Mile High Hockey - All Posts

UNCONFIRMED: Patrick Roy likely to be the next coach of the Avalanche

2013-05-21T05:25:12Z

The news trickled through social media tonight that Patrick Roy's brother Stephane had posted the following on his Facebook wall:

For all my friends I'd like you to know before the official news spreads that my older brother will be the new coach of the Colorado Avalanch.

Adrian Dater is now reporting he has spoken with Stephane via telephone, who confirmed that Patrick and the Avs are hammering out the final details of an agreement.

So there's the tenuous, waffling story. Dater is reporting that Stephane Roy is reporting that Patrick Roy is going to be the next head coach, but no one else will confirm anything.

Naturally the Avalanche wouldn't comment, and Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy were unavailable. That's kinda how these things go--and should go--until the team is ready to make the announcement.

Keep an eye on this space to evolve as details emerge, but unless a fake Stephane Roy is Teo'ing all of us, this looks like the real deal.

Sighs of Relief @ MHH

2013-05-21T02:08:08Z

I just want to take a quick moment to send thoughts and prayers out to those affected by the tornado today in Oklahoma. Sadly, we see tragedies like this - both natural and man-made - far too often. Although we usually stick to hockey here, the devastation in Moore hits particularly close to home as that is where Mike and Mrs @ MHH live.

Thankfully, Mike, Jessie and the boys are okay and we are all extremely thankful for that. However, many from their city were not so fortunate. For those readers in a position to help out, here is a link to some relief funds. Thank you for listening.

Playoffs Thread for May 20

2013-05-20T14:00:05Z

We had our first multiple-overtime game last night! Colin Greening was the hero for Ottawa. Only one game on the schedule tonight though.

#1 Chicago Blackhawks at #7 detroit red wings (1-1)

7:30 Eastern, NBC Sports, CBC, RDS

Henrik Zetterberg and Patrick Sharp lead their respective teams with 10 points apiece, albeit Zetterberg's in two additional games. Chicago played pretty poorly in Game 2. The NHL.com preview says

Chicago's 20 shots on goal in Game 2 was its least in a Stanley Cup Playoff game since April 27, 2009.

Holy shit.

May 19 Playoffs Thread

2013-05-19T14:00:07Z

Another broken, but full, day of hockey ahead of us today as the Eastern Conference semis get their showcase. In random news, the San Jose Sharks were fined $100,000 yesterday for publicly whining about the Raffi Torres suspension less than 48 hours after the decision ($25k) somehow "inappropriately" ($75k). If you were keeping track at home that's $25k for breaking a rule they knew fully about and $75k for thoughtcrime.

#6 New York Rangers at #4 Boston Bruins (1-0 BOS)

3:00 Eastern, NBC, TSN, RDS

Game 1 of this one went into overtime, because of course it did. The Bruins won, because of course they did, on a Brad Marchand goal. Boston is 3-0 in overtime this postseason. Meanwhile New York is still looking for a goal from Rick Nash, who does have 3 assists.

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins at #7 Ottawa Senators (2-0 PIT)

7:30 Eastern, NBC Sports, CBC, RDS

The Penguins have started firing on all cylinders, including a Sidney Crosby hat trick and chasing Craig Anderson, and still have been relying on the services of Tomas Vokoun (.945 SV% through 4 games). Anderson was outstanding in the conference quarters against Montreal but has dipped to a Nabokovian .865 SV% so far in the semis. Ottawa looks to get Jason Spezza back tonight. He hasn't played since late January so look for him to be eased into the lineup by Jack Adams nominee Paul McLean, meaning he'll probably play 24 minutes.

Happy weekend: Playoffs live thread, May 18

2013-05-18T14:00:06Z

Today we've got an early game and a late game. Nothing in between.

#7 detroit red wings at #1 Chicago Blackhawks (1-0 CHI)

1:00 Eastern, NBC, CBC

Game 1 of this one was pretty fuckin dull. Here's hoping Amway's team comes out with some desperation and makes a game out of it this afternoon.

#5 Los Angeles Kings at #6 San Jose Sharks (2-0 LAK)

9:00 Eastern, NBC Sports, TSN, RDS

Now here's one that's gotten good.

LA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 2, at which point Dater tweeted that despite the Sharks starting to out play them, they had this in the bag. Then San Jose scored three unanswered to lead 3-2, and Dater apologized to Kings fans for the jinx. Minutes later, as the game wound down, San Jose took a bad penalty (hooking, I think) and a penalty that is bad (super borderline puck over the glass) to go down two men. LA would score twice in 22 seconds to win 4-3. The Dater Jinx is alive and well, and also this series is pretty exciting now, and also fuck the puck over the glass penalty in that situation. Jeez.

Poll

Go:

A Peek at the 2013 Memorial Cup

2013-05-17T16:23:43Z

As the Colorado Avalanche count the days until the June 30th draft, there is likely to be many within the organization focused on the city of Saskatoon over the next few days. There, the hometown Saskatoon Blades (WHL) prepare to host the 2013 Memorial Cup, which starts tonight. The annual Memorial Cup tournament features a host team, along with the playoff champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League. Joining the Blades are the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), London Knights (OHL), and the Portland Winterhawks (WHL).

Saskatoon Blades

Host Saskatoon features Avs 2011 first round pick Duncan Siemens. The defenseman suited up for 70 regular season games for the Blades with three goals and 29 assists; to go along with a plus 31 rating. It was an inauspicious start for Siemens and the Blades as the Alberta native was stripped of his captaincy in the early part of the season. Despite the apparent distraction, the club finished second in the Eastern Conference behind the Edmonton Oil Kings. The highlight of the season was an 18 game winning streak.

Despite the strong finish, the club was swept in the opening round of the WHL playoffs by the Medicine Hat Tigers. How rusty can a team be? The Saskatoon Blades have not played in a game for nearly two months.

Portland Winterhawks

The focus of Avalanche fans during the Memorial Cup will be on defenseman Seth Jones. His Portland Winterhawks compiled the best record during the regular season with 57 wins. Jones had 14 goals and 42 assists in 61 games; garnering WHL Rookie of the Year honors. A couple of other interesting Winterhawks are Troy Rutkowski and Ty Rattie.

Rutkowski was drafted by the Avs in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. He and the Avalanche could not come to terms on a contract last spring and the defenseman became a free agent. He signed a three-year entry level contract with the Ottawa Senators in March. The overager led all Portland defenders in scoring with 66 points.

Ty Rattie is a name Avs fans are familiar as he was selected by the Blues in the second round of the 2011 draft with the pick that St. Louis obtained from Colorado as part of the blockbuster Erik Johnson trade. He was recently named MVP of the WHL Championship Series and had 36 points in 21 post-season games.

Halifax Mooseheads

The two players most often mentioned in the same sentence as Seth Jones to be potentially selected first overall in the June draft are Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin. The diminutive Drouin tore up the QMJHL with 105 points in 49 games during the regular season. Nathan MacKinnon finished with 75 points in 44 games for the Mooseheads. The duo continued to fire on all cylinders in the post-season. Drouin and MacKinnon were first and third respectively in playoff scoring. The Mooseheads dominated through the playoffs losing only once all post-season. Will their strong play continue?

London Knights

Max Domi may not be receiving as much hype as some of the other prospects entering the Memorial Cup, but he carved himself out a fine season with the London Knights. He was the top playoff scorer for the OHL champion Knights with 32 points in 21 games. London compiled the top record during the regular season, producing 50 wins. The team won a gritty seven game series over the Barrie Colts to secure their bid to the Memorial Cup.

Schedule

Friday, May 17 -- London vs Saskatoon -- 6:00 PM MST

Saturday, May 18 -- Portland vs Halifax -- 5:00 PM MST

Sunday, May 19 -- Saskatoon vs Halifax -- 5:00 PM MST

Monday, May 20 -- Portland vs London -- 6:00 PM MST

Tuesday, May 21 -- Halifax vs London -- 6:00 PM MST

Wednesday, May 22 -- Saskatoon vs Portland -- 6:00 PM MST

Broadcast

The Memorial Cup is available to Canadian viewers live on Sportsnet. US viewers will also have an opportunity to watch the event on the NHL Network; sadly the games will be tape delayed.

Playoffs Preview and Live Thread, May 17

2013-05-17T15:15:04Z

Just one game tonight. Pittsburgh took Ottawa to school in a 4-1 victory that saw stellar performances from Evgeni Malkin (1G, 1A) and Tomas Vokoun (36 SA).

#7 Ottawa Senators at #2 Pittsburgh Penguins

7:30 pm Eastern, TV: NBCSN, CBC, RDS

The Sens lost game one but according to Mark Parisi of Silver Seven we shouldn't expect the same story tonight:

Good adjustments appear to be a big part of head coach Paul MacLean's playbook. We saw it all year with the injury situation. We saw it when the team was on a 5-game losing streak--a tailspin that threatened to kill its playoff hopes. We saw it in game three against Montreal when the team responded to a 3-1 loss with a 6-1 victory.

However, as Hooks Orpik of PensBurgh notes, MacLean will have to figure out how to stop the Pens' dynamic offense:

Perhaps as expected, since they've only had a few games to mesh, but the chemistry between the top lines is growing right before our very lines. Dupuis looks fine on the left wing (a change for him) and Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla are gelling more and more every shift. For the other big line, there's no doubting the chemistry between Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal.

Should be a good game.

Poll

Who is the better netminder?

News of the Colorado Avalanche - Links around the NHL - May 17th, 2013

2013-05-17T11:31:47Z

Oates thinks he could take on Torts.

Host LaVar Arrington then asked Oates if he would "beat (Tortorella) up in a one-on-one situation?"

"Yes. Easily," Oates said without hesitation.

Torres is out for the remainder of the playoff series.

San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres was suspended for the rest of the Western Conference semi-final series against Los Angeles on Thursday for a hit to Kings forward Jarret Stoll’s head.

Torres was assessed a minor penalty for charging for the second-period hit Tuesday night in the Kings’ 2-0 victory in Game 1. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Torres is considered a repeat offender.

How would Tippett look behind the Avalanche bench?

There are very few coaches that a team could hire and expect immediate positive results. The late Pat Burns was one of them. Ken Hitchcock is one of them. So is Dave Tippett, which is why his situation is one of the most fascinating of the postseason and/or off-season.

Tippett has made the playoffs in eight of 10 seasons as a head coach in the NHL. His system turned the Phoenix Coyotes into a playoff team in three of four seasons, under inconceivable conditions with the franchise’s ownership mess.

Eric Staal was injured by a knee on knee hit.

Canadian captain Eric Staal had to be helped off the ice after a knee-on-knee collision with Sweden defenceman Alex Edler in the first period of the quarter-final game at the world hockey championship.

Staal clutched his left knee and was in obvious pain after Edler skated into the Sweden zone and clipped Staal’s knee at 15:52 of the first period.