Old Time Hockey

Whats going on hockey fans!!!

I read a pretty interesting article on NHL.com today while on campus. It totally reminded me how even with the new rules and regulations the League has implemented some guys are still holding onto the values of what we call.."Old Time Hockey." The Article comes from the Crashing the Net column and is entitled "The Opening Face off: Lowering the Boom." It pretty much runs down the top 20 players in the League who bring hard hits to the Ice. The players were not put in any order according to how hard they hit or how many scrums they get into just alphabetically. Some of the names on the list didn't surprise me while some did. A good example, Zdeno Chara from the Boston Bruins. Never knew he could throw hits with the rest of em.

I'm happy to see that the players are not afraid to make the big hits and even drove the mitts and throw down.

Also, I will start adding some different articles and what not from NHL, ESPN, and some other odds and ends I can find on the internet. The article that I mentioned above is under the links below. Keep checking in! Thanks for voting!

Catch you soon!

Matty D.

All Star Game... Not bad at all... so take that Media Writers!

Whats going on Hockey Fans!

So the All-Star Weekend is over and I already filled you guys into the Skill Competition so here is my write up on the actually game. First, my opinions on the game. Many feel the game was a waste of time, boring to watch.. blah blah blah.. oh wait.. it was tied going into a minute left and BOOM a goal to win it.. Oh yea that's boring. NOT! Oh yea how bout the 15 goals scored. Yes only 1 check but hey! It's an All Star game no one wants to get hurt or look like that guy who needs go out and be a bruiser. I loved it. I watched every second of the game and actually speed through dinner just get a front row seat on the couch by the TV. There were some amazing moves, some amazing goals and to top it all off.. Comedy... Yes.. DP and Legacy were Mic'd up during the game as they were on the ice and offered some commentary and comedic light on the game. Great tough NHL.

So.. I will just give the guys who scored the goals.. and if you want the video highlights...
www.nhl.com then go to the score of the game 1/27/08 and select Watch.

So.. Here we go...
Rick Nash 12 seconds in
Eric Staal a minute later
Andrei Markov, Brian Cambell and a pair from Alex Ovechekin gave the east a 5-1 lead at the end of the first.
Second period was all West with another by Rick Nash and Scott Niedermayer
The third period was a free for all with goals.
Ryan Getzlaf less then a minute in and a third by Nash for the hat trick.
Marian Hossa put the east back on top just under 5 minutes into the third.
A pair from the wests Dion Phaneuf and Marian Gaborik gave some hope for Western Conference fans as the period came to a close.
But a late goal second goal by Eric Staal tied it up for the East.
And then then came the killer. A Marc Savard goal with 21 seconds left in the game to put the East up for good.

MVP went to Eric Staal for his 2 goals and 1 assist on the game.


In Other news.. Henrik Zetterberg who did not compete in the game due to injury was back skating with the Wings and hopes to make a quick return. Thank God!

And some results already in early from the first night back on ice from all players. Rangers, Islanders, and Devils all fell to Eastern conference teams. The Sabers beat up on the Lightening, and the Blue Jackets fell to the Coyotes.

Hope you guys got to catch the game on Sunday. If not.. Check those highlights asap!

Check back soon!!

Matty D.

Hating being Sick!

So, it's All Star weekend and of course I missed the Skills Competition due to passing out at 7pm right as it started thanks to a horrible head cold and headache after being at a Basketball Double header for my school. Yes, both teams won and both are now in first place so it was well worth it.

I did however check out the highlights of the Skills event and was very very impressed by the whole thing. Highlights can be seen on www.NHL.com under their NHL TV section. There are three parts definitely check out all three.

Some honorable mentions that I saw from the event were as follows.
-Rick DiPietro throwing pucks down ice on an empty net during the Obstacle Course giving him the title in my mind as one of the best goalies to handle the puck.
-Alexander Ovechkin's crazy moves during the No Rules Breakaway Challenge.
-Shawn Horcroft flying down the ice in the one on one speed skating race.
-Scott Gomez of old scoring on Chris Ozgood during the Shootout
-Dion Phaneuf winning move in the Shootout portion.
-The overall Young Stars game as it was a 3 on 3 battle with lots of open ice breakaways, exciting goals and a MVP nominee going to Manny Legacy for his goal tending (even though he isn't a young star)
-Kaberle winning the Accuracy shooting in a tie breaker.
-Chara hitting 103.1 MPH During the Hardest Shot competition.

So, the Skills competition went well. Looked like a lot of fun for both players and fans alike but the real deal as they say is today at 6PM eastern Time as the teams square off on ice. Will be shown on Versus check your local listings!

On some other notes, Brian Leetch's number 2 now hangs from the rafters of MSG as the Rangers beat the Thrashers in an Over Time Shootout to honor their past defenseman.

Sid the Kid is off ice for 6-8 weeks with that High Ankle sprain he received during the First period against the Lightening on Jan. 18th as he slammed into the boards behind the net.

As for updates on the Blog. I hope to start doing my own Top 3 players of the week for either outstanding performance, game winning goals/saves or anything that sticks out in the league. I also hope to add some more links to video highlights, news articles and whatever else is going on in the world of the NHL. Just remember.. being a college student is always busy!

Thanks for checking in. LETS GO WESTERN CONFERENCE!

Matty D.

All Star Game and Skills Competition

So this weekend is "All Star Weekend" for the NHL. This includes the Skills Competition, the Young Stars game and the All Star game. The festivities are being held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. This is the home of the Eastern Conference Atlanta Thrashers.

A common theme for the NHL these past few years as been change. Whether it has been the rule changes, the addition of the shoot out or the new jerseys, the League has done its best to update the game and make it more appealing to the public. So why not change the format of the Skills Competition to make it a little more interesting then in the past.

The skills competition is broken into seven different parts and each part has 2 goals to be offered to the team that wins the event. The team with the most goals at the end of the event wins. Simple. Also, every player on each team must compete in at least one event. Here are the seven different events that us the viewers will be seeing as we turn on the TV come Saturday.

Obstacle Course Relay
Fastest Skater
Elimination Shootout
Youth Stars Game
Accuracy Shooting
Hardest Shot
Breakaway Challenge

(Info on the event thanks to NHL.com)

This new format gives the Skills Competition a little more meat behind it instead of just something fun to watch or something that the players have to do without some sort of reward. This new format might help make the players take the skills portion of the weekend a little more seriously then in the past. We shall see where it takes us.

Either way the All-Star game is a great weekend for Hockey and actually All-Star games for any sport are exciting. Getting to see our favorite players on the same team almost like making fantasy team line ups come to life is a dream come true for many fans.


Once the weekend passes, you know I'll be writing all about it... Updates on the scores of the evening, Brian Leetch #2 getting hung from the rafters of MSG and hopefully a Sid the Kid injury update coming sometime this weekend as well..

Cheers,
Matty D.

Welcome to Blue Line To Blue Line

Welcome!

I'm happy you have stumbled upon my blog which is completely geared towards the National Hockey League. I hope to do my best keeping up to date posts with scores, trades, injuries, team news and league news. Also, I will give some of my own opinions on issues within the NHL.

I myself, am a die hard Detroit Red Wings fan. And yes, I'm not from Detroit. But it goes like this. I was taught how to skate and shoot by my older brother who is of course... A Red Wings Fan. So like any other younger sibling wanting to be just like his cool older brother I followed suit and became a Red Wings fan following players like Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli, and the old videos of "The Man" Gordie Howe.

But I am not one of those guys who just follows his own team and ignores the rest of the League. I will watch any game on Television since those are now few and far between after the ever so popular strike. I will also cheer for the home town teams (New York Islanders and New York Rangers) except when those teams are on the ice with the Wings.

Also, you might also read some posts dealing with Marketing. This is blog is a project for my Internet Marketing Class. Hopefully I will be able to make a connection between the NHL and how it uses the internet to Market itself. But overall the posts will be dealing solely with the NHL.

Stay Tuned for more. Thanks for reading!
Matty D.