A most unexpected return… posted by Andy Charles

While most of the hockey world was reading about Dany Heatley’s monster move to the San Jose Sharks last week, it became clear that a former NHL favorite was about to try his luck at an unlikely comeback.

No, it’s not Jeremy Roenick a month after his retirement, and it’s not Claude Lemieux at the age of about 80, but the man most opponents loved to hate and his fans loved to love, Theo Fleury.

Fleury is back at training camp with the Calgary Flames, apparently determined to have at least one more season back in the NHL to end his career on his own terms, not in the way it had previously looked like ending back in 2003 before the work stoppage.

His path back to the league was cleared last week when he was granted reinstatement after a meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman, as he was still under indefinite suspension over substance abuse issues that dogged the years towards what had been assumed to be the end of his career.

Fleury’s last organized professional hockey came in Britain’s Elite League with the Belfast Giants, and as for much of his career he was a success, being named Player of the Year by the British Ice Hockey Writers’ Association. He piled up an amazing 74 points in only 34 games and unsurprising racked up 270 penalty minutes before leaving after complaining about the standard of refereeing.

But Calgary is where Fleury calls his hockey home, after 11 seasons with the Flames which included a Stanley Cup in his first season and two other campaigns where he scored more than 100 points and eight seasons with over 100 minutes in the penalty box.
Continue reading "A most unexpected return…"

Calgary Flames Sign Jay Bouwmeester to a Five-Year, $33 Million Contract posted by Jeff Ponder

Jay Bouwmeester got his wish on Tuesday; a long-term contract worth a handsome sum.  After having his rights traded last Saturday from Florida to the Flames for defenseman Jordan Leopold and a third round pick, Bouwmeester met with Calgary management all week but finally came to a deal just before the deadline.

“Jay is one of the most complete defenseman in the game,” said Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter, “and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that will make him an important component of the Calgary Flames success.”

This agreement will help bolster the Flames' defensive corps, but it leaves little with re-signing an important Flames forward.  Mike Cammalleri is coming off a career-year with the Flames, tearing the ice up with 82 points and being a top-center for Jarome Iginla's line all season.  After earning $3.6 million last season, Cammalleri is now expected to remain unsigned. 

The Flames did get a big defenseman to help workhorse Dion Phaneuf in game situations, which will help them in any long playoff run.  The team is expecting Oli Jokinen to step up and enjoy a great season at center to make up for the loss of Cammalleri, so this is a great deal that will help the Flames go deeper in the playoffs in 2010 and on.Continue reading "Calgary Flames Sign Jay Bouwmeester ..."

Western Conference Rolls Along! posted by Joshua Tarkoff

I have a confession to make. I love the Canucks. I really have loved them ever since the worst trade in NHL history when my beloved Panthers gave Luongo away for nothing. I know he is great and that team has a ton of fast guys with a lot of talent. For some reason, I really want them to win. What a job they did last night finishing off the Blues. Hey some big time people picked the Blues to win, since they were so hot coming down the stretch. So,no prediction is even needed for Vancouver. All I know is, I do not know of any team that wants to face the Canucks in the 2nd round.

Onto the series that are still going on...Sharks/Ducks. What a series this is. I think this is the best one we have going (no disrespect to NJ/CAR). It is a bit tough in Florida to be able to watch all of this series, but every second that I have seen has been awesome. Huge hits, I mean huge and every goal has been hard fought. I think this series will come down to who makes the least number of mistakes. That was especially true last night. Both teams are solid and the difference is going to be very small. I have to go with SJ here, they did not win President's trophy for nothing. 7 games, but this will take its toll on whoever ends up winning here.

Detroit is quietly doing its championship thing as usual. They really are an amazing organization. For years I know I have thought they were too old, but somehow they keep on doing it. Hossa this year has been a huge add on and he continues to shine in the playoffs. The series with the Bluejackets will not last much longer, although I must give them a hand for making it into the playoffs this year. It is just unfortunate that they ran into Detroit. 

NHL Trade Deadline Analysis: Part One posted by Jeff Ponder

With the NHL salary cap in place and newly drawn-up rules and regulations, NHL teams have found it tough to move players on a whim nowadays.  But plenty happened despite that, so lets get started by looking at the big deals that went down today.

Columbus trades Pascal Leclaire and a 2009 second round pick to Ottawa for Antoine Vermette.

  -Columbus acquired another veteran forward, which is something fans have been asking them to address.  Vermette, 6’1” 197 lbs, was used in many defensive roles for the Senators, as well as playing on the second line behind the Jason Spezza line most nights.  Ottawa gets the starting goalie that they have been desperately searching for in Patrick Leclaire as well.  Leclaire, bothered by injury all season, has played in just twelve games this season, recording a dismal 3.83 goals against average and a .867 save percentage.  But Leclaire has been a bright for Columbus in the past on non-playoff teams, as his career numbers show an impressive .907 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average.

Ponder’s Call:  Good deal for both teams. Ottawa got a goaltender and Columbus got some veteran leadership.

Calgary trades Lawrence Nycholat, Ryan Wilson and a 2009 second round pick to Colorado for Jordan Leopold.

  -Calgary gets Leopold, who was a major part of their 2004 Stanley Cup Final run.  He and Robyn Regehr were paired together most of the playoffs and were the top line for Calgary.  His numbers have not been too impressive this season (6 goals, 14 assists for 20 points), but the Flames got a defenseman who is very good at moving the puck out of the zone.  Colorado acquired a few players that have minimal NHL experience.  Nycholat was placed on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks earlier this season, being claimed by the Flames.  He has just 1 assist in 14 games this season.  Wilson has been called “slow-footed” and “lacks intensity at times” by NHL scouts, but came into the Quad City Flames roster as a possible NHL prospect.  Only time will tell on this guy if he can pan out.
Continue reading "NHL Trade Deadline Analysis: Part One"

Calgary is On Fire posted by Amber Craig

We’re just over halfway through the NHL regular season, and the Calgary Flames have made quite a turnaround from their slow start—for which they have become notorious for year after year. The 2008-09 season started with loss after stupid loss for the team, and for a while it looked as if Calgary may have lost it’s flame. But lately it seems like Keenan has really lit a fire underneath them, because what a comeback they have made.

Winning seven of their last ten meetings, the Flames now sit in first place in the Northwest Division, and third overall in the Western Conference, under the seemingly unbeatable San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings. Things are looking good for Calgary right now.

And for the first time in at least a few seasons, more than a handful of players are contributing to the team’s point tally. When usually the infamous standalone stars like Jarome Iginla seem to be responsible for the mass majority of the Flames’ goals, five players have tallied over 30 points each in the last 46 games. 

Yes, Iginla still leads the pack with 53 points, but players like Mike Cammalleri are giving him a run for his money. The 26-year-old currently sits with 44 points, and has obtained eight of those in the last five games alone. He seems to be getting increasingly better as the season rolls on.

And who could forget Todd Bertuzzi? He managed to win over Flames fans, after many questioned the decision to bring him on board for this season, and he has become a prominent force on the ice for Calgary. He has been particularly strong in the way of assisting goals—constantly in the right position in front of (and sometimes behind) the net, to create a passing play.

Inbound link contest winner announced! posted by Earn Money Blogging

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

The whole purpose of this contest was to get our bloggers networking with other webmasters and to start to build up their inbound links which will help their traffic.  Even a few links can help you with the search engines as they will see you as more of an authority on your topic the more inbound links you have.

To learn more about marketing your blog check out this post: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html#my_faq_2971

Marija's blog can be found here.  If you're a Knicks fan, check it out: http://www.newyorkknicksnews.com/marijak

The original post announcing the contest can be found here: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

And if you're not already signed up with Google AdSense and making money from your blog, check out our Revenue Share FAQ page: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html

Inbound link contest - Win $100! posted by Earn Money Blogging

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

We're going to impose some restrictions on the types of links you can get so please see below for the full list of links that do NOT count.

To get started simply go to Google and find other websites and blog that are about the sports and teams that you write about. Email the website owner and ask them for a link by explaining that you think your blog would be a good resource for their readers. Or offer to write a guest post for them with your by-line and URL at the bottom of the article. Or offer to exchange links with them by writing a quick write up of their site and a reciprocal link back to them. Some webmasters will be happy to add you to their blog roll even if you don't give them a link back (which is ideal) but some may want you to link back to them - you can easily do this with a quick blog entry on your blog about their website.

To learn more about inbound links and marketing your blog in general check out this post:

Bertuzzi to Flames... posted by Tony D

I know what you're thinking: why waste a blog post on this seeming insignificant piece of NHL news?  Here's why: this is the perfect place for Bertuzzi to finally return to form.  By "return to form," I mean get back on a 25 goal, 60 point pace (that's all that can and should be expected of Bertuzzi at this stage of his career.  In fact, he's only been really better than that three times--all pre-Moore). 

Bertuzzi returns to Canada--which he wanted.  He also returns to Mike Keenan--something I think both are particularly happy about.  Ranger fans know how Keenan plays favorites (Stephan Matteau and Brian Noonan practically followed him around the NHL in the 90s), and his tough-love approach along with a strong supporting cast in Calgary (led by none other than non-nonsense GM Darryl Sutter and captain Jarome Iginla) should help get Bertuzzi back on track.  Superstar numbers?  No way.  Respectable 2nd/3rd line minutes and numbers?  Bet on it.  And remember that you heard it hear first!

2008 NHL Playoff Awards - Round 1 posted by Paul Olsen

Let’s end the suspense- Nicklas Lidstrom has already won his sixth Norris Trophy, regardless of when it will be announced.  Through Round 1 of the 2008 NHL Playoffs, here are some lesser known awards:

The “thanks for showing up” award has to go to the Ottawa Senators.  Martin Gerber didn’t show up until the second period of Game 1, while the rest of the team waited until Game 2.  Every member of the team worked together to cycle in their mental vacations to ensure a consistent lack of consistency.  It will be interesting to see how much of this roster remains intact over the offseason. 

Humanitarian Award:  The Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins came short of providing blueprints for knocking out a conference’s top seed, but each team scored enough to prove that no team in unbeatable.

Better Staal: Statwise, Marc wins with a tiebreaking +3, as each Stall has put home one goal thusfar.  While Jordan’s upside is just as significant, Marc has been arguably the best at his position for his team.  Of course, Jordan has world class competition at his center position, but few expected Marc to outperform veterans Paul Mara and Michal Rosival.

Honorable Mention:  A playoff award should not be affected by regular season play, but the Boston Bruins persisted through an adversity mired season, watched by Patrice Bergeron.  Marc Savard stepped in as the centerpiece of Beantown’s blue-collar Bears, who secured their playoff spot with a run bested only by Washington’s history making push.  Phil Kessel has emerged as a star, while Milan Lucic and David Kreici allow Claude Julien to cycle three playoff quality lines. 

Flames end road skid at 4, top Panthers (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports

Flames' Glencross has hat trick in win (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports

Rangers get forward Jokinen in trade

The New York Rangers acquired forwards Olli Jokinen and BrandonPrust from the Calgary Flames for forwards Christopher Higgins andAles Kotalik late Monday night. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Richards, Emery lead Flyers over Flames (AP)

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From Yahoo! Sports

Rangers acquire Jokinen from Flames (AP)

The New York Rangers acquired forwards Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust from the Calgary Flames for forwards Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik late Monday night. The trade was announced by both teams shortly after the Flames were beaten 3-0 by the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. "You've got to play hard every time you go on the ice, no matter what kind of distractions you have going... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports