jackets can lasso the Sedin brothers and push the puck across the blue-line, they could stay in this contest. If Vancouver gets out to an early lead, Columbus will have trouble if the Canucks go into a defensive mode.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

NHL: 2009-10 Central Division Preview

The Blackhawks have added some high-priced veterans this off-season and the Red Wings have seemed to stand pat. The Blue Jackets didn’t make any huge moves, but they signed up their young talent long-term. The Predators and Blues didn’t make any splashes and could fall to the bottom of the division this year. Since the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa, does this automatically lock in the Blackhwaks to lose in the Stanley Cup Finals?

Here is the 2009-10 Central Division preview, enjoy.

Predicted Finish
Detroit Red Wings*
Chicago Blackhawks*
Columbus Blue Jackets*
Nashville Predators
New York Islanders
* denotes playoff birth)

1. Detroit Red Wings – The Red Wings are staying with basically the same line-up as last year, minus Marian Hossa. Hossa signed with the Blackhawks, which will make them better. The veterans on the team tend to get bored toward the end of the year, but always turn it on when the playoffs start. They will play good enough to win this division, but the Blackhwaks stay on their hells all season. They are a Stanley Cup contender every year, their payroll is huge and they have veterans who know how to win

2. Chicago Blackhawks – They made the biggest splash this off-season, on and off of the ice. Patrick Kane landed in some hot water with a cabbie, the front office had their problems, and they signed Hossa to a big deal. Johnathan Toews and Patrick Sharp and due to huge years and I like the John Madden signing to add depth at center. I’m not completely sold on Cistobal Huet in the net, seems like that they could have upgraded this position in the off-season as well.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets – If the Red Wings or Blackhawks deal with injuries this season, the Blue Jackets could leapfrog one of those teams. The big question marks are the young talent on this team. They have looked great in spurts, but Derick Brassard, R.J. Umberger, and Nikita Filatov all have to take the next step in their development. Steve Mason will have to be solid in the net, since their defense is one of the weakest in the league, and so is their power play. Expect Rick Nash to have even a bigger season than last year.

4. Nashville Predators – Nashville was a few games out of earning a playoff spot last year and it appears that they could be in the same spot in 2009-10. Pekka Rinne won the starting job at goalie and he’s behind Shea Weber and a solid defensive squad. This could help them, but I worry about guys like Jason Arnott, Steve Sullivan, and Francis Bouillon, they are getting up their in age and may not be able to keep up with younger, faster players. The Predators will do well this year, but will be a few points shy of the playoffs again this year.

5. St. Louis Blues – The Blues came out of nowhere to make the playoffs last season, but I see them taking a step back in 2009-10. It was a perfect storm of things to happen for the Blues to jolt past a few teams near the end of the season to get the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Paul Kariya has been known to be fragile and Brad Boyle is clearly just a one-way player. Andy McDonald started out the year very well last season, but injuries limited his time near the end of the season. If a few key guys step up, maybe they jump a few of these teams, but a step back is in their future.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

NHL: 2009-10 Atlantic Division Preview

Our NHL fanatic friend, Joe Pasquali, has written an Atlantic Division preview for the 2009-10 season. He is a Red Wings fan, so you would think that he has some stinging hatred for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Where does he think the Penguins will finish this season? Who makes the playoffs out of the Atlantic? Can the Rangers contend for the division crown? Pasquali discusses these questions and much more.

The Penguins have owned the Eastern Conference the last two seasons with the production of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. If those players can stay healthy, you have to think that they will go deep into the playoffs once again.

Predicted Finish
Pittsburgh Penguins*
New Jersey Devils*
New York Rangers*
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Islanders
(* denotes playoff birth)

1. Pittsburgh Penguins – The defending champs return a team that is in their prime at all the right positions. Your captain, your leading scorer, and your goalie have all made strides through their early seasons and are now seasoned all-stars. The only question for Pittsburgh is how big of a Cup hangover will they have? This has not been a “great” regular season team, still with the talent they have they should win the Atlantic. Barely.

2. New Jersey Devils – They don’t have the star power as the rest of the big boys in the Atlantic, but the Devils play great defense and still have one of the best goalies around in Brodeur. Rob Niedermayer will bring a grit to a team that desperately needed it late in the season. Also, coach Jacques Lemair is back in New Jersey after being away for 11 years. When he was in town New Jersey played the best defense in the league.

3. New York Rangers – Every year, this is the toughest team to predict in the NHL. On paper, the Rangers can hang with everyone. But, inconsistency from their 2nd and 3rd lines, injuries, and spotty goaltending has kept them from breaking into real Cup contention. The addition of Marian Gaborik should have hockey fans in the Big Apple excited this year. If he is healthy, he is still one of the best goal scorers in the league.

4. Philadelphia Flyers – Chris Pronger will make an immediate impact in the Eastern Conference. Besides Zdeno Chara, Pronger now becomes the best defenseman in the East and the best in the Atlantic Division. He brings grit and a mean streak that has really embraced that style of hockey the last few seasons. With less physical teams like the Penguins and the Rangers in the division, Philly could really make some noise by being the perennial bad boys of the Atlantic.

5. New York Islanders – One of the worst run franchise in the NHL, the New York Islanders have few bright spots heading into the 2009/10 season. If Rick DiPietro can return for the Islanders, he’ll make a big impact. Dwayne Roloson is a decent back up, but can’t be an everyday goalie if the Islanders want to get out of the cellar. John Taveres and Kyle Okposo should put up good numbers playing on the first line. These two youngsters should give Isles fans some hope for the future.

On a side note, for news on the Columbus Blue Jackets, go to Fanball’s Stingers On Ice, where America’s White Boy’s sweetbob updates regularly.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Columbus Finally Has A Hockey Team!

I’ve lived in Columbus, Ohio for over two years and never went to a Blue Jackets game. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly it is because I didn’t want to pay to watch the home team get trounced on a nightly basis. I’m a casual hockey fan and have been a free agent, but no team has really caught my eye. I’m originally from northern Indiana and there are no teams in the state and the Blackhawks have been bad for most of my life. I think I have finally found my team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

I finally went to an NHL game last night, the Blue Jackets played the Dallas Stars. I had great tickets and saw the game from the 5th row. I never realized how tall most of the players are and the speed of the game. I have watched hundreds of games on television and I have found myself watching more the last few years, but my attention usually strays away after one period. I found myself in-tune to every play and didn’t want to leave my seat. Dallas ended up winning the game in a blowout, 7-3, but really the Blue Jackets played a horrible first period and pulled the rookie goalie, Steve Mason, in the middle of the first period. They ended up putting even more of a rookie in the game to see what he can do, it wasn’t too pretty.

The Blue Jackets are setting themselves up for a possible playoff spot. As of today, they are sitting in the 8th and final spot, but there are a few needs they need to address. They need a veteran goalie to backup Mason and to also provide a mentor for the young stud. Pascal Leclaire might be out for a long time and they need someone other than “Dubie,” the young, young goalie, for backup purposes.

Another need would be a defenseman that has been in the playoffs before and can handle top-tier forwards. They never really filled the void that Adam Foote’s depature left in the defense. Russell, a promising player, isn’t much of a defenseman, he can skate like a forward and should probably be a “4th line” forward, not a 1st or 2nd line defenseman.

Lastly, they need to trade for Doug Weight. There have been rumors that they have been inching close to a deal for about a month, but no new news lately. Adding a few veterans at each position may be needed for them to even make the playoffs and not get swept.

The Blue Jackets are a fun, young team and could be peaking over the next few years. The state of Ohio have never had a winning team and I believe if they start winning, the crowds will come out and support the team. The game that I went to last night was a sellout, if not really close to one. Columbus has one of the best stadiums in the NHL and the city needs to see a winner before this town can become as nuts about the Jackets as it is about Buckeye football. If the Jackets miss the playoffs this year, I’m positive that next year they will improve even more and could possibly contend for a spot near the top. Filatov, Voracek, Mason, and Brassard will all have a year under the belt and will improve enough to help Rick Nash and the Blue Jackets to become a contender in the NHL. It’s a bold statement, but if the Tampa Bay Rays can become a winner, why can’t the Blue Jackets?

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.