Lindbäck with yet another shutout. The team defence has gotten better, but still he is clearly the biggest factor behind the resent point streak of Ilves. He is simply the best goalie I have seen in this league. Finnish SM-liiga is not the NHL, but still it is not like poor goalies can do well here. The combination of size, mobility and reflexes is quite rare. And not only that, but good stickhandling and the fact he always tries to keep the play going on rather than have a defensive zone face-off is remarkable (not sure if that's correct English, but I'm sure you get the idea).
Lindbäck now has 3 shutouts while the league leaders have 4 (with more than twice the number of games played). SV% is .930 (3rd in the league) and GAA 2.33 (9th) and all this with the team that still is the last in the league. If he can play anything like this in the NHL, goalkeeping will be the least of your worries.
Gets me excited to see him play in... The... Nh... Crap...
Teddy Purcell on Monday was blunt in his assessment of negotiations between the league and Players' Association on a new collective bargaining agreement, calling the situation "hopeless." If things don't change by Christmas, he said he expects to be playing in Europe not long after Christmas.
"I've been trying to stay positive the last couple of months that something was going to get done," Purcell said after a skate at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon. "Hopefully, something still gets done, but I don't want to take a whole year off. I know I want to go play. You just want to stay competitive."
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"Just deflated," Purcell said of how he feels about the situation. "When you found out last week they took everything off the table, everybody is going, 'Where do you go from here? What's the next step?' It's frustrating, but you can't let it get you down. It will just drive you crazy. I don't know if it's a game or what the deal is going on. It's painful."
Wing Marty St. Louis, who also has threatened to bolt to Europe, said he still is in a holding pattern and will wait until after Christmas to assess where things stand. There is speculation the sides could resume talks on Wednesday.
"Right now to Christmas I just want to get a good week of work in," he said. "I'm hopeful they'll get us back to the table."
Center Steven Stamkos said he has no plans to play in Europe at this time. He also has kept his optimism.
"I still believe we will be playing," he wrote in an email.
__________________
"It's still All In to me dammit." - Felonious Python
I hope the time off does not hurt Stammer... Would it be better (assuming a deal will not be made anytime soon) if he go play elsewhere? I am sure working out will keep him strong, but so much time off can't be a good thing. Damn shame after this last season he had.
I hope the time off does not hurt Stammer... Would it be better (assuming a deal will not be made anytime soon) if he go play elsewhere? I am sure working out will keep him strong, but so much time off can't be a good thing. Damn shame after this last season he had.
I think it'd be best for him to play. The benefits I believe are two-fold.
One, Stammer gets to play, which is the combination of those things he's been training and a specific skill in itself. Hockey IQ cannot be underestimated and it's only truly practiced in proper games.
and two, it puts pressure on the NHL and PA to get a deal done. By signing elsewhere, it implies that they're hockey players, and not 'NHL' players. There's too much hubris from both sides, and especially from the league, of how important they are.
While the league could play a widespread dispersion of players as a sign the players are willing to play for less, the PA can play it as a sign to the NHL that the game goes on without them. If anything, it further tarnishes the league's reputation and gets people interested in the sport's many alternatives.
Sorry to break it to them, but when the league is locked out, it forfeits the claim of being the highest caliber hockey league in the world. (congratulations AHL!)
Multiple reports have the negotiations as going on in NJ. Days, do you see them?
Last edited by Felonious Python: 12-12-2012 at 12:08 PM.
Stamkos to play in NHLPA/RBC charity game at Maple Leaf Gardens, December 19th:
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Steven Stamkos and P.K. Subban are scheduled to lead teams of locked-out NHLers during a charity game on Dec. 19. It will be held at Ryerson University's new Mattamy Athletic Centre, which is located inside the building the Toronto Maple Leafs called home from 1931 to 1999. The proceeds from the game will benefit the NHLPA's Goals & Dreams fund and RBC's Play Hockey initiative.
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"(It) is a great opportunity to share the joy and excitement of hockey with our fans," Stamkos said Wednesday in a release. "I'm looking forward to playing alongside this impressive lineup of fellow NHL players while helping to raise funds to benefit local hockey programs across the country."
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Among the other players set to attend are James Neal, Logan Couture, Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek, Kris Versteeg, Niklas Kronwall and John-Michael Liles.
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Tickets will be on sale starting Thursday at a price of $25.
Marty St. Louis said he was asked by the Players' Association to take part in Wednesday's negotiating session with the league on a new collective bargaining agreement. But the Tampa Bay Lightning star said he is better off right now on the sidelines waiting to hear what comes of the talks.
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"This week I want to get a good week of work and see where I'm at at Christmas," he said. "You've got to stay prepared. You don't do yourself a favor if you don't stay in shape. I'm just trying to do that. I'm trying to catch up right now."
Dana Tyrell, playing for Banska Bystrica in Slovakia, sat out last game, apparently with a minor groin strain. He hopes to play this week.
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Not a huge surprise Tyrell's groin is tender. He hadn't played since a January knee injury that required surgery.
Tyrell has 3 points in 2 games. He's been on the ice for all 5 goals his team has scored in those 2 games.
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I also thought it might be helpful if I separated all the stuff about our players skating in Tampa, Stamkos training and playing at different events, and our other players over sea in Europe to a new thread to keep the discussion going in the CBA thread.
Last edited by TheDaysOf 04: 12-17-2012 at 12:01 PM.
As the NHL lockout lingers on, Steven Stamkos continues to keep things all business.
It's a big reason last season's Rocket Richard Trophy winner returned to his hometown of Toronto shortly after the lockout was imposed in September. He's been working out with a personal trainer twice a week, as well as four days a week with former Tampa Bay teammate Gary Roberts while taking part in some pickup games on Roberts' outdoor mini-rink.
Stamkos also has participated in some games with his father's recreational league once a week, which is about the closest he's come to partaking in many recreational activities.
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The work he puts in with Roberts has Stamkos sticking around familiar parts instead of playing in Europe anytime soon. The intensity of working with Roberts, along with other NHL players such as former Lightning teammate Steve Downie, makes Stamkos think he'll be ready to go when the labor dispute is settled.
"I've finally got into a pretty good routine that if we do play in the next two, three or four weeks that I could come in, get in a couple of good skates and be ready to go,'' Stamkos said.
"I'm just trying to stay close to the best shape possible. It's obviously tough with the uncertainty. …But I know here I have a good routine and I don't want to break that up, which has been good under the circumstances.''
Team Blue:
Steven Stamkos (C)
Michael Del Zotto
Mike Komisarek
Niklas Kronwall
Dion Phaneuf
Kyle Quincey
Dan Cleary
Tim Connolly
B.J. Crombeen
Steve Downie
Chris Kelly
Clarke MacArthur
Matt Martin
James Neal
Teddy Purcell
David Steckel
Kris Versteeg
Wojtek Wolski
Jonas Gustavsson
Mike Leighton
Team White:
P.K Subban (C)
Chris Campoli
Carlo Colaiacovo
Tomas Kaberle
John-Michael Liles
Brad Boyes
David Clarkson
Logan Couture
Phil Kessel
Tom Kostopoulos
Matthew Lombardi
Joffrey Lupul
Jay McClement
John Mitchell
Steve Ott
Peter Regin
Chris Stewart
Dan Winnik
Martin Biron
sorry to break it to them, but when the league is locked out, it forfeits the claim of being the highest caliber hockey league in the world. (congratulations ahl!)
I've seen Hedman play couple of times and been pretty impressed. He seems to have taken that step forward.
But there is thing that causes worry to me; there is little to no forecheck in KHL, tempo/physicality is relatively low compared to big show. The transition back to NHL may be tough one.
And his 13 games with Ilves Tampere in Tampere — 3-6-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .930 save percentage — not only helped refine a crucial aspect of Lindback's game, it bolstered the Lightning's confidence its gamble on the 6-foot-6 Swede, who has played just 38 NHL games, will pay off.
"He turned out pretty solid numbers with a last-place team, so that's interesting," Tampa Bay goaltenders coach Frantz Jean said. "It's the next step for him. He needs the opportunity to be a No. 1. He has the tools to be one."
Those tools include a solid glove and a competitive nature Jean called one of Lindback's "biggest pluses."
There also is this:
"He's got quick legs," Jean said. "A lot of times guys who are 6-6 are a little lanky, a little sloppy. They look slow. But he's extremely fast and crisp."
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He also worked with Ilves goaltenders coach Markus Korhonen, Lindback's teammate in 2007-08 for Sweden's Brynas.
Their main focus: Lindback's patience in net, letting plays come to him rather than always anticipating or challenging.
"I was overworking some situations," Lindback said. "It's like that when you haven't played for a while."
Perhaps, but Jean said Lindback was too aggressive at times during two seasons as backup to Nashville's Pekka Rinne.
"He doesn't need to chase the play," Jean said. "At 6-6 he can be more patient and sit back a little bit. That's an adjustment guys make with experience. He's kind of figuring out where he needs to stand to maximize his efficiency."
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As for choosing to play in a country with rinks closer to NHL dimensions, Jean said, "That's actually pretty smart. Playing on smaller ice, you get more broken plays, more turnovers, more situations where if you're not prepared, you're on your heels."
Lindback is more on pins and needles waiting for the NHL to start playing games. His contract with Ilves is done, and his right knee, which needed stitches after being hit by a shot, is good as new.
"I'm excited for the opportunity in Tampa," Lindback said. "Sooner or later it's going to happen."
Last edited by TheDaysOf 04: 01-04-2013 at 01:14 PM.
