Friday's notes: Another big honor for Blake Geoffrion, another cheap shot from the Tennessean

by Dirk Hoag on Jun 4, 2010 8:25 AM EDT

Hobey's going to have to make some room on Blake Geoffrion's mantel.

It's time to put a wrap on this shortened work week and get down to business, which means Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final tonight in Philadelphia. With Chicago holding a 2-1 lead, this is a pivotal moment for the Flyers; a loss means they're pretty much dead in the water, while victory sends this back to Chicago as a best 2-out-of-3 set, truly up for grabs.

As for your morning hockey news, we have Predators prospect Blake Geoffrion picking up another award for his senior season with the Wisconsin Badgers, a hockey announcer helping to save a life yesterday in Philly, and yet another cheap shot against the Preds from the local rag.

Before we get to the actual hockey news, we have this...

SEC sues Predators' sponsor - The Tennessean
Throwing the Predators into the headline for this article is yet another sad example of the jackassery going on over at the Tennessean. Brentwood broker A.D. Vallett & Co. is being sued by the SEC, which alleges in part that he "paid $320,000 for the Predators' sponsorship deal, using some of his investors' money." The real meat is that he's accused of putting his own name on client's account statements, similar to what "Boots" Del Biaggio did to falsify his personal worth and obtain loans, and that he used some of his investors' money for personal expenses. The Preds have nothing to do with this, but the Tennessean looks for any opportunity to drag their name through the mud.

A much more thorough and balanced report on this situation can be found at the Nashville Post.

I cancelled my subscription to the Tennessean months ago. If you're a subscriber, I'd strongly urge dumping them. You'll save a few bucks, save a few trees, and most importantly, stop supporting an editorial staff which goes out of its way to slam the Predators on a regular basis.

Predators News

If You Rebuild It… " Pull My (Fang)Finger
AJ sums up the good times at Wednesday's "Rink Rebuild" event hosted by SlapShot Radio.

Geoffrion tabbed USA Hockey College Player of the Year - UWBadgers.com
USA Hockey named Preds prospect Blake Geoffrion as their College Hockey Player of the Year, ensuring a pretty crowded mantelpiece for the Brentwood native, before he even plays a game in the NHL.

Predators sign draft picks now, look for contributions later - Nashville City Paper
David Boclair reminds us that despite all the draftees the Preds have signed to contracts recently, many of them won't yet play for Nashville or Milwaukee this fall.

NHL Free Agents: Ranking the Top 50 -- NHL FanHouse
Dan Hamhuis shows up as #4 on Adam Gretz's list of most attractive free agents this summer.

Around the NHL

Flyers' Hartnell overcomes off-ice issues to rediscover success - Philadelphia Daily News
We never get to hear exactly what the obstacles are that former Pred Scott Hartnell has worked through, but he's been nearly a point-per-game player since a one-on-one meeting with his head coach.

Bandwagon Fans: A Good Problem to Have - View From My Seats
A longtime Chicago fan appreciates all the newbies jumping on board the Hawks' playoff run. To me, one of the most self-defeating aspects of hockey is the way that too many fans look down their noses at neophytes.

VERSUS #1 On Cable Last Night " Puck The Media
The NHL's boffo TV ratings continued in Game 3...

Sportscaster Ron MacLean helps rescue man - Yahoo! Canada News
Well, it looks like Ron MacLean's Thursday went a lot better than his interview with Gary Bettman Wednesday night!

Down Goes Brown: Things Ron Maclean was thinking as he saved a drowning man
And of course, DGB's on it with another great list, including this - "I'll have to remember to thank Maxim Lapierre for those diving lessons."

A Pitch for Hockey Profanity - View From My Seats
Matt Reitz makes a case for broadcast some "unfiltered" audio from a hockey game, to really get a sense of how these guys act on the ice. I guess he hasn't seen the video of Brian Trottier and Kevin Stephens giving it to Brian Bellows during the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals (NSFW language)...

Oilers use new scouting tool in quest to determine who is best: Seguin or Hall - Cult of Hockey
David Staples profiles a new tool the Oilers are using to organize their scouting information. It sounds like an uber-wiki, complete with all of a given player's shifts on video assembled in one place.

BREAKING: TOMAS HOLMSTROM BACK FOR TWO YEARS | Hockey Independent
Detroit's version of Patric Hornqvist (except for the fact that he can't skate) is in the fold for two more seasons, at a cap hit less than $2 million.

Hasek signs in Moscow, Adler reports - Cult of Hockey
Last seen in the NHL giving up 2 goals in 9 seconds to the Predators during the 2008 playoffs, Dominik Hasek is heading to the KHL.

An Interesting Parallel: '92-'93 Quebec Nordiques - Mile High Hockey
Is there a giant in the making in Colorado? I'm not buying it, but it's good to see Colorado fans delving into the Avs' history in Quebec.

BoC and Roster Spending - Battle of California
Good stuff from Earl Sleek on historical spending trends among the California teams, and that means this summer for each.

MCKENZIE: ALL THE DETAILS ON THE SPEZZA SITUATION IN OTTAWA - TSN
Jason Spezza may not be happy in Ottawa, but trading him is a very difficult proposition, writes Bob McKenzie.

Off Topic: In defense of Jim Joyce and the fallibility of on-field officials - Raw Charge
Jim Joyce cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game with his blown call Wednesday night, but owned up to it immediately afterward. How often do we ever hear a hockey official do the same?

Calder Cup Preview: Barbeque vs. Chocolate in AHL Finals - Puck Daddy
A comprehensive look at the AHL championship series, pitting the Hershey Bears (Washington's affiliate) against the Texas Stars (Dallas).

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Comments

NHL Free Agent Rankings

I’m pretty shocked at far down the list Ellis has been placed. He’s just under ten spots below Marty Turco who has a had such dreadful seasons over the past few years that the Dallas chose to gamble on Kari Lehtonen. I think from the analysis blurb that Gretz really hasn’t seen Ellis play. I think its easy enough to agree that Ellis didn’t so much lose the spot as the organization decided that Pekka would be the teams now and future number one goalie.

VP of the Coalition to Bench Arnott

by 3DLink on Jun 4, 2010 9:01 AM EDT reply actions

I wonder if there are still questions as to whether Ellis can be a legit heavy-duty starter. Remember all the issues two seasons ago about maintaining his playing weight? Perhaps he’s seen more as a good backup than a Craig Anderson-style, “just deserves his shot” #1 candidate.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jun 4, 2010 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Ellis

Sorry, but I just don’t see the consistency in Ellis that most teams want in a starting goalie. Is there a stat somewhere on the number of times a goalie has been pulled from a game? Ellis probably ranks somewhere near the top.

He had many stellar games, but he had a ton of stinkers as well. We tend to over-value him because he was ours, but let’s not forget that he didn’t win the starting job until very late in the 2007-08 season then couldn’t hold onto the job the next year despite many opportunities.

I’m glad the Preds chose to stay with Rinne instead.

by Predaceous on Jun 4, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I’ll have to put that “how many times a starter got pulled” question down as a summer to-do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it published anywhere, but it is an interesting one…

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jun 4, 2010 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions