Double Deke

NY Rangers – From Underachievers to the top of the League

doubledeke — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:27:05 +0000

The NY Rangers started the 2011 NHL season as underachievers, but since the slow start Head Coach John Torterella has found the combination of lines that are finally putting the work in.

The biggest free agent signing was easily Center ice-man Brad Richards and the thought of Richards, arguably the best playmaker in the league on the same line as Marion Gaborik, arguably the most talented Sniper in the league seemed like a no-brainer. However, that idea looked a lot better on paper than it did on ice, and Marion Gaborik has been putting his work in with another playmaker, exciting youngster Derek Stepan.

Thus far, Brad Richards has been a perfect fit on a line with 2 grinders Ruslan Fedotenko and Captain Ryan Callahan. Brad Richards, Ruslan Fedotenko and Head Coach John Torterella all won a Stanley Cup together in Tampa Bay, and they hope to do the same in Midtown Manhattan.

Maybe the most impressive part of the Rangers 2011 NHL season has been the young defense. The no-name Rangers defense man has been excellent despite not having their best player and leader Marc Staal who is still suffering from post concussion syndrome. Staal has begun skating again, but there is no set time for his return. With half of the NHL season in the rear view mirror the Rangers are amongst the best teams in the league. During the Rangers “slow start” they struggled to score goals, but since the lines have been scrambled they’re averaging better that 3 goals a game and have gone on winning streaks of 7 and 5 in a row all while posting a 7-2 and 1 record on home ice.

As expected Net Minder Henrik Lundqvist is also playing “lights out”. It seems obvious the Rangers will be in the Post Season, and Henrik Lundqvist is the type of player that can absolutely steal a series.

When Staal does return, he could be the final piece of the puzzle that pushes the Blue Shirts over the hump and allows them to make a second half run towards and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Let’s break it down, they have the will, guys like Callahan, Prust and Dubinsky define will. They have the skill, you can’t ask for better hands then Stepan, Gaborik, and Richards. They’re getting contributions from unexpected players like McDonuagh, Sauer, and Rookie speedster Carl Hagelin. They obviously have the Goaltender in fact they’ve always had the Goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist. Lastly their number one Defenseman Dan Girardi is finally getting the league wide recognition he deserves and can virtually take any one opposing player out of the game just as he did to Claude Giroux when the Rangers met their biggest rivals the Philadelphia Flyers.

That sounds like all the pieces that make up a Championship Hockey team. But can they keep it going?

[image source: Catrinamariee - flickr.com]

Mike Modano Calls it Quits After 21 NHL Seasons

doubledeke — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 23:01:20 +0000

For the first time in 22 years the NHL will start its regular season without Mike Modano in the lineup for one of its 30 teams. Modano, a star forward for the Minnesota/Dallas Stars franchise, decided to call it quits just after NHL training camps got underway.

: Mike Modano Upper Deck Rookie Card

While Modano may not have been the most prolific scorer in history, he does leave the game as the highest-scoring American born player ever with a total of 1,374 points in 1,499 season games. He managed to score 561 goals throughout his career and added 813 assists. He added another 58 goals and 88 assists for 146 points in 176 playoff games.

The 41-year-old center decided to announce his retirement on his Facebook page by saying the time was right for him to say goodbye. Modano was originally drafted first overall way back in 1988 from the Prince Albert Raiders of the western Hockey League. He was the just the second American ever to be selected with the number one pick. Brian Lawton was the first in 1983.

Modano was drafted by the Minnesota Stars and he made his NHL debut in the playoffs during 1988/89 when he played two games. He played four more seasons in Minnesota before the Stars relocated to Dallas in 1993 where he enjoyed 16 more seasons. He scored 50 goals in the 1993/94 campaign and managed to hit the back of the net at least 30 times on nine occasions.

Overall, Modano ranks number 22 on the list of NHL all-time scorers in points and number 23 in goals. He led the Stars to the Stanley Cup championship in 1998/99 and to the final the following year. He took home a gold medal in 1996 as a member of the winning American team in the World Cup of Hockey and earned a silver medal at the Olympic Games in 2002.

Modano left the Stars at the end of the 2009/10 season and signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. However, he missed just over half of the season due to a severed tendon in his right wrist. He said when last season came to an end in Detroit he realized that he was finished as a player. He said he didn’t receive any offers in the summer, but the Vancouver Canucks asked him to try out before training camp started.

However, he turned the invitation down because he wasn’t skating during the offseason and said he wasn’t really motivated. He didn’t feel quite right about retiring from the league as a Red Wing though. The Stars helped him out in that respect by signing him to a one-day contract so he could officially announce his retirement as a member of the Dallas organization.

The Michigan native plans to stay in the game and will do some broadcasting work with the NHL Network as well as FoxSports Southwest, where he’ll work some Stars games. He said he’d love to work for the Stars franchise once their ownership situation becomes clearer (the club is currently up for sale).

While Modano will definitely miss hockey, the fans will also miss him. He was known as a clean, classy player with plenty of speed and an excellent shot. He had a huge impact on the sport in America and will go down as one of that country’s greatest players. Expect to see Modano inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the future.

New Magazine – Puck Life

doubledeke — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 23:52:16 +0000

Since last February, Matt Horner has been writing a fantasy hockey column for a digital magazine called Puck Life that comes out once every couple of months. However, for their latest edition, they have pulled out all the stops, killed some trees, and gone to a hard-copy format.

This month’s edition comes with the Vancouver Canucks’ Ryan Kesler on the front page, is being sold in Chapters all across Canada!

You should definitely check it out. Matt Horner’s fantasy column is but a humble piece of the magazine, the majority of which is filled with excellent profile pieces on some of the top players and prospects in hockey. There’s an article on Mad Men’s Jon Hamm in this issue as well! He’s a big Blues fan.

As always, Matt wants to thank everyone who has stopped by and shown an interest in his writing and truly appreciates your support and hopse to continue writing quality pieces in the future.

For more great articles, be sure to visit Five Minutes for Fighting.

Habs vs Leafs

doubledeke — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:14:38 +0000

As long as hockey in the NHL dates back (or at least as long as I can remember …) there seems to have always been a rival between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Candiens …

there fore we start the Habs vs Leafs section …. who will win? … are you a fan, then have your say, sent us your Habs vs Leafs photos, videos, comments, feedback, stories etc. .

New Winnipeg Jets logo launched

doubledeke — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:02:34 +0000

The Winnipeg Jets have finally launched the new logo that the team will be going with this season after months of waiting. The new logo features a silhouette of a CF-18 Hornet fighter jet pointing north, centered on top of a red Canadian Maple Leaf.

“True North Sports & Entertainment felt it was important for the new Winnipeg Jets to develop a strong new identity,” said Mark Chipman, Chairman & Governor of True North Sports & Entertainment in a statement. “We felt it was important to authenticate the name Jets and we believe the new logo does that through its connection to our country’s remarkable Air Force heritage, including the rich history and relationship that our city and province have enjoyed with the Canadian Forces.”

Tribute Montage to the 2011 Champion Bruins

doubledeke — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:25:57 +0000

The Boston Bruins Road to the Stanley Cup Finals shown here in a tribute video montage …

Congrats to all Bruins players, team and fans!

Dallas Stars Ice Girls

doubledeke — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:45:23 +0000

The Dallas Stars Ice Girls have always done a great job of entertaining the fans and keeping their spirits up. But its not all just great looking girls in skimpy outfits, a lot of hard work goes into becoming a Dallas Stars Ice Girl. For the latest info on the 2011 – 2012 Ice Girls we recommend that you check out the DAllas Stars official website

http://stars.nhl.com/club/microhome.htm?location=/icegirls

[image source: hottestfan.com]

Chicago Blackhawks Team Info

doubledeke — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:54:57 +0000

Home of the BlackHawks

Chicago, Illinois 60612
Phone: 312-455-7000

Black Hawks Website

Habs This Years Playoff Underdogs?

doubledeke — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:32:49 +0000

We all know that the most successful hockey team in the NationalHockey League is the Montreal Canadiens with twenty four Stanley Cup Championship wins. Infarct the Canadiens are also the second most successful sports franchise in the world next to only the New YorkYankees who have more Pro Championship wins. The interesting thing about Montreal compared to other teams who have won championships before, is that they are not always the best team during the season. More often then none the Canadiens will be a pretty good team but will never have the best record over all.

Last season Montreal was the eighth seeded team in the Eastern Conference yet they still managed to beat out two other teams and make it to the ConferenceFinals. Montreal’s NHL odds this season to return back to the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup finals are pretty high. Their odds of winning the Eastern Conference are about +1600 and their odds to bring home the Stanley Cup are about +3000.

This season we look forward to watching star goalie Carey Price who set a franchise record with most games played in a season by a Montreal Goal tender to carry the team all the way to the finals. He was over shadowed by Alack who was very hot but dealt to St.Louis at the end of the season. One also must remember that there is much more to winning a championship and players like Scott Gomez, P. K. Subban and Brian Giota will be expected to play strong and do there parts to.As far as first components are concerned fans from all around and happy to watch the Canadiens play one of their big rivals the Boston Bruins in the first round. What a better way to get the playoffs going, by meeting and beating a team like Boston. DoubleDeke thinks that the Canadiens will be the under dog team to watch out for so lookout for a few upsets this spring caused by the hands of the HABS.

Update: Currently Montreal is leading the first round series over the Boston Bruins 2 games to 1.

[Source: Odds from BetUS]

Habs Girl – Rébéka

doubledeke — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:47:42 +0000

DoubleDeke has found another Hot Habs Fan who makes wearing the Canadiens logo proud for all Montreal Fans. Rébéka is studying fashion design and likes modeling in her spare time.

To see Rébéka’s full Habs Girl photo gallery with about 25 other great photos at HabsorDie.com.

[image source: habsordie.com]