Top 10 NHL Midseason Plays 2008 - 2009

Some really nice goals here.

Highlights: Blues vs Canucks [GAME 2] 2009 NHL Playoffs April 17, 2009

Highlights: Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks [Game 1] 2009 NHL Playoffs

Wow what an amazing game to watch.

Bill Guerin Game 2 OT Goal vs Flyers April 17 2009

Pens win game 2 as Bill Guerin gets the OT winner, April 17, 2009.

Highlights: Penguins vs. Flyers: Game 1 2009 Playoffs

GUERIN NETS TWO INCLUDING OT WINNER TO GIVE PENGUINS WIN

GUERIN NETS TWO INCLUDING OT WINNER TO GIVE PENGUINS WIN

PITTSBURGH -- This almost never happens in an NHL playoff game, a team going on a two-man advantage in overtime. Maybe that was all Bill Guerin needed to do something he had never done, either.
Guerin scored his second goal of the game for Pittsburgh, which rallied twice against Philadelphia and then won after been given a rare two-man edge in an extra period. The Penguins earned a 3-2 victory Friday night to go up two games in the first-round playoff series.
Guerin, at 38 the oldest player on a mostly young team, took Sergei Gonchar's pass from centre point and skated toward the net from the low left circle, faked a pass and beat goalie Martin Biron on a shot that deflected off the left post and into the net 18:29 into overtime. It was the first game-winning playoff goal in Guerin's 17-season career.
"There's a first time for everything, I guess," said Guerin, who was traded by the last-place Islanders to the Penguins at the March 4 trade deadline. "It was a thrill for me to come over here. This was a big win for us."
Guerin also scored the goal that tied it at one late in the second period, and Evgeni Malkin tied it at two with 3:37 remaining in the third after rookie Darroll Powe's goal put the determined Flyers up early in the period.
The Penguins will take a 2-0 series lead to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Sunday, as they did in winning last year's Eastern Conference finals against the Flyers.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other playoff game since at least 1933 decided by a two-man advantage overtime goal came in 2003, when Tampa Bay beat Washington 4-3 on Vincent Lecavalier's goal 2:21 into the extra session.
"You don't see it too often," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "You have to see a play like a broken stick or a clear high stick or something like that, but we'll take it and move on."
The overtime game was the first between the in-state rivals since Keith Primeau's goal decided the Flyers' 2-1, five-OT win that started on May 4, 2000, and ended in the early morning hours of May 5. That game was the NHL's longest in the last 73 years.
This game was much shorter. And much harder to take for the Flyers.
The Flyers initially went on the power play in overtime when Penguins defenceman Hal Gill was called for cross-checking, but an identical penalty on Mike Knuble and a slashing call on Claude Giroux 30 seconds later gave Pittsburgh a two-man edge that would have lasted 1:29. Guerin scored with 27 seconds left in the two-man.
"My stick broke and I was just trying to jam his (Chris Kunitz's) stick," Giroux said. "The refs saw that the stick broke so they had to call it. I was just trying to make sure he doesn't get the pass and I guess I went a little too hard and it broke. I let down the guys here and I've got to put that behind me. It's a dumb play."
Philadelphia avoided the numerous penalties and breakdowns it had in the 4-1 loss in Game 1 and were in position to tie the series after rookie Powe's go-ahead goal, only to get tripped up again by penalties.
"We certainly proved to ourselves that we can play," coach John Stevens said. "We did a lot of good things. But it's tough -- it's tough, but we'll regroup."
Of going down two men, Jeff Carter said, "It's tough, but they're going to call what they're going to call."
The Penguins, given their third power play in regulation after having eight Wednesday, tied it at 16:23 of the third when Kris Letang's shot from the point deflected off Malkin and past Biron for Malkin's second of the series.
Pittsburgh created the overtime only because goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made an improbable save several minutes before, scrambling from one side of the crease to the other to stick out his right skate and deflect Carter's shot toward an unguarded side of the net.
"I was a little far from the puck on that, I was in a bad spot so I just tried to get my pads over there and it hit my toe," Fleury said.
The Flyers responded the way Stevens said they needed to following their undisciplined Game 1 loss. They didn't worry about retaliating or sending messages or trying to outhit Pittsburgh, only trying to beat them -- and it nearly worked.
They pressed the play from the start, got the important first goal from Scott Hartnell, then kept pressuring even after Pittsburgh tied it on Guerin's 29th career playoff goal. His 30th would be even bigger.
The Flyers came back to take a 2-1 lead when Powe, playing more because oft-penalized forward Dan Carcillo was suspended for a shot to Max Talbot's head with seconds remaining in Game 1, steered a wrist shot from the left circle past Fleury 2:09 into the third.
Powe is a former Princeton player who had six goals during the season, one an empty-netter during the Flyers' 3-1 win in Pittsburgh on March 22.
Philadelphia's under-control persistence finally paid off with Hartnell's power-play goal at 13:26 of the first and only its fifth lead after the first period in 26 games.
"It's disappointing for sure. We did all the right things," captain Mike Richards said.
The way the Flyers kept pressuring, the Penguins were in jeopardy of leaving Pittsburgh tied two games into a playoff series for the first time since they lost to Montreal in six games in 1998. But they tied it after coach Dan Bylsma put Malkin and Crosby on the same line, and it paid off with Guerin's first goal.
Notes: Pittsburgh has won Game 2 in nine of its last 13 series and has won 10 of its last 12 home playoff games. ... The Flyers are 34-26 in playoff Game 2. ... Biron made 46 saves, Fleury 38. ... Pittsburgh was 2-of-5 on the power play, Philadelphia 1-of-4.

Source: www.tsn.ca

GLEASON SCORES TO GIVE HURRICANES WIN OVER DEVILS IN OT

GLEASON SCORES TO GIVE HURRICANES WIN OVER DEVILS IN OT

NEWARK, N.J. -- A couple of fortunate bounces got the Carolina Hurricanes even in the their playoff series with the New Jersey Devils and made an earlier dismal performance by the 'Candy Canes' seem a distant memory.
Defenceman Tim Gleason scored his first NHL playoff goal and first of the season with a slapshot off the skate of a Devils defenceman at 2:40 of overtime, and the Hurricanes beat New Jersey 2-1 Friday night, tying their first round playoff series at a game apiece.
"It was a good pass by Joe Corvo," Gleason said after his shot from the point deflected off the skate of Niklas Havelid into the net. "He laid it right out there for me. Eric Staal had a great screen in front of the net. I closed my eyes and shot that thing as hard as I could."
Havelid wasn't sure if the puck hit him.
"It's one of those unlucky ones," Havelid said. "I can't tell. It might have hit me. I can't really tell. It was a bang-bang play. It doesn't matter who it hits, it went in the net."
Carolina nearly won the game less than a minute earlier on a similar play. Defenceman Joni Pitkanen took a shot from the left circle that appeared to hit a Devils defenceman and Rod Brind'Amour before clanging off the goal post.
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, who finished with 30 saves, wasn't so lucky the second time as Carolina beat New Jersey for the fifth time in five post-season overtime games.
"They put a lot of pressure in our zone for about a minute before they finally got the goal," Brodeur said. "It was just a simple shot on net. It went off some bodies in front and found its way in. It's a typical overtime goal, I guess."
Cam Ward made 33 saves in giving the Hurricanes their first playoff win since they captured the Stanley Cup in 2006. Carolina missed the playoffs the past two years.
The Hurricanes' performance was much better than in the 4-1 loss on Wednesday in the series opener. New Jersey seemed to be playing at a different speed than Carolina then.
"Obviously, we came out flat in the last game," Gleason said. "We knew he had to change our game. We are a competitive team. We can be gritty. People sometimes say we're soft, Candy 'Canes or whatever they use. It was a different story tonight. We came ready to play."
Brodeur didn't have a chance on either Carolina goal.
Staal tied the game late in the first period and seemed to wake up the Hurricanes with an even flukier goal.
Ray Whitney took a shot on a power play from between the circles and missed the net. The puck, however, hit off the end boards and came right back in front to Staal for an open-net goal.
"Ray let one rip and I happened to be in the right place at the right time," said Staal, who had 14 power-play goals in the regular season. "It was good to get that boost going into the first intermission and to get it going from there."
Zach Parise tallied for the Devils, who lost captain Jamie Langenbrunner to a lower body injury in the second period.
"We had some good chances and unfortunately couldn't bury them, and Ward played well," Parise said. "I just don't think there is a lot we need to change. We played a solid hockey game."
The Hurricanes killed 5-of-6 Devils power plays, including a couple which resulted after foolish penalties.
New Jersey had a great chance to take the lead early in the third period, but Parise banged a shot off the left post on a 2-on-1 break.
Ward was also good in the third, making outstanding glove saves on Bryce Salvador with 10:55 left in regulation and another against Travis Zajac with 3:07 to go.
Brodeur's best stop was a save on Staal after a length-of-the-ice rush with 4:50 to go in the third.
New Jersey had taken the lead on its second power play. Parise netted his second goal of the series, deflecting a point shot by defenceman Paul Martin past Ward.
The goal came 26 seconds after Zajac had a goal nullified by referee Mike Hasenfratz for hitting a rebound into the net with a high stick.
Tuomo Ruutu of Carolina banged a shot off the post with 5:49 left in the period.

Source: www.tsn.ca

SUNDIN, LUONGO LEAD CANUCKS TO 2-0 SERIES LEAD OVER BLUES

SUNDIN, LUONGO LEAD CANUCKS TO 2-0 SERIES LEAD OVER BLUES

VANCOUVER -- Mats Sundin scored his first playoff goal in five years and Roberto Luongo stopped 30 shots for the shutout as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-0 Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in their NHL first-round playoff series.
It was Luongo's first playoff shutout and it came in his 14th post-season game.
Alex Burrows and Henrik Sedin, into an empty net, scored the other Canuck goals.
Luongo used his size and quickness to leave the Blues shaking their heads.
With St. Louis pushing for the tying goal on a third-period power play, Luongo slid across the net to block a point-blank shot from Andy McDonald. On the same series he got a glove on a laser shot from T. J. Oshie.
That brought chants of "Louuuu, Louuuuu" from the towel-waving, sellout crowd of 18,630.
In the second period, with the Blues again on the power play, Alex Steen fired a shot from along the boards. David Backes tipped the puck, which Luongo stopped with his foot. Backes collected the rebound and shot again, but the big Canuck goaltender managed another toe save.
The best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series now returns to St. Louis for games Sunday and Tuesday.
Tempers flared at the end of the game with several fights breaking out. Sticks and gloves littered the ice as the fans roared their approval.
Sundin notched the game's first goal with 1:56 left in the second period when he deflected a pass from Pavol Demitra past Blues goaltender Chris Mason. The play looked innocent enough but the puck seemed to squeeze through Mason's pads.
It was Sundin's first goal in 15 games, dating back to the regular season. Signed as a free agent for US$5.6 million in December, the big centre last appeared in the playoffs in 2004 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sundin played the game with a black eye he picked up during a collision in practice Thursday.
Burrows made it 2-0 at 9:46 of the third. Daniel Sedin fired a shot wide, but Burrows was able to tuck the rebound behind Mason.
The Blues went into Friday's game not wanting to dig themselves into a deeper hole after dropping Wednesday's series opener 2-1. The Canucks didn't want the Blues returning home with their sails filled by the monument of a victory.
The last time the Blues lost back-to-back games in regulation was Jan. 11 and Jan. 13.
The game was fast paced. Unlike the opening match, the referees let the teams play and called few penalties.
The first period was played at break-neck speed with each team dealing out some bone-bruising hits. On the very first shift defenceman Shane O'Brien levelled Dan Hinote with a hit that had the Blues' forward looking for a licence plate number. Later, McDonald drilled Vancouver's Kevin Bieksa.
Both teams had good scoring chances. With only 24 seconds gone Brad Winchester fired a shot that a scrambling Luongo was able to get his blocker on.
Later, on the period's lone power play, Sundin fired a shot that Mason stopped. The Blues goaltender didn't see the rebound and the puck lay tantalizingly in the crease. Both Ryan Kesler and Kyle Wellwood charged to the net but were buried in a scrum.

Source: www.tsn.ca

Mario Lemieux Video - 5 Goals In 5 Different Ways

On December 31, 1988, Lemieux put on what most people think was the greatest individual scoring performance in NHL history. He scored five goals in a game in five different ways: an even-strength goal, a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal, a penalty shot goal and an empty-net goal. No one had ever done that before and no one has yet done it since.

Source: www.legendsofhockey.net

Legends of Hockey - Mario Lemieux

Great video aboout Mario Lemieux from Legends of Hockey

Mario Lemieux: A Biogrpahy of Mario Lemieux

He was big and strong but rarely had to bully his way through defenders, sending them flying instead with deft fakes and dekes. In him, the attributes of the pure scorer and the playmaker were fused and his size, reach and balance made his end-to-end rushes seem effortless. In a few long strides, with a twist of those wide shoulders and quick change of direction, he found space on the ice where previously the way had been closed. Forced to choose between his accurate and heavy shot or his long arms reaching around them with a sweeping move, goalies were often left shaking their heads while they retrieved the puck from the net. Rarely has a sport's dominant player made the game look so easy and natural.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Lemieux (in French le mieux means "the best") was a sensational junior. He played for three seasons with the Laval Voisin in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In his final year he surpassed his childhood hero, Guy Lafleur, for the honour of being the top goal scorer in one QJMHL season. He set the record in his last game - in which Laval crushed Longueuil 16-4 - by scoring six goals and adding six assists for good measure. He led the Voisin to the Memorial Cup Tournament and was named the Canadian Major Junior player of the year for his 133 goals and 282 points, a total that easily topped Pierre Larouche's points record of 251. He set a Canadian record with a consecutive points streak that lasted 62 games.
Lemieux was the most talked about young player in the game and was picked first overall in the 1984 Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were looking for a natural goal scorer to improve their fortunes. The Penguins had finished dead last in each of the previous two seasons and desperately needed to increase interest in a declining market.
Lemieux responded to the challenge immediately. In his first shift in a regular-season game, he stole the puck from Boston's star defenseman Ray Bourque and moved in on goalie Pete Peeters. With a quick flick of his wrist, with his first shot on his first shift in his first game, he scored to announce himself to the league. In his home debut in Pittsburgh, he got an assist, again on his first shift, and won his first fight as well, using his amazing balance and reach to out-box Vancouver's Gary Lupul. He kept up the scoring pace that first year by becoming just the third rookie in league history to record 100 or more points. His 43 goals and 57 assists placed him behind only Dale Hawerchuk and Peter Statsny for all-time best rookie seasons. He was selected as the most valuable player in the All-Star Game, the perfect venue for his skills to shine, and Magnificent Mario easily won the Calder Trophy for top rookie in 1984-85. He ended his first professional year at the World Championships in Prague, leading Canada to a surprise victory over the Soviet Union en route to a silver medal.
Pittsburgh moved up 15 points in the standings, not enough to make the playoffs, but the excitement and increased attendance saved the franchise, something no other superstar had been looked upon to do so early in his career.
Lemieux had over 100 points in each of his next two seasons, but his first real claim to the status of the game's best player came in 1987. He played for the NHL in the Rendez-vous series at the All-Star break, and then played a crucial role for the home team in the Canada Cup. He collected 18 points in nine games, none of them more timely or important than his series-winning goal against the Soviet Union in the final game. Lemieux tucked in behind Wayne Gretzky in the dying seconds, and when Gretzky slid a perfect pass back to him, he snapped a quick shot under the crossbar, starting off a wild celebration. In the following season, he outdistanced every scorer in the league - though Gretzky was injured - with 168 points to win the Art Ross and the Hart trophies as the league's top scorer and most valuable player.
On December 31, 1988, Lemieux put on what most people think was the greatest individual scoring performance in NHL history. He scored five goals in a game in five different ways: an even-strength goal, a power-play goal, a shorthanded goal, a penalty shot goal and an empty-net goal. No one had ever done that before and no one has yet done it since. He went on to finish the 1988-89 season with 85 goals and 199 points to lead the league for the second consecutive season, this time beating a healthy Gretzky outright. His total points record that season was the only one ever to approach the 200-plus range inhabited by Gretzky earlier in his career on four occasions. Still, one of the criticisms leveled against Lemieux in these early years was that he would need to win a Stanley Cup to be considered one of the all-time greats. Lemieux took that challenge in stride after a few difficult seasons with injuries. He first experienced trouble with his back during the 1989-90 season. The next year he missed most of the season before returning late to help a young Jaromir Jagr and some able veterans, including Larry Murphy and Paul Coffey, and in time for the playoffs. With Lemieux picking up 44 points in 23 games to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' top performer, Pittsburgh won its first Stanley Cup with a six-game victory over Minnesota. The next season, Lemieux repeated as the Smythe winner and Pittsburgh once again cheered a championship season, winning 11 games in a row to end the playoffs and claim the Stanley Cup.
Though now at the top of the game, Lemieux was known as a spectacular but enigmatic player with a reticent personality and a dislike for the spotlight that felt very uncomfortable for him. Serious back problems and his struggle with Hodgkin's disease combined to prevent him from ever playing a full season. His battle with this form of cancer included radiation treatments in 1992-93, when he missed a full month midway through the season before returning to lead the league again in scoring. He sat out 62 games in 1993-94 and the entire 1994-95 season because of health problems.
Other players who had missed games through injury were incredulous that the 6'4" 210-pound Lemieux could be away from the game for so long and then return to be the same dominating player as ever. He won the Hart and the Art Ross in 1995-96 after sitting out a full year. For Pens fans and lovers of offensive hockey, the retirement of the Magnificent One in 1997 marked a sad time in the history of the game. About the only ones not shedding any tears, it seemed, were those fearful goalies.
In the summer of 1999 the Pittsburgh team was mired in financial difficulty, facing bankruptcy and the possible transfer of the team. Lemieux, owed millions in deferred salary, stepped in as the head of an ownership group to buy the team and keep it in Pittsburgh, where he continued to live with his family.
Then, late in 2000 he announced that he would be making a come-back as a player, becoming only the third Honoured Member (the other two being Gordie Howe and Guy Lafleur) to play in the NHL. On December 27, 2000, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mario Lemieux returned to the ice, and showed that he was still one of the greatest the game has ever seen, as he scored one goal and added two assists in that first game back. Lemieux continued his scoring exploits. In spite of his injury woes, Lemieux was named captain of Canada's Winter Olympic entry for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. His poise and production led Canada to Olympic Gold. Unfortunately the rigors of the Olympic schedule ended Lemieux's 2001-02 NHL season.
He returned in 2002-03 and held a clear lead in points by the mid-way mark of the season. Once again injuries curtailed his games played and mobility. To make matters worse, Lemieux was forced to trade away his high-priced teammates, and any chance of winning the Art Ross Trophy, to preserve the financial stability of Pittsburgh Penguin hockey.
With injuries plaguing his once-brilliant career, and with the burden of the Penguins' financial woes preying on his mind, Lemieux was mid-way through the 2005-06 season when he decided to retire on January 24, 2006. Mario had played 26 games, scoring 7 times and assisting on 15 more at the time of his retirement.
His final career totals include 915 regular season games played, scoring 690 goals and assisting on 1,033 more for 1,723 points, and set him apart from all but a handful able to lay claim to being one of the greatest players ever to play the game.

Source: http://www.legendsofhockey.net

Eric Lindros: A Biography of Eric Lindros

Since he was a teenager, a big man-sized teenager with quick feet and hands, Eric Lindros had been making hockey headlines. He was called "the Next One" as a youngster, when expectations for the burly center matched those of his superstar predecessors, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
At the age of 15, Lindros was playing for the St. Mike's Junior B team. He had 67 points in 37 games and made a habit of walloping players who were sometimes six years older, racking up 193 minutes in penalties along the way. Though he was huge and talented, Lindros lacked confidence off the ice. When he was eligible for the junior draft as a 16-year-old, his mother and father asked the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds not to choose their son since the team was situated too far away. The Greyhounds drafted him anyway, as they had Wayne Gretzky in 1977, but, unlike Gretzky, Lindros refused to report. He played instead with a Detroit junior team, Compuware. He was pleased when the Greyhounds traded his rights to the Oshawa Generals, a team just outside Toronto, for three players, three future draft picks and $80,000. Prior to joining the Generals, Lindros made his first of three appearances at the World Junior Championships.
Upon his arrival with the Generals, Lindros averaged two points a game and led the team to the Memorial Cup in 1990. He was named CHL Player-of-the-Year the next season after leading the OHL with 149 points and earning Canada another gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, topping the team with 11 points in the seven games.
The junior draft debacle was repeated at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He was the best player available and the Quebec Nordiques had the first overall pick. Once again Lindros's parents informed Quebec management that Eric wasn't interested in playing for the Nordiques.
And once again the team ignored the complaints and chose Lindros. He refused to report, beginning a long and dramatic year for the promising player and the Nordiques. Even though Lindros had never played in the NHL, he was invited to the Team Canada training camp for the 1991 Canada Cup. He silenced many critics who said he'd never played against the game's elite with his physical play and scoring ability, often dominating many of the best pro players in the game on his way to making the team and playing in the tournament.
After his Canada Cup experience, Lindros returned for his third World Junior Championship in 1992 in Lindros stayed in the Canadian national team program for the 1991-92 season, winning a silver medal at the Albertville Olympics in 1992 rather than joining Quebec in the NHL. In June 1992 the Nordiques at the draft finally arranged a trade. There was initially some confusion about which of two teams actually made a trade for Lindros first. The New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers both felt they'd obtained the phenomenon. It was decided that the Flyers had indeed consummated a trade, sending six players (including Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall and Steve Duchesne), two first-round draft choices and $15 million to the Nordiques for Lindros. The players who went to the Nordiques established Quebec, and later Colorado when the franchise moved, as a championship contender and then Stanley Cup winner in Denver.
Life wouldn't be as easy in Philly for Lindros, who, despite a huge contract that paid him approximately what his boyhood idol Mark Messier earned, still hadn't played a game in the league. In his first season, in 1992-93, he was met with an outpouring of anger when he visited Quebec. But he set a Flyers record in his first season with 41 goals and improved his offensive totals over the next two seasons while maintaining a combative edge to his play. In 1994-95, the lockout-shortened season, Lindros tied with Jaromir Jagr for the scoring lead, and though he lost the Art Ross Trophy because he scored fewer goals, he won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player and captured the Lester B. Pearson Award.
The Flyers began to round into form with Lindros as its captain in 1995-96. His line with John LeClair and Mikael Renberg came to be known as "the Legion of Doom" and beat up opposing defense to help Lindros score 115 points. Lindros added to his impressive international resume at the 1996 World Cup, though Team Canada fell short of expected victory. The next season in the NHL, he returned from a nagging knee injury as Philadelphia marched all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, leading all playoff scorers with 26 points en route to a heartbreaking loss to Detroit.
Lindros's ascension to the top ranks of the game became complete when he was made Team Canada's captain for the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
Injuries continued to haunt him near the turn of the century, taking different forms as his aggressive ways took a toll on his huge body. His younger brother, Brett, was forced out of the league after receiving one too many concussions in 1996 and Eric missed the 1999 playoffs with a collapsed lung that forced him to watch the Flyers from the sidelines as they lost their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lindros's 1999-00 season was a shambles. He suffered four concussions, the last the result of a devastating hit from New Jersey's Scott Stevens in the Stanley Cup semifinals, that left his career in doubt. In the fall of 2000, Lindros demanded a trade to Toronto, but after a year in which Clarke refused to accommodate him, Lindros was sent to New York to resume his career with the Rangers. Upon his arrival in the Big Apple, Lindros has had seasons of 73 and 53 points while representing his country for the third time at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, adding a gold medal to his previous silver that he won in 1992 in Albertville.
Injuries continued to plague Lindros in 2003-04, limiting the burly winger to a mere 39 games, before he was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 2005.As a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs Lindros' season got off to a steady start as the centreman recorded 22 points in his first 32 games. However, his season was cut short due to multiple injuries to his wrist. Lindros would only suit up for a mere 33 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs before signing with the Dallas Stars in the summer of 2006.
After seeing action in 49 games and recording a career low five goals in his first season as a Dallas Star, Lindros would announce his official retirement from the game in November of 2007. Lindros finished his career with 372 goals and 493 assists for 865 points, in 760 NHL games.
Days after his retirement announcement, the National Hockey League Players' Association appointed Lindros to the newly created position of NHLPA ombudsman.

Source: www.legendsofhockey.net

Scott Stevens Hits Eric Lindros: 1999-00 Round 3/Game 7

Lindros's 1999-00 season was a shambles. He suffered four concussions, the last the result of a devastating hit from New Jersey's Scott Stevens in the Stanley Cup semifinals, that left his career in doubt.

Source: www.legendsofhockey.net

Lindros vs Barnaby: Barnaby Gets Ass Whoopin

Watch Lindros absolutely own Barnaby haha

'Old School' Eric Lindros

Eric Lindros from the old school days. He was a machine back then...watch this video and watch some of the hits he makes. He's a good Canadian kid! heh that's Don Cherry for ya - "he's a tough guy that Eric, yes he is"

Eric Lindros NHL IBM Hockey Commercial

"This is my lucky jersey - don't mess it up" lol

Classic Wayne Gretzky Mats Sundin McDonald's Hockey Commercial

Here's a goodie from years and years back. Look how young Sundin looks!

Stanley Cup 2009 Up-to-date First Round Matchups

BOS leads MTL 1-0
ANA leads SJ 1-0
NYR leads WAS 2-0
DET leads CLB 2-0
NJ vs CAR tied 1-1
VAN leads STL 2-0
PIT leads PHI 2-0
CHI leads CGY 2-0

Uniform History: Pittsburgh Penguins

When the Penguins made their NHL debut at home on Oct. 11, 1967, the team wore the colors dark blue, light blue and white. Both the home (white) and away (light blue) uniforms simply had the word “Pittsburgh” written diagonally down the front of the sweater with three dark blue stripes around the sleeves and bottom. The logo, although not on the sweater, featured a hockey-playing penguin in a scarf over an inverted triangle, symbolizing the golden triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. The penguin and triangle were set inside a circle bearing the team name.

The following season (1968-69), the uniforms were changed so that the logo appeared on the game sweaters. The logo remained essentially the same, although the penguin was no longer wearing a scarf. The white home uniforms had a wide band of dark blue around each sleeve and the bottom, while the light blue away sweater had bands of white trimmed in dark blue.
The uniforms were changed again four years later (1972-73). The circle around the logo was removed, leaving only a penguin and triangle. Added to the uniforms were inserts of color on the shoulders.
On Jan. 30, 1980, the Penguins wore black and gold for the first time. With the Steelers winning the Super Bowl and the Pirates capturing the World Series title in the same year, the struggling Penguins hoped to gain fan support by aligning their colors with the other teams in the “City of Champions.”
Boston protested the color change to the NHL, arguing that black and gold had always been exclusively associated with the Bruins. However, the Penguins prevailed by virtue of a precedent set by the Pittsburgh Pirates hockey club of the late 1920’s, which sported the colors. The Pens’ new uniforms were the same design as the previous ones, with black replacing dark blue and gold replacing light blue. From 1981-82 through the 1984-85 season, the team alternated wearing gold sweaters with white at home.

The black and gold uniforms remained unchanged until 1992-93, when the triangle and penguin logo was modernized. The white home sweaters featured the new logo on the front and gold shoulder inserts. The black away sweaters had the city’s name diagonally down the front, much like the original team uniforms, with the new logo on each shoulder.

During the 1995-96 season, the Penguins were one of five NHL teams to introduce a third jersey. The Penguins’ new uniform, which made its debut on Jan. 27, 1996 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers, featured a black background with a new, modernized logo design including innovative striping and a blend of team colors. This sweater eventually replaced the black “Pittsburgh” away sweater in 1997-98, and served as the team’s uniform away from the Igloo.

During the 1999-00 season, the Penguins introduced a new third jersey with an eye for the past. The black sweater features the popular “skating penguin” logo, which the team wore during its 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup championship seasons, and the newest color addition, Las Vegas Gold. That sweater, and its white counterpart, were made the team’s official home and road uniforms, respectively, in 2002.
During the 2007-08 season, the Penguins began sporting new uniforms as part of the new Rbk EDGE Uniform System – designed to meet the performance demands of today’s NHL player. After more than two years of research, the NHL and Reebok created a uniform system that features technologically-enhanced materials and fabrics that are more breathable, more water-resistant, more comfortable and more compatible with equipment. The Penguins’ logo and colors remained the same, although there were some modifications to the striping on the sides of the jerseys. And, it wasn’t just the uniforms that changed – the socks and pants were improved to increase performance as well. The introduction of these new uniforms at the start of season marks the first time in the history of North American professional sports that a uniform innovation has been implemented league-wide.

Source: http://penguins.nhl.com/

Nike Hockey Commercial: Montreal Goalie

Nike Hockey Commercial
A little old, but still so funny. "I am not picking up Swedish people" lol

NHL Road Trip Hilarious Commercial

NHL Road Trip Hilarious Commercial
The newest hilarious My NHL Network Road Trip commercial, featuring Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Marty Turco, Joe Thornton, Brendan Shanahan, the Stall brothers, Roberto Luongo, and many more...

Sidney Crosby Gatorade Commercial

Sidney Crosby's Famous Gatorade Commercial

Very Young Sidney Crosby

Here's a clip of a very young Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby Quotes Sayings

Sidney: There's a good energy right now. We're all feeding off each other, battling out there, and sacrificing for each other. That's the way the game's played. We're out there competing for each other. That's probably the biggest thing that drives each of us.

Sidney: It’s not that hard to stay grounded. It’s the way I was brought up.

Sidney: I want to be the best, so whatever comes with that, I’ll have to accept.

Sidney: I’m not trying to be the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux. I am putting pressure on myself to do my best and perform to my potential.

Sidney: When you’re making plays out there, forcing things, creating things, that’s the most-fun part... It’s not always fun when you can’t get anything going out there. You want to go out there, have the puck and make plays.

Source: www.tv.com/

Sidney Crosby Trivia Facts

• In a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 18 October 2008, Sid scored his 200th career assist, his 300th career point and his 100th career goal, in that order on the first three Penguins goals of the game.
  
  
  
• Sid was awarded as Pittsburgh's Sportsman of the year for the second consecutive year (both 2006 and 2007) at the April 2008 Dapper Dan Awards.
  
  
  
• Sidney had his first Gordie Howe hat trick on 12/20/07.
  
  
  
• Sidney Crosby won the Hart Trophy and Pearson Award and was named to the NHL All Star first-team at the 2007 NHL Awards on June 14, 2007.
  
  
  
• Sidney Crosby is now the new captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is the youngest captain in NHL history.
  
  
  
• Sidney became the youngest person to receive the Art Ross Trophy (the most points in an NHL season) with 120 points in the 2006-2007 season.
  
  
  
• Sidney Crosby became the youngest person to have two consecutive 100 point seasons when he scored a goal on March 10, 2007 in a 3-2 OT win vs. NYR
  
  
  
• He holds the Pittsburgh Penguins' franchise record for assists in a season by a rookie with 63.
  
  
  
• He is the youngest player to be voted to the NHL All-Star Game.
  
  
  
• On March 2, 2007, Crosby scored his 200th point, he is now the youngest player to ever do this.
  
  
  
• Currently seen on the Tim Horton's Timbit Hockey commercial.
  
  
  
• The player that he hates playing against most is Denis Gauthier.
  
  
  
• His favorite sport other than hockey is baseball.
  
  
  
• Lists Steve Yzerman as his hockey idol.
  
  
  
• His superstitions include putting his equipment on the right-hand side first, and after his stick is taped no one is allowed to touch it.
  
  
  
• Sidney used his mother's clothes dryer as a goal when he played in the basement of their home. The dryer is now dented beyond recognition without a button left on it. It has since been replaced at Crosby's expense.
  
  
  
• Sidney Crosby received the most votes (825,783) for the 2007 NHL All Star Game. This makes Crosby the youngest person voted to the All Star Game since fan balloting began in 1986.
  
  
  
• Sidney Crosby is the youngest person ever to lead the NHL in points.
  
  
  
• Sidney scored a career high 6 points (1G 5A) on December 13, 2006 to lead the Penguins over their in-state rivals Philadelphia Flyers 8-4. This also allowed him to lead in points by players for the first time in his career.
  
  
  
• Sidney's favorite TV show is Friends
  
  
  
• While having a great success in hockey, Crosby still managed to maintain an 85% average as a grade 11 student.

At age 7 Crosby was featured on Hockey Day in Canada, an annual special presentation of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

• Crosby began ice skating at age 3.
  
  
  
• When he was a young boy, he would play hockey in the basement of his home. His father even painted the floor white and added red and blue lines.
  
  
  
• His father,Troy, had been drafted by the Montreal Canadians in 1984, but never played.
  
  
  
• Overall, in the 05-06 season, Crosby finished sixth in the NHL scoring race and seventh in the NHL in assists.
  
  
  
• He played his first professional NHL game on October 5, 2005 against the New Jesey Devils, and registered an assist.
  
  
  
• He shoots left.
  
  
  
• Sidney scored his first career hat trick October 28, 2006 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
  
  
  
• On December 28, 2003 Crosby scored his first goal of the world junior hockey championship in a 7-2 win over Switzerland, becoming the youngest player ever to score for the team at age 16 years, 4 months, 24 days. The puck from Sidney's record making goal is in the Hockey Hall of Fame
  
  
  
• Only at 19- he has already been inducted in the Nova Scotia Hall of Fame.
  
  
  
• In 4th Grade, Sidney enjoyed studying poetry and playing sports. He wasn't a straight A student, but he had good grades.
  
  
  
• During Sidney's Midget Career in Dartsmouth, he scored over 100 goals and over 100 assists in 1 season. He led his team to a national championship.
  
  
  
• Dan Potash hosted an FSN Pittsburgh Special: In My Own Words: Sidney Crosby
  
  
  
• Sidney scored 2 goals and 3 assists in the Penguins pre-season games in the Canadian Maritimes.
  
  
  
• Sidney didn't play in the 2007 Pre-season home opener because GM Ray Shero was afraid that he would get injured before the season actually started.
  
  
  
• Alexander Ovechkin edged Sidney Crosby from winning the Calder Cup in their rookie season.
  
  
  
• Sidney is in a Gatorade ad. The ad comprises of all the people in the neighbourhood putting their hockey sticks in a pile, after Sidney tosses his stick in.
  
  
  
• Sidney Crosby won the Baz Bastien Memorial “Good Guy” Award, A.T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Cup, Rookie of the Year Award, and the Most Valuable Player Award at a ceremony held at the final home game of the '05- '06 season.
  
  
  
• Sidney became the youngest player (rookie) to get 100 points in one season on 4/17/06, when the Penguins defeated the New York Islanders 6-1 in their final home game that season.
  
  
  
• Sidney wears all Reebok products and recently did a commercial for them.
  
  
  
• Sidney's parents are Troy and Trina Crosby. He also has one sister, Taylor who is 9 years younger than him.
  
  
  
• On the Penguins' two-game winning streak, Sidney says, "There's a good energy right now. We're all feeding off each other, battling out there, and sacrificing for each other. That's the way the game's played. We're out there competing for each other. That's probably the biggest thing that drives each of us."
  
  
  
• Sidney's usual position is center.
  
  
  
• On Friday, December 16, 2005- new Penguins coach Michel Therrien appointed Sidney to Alternate Captain. He will wear an "A" on his jersey to show his new position on the team.
  
  
  
• Sidney is (or was) living with hockey legend Mario Lemieux while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
  
  
  
• Sidney says, “When you’re making plays out there, forcing things, creating things, that’s the most-fun part... It’s not always fun when you can’t get anything going out there. You want to go out there, have the puck and make plays."
  
  
  
• Sidney is 5'11"(1.8 m) tall and weighs 193 lbs.(88 kg)
  
  
  
• Sidney was NHL Rookie of the Month in October 2005.
  
  
  
• Sidney scored the Pittsburgh Penguins first ever winning shootout goal on 11/10/2005
  
  
  
• Scored his first NHL goal October, 8, 2005 against Goaltender Hannu Toivonen, Mark Recchi got an assist.
  
  
  
• Sidney's official website is Crosby87.com
  
  
  
• Sidney's jersey number is 87 due to his birthday being August 7, 1987 (8/7--87)
  
  
  
• Sidney's salary in the QMJHL was just $35 Canadian per week
  
  
  
• Sidney was the youngest team member in the World Juniors, at only age 16
  
  
  
• Sidney played for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL before he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins
  
  
  
• Sidney was selected by Pittsburgh Penguins #1 overall 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
  

Source: www.tv.com/

Sidney Crosby: A Biography of Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby was born on August 7, 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to Troy and Trina Crosby. He got a knack for hockey at a very early age, shooting pucks in the basement when he was just two years old and putting numerous dents in the family dryer. His father was a goalie, having played major junior hockey with the Verdun Juniors and was a 12th round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. Though he never played professional hockey, he did put his son on the right path. A year later when Sidney Crosby was just over three, he had donned his first pair of skates and taken to the ice. It wasn't long before he started playing organized hockey and was immediately recognized for the exceptional skill he exhibited playing the game.

Early Years

By age seven he was already known to the local sports press for his hockey prowess. In 1997 he scored 159 goals in 55 games playing hockey in "Atom" and finished the season in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia with a whopping 280 points. During the 2001 hockey season he played in both a Tier II junior league and AAA midget hockey in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Though Sidney was only fourteen years old, he excelled against players up to three years his senior. After scoring 193 points in 74 games, it was clear that he was unlikely to return to the Nova Scotia AAA league.

Sidney and his family wanted him to play major juinor hockey in his hometown of Halifax as an underage player, just as Jason Spezza had in Brampton. After he wasn't allowed to play for the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), he chose to play hockey at a high school in the United States. As if on queue. Sidney Crosby put up very impressive numbers with Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school in Minnesota. He created a new scoring records by notching 72 goals and 110 assists for a total of 162 points in just 57 games. He also led his high school to the national title.

Junior Hockey Career

Sidney was drafted first overall in the midget draft by the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. He was very impressive as a QMJHL rookie during the 2003-2004 season. Crosby played a total of 59 games, scoring 54 goals along with 84 assists for 135 points. He was also invitied to play for the Canadian Junior Hockey Team; the only player under eighteen to suit up for Canada in that tournament and he became the youngest player to ever score a goal in the World Junior Championships. By the time Sidney Crosby returned to Rimouski for the 2004-05 season, he was considered the best hockey prospect in the world and was sure to have a tough season, with the whole league gunning for him.

That was a challenge he certainly rose to, scoring 66 goals and 102 assists for 168 points in just 62 games during the 2004-05 regular season. He also returned for a second stint with the Canadian Junior Hockey team and won a gold medal in North Dakota. Back after his orld Juinors victory, Crosby and the Oceanic tore up with Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team had a sensational season and made it to the Memorial Cup tournament that was held in London, Ontario. Though the Oceanic lost to the London Knights in the Memorial Cup finals, Sidney Crosby scored 11 points that the 5 tournament games and solidifed his position as the best hockey prospect for the 2005 National Hockey League (NHL) amateur entry draft.

Crosby's journey to the NHL

With the NHL and its players union pitted against each other in a nasty labour dispute, rumours about where Sidney would play began to surface soon after the Memorial Cup was over. He wasn't returning to the QMJHL and the World Hockey Association (WHA) along with a European team were supposedly in the mix. But Sidney made it clear that his dream was to play in the National Hockey League. While the NHL was negotiating its collective bargaining agreement, Sidney signed on to become a spokesperson for Reebok's line of hockey products.

The NHL and NHLPA agreed on a new CBA on July 13th, 2005 and a special lottery draft was held on July 22nd to figure out who would get the first overall pick in the entry draft. Quickly dubbed the "Sidney Crosby sweepstakes", teams were assigned a weighted probability depending on their previous seasons' records. The Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery and drafted Sidney Crosby as their first overall pick on July 30th, 2005. Crosby entered the NHL as an eighteen year old and was put under the tutelage of the great Mario Lemieux. Even though Mario had to retire a few months into the season due to some health concerns, Crosby clearly took over the team as their best player on the ice. He finished his rookie season with 39 goals and 63 assits for 102 points and second in the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) voting to Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. With the arrival of Russian prospect Evgeni Malkin to Pittsburgh and the continuing development of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens looked to have a strong team with a bright future. Sid continued to solidify his place in the NHL with a banner sophmore year, where his 120 points were plenty to land him the coveted Art Ross Trophy along with the Hart and Lester B. Pearson awards. The 2007-08 regular season saw Sidney Crosby miss 29 games due to injuries, but he came back strong in the playoffs to lead the Penguins to the Stanley Cup finals; where they lost to the Red Wings.

Source: www.sidneycrosbyfans.info/biography/