ihabs1993

Allow me to repeat the message of what I said. Penguins fans claim that every other team in the league does it more than they do. If that's true, why do the penguins end up getting the benefit of it, for the most part? What I'm saying is that other teams are starting to catch on to what the Penguins do and how to combat it. I assume you've heard the old saying "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em". This is what the league is coming to, because instead of insanely talented players like Crosby and Malkin using just their skill to terrorize their opponents, they dive and talk their way to victories. Soon, everyone in the league will be doing the same thing the Penguins are, but better as there are more annoying players in this league than the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Neal, etc. And to the comment that my team deserved these powerplays, I even said that the call on Glass was a bad call so it appears you only read what you wanted to. The Penguins are and will be the leagues favorite team for the immediate future and if you can't see that, I find it hard to consider you a hockey fan Cheers

Ok this is how I see it. The Penguins are the league's favorite team. There is no other way about it, nor should there be. Sidney Crosby has been able to take a game that was not incredibly popular in the states after the lockout and revitalize it. Therefore, the league should do everything in their power to protect this team and keep it at the level in which the league is successful. There is not a doubt in my mind that the officials favor this team. There is a reason Crosby never gets called for diving and it's because the league knows that when Crosby is off the ice, the game takes a step backwards. For example, the Habs and Pens played Thursday in a truly exciting back and forth game that unfortunately had to be solved in the shootout. In this game, the Canadiens were being called on every ticky tacky play. Towards the middle of the third period, after a horrendous call was made against the Canadiens, captaing Brian Gionta skated over to the officials and told them how he felt of their officiating quality as well as the embellishment of the Pens. The message was heard as right after that, Tanner glass was given a Five and a Ten for an elbow that never really made contact with Habs defenseman Alexei Emelin, but the intent was there. The Habs tied the game on the ensuing powerplay, and eventually beat the Pens in a shootout. Moral of the story: The Penguins are the biggest complainers in the league. Period. If the other teams complained just as much as the Penguins do, as you claim @Polaris922 what we saw in the Canadiens game would happen a lot more often. The complaining would balance itself out and we wouldn't even be having this conversation. But until more players start to complain, like most penguins fans claim they already do, the Pittsburgh Bettman's will continue to dominate this league. On another note, the only player who dives more than Sidney Crosby is Brad Marchand Thanks Ian ihabs1993

Good morning starshine, the Earth says hello! But seriously though, welcome to hockey! One thing I can recommend from my experience is to read up on all the financial mumbo jumbo that is associated with hockey (Salary cap stuff, CBA stuff, etc). That's what alot of what we talk about on here comes from. Secondly, try to watch something on the trade deadline this week because that's going to blow up on here for the rest of the regular season! Have fun and DON'T GO ON HOCKEYBUZZ.COM!!!! lol jk Good to have you Ian ihabs1993

Ahhh such a nice post! Can't help but feel that the original Jets logo was wrongfully omitted in favor of the Fisherman, but overall, this was fun to see!

1. Sabres trade Ryan Miller to Edmonton 2. NY Islanders trade Thomas Vanek to Boston 3. Sabres trade Matt Moulson to Los Angeles 4. Oilers trade Ales Hemsky to Toronto 5. Hurricanes Ron Hainsey Staying Put 6. Devils Jaromir Jagr Staying Put 7. Oilers trade Sam Gagner to Colorado 8. NYRangers trade Ryan Callahan to St. Louis 9. Stars Trevor Daley Staying Put 10. Panthers trade Brad Boyes to Carolina 11. Avalanche trade P-A Parenteau to Montreal 12. Hurricanes Tuomo Ruutu Staying Put 13. Flames trade Matt Stajan to New Jersey 14. Flames trade Lee Stepniak to Ottawa 15. Blues Jaroslav Halak Staying Put 16. Oilers trade Nail Yakupov to Montreal 17. Flyers Andrej Meszaros Staying Put 18. Jets Dustin Byfuglien Staying Put 19. Blues trade Chris Stewart to New York Rangers 20. Leafs Nazem Kadri Staying Put PLEASE YAKUPOV TO MONTREAL!!! The chemistry with Galchenyuk from their Sarnia days could still be there!!!

I think the best option for Buffalo, as far as just trying to move him, is Edmonton, The Oilers could give up a good deal for Miller and would still have a somewhat decent rebuild team in front of him. Plus, from the Oilers' perspective, picking up a proven elite goaltender would reestablish the faith of the fan base in their team. Let's face it. The Oilers' goaltending has been awful for years and it doesn't get much better than bringing in an olympic MVP. Potential pieces to go back to Buffalo are Yakupov and their first round pick in this year's draft. Buffalo could draft a goalie or lean on Enroth for the future. Buffalo needs defense, but everyone knows that they're not going to get that from Edmonton. However, Yakupov could just need a fresh start and playing with his fellow countryman, Mikhail Grigerenko, could offer him just that. Plus, there's the added wonder in having two picks in the top five of the draft. This trade seems to work out well for both teams. At any rate, nothing goes down with Miller until Buffalo actually has a new general manager, and even when that happens, it will still take some time to get done. I think he gets dealt, not at the trade deadline, but between the end of the season and draft day.

See I like the combo in Chicago! I think Ed Olczyk is one of the best color commentators in today's NHL

Haha true all around! I don't particularly dislike Doc, but I have to admit that his vocabulary is a bit odd to say the least! Thanks for the read!

@TropicalFruitGirl26 Thanks for the read and for your opinion! I too appreciate the blues broadcasts and I find Panger to be one of the most underrated television personalities in the league! Unfortunately, I can't stay awake for the Anaheim games but from what I've seen, they're not bad either. I totally agree on the Rangers as well! Being in Connecticut, I see too many of those games to be able to tolerate him anymore. The color guy (his name escapes me right now) is actually pretty decent and is able to point out trends in games as they develop instead of after the game like most others decide to do it. Unfortunately, if I have to hear "IT'S A POWERPLAY GOAL!!!!" in that ridiculously over done voice one more time, I might call my cable provider to have MSG removed from my cable plan! One guy I didn't mention, but with your Lightning being in the same division, you must have heard the Toronto broadcaster scream "HOLY MACKANOFF" at least once or twice, right? Kind of unbearable if you ask me... And totally agree on the Flyers guys too! Especially in the intermission, we have to listen to Bill "Hands of Cement" Clement pretend to know what's going on in today's NHL Thanks again for the read!

Being a Canadiens fan in Connecticut, and just a hockey fan in general, the Center Ice Package has been the greatest thing since sliced bread. Being able to watch every Habs game as well as every out of market game every night has made hockey a much more enjoyable experience. One aspect of the Center Ice Package that is both a blessing and a curse is the fact that every night, you can listen to a different announcer. The nice part about this is being given different perspectives and opinions on events that happen all over the league. The bad part about this is that some of the people who are employed by the various stations are absolutely terrible at what they do, yet some seem to have a cult like following from the fan base of the team that they cover. Therefore, I’ve decided to compile a list that I have been thinking about over the past few years as to who are the gentlemen who make hockey a better place with their rhetoric and journalistic prowess, and who are those who make me embrace the mute button on my television. Ratings are out of 5 stars. Joe Beninati/Craig Laughlin: Washington Capitals 2 Stars Their minimal knowledge of the game, combined with two voices that seem like incredibly bad ideas for SNL characters makes their broadcasts torturous to watch. Plus, Beninati’s tone is openly biased in favor of the Capitals, as you can hear whenever a goal is scored by the Caps, he wants to tear the roof off the place, but when it is a goal against, he acts as if someone just kicked his dog. Rick Peckham/ Bobby Taylor: Tampa Bay Lightning 1.5 Stars Peckham can call truly great games, as he is often spot on with his on the fly analysis and player identification. However, hearing Taylor sigh exasperatedly as Peckham is calling the game drives me absolutely insane. Here is a case of an analyst who is too much of a fan to be taken seriously. In his mind, there is nothing that the Lightning can do wrong, and they are always the teacher’s pet when it comes to on ice conduct. Pete Weber/Terry Crisp: Nashville Predators 4 Stars I know what you’re thinking, but it’s true. As is true in many places all over the league, non-traditional hockey markets tend to have great broadcasters, and Nashville is no exception. Weber never gets too excited during a game, but is able to move his tone along with the pace of the game. Also, Crisp is a very balanced and fair color man. Any network would be lucky to get broadcasters like these. So how did Nashville get them? Gord Miller/Whoever they put with him: TSN National 3.5 Stars Let me get something straight. Gord Miller will go down as one of the greatest hockey broadcasters, journalists and personalities that the game will ever see. His knowledge of the game is close to the top of the league by far. One of my favorite aspects of Miller’s style is that he doesn’t try to force laughter as most broadcasters do, as I can recall one example recently where he sarcastically blamed Kanye West for causing poor ice conditions in a Caps-Habs game by having his concert there the night before. Whenever I see the Miller gets to call Habs’ games, I instantly get excited to watch hockey. But then there’s the “analysts”. Ray Ferraro. Mike Johnson. Brian Engblom. These former players are so arrogant in their analysis of the game, as they are so firm in the idea that they all played in the “golden age” of hockey, when in reality they were lucky to get jobs at all. And worst of all is public enemy number one, Pierre McGuire, who seems to know ridiculous facts about players such as what Sidney Crosby had for lunch before game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. In short, Gord Miller is a living legend while the others can be, and should be, replaced. Steve Goldstein/Bill Lindsay: Florida Panthers 4 Stars Once again, here’s an example of a non-traditional hockey market with excellent broadcasters. Goldstein (not the traitor from George Orwell’s 1984) is able to call hockey very well while analyzing on the fly. He even sounds excited to call hockey games for the Panthers, which is somewhat surprising in that market. The only thing is that he may get too excited. I’m not talking about his tone in calling the game, as that stays pretty controlled, yet interested for the whole 60 minutes. The only thing keeping him from becoming a great broadcaster is his corny jokes. For example, when Brad Boyes scored against the Rangers, he started to sing, “Brad Boyes, Brad Boyes, whatcha gunna do?” which prompted me to change the channel until it was over. Lindsay is not a bad color man either, as he normally knows when he should not jump in, and gives a pretty accurate analysis. Lindsay also doesn’t bring up the fact that he was a former player every five seconds which is refreshing. The only time I’ve heard him say it is when he has a story about a player that he used to play with or if Goldstein notices that the opponent is a former club of his. I’m going to finish this article with two of the worst stations to watch hockey on. I apologize for my rant in advance. Paul Steigerwald/Bob Erray: Pittsburgh Penguins 1 Star There is only one other group of people who are larger homers than these two. A lack of common hockey knowledge combined with a bias that makes it seem as though they are paid by Sidney Crosby himself makes these broadcasts unwatchable. Every time Montreal plays the Penguins, the first time Subban touches the puck and gets jeered for it, Steiger, as they call him on the broadcasts, does not hesitate to explain that this is because of Subban’s intentional skate slashing of Jordan Staal, even though Staal isn’t even a penguin anymore. However, when Cooke caused a similar, but more severe, injury to Erik Karlsson of the Senators, the two on Roots Sports Pittsburgh swore that it was unintentional and that Cooke is a changed man. I think that’s enough there. Moving on. Jack Edwards/Andy Brickley: Boston Bruins 0.5 Stars How these two continue to be employed by NESN is frightening to say the least. I used to at least appreciate Brick, as he is a very good color man who is able to analyze breakdowns, breakouts and everything in between. He is the reason that I gave them any sort of grade at all. That is until the Brooks Orpik – Shawn Thornton incident, where he preached the code of the fighter and blamed Orpik for having his head smashed into the ice. On the other hand, there’s Edwards, who uses cliché after cliché while bening unable to control the tone of his voice, or his own personal agenda. I don’t think Edwards has ever accused a Bruin of anything malicious or unsportsmanlike. There are a few incidents that are worthy of a look, including Edwards yelling at Roman Hammrlik to “GET UP!”, his comparison of Matt Cooke to Sirhan Sirhan, and his own private video of him standing outside the Bell Center in Montreal ranting about how the Canadiens are a diving team. Do the research yourself. It’s not that Canadiens fans hate him, hockey fans hate him. Tell me what you think! Who do you love? Who do you hate? Disagree? Let me know! Thanks for the read. Ian Ihabs1993

Listen. Briere has shown some instances with the Canadiens where he can be a valuable player. In the team's recent game against the Lightning, Briere created a few key scoring chances in a very close game while playing on a line with Eller and Galchenyuk. The problem is with coach Therrien. Watch any Canadiens game (where Briere is actually in the lineup) and you will see him with different line mates in any shift after the first period. It's impossible for any player to start to create chemistry when he is with two new players every shift, or he's on the bench. Yes, he is absolutely under performing. But so are a few large contracts on this team; Bourque, Gionta, Desharnais...

I really enjoyed this year's Winter Classic, more than I had in years past. The weather was beautiful; cold and snowy. While the snow did have an impact on the play early on, the crew made the ice better as the game went on.Think Lupul incident will get a look. Also, That Zetterberg breakaway was an interesting talking point. I think the NHL should make it a rule that the clock stops, but it is basically a penalty shot with other players still trying to defend if a player has a decent scoring chance in these outdoor games. Needless to say, I am truly excited for the rest of the outdoor games this year!

I don't think Kane is worth that much, but he is one heck of a player. So fast and his shot is deadly accurate. Any team would love to have him in a number one role

I completely disagree. I think Injury should have absolutely no say in the punishment of a player. You can hit someone in an illegal way and not hurt them. Does that make it legal? You've gotta look at it both ways. Because what happens if a player gets hurt on a hit that is probably legal? Should the player get suspended? Of course not. I think Neal should have gotten more because of the Intent to injure Marchand. Marchand hurt or healthy after that hit, Neal should have gotten eight games.

According to @HabsRumorSource on Twitter, the Winnipeg Jets are actively shopping speedy forward Evander Kane. The teams that have been reported as interested in Kane are the Canadiens, Bruins, Flyers and the dark horse candidate is the Leafs. However, a deal is not imminent as Kevin Chevaldayoff is asking for a 1st rounder, two roster players and a high end prospect. Then earlier today, rumor source tweeted that the Canadiens are shopping Lars Eller and to look out for the Habs to make a deal "out of left field" The Habs could probably give up their 1st pick, Eller, Bourque and possibly Zachary Fucale in order to get him, but it's clear that the asking price for this player is too high right now. What do you guys think?

I hate Marchand and Avery, but even after his career Matt Barnaby is making himself look stupid. He recently said that a player cannot be a repeat offender because his last offense was 18 months ago. I can't wait until Marchand is at that level so everyone can see his stupidity on a larger scale

Thanks for the read!

We’ve all heard the saying before. It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Whether we were wrestling too much with our older brothers or playing with sticks because they looked like swords, our mothers would warn us with the possibility of temporary or permanent blindness. In the minds of the NHL, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye... which can be fixed by giving out a 15 game suspension. Brendan Shanahan and Commissioner Bettman should take a page from our mothers after viewing one of the most overly violent non-hockey incidents in recent history. Of course, I’m talking about Bruin’s tough guy Shawn Thornton’s on ice attack of Penguins defensemen Brooks Orpik. Explaining the event would be redundant as everyone has seen it dozens of times by now. While Shanahan and the Department of Player Safety did levy a 15 game suspension for the incident, the longest suspension since Shanahan took his position, I feel that they’re missing the point here. This is a band-aid fix. The league seems to want to make quick fixes without any concern for the future of player safety. Yet everyone was surprised when former NHL players filed a lawsuit against the league claiming that the league did not protect players from head injuries adequately. The sad part about this, is that the league’s rules on issues like the Thornton scrum contradict with the so called “code” that Thornton and the reporters at NESN seem to insist is the only governing body that should matter on the ice. To me, the issue here is well before the punches were thrown. That issue is the “third man in” rule. Orpik was already engaged with a player in a scrum after the whistle when Thornton skated the full length of the ice to blindside Orpik. How does this not warrant a “third man in” call? Well, this contradicts the “fighter code”, with Thornton claiming that Orpik needed to stand up for his clean hit on Loui Eriksson. The third man in penalty does not matter when players are allowed to gang up on players who violate rules that do not exist. On that note, the fighter code is absolute garbage. If I have to hear how honorable Shawn Thornton has been for the Bruins, I might lose all faith in the game of hockey. So what does this have to do with losing an eye? Well, the league seems to encourage these scrums after the whistles for the most part. The fans love it when one of their guys manhandle a smaller player from another team who may have gotten a bit too close to the goaltender. Watching the Canadiens for the past eight years, I’ve seen players like Koivu, Cammalleri, Gionta, Desharnais, and now Gallagher get manhandled, beyond what qualifies as roughing, after the whistle sounds. These scraps start with one player harassing one player, until the other forwards on the ice come in at full speed to try and help. This is the problem. What Thornton did happens every single game and it even intensifies in the playoffs. There is only one way to fix this. You know how when games get out of hand, and post-whistle scraps become more frequent? You know how officials start to only assess one penalty after a scrum? That needs to happen from the start of the game in order for these incidents to stop. As soon as there is a scrum, and the head becomes a target for fists, the officials need to assess a penalty. I know. How boring. How will players like Shawn Thornton be able to make a living by showing how honorable he is (puke)? But this is what we asked for. Players, fans, owners and practically everyone in the hockey world is tired of needless injuries, but they seem to avoid the main issue- the needless encouragements of violence that have become a tradition of hockey. As Ken Dryden explained recently, we need to strike a balance between excitement and speed without making the game “more stupid than it already is”. Let me explain that I do not fighting gone from the game, as the fight has its place in hockey and both combatants know the risk they take before they drop the gloves. This was not a fight. This was an attack. If Thornton did this in public, he would be doing jail time. What Shawn Thornton did was stupid. How the league looks the other way is just plain careless.

That's bogus. Thornton got 15 games because he's a hockey player. What he did embarrassed the game as well as his team. That explanation carries absolutely no water. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I think Neal got off very lightly with his clear cheap shot at Marchand. I hate Marchand more than the next guy, but Neal should have gotten 7 for what he did. Repeat offender, intent to injure, complete disregard for the head of his opponent... That's more than I can say about the Thornton incident. League got the Thornton one right, missed on the Neal play

Two things stand out to me here: The first thing is that the Orpik incident happens every game at one point or another. Watch any game and any scrum within that game and you're sure to see at least one player who will be down on the ice while getting pummeled by an opposing player. This incident obviously ended horribly, but it happens all the time. Maybe there should be an automatic penalty for knocking a player to the ice during a scrum where one player is not actively involved. The next thing is that the "Code" for fighters in this league is absolute malarkey. Listening to Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley on NESN's coverage of the game made me physically sick to my stomach. Brickley said that if Orpik were to "man up" and fight Thornton earlier, he would not have been taken off the ice on a stretcher. I'm really getting tired of players being forced to defend themselves after they throw clean hits. The bottom line is that there are no proper ways to police the game anymore. As far as I'm concerned, the Bruins are one of the only teams left in the league who feel that it is necessary to fight every time something doesn't go their way like a child throwing a temper tantrum. The Bruins think they play with different rules than the rest of the league. Thornton is a goon who has truly done his job well over the years by not getting suspended; however, that ends now. Easy 7 game suspension. Maybe Boston will learn from this and stop trying to enforce their own rules.

I'm usually the first one to find a way to blame Boston, but this just looks like Stammer lost an edge and had an unfortunate crash into the wall. Really hate to see this happen to such an incredible player. One of the few automatic goal scorers in this league, not to mention he probably won't play for team Canada in February. Real shame. I know everyone in the league wishes him a speedy recovery.

To be honest with you, I think that all of Penguin nation is still salty about the Subban-Staal "incident" where everyone claimed that Subban intentionally stepped on Staal's foot, knocking him out for the rest of the playoffs. The pens announcers are the worst with it, bringing it up every time P.K. touches the puck. Funny how when Cooke did the same thing to Karlsson a year later, the comments about Subban stopped. As far as I'm concerned, Subban will always have a target on his back and the league certainly won't be there to protect him. No matter what any penguins fan says, if Subban was on your team, he would be a fan favorite instantly. Time to move on. And explain to me how Subban is a "Spoiled little b*tch"! Last time I checked, Letang is on an incredibly overrated contract for the next 8 years....

David Desharnais is small. Very small. He also used to be effective. Very effective. When playing for the Chicoutimi Saugeneens of the QMJHL, former Canadiens cup winner, Guy Carbonneau saw something special in the 5' 7" forward and urged the Habs' brass to sign him to a contract. And to be honest, just by looking at Desharnais' numbers in the CHL and the ECHL, it doesn't take a genius to see his potential. In 2005-2006, Desharnais potted 118 points in 63 games, yet he went undrafted. Let that sink in. In 2007-2008, with Cincinnati of the ECHL, Desharnais scored 106 points in only 68 contests. Then he was signed to an NHL/AHL contract which he began by centering the top line for the Hamilton Bulldogs. In his third season with the Bulldogs (only his second complete season in Hamilton) in 2009-2010, Desharnais was able to chip in 78 points in only 60 games. Fast forward to the end of the miserable 2011-2012 Canadiens' season, and Desharnais is one of the few bright lights on the team. Centering a line for the up and coming Max Pacioretty and newly acquired power forward Erik Cole, Desharnais scored 60 points in a full 82 game campaign as the Habs finished dead last in the East. Fast forward again to last night, and the newly elected mayor of Montreal is trying to run him out of town. As Ron Burgandy would say, "Well, that escalated quickly". How could this undrafted gem fall from grace so quickly? In order to find out, you need to look back at the lockout shortened 2012-2013 NHL season. Just as he was so successful in the past, Desharnais centered the top line, flanked by Cole and Pacioretty. As I recall, the season started alright for Desharnais, but not for Cole, leading to his trade to the Dallas Stars for Michael Ryder. Erik Cole was that line for the Canadiens. It's so difficult to see because of the success Pacioretty had over those two seasons. Desharnais was dependent on Cole to succeed, which is why he has had such a struggle this season. Some say it's the fact that he has new line mates every night, but you could put him on the ice with Galchenyuk and Gallagher and he still wouldn't be able to find the back of the net. There was something about Cole's ability to balance his speed and his size effectively. So what's the solution? Well, you have to think that Dallas has at least some interest with putting Desharnais with Cole and Benn on the top line. However, the price has to be fair for the Stars. I feel comfortable saying that with the abundance of centers for the Habs, winger Antoine Roussel can be sent to La Belle Province in this potential trade. One thing is for sure. David Desharnais will not finish the season with Les Canadiens, and once he's gone, Montreal will have no reason for certain players to continue to underachieve. Ian ihabs1993

Can't stand Mike Millbury... If it were Shawn Thornton or Milan Lucic were to do this, he'd call it hockey gold. Too biased for national television so I never listen to a word he says

I was so confused when the officials broke this one up... I get that the league wants to be a hero in the fighting epidemic, but doesn't seem like the fighters don't want to be saved? They acknowledge and accept the risks they are taking. There's no other comparison to it in sports as in other sports, in similar instances, only one of the players is in charge (Helmet on helmet hits in football, running the catcher in baseball) Both parties are willing combatants so why is the league getting involved? I understand there are lawsuits and other legal things the league has to deal with, but if a player ever tries to sue the league for head trauma, the league can just look back at tape. Did they willingly remove their helmet during fights throughout their career? As far as I'm concerned, this is the players' decision to make