(via Dallas Stars Instagram)

As the regular season winds down and playoff dreams are on the verge of coming true, pausing to recognize one of the biggest milestones at the start of any player’s NHL career seems like a fine idea. So far this season, 86 rookies have hit the twine behind goaltenders across the league, each with their own story to tell about the goal they scored, and each with a smile as big as the moon when they realized the puck was in the net.

The stars aligned for Dallas Stars forward Alex Chiasson when he scored his first goal in his second NHL game on April 5 against the Anaheim Ducks. It was the beginning of a five game scoring streak that saw him rack up a total of 7 points in his first six games, concluding with the game winning goal in the April 13 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Not only was it a fantastic personal feat, but it set a new franchise record for the Stars.

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Show Us Your Pucks! Again!”

Don’t know about on the ice but off it, these two teams are going to miss each other once realignment goes into affect next season. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Today we’re going to do something different for this feature. Usually we mention the best player tweets from the past week. While I’m sure some players have said some crazy things, I want to focus on what some official team twitters have been saying. Apparently there are a couple of teams that want to be like the Los Angeles Kings.

Speaking of the Kings, let’s start with their tweet to the New Jersey Devils last Monday:

» Continue reading “They Said WHAT?!? – Team Twitters Edition”

Let’s admit it, trades can suck. They shock you, they put players on teams you despise, they break your heart when you realize your team will be stacked up against their former teammates who won the Stanley Cup with them only a few seasons ago. Even worse? Say hello to your division rival.

Such was the case when Michael Ryder was recently traded from Dallas to Montreal. Morontreal? But why?! He’d already been there. Why put his fans through that again? But now we sit and watch him doing well and even if he’s on that damned Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge you can see he’s doing well and heck, he’s back on an Original Six team… right? Sort of.

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Michael Ryder? Oh Yes B’y!”

2010-11 Crown Royale Voices of the Game Daryl Reaugh and Darren Pang Autographed

If they were to hold a draft for hockey analysts and colour commentators, you’d see a goaltender go first. I know you’re thinking “Oh, yes. I could listen to Ilya Bryzgalov talk all day about “space danger” and bears in the forest. He’s just so strange and entertaining.” Let me tell you two things. First, Bryz has nothing on Gilles “Gratoony the Loony” Gratton and second, not while I’m here.

But what is it that makes goalies such standouts as the talkies behind the microphone? The analysts who break down the games for us after we’ve done nothing but curse at the television for two and a half hours? Darren Pang, whose NHL career saw 3 seasons with the Blackhawks (alright, his first season consisted of one game) and 5 seasons of goaltending experience in the IHL and AHL, sums it up nicely and rather simply. Goaltenders “have the ability to see a lot of things from [their playing] position.” [x]

“I think more than anything else, your goalies are pretty much individuals on team sports… We all have different thoughts and we all handle things differently. I don’t think you have to be the best goalie to be an analyst, just the ability to put it across the air and have people understand it better.” [x]

Oh, and he also adds this detail to the mix: “At the end of the day, a lot of us are yapping guys, a lot of us are talkative people and outgoing people.” [x]

Maybe that’s closer to the truth?

» Continue reading “Hump Day Hockey Cards: Squawking Sieves & Punchy Pad Stackers”

Tomas Kundratek and Steve Olesky are proud puck bearers and public enemy number one.

When you see a player smiling ear-to-ear and proudly holding up a puck for all to see, does it matter what team he’s on? There’s a lot more going on than just another snazzy photo op. From personal achievement and overcoming obstacles to a supportive family and hockey community to maybe a little luck on the ice and sometimes a little bit of sass in his smile, we should just be pleased for him that he’s having success as he launches into his NHL career, right? Maybe.

Let’s be real. At the end of the day, did he assist on or score the goal that helped his team clinch the OT win against your team? Yes? Then it does matter. It matters a lot.

I’m looking at you, Tomas Kundratek.

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Show Us Your Pucks!”

Who is the coolest uncle ever? (Photo by Bridget Samuels/ Flickr)

Every day when our teams hit the ice, we sit down with our families and think of the players participating in the game. And just the players. That’s how it should be but what we tend to forget is these guys are human as well and therefore have families of their own that they think of every day before hitting the ice.

» Continue reading “They Said WHAT?!? – These Boys Love Their Families”

What happened when the Dallas Stars hosted the San Jose Sharks on February 23rd? An All Star fight!

Nearing the midpoint of the second period, Thornton used some stick on Benn. The two exchanged pleasantries and then they paired off. Fights are often chaotic affairs, equipment flying all over the place. This bout? A lot more deliberate. Slowly removing the equipment before moving in to throw ‘em.

To quote the announcer: “This is a prelude!”

» Continue reading “Friday Fisticuffs: Joe Thornton vs. Jamie Benn”

He da man.

After a few months of stacking small piles of hockey cards all over my apartment, I finally had the chance to spend some time to properly organizing overthinking my card binder. Rather than coming up with a specific plan or actually putting any cards into the binder, I decided to look at Marty Turco cards on eBay because TurcoMania still runs wild in my heart.

It was then that I stumbled upon the “You Da Man” Marty Turco card pictured above. I had somehow forgotten about the 60 card Sidelines subset that made its appearance in the 2009-10 Upper Deck Be a Player Signature Series set. When the set was released, Sidelines cards weren’t anything new for hockey card fans or collectors with or without a sense of humour.

The 1992-93 Pinnacle Sidelines Subset (which I will get to at some point) was very informative. How would I have ever known that Luke Richardson was a rocket builder? And other cards popped up here and there with news about what players were doing off the ice, many of them related to the sport of golf.

Let’s relax, unwind and take some time to enjoy a few of the anecdotes and guffaw inducing moments brought to you by a handful of the 2009-10 UD BAP Sidelines cards.

» Continue reading “Hump Day Hockey Cards: You Da Man, Marty Turco”

It’s a first for The Hawt Trophy! An Ottawa Senator is part of our Thursday meeting. Ok, so he hasn’t technically played a game for the Sens yet due to the lockout. You get the idea.

This week’s honors go to defenseman Marc Methot. Congrats, Marc!

» Continue reading “The Hawt Trophy: Marc Methot”

Since we started our weekly visits into the best of the worst hockey cards, one thing became painfully clear. The early 1990s have certainly had the most representation. Maybe it was the residual Aqua-net of the 1980s wearing off, but neon and bike shorts seemed like a good idea.

The early 1990s brought us some cards that would have gone right in our bike spokes if we opened a pack to find them as kids.

These cards are mad fly…. NOT!

» Continue reading “Hump Day Hockey Cards: 2 Legit 2 Quit”