Monday's notes: Preds progressing towards prosperity

by Dirk Hoag on Nov 15, 2010 9:29 AM EST in Nashville Predators News

I hope you've settled down with an extra-large cup of coffee this morning, because today's news & notes piece is loaded with dynamite hockey reading. In all the time I've been putting these together, I can't recall having so many controversial and interesting stories covering so many different areas of the game.

Follow after the jump to get an in-depth look at how the Nashville Predators are building success off the ice under their new leadership, a scandalous expose of how NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell may be, at heart, just another overly charged-up hockey dad, an assessment of one prospect as perhaps the best blueliner the Preds have ever had in Milwaukee (which, considering the history of guys like Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, is really saying something), and a video which perhaps explains Nashville's preference for tall Nordic goalies...

Celebrate the night before Thanksgiving by seeing the Preds take on the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, November 25. Take advantage of the OtF discount to save money on Nashville Predators tickets for this, or any other home game.

Nashville Predators

Preds boss wants to appeal to the average fan | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair and J.R. Lind combine on a profile of Jeff Cogen's efforts so far as CEO of the Nashville Predators, and how the gains are already starting to accumulate. What impresses me most is that while Cogen offers discounts and specials to get new people in the building, he also knows that he has to take care of the loyal season-ticket holders, too. This is a must-read for all Preds fans...

Mueller Stays Hot, Admirals Sweep Weekend Series With Monsters | Admirals Roundtable
Need something to get you excited this morning? "Coach Lambert said last week that pretty soon, fans are going to be seeing that [Roman] Josi may be the most talented defenseman that we’ve had in Milwaukee. And that says A LOT, considering how many defenseman playing in Nashville have spent some time here."

Preds On The Glass: Preds Prepare for the Road, POTG Radio, and Weekend Wrap-Up
Buddy's morning links include a call from Chicago for Patric Hornqvist to be suspended...

Hockey Night in Nashville: Hornqvist vs. Holmstrom
Robby compares the two Swedish net-crashing goal-scorers.

Hornqvist Isn’t Afraid Of Occasional Goaltending High Sticks - Predlines
Amanda lays out the hard road that Patric Hornqvist takes to the opposing team's net on a nightly basis.

Rinne Stops Slide with Shootout Win - PekkaRinne.Com
The Goalie Guild chips in with a detailed review of how Pekka Rinne has been playing lately.

Nashville Predators center Cal O'Reilly piles up early-season points - The Tennessean
Cal O'Reilly has been one of the best stories of this season so far, having filled top offensive center role admirably.

A tale of two 5-on-3s - Nashville Predators Examiner
Two games in a row with lengthy, scoreless 5-on-3's, but they affected the narrative in opposite ways.

Predators prove they can win without leading much — or at all | Nashville City Paper
Their brief 2-1 lead over Chicago Saturday was the first time since November 4 that the Preds held the advantage.

To keep up with all of our coverage of the Nashville Predators, you can follow us on Twitter (@Forechecker, @predatweeter, @SLakePreds & @AdsRoundtable) and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at the.forechecker@gmail.com.

Around the NHL

mc79hockey.com - Who did Colin Campbell call "a little fake artist"?
Tyler Dellow uncorks the blog post of the year, taking the details of a labor relations suit between a referee and the NHL to expose the league's Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, as hopelessly biased when it comes to incidents involving his son, Boston Bruin Gregory Campbell.

Cap Circumvention Watch: Bruins Rookie Signs Endorsement Deal With Arena Sponsor - Biz of Hockey
Fascinating stuff here, which may point to the new frontier of salary cap circumvention. If an NHL team sponsor signs a player to a lucrative endorsement deal, could that provide a means of paying him extra money that doesn't hit the team's salary cap figures?

Google Now Offering Live Results from NHL.com - thenextweb.com
The NHL got in good with the nerds at Google, and now offers live scores through their search engine, something not available with the NFL or NBA.

How NHL GameCenter LIVE app rules your Playstation 3 - Puck Daddy
PS3 users can now tap into GameCenter Live, a great way to watch out-of-market games from around the league.

Putting a face on hockey concussions - The Globe and Mail
Sobering stuff about the damage that concussions can inflict at all levels of competitive hockey.

Sens shocked by death of Luke Richardson’s daughter - The Globe and Mail
Tragic news from Ottawa, where Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson's teenage daughter committed suicide.

UPDATED x2: Lecavalier to have surgery Monday on broken hand - Raw Charge
Raw Charge passed on a leak that Vincent Lecavalier was going to have surgery on a broken hand, but the story got rescinded, then re-reported. Odd stuff, but either way, he's out for now.

Jeff Carter Signs 11-Year, $58 Million Deal - Broad Street Hockey
The Flyers lock up one of their key forwards for a loooooong time.

Brent Burns Suspended Two Games - Hockey Wilderness
The Minnesota defenseman got two games for nailing Floriday's Steve Bernier in the face (inadvertently) with the butt-end of his stick.

Video: Oilers, Rangers brawl during MSG matinee - Puck Daddy
Is there a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than a good old dust-up sparked by Sean Avery?

Sean Avery's Cheap Shot On Smid Video Review - Smid's Gloves Were Not Off - The Copper & Blue
As if you needed more evidence that Sean Avery is the biggest punk in the league.

Could It Get Any Worse? " Maple Leafs Hot Stove
The mood is dark in Toronto, as Saturday's loss to Vancouver pushed the Maple Leafs' losing streak to 8 games.

What’s Happened To The Leafs? - Houses of the Hockey
Jonathan Willis shows that while their recent scoring woes are likely fleeting, they truly aren't playing well at the other end of the ice.

And lastly, we see why the Preds place an emphasis on tall, skinny Scandinavian goaltenders rather than big fat Japanese ones (hat tip to Bettman's Nightmare at Behind the Net):

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Comments

Sumo Goalie

Best Video Ever.

by Smashvillain on Nov 15, 2010 10:47 AM EST reply actions

I didn't vote on this weeks "How do you feel about the team?"

Because I was reserving my judgement (for some reason it says judgement is misspelled) for when Erat and Suter came back. So far so good!

Oh and George Parros vs Sumo Wrestler is great watchin’

by preds4ever on Nov 15, 2010 1:19 PM EST reply actions

Careful Dirk

Calling Avery the biggest punk in the league for suckering a guy when his gloves are on?
that is fair play when our beloved Tootoo does the same.
People here would even cite Toots Hinterland upbringing.
I guess Avery is a city boy, and has no such excuse.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 1:30 PM EST reply actions

Can you find more than the Robidas incident with Tootoo punching a guy with his gloves on?

Thats a serious question, and I don’t want to see the Reaves incident from this year because Reaves baited Toots all the way up the ice and then flopped like an Italian soccer player when it was time to answer the bell.

by Chris Burton on Nov 15, 2010 1:33 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

i would like to add that the incident should be from Tootoo starting the fight like Avery did. in a situation where the other guy is starting the fight but toots gets his gloves off first is the instigators fault for being slow.

Avery came from no where and jumped a guy. Toots usually just gets his gloves off first after the fight has already been agreed to.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 15, 2010 1:47 PM EST up reply actions

Yep, completely agreed – remember this? Tootoo didn’t “sucker punch” McArdle like the FLA announcers said, he just was tired of the guy pestering him to fight, and finally decided to let him have it.

by Chris Burton on Nov 15, 2010 1:59 PM EST up reply actions

exactly

if i were continually grabbing a guy refusing to let him go and doing everything possible to start a fight, i would be ready for the fight to start.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 15, 2010 2:11 PM EST up reply actions

Staubitz versus Tootoo

Staubitz didn’t even get his gloves off.

No doubt Avery suckered Smid. Cheap, dirty, typical.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=341378
Check out the picture. Smid had a chance to get his gloves off.
Still didn’t have a chance to protect himself, let alone fight.
Same goes for Toots.

Unless you have different rules for different players, so long as they are wearing the’right’ sweater.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 7:19 PM EST up reply actions

Tootoo versus Staubitz

http://www.hockeyfights.com/quickhits/qh/entry/tootoo-reignites-sharks-preds

Look at Devries versus Shelley, round 1.

“getting your gloves off first when the fight is agreed too” is a cheap copout.
Smid apparently (according to his teammates) challenged Avery, Avery declined, then dropped Smid before he was set. Cheap. No different than Tootoo.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 4:47 PM EST reply actions

"getting your gloves off first when the fight is agreed too" is a cheap copout.

then just about every non-staged fight starts with a “cheap copout”. Those fights start fast and fierce, Tootoo just happens to be good at them. And in the link you posted it says

They turned to look at each other, as though they were about to square off, and before you know it Tootoo’s popped him and Staubitz is on the ice.

So Staubitz knew a fight was a possibility and didn’t have his guard up.
So you are saying Tootoo should drop his gloves and wait around for the other guy to punch him so that it’s not a cheap shot?

and tootoo usually declines several time before a fight now, and only does so when the other guy refuses to let tootoo keep playing the game. from that video Smid had decided to play the game again and then Avery jumped him. Tootoo’s opponents are usually still trying to pick a fight.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 15, 2010 5:30 PM EST up reply actions

Litmus test

Did Staubitz have his gloves off?

If you are willing to fight, let the opponent get his gloves off before you clock him in the face.
What is so hard to understand?

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2008/12/17/etiquette_of_nhl_fighting/

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2007-04-04-fighting_N.htm

“Instead of jumping Commodore from behind and delivering Wild West justice, Stuart wheeled in front of him so they were face to face, and demanded he stand up for his actions. Commodore agreed, they shed their gloves and fought”

“You don’t want to just grab a guy from behind,” Stuart said. “I made sure I got his attention before I dropped the gloves.”

“It was one of those things he was looking to do,” said Hnidy, matter-of-factly. “They had a rough third period. He wanted to get a spark for them going into the next game, I guess. I saw him coming. I didn’t know he was coming for sure until after the whistle. He came up and grabbed me, so I dropped my gloves.”

“Prior to a faceoff, they had words. When the puck dropped, so did their gloves, and Lucic’s first NHL fight was in the books.”

Rules of engagement. When one issues the universal challenge, “Want to go?” both typically drop their gloves at the same time to avoid a two-minute instigator penalty.

I recommend Ross Bernstein’s book, not because its well-written (its not, just rehashing a lot of the same type of comments from various hockey players, coaches, stars and goons over the years), but because it does go over the etiquette.

I also recommend you buy a copy for Tootoo and for the other Tootoo homers and apologists that attribute it to his national geographic upbringing.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 6:07 PM EST reply actions

Players gather, and as Staubitz is getting back up, sans gloves

that’s all the article you linked to says about their first scrap in the game.

so basically even though Tootoo and Staubitz were face to face, aware of the inevitable fight, and should have been ready, It was a cheap shot by Tootoo to throw the first punch? It was not cheap, there is no excuse for Staubitz to not have been ready.

Randomly punching a player that has no idea that a fight is going to happen is cheap. But you have yet to reference a time when Tootoo has done this, other than the Robidas incident.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 15, 2010 6:47 PM EST up reply actions

Look. at. the. video.

You have eyes. Use them.

Also: read up on the hockey code. amazon.com. Both players drop their gloves.

Same as Smid versus Avery. Only difference is the jerseys. Check out the video and use you eyes. Or believe what the other blind tootoo sheep/apologists want you to believe.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 7:04 PM EST reply actions

first of all

Leave the name calling to children. It destroys credibility and makes it difficult to actually care/value what you think.

Second, I didn’t see the video of the Tootoo/Staubitz because I didn’t know it would be in the Devries video.

yes, Staubitz hadn’t gotten his gloves off. But he did try to shake them off and make a move toward Tootoo. Again, i state that Staubitz was well aware of the fight before the punch and he should have been ready.

lastly,
I do think fore myself. I take my past experiences and current thoughts to form my own opinions. whether you agree with them or not doesn’t mean i blindly follow others opinions. I also don’t base my thoughts about a player based on one or two incidents and apply it to opinions told to me from a book. (see how easy it is to say anybody doesn’t think for themselves?) Don’t assume somebody is blindly following others without solid evidence.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 15, 2010 9:16 PM EST up reply actions

Look at Avery-Smid

Pretty blatantly cheap. Its up on Tsn.ca right now, in fact. You can see Avery winding up, and Smid has just dropped his gloves. (Staubitz didn’t even have a chance to do that).
Still a sucker punch.

The hockey code book has alot of information that you may find useful. You apparently aren’t familiar, but the premise is simple. Decking a guy before he has his gloves off (or in Smid’s case, even when he has them off, but is clearly unprepared to get his hands up to protect himself) is dirty.

You ever been in a hockey fight? I haven’t, I doubt you have, either. So, for the code, I am defering to the guys who played the game. Its not just something current, either. Guys from the 60s and 70s give their thoughts in the book, guys who were known for fighting, even guys who were ‘stars’. Fans have known about if for a longtime. My father and my uncle played and they got in fights. They didn’t need the book to spell it out for them. Me, neither; you get the sense of the code over time, as a fan.

Pick up the book. It may be worth your time, if you think Tootoo clocking Staubitz was fair game.

I’ll ask you this: do tyou think Avery’s shot on Smid was dirty? He even got his gloves off.

It was not cheap, there is no excuse for Staubitz to not have been ready.
Um, yes there was. See: Smid/Avery. Just because a guy is winding up to hit you in the face, barefisted, doesn’t guarantee that you have time to be ready.

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 9:27 PM EST up reply actions

i am aware of the book.

i have been in a hockey fight. it was fast/fierce like tootoo and staubitz. i was ready for it, didn’t get my gloves off fast enough, took a quick hit got my gloves off and continued fighting. granted i wasn’t fighting a pro athlete or nothing but it still came from nowhere in a game when fighting was extremely illegal, My point is i have experience in the area and in many other fights.

Staubitz had a chance to get his gloves off, and made an attempt to. It was a failed attempt but an attempt all in the same. A big difference between the two fights is Smid made a move away from Avery, while Staubitz made a move toward Tootoo. Had Staubitz gone away from toots his gloves would have been off in time, even if he still failed to get his gloves off on the first attempt.

Avery’s shot was dirty. Tootoo’s was made dirty because Staubitz’s gloves were tight. both dirty, but I would Still like to see a more recent example of this from tootoo before discrediting all the progress he’s made over the last year to elevate his game. I will not debate this old fight anymore.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 15, 2010 9:55 PM EST up reply actions

Can't think of a more recent example

Avery’s shot was dirty. Tootoo’s was made dirty because Staubitz’s gloves were tight. both dirty

Agreed. Finally. maybe not you, but too many Tootoo Fan Club members think that Robidas was his only such transgression, and even that they defend. In this cas, don’t know if you can read Staubitz mind in the video, and assume he was ready. He seems to be ready in all of his other fights, immediately dropping the gloves when the other player comes at him high and drops them too. Toots, in this instance, passed up on the engagement protocol and just clocked him. Not in the code. If it was a one time deal, you could excuse it. But like the big Toots boosters would like to say, the man was raised in the wild and is the quickest draw in the game. Nice way of saying, he gets the drop on his opponents, by sometimes taking a little liberty with the engagement protocol.

I looked up Youtube and couldn’t find anything recently, of that sort, largely because he doesn’t fight anymore (which again, is against the code; players that run around and take borderline liberties with high, late and hard hits, should account for their actions). To hurt and concuss (and unless you think that Blue’s brains are in his shoulders, he likely made some kind of contact with the head, though not obvious and direct and certainly not enough to get suspended for). another player and stand around with your gloves glued on is cowardly. The Averys and Cookes and Burrows of the League do it, sure. It may occasionally even draw a penalty. Doesn’t make it right.

I will agree with you that he has elevated his game, and cleaned up his act, somewhat. But he’s no saint. However, can’t think of a single ‘quick-draw’ fight from last year or this. Likely a result of ‘cleaning up’ his game, and a byproduct of not answering the bell as much as he used to (when the Code says he should).

by DontfeedtheBelak on Nov 15, 2010 10:45 PM EST up reply actions

just want to clarify one thing

i don’t think tootoo’s dirty hit was his doing. it was bc Staubitz couldn’t get his gloves off. Staubitz’s movement toward tootoo, and shaking of his hands to get his gloves off is what tells me he knew a fight was starting. Just unlucky that his gloves didn’t come off easily.

"It's gonna be fun on the bun."

by flyalder on Nov 16, 2010 1:05 AM EST up reply actions