Friday's news: The horror... the horror...

by Dirk Hoag on Jul 16, 2010 10:07 AM EDT

As @PredsOddManRush observed, The Tennessean may have taken the week off from writing about hockey (interestingly, they still haven't reported the big news from yesterday's Metro Sport Authority meeting), but the Nashville blogosphere is as vibrant as ever.

Follow after the jump for news about who will wear the "A" for the Preds this fall, a detailed examination of Patric Hornqvist's goal-scoring, and an opportunity to look back at a dark day in Nashville's hockey history...

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: At 5:00 p.m. tonight on the NHL Network, you can catch a replay of Game 5 of the Predators-Blackhawks series. For those of you whose coverage of that game was interrupted by the local NBC affiliate because of storms which blew through Nashville that Saturday afternoon, you can revisit the horror of those final minutes. In my 30+ years of watching the NHL, it may well be the most disastrous playoff collapse I've ever seen. I'll write more about those moments in detail this summer, as it represents an ugly stain on the team's history which the players themselves need to learn from.

Predators News

PredsBlog " 30 Goals In 30 Days: A Patric Hörnqvist Season-In-Review
Sam embarks on the daunting task of profiling every goal Patric Hornqvist scored last season.

Predators plan to limit leadership to captain and just two alternates - Nashville City Paper
David Boclair reports that Barry Trotz plans to name two permanent alternate captains for the upcoming season, rather than rotate the "A". I'd go with Sully & Suter, myself...

Hockey game turned Camp Randall Stadium into a house of pain - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond catches up with Blake Geoffrion about a special experience from last season - playing an outdoor game at Wisconsin's football stadium against the University of Michigan in front of 55,000 people.

Is Today’s CBA Better for Nashville? | Hockey Independent
David tries to clear the air regarding some commonly held misunderstandings about the salary cap and revenue sharing. Some people think it should allow almost all teams to spend to the cap, or prevent teams from losing money. Neither is true.

Preds On The Glass: POTG Travelogue Weekly and Friday Findings
While out on the road with his sons, Buddy got a tour of the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and shares the sights this morning.

Around the NHL

Five Years Ago Tonight - KuklasKorner
Let's all wish a Happy 5th Birthday to Kukla's Korner, one of the premier hockey blogs year after year!

When is an NHL player's prime age? - From The Rink
For some players, it always seems like their prime is right around the corner, isn't it? Mike Chen profiles some big-name stars to see when they had their best seasons.

Skating In The Shadows - View From My Seats
Matt highlights some NHL players who perhaps get overlooked because they play behind major stars.

mc79hockey.com - Nilsson is dead! Long live Nilsson!
Tyler sees danger as Gilbert Brule takes the Oilers to arbitration.

Icy Bits: Marc Savard Trade Talk Dead for Now - The Grinder
It sounds like the Ilya Kovalchuk drama has slowed the overall trade market, as teams wait to see where he lands.

Gagne to Tampa Anything but "Methodical" | Hockey Independent
Jon Jordan throws a little cold water on the Simon Gagne speculation.

Why the Wild signed Mikko Koivu to blockbuster extension - Puck Daddy
Minnesota locks up its captain with a 7-year, $47.25MM contract. It might be a bit of an overpay, but Koivu's a truly excellent two-way center.

Minnesota Wild sign Mikko Koivu to a huge contract - Behind The Net
BTN endorses Koivu's hefty payday, which is high praise indeed.

Lowetide: Oilers Name Assistant Coaches- Edmonton Oilers
Steve Smith and Kelly Buchberger represent ties to Edmonton's championship past, but they made not be the best choices to help out Tom Renney behind the Oilers bench.

Red and Black Hockey : Brind’Amour’s sweater retirement set for February 18
Why are teams in such a hurry to retire jerseys? Rod Brind'Amour just retired from hockey, and they've already scheduled his ceremony. Personally, I prefer letting a few years pass to add some perspective to the event.

NHL free agency: Mike Modano not talking to Chicago Blackhawks; Pavol Demitra to KHL? - ESPN
The real interesting part of this Pierre LeBrun piece is his update on Denis Grebeshkov, who wants to stay in the NHL but hasn't drawn a solid offer yet.

A Summer to Forget for the KHL - Puck Worlds
Bruce Peter points out that the KHL hasn't exactly lived up to its billing this summer.

Who are the top 10 goalies in NHL, and is Bryzgalov really No. 2? - Puck Daddy
Greg Wyshysnki takes issue with Adrian Dater's list, giving Pekka Rinne some love along the way.

Ranking Goalies: A Lesson in Clarity – The Goalie Guild
Justin breaks down the whole notion of creating a "Top 10" goalie list in general.

Tweet Comment 5 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

It's times like these that I'm actually happy I don't receive the NHL Network

"Chicks who dig home runs aren't the ones who appeal to me. I think there's sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I'd rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Then, every now and then, just to show I can do that, too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out." - Ichiro

by WhiteWinterHymnal on Jul 16, 2010 1:16 PM EDT reply actions

I would HATE IT if I didn’t have NHL Network. I can always turn the channel on stuff like this, but I thoroughly enjoy their other shows such as the run of Stanley Cup clinching games, NHL Live, NHL On The Fly etc. Love that network.

by Predaceous on Jul 16, 2010 1:30 PM EDT reply actions

Goalie list

Puck Daddy is right. Pekka’s 14 shutouts in his last 103 games warrant a place on any list of top goalies. He could also note that Weber/Suter didn’t play in front of Rinne every minute; way too much of the time it was Hamhuis/Klein out there.

(Disclosure: I would accept Greg Wyshynski’s analysis over Adrian Dater’s mumblings every time.)

by Hockey Hillbilly on Jul 16, 2010 1:55 PM EDT reply actions

Can't do it.

I watched game 3 on the NHL Network one night this week and it was good to get a fix of Preds hockey. But no way will I watch game 5. We had storms raging in North Alabama that day and lost our DirectTV feed just after Hamhuis got leveled. Our picture stuck with him lying on the ice. We listened to the rest on radio and I have no desire to see it.

by BradHerman on Jul 16, 2010 3:17 PM EDT reply actions

Storms broke our mojo...

Pred’s fans collective good will and vibe was broken by Channel 4. Team started losing it as soon as they decided weather was more important than the playoffs. I’m not going to watch them anymore, even though it means missing Seinfeld, Friends, L.A Law, St. Elsewhere … heheh.

by cisar on Jul 16, 2010 6:21 PM EDT reply actions