Hockey

The first-round’s All-Fearless Team

Every playoff round is different – even in the same sport. With hockey, one year incredible goaltending steals the show, hot snipers another. Through it all though, themes almost habitually tend to transcend time and emerge once the smoke has cleared. One of those constants is the killer instinct that possesses both the Hollywood stud […]

Hockey

Nicklas Jensen: Draft day in Denmark

In its 92-year history, just seven Danish hockey players have found their way into the NHL. All but one of them were drafted between 2007 and 2010 and still remain in the league today. This summer, Denmark will see the developmental trend continue thanks to Oshawa Generals winger Nicklas Jensen. Projected to go in the […]

Hockey

Electing the Maple Leafs’ top forward

The 2010-11 NHL regular season has officially come and gone, and on the outside of the playoffs looking in for a sixth consecutive season are the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fortunately, however, veiled by the disappointment of a 37-34-11 campaign, lies hope. In combination with stud goaltender James Reimer’s Broadway-esque debut in the NHL and Luke […]

Hockey

Draft Dogs part two: Ryan Strome

“We’ll have to wait in our seats when they call ‘Niagara IceDogs’ to see what name they call after. But, I’m sure I’ll look over at him and he’ll look over at me. We’ll give each other a handshake after and congratulate.” Ryan Strome, the man responsible for the quotation above and recipient of the […]

Hockey

Draft Dogs part one: Dougie Hamilton

Jack Gatecliff Arena in St. Catharines, Ont., affectionately referred to as “The Jack” by the Niagara IceDogs and their devoted fan base, is nearing its 80th year of operation. Its vents clatter so forcefully that they shake standing room counters and, in turn, patrons’ beers between swallows. Its advertisements dominate the facility’s aesthetics, making certain […]

Hockey

Jonathan Huberdeau: Draft stock on the rise

With projected top-three pick Gabriel Landeskog sidelined, and Adam Larsson ineligible as a member of the Swedish Elite League, the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game served as an opportunity for a handful of less talked about, yet equally skilled, future NHLers to shine. Although the other half of the consensus “top four” for […]

Hockey

The art of the short-handed goal

Being sentenced to the sin bin in hockey is one of the least favorable situations a player can find themselves in. Feelings of guilt, frustration and angst overcome those previous of intensity, concentration and passion on the way to the box. The condemned player is then forced to rely on their teammates to put forth […]

Hall of Fame

The Rehabilitation of Kurt Jory

Kurt Jory is a warrior at heart. And not because of the 29 games he spent with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors back in 2006-07. In 2008, Jory suffered a life-threatening neck injury over which just a few players in the history of upper echelon hockey can bond; a severed jugular. The now 23-year-old is […]

Hockey

Blue Jackets versus Wild, picking a winner ten years in

Four franchises in the National Hockey League are celebrating milestone anniversaries during the 2010-11 season. Wittingly, they come in pairs. The youthful twosome – the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild – will have a complete decade of NHL action under their belt come spring 2011, while the elder pair consisting of the Vancouver Canucks […]

Other Sports

Sports travel takes a leap forward

In the year 2010, all it takes is the push of a button to receive up-to-the-minute updates from the vicariously covered sports world. This is due in large part to the millions of dollars devoted annually by technology companies such as Apple and Research In Motion (RIM) to consistently advance their products through software engineering. […]