Hockey News & Rants
Nashville Predators 2, Winnipeg Jets 1 (OT): That’s What You Call a Rebound | On The Forecheck
Two big points for Nashville. It’s unfortunate that Winnipeg came away with one as well, but the Predators need every point they can get.
My January assessment of the Preds heading to the playoffs still stands:
“We’ll see.”
Renaissance Road Warriors: Preds Photo Blog | NHL
The Preds are on the road and it’s about as exciting as…well…it’s not.
This season has been such a wash I can’t even feel excitement over people I don’t know finding wool coats at 75% off (that’s a freakin’ steal!).
I wish someone would have better prepared me for a painfully long offseason leading into a painfully long season.
NHL Awards Watch: Calder, Norris trophy races in state of chaos | ESPN
Please give the Norris to Roman Josi so not all is lost this season.
He honestly deserves it, even if the rest of his team is playing catch up at the moment.
NHL Trade Deadline: Matt Dumba tops list of available defensemen | Forever Blue Shirts
I’m convinced nothing good can come from the Wild, but I’d be willing to give it a shot…maybe?
Trading for Matt Dumba may not even make sense for the Preds, but I have to believe anything is better than their current situation.
Wilderness Walk: Dustin Byfuglien’s days in Winnipeg are coming to an end | Hockey Wilderness
While it sounds like Dustin Byfuglien may be done playing hockey for good, it wouldn’t surprise me if a few teams put some offers out if he does become a free agent. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Nashville was one of them.
While it’s highly unlikely, given that it sounds like Byfuglien may not be in any shape to play, he would add an interesting presence to the Preds’ defense. For the sake of avoiding wild speculation let’s go ahead and file this one under “Things That Could Have Been”
NHL Power Rankings: Teams that need to be most active at trade deadline | NBC Sports
“They are in that middle ground between buyer and seller. The next few games will dictate where this goes.”
The Preds are clawing their way into the playoffs at this point, and they need every inch they can get. Even after Tuesday night’s OT win against Winnipeg they may still need to make some moves. As they know, coasting into the postseason and actually doing something when they get there are two completely different things. A few adjustments could mean the difference between just making it to the playoffs and actually being in the playoffs.
NHL on NBCSN: Playoffs within reach for Blackhawks | NBC Sports
Could they not? They’ve had three Cups in recent memory not that they would let anyone forget, that’s enough, just…be bad for a little bit longer.
N.H.L. Takeaways From January | New York Times
It’s that time of year where I’m here to discuss why Tampa Bay is going to steamroll into the playoffs only to run out of steam at the worst possible time.
Eventually they’re going to realize it’s all about timing and get past the peaking-too-early thing, right?
They can’t possibly be doomed for the unforeseeable future like some NHL playoff version of Groundhog Day?
ESPN Acquires Documentary About Willie O’Ree, NHL’s First Black Player | Deadspin
NHL documentaries are important. There’s not enough of them, and the ones that are out there tend to focus on fighting more than anything else. This one is especially important because of how Willie O’Ree changed the league.
Milan Lucic Says Fighting In NHL Has Changed: ‘It’s Not The 80s Anymore’ | NESN
With the way people talk about the 80s I’m honestly not sure how anyone survived them.
Dads Arrested After Fight Over High School Hockey Game: Report | Patch
Speaking of the 80s…this sounds like the scene from a John Hughes movie that never got made.