Cory Conacher Photo by Alexis Boucher
Three glimmers of light could soon give way to an entire sky full of shining stars. This lame analogy is in reference to the three Lightning rookies currently on the roster – Alex Killorn, Cory Conacher, and Richard Panik – and how their success at the NHL level could be indicative of what’s to come for this franchise. » Continue reading “Lightning Rookies Providing A Glimpse Of The Near Future”
Photo by Alexis Boucher
With the NHL’s impending return, the fans are buzzing with excitement of having actual hockey to talk about again. Our players are returning from near and far. Training camps are right around the corner and many squads have already begun informal skating sessions.
While flipping through photos of the Lightning’s skate the other day, an unsettling moment occurred. There was a player in a Tampa sweater. And I had no idea who the hell he was. Summer signings feel like they were a million years ago, so we can cut ourselves a little slack. We need a refresher course as to who exactly plays for our team now. What better way to do that than with a little game?
Here’s how it works. A series of roster photos will be shown along with multiple choice answers. Pick your answer until you reach the end. The answer key will let you know how you did. Winner gets… the satisfaction of a job well done.
Now it’s time for NAME… THAT… BOLT!
Anders Lindback Photo by Linda Hamilton
New Lightning goalie Anders Lindback’s contract with Ilves Tampere in Finland may have expired, but not before he suffered a freak injury at practice on December 18th. The incident left him with stitches in his right knee, but luckily no structural damage.
The injury occured when Lindback opened up to make a save.
“The puck hit my knee. I wear two sets of knee pads, so it was just one of those things. The puck just slipped through. I thought it was just going to be bruised and when I got into the locker room and took my gear off I was bleeding all over. It was really weird. It was a good shot, I guess,” Lindback said. (Quote Source: Tampa Bay Times)
The goalie will work out on his own now that his stitches have been removed. The outcome of a new CBA will dictate if he returns to play in Europe.
» Continue reading “Nuts & Bolts: Lindback Leaves Ilves, J.T. Brown Injured”
The month of November has become a very special time among hockey players and this year was no different. A number of locked out NHLers participated and raised money for men’s health issues. The AHLers got in on the action as well. After a month of stiff competition, Mark Barberio’s mustache reigned supreme among the Syracuse Crunch.
If there’s one thing Lightning fans learned about their minor league affiliate this year it’s that they are a gifted lot when it comes to facial hair. We all remember those beards on the way to a Calder Cup Championship.
As Movember comes to a close for the year and our players pick up their razors, it’s a perfect time to relive their journey.
» Continue reading “Syracuse Crunch Crown A Movember Winner”
Tyler Johnson gets low for faceoffs…so low that no one saw him on draft day. Picture from the Syracuse Crunch FB page
This Syracuse Crunch team sure is special, isn’t it? The NHL lockout drags on, but one benefit for the Tampa Bay Lightning is the ability to see its young guns play together and grow as a dominant team. The Crunch played three games this weekend (2-1 loss vs. Binghamton, 4-1 win at Albany, 6-1 win at Worcester) and are now 12-3-1-1 through 17 games. This puts them in first in the East Division as well as the entire Eastern Conference.
Take some time to absorb all of these bullet points and try not to get giddy (I couldn’t resist) thinking about some of these guys contributing at the NHL level. » Continue reading “Number Crunch: Syracuse Dominating As A Team”
J.T. Wyman Photo by Linda Hamilton
Tonight’s Crunch/Senators game had pretty much everything. Old time hockey toughness, tons of goals, a dramatic late game comeback. Oh, and a goalie fight. A European goalie fight no less. Don Cherry would lose his shit.
This game was pretty ugly from the outset. Bingamton held a 5-0 lead through the first half of the game. That’s when Sens goalie Robin Lehner and Crunch goalie Riku Helenius met at center ice and, well… see for yourself.
Update: Clearer fight footage.
» Continue reading “Crunch Battle To 6-5 Win Against Binghamton”
Dustin Tokarski thinks that’s a clown ranking, bro.
I’m not an ESPN insider, so I can’t give you a complete insight on this list by Craig Custance. Here is what I can tell you about, though: his initial power rankings have the Syracuse Crunch at #3. To quote Vice President Biden, that’s a bunch of malarkey. » Continue reading “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, lack thereof sees Crunch ranked #3″
PC Labrie photo by Alexis Boucher
Hockey’s here! » Continue reading “Lightning Farmhands En Route to Newfoundland”
Brett Connolly Photo by Linda Hamilton
Need another sign that the NHL lockout is looming without hope of being stopped? Teams were assigning players to the AHL in droves this morning, the Lightning included.
The following players were assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL:
Forwards: J.T. Brown, Cory Conacher, Brett Connolly, Danick Gauthier, Alex Hutchings, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ondrej Palat and Richard Panik.
Defensemen: Mark Barberio, Radko Gudas, Dmitry Korobov, Charles Landry and Dan Milan.
Goaltenders: Dustin Tokarsaki, Riku Helenius and Pat Nagle.
As if that weren’t enough, JT Wyman was placed on waivers as well. He will be assigned to Syracuse on Saturday if he clears waivers at noon on Saturday.
Yup. This sucks. We should be prepping for training camps right now.
Photo by Linda Hamilton
-Tampa’s head coach Guy Boucher can add another experience to his resume. With the Lightning out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he has been named an assistant coach for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships. The tournament is set to begin in early May in Helsinki, Finland. Canada’s first game is set for May 4th against Slovakia. Boucher previously served as an assistant coach on Canada’s gold medal winning Junior national team at the World Juniors in 2009.
J.T. Brown will join Nate Thompson in playing for the USA at the Worlds. Teddy Purcell will play under Coach Boucher for Canada and Victor Hedman will play for Sweden.
- The Norfolk Admirals finished their regular season with their incredible winning streak intact. They played their final game against the Adirondack Phantoms and secured a 4-2 victory on the road. Their 28th straight win the new North American professional hockey record to beat.
Norfolk begins their run to the Calder Cup this coming Friday with a Quarterfinals series against the Manchester Monarchs. Good luck, boys!
“The enforcers never have a first or second star of the game,” Roy said. “You don’t get a credit in a game. Sometimes a fight might have changed the whole momentum of a game. So to have the fans chanting “We Want Roy,” that, for me, was one of the highlights of my career. To have a full building yelling your name. You know you are doing good and the fans appreciate you. For me, I’ll never forget it. I loved it.”
-The Bolts are getting ready to kick off a summer tour around the bay area. They will be hosting radio broadcasts at Chili’s Restaurants, the first one taking place this Wednesday with special guests Marty St. Louis and Dwayne Roloson.
