Philadelphia Flyers

The NHL Guardian Project: What’s not to love?

Guest post by Craig Chambers, Field Producer TSN   The views of this wonderful piece of writing do not reflect the views of TSN or anyone else who pays me,…

Fantasy Hockey: Right Wing Rankings

There isn’t a ton to like about right wing.  To say it is shallow is an understatement.  Joe Pavelski didn’t even sniff our top 40 centers, yet finds himself as…

Top-10 Hockey Teeth

It’s no secret that hockey players lose a lot of teeth. Some guys sacrifice their bodies in front of the net, others catch a random high-stick, and sometimes guys are just made the better of when the gloves drop. Here’s a list of some of the most memorable mugs of the NHL.

Mike Ribeiro’s Future, Horton Trade Rumors, and Souray to the Sharks?

Nathan Horton (Joe Loong/WikiCommons)

[Crashing the Crease is The Hockey Writers rundown of news, notes, and analysis from around the NHL]

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

~ As expected, it looks like Ray Whitney won’t be back in Carolina next season. (With the writing on the wall at the trade deadline, it makes me wonder why GM Jim Rutherford didn’t just take what he could get):

“I think it will be difficult with where he will be at, contract-wise,” Rutherford said. “I expect him to go into July (and the free-agent market). It appears that’s the way it’s going to go.”

~ With new bench bosses in Tampa and Columbus, Atlanta hopes to narrow down their remaining options:

The key deadline is July 1st when free agency begins–players want to know who will be in charge of their ice time and their role within the squad. The one advantage of hiring a coach early in the summer is that it gives him more time to review game tapes from the prior year and think about how to plan for the next season.

~ THW’s Dave Poleck dove headfirst into the Nathan Horton trade rumors last week, and ESPN’s Pierre Lebrun is suggesting he may not be the only big name heading out of Florida in the coming days:

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Malkin the ‘Russian Canadian’, Pronger’s Loose, and Lidstrom’s Future

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

~ Reports indicated Sidney Crosby is on the verge of signing a big endorsement deal with Reebok that would open the door for a new SC87 apparel line: “Crosby’s new deal with Reebok is said to be worth almost $10 million over the next seven years. Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, would not discuss the financial aspect of the deal and said it is not completed yet, “but things are going in the right direction.””

~ Evgeni Malkin gives his thoughts on Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and how he’s becoming a ‘Russian Canadian’: “”Alex has such a talent that he quickly adapts to rink sizes, the style of play, plus he has this insolence, in a good way, helps him a lot. I think that right now he is already a ‘Canadian,’ you can say. This is what he is called in the NHL – the ‘Russian Canadian,’ because he completes so many hits in a game. In this setting he’s like a knife in butter.”

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The 2009-10 Bruins are History

By Mike Miccoli, Boston Bruins correspondent

The Bruins won’t be remembered for upsetting the Sabres in the first round nor for their inspired play through the first three games against the Flyers. Instead, until Boston wins a Stanley Cup or another team pulls off this horrible feat, the Bruins will be associated with being the latest NHL team to choke (epically) in the playoffs. This is what we get to hear about all throughout the offseason and whenever the Bruins next hold a comfortable lead in a playoffs series. Being up three games? That’s just not enough anymore.