NHL Analyst Doug MacLean Talks Stanley Cup, Kevin Dineen, and Hall/Seguin

Rogers Sportsnet Analyst and former Blue Jackets President/GM Doug MacLean joined us this morning to talk about the Stanley Cup Finals, Kevin Dineen's future, and the debate between Hall and Seguin.

Joe Haggerty Talks #Bruins

Joe Haggerty from CSNNE.com joined us fresh from Philly to talk Bruins and Flyers, cheese steaks and more.

The Official Anthem for #Bruins Fans Today

Yes, it will be painful, but do you want to play Pittsburgh or a banged-up Philly in the next round? All I have to say is...

Dineen Drawing NHL Interest Again

Portland Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen is widely regarded in circles around the NHL as a great up-and-coming coach. After a great run in Portland, he seems primed to take the Barry Trotz route to the NHL. According to a Tweet from the Toronto Globe and Mail's James Mirtle, Dineen is a hot candidate for available jobs in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Columbus, and New Jersey. Of the 4 talent-wise, Tampa Bay and New Jersey would be the best bets, although Devils owner GM Lou Lamoriello seems to favor older coaches like Ken Hitchcock. Joe Yerdon from Gross Misconduct Hockey, said via Twitter:

"I think Columbus is hotter after him. #speculation"

Regardless, I put the odds at 4-1 Dineen returns behind the Pirates bench next season. He and his family love this area, which he has stated numerous times on the Jab, so it might be tough to leave, but how long can you avoid the NHL? I'll rank the teams in order of chances he goes there below.

1. Tampa Bay. Dineen would do great things with Steven Stamkos.
2. New Jersey. It would be the best fit for him and the team, but will Lamoriello make the right move?
3. Columbus. Dineen might be able to get this team back on track after they slipped this year.
4. Atlanta. Who the hell wants to coach hockey in Atlanta?

Globe and Mail: 14 coaching candidates

The Bruins or Doppelgangers? You Decide.

Were those the Boston Bruins I saw on the ice last night? I’m still unconvinced. I have a theory they were all doppelgangers bred in tubes in a lab in Maine. I’m on to you Maine. I know what you do up there.

Back to the Bruins. Last night, fans saw something they’ve been waiting for almost all season. A physical, Bruins dominated game, free of suck-age and crappy third period play. Despite the fact that Matt Cooke deserved to be severely punished, his concussing of our star, Marc Savard, seemed to light the fire that the Bruins so desperately needed.

Tuukka Rask’s doppelganger was on top of his game last night, Mark Stuart (who is absolutely out of his mind) got into two fights, and goals were scored by Blake Wheeler, Old Man Recchi, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Marco Sturm. Obviously all doppelgangers. Except Recchi. They tried to make his clone, but his DNA was determined to be superhuman. How else do you think he’s still playing like this at his age?

Honestly though, where has this been all season?! Where has Mark Stuart been all season?! This guy needs to beat someone up every game. I mean, fill in for Milan Lucic. Despite most fans’ cries for a more aggressive Looch, I’m buying the excuse that he’s still injured. Sure, injuries heal, but every time he steps onto the ice, he risks tweaking his ankle again. I’m sure he has. So Mark Stuart, come on down! The guy is 2 parts insane and 1 part reckless – a perfect mixture for a fighter. As long as he doesn’t do something idiotic like punch someone in the helmet and break his hand, I’m all for him initiating the physical play on this team. Maybe others will follow suit. After all, the Bruins aren’t a finesse team. They need to play aggressively to throw the opposition off their game. Last night they started to do just that.

Now, I’m not ready to jump back on the Bruins bandwagon quite yet. I’ve been walking behind it at a leisurely pace for most of the season. However, the Bruins play the Habs one last time during the regular season this Saturday night. Their record against the B’s this year is 4-1-0. Yes, they’re one of the best teams in the league, but I’m not convinced they’re unbeatable. We stomped them last year, and despite missing Savvy, the Bruins showed that they can score last night. If they do it again on Saturday, they’re back in my good graces. Mostly.

Until Saturday, I advise you to ride this Bruins high. Take what you can get, alright?

Samantha Lewis is the Creative Director of North Shore Editorial and can be followed on Twitter here. She is an expert in doppelganger creation, and you can read more of her conspiracy theories (or sports writing) over at Beantown Athletic Supporters.

Colin Campbell Gets No Love on Wikipedia

NHL Discipline guru Colin Campbell is getting roasted on the internet for his latest failure in the Matt Cooke fiasco. Apparently angry Bruins fans have taken to Wikipedia to vent their rage, only to have Wikipedia fix it quickly afterwards. I managed to get quick screen-shots of the latest ventings. If you click on the pictures you can see them both in full-size.

In the Crease With Javier Gorriti-Why the NHL Fails to Capitalize on Olympic Momentum

As I sit through these 2010 Olympics, it continues to shock me how badly the NHL has cannibalized the greatest team sport in the world. As I watch Mike Millbury and Eddie Olczyk embarrass themselves and the entire sport of hockey by uttering some of the most idiotic things any sports fan has ever heard following the Canada/Russia game, I suddenly understood....I had an Olympic revelation. The people running the NHL are so stupid that they will successfully achieve their goal of completely destroying the NHL.

As a talk-radio personality, I get a good feel of what people are watching, what they are into and what they dislike. In the last two weeks, we have taken more calls about hockey than we have in the 16 months I have been at the Big Jab. The reason is simple: the NHL plays a boring, clutch and grab style that simply does not appeal to the masses. There are too many teams in too many teams in cities that simply don't care about hockey and people are loving the Olympic version.

Olympic hockey is simply a different sport than the clutch and grab fest we have to endure in the NHL. Admittedly there are only 8 teams that are at this top level, but the game is better because it's played and officiated as it was meant to be. Hockey is an offensive sport. Played at the highest level, it should be high scoring. 5-4, 6-3, 4-2 are normal hockey scores. What's abnormal and has destroyed fan interest are scores of 1-0,0-0,2-1 on a nightly basis.

There are two main reasons for the deteriation of the game itself. One is clearly that although the NHL has improved the game, there is still way too much clutching and grabbing. The league simply won't fully commit to calling the game at the level that you see at the Olympics. For those who say that would ruin the game, please see above. People LOVE Olympic hockey. The NHL struggles to even get a real TV contract.

The second reason is the fact that coaches, scouting and systemic play can really hinder the ability of teams to generate and sustain offense. The only way to combat this is by changing the rules. The NFL changes rules on a yearly basis. Big changes to rules that fundamentally change the way the game is played, always with one goal in mind: making it easier for the offense to perform. The result has been, for better or worse, that the NFL is the most popular sport in the US by a mile. The NHL needs to look at the NFL as an example of how you can leave the past behind for a better future. It took the NHL 80 years to take out the 2 line pass rule, which was put in when hockey made the daring move of allowing the forward pass (gasp) somewhere around 1920.

I have a solution. As I write this, I know there is absolutely no possibility that the NHL would even consider the following.

Roller hockey enjoyed a brief moment of popularity in the mid to late 90's. There are many reasons as to why it failed, but one moment of genius came from it. In roller hockey you could carry the puck in offside, but you could not pass it in offside. Meaning that if one of your players was already in the offensive zone, you could carry the puck in without drawing a whistle. Allowing this would create chaos for defenses in the NHL. Defending this would be a nightmare. In any team sport, whether it's basketball, football or hockey, sudden change of possession leads to scoring. When the offensive team is all going one way and lose the ball, puck etc. the team transitioning to offense has a huge advantage. That's why 300 lb lineman can run back fumbles for TD's with guys that run 4.2 40's chasing them. This sudden change situation is nullified many times during a hockey game because of the current offside rule. Many offensive rushes die at the blue line because players are forced off by defensemen. With this rule change, defenses could not use the blue line as an extra defender, it would make them sag in creating more scoring chances and more goals.

Again, I know this is far too radical for the NHL. It will never happen, but it needs to.

I sincerely hope the NHL learns from this Olympics, but when Gary Bettman comes out after the USA/Canada game and says that's what you see every night in the NHL, my confidence is not high. Maybe the NHL will get a TV contract that is on both cable AND DirecTV, but again, I doubt it. Oh well, I guess I only have to hold until 2014 to see more good hockey. That's not so bad.

Javier Gorriti is the co-host of The PM Jab weekdays from 3-7p on 96.3 The Big Jab. He is also the owner of Mermaid Seafoods in South Portland. His nickname is "The Spanish Inquisition", and would love it if you called him that on the air from now on.

Portland #Pirates Week in Review 12/14-12/20

The Pirates went 2-0 in their two road games last week. The victories came with a 5-2 win over the Hartford Wolf pack Friday night and a 7-1 win over the Springfield Falcons Saturday night. The two wins extended the Pirates road point streak to nine games (6-0-2-1) and upped their overall record to 14-11-3-2.

This week the Pirates will play three games in five days, starting Tuesday when Portland travels to Bridgeport to face the Sound Tigers to close out a four-game road trip. The Pirates complete the week with home games against the Springfield Falcons on Friday followed by a rematch against the Sound Tigers on Saturday.

Last week’s play began Friday in Hartford where Cody McCormick scored two goals and added an assist to help lead the Portland Pirates to a 5-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center. Tyler Ennis, Philip Gogulla and Brad Larsen also scored for the Pirates while Kyle Wanvig and Marc-Andre Gragnani collected two assists each. The Pirates ended a three-game winless streak with the victory. Portland out shot the WolfPack 29-18 in the game as Jhonas Enroth posted the victory. Saturday the Pirates traveled to Springfield where they posted a 7-1 victory over the Falcons. The seven goals represented the Pirates largest offensive output of the season and the six-goal margin of victory was the biggest this year. Kyle Rank scored his first career hat trick and added an assist to pace the Pirates while Derek Whitmore added a pair of goals. Wanvig and Jeff Cowan rounded out the goal-scoring and Mike Kostka supplied two assists. The Pirates played the game without Mark Mancari, who was recalled by the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the day. Springfield out shot the Pirates 32-26 in the game as Enroth posted the victory.

Pirates Notes:
• The Pirates current nine-game road point streak (6-0-2-1) is the longest by the team since running off a 10-game streak from January 29, 2006 to March 22,2006. During the streak of success the Pirates posted a 9-0-1-0 record. The franchise record for consecutive road games without a regulation loss is 11 games (8-0-3) established back in 1994-95.
• Thanks to their current streak of success, the Pirates are now 7-8-2-1 on the road after starting the season 1-8-1-0 away from Portland.
• Kyle Rank registered his first career hat trick and four-point game December 12 at Springfield.
• Derek Whitmore registered his first career two-goal game December 12 at Springfield.

This Week:
The Pirates finish a four-game road trip when they face the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (15-13-1-2) at the Harbor Yard Arena Tuesday night at 7 PM. Friday the Pirates are home to face the Falcons (10-13-4-2) at the CCCC at 7 PM. Saturday night the Pirates finish their week on home ice against the Sound Tigers at 7 PM.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ Bridgeport (Harbor Yard Arena), 7 PM

• Bridgeport and Portland are tied for second (along with Lowell) in the Atlantic Division. All three teams have 33 points.
• Goalie Nathan Lawson ranks tied for eighth in the AHL save percentage with a 92.5 percentage.
• This will be the third of eight meetings between the two teams. Bridgeport was won both with the last meeting resulting in a 5-4 Sound Tigers overtime victory in Bridgeport on November 15th.

Friday, December 18, 2009 vs. Springfield Falcons (CCCC), 7 PM
• Springfield sits last in the Atlantic Division with a 10-13-4-2 record.
• Forward Charles Linglet is ranked fourth among the AHL scorers with 31 points in 29 games.
• The game will be the fifth of eight between the two teams this season. The Pirates trampled the Falcons in their last meeting on December 12th, with a 7-1 victory.

Saturday, December 19, 2009 vs. Bridgeport (CCCC), 7 PM

Recent Pirates Transaction:
12/13/2009 Mark Mancari (RW) Returned on loan from Buffalo (NHL)
12/12/2009 Mark Mancari (RW) Recalled from loan by Buffalo (NHL)
12/09/2009 Nathan Gerbe (LW) Recalled from loan by Buffalo (NHL)
Pirates Practice:
As schedules are subject to last-minute changes please call the Pirates office ahead of time at 207-828-4665 ext. 313 to confirm location and time.

Monday, December 14th – Noon
Tuesday, December 15th – 7:00 PM (Game @ Bridgeport @ Harbor Yard Arena)
Wednesday, December 16th – 10:00 AM
Thursday, December 17th – 10:00 AM
Friday, December 18th – 7:00 PM (Game vs. Springfield @ CCCC)
Saturday, December 19th – 7:00 PM (Game vs. Bridgeport @ CCCC)
Sunday, December 20th – 10:00 AM
Pirates Events:
Friday, December 18th vs. Springfield
$10,000 Dash for Cash & Gritty’s Mug Club Night
Fans (18 years and older) will have the opportunity to win a chance at $10,000 in cold hard cash! Just fill out a form at the Customer Service Table in the Main Lobby before the 10-minute mark of the first period for your chance to win!

Gritty’s Mug Club Members receive special discount tickets courtesy of the Pirates. For information on how to become a Mug Club Member visit www.grittys.com.

Call (207) 775-3458, visit the Cumberland County Civic Center Box Office or go on-line at portlandpirates.com for tickets.

Saturday, December 19th vs. Bridgeport
Treasure Chest Night, Labatt Blue Light Hockey Night in Portland & Student Achiever
Night #2

It’s a Labatt Blue Light Hockey Night in Portland! Join the following friends of Labatt Blue Light and the Portland Pirates to continue your Labatt experience; Binga’s Stadium ($3 Labatt drafts before and after all Pirates games), Brian Boru (Saturday nights $2.40 Labatt drafts), Frosty Pint (Saturday $2.50 Labatt Drafts and Labatt Light bottles) and Spring Point Tavern ($2 Labatt drafts every Saturday night).

The Pirates also welcome the Student Achievers from schools around Maine. In recognition of accomplishments in school and our local communities, the Pirates and Aquafina will be rewarding participating schools and students with FREE TICKETS to a Pirates game!

All hands on deck for Treasure Chest Night. You could win Salty Pete’s Treasure Chest filled with over $500 worth of prizes from the Pirates and participating sponsors. Sign up at the Customer Service Table in the Main Lobby for your chance to win.

Call (207) 775-3458, visit the Cumberland County Civic Center Box Office or go on-line at portlandpirates.com for tickets.

--COURTESY PORTLAND PIRATES COMMUNICATIONS--

Hit Like A Girl-On the 7th Day...

Who came up with hockey? I started to Wikipedia it, because Wikipedia has all the answers, but then I decided I’d rather just stick with the delusion under which I’ve been operating for a few years now.

On the seventh day,God did not rest. God made hockey.

I suppose I was doomed to love hockey. When I was young, it was a treat for my brother and I to stay up and watch the beginning of Rangers games (lest you forget, I am from New York). Over the years I’ve dabbled in various things hockey-related. Skating, hockey games, hockey players…

Disregard that last item.

Seriously though, my lovely significant other used to be an excellent goalie in high school. I’m telling you, there is a certain allure to hockey players. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: there is something humbling about missing your teeth. Or the potential of losing your teeth. Either one works. And aside from Sean Avery, hockey players seem to be pretty cool guys.

By the way, I would like the record to show that Sean Avery is the ultimate dink. I pray every night that he grows his very own pair of testicles some day.

Moving on.

How about those Bruins, huh? HUH?! As I type this they’re playing. By the time you read this article they probably will have lost. But let me keep the faith for at least another hour or so.

For the majority of this season, I’ve kept my love for the B's intact by obsessively checking out the photos of select Bruins studs that appeared in the Improper Bostonian. They’re even hanging in my cube at work. I don’t know what you men did. The only thing that kept me turning on Bruins games was Patrice Bergeron’s utter sexiness in a skinny, purple tie, Marc Savard’s piercing gaze, and Marco Sturm’s seductive smile. Who am I kidding? All you manly men out there were staring at them too.

Now I can almost watch the Bruins without having to take a long, cleansing shower afterwards! I don’t have to down a shot of Nyquil when someone mentions how much longer Lucic and Savard will be out! Why? The power play. Not only do the B's seems to be capable of hitting more than a post, but they scored during a power play.

The clouds opened up and angels sang. Literally.

The Bruins have finally started playing as God intended! They’re playing smart, they’re playing physical, and they’re taking no prisoners. OK, so that may be hockey as Satan intended, but most of us (those not in the loony, mixed up part of the country) know that Satan is cooler (and way more fun) than the Lord our savior. In fact, if God really loved us, the NHL would allow more checking, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that the Bruins can score. They’re fun to watch again. Can you imagine what they’ll play like when Looch and Savard are back? It’s going to be complete and utter destruction.

As Jack Edwards would say, “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS BUILDING IS VIBRATING!”

Samantha Lewis is the author of "Hit Like a Girl". She is the Creative Director of Northshore Editorial in Salem, MA and can be followed on Twitter. It was recently discovered she was not conceived, but just "made of awesome".

In the Crease With Javier Gorriti-The NHL's TV Failure

As you probably don't know the NHL opens up Thursday night with the Washington Capitals playing at Boston to take on an interesting Bruins team. That neither here nor there. The game is on Versus, so if you do not live in the Boston area and you have DirecTV, you won't see this game, or any other that's on Versus due to DirecTV taking off its programming.

This continues a self inflicted onslaught on the NHL dating back about 15 years. At that time hockey was enjoying a resurgence in popularity. It was seen as the hip, young, up and coming sport. Enter Gary Bettman; possibly the least hip person on the planet. During his tenure (1993-present) the NHL has plummeted in popularity, visibility and profitability, to the point where at least one NHL team is bankrupt, the Phoenix Coyotes.

As an ex-hockey player who played at Maine and had one year in the minors, I have plenty of friends who are playing or played in the NHL. You would think that I follow the NHL closely and am excited about the season opening in two days. I'm not. I don't really care at all and would not miss the NHL if it folded tomorrow. I am the target audience, and they've lost me completely.

It's not the game itself. It's actually the best the game has been,ever. The marketing and presentation is the worst I have ever seen. From the same dubs that broadcast every game, the same stiffs doing the between periods analysis to the same camera angles that have never done the game any justice, the NHL continues to repeat the same mistakes time and time again. None of this worked the first time, or the second, for that matter. The same guys that couldn't sell the game on TV, whether it was commentating or analyzing, are the same guys we have to look at and listen to this time around. Brian Engblom and Keith Jones on Versus are truly ridiculous (Engblom with his mullet and Jones with the worst rug I have ever seen). Where is hockey's John Madden or Keith Jackson? OK, maybe that's too much to ask, but can't we get someone at least as good as Phil Simms?

Bettman continues to miss the point with regards to what sells a sport. Great match-ups and great players generate interest in sports. You would think that with this in mind, the NHL might change a few things with regards to the schedule. Currently, the two conferences (that's Eastern and Western for the vast majority of you reading this who never watch hockey) play each other once. That means that the Detroit Red Wings play against Ovechkin and Crosby once each. Really? How on god's green earth is that possible? Do you think anyone has brought this up at NHL headquarters? Like maybe "Hey Gary, what do you think about getting some marquee match-ups on NBC this winter.....I was thinking maybe a Stanley Cup rematch Pitt vs. Detroit, or maybe Washington vs. San Jose". No one is paying attention to the NHL, they can do whatever they want. Who cares about balanced schedules, play those games.

I love the outdoor games and I love the whole New Years day idea. Again the NHL comes up with a great idea and manages to come up short. Boston is playing at Fenway Jan 1, 2010. That's awesome, they must be playing Montreal, or at least NY or another original 6 team right?????? Nope. The Boston Bruins are playing Philly. Yup, Philly. I can't name more that three guys on the Flyers and neither can anyone else On top of that, the people the NHL is trying to reach, new blood, new fans have heard of ZERO guys on the Flyers. It's even in doubt if they've ever heard of the Flyers. Why can't the NHL have all original 6 teams play on New Years day, outdoors around the country. How cool would that be? Boston/Montreal at Fenway, Detroit/Chicago at Wrigley and Toronto/New York at Yankee stadium! You think that might create a buzz? You think NBC wouldn't love that?

The NHL seems to be intentionally cannibalizing itself. It's the only explanation. How else can you possibly make the fastest team sport, one of the most violent and one of the most exciting sports in the world this boring? The X games have gone from about 6 viewers to infinitely more popular than the NHL. There needs to be new leadership in the NHL and it needs to happen immediately. I don't know how Bettman has been able to keep his job as he continues to run his sport into the ground, but this cannot continue. It wouldn't take much to get me back into the sport and I'm sure that holds true for thousands of other people in this country. A little common sense and a lot less Gary Bettman would go along way.

Javier Gorriti, UMaine Black Bear from 1994-1998, is a frequent contributor to the CMSB and the PM JAB with Chris Sedenka. He is the president of Mermaid Seafoods in Portland, Maine and has been working and living in Maine over the past 5 years. He can be reached at javier_gorriti at hotmail.com. He enjoys beer pong and Jamaican kick-boxing

Tim Rosenthal Breaks Down the NHL Playoffs

Tim Rosenthal from Inside Hockey joined Jeff and Matty to talk about the NHL Playoffs, the 2nd annual Rosey awards, and a whole lot more.

Sean Avery hits Tim Thomas in head during Time Out

If you haven't seen this yet...here you go..tell me again why Sean Avery has a job in the NHL

Boston Bruins vs New York Islanders Live Blog

Here We Go!!!

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Boston Bruins vs Hartford Whalers....ummm...Carolina Hurricanes Live Blog

Tuesday 5/20/2008

I made a post about Jon Lester last night, all pertinent links are here, here, and here. I also did an Internet radio show last night about it, we then rambled off on other things. It's unedited, and I join in about 20 minutes into it, this is probably going to be a regular thing going forward. Here it is.

On a night of remarkable stories, another one came out of Los Angeles last, in the form of Blake DeWitt. This kid started the year in AA, and it took injuries to Nomar Garciaparra, Andy LaRoche, and Tony Abreu to get this kid on the roster.

The Reds were left to swallow the fact they threw the game away. A team like the Reds cannot afford to make stupid errors on the road, because it is entirely conceivable they could go 0-fer on their west coast trip.

The Phillies left their bats in Philadelphia last night, wasting a quality start (I wish sarcasm could be easily detected online) from Mr Congeniality Brett Myers. He went 6 innings giving up three runs and is credited with a quality start for that, which by the way is a 4.50 era. How is THAT quality?

The Nationals got on the back of Tim Redding and took advantage of the Phillies lack of offense.

St Louis let Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick do the damage against the banged up Padres. Jake Peavy is going on the DL.

Tampa Bay pulled one out in Oakland thanks to Evan Longoria. The A's wasted a great performance from Frank Thomas.

Colorado held off San Francisco last night. Just remember, Clint Hurdle is coaching the NL All-Star team this year. Yes, Clint Hurdle. I think the AL is going to increase the streak.

Texas continues to find ways to lose, this time coming back to take a late lead in Minnesota, losing it to go to extra innings, and wasting a bases loaded opportunity in the 11th. This was a wild one, pitchers hit, Livan Hernandez was on deck when the winning run was scored, it was nutty.

The San Antonio Spurs managed to take advantage of a 3 day break to eliminate the Hornets last night. This sets up quite an NBA Final Four with Detroit v. Boston and Spurs v. Lakers, 39 Titles between the four teams.

The Penguins and the Red Wings are set for the Stanley Cup Finals.
TV Schedule is as follows-
Game 1- Saturday 5/24 on VS 8 PM
Game 2- Monday 5/26 on VS 8 pm
Game 3- Wed 5/28 on NBC 8pm
Game 4- Sat 5/31 on NBC 8pm
Game 5-Mon 6/2 on NBC 8pm
Game 6-Wed 6/4 on NBC 8pm
Game 7-Sat 6/7 on NBC 8pm

If you like hockey but just haven't watched, watch this series. Trust me, you won't regret it. There too many stars on both sides of the ice for this series not to go 7 games.

That's it for today. May do a radio show later, I will post the schedule here when I know.

Thanks for reading and for the love of god COMMENT! I know you're reading, say something!