Antoine Vermette's glass case of emotion Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman went all in at the trade deadline. He made some odd moves (Kimmo Timonen) and a few that made sense. Of the latter, he acquired Antoine Vermette to sure up the 'Hawks down the middle. Perhaps in preparation for a series like the one he's playing in now against Anaheim's two Ryans. In order to get pending UFA from the Arizona … [Read more...]

Antoine Vermette plays hero as Blackhawks beat Ducks in double-OT Antoine Vermette went from a healthy scratch in Game 3 to the double-overtime hero of Game 4 in the Western Conference Final. The Chicago Blackhawks forward netted his second goal of the playoffs at 5:37 of double-OT to win a wild battle with the Anaheim Ducks, 5-4, on Saturday night, to even the series at 2-2. Game 5 is … [Read more...]

NHL Three Stars: Blackhawks even series with Ducks in dramatic fashion No. 1 Star: Antoine Vermette, Chicago Blackhawks Vermette was displeased after being healthy-scratched in Game 3. In Game 4, he made sure Joel Quenneville would not make the same mistake again. Vermette was 14-6 on the face-off dot. Oh, and scored the game winner in double-overtime to even the series at two games each. … [Read more...]

Ducks score second-fastest three goals in NHL playoff history (Video)   In the third period of their Western Conference Final Game 4 against the Anaheim Ducks, the Chicago Blackhawks were feeling, well, ducky. They had extended out to a 3-1 lead, and it looked like the Blackhawks would cruise to a win on home ice. Then the Anaheim Ducks embarked on the second-fastest three goals scored in a … [Read more...]

Coyotes hire 25-year-old analytics wiz John Chayka as assistant GM Unlike many analytics gurus, John Chayka has an Internet Hockey Database player page. It’s not exactly a storied career – 101 games with the Woodstock Slammers of the junior Maritime Hockey League – but it’s something.  Perhaps that made the world safe for a guy with no previous front office experience to land an assistant … [Read more...]

How the Ducks soared so far this postseason Before Anaheim's Western Conference Final series with the Blackhawks, the Ducks were seen as a pretty good team and an even match for Chicago.  Now, after three games in the Western Conference Final and a 2-1 series lead, one has to wonder if the Ducks were underrated going into this match up. Anaheim is 10-2 in these playoffs. One loss was against … [Read more...]

Concussion expert calls Gary Bettman's CTE comments 'lawyer speak' In the recent past, the NHL has seen a few tragic tipping points for head injuries and player safety.  Enforcer Derek Boogaard’s overdose death was one, which initially led to the question of hockey players taking prescription pills. When it was found his young brain had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative … [Read more...]

Lightning banking on bad luck to explain Game 4 blowout “How did you see it play out?”  Any time a coach answers a question with a question it’s squirmy. And it rarely ever happens when the query and the response are grounded in happy feelings and optimism. As it was, Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper was asked how he saw the second period of their 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers in Game … [Read more...]

NHL Three Stars: Lundqvist solid in 5-1 drubbing of Lightning No. 1 Star: Rick Nash, New York Rangers Nash has been heavily criticized during his time in New York for his lack of playoff production. He took a step in the right direction Friday night with 2 goals and an assist against Tampa. Nash's first goal was beauty on a break away. No. 2 Star: Keith Yandle, New York Rangers Like Nash, … [Read more...]