It looks like we might have a competitive series after all, with Boston's 8-1 stomping of Vancouver last night in Game 3. Of course, this wouldn't be the Stanley Cup Final without more controversy, and a late hit dished out by Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton has the hockey world buzzing this morning about whether a suspension will result.
Follow after the jump for a ton of hockey news (including word that no, Peter Horachek has NOT apparently talked with Minnesota) and video of the Rome-Ballard hit...
Father's Day 2011 Gift Idea #10: New Ice Hockey Pants | Hockey Gear HQ
If your dad plays hockey, I'll bet some of his gear is older than you are. That's OK for gloves & shin guards, but it becomes a major problem with hockey pants.
Nashville Predators News
Robert Vollman on Sports Zone 20110606
Robert Vollman of HockeyProspectus.com joined Willy Daunic to talk about locking up Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Pekka Rinne long-term. Personally I'm not a huge fan of GVT, the main stat he uses to drive the discussion, but it's a good overview of the situation and how guys like Weber & Suter compare to players around the league. For your reference, the article about Mike Fisher that's talked about is this one, but it was by Sam, not myself.
The Evolution of an Agitator (Part 1/2) | Pull My (Fang)Finger
Good stuff by AJ here; after Game 2's overtime heroics, I wondered openly about whether Alexandre Burrows is the new Claude Lemieux.
Preds On The Glass: POTG Tuesday Headlines, News, and Morning Links
Buddy's got it all, this morning, including news that our favorite local news anchor is leaving town...
Fang Finger Fever: What if hockey didn't exist in Nashville?
Josh stares into the abyss that might have been.
Nashville Predators lock in goalie coach Mitch Korn for 3 years - The Tennessean
Excellent... That's my best Montgomery Burns impression.
Predators assistant finally finds himself in head coaching conversations - Nashville City Paper
David Boclair talks to Peter Horachek about the opportunity to become a head coach, and in an added note, says he hasn't had discussions with Minnesota.
Pro sports are firmly established in Nashville, but could city support additional franchises? | Nashville City Paper
An interesting overview of the various minor-league options that could bolster the Nashville sports scene. Personally, I think Major League Soccer would be a great addition, and as I understand it, their schedule wouldn't compete very much with the Predators or Titans.
Around the NHL
Bruins Hammer Canucks 8-1, Narrow Series Lead - Stanley Cup of Chowder
Boston bounced back, and how!
Making Sense Out Of An 8-1 Loss - Nucks Misconduct
The Canucks will need to shake this one off...
PHOTO: Milan Lucic Sticks Finger In Alex Burrows' Face; It's Officially Jumped The Shark - SBNation.com
Yeah, this is getting stupid.
Watch Tim Thomas Crush Henrik Sedin, Football Style - SBNation.com
This, however, is SUPER-AWESOME.
Mark Recchi continues to defy his age - The Globe and Mail
BREAKING NEWS: Mark Recchi is old.
Cherry on top of all things Bruins-related - BostonHerald.com
Don Cherry's loving the fact that his former team is on hockey's biggest stage.
Everything but the War of Words | Jibblescribbits
"Shut up and play hockey, boys!"
Canucks rely on science to ease rigors of travel - NHL.com
I've written quite a bit about the travel burdens faced by various NHL teams, and Vancouver has taken the most proactive approach towards dealing with the issue.
Down Goes Brown: Hidden NHL playoff injuries revealed
Finally, we get to hear what really happened with some teams...
Intro to Hockey Analytics/Stats Part 2.3: The Importance of Context - Evaluating (and Compensating for) the Effect of Teammates via QUALTEAM and Relative Measures - Lighthouse Hockey
A nice walkthrough of some advanced hockey stats analysis by SB Nation's Islanders blog.
Objective NHL: Predicting Playoff Success - Part Two
A deeper dive into the relative performance of teams in the regular season vs. playoffs.
Ex-hockey stars raise concussion awareness - Edmonton Sun
Keith Primeau and Kerry Goulet debut stopconcussions.com, a website focused on building awareness of sports-related head injuries.
Fraser: Lack of names on ref jerseys strips individuality - TSN
More good stuff from the retired ref, including how the conversation goes when they call to Toronto for a video review.
Monday's Hot Coals: How Can Hartsburg Help? - Matchsticks and Gasoline
Craig Hartsburg returns to the NHL as an assistant in Calgary.
Black Dog Hates Skunks: Oh! Em! Gee!
"The Hockey Gods Are Dead" - Black Dog.
Clark Hired As Goalie Coach - Puck-Rakers Blog
Can Ian Clark convince Steve Mason that it's 2008-9 again?
Nieuwendyk moving ahead on ``normal'' schedule - The Dallas Morning News
The Stars' GM is trying to get things done, but ownership uncertainty appears to have tied his hands somewhat.
Lastly, here's video of the hit by Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton last night. In my view, it's obviously late, and dangerously high, but it's not one of those Rule 48 head shots, so the high part isn't an issue, and a portion of the blame goes to Horton for admiring his pass. This reminds me of the hit that Martin Erat took during the playoffs (Game 4 against Anaheim), for which Jarkko Ruutu received a one-game suspension. Obviously we all hope that Horton recovers over the summer (it was released this morning that he's out for the series), but I could see Rome escaping suspension here, or perhaps getting 1 game: