Hockey Outside the Grizzlies Box - 2/22/2011

A quick trip around the world of hockey...

AHL

The Abbotsford Heat are still stuck at 5th place in their division with 62 points. The good news is they're only 4 points behind the division leading Hamilton Bulldogs. And the Manitoba Moose. And the Lake Eerie Monsters. We guess the standings are tight in every league right now. The Heat have won 6 of their last 10, but were only able to get one point out of last weekend, when they played two games against Oklahoma City. The Heat have a week to think about that and get some good practice in before Providence comes to town on Friday and Saturday. Maybe John Rheault can liven things up for them.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins currently lead the AHL, despite having several of their top scorers called up to the NHL to fill in for the ailing Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, they've won their last 3 games, and just continue to plug along. You can read here about some of the thoughts they have about playing in the NHL and trying to make it stick. Just for the record, the WBS Penguins are 22 points ahead of the Abbotsford Heat. Whew...

NHL

The Calgary Flames take on the Boston Bruins tonight. Calgary is coming off of an inspiring win in the Heritage Classic, where they shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. (We think maybe Carey Price's ugly mask was cursed.) The Flames had troubles earlier in the season but have since snuck into the #6 playoff spot in the Western Conference. They've won 7 of their last 10, and are showing no signs of slowing down. That's good for them, considering 9 teams in the west are within 5 points of each other, including 3 teams that are currently out of playoff position. Those teams would be the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, and last year's Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks. That's some stiff competition.

The trade deadline for the NHL is next Monday, February 28th and that means deals, steals, and rumors. It's a little different for the players. In the most recent blockbuster trade between Pittsburgh (maybe they can give WBS some of its players back) and Dallas, Alex Goligoski (going to Dallas) talked a little about his feelings on the trade. James Neal and Matt Niskanen (going to Pittsburgh) got rerouted through New Jersey because of a snowstorm. Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma said, "they hopefully didn't think they got traded to the Devils." We as fans have mixed feelings about trades at every level. On one hand, we're sorry to see players go. Yet we're interested to see how the new guys fit in, and what they can do for the team. But imagine being one of the players. Former Grizzly Justin Bourne has a couple of columns here and here about what it's like to be traded. Seems like mixed feelings all the way around.

OTHER

Today (February 22nd) is the anniversary of the 1980 Olympic Miracle on Ice. This is an event that influenced not only hockey in the United States, but all over the world. It was largely viewed as one of the most important sports moments of all time. For plenty of cool links and remembrances of this event, check out USA Hockey's Miracle on Ice page. Then go home and watch Miracle.

Hockey Outside the Grizzlies Box - 2/8/2011

Just so we're keeping ourselves updated on other hockey-related items...


AHL



The Abbotsford Heat are currently in the middle of a 7-game-in-9-days gauntlet in which only two of those games are at home. Our guess is that they'll be switching up goaltenders a few times just to keep them fresh, so JP Lamoureux should be seeing a game or two. He's played 4 of their last 10 with a record of 1 win, 2 losses, and a shootout loss. No word as to whether or not he'll be in tonight against Hamilton. The Heat are currently 5th in the Northern Division of the AHL. That's 5th out of 7. We don't know the system in the AHL, so we're not sure where that puts them as far as the playoff picture right now, but we do know a few more wins wouldn't hurt. Maybe Ales Kotalik can get things going for them while he's in the AHL.



Elsewhere in the AHL, they're getting ready for the Whalers Hockey Fest in Conneticut. It sounds like there are going to be a lot of fun activities planned, including a few outdoor games. They've run into a little snag trying to get the outdoor rink ready in Rentschler Field though. Darn weather...



NHL



Speaking of outdoor games, the Calgary Flames are getting ready for the Heritage Classic on February 20th in which they'll play the Montreal Canadiens. We think this is sort of the Canadian version of the Winter Classic which was on New Year's Day, so it should be cool. (Pun intended.) They've called in Dan Craig, the NHL ice guru and work has begun. The Flames haven't had as strong a season as they'd have liked so far, but last night's win against the Chicago Blackhawks finally bumped them up into a playoff position. In the NHL's Western Conference, that could change on any given night, but at least for now, they're in. If they playoffs started today, they'd draw the league-leading Vancouver Canucks. Ah, fun times...



The big topic of discussion around the NHL these days (and in fact, the whole hockey world) is concussions. Commissioner Bettman announced at the GM meetings recently that concussions among players are up this season. It's had a lot of attention with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby being out for an extended period of time due to a concussion, and Boston's Marc Savard announcing that he'll be out for the rest of the season after getting his second serious concussion in about a year. This injury is serious because it not only affects a player's season, but it could affect their career or their entire life. Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine who was forced to retire due to post-concussion syndrome gives his perspective here, and former Grizzly Justin Bourne talks about what it's like to have a concussion here. We don't know much, but we think it might be a good idea for some hockey people and some health experts sat down in a room together and tried to determine how best to handle the situation. We love seeing the hard hits as much as the next fan, but we wouldn't want any of these guys ruining the rest of their lives for our entertainment.



OTHER


And just in case you wanted a reason to celebrate, the hockey puck turned 135 years old on Monday. You can check out a video on that here. Happy birthday, hockey puck!

Hockeyworld! 3/30/2010

AHL
Abbotsford Heat

• Abbotsford head coach Jim Playfair had a meltdown in their March 27th game against the Hamilton Bulldogs. (Seriously, watch the video.) He's since apologized, but the tirade earned him a fine from the AHL.


• Abbotsford is currently in 3rd place in the North Division. They have lost their last five games, including last night to Manitoba, who they play again tonight. They play six more games this season, including tonight.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

• The Sound Tigers have announced that Pascal Morency is their Man of the Year for 2009-2010.


• Bridgeport is currently in 5th place in the Atlantic Division. They are tied with the Lowell Devils at 82 points, but they have played one more game, so Lowell sits at 4th. One of their last five games is against the Devils - that could be an exciting game.

Our AHL Features

• The top four teams in each division of the AHL will make it into the Calder Cup playoffs. More information on playoff qualifications here. Other interesting facts about the Calder Cup here.



• The AHL is getting ready to hand out individual awards for the 2009-2010 season.



• Affiliations can get confusing from season to season.

NHL

Calgary Flames

• Ian White's moustache has become a legend in Calgary. If you ask us, he's got a way to go before he catches up with the Ducks' George Parros.

• For a team that has been struggling to get into playoff position, the Flames sure looked good against the NHL-leading Washington Capitals last weekend.


• The Flames are currently four points out of a playoff spot behind the Colorado Avalanche. They have six more games left in the season. Their next game is at home against the Phoenix Coyotes, who are currently in 4th place in the Western Conference.

New York Islanders

• The Islanders are recruiting kids to sell tickets for them. Or something.


• The Islanders are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Yet another year they won't be making the playoffs. They still have seven games left, so keep on cheering. They've won their last two. Their next game is a rivalry match against the probably also not making the playoffs New York Rangers. Can you say "spoiler"?

Our NHL Features

• In an effort to extend their fan base, the Detroit Red Wings have started importing people from Brazil.


• Get to know the Atlanta Thrashers defenseman Zach Bogosian.


• Special Canucks feature for Richard's birthday - Guess who is leading the NHL scoring race? No, not Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin - it's Vancouver's Henrik Sedin. Just for fun, why not get to know Henrik... and twin brother Daniel. Can't have one without the other, right? (And let's throw in Ryan Kesler too, just for the fun of it.) The Canucks are currently 3rd in the Western Conference. They play tonight against 4th place Phoenix. Happy Birthday, Richard!
  
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• Ever wonder what goes into building a state of the art arena? Check out the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh as it gets closer to completion.

Hockeyworld! 3/8/2010

AHL

Abbotsford Heat

• The Heat recently hosted the finals for the Pee Wee Division Light the Lamp Shootout. They also hosted the finals for the Atom Division.


• Heat forward Riley Armstrong was traded to the Detroit Red Wings organization and was assigned to Grand Rapids. Says Armstrong, "It's a big change for me - packing up from out of nowhere, moving all my clothes out in one day right now. It's a lot on the mind, a lot on the body." Those of you who understand our affinity for "Li'l Army" will also understand when we say we don't know how we feel about this.


• The latest Heat Report.


• The Heat's next two games are at home against the Lake Erie Monsters on Friday and Saturday. They are currently third in their division, two spots and two points ahead of Lake Erie.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

• If you see the Tigers wearing hats off the ice, here's why.

The Sound Tigers have to be ready for anything at short notice.

Trevor Gillies will probably be called up for the Islanders' next game against the Flyers.

Bridgeport's next two games are at Norfolk. They are currently in fifth place in their division and have won 6 of their last 10 games.

Our AHL Features

• Former Grizzly Justin Bourne explains how the money works when players go back and forth from the farm to the "big show".


• You can take the boy out of hockey...

NHL

Calgary Flames

• Greasy goals are on the menu in Calgary. Tasty...


• If you're going to be in Calgary on Thursday, go to a Flames game. You could win the jersey off their backs.


• The Flames are one point out of a playoff spot as of today. The team they're trailing is the Detroit Red Wings, who they play Tuesday in a classic red team battle. We wonder how Li'l Army feels about this.

New York Islanders

• Rookie John Tavares and veteran Doug Weight are best buddies.


• It's official - the Islanders have recalled Trevor Gillies from Bridgeport for Tuesday's game against the Flyers. Not officially an orange team battle, but we do expect this game to have an orange flavor.


• Here's the game preview from the Islanders' official website. The Islanders are... not in last place, but they are 12 points behind Philadelphia in the conference standings. They've lost their last two games.

Our NHL Features

Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks (and the USA Olympic hockey team) will be on the cover of NHL2K11.



• If you can stop 49 shots on goal, plus a few in the shootout, you just might beat the Washington Capitals. "It's not going to be every night that your goalie's going to wear a mask and steal a game for you," Dallas's head coach said. We're not exactly sure what he means by that. Andy Brown might.


• The last day of the NHL's regular season is April 11th.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Believe it or not, there is an ice rink in St. George, Utah. We so have to try that someday.

Hockeyworld! 2/24/2010

AHL

Abbotsford Heat

• The Heat meet up with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers tonight.


• Abbotsford is quite confident, even though they're still having injury troubles.


• The Heat are currently in third place in their division. They have won five out of six games on their current road trip. “Its’ almost how its been all year for us – you lose a bunch and then you win a bunch," said defenseman Gord Baldwin of the team's current winning streak. “We got to straighten that out and kind of get more leveled with what we’re doing. Right now we’re winning so I‘d love to stick on that, but obviously we can’t win every game all year so you know we just got to keep going.” (Heat Report 2/18/10)
  

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

• Deja-vu - the Sound Tigers meet up with the Abbotsford Heat tonight.


• Brendan Witt has NOT been hit by a truck in Bridgeport (that we know of). However, he did contribute to their win on Sunday.


• Bridgeport hasn't been on much of a streak lately, unless it's an alternating one. They've won five of their last ten games and lost five.

Our AHL Features

The AHL recently held their first ever Outdoor Classic in Syracuse. They had a record crowd of 21,508 at the New York State Fairgrounds for a great event. Here are some interviews done with Hockey This Morning's Shawn Lavigne and Mike Ross (XM Radio). Sounds like a good time was had by all.

• What happens to hockey players after hockey?

Since the rest of the hockey world is focused on the Olympics in Vancouver right now, so goes Grizzblog...

OLYMPICS

• USA beating Canada on Sunday was kind of a big deal.


• NBCOlympics.com has a feature to help you find out where you can watch Olympic hockey (or other events) on TV - just put in your zip code and cable/tv provider.


• Today is the anniversary of the USA winning the gold medal in 1980. Everyone knows that story. But here's a side of the story you don't hear too often.


• The Russia/Canada game today is kind of a big deal. (Not to mention a couple of their players.)


• You can get your Olympic hockey bracket here.


• Who are the Grizzlies cheering for?


• There are several ECHL ties to the Olympic hockey players.


• Beating Canada wasn't enough for Team USA - they want more. Plus, they're having a lot of fun.

They're not the only ones having fun. Our good friends Richard and Les are Vancouver residents, and have been checking out the action in the Olympic city. Says Richard, "I've never seen the city this alive. There are people out on the streets everywhere; it's crazy! And there are events planned until 4am."

Les was nice enough to send us some pictures she took:

Several businesses have gotten into the spirit of the games:

This appears to be Trevor Linden stabbing an eagle with a hockey stick. Or a surfboard:

The Olympic clock downtown:

This sign offers some suggestions for, uh, keeping the peace... or something:

Bert and Ernie are excited about Canada's hockey team:

Well, at least they planned for a lot of people:

Enjoy the Olympics!

Hockeyworld! 2/9/2010

AHL

Abbotsford Heat

The Heat have had a lot of injuries lately.

• Head Coach Jim Playfair participated in the Olympic Torch Relay. (photo courtesy of Abbotsford News)


• The Heat most recently split a pair of games with the Chicago Wolves and dropped one to the Toronto Marlies on Monday night. They host the Marlies for one more game before going on the road for the rest of February.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

• The Sound Tigers have borrowed Ryan Kinasewich from Utah. We're guessing he's filling in for Matt Martin or Jesse Joensuu who were called up by the Islanders on Monday.


• Bridgeport has lost eight of its last ten games, including three in overtime and three shootouts. They play three times next weekend, with games on Friday (in Bridgeport), Saturday (in Hartford) and Sunday (in Bridgeport).

Our AHL Features

• The Syracuse Crunch will be hosting the Binghamton Senators in the first ever outdoor game in AHL history. The Mirabito Outdoor Classic will be held at the New York State Fairgrounds on February 20, 2010 at 1:00 pm.


• AHL players Yannick Weber, Andres Ambuhl and Kaspars Daugavins will be representing their countries in the upcoming Olympics.

NHL

Calgary Flames

• The Flames and Hitmen combined to raise over $100,000 for the relief effort in Haiti.


• Jerome Iginla and Daymond Langkow are what we'd call veterans.


• The Flames play the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa tonight. The Senators recently got shut out 5-0 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. (We don't really get either of those two team names. What - the Leafs flutter into the faces of the Senators who fall off their podiums while giving speeches?)

New York Islanders

• In what has to be one of the oddest promotions we've ever heard of, the New York Islanders are offering free flu shots to anyone attending tonight's game.


• Mark Streit made the day of a Swiss team getting ready to compete in an International PeeWee tournament.


• The Islanders play the Nashville Predators tonight.

Our NHL Features

• Fans voted for their favorite NHL commercials. Click here to see the results.

• The snowstorm along the east coast last weekend caused a lot of travel problems for teams trying to play in Washington DC, including a bus crash involving the Atlanta Thrashers and an oil truck. So much for Bruce Boudreau's comment that a bus ride never hurt anyone. (Thankfully, no one was injured in this particular bus ride.) Maybe they can ship some of the snow to Vancouver for the Olympics.

INTERNATIONAL

• The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver open on Friday, February 12th. NBC has television listings for all sports - just put in your zip code and television provider.


• Click here for the full Olympic rosters for Men's Ice Hockey.

USA HOCKEY

• In addition to the Olympics, the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey National Championships will begin on Friday.

Hockeyworld! 2/3/2010

AHL



Abbotsford Heat

• The Heat have had some roster changes recently.
• The Houston Aeros and goalie Wade Dubielewicz (who used to play for Bridgeport) put the Heat down under .500 by beating them in their last game. The Heat next play two games against the Chicago Wolves in Abbotsford.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Islanders goaltender Martin Biron will join Bridgeport for a conditioning stint this weekend. (He used to play for the Flyers.)

Check out their January highlight reel. Their music is pretty cool, but we recommend watching it with the sound off to other random music. Our favorite was to something that sounded like a piano from the old silent movie days.

• Bridgeport has a five-game losing streak going, although three of those came in shootouts. Their next game is Friday in Springfield.

Our AHL Features

• Because the AHL doesn't take a break for the Olympics like the NHL does, some AHL games will be broadcast on XM radio during February. In addition, NHL Network will be showing some AHL games at the end of February and March as the Calder Cup Playoff race heats up. You can catch Bridgeport on XM radio, and Abbotsford on NHL Network.

NHL

Calgary Flames

• There have been a couple of changes in Calgary in recent days. A little trade with Toronto, and then one with the New York Rangers. 35.8% of the people who answered a poll on the Flames' website think the deal with Toronto was a bad trade. Reactions on the trade with New York are mixed. Opinions in general run rampant. (Frankly, we're just a little tired of discussing trades.)
• The Flames host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. Even though the 'Canes are currently sitting at 29th in the NHL, they have a better record over their last 10 games than Calgary does. Ouch.

New York Islanders

• The Islanders will spend part of their training camp next season in China. That's a long flight. They'd better not complain about their travel schedule next season.
• The Islanders have waived Brendan Witt. They'd better watch their backs - this is the same guy that got hit by a truck in Philadelphia and played that same night.
• The Islanders next meet Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Our NHL Features

• We're not sure why anything Alex Ovechkin's father says is worthy of a news story on NHL.com, let alone this doozy where he compares Alexander Semin to a panther... but whatever.
• The Vancouver Canucks are about to embark on an epic journey.



• It's unanimous - Ryan Getzlaf has a nice car.

INTERNATIONAL

• Canada's Olympic hockey team are just regular guys.
• Nine days until the Vancouver Winter Olympics start.

When the hell did Utah trade Mark Pavli?

Mark Pavli was traded to the Stockton Thunder on Thursday. WTF?

So, we've had it driven into our skulls all season that the ECHL is a developmental league and trades happen. That's fine; we expect that. However, it seems that the only things developing on the Grizzlies' end are Colley's skills as a Wall Street day trader.

Think about it. Stoflet getting traded for Prokop who was traded for future considerations, Shea Guthrie traded to Florida for rights to an AHL player. Jason Dale was due to higher powers, but really . . . We follow this team religiously, consistantly, daily, but we don't even recognize most of the roster anymore.

Hell, we'll admit it. We're biased. We liked Pavli a lot. It was nice to see someone playing their guts out during every shift over that last slump when over half the team couldn't be bothered to show up. We won't claim he was the best player or having the greatest season, but every time Pavli was on the roster, we knew we'd have something to watch. He stuck up for his teammates, played a gritty, hard game, and seemed incredibly easy-going with fan interactions. It would be an understatement to say that he has been a fan favorite during his time here in Utah. And while we understand that a team can't be based around fan expectations (see Calgary, Theo Fleury), the fans should be able to expect some balance from their hockey club.

Yes, we are in a developmental league; we're feed for the farm teams. But in our opinion, the organization also has a responsibility to make their own playoffs, compete for the Kelly Cup, and allow the community to identify with their home team. How can we possibly identify with our team if, as dedicated fans, we have no idea who's stepping onto the ice to represent said team?

Just from the rumor mill, it sounds like this was a hard trade to make for everyone involved and was necessary due to the influx of contract players from the higher leagues. It still pretty much ruined our day.

Luck, Pavli!


Other Transactions:

Defenseman Peter Aston was assigned to Utah by the Florida Panthers last week. In his debut with the Grizzlies on 1/22/10 at the E Center, he tallied two assists for a multipoint night. So far, so good for the blueliner.

Jake Gannon and James Sixsmith have been called up to the AHL. Gannon will join the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Sixsmith has been loaned to the Milwaukee Admirals. Luck, Gannon and Sixsmith!

Dylan Hunter returned to the ice on the 23rd against Ontario and proved once again how essential he is to the team. Hunter picked up two assists in his first game back.

The Grizzlies have signed defenseman Chris Allen to a contract. Allen has been playing with the EIHL in the UK this past season, but has a strong background in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL. He will also add some height to the team average, standing tall at 6'3". Nice.


**note: Sorry for the lack of updates; life hasn't been kind.

Hockeyworld! 1/19/2010

AHL

Abbotsford Heat


The Heat will finish up an eight game home stand after the AHL All-Star break. So far they've split it with three losses and three wins, including a big comeback win against the Lake Erie Monsters. (We don't know why, but we really like the Monsters' logo.) The Heat's next two games will be against the Houston Aeros.


Bridgeport Sound Tigers

• With Mark Katic injured, Sound Tigers defenseman Dustin Kohn is representing Bridgeport at the AHL All-Star Game.
• Even though Katic will be staying behind, here's a little bit of info about him. (We had to look up Steve Prefontaine. Scott Niedermayer we know.)
• After the break, the Sound Tigers will try to snap a four game losing streak in Albany against the River Rats.

Our AHL Features

• The AHL All-Star Game in Portland is tonight (1/19/2010), and there are several options if you want to tune in. Several TV stations are broadcasting it this year, so check your listings and see if any are available for you.
• The All-Star Skills Competition was yesterday, and you can check out the highlights here. Team Canada beat Planet USA 18-12.
• The AHL inducted four new Hall of Famers today. Congratulations!

NHL

Calgary Flames

• In case you haven't heard, the Flames got put out in the Shark Tank last night. *fizzle* They've now lost five in a row.
• The Calgary Hitmen will not only host the Lethbridge Hurricanes, but also the Olympic torch on its way to Vancouver. Maybe they'll shoot off the playoff flames to welcome it.

New York Islanders

• The Flames may have been bad last night, but the Islanders shut out the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils to the tune of 4-0. Could Rick DiPietro finally be healthy?
• Matt Moulsen has found his niche in Long Island.
• The Islanders play tonight (1/19/2010) against the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Kris Letang thinks that stinks. Or something...

Our NHL Features

• Where is your favorite NHL team in the standings?
• The LA Kings have super socks.


• Six out of ten games had goalies pulled last night (1/18/2010).
• This is how you put an opponent down... and keep him down. (Safely, of course.)

INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY

• Only 24 days to go until the Olympics in Vancouver, BC.

USA HOCKEY

• Hockey Weekend Across America is coming up (January 29-31, 2010). Reebok Hockey is having a contest where kids can win equipment for their videos about Why Hockey Rocks. Check out the videos, and vote for your favorites.

Hockeyworld! 1/5/2010

AHL

Abbotsford Heat

• Right wing Jason Jaffray was recalled by the Calgary Flames on Monday, January 4. Jaffray leads the Heat in practically everything. He was recently announced as an AHL All-Star. We're assuming that means he'll be back in time for the All-Star game.


• The Heat won their last game against the Houston Aeros in overtime. It's the first overtime win ever for the Heat (since moving to Abbotsford this season). Abbotsford's record is currently 18-16-2-3. Their next game is at home on Friday against the Texas Stars.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Goaltender Rick DiPietro, who had been rehabbing in Bridgeport, was finally recalled to the Islanders and is practicing with the team. His save percentage in four games with Bridgeport was .883. Considering Bridgeport regulars Scott Munroe and former Grizzly Nathan "The Beast" Lawson have save percentages of .926 and .929 respectively, we're thinking Bridgeport will be happy to get them back in the net.

• Speaking of Bridgeport's goalies, the AHL had nice things to say about them.


• Get to know former Grizzly and Bridgeport defenseman Jon Gleed. We'd like to see those commercials.


• Bridgeport's current record is 19-16-1-2. They've lost their last three games. Their next two are back to back against Springfield this weekend.

Our AHL Features

• The Hershey Bears are currently on a 10 game winning streak. Is it just us, or does this article make you hungry?

NHL

Calgary Flames

• The Flames had a fun time getting through airport security this morning on their way to Nashville. (Anyone see the dog in the picture?)


• The news this weekend was all Olympics, and the Flames have four representatives going - Jerome Iginla will play for Team Canada, Miikka Kiprusoff and Olli Jokinen will play for Team Finland, and Peter Maher, the voice of the Flames, will call the games for Rogers Radio Network.


• The Flames' record is currently 25-12-5, and their next game is against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

New York Islanders

• We know the Islanders got goaltender Rick DiPietro back, but when will he play again?


• Islanders defenseman Mark Streit will be playing for Team Switzerland in the Olympics.


• Could the Islanders be in the 2011 Winter Classic?

Our NHL Features

• All six Canadian teams are playing in the NHL tonight.


• Check out Erik Christensen's one-handed goal for the New York Rangers last night.


• We don't know who the Sarks are, but they have lots of guys going to the Olympics:

INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY

World Junior Championships

• The World Junior Championship gold medal round will be played tonight (Tuesday, January 5) between USA and Canada. If you get the NHL Network, we highly recommend watching it. The Islanders have three prospects in the tournament - Calvin de Haan (Canada), Travis Hamoric (Canada) and Matt Donovan (USA) - although de Haan and Hamoric will be out with injuries (de Haan - head, Hamoric - shoulder). The Flames have center prospect Greg Neimsz playing for Team Canada.
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• We can't tell you how excited we were to find out that there is a team in Germany called Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg. We feel like we should adopt them or something.

Dylan Hunter returns to Utah Grizzlies from AHL

Dylan Hunter has been returned to Utah after playing with the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Hunter will meet the Grizzlies in Anchorage this Wednesday for the upcoming games against the Alaska Aces.

Hunter leaves the AHL with 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) and 2 PIM in 10 games. In the ECHL, he stands at 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 19 games.

Glad to see Hunter back!

Utah Grizzlies News: Trades, Callups, and Additions

So, the Grizzlies' lineup has undergone some massive change in the last 24 hours. To make it easier, we've made a list of those changes below

• Vic Bartley has been called up to Bridgeport. [UtahGrizzlies.com
• Tony Romano joins the Grizzlies from Bridgeport. [UtahGrizzlies.com]
• Evan Stoflet has been traded to Bakersfield. [UtahGrizzlies.com]
• Jason Dale has been reassigned to Bakersfield by Bridgeport. [UtahGrizzlies.com]
• Dylan Hunter goes to the AHL's Rochester Americans. [UtahGrizzlies.com]

Basically, we lose 4 (Bartley, Stoflet, Dale, Hunter), and gain one (Romano).

Romano joins the Grizzlies from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers where he played 21 games this season. During the 2008-2009 season, Romano picked up 69 points (36 goals, 33 assists) in 65 games for the Petesborough Petes of the OHL. Not bad at all.

We're going to miss Bartley and Stoflet, who have been pretty stellar on defense for us over the past several games. Hunter's callup is really no surprise as he played in the AHL during 2006-2008, but we'll still miss the firepower.

Jason Dale is probably the one we'll miss the most here at GrizzBlog. We were just starting to cultivate an appreciation for his drive and constant effort on the ice. He really gave the game his all every shift, and we loved to watch him play. We hope this reassignment ends up being a good thing. Luck, Jason!

Fortunately (or unfortunately), we may be seeing both Evan and Jason in the Grizzlies' games this weekend against the Condors.

Luck to all!

Go Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies News and Updates.

There have been a couple of really decent articles about the Grizzlies in the local news and around the web, so we decided to list them for you.

The SL Tribune did an article about the Grizzlies' success and the call-ups the team has undergone recently: Grizzlies cope with success.

Speaking of call-ups . . .
Old news, but the Deseret News did a nice article on Kinasewich and his call-up to the AHL.

Also regarding Kinasewich, Channelsurfing.net is going to run the feed of the AHL game Rochester vs Hamilton tonight. So if you miss watching Snatch in action, you can watch him online.

Also, if you're a Serty fan, you can watch KHL games in the morning on Channelsurfing.net.

And to catch up with some old faces, it sounds like Caria has recently decided to leave the Everblades in favor of going to university. Florida has suspended Caria to retain his rights, but Caria had been thinking about leaving the ECHL to go to school even while in Utah.

That's all for now . . .

Go Grizzlies!

Brett Parnham to join Utah Grizzlies from OHL, Bobby Hughes from AHL

We didn't get to listen to all of Grizzlies' Live last night because apparently 1230 AM does not work in North Utah County. Grr.
But what we did hear rocked. Woot, Pavli and Kotsy!

It sounds like the Utah Grizzlies are getting some new blood from the OHL and some sent down from the AHL to help cover the holes made by Kinasewich and Sixsmith moving up in the hockey world. Here's 2 of the n00bs to the team.

Brett Parnham is joining the Utah Grizzlies from the Oshawa Generals in the OHL. We don't know if he played for them this season, but last season he racked up 76 points (50 goals, 26 assists) in 56 games. Nice.



Bobby Hughes is also joining the boys from Bridgeport where he's played 5 games so far this year.

And yes, we were correct about Caria being traded to Florida. Utah Grizzlies posted the news late yesterday afternoon. Enter Beljo, exit Caria.

While we still have mixed emotions on that trade, we can say that Jadran Beljo has been playing in Europe with the Medveščak Zagreb so far this season. That's former Grizzlies defenseman Andy Sertich's current team.

We miss Serty.

In other semi-related Grizzlies news, Abbotsford beat Hamilton last night, 4-1. Ouch! We didn't hear much on Meyers, but Snatch had 1 SOG. It went wide of the net, but was apparently close enough to make the announcer Derek Wills excited. (Yes, we were listening.)

Speaking of exciting, it sounds like the Bulldogs had a smoother night last night in Abbotsford than they did a couple of days ago. We snagged this from their Twitter:

Bulldogs outworked and outplayed by the Heat last night...rematch in Abbotsford tonight. The team isn't skating this morning.
Curtis Sanford will start, Mathieu Carle is on his way to Abbotsford from Montreal and will play. No fires or earthquakes yet today LOL

Wills called the game last night the 3rd natural disaster to happen for the Bulldogs since arriving in Abbotsford: hotel fire, earthquake, then their 4-1 loss.

And a little Sixsmith news . . . sort of. Bridgeport finally decided to post an article on signing Sixsmith to a P.T.O. so we're posting the link: Sixsmith Joins Sound Tigers.

We'll post more Grizzlies related news if we find it!

But that's all for now.

Go Grizzlies!

Kinasewich signed to P.T.O. with Bulldogs, Sixsmith gets Bridgeport P.T.O.

Kinasewich was signed to a Professional Tryout (P.T.O.) contract with Hamilton today. This means he will be available to play tonight against - get this - the Abbotsford Heat. How's that for irony?

Also, James Sixsmith was signed to a P.T.O. with Bridgeport today. Bridgeport doesn't have anything up on that yet, but when they do, we'll get it posted.

We've yet to see Meyers added to the Abbotsford line-up (eTA: Meyers added to Abbotsford), so we don't know if he will be playing tonight. But it sounds like Riley Armstrong (a personal fave of ours) is off of IR and should be seeing some ice time.

Abbotsford Heat: Game Night - Heat host the Bulldogs

In other Grizzlies related news, former Grizzlies' defenseman Andrew MacDonald was recalled to the Islanders from Bridgeport. The Islanders have been looking good lately, so this is a nice chance for Andrew (we hope).

Go Grizzlies!

Utah Grizzlies News: Kinasewich to Hamilton, Meyers to Abbotsford, Sixsmith to Bridgeport

Looks like the call-ups are starting. It's a bittersweet moment for fans. On one hand, we'd love to see the boys stay and play here. But on the other, it's obvious they've worked hard to deserve the chance to move up, and we're happy to see that as well.

Kinasewich goes to Hamilton, Meyers is recalled to Abbotsford, and Sixsmith goes to Bridgeport.

It's no surprise, really. Kinasewich and Sixsmith both rate in the top 10 scorers of the ECHL. Meyers was with Abbotsford to begin with.

You can read the full news details on Kinasewich and Sixsmith at the Utah Grizzlies site. We didn't see anything on Meyers recall as of yet, but we're sure they'll have it up soon.

Colley hasn't been rotating many of the boys out of the nightly line up, so we might be in for some new faces - or some familiar ones. We didn't see any additions to the Utah Grizzlies on the ECHL.com transaction list as of yet, but we'll keep looking.

Good luck to the boys!

We want to say we hope to see you soon, but . . .

How about we hope to see you in the AHL news, instead?

Go Grizzlies!

Grizzlies news, updates and shout outs for today.

3 DAYS UNTIL THE HOME OPENER!! (Yes, we're excited)

We're still trying to figure out why we didn't end up at the luncheon today . . . We think it was due to this major inconvenience we like to call work. Well, and poor planning, if we're going to be honest. However, we still have some updates and shout outs to post today.

THE NEWS:

The Utah Grizzlies' site has a nice article up about opening weekend. We'll eTA if they get more news up today.

Luncheon today, which we missed due to work. Boo. However, we work to fund our hockey addiction, so we suppose it's better to miss now than to miss opening weekend. Anyone who went that wants to share details feel free to email us or comment!

Grizzlies message board is still locked from the spam-fest which happened this weekend. We can't find an ETA on the fix on the Grizzlies' site, so we're just waiting.

On a sadder note, former Grizzlies coach Jason Christie was dismissed today by the AHL Chicago Wolves. Christie was working as Assistant Coach under Don Granato who was also let go. Haven't heard any other news yet regarding Christie, but we'll post as it comes along.

In the same strand, one of the Wolves' candidates for the position is another former Grizzlies coach Bob Bourne. He's been discussed as a possibility for the Wolves' organization, but we're not sure if it's for head or assistant coach. We'll also post more news on that if we hear it.


THE CREDS:

Thanks to Dancing Bear for totally schooling us on the Hamburger Helper post! We figured it was probably a sponsor, but DB verified it for us. We're still amused that they had the boxes on the table. But that's probably because we're easily amused . . .

Here's Richard the Canadian sporting his Grizzlies/Kinasewich shirt in Draper near some sheep. Unfortunately, you can't see the lovely #9 he's got on the back of that from this angle, but it's still nice to see Grizzlies gear around the valley, even if it's an import from Vancouver. Thanks for the pic, Richard!


If you have pics of people sporting (and supporting) Grizzlies gear, just mail it to grizzblog@gmail.com and we'll get it up with full creds!

We also want to give a random shout out to all of our friends (and apparently new hockey fans) texting, emailing, and calling us about the Home Opener and Pink in the Rink. We've been dragging you to games and now you're one of us! So . . . Jenny, Ashley, Caleb, Stacy, Shaun, Steph, and Jacob - this is for you. :)

ADMIN (BORING) CRAP:

We got a new header. Thumbs up or thumbs down?
We're going to get a new calendar.
The end.

3 more days, folks . . .

Go Grizzlies!