Penguins to Host 2012 Entry Draft

The season has just started and we are already thinking about next year.The NHL has announced that the CONSOL Energy Center, home ice to the Pittsburgh Penguins, will host the 2012 Entry Draft.

The first round will begin on Friday, June 22. Rounds two through seven will be hosted the day after.

The entry Draft has turned into quite an event with the NHL Network in the States covering the event. Analysts, hosts and the like all chip in on who will be drafted first, why a team should pick Player A over Player B, and so forth. Interviews with the shell shocked rookies are always nice to see also. A nice reminder that hockey players are the best and most down to earth athletes around.

Ray Shero, Penguins GM had this to say about the event.

“What you are going to see here are future star players. You’re going to see broadcasters, general managers, and scouts.” Shero said. “It’s also a great day for the fans. They can see the next up-and-coming players and interact with a lot of different people.”

Shero also noted.

“There will be over 350 scouts in attendance and these guys work over 363 days a year over these two days, so it’s a very important time for the scouting staffs around the NHL.”

To this day I have yet to see an Entry Draft, but, it is definitely on my bucket list. Maybe once the Detroit Red Wings finally get a new arena, cross your fingers that day comes sometime soon, they can play hosts. If so, I’m definitely getting tickets.

Any readers attended an Entry Draft it be nice to hear about your experience. Feel free to send pictures to eb

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Fox and DirecTV in Money Fight: Viewers Ultimate Losers

Beginning Tuesday, you might not have some of your favorite channels if you are a DirecTV subscriber.

Hockey fans: be prepared to pack patience starting tomorrow as you can potentially lose your Fox Regional Sports Networks because News Corp (FOX) and DirecTV is in the middle of a heated rights fees dispute. Just like we seen with DirecTV and Versus two years ago that began in September and ended in March, this one might take a while to resolve.

And not only will you lose popular channels like your Fox Sports (insert city or region here), but you will also lose channels like FX, SPEED, and Fox Soccer. Those channels (alone with FS Detroit) compromise 80 percent of my television habits between Premier League soccer, Formula 1 racing, and shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League.

In reading articles and press releases from both sides, the Fox side of the issue is rebutting the claims that DirecTV is making  that Fox wants a 40 percent increase in carriage fees. FOX appears to have strong demands that DirecTV simply isn’t going stand up for. Part of my wants to believe they will have they will have it resolved because sports fans and television watchers will be in a compete outrage if they lose their favorite sports teams. As a subscriber to NHL Center Ice, I am feeling screwed because I paid a good amount of money for the service and if I lose games because of this for a substantial amount of time I should get some money jack. I know this happens often with television networks and the cable providers. In the end, the ones who are getting screwed are the customers who want to watch their favorite teams and shows without having to pay an arm and leg to do so.

This will also affect not only residential subscribers, also will be affected in the 19.4 million subscribers are bars, restaurants and business who depend on sports being shown on their televisions to bring in fans to watch their favorite team play.

If you want to do something about this issue, see the websites above and voice your opinion to both FOX and DirecTV. For additonal information, check out this article printed in the Los Angeles Times.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 31st, 2011 and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Hockey Gear

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Easton Stealth RS Hockey Gloves

Easton Hockey is currently featuring a picture of the new on their Stealth RS micro-site. The gloves, in all black with white accents, look pretty fresh. The Easton text is printed out diagonally on the cuff, which looks slick and new. Typically, we see the brand name printed horizontally on the cuff. The are likely to hit the market in April 2012, along with perhaps the rest of a new Stealth protective line.

Take a look at the picture of the new Stealth RS gloves below and share your thoughts!

 

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Easton Stealth RS Review: Initial Impressions

Easton continues to make impressive strides with their sticks as they look to make light weight, yet durable models to satisfy the needs of players of every caliber, and the Easton Stealth RS appears to be no exception. Tons of buzz surrounded the stick in recent weeks leading up to the anticipated release date this past weekend. Thanks to Easton hockey, the members of Hockey World Blog were able to secure a Stealth RS to determine if the product can deliver on the hype.

Specs: Easton Stealth RS, Grip finish, Iginla curve, 100 Flex

Modifications: Cut two inches off the butt of the stick

Appearance and Design: Plainly put

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Chicago Blackhawks

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will lead the offensive attack for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011-12

Key Offseason Additions: Steve Montador, Dan Carcillo, Andrew Brunette, Jamal Mayers, Ray Emery

Key Offseason Losses: Brian Campbell, Troy Brouwer, Chris Campoli, Tomas Kopecky,

Last Season Ranking: 8th in the West

Offense: The Chicago Blackhawks offense hopes to build on a productive season in 2010-11 and return this year with a bit more pop. Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, along with winger Patrick Kane, both look to increase their output this season. Kane, specifically, has been saying this off-season he wants to take his game to another level. After a 15 point drop in production last season, you have to assume that Kane is looking to break the 90 point mark and help lead his team back to the playoffs.

Another huge bonus to the squad will be a healthy Marian Hossa. He posted 57 points in a mere 65 games last season, and if healthy, can contribute roughly a point per game to the Blackhawks potent offense. A full season by Hossa could also mean the difference between barely making the playoffs and perhaps winning the division.

Additionally, Patrick Sharp will continue to be a goal scoring threat for the Blackhawks. Sharp lead the squad in goals last season with 34, and will look to improve on his point totals after a career-high 71 points last season.

New to the offense are Andrew Brunette, Dan Carcillo, and Jamal Mayers. While Brunette will be expected to contribute heavily, look for Carcillo and Mayers to provide a physical presence above anything else.

The Blackhawks have a few young guys rounding out the offense. Be sure to keep an eye on Michael Frolik and Viktor Stalberg this season, as both have a tremendous upside. Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland will be counted on to provide additional depth scoring as well.

Defense: The departure of Brian Campbell places even more importance on Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, who will lead the Blackhawks defense this season. Both defenseman were huge on the power-play last season, and will continue to hold the blue line on the PP again in 2011-12.

The addition of Steve Montador on the blue line will add some veteran depth for the Blackhawks. He’ll be a great compliment to some of the young defenseman on the squad, such as Niklas Hjalmarsson, Nick Leddy, and Sami Lepisto. Hjalmarsson should see upwards of 20 minutes per game this season, being used in more and more situations as he continues to gain experience.

Goaltending: After the Marty Turco experiment failed last season, the Blackhawks went with rookie Corey Crawford in goal. He played well enough to earn the starting job, and helped Chicago nearly come back from an 0-3 start against Vancouver in last season’s playoffs. Crawford returns this season with the number one spot from the beginning.

In an interesting scenario, however, the Blackhawks chose to sign Ray Emery in the off-season. He’s currently competing with Alexander Salak for the backup job, but you have to imagine he has his eyes on the starting role as well. Last season, after returning to game action with the Anaheim Ducks, Emery won his first six starts, before finishing the season 7-2 with a .926 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average. Emery is looking to prove everyone wrong and earn a starting spot in the NHL again, and Chicago could be the place if Corey Crawford begins to stumble during his sophomore campaign.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound. The Blackhawks have what it takes to make it into the playoffs, and could earn another division championship if key players, such as Marian Hossa, stay healthy. Having their best players on the ice for 82 games will be the difference between a potential division win and barely sneaking into the playoffs.

Tags: Andrew Brunette, Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks, Corey Crawford, Daniel Carcillo, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Michael Frolik, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Ray Emery, Steve Montador, Viktor Stalberg

This entry was posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011 and is filed under Season Previews. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Video of the Day (9/7/11)

  Ice Hockey Warehouse showcasing Reebok's new Ai9 stick! This will be Reebok's top stick in their new "AI" line coming out October 15th! Looks great!

Posted byHyo Jun Baekat2:47 PM

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