Sean's Blog

The Stretch Run

This season has no shortage of teams making a jump to the penthouse in the standings.

With the season just more than half way done, let's take a look at some of the potential movers and shakers who are in unfamiliar territory based on their recent history.

New York Rangers

The culture change may have happened in the off-season when GM Glen Sather was able to make the biggest splash in the free-agent market when he signed centre Brad Richards to a contract, filling the Rangers need for a first line center.

Now by no means has Richards been a catalyst for this team, but the commitment to success echoed loud and clear among the players as they've given themselves a chance to win every time they step on the ice.

Well, that and Henrik Lundqvist could potentially hear his name called for a Hart Trophy nomination if he keeps playing the way he has this season for the Blueshirts. He's ranked inside the top five in goals against, as well as save percentage while sitting on the cusp for wins.

Although their play thus far has been stellar, i don't see their future looking very bright. This team still needs to mesh and will be up against some very stiff competition in the East. I think the Rangers can do enough to get themselves a playoff berth, but with powerful teams like the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers, I can't see them moving past the second round.

St. Louis Blues

When Jaroslav Halak arrived in St. Louis, he thought his days of sharing time were over. It was his time to be...number 1. Enter Brian Elliot. After bouncing around over the past three seasons, Elliot landed in St Louis to backup Halak with hopes he might revive his career.

He's done that in a big way this year punching his ticket to his first All-Star game in Ottawa and being half of one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in the league along side the likes of Tim Thomas and Tukka Rask or Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider.

The Blues haven't done it pretty but, like the Rangers, their all around solid play combined with timely goaltending has propelled them to the top of the league. The Blues have what it takes to make it into the playoffs, but might be in over their heads with teams like the Sharks, Red Wings, Canucks and BlackHawks.

Who would have thought the Rangers and Blues would be tied for first in the league this late in the season..?!

Ottawa Senators

Yes, that's right. I said the Ottawa Senators. Erik Karlsson has been a breakout star this year and is on pace to have one of the most prolific offensive years for a defenseman in quite some time. This spark has been great for the Sens veterans such as Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, and newcomer Milan Michalek who was leading the league in goals before going down with a concussion.

Given how they started the season, makes this even more of a surprise. Before the season started Ottawa may have been a clear cut number one for last place and after posting one win in their first 6 games while allowing a whopping 30 goals, they were well on their way to achieving it.

Somehow the Senators have righted the ship for the time being and sit 4 points out of a first place tie for the league lead but i warn you, don't get your hopes up Sens fans. I don't think that this streak will have lasting power as they fight for a playoff spot in the East against some highly talented teams. They have to stay healthy and hope for some injuries on some other squads(Pittsburgh) to have a chance at cracking the top 8 after 82 games.

TEAM CANADA IMPRESSES AGAIN

It would appear the goaltending debate will be in full swing for the next 24 hours after the performance put forth from Scott Wedgewood, making 26 saves to ensure the Canadian win.

The score fails to tell the whole story as this was a one goal game until late in the second period. On the Powerplay, Wedgewood also picked up an assist as he took it up on himself to send what looked a hail mary of a pass to Freddie Hamilton at the Czech blueline. The puck was put in the back of the net just a few moments later by Ryan Strome.

Winnipeg Jets prospect Mark Scheifele had a pair of goals while Strome, Mark Stone and Brett Connolly rounded out the scoring.

Canada continued its stellar performance on the Penalty Kill as they remained perfect on the tournament. Canada now moves to 2-0 and sits atop Pool B.

Czech goaltender Peter Mrazek looked impressive as he stopped 33 of 38 shots and a penalty shot in a losing effort.

Not that i need to hype the New Years Day matchup between the Americans and the Canadians, but with the loss to the Finns It's going to get very interesting for the Americans as they may be thrust into a do-or-die scenario just to secure a birth into the elimination rounds.

Needless to say you will not want to miss this game!

In Pool A games today, The Swedes squeaked out a victory over a surprising team from Switzerland who has proven to be a tough opponent to play against! The Russians also won 3-1 over Slovakia giving them the lead in Pool A by virtue of Sweden's only gaining 2 points for their shootout victory.

NHL Wrap-Up 12/21/11

CHI 5 - MTL 1

It had been 6 long games as the backup for projected pre-season starting
goaltender Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. When he was given his
chance, he put in a solid effort and the offense took care of the rest in a 5 – 1 rout of the
Montreal Canadiens who have now dropped four in a row to tough Eastern Conference
Opponents.
Starting goaltender Carey Price could only sit and watch as backup Peter Budaj
registered the loss for the Canadiens although they led 1 – 0 early in the second. Goals
21 seconds apart in the second period from Andrew Brunette and Patrick Sharp were all
that was needed to open up the floodgates on another performance that will leave
Canadiens Fans grinding at the bit for someone….nay, ANYONES HEAD!!!

Parlez-vous francais?

VAN 4 – DET 2
In a match-up of Western Conference powerhouses, it was last years Cup runner-
up that emerged the victor. It was Detroit’s recipe for success over the years that seemed
to be the Canucks bread and butter on this night, getting first period goals from each of
its top three lines.
The talent level was at an all time high in this game and it’s easy to see why both
of these teams are serious Cup contenders. Jannick Hansen continued his strong play
with a pair of assists and drew the ire of Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, sliding
into him taking him completely out of the play as Alexander Edler scored to give the
Canucks a two goal lead in the third. Howard came out swinging at Jannick Hansen,
clearly outraged at the particular variety of assist Hansen gave to Edler on the play.
Should be fun to see these two Titans link up in the Playoffs! The Canucks moved
to 7 – 1 – 1 in their last 9 games.

PHI 4 – DAL 1
Although the Dallas Stars have been hot as of late, they couldn’t cool off Claude
Giroux who was eager to make up for lost time in the scoring race posting a goal and
three assists in his return to the Flyers lineup.
With the win, Philadelphia improved on its NHL best 13 – 3 – 2 record away
from the Wells Fargo Center. On a side note, Jaromir Jagr scored his 657th Career goal
and passed NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shannahan for 11th all-time.
Wish I had moves like Jagr…..

SJS 7 – TBL 2
This game was over shortly after it got started as the San Jose Sharks pounced on
a Tampa Bay Lightning team who is seriously lacking any kind of bright spot beyond
Steven Stamkos at this point. The Sharks held a 5 – 0 lead before the game was even 15
minutes old and did not look back for 7 – 2 victory over the dismal Tampa Bay
Lightning.
Is it too soon to say Victor Hedman might need a new home to spark the potential that was once seen in him when the Lightning took him 2nd overall in the 09 draft?

COL 3 – STL 2
It was all Jean-Sebastien Giguere as the Colorado Avalanche were able to hang
on for a 3 – 2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Giguere made 37 saves for the win while
his Avalanche were outshot 11 – 1 in the third period and 39 – 22 overall.
The Blues erased a 2 – 0 second period deficit on goals from David Backes and
Chris Stewart, but managed to give up the game winning goal on a fluke play. Jay
McClement was credited with the goal as his pass was carried into the net by a sliding
Alex Pietrangelo who was trying to take away the pass on the 2 on 1. A lengthy review
confirmed the puck had crossed the line before Pietrangelo, and teammate Matt
D’Agostini, crashed into the net and knocked it of its moorings.
For the Blues, it marked their first regulation loss in their last seven games.

PHX 4 – CAR 3
The Carolina Hurricanes had been able to do at least one thing right until
Wednesday nights match-up with the Coyotes. They hadn’t lost a game in regulation
while leading after two periods of play this season posting a 9 – 0 – 2 record. But upon
setting up the tying goal early in the third, Lauri Korpikoski potted the eventual winner
just 6 minutes later for a 4 - 3 comeback victory for the Phoneix Coyotes.
Jason LaBarbera (3 – 3 - 0), who played in place of Mike Smith who went down
the night before with a lower-body injury, posted the win for the Coyotes. For the
Hurricanes, their record moves to 10 – 19 – 6, good enough for dead last in the Eastern
Conference.

Pittsburgh Penguins - Black and Yellow Lyrics

Pittsburgh Penguins - Black and Yellow Lyrics

Yeah, uh huh, I love them Penguins cause,

Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow,

Yeah, uh huh, my favourite player was,

Tom Barrasso, Tom Barrasso, Tom Barrasso, Tom Barrasso

Yeah uh huh, just listen to this,

The only thing we do, we do is win.

Yeah, uh huh, we'll win the cup again,

Momma look at me I’m straight Penguin.

I remember Mario and Jagr when they won it back to back,

Ninety-One and Ninety-Two and Ninety-One and Ninety-Two and,

It was a dream team but then it seemed for years they had a heart attack,

They kinda blew, they kinda blew, they kinda blew, they kinda blew, they

Pitt Penguin, they got a lot of dough,

I'd say it's probly 'cause that mother pucker Mario.

Oh yeah

They built a dynasty, we drafted Crosby,

Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury

Haters hate and they always wanna tell us,

But that's OK eighty-seven make 'em jealous,

No love for 'em Crosby win the Hart,

Check my wagon, push to start!

Yeah uh huh, the Philly Flyers suck!

Pronger you're a baby, why'd you steal that puck?!

Yeah uh huh, oh and Washington,

You'll never win a thing with Ovechkin!

You should count your lucky stars it could be worse at least you're not a Leaf,

That is true and, that is true and, that is true and, that is true and,

If you agree with what I'm sayin we should all just nod our heads and believe,

Nodding too and nodding too and nodding too and nodding too and

Ahhhh Yeah. We back in this Igloo bringin you guys some hockey

like you ain’t never seen before.

Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Vechkin,

No wait maybe not 'Vechkin but we gonna beat him too.

What you guys gonna do, when we comin at you

Welcome to The Igloo

Yeah uh huh, I’m a Penguin

Yeah uh huh, I'm a Penguin

Yeah uh huh Pittsburgh Penguins

I ain't Mick Jagger yo

I’m Jammy Jagr yo

I be skatin' with swagger yo,

Yeah uh huh, I'm a Penguin

Y'all ready for this!!

Yeah uh huh, I'm a Penguin

Black and yellow only thing I'm ever in!

Yeah uh huh, they wear black and gold?

Baby blue, embarrassing, not what I was told!

No one had previously told me that my song was really out of date

Now you know and now you know and now you know and,

No matter what the colour Pens are gonna win this ain’t up for debate

Gotta go and gotta go and gotta go and

Bye

Sean "'MC Five Hole" Plumridge

Hockeygods.com

A New Breed of Hockey Entertainment!

I need to start by saying I love this game!

More than anything! So much so, that I decided to pick up my life, move it 5000 kilometres just so I could live in the city of my favourite team (Go Canucks!). I remember growing up with early mornings, freezing cold on the lake, when you would skate for a day if you missed a pass. I remember Saturday nights spent around the TV watching the Hockey Night In Canada double header (those were the two games I got to see a week). And then I remember, that I couldn't picture a life without this beautiful game. It has provided me with some memories the will surely out live Alzheimer's.....or at least I hope I remember....

With that being said, there has been something missing from my life in hockey. Well if you don't have what you need, make it!

HockeyGods.com is our avenue to do just that. This game is a great one but for as long as I have lived, there has never been anything drawing my attention to the game in a different way. It has always been about the game itself. The players, the teams, the transactions, the drama. I've always wondered to myself, what if there was another medium to get my hockey fix? Something new, something creative, something that's different than what we've all seen before. Well, here you find something different.

We have a lot of goals with this website and we need a lot of help to accomplish them. This is our opportunity to show the World that hockey isn't just a one trick pony. We're offering a new medium to help grow the game by providing a level of entertainment not yet seen in the game. Our hope is that through sport and entertainment, we can create one universal brand of hockey that spans the globe.

Our Umbrella covers everything from NHL, to KHL, to Field Hockey, to Underwater Ice Hockey. My hope is that you guys find what we do to be different and entertaining. Please stay with us as we grow and get better at what we do. Our success will be your success.

Watch for new updates and new sections of the Website coming soon...I mean, really soon!

HockeyGoddess anyone?

See you guys on the web,

Sean "MC Five Hole" Plumridge

Love To Hear The Boos - Lyrics

Hey guys, Sean here. We've had enough requests that I think it's time to share the lyrics with you! Enjoy

LOVE TO HEAR THE BOOS

Just gonna stand here and watch you lose,

That's alright because i like to hear the boos,

I like to watch all theLeafs fans cry,

Brian Burke you should have stayed in Anaheim,

You should have stayed in Anaheim.

I can't tell you if they'll win again,

I can only tell you what they're golfing in,

And right now, we're wishing that we had Tyler Seguin!

It's a secret but I cheer while I can cheer,

As long as she doesn't find out, SHOOT!..Man I’m out of here!

She doesn't get me, why is she with me?

She'll love me when we win the cup in 2050!

It's time to be a man, no wait, no it ain’t.

Not if I wanna make love again!

Just gonna stand here and watch you lose,

That's alright because I like to hear the boos,

And if you should start to cry,

Here's a paper bag I cut two holes for eyes,

I cut two holes for eyes.

Have you ever wondered

why these Maple Leafs they always seem so awful,

I always wondered at that game why they threw them waffles,

they brought in Dion Phaneuf, Kris Versteeg, and Phil Kessel,

What's next Burke..bring in the Hulkster to wrestle?

I know Cliff Fletcher left you on a stretcher,

made some bad decisions had us wishin' you was on a mission but I doubt!

I doubt I'll see a cup soon in Toronto,

Believe me when I say it ain’t no consolation prize that we got Joey Votto.

Just gonna stand here and watch you lose,

That's alright because I like to hear the boos,

But I have got something trapped inside,

I'll always be a secret Maple Leaf for life,

A Maple Leaf for Life,

A Maple Leaf for Life.

World Hockey Now EP. 9

The Hockey Gods have released their weekly show featuring Entertaining articles from around the World of Hockey.

This Week on World Hockey Now: We feature the NHL in our Yearly Review, we check out the

musical stylings of one MC Five Hole with Patrick Kane - "I'm In Chicago Trick",and as always our Jersey and Video of the Week.

Enjoy Responsibly and Happy Holidays,

From the Team at Hockey Gods