Last Update - February 23, 2010 at 2:50 AM EST
Here's the 'Reading And Viewing List' for February 20 through February 21, 2010. Just peruse the snippits to decide where you want to visit, and click on the title links to get there.
February 21, 2010
U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team Defeats Canada, 5-3,
at Olympic Winter Games
Posted at USA Hockey
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich./Buffalo Sabres/Michigan State Univ.) turned aside 42 shots as the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team knocked off Canada, 5-3, here tonight in Team USA's final preliminary-round game of the XXI Olympic Winter Games. With the victory, the U.S. clinched first place in its group with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record and secured a berth in the tournament's quarterfinal round...
Ovi rocks Jagr to spark Russia past Czechs Sunday
John Dellapina at NHL.com / NHL All-Access Vancouver
VANCOUVER – Jaromir Jagr was dancing and the Russians were beginning to wonder.
Their vaunted attack had yet to explode in a sixth-straight period against top-tier competition. And, truth be told, they were fortunate to be leading by a goal.
Then Alex Ovechkin announced his presence. With authority...
Gonchar: What can you say? It's Ovechkin!
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin
Team Russia got 7 points and the first place in their group, Czechs has 6. Russia will play the winner of Swiss and Belarus pair in the quarterfinals. Whew...
The Hit
Posted by Bald Pollack at Japers' Rink
NHL Olympic Break Post 1: GMGM's Moves and Salary Cap Planning
By Usually Frustrated Caps Fan at Mark's Musings
...As this season has continued, many of us Caps fans have watched with keen interest and wondered what Caps General manager George McPhee will do to retain and improve this high flying team's talent pool. The moves so far appear to have been a mix of well thought and deliberate as well as opportunistic re-signings...
Meet the "Sovetsky Express" Press
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin
From Pavel Lysenkov's blog (blog.sovsport.ru/users/lysenkov/post121273528/):
This is a very interesting story. We left Team Russia's training and wanted to go to the coveted Greek restaurant, but it only opens at 16:00 (4 pm). There is another half an hour. We walk in the park and see the Canadians who are playing street hockey. Instantly we got an idea to organize an international match Russia - Canada. The Russian journalists immediately knock together a team dubbed "The Soviet Express" (although we also had the idea to call it "Sports-Sports"). Here's the roster: Slava Malamud (in the goals), Kirill Belyakov (defense),...
No Monsters’ Ball at Giant Center
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog
The Hershey Bears found themselves in an exceptionally unusual position before Saturday night’s game against Lake Erie: confronting the possibility of an actual losing streak. On Friday night the Bears traveled to Adirondack and lost a 2-0 lead, succumbing to the Phantoms 5-3. Hershey, however, doesn’t lose a lot. The Bears last lost consecutive games just before Thanksgiving, and one of those came in a shootout. The team’s last consecutive losses in regulation play occurred October 23rd and 24th — around the time of the World Series...
February 20, 2010
Chris Drury is on this team because he is Chris Drury
Craig Custance / Sporting News interview with Brian Burke
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin
...There was some debate about Chris Drury being on this team, but he has played well. Does that validate that selection?
I'm not interested in being redeemed or validated. We either got the right group and we are going to have success or we didn't and we're not. As far as Chris Drury, like I said at the time, Chris Drury is on this team because he is Chris Drury. That's all you need to say about Chris Drury. He's a winner and he's a leader. We can count on him to do the right thing in every situation on the ice; we can count on him to help the younger players. I'm just thrilled that he is here and, so far, he has played well...
Mauled by Bears
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator
The Hershey Bears tied an AHL record last night with their 19th straight home victory, a 4-1 win over the Lake Erie Monsters...
Ovechkin set to play with Malkin
By Dan Rosen at NHL.com / NHL All-Access Vancouver
VANCOUVER -- After practicing hard for the full hour over at the Brittania Centre, Alex Ovechkin walked off the ice sporting his usual gap-toothed smile. The superstar left wing was in good spirits less than 24 hours before Russia's pivotal game against the Czechs on Sunday.
It appears that Ovechkin will have a new center for Sunday's game. He was skating on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Semin while Pavel Datsyuk, who was centering Ovechkin and Semin, was between Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov.
Ovechkin stopped to chat with NHL.com about that and more...
Russia's new top line: Ovechkin, Malkin and Semin
By Sport-Express' Slava Malamud at Heavy Medal
Get ready for the Dream Line!
Saturday afternoon's Team Russia practice featured a switch-around in the top two lines, with Pavel Datsyuk moving to pivot Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov. This means that Evgeni Malkin will take his place on the top line, setting up the long-anticipated partnership between the Penguins superstar and the Capitals' dynamic duo of Alexander Semin and Alex Ovechkin...
Niceness As A Competitive Weapon
By Ted Leonsis at Ted's Take
We are NOT ugly Americans. We can and would be great hosts to an Olympic games here in the United States. Click this link for an article that makes me say, “Huh?!”...
USOC won't bid for 2020 Games
By Amy Shipley at Heavy Medal
..."The cold and hard reality is Chicago spent approximately $80 million on its bid," Blackmun said. "It's going to be difficult to get U.S. cities to continue to invest to that level unless they think they have a realistic chance of winning. The IOC sent us a message, loud and clear, that they don't want the Games to be in the United States."...
Hear New Scorpions Song
By mdome at Classic Rock
A new Scorpions track has just been aired by online Greek radio station Rockmachine.gr – and it’s now on You Tube.The song is The Good Die Young, with former Nightwish singer Tarja Turuen guesting. It’s from the album Sting In The Tail, due out on March 19...
*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: Clasic Rock linked to a video that has been removed. Maybe the one below will stay long enough for you to enjoy.
Scorpions (with Tarja Turuen?) - "The Good Die Young"
Alex Ovechkin switches skates, Russia retools power play
By Sport-Express' Slava Malamud at Heavy Medal
Say goodbye to the Wild Sheep Skates! Maybe...
Alex Ovechkin, whose painted blades have been the talk of the Olympic hockey tournament, said after the Friday morning practice that due to some unspecified damage to one of them, he will go back to his old gear. Too bad. The new skates featured an image of a rabid sheep with a missing tooth...
Alice Cooper On Broadway
By mdome at Classic Rock
Alice Cooper is currently developing a Broadway show – and it may be based around the classic Welcome To My Nightmare album...
Happy Birthday Glen Hanlon!
A good former hockey coach and a great guy, hope you're doing well.
After looking for another win last night, the Caps players
We gotta get out of this last place.
Coach Hanlon took Backstrom & other players to Hooters for Lunch.
Fleischmann puts a hit on Martin StLouis, then can't find him.
New Head Coach Bruce Boudreau makes yet another
Daniella Spier downs another bowl of gruel before the Flyers
Commissioner Betty admits the Shootout
Commissioner Betty removes his head from a place
Coach Hanlon, Ovechkin or Kolzig trying to carry the Capitals to the Playoffs, and just getting pissed on by some of the players.
The Caps must have felt like this little boy (flying high)
Player of your choice crying like a baby & just wanting to be held.
During his last game as Head Coach, Hanlon turned toward the booing/chanting crowd & yelled "Bite Me"!
That Ovechkin kid has Superstar written all over him.
Verizon Center crew member trying to find better ice.