Before I get started on the Winter Classic, the Eastern Conference standings or the Olympic selections that have been released so far . . . I want to talk about Buffalo’s game against Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

You don’t even have to know that much about hockey to be impressed by a team that can deliver an old fashioned thrashing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The thing that was so amazing about watching this game was that anyone would have thought Buffalo was down and out by the first minutes of the second period.

Then, about halfway through the second, right after Miller got chased (a rarity), right winger Drew Stafford put some magic down by opening the scoring for Buffalo.  The Sabres never looked back; they went on to score four unanswered goals (another rarity against a team like Pittsburgh) to make it a 4-3 win for the Sabres.  It was simply magic.

On the subject of magic, I am hoping that some of you will take a time out from the innumerable bowls on the tube to watch the Winter Classic out of Fenway in Boston.   In case you’re coming back from an interplanetary peace mission, Boston will be facing off against Philly.

Both of these teams are coming off some really impressive wins and look like they are nursing a bloodlust for victory.  As some of you may have guessed, Philly is my pick going into this one, but I won’t be too disappointed to see the home team win, either (Zdeno Chara is just too good in front of the media).

To make matters more exciting USA hockey will be releasing their picks for the US Olympic hockey squad.

Looking onward to the Olympics . . . While I’ll be writing about the 2010 O-games in great detail very shortly, I just want to say that Team Russia and Team Canada look really, really scary.  I have been amusing myself by putting together lines for each of these two teams and each time I giggle with the anxiousness of a Dungeons and Dragons geek who just discovered that there’s gonna be another Lord of the Rings movie.

Have any of you seen the Eastern Conference standings lately?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m ignoring the West (what the hell is Detroit doing in tenth place????), it’s just that there are only three points separating eighth from fourteenth in the East at the halfway mark of the season and unless you’ve reached a completely catatonic state, it makes for some pretty damn exciting hockey.

So, as I sign off for the last time this year and look forward to 2010, I would like to just thank all of you for reading me and would also like to wish you all a happy, safe and healthy New Year.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

I’m not gonna gush about Andrei Markov, I’m not gonna gush about Andrei Markov, I’m not gonna gush about Andrei Markov, I’m not gonna gush about Andrei Markov, I’m not gonna gush about Andrei Markov . . .

Isn’t it completely awesome that Andrei Markov (the league’s top and most underrated Defenseman) is back playing after having his Achilles tendon cut?  Since he’s been back he’s at 5 points in the last 4 games, his team has gone from 27th in power plays to first with an 87% efficiency in their last five and the Habs have gone on a winning streak.

Ok, I’m done gushing.

Onward to the World Junior Hockey Championship (WJHC) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (I’m Canadian and even I’m not exactly sure where that is, so don’t feel bad) where the future of the NHL is about to shine.  The best part is that while the NHL is taking a couple of days off, the juniors are going to be playing through the holidays.

The team to beat, as is usually the case, is team Canada (I’m not just saying that because I’m Canadian, it’s just a fact; we have hockey, curling and Celine Dion while the United States gets everything else).  As it stands Team Canada has the most stacked team and is looking towards a sixth consecutive title.  Keep an eye out for goaltender Jake Allen and forward Taylor Hall (the only player going to the draft as the rest of team Canada has already been drafted).

Chomping on team Canada’s heels are Team Swiss and Team Russia.  Both teams can also boast rosters that are mostly composed of NHL drafted players and will be very dangerous throughout the tourney.

While team USA is also not looking too bad, they are coming off of an embarrassing fifth place finish last year and seem to have not quite hit their stride in the pre-tournament matchups.  The nice thing is that they are in a fairly weak group with Denmark, Germany and Finland which makes them a shoe in for the playoffs; but let’s face it, the playoffs is when the real championship tournament starts.

Speaking of international tournaments, Team Canada will be releasing their lineup for the Olympic roster on December 30th while their American neighbours will be doing the same at the Jan.1st winter classic.

Have I mentioned how excited I am for the Winter Classic?

Finally on a holiday note, Merry Chistmakah to all my readers . . . Stay safe, party hard and make sure to get into a little bit of trouble (it keeps people on their toes).

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

Do you remember that moment?

You know, that moment when you scored your first goal, threw your first touchdown, hit your first homerun; that moment when you first fell in love with the smell of entering into an arena or arriving at a freshly manicured field.

I’m reminded of these things after the first snow.  Where I live that’s when the outdoor ice rinks open up and hockey’s true fandom runs outside in their favourite shirts to partake in one of hockey’s eldest and most cherished traditions: a game of pick-up.

Now before you stop reading and say, “Not another reminiscent article . . . ”

In fact, the significance of me getting all reminiscent was because the exact night that I went to the rink to watch the pickup games, there was a kid wearing a New Jersey Devils number 30 hockey jersey.

He was playing in goal and was lighting the ice on fire stopping everything that was put in front of him.   I had a strange feeling that this wasn’t the last I’d see of this kid.

Even stranger, that very night, Wednesday night, Martin Brodeur tied yet another record for the most regular season starts, when the New Jersey Devils made the Montreal Canadiens look like they had bricks strapped to their skates.

As many of you know, I’m a sucker for milestones, which means that tonight’s game to watch will be the Ottawa Senators against Marty’s Devils.  Quite frankly, I think that the Devils will easily trounce the Sens, but the fun part will be to see when Marty takes sole ownership for the most starts record and possibly even the most shutouts record.

This means that Martin Brodeur will have the record for a goalie that has the most records.
I wonder if Martin had an iota of a clue that he would be written into the books like this when he was that kid racing out to the neighbourhood rink for the game of pickup.

I know that this kid will be watching tonight with the hopeful expectation.

Oh, and as a side note don’t miss the Boston/Chicago game as well as the Washington/Vancouver game; I have a strange feeling that these games will be, for lack of a better word, awesome.
The only thing that could be better is strapping on my skates and throwing myself into a game of pickup tonight.  Who knows, maybe it’ll be my only chance to say that I scored on Marty’s heir apparent.

Then again . . . maybe not.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff.

Today, I am dreary eyed and happy.

Unfortunately, it’s not because I got lucky.  It’s because the game I was waiting all week to watch, the Los Angeles Kings against the San Jose Sharks, went into an exciting overtime match in the battle for the western conference’s top spot.

It has been seven long years since the Kings have gotten a playoff berth and if yesterday’s game is any indication, they are looking solid.

To start, Anze Kopitar, Teddy Purcell and Dustin Brown all ended scoring droughts.
“What a time to break through for three guys who have been snake bitten for a long time,” coach Terry Murray said. “Hey, they were due. We stayed with them, kept playing them and believed in them. They got it going here tonight. Hopefully they can maintain that.”

Anyone who watched the game knew that the lead teetered back and forth so much that it was impossible to call a winner.   In the first, the Sharks led 2-1, then in the second LA scored three unanswered only to have the Sharks tie it in the third.

It wasn’t a very long overtime though, after Dany Heatley’s pass to the point went out of the Sharks’ zone early in overtime, Brown took the puck at center ice, skated alone into the Sharks zone and put the puck through Evgeni Nabokov’s legs from the high slot for his seventh goal of the season.

“I thought we were pretty sloppy,” Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said. “Four goals is usually pretty good and enough to win hockey games. We were just a little sloppy. We don’t want to play that way but we’re confident we can come back.”

Currently, the Sharks are still in first for the western conference, but three teams, LA, Chicago and Calgary, are chomping at the Sharks’ heels.  That means the weeks leading up to the Winter Classic and then the Olympic break are going to be crucial to set the tone for the second half of the season.

Speaking of the Winter Classic, the NHL’s add campaigns have got me reeling with excitement to watch two tough teams take it to the mattresses at Fenway park in Beantown.  Just 21 good days left before what is bound to be a great game (I also think I am excited to see Boston and Philly wear their classic third jerseys).

Finally, I want to give props to the Habs’ Jaroslav Halak for making 45 amazing saves against a frustrated Ottawa Senators on Monday.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

Alexander Ovetchkin, I know you read this column regularly and I’d like to send you a shout out along with this message . . . Don’t let the man keep you down!  Or at least don’t change.

I’ve watched countless replays of the knee on knee hit with Tim Gleason last Tuesday and I really don’t think it was done on purpose.  I know that the league needs to save face and hand down a suspension for it, but when you have a bunch of talking heads saying that you need to change your style, I draw the line.

The fact is that when you are out on the ice, you are the most exciting player.  You have turned Washington DC into a true hockey town and quite frankly you are the king of the instant replay.  It’s not like you slashed your goalie across the face with your stick (Keith Ballard).

While the hit was not exactly well timed, with all the talk of rule changes and such, I highly doubt that it was intentional.  Luckily, you both walked away.
As for the talking heads, get a life.

Alright, now that I have that out of the way, I want to take this moment to shed some light on a very important game tomorrow:  The Montreal Canadiens against the Boston Bruins.
As I am sure many of you know this game has been planned for well over a year.  It is the official 100th birthday for the Habs and I would just like to say . . . FINALLY!

Now I am from Montreal and along with Wayne Gretzky, the Habs have been one of my biggest hockey influences growing up, but enough is enough.

The players in Montreal have tonnes to contend with (dealing with the media, language politics and the most rabid fans in the league), adding on a 90 minute ceremony to every home game is just draining (okay, okay maybe not every home game, but it just seems like it).  Believe me, standing around in hockey equipment for these ceremonies takes a lot out of a player and quite frankly it reflects in the Habs’ stats at home.

I am not saying don’t celebrate this amazing achievement, I am just saying that I look forward to just watching hockey.  That being said, let’s all take in the game on Friday, enjoy the NHL’s greatest rivalry between two of its oldest franchises along with the 90 minute pre-game ceremony and look forward to the winter classics that are on their way.

Also, start keeping an eye on the World Junior Hockey Championship training camps, the tournament starts in just a couple of weeks, and some of these kids are white hot.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

What sports fan does not love this time of year: Food, family, alcohol and enough sports to give me couch sores.

So, while I open adult refreshment and settle into my 20th straight hour of watching sports on my couch, I want to take some time out and reflect five things I am thankful for in professional hockey.

#5 the Chicago Blackhawks

Considering the fact that this team was almost dead in the water a few years ago, they are strong, young and most importantly a completely rejuvenated franchise.

Five years ago, they were voted ESPN’s worst franchise; “Dollar” Bill Wirtz was running the franchise like a third world dictatorship (and not the fun ones that we vacation in), they had no television broadcasting, and as a result, almost no more fans.

Along came Dale Talon as GM, John McDonough as president and two first round draft picks (Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews) along with some great free-agent pickups and this franchise has the hockey world–and especially Chicago fans–re-energized and eager to see this franchise back to its original six glory.

Keep an eye out for their game tonight against LA and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

#4 A whole bunch of Wayne Gretzkys

Growing up in Montreal meant it was my birthright to be a die hard Habs fan, however, not even the psychotic love Montrealers hold for their hockey franchise was enough to sway the influence that “The Great One” had on my young hockey life.  Every kid growing up and playing hockey at that time wanted to be him and was a fan of the team he played for.

Wayne was hockey during that period.

Fast-forward to today: the face of the NHL is mostly on the shoulders of Sidney Crosby, but you can’t mention Sid’s name without muttering the names of Alexander Ovetchkin and Evgeni Malkin as well.  They’re all Wayne Gretzkys (and coincidentally, I can’t wait to see them play each other in the Eastern conference during playoffs this year) and let’s face it, three is always better than one.

#3 EA NHL 10

Ok, this one makes me a real geek; but the graphics are awesome, the controls are engaging and . . . well IT’S TOTALLY COOL! Many hours of my life have been eaten up by this title and it kicks ass.

#2 Third Jerseys

I absolutely love the third Jerseys that teams have been using (even the twisted psychedelic Montreal Canadiens striped massacres that were modeled after the ones worn in the days before TV . . . obviously).

It’s another opportunity for fans to make their colors known and their pride a little more stylish.  It also somehow adds a neat new unexplainable dimension to watching the game.

#1 The New Rules–Especially the shootout

Yup, I said it.  I love, love, love it when the game goes to shootout.   It takes an already tense and thrilling game and makes it electrifying (it’s even better when you see it live).
You don’t even have to look any further than last night’s games between Boston and New Jersey or San Jose and Edmonton to be convinced.

With a little bit of luck, a couple of more games tonight will go into the shootout.
Also, I didn’t forget the four on four overtime and no red lines rules, but I really love the shootout.

–Ryan Matwiy, RED Editorial Staff

Last year’s Stanley Cup champs are looking more like a French regiment defending Paris around the period of World War II.  So far, the Pens injury report looks like this:

Alex Goligoski is out for the next two to three weeks with a lower body injury, Kris Letang  has a shoulder injury, Brooks Orpik’s injury is as of yet undisclosed (though in all fairness Letang and Orpik returned to practice on Monday) and Jay McKee is out for the next two to three weeks with a finger infection.

Also, to add fuel to the Pens’ injury fire, forwards Tyler Kenedy, Chris Kunitz and finally Evgeni Malkin have also been in the lineup to Pittsburgh’s clinic although, Malkin is back on the bench and apparently in full health.

While the Pens’ injuries raise some very serious questions about their strength and conditioning, I am a little concerned over what their lineup will look like after the Olympic break. For now, most of the players on their team are all possible Olympic prospects for their respective countries.

Just look at what happened to them last night against a Sens lineup that was missing Alex Kovalev (due to a death in the family) and Danny Heatley (who just hasn’t shown up for the Sens in the last couple of games . . . but I digress).

The Sens managed to trounce the Penguins 6-1.  Now, while the Sens have a decent lineup and scored some storybook goals, the Pens looked like they were skating with ski boots on.
Last night also saw the return of Sergei Gonchar and Maxime Talbot, but they just weren’t enough to fill in the gapping holes left behind by their blue liner teammates.

“It was our first game for Max in a long, long time and he brought his energy and he was effective, he was effective in the offensive zone and I liked that. Sergei, we asked him to play a lot of minutes tonight. It’s tough for him to get back in there but definitely our power play’s a bit more dangerous with him out there.” Said Pens coach Dan Bylsma concerning Gonchar’s 25:30 of ice time.

The biggest problem is that this team is in serious need of some down time to lick their wounds if they want any hope of getting through the season, let alone the playoffs, to defend their championship.

The truth is that only time will tell, but I can’t say that I’m all that optimistic.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

Was it the change in scenery?  Was it that he almost lost his job?  What’s changed?

I can’t help but wonder what exactly it took for Ray Emery to turn over a new leaf.  Not that it’s a bad thing . . . it’s just . . . well, quieter than I expected.

Just as a little backgrounder: Emery, during the 06-07 season, took the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup finals; and while Ottawa couldn’t close the deal, Emery shone with brilliance (2.47 GAA and .918 save %).

The following year though, missing out on the Stanley Cup seemed to change this brilliant Goalie into a disgruntled employee, whereas Emery became known as Ottawa’s, “enfant terrible.”

Emery seemed to be going down a spiral of Lindsay Lohanesque proportions: he started missing practices, getting into fights with other team members, started a collection of well publicized traffic offences, and became better known for his partying lifestyle rather than stopping pucks (he ended his season with 3.13 GAA and .890 Sv%, which coincidentally killed me in my pool that year).

It didn’t take long before the powers that be in Ottawa took out the garbage; they bought out Emery’s contract and sent him packing off to the KHL in Russia.

Fast Forward to the present day:

“I’ve learned from those bad experiences, maybe more than I learned from the good times,” he said to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I went through a lot the last two years or so. I realize I had a great thing going there and lost a lot of people that I enjoyed hanging out with on a daily basis. I want to get back to having those good relationships and enjoying my workplace and the sport because it’s a great position to have.”
Emery seems to be not only getting along with his team, but he seems to be a bit of a darling in Philly.  Ok, maybe he’s not perfect, but flashes of his 06-07 campaign are showing up in Philly (.916 sv%, 2.42 GAA, and is 7-3-1 in his 11 starts.)

Also, Emery is being credited for Philly’s continued winning ways even though two big guns, Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne are out of the picture.

Did he go to the same rehab program as Sean Avery? Or, like Avery, did he find out that second chances in pro sports are few and far between?

Either way, he is definitely making an impression.

Oh! If Lindsay Lohan’s people are reading this . . . maybe NHL rehab is the way to go . . . I’m just saying.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

As many of you might know, I spend a lot of time in these columns dropping a load on failing NHL hockey teams in southern climates.

Actually, I certainly haven’t pulled very many punches when it comes to the Phoenix Coyotes: I attacked their former head coach, Wayne Gretzky, relentlessly (and in my opinion deservedly), and when it comes to moving the franchise out of Phoenix . . . let’s just say that my opinion differs from that of his Excellency, Emperor Bettman.

No, this article is not going to be me relieving my bowels on the howling pack.  In fact, I am here to say that I am slowly coming around on this team.  Ok, ok, maybe I even think they are amongst the most exciting teams to watch in the NHL right now.

I first became suspicious that there was something happening down in Phoenix when team captain, Shane Doan, won last year’s shootout competition in the All Star game.  It’s actually when I turned my focus onto this team.  I would wonder out loud, “How can a team with such a natural scorer be the laughing stock of the league?”  (I am pretty sure that the answer to that question had to do with coaching.)

Today, Shane has kept up with his incredible leadership, natural scoring ability and all round nice guy attitude.  Though, it does take more for a team to be a real threat and coincidentally, Phoenix, for the first time in franchise history is now a real threat in the west.

Here are the rest of the reasons why Phoenix is a real threat this year:

–A forward line with an average height of 6′1″ with likes of Robert Lang, Martin Hanzal, Matt Lombard and Scottie Upshall.

–A very deep defensive corps that can boast names like Ed Jovanowski, Zbynek Michalek, and Adrian Aucoin.

–Two goalies that are constantly competing for a #1 spot (Ilya Brzgalov and Jason Labarbera).

–Dave Tippett, what more can I say . . . ever since he has been around, this team’s playing has been, well . . . inspirational.  Yeah, I said it.  Just look at their last game in Columbus, he made some adjustments to the team and they took revenge for their home opener.

You see, it’s not because I always see the glass as half empty when I talk about the Coyotes.  It’s just that I think they deserve better for what they are about to become in the West: a top team with a load of draft picks and a really bright future.  The truth is that they need people to go out and support them.  It’s the only piece missing from a picture of a real championship team ( . . . that and a real owner).

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff

As the season begins, so do the lineups to the infirmaries of NHL arenas as some teams are getting hit pretty hard with injuries.  The latest teams to get hit with the injury plague are the Boston Bruins, where forward Marc Savard got taken out with a broken left foot, and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sergei Gonchar who broke his left wrist against St. Louis last Saturday.

As it stands, the beginning of this season has been one of the worst for injuries in recent history.  On a positive note, the long lineups to the infirmaries in some of the arenas down south are the longest lineups that those arenas have seen in a long time.

Elsewhere in the NHL, the goalie controversies are gaining momentum.  Topping the list is the Florida Panthers’ Scott Clemmensen (yes, the same guy who replaced New Jersey’s injured Martin Brodeur last season), who is once again proving he deserves to be a number one goalie for an NHL team.

In Clemmensen’s last (and only) game so far this season against Philly, his play completely overshadowed that of Florida’s original starter Tomas Vokoun who is 1-5 to start the season.

Clemmensen was forced to play the pre-season in his old Devil’s mask because his first Panthers mask didn’t fit.  However, he received his new mask just in time for the game against Philly, and though he said that his new mask was still a little tight, it was comfortable enough to wear.

In the “Are you really THAT stupid?” category, former NHL’er Marc Sirois has released a tell-all book this week.  In the book, Quebec Bodychecked, he contends that the NHL is prejudiced against French Canadians.

One of the first detractors of the book was the IIHF, who has released some interesting figures to detract Sirois’ arguments: of the 400 (or so) Canadians on NHL rosters this year, more than 50 were French Canadians.  Also, the IIHF points out that the statistics used in Sirois’ book would place Alexander Ovetchkin’s 14.8% shooting average at 100th in the league.

As for the games coming this week, watch and see if a goalie controversy gets sparked in Montreal as Jaroslav Halak gets the start against the Isles tonight.  So far, the Habs’ only win this season comes from his start on Tuesday against Atlanta.

Also, check out Saturday’s Calgary/Edmonton game, always bloody and exciting.

–Ryan Matwiy, Red Editorial Staff