I almost wish that Ryan Callahan never blew the lid off of Madison Square Garden last Sunday, it’s bringing out the worst in me. Part of me wishes that the most criminally-underrated forward in the NHL didn’t obliterate the Philadelphia Flyers for four goals in a 7-0 Rangers win and even applauds Marian Gaborik for […]

“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 […]

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 […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the very definition of an “up and down” team. If they’re not running a two-game winning streak, they’re dropping three in a row. As soon as they rattle off four straight, they turn around and lose six of seven. As frustrating as this is for fans in Toronto, it has […]

The phrase “kick ’em when they’re down” seems tame, sadly, when applied to the New York Islanders this season. Things just aren’t going so well in Long Island. The new year, in particular, has gone poorly for the Isles, and that’s even considering that many thought they would stumble along all season and be a […]

It’s been just over a month since Team Russia’s heroic come-from-behind gold medal victory that took place in Buffalo at the 2011 World Junior Championships, but the moment is still fresh in the mind of Russian netminder Igor Bobkov. “There is certainly more attention [on me] right now,” said Bobkov who resides in London, Ont. […]

Ray Emery landed a spot back in the NHL this week, on a one-year, two-way contract that costs the Anaheim Ducks virtually nothing. It’s an investment, of course, an affordable risk that has the potential to turn the franchise from a good team to a great one. The Ducks don’t need Emery, they don’t need […]

Sean Couturier managed to do what no other Canadian prospect managed to do last December, and it put him in a league of his own when all of the draft eligible players from throughout the CHL met at the 2011 Home Hardware NHL Top Prospects Game in January. Though Couturier far from stole the show […]

If you were to ask, many a Toronto Maple Leaf fan would tell you that the darkest days in franchise history came under the questionable guidance of the now infamous Harold Ballard. In his 18-year tenure as majority owner of the franchise, the Maple Leafs only managed to put together six winning seasons and set […]

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 […]