Author Archive

The Chase for NHL Rookie of the Year

Posted: 18th March 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
Coming into this NHL season, John Tavares and Victor Hedman were drawing most of the attention in the rookies department. Those two, the first two draft picks of 2009, along with "The Monster" Jonas Gustavsson who was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to compete with Vesa Toskala between the pipes, were the most likely candidates to earn the Calder trophy. So now that the season is driving through its final stretch, ...
I'm sick of all this "Alex Ovechkin is dirty" talk that has been running rampant lately. The guy plays every shift at 120 percent, and plays like the one against Brian Campbell on Sunday are bound to happen. If you want to see what dirty is, go watch videos of Claude Lemieux. If you want to see knee-on-knee hits, go watch Bryan Marchment or Darius Kasparaitis. Horrible boarding penalties? Go look up Ryan ...

NHL Possibly Switching Postseason Format?

Posted: 9th March 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
Monday's general managers meetings was primarily focused around headshots, mainly stemming from the most recent altercation between Matt Cooke and Marc Savard this past Sunday. One topic caught my eye, however. A discussion was brought up to change the current structure for the playoffs. Instead of having the division winners, and then the next top-five teams from each conference making the postseason, it was discussed to have the top-seven teams from each ...
Yes, you just read that correctly. No, it's not what you think. While reading Newsday yesterday—yes, newspapers still exist and people still read them—I came across an interesting stat: The Rangers scored 16 goals in Gaborik's four-game absence, and only one during the two since his return. Now I'm not saying that Gaborik is to blame because he's not putting the puck in the net. What I think is happening is ...

NHL Trade Deadline: Assessing The New York Rangers

Posted: 1st March 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
Okay, it's time to snap back to reality and dust off the Olympic break and jump back into the New York Rangers. Which, for those of you that don't follow hockey, is like being married to Jessica Alba for two weeks, only to then be forced to come home and go back to your wife, while she's sitting on the couch eating a pint of Haagan Dazs watching One Life ...

2010 Winter Olympics: Team USA vs. Norway Highlights and Analysis

Posted: 18th February 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
There's something right with the world today And everybody knows it's wrong But we can tell 'em no or we could let it go But I would rather be a hanging on Livin' On the Edge You can't help yourself from fallin' Livin' On the Edge You can't help yourself at all Livin' On the Edge Maybe Team USA was blasting a little too much Aerosmith in the dressing room ...

Henrik Lundqvist Remains King for Team Sweden in Defeat of Germany

Posted: 17th February 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
Two goals might not seem like a lot, but considering what Henrik Lundqvist is used to, that's a blowout. The Olympic break could not have come at a better time for the often-tested New York Rangers netminder. In his first Olympic action since capturing the gold medal in Torino at the 2006 Games, Lundqvist might have thought he was still on Broadway. Even across the continent in Vancouver, Lundqvist had to be just ...

2010 Winter Olympics, Men’s Hockey: Five Players That Might Surprise

Posted: 17th February 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
One of the many great elements of the Olympics, is surprise. Teams can surprise you, moments can surprise you, and single performances can surprise you. Even though the Olympic squads for several countries are composed of NHL stars, there are several players that might catch viewers off guard. Let's face it, outside of NHL diehards, the common Olympic viewer has no idea who some of these players are. So outside ...

2010 Winter Olympics, Men’s Hockey: Team USA Young, But Seasoned

Posted: 16th February 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
The majority of the players on the the U.S. men's hockey team in Vancouver, are making their Olympic debuts. Although they are young, and inexperienced as far as the Olympics are concerned, they are no strangers to International play. Several of the players not only have a decent amount of World experience, but they have experience playing with each other as teammates. Two-thirds of Team USA's top line, was one of the most ...

G Chad Johnson to Make First Start for New York Rangers

Posted: 7th January 2010 by Frank Castaldi in NHL
Chad Johnson will have a little more time to prepare this time around. Early reports from Phillips Arena point towards rookie goalie, Chad Johnson, making his first start in goal tonight for the Rangers (21-17-5) as they visit the Atlanta Thrashers (18-18-6). Johnson's first NHL experience was one to forget. The 23-year-old rookie saw his first action on Dec. 30, in an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Johnson was thrust into action ...