Monsters look to get closer to playoffs as the Avs look to get better

The Avalanche have been sub par of late, Tuesday they won just their first game in eleven games. A new look in net for the Avs may spark some excitement for the team. The Avs announced on Wednesday they traded Craig Anderson for Brian Elliot who will back up Peter Budaj for now. The goalie position may not have been a spot you would expect them to trade for. The Avs are stacked with goalies and have a couple of upcoming stars in the minors right now, but this move was necessary to spark something in this team and to get rid of an Anderson who has not showed his true potential since getting picked up by the Avs.

As we move towards the trade deadline the team should start looking at their defenseman. The first two lines look stacked and just need to work together more to produce more. But defense is key for this team to survive in the western conference. Not sure if the season is lost for the Avs yet but times are rough and a quick bounce back is need fast for them to have a shot to play past April.

For the Monsters the team looks solid. I plan on going to the game tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena, if I do I will have more on how the team looks in upcoming days.

Lake Erie looks to get into the playoffs

With about 20 games left in the 2010-2011 season the Monsters find themselves in a good spot. They currently sit tied for first in the North Division and tied for seventh in the Western Conference standings with 66 points.

The team looks to work their way into the playoffs for the first time in team history. Last season the team looked good towards the homestretch but a couple of close losses late in the season faltered any chance of the team making the playoffs.

Look for the Monsters who have been getting better throughout the season get a chance to play for the ultimate AHL prize.

He will forever be known as one of the best of his time

Peter Forsberg recently came back to the Colorado Avalanche after taking a four year hiatus to work out his bad ankle. He had a couple of surgeries and tried to play for a team in the Swedish league but still could not overcome the injury. Recently he thought about a come back to the NHL where if he could play he would sign with the Avalanche one more time. He spent a week practicing making sure he could come back and last Sunday he made a final decision to come back and play. But just a week into his surprise return to the Avs we are left watching Forsberg hang up the skates for the last time.

It is a sad day for everyone including me. I have always been a Forsberg fan, he was like my Gretzkey or Howe or Hull. I watched everything about him. As a kid playing street hockey whether it was practicing or playing a pick up game with my friends I would always play as Forsberg. His intensity and knowledge of the game was amazing. When Quebec moved to Colorado in 1995 I watched and rooted for the team. They had some of the greats on that team including Roy, Sakic, Heduk, Foote, Deadmarsh, the list goes on. Forsberg and Sakic were unstoppable and I was excited to see them raise the cup back then.

Before I would watch the Olympics and root for just U.S.A and Canada. Being from the U.S. I always wanted to see them win but seeing Canada dominate their sport was another thing to watch for. Then came Forsberg. When I first started following him, I looked into the swedish leagues and began watching and rooting for the Swedish team during the Olympics. Another fond memory that I have is watching as Forsberg helped the Swedes win an Olympic gold medal.

Another memory I had was watching the 2001 Stanley Cup finals. My dad is a big New Jersey Devils fan and that year Forsberg and the Avalanche played the Devils for the ultimate prize. I remember game seven very vividly. I was 10 years old just coming back from a field trip to an amusement park. Got home for the third period where the Avs started the period being down then came back with two quick goals to get the lead. I was thrilled not just to see my team win, and not just cause I saw Ray Bourque get his first and only stanley cup, but I got to watch The Peter the Great skate around with the cup. I would not have thought that would be the last I would see him do that.

Forsberg went on to play for the Flyers and Predators before his days in the NHL were over. He never really looked the same until last week when he was finally able to put that sweater with the A on and skate with his teammates including those who are still there from the Stanley Cup days.

A man whose career was cut a little too short due to injury made a hell of a career out of it, and was able to inspire many like myself. Peter The Great's moments in hockey will forever be remembered, just look up to the rafters at the Pepsi Center and you will remember those days when the high flying Swede came down the ice to score so many of his great goals.

So on the day that he will formally announce his retirement, I thank you Peter Forsberg for the memories and god speed where ever life will take you. Hopefully it is to the Broadcast booth for his home team of Colorado, or if and when Quebec gets another team Forsberg will go to coaching.

World Juniors Championship Tournament

With the biggest tournament in the Under 20 league about to get started in Buffalo, NY I can't help but realize how is it the area is not banking on it anymore than they already are.

I am from the area and as I sit at home during the holiday break getting set to watch all the up and coming players play I can't help but think why does it seem the people up north are more interested in the tournament than the thousands of hockey fans that live in the area.

Yet in an article that was featured in a special World Juniors section, Bucky Gleason was saying how the "hockeytown" of Buffalo is like the "Suburb of Toronto, Ontario." My only objection is if the area is like Toronto then why are they just passing by when it comes to the World Juniors.

The tournament is a big deal for many reasons, it gives NHL scouts to look at up coming players from colleges and other countries for possible selections in the NHL draft. It also gives fans a chance to look at what their team has drafted. Point in case the Buffalo Sabres with Kassian playing for the Canadian team.

With the area being so close to Canada the U.S. vs. Canada game has a lot riding on it. It is a big rivalry and will showcase a great game as Canada looks to avenge the defeat they suffered in the gold game from last year.

Yes, I did watch it last year thanks to the NHL Network who will be showing the games again this year. I love to learn about the upcoming stars and who knows someone like the next Forsberg or Gretzky could be in my "backyard" playing. But the ticket sales along with overall talk of the tournament is a bit lackluster in the area.

2/3rds of the tickets have been bought by Canadians and aside from hockey pucks that represent the different countries I have yet to see any World Juniors merchandise. This raises a big question to me, is Buffalo a real hockeytown or is it no one cares about the sport unless its the Sabres?

In my opinion the area is a hockeytown, growing up I remember playing hockey almost everyday and we bleed the sport. With that said I have to admit I am disappointed the area hasn't banked on the event with more enthusiasm for the event, they talked about how it would bring millions to the area with hotelrooms and other attractions but include the experience of souvenoirs.

I truly hope the area prospers from the event and I am looking forward to watching hockey but I'm not sure that the area planned well and stayed organized for an event they knew they would be hosting for the past year. It might come down to just money and if so then thats sad. The World Juniors is great for these young players to show their skill and build on their potential hockey career and I would hate to see that get taken away because some big shot wants to make a few extra bucks.

Monsters pick up first win of the season

As the 75th season of the American Hockey league began Friday night the Lake Erie Monsters looked to pounce on the Syracuse Crunch.

The Crunch however, came out with their speed skates as they crashed the net and was able to score two goals in the first.

But the Monsters did not give up, there was a furry of opportunities in the second which saw two Monsters goals to tie the game up going into the third.

The third period was much like the other two but added a new element of physical play. There were a couple of fights in the third and by the end the back and forth play ended with a game winning goal by Matt Ford with just under three minutes left in the game.

The Monsters looked great and gave fans a lot to cheer about, according to the Monsters Web site this is the third time in four years the team started the season out a home. They played aggressively and looked great.

Second year Mercier started the scoring for the Monsters with his first goal of the season in the second period. The Monsters did a great job getting the puck on net, recording 35 shots on Crunch goaltender Timo Pielmeier.

The Monsters look to continue battling as they play the Crunch again tonight as they start a seven game road trip.

If the first game is anything like what we will see all season long the fans will have a lot to cheer about.

Place the Rink in the Q, Its Time for Another Great Season

Tonight marks the first game of the season for the Lake Erie Monsters. The team looks to try and get that franchise first, playoff spot by getting a win tonight. The team looks solid this year with some players coming back for another season including both goaltenders Jason Bacashihua and John Grahame.

Last season ended badly for the Monsters who looked to get that playoff spot by just needing one win in the last five games of the season. They could not accomplish this and fell off the map with a loss to the Abbottsford Heat to end the season.

The team will work on improving and need help. Last year the Monsters saw a key player named Brandon Yip start with them but end up in Colorado by years end. Yip has been a fan favorite in Colorado and has won a starting position with the team.

Another former Monster who is up in the big times is, Phillipe Dupois who played well here in Cleveland and loved it here as well. The fans had lot to cheer about from this guy as he created scoring chances as well as getting close to setting a points record for the team.

A big pick up this year for the Monsters was center Julian Talbot, he was seen playing the last few years in Peiora for the Rivermen. Look for him to lead the team and create scoring chances.

For the Monsters to have success they need to rely on their top line. Look for Matt Ford to have a break out season on the wing.

The blue line is stacked with many players, some are above average but young and unheard of. Look for leadership and skill to be key this season. With all the other teams in the league picking up some players and retaining others, it looks to be a tough league.

In my opinion I think the Monsters will fight to the death and get that final playoff spot. It looks to be a great year. With the Parent club Colorado Avalanche being picked as a threat in the Western Conference of the NHL, the Monsters are sure to get some help from them as well as from their new partnering club from the CHL the Tulsa Oilers.

First game for the Monsters is tonight at 7:30pm against Syracuse.

Look for breakdowns of not only the team but the games as well from me as the season goes along.

Is a camera really going to help

Recently the MLB has been having the discussion of adding instant replay to their everyday game. But is this such a good idea and will it help.
 In yesterday's Yankees vs. Rays game Derek Jeter faked everyone out by apparently getting hit in the hand by a fastball, but when the telecast replayed it about a thousand times, they realized that the ball didn't hit his hand at all. Instead it hit the butt end of his bat. The sound alone was enough to make you wonder and Joe Maddon of the Rays came out to make that argument. Nothing was done and the Yankees would later hit a 2 run homerun but ultimately lost the battle.
  That is just one of many missed calls in the league that is giving question to should instant replay be established.
  I am not a big fan of the idea, I think that it would take away from the game. Baseball is a very different sport from football. Football is more controllable and giving the fact that the ball is bigger and the playing field is slimmer football has an edge on it. In baseball there could be any number of plays replayed. Think about it, how many times was there a call for safe at home plate when the right call would have been out or vise versa. Some important games have ended on calls like that and we still go on.  I also think that it takes away from the players. The players dictate the game, they move on a shift when a big bat comes to the plate or they call out other plays like where the ball is going to be thrown if a guy is stealing second.
 Yes it is hard to tell whether every call was the right call. I think a big help would be to get all the umpires in a meeting room and look each call over, give them a chance to explain and learn from the experiences, then help them call a better game. Give them more training. There are a million situations that an ump. may have to call on, but if they are more prepared then that could help.
 Like I said almost every play in baseball can be argued and taking the play away from the player lessens the sport and takes away from what the game really is. So as the playoffs set to begin lets look to making the sport exciting, not everyone wins, and when there is a call like the Jeter call, you see the passion in not only the fans but the players as well, and thats what it should be, we all know these players make lots of money, some more than what they deserve but its entertainment and its supposed to provoke emotion. Whether it is excitement, sorrow or anger.