Boston Bruins fans were hoping GM Peter Chiarelli would
bring in some scoring help via the UFA market this summer.
Chiarelli signed a scoring winger but not a big ticket one like
Marian Hossa, signing instead a forward who used to play for their arch-rival
sin Montreal.
The Bruins signed former Canadiens winger Michael Ryder to a
three-year, $12 million contract, paying him $4 million per season.
Seems a steep price to pay for a winger who managed only 14
goals and 31 points in limited ice time last season, but the affable
Newfoundlander is only one season removed from his second straight 30-goal
season, and if he can regain his scoring touch with the Bruins it could become
a worthwhile signing.
This move should also demonstrate once and for all that the
Bruins won’t be dumping the contract of aging veteran Glen Murray to free up
the cap space to get into the bidding war for Hossa.
The Philadelphia Flyers added depth to their forward lines
by signing former Bruin Glen Metropolit to a two-year contract. Financial terms
weren’t disclosed.
Metropolit was one of last season’s “feel good” stories,
making the Boston Bruins last season as a training camp invitee and wound up
having the best season of his up-and-down NHL career, with 33 points in 82
games.
He’ll make a good, affordable addition to the Flyers
checking lines.
The Ottawa Senators have found a replacement for the
recently bought out Ray Emery, signing former Bruins goalie Alex Auld to a
two-year contract worth $1 million. $2 million.
That ‘ll make him a more affordable cap hit to the Senators
cap, and Auld will be hoping to stick
with the Senators for a while and perhaps re-establish himself as a potential
starter he was once envisioned to be with the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the
decade.
Adam Hall’s solid performance this season for the Pittsburgh
Penguins, especially during the playoffs, landed him a three –year contract
extension worth $1.8 million.
Sorry about that, folks, the feed I received had Hall re-signed with the Penguins. He in fact signed a three-year, $1.8 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. My apologies for the confusion.
The Pens also signed former Calgary Flames forward Eric Godard to a three year
contract.
Thus far the Penguins have retained two of their UFA
forwards but of course they were the most affordable to re-sign. It remains to be seen if they can retain
Marian Hossa and defenseman Brooks Orpik.
Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli is wasting
little time getting his free agents under contract for next season.
One week after re-signing forward Chuck Kobasew to a new
contract, the Bruins announced the re-signing of veteran defenseman Aaron Ward
to a two-year, $5 million contract extension, which breaks down as $2.5 million
per season against the Bruins cap.
Since joining the Bruins at the February 2007 trade deadline
in a deal that saw Paul Mara shipped to the New York Rangers, the 35-year-old
Ward has provided the Bruins defense corps with a much-needed physical
defensive presence and leadership.
A member of three Stanley Cup championship teams in his
career, two with Detroit and one with Carolina, Ward’s best season was the
2005-06 season, where in the playoffs his hard-nosed defensive play,
particularly his shot-blocking, helped the Hurricanes win their first-ever
Stanley Cup.
His style of play and his active work in the local community
has made Ward a fan favorite in Boston, and the fact that he took a slight pay
cut (he earned $2.75 million last season) to remain with the Bruins should only
further bolster his popularity among the Bruins faithful.
Ward’s experience and
leadership should continue to make him a valuable addition to a rebuilding
Bruins team which took a substantial leap in their development with a surprise
appearance in the 2008 playoffs, where they pushed the first overall Montreal
Canadiens to the limit before falling in seven games in the first round.
This was a good, affordable signing by Chiarelli and should
continue to pay dividends for the Bruins over the next two years.
The Boston Bruins made their first
significant signing of their off-season on Tuesday, re-upping forward Chuck
Kobasew to a three-year, $7 million contract extension.
The deal pays Kobasew $2 million for
next season and $2.5 million per season for the following two, breaking down
against the Bruins cap as $2.33 million per season.
Kobasew had his best season to date
in 2007-08, with 22 goals and 39 points in 73 games with the Bruins.
If there’s a knock against him it’s
a tendency toward injury. He’s an energetic forward and tries to play a physical
style which has been the result of his recent injuries. He suffered two
concussions last season which sidelined him for a considerable period of time,
and he missed the last seven games of this season and the playoffs with a
fractured tibia.
Still, he’s entering his playing
prime now and has the tools to be a very good second line winger or as a third
line energy forward. His performance this season obviously impressed Bruins
management enough to commit to him for three seasons at an affordable salary.
General manager Peter Chiarelli will
now focus his attention on re-signing RFAs Dennis Wideman and Mark Stuart and
UFAs Glen Metropolit and Aaron Ward.
Former Boston Bruins general manager Harry Sindin, who’s now a senior advisor to Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, recently weighed in with his opinion of the Bruins-Montreal Canadiens playoff series, and had some interesting comments about team captain Zdeno Chara and the team’s regular season scoring leader Marc Savard.
Sinden told the Boston Globe that he didn’t believe Chara was aggressive enough despite nursing a rib injury, while he’s not a fan of Savard.
"We've got a hell of a leader in Chara, but I think he's hurting right now. This rib injury. He's playing OK, but he's not as aggressive."
"I'm not a fan of his (Savard). He's one of these guys who has batting average but no runs batted in, you know what I mean? He gets a lot of points. He's a good player, I'm just not a fan."
Sinden obviously didn’t get the memo that teams don’t reveal injuries to their key players during playoff time. Folks have mused about Chara’s performance in this series against the Habs, noting that he hasn’t quite seemed himself and suspecting a possible shoulder injury.
Sinden's comments now gives the opposition something to zero in on, if not to try to hurt Chara further, then to take advantage of the limitations such an injury has on his play.
Thankfully for the Bruins, it wasn’t a hindrance against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the Bruins-Canadiens conference quarter-final, where Chara scored to ensure a big win to keep his team alive in that series.
Sinden’s comments about Chara’s condition could be forgiven as a bit of an oversight, but those about Savard were ridiculous.
Yes, Sinden’s entitled to his opinion, but he didn’t have to say it now, when his team is battling for its playoff life and counting on Savard, one of the few legitimate scorers on the offensively deficient Bruins, to carry them in this post-season.
Savard has not only been the Bruins leading scorer in this year’s playoffs but also their leading scorer in the last two seasons. He’s been one of the Bruins stars in this series against the Habs, playing well at both ends of the rink, and he’s done it whilst coming off a back injury which may not be completely healed.
Even former Bruins coach Don Cherry has given Savard rave reviews for his performance, and “Grapes” is as old school as his former boss Sinden.
All I can say is that I really hope that current Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli doesn’t take advice on managing his roster from Sinden the way his predecessor Mike O’Connell did. Otherwise, Savard could likely be hitting the UFA market in two year’s time, signing with a team that would appreciate his talent.
As promised here is my Eastern Conference Quarter-finals preview and predictions.
Again, I'd love to read your comments, and if you disagree with me that's fine, but please, don't take it personally if I didn't pick your team to win or if in your opinion I haven't given them a chance. Remember, they're just one person's opinion. If I'm right, fine, if not, no big whoop.
Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins: Canadiens swept the season series 8-0, enroute to locking up top spot in their division and the conference, whilst the Bruins battled injury and inconsistency to scrape into the post-season. The Bruins will try to use a physical, disciplined defensive style to shut down the Canadiens speed and to generate traffic in front of the Montreal goal. They’ll look to goalie Tim Thomas and captain Zdeno Chara to lead the way but that might not be enough to blunt the Canadiens offensive attack and league-leading power-play, led by Alex Kovalev's line. Habs rookie Carey Price is starting his first NHL playoffs but his unflappable demeanor and sound goaltending style will make it tough for the Bruins to score. Both teams have been bit by the injury bug of late but the Canadiens are the healthier of the two. The Bruins will battle the Canadiens hard and could win a game or two but appear to lack the offensive punch and defensive ability to contain the Habs. CANADIENS IN FIVE.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators: The Sens won the season series 3-0-1 but have been in free-fall since mid-January whilst the Penguins have overcome injuries to key players to finish second overall in the Conference. The Senators have far more playoff experience than the Penguins, but they're a team wracked by dissension, shaky goaltending, inconsistent defense and with key forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly sidelined by injury. The Penguins lost to the Sens in five games last season but they’re a year older, wiser, healthier and better this time around. Their offensive attack, led by Evgeni Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby, could prove too much this time around for a floundering Ottawa team to shut down. PENGUINS IN FIVE.
Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers took the season series 2-1-1, but struggled down the stretch whilst the Capitals were one of the NHL’s hottest team’s over the same period, catapulting them to the Southeast Division title. For the Flyers, their role is simple: shut down the Alexander Ovechkin line and generate traffic in front of Caps goalie Cristobal Huet, and they’ve got a good chance to defeat Washington. Easier said than done, as the Capitals head into this series riding a wave of momentum, spurred by Ovechkin’s amazing play, Huet’s goaltending, the coaching of Bruce Boudreau and the overall improvement of their roster. The Flyers possess more experience than the Capitals, but there are concerns about Martin Biron’s goaltending, their defensive depth and overall health. The Flyers also haven’t played the Capitals since early February and could find this club far different from the one they faced earlier in the season. CAPITALS IN SIX.
New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers. The Rangers won the season series 7-0-1 but it’s the Devils who’ll have home-ice advantage in this match-up. The last time these two met in the playoffs the Devils swept the Rangers in four, but the Rangers are a healthier, more defensively sound club this time around, and can rely on strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils will again use their grinding, physical defensive style to try to wear down the Rangers, but their lack of offense could make it difficult to cash in on scoring opportunities. Ultimately the Devils hopes will rest on goalie Martin Brodeur, who had another strong performance this season and must carry that over into the post-season for the Devils to have a chance. This series should be a close one but in the end the Rangers offensive depth and improved defensive game should see them through. RANGERS IN SEVEN.
It’s been said that the best hockey of an NHL season isn’t truly seen until the playoffs, but in my humble opinion the race for the playoffs in the final month of the regular season can bring about excitement every bit as worthwhile as a playoff game.
This season is no exception, as once again several teams are battling to clinch the final two playoff berths in each conference, and every remaining game in this season for those teams carries the same importance as a post-season contest.
In the Eastern Conference, seventh and eighth overall are very much up for grabs, with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers desperately clinging to those two berths, with the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals breathing down their collective necks.
As of this writing, only five points separate seventh-place Boston from 11th place Florida, with the Flyers, Capitals and Sabres sandwiched between them.
Looking at the standings as of March 19th, the Bruins have 83 points, the Flyers 82, the Capitals 80, Sabres 79 and Panthers 78.
Of these five team, the Capitals and Panthers have been red-hot, both clubs winning seven of their last ten games, which doesn’t bode well for the struggling Bruins (3-4-3), Flyers (4-3-3) and Sabres (4-4-2). If the Caps and Panthers can keep up their torrid pace they could end up playoff bound.
The race isn’t quite so close in the Western Conference, as a four-point gap separates the eighth overall Colorado Avalanche from the 9th overall Nashville Predators and the Avs also enjoy a five point gap over the 10th overall Edmonton Oilers.
As of March 19th the Avalanche had the same number of points (84) as the sixth overall Vancouver Canucks and seventh overall Calgary Flames. These three clubs appear to control their destiny over their final handful of games.
Still, these three clubs cannot afford a letdown. The Predators may be struggling (4-6-0 in their last ten games) but they’re not out of the hunt yet, and with 8 games remaining still have enough time to claw their way into a berth of the Avs, Flames or Canucks stumble.
The Oilers also cannot be completely counted out, having gone on a remarkable 8-2-0 streak in their last ten games and with 8 games remaining they too have enough time to catch those ahead of them if they falter.
Wouldn’t it be great if it came down to a final game of the season for one of these teams, as it did last year for the NY Islanders?
The Isles blew a two-goal lead in their final game of the 2007 season against the New Jersey Devils but won it in a shootout thanks to a savvy poke-check by Islanders backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz, clinching the last playoff berth in the East in a thrilling contest.
Consider this battle for the final playoff spots a primer for the upcoming 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. Who knows, maybe one of these teams could go on to become a “giant killer” in this year’s post-season.
After weeks of searching Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli finally find a defenseman in the trade market.
Chiarelli shipped struggling winger Brandon Bochenski to the Anaheim Ducks in return for veteran blueliner Shane Hnidy and a sixth round pick in the 2008 entry draft.
The oft-traveled Hnidy (the Bruins are now his fifth NHL team since 2004) is a physical veteran blueliner who’s also a career “plus” player and can be relied upon to be a steady if unspectacular depth defenseman.
Chiarelli had stated earlier this week that he wasn’t seeking a “quick-fix” blueliner but someone who could help his team beyond this season. Hnidy, who has another year remaining on his current contract at a very affordable $760K, which makes him an easy fit on the Bruins payroll as well as on their blueline.
Bochenski is no less traveled than Hnidy, now heading to his fourth NHL team since 2005-06. He showed promise early in his rookie season with the Ottawa Senators but quickly struggled to adjust to the NHL game which resulted in his bounced from Ottawa to Chicago to Boston and now Anaheim.
It remains to be seen if Bochenski will discover his offensive game with the Ducks, but it could be his last chance to make an impression. He’ll be a restricted free agent in July and could go unsigned if he fails to show improvement in the second half of this season, be it with the Ducks or their minor league affiliate.
Some observers might see this move as Anaheim GM Brian Burke dumping salary to make room for a possible return of veteran winger Teemu Selanne, but that seems unlikely. If anything it might be making some cap space for next season to squeeze a new contract in for RFA forward Corey Perry.
The mid-point of an NHL season is usually the time when the gap between the potential playoff contenders and pretenders widens.
Not so during the 2007-08 season, for into the 30-game point and with mid-season less than three weeks away, the NHL standings remain as tightly packed as it was a month ago.
As of today, only the Detroit Red Wings have thus far established themselves as a dominant club, currently sitting over ten points over the San Jose Sharks, their closest rival in the Western Conference standings.
A mere ten points separates the second-overall Sharks from the 15th overall Los Angeles Kings. That means fourteen teams in the Western Conference are still jockeying for playoff position.
In the Eastern Conference, the Ottawa Senators still rule the roost with 39 points, but a recent seven-game losing skid has New Jersey, Carolina and Boston - only four points behind - nipping at their heels.
Indeed, only 12 points separates the Sens from the 14th overall Sabres. Only the 15th overall Washington Capitals, with only 24 points, appear in danger of falling out of the race by the mid-season mark.
It's been a weird season, as only the Red Wings have maintained a consistent level of performance. Almost all the remainder have seen their respective performances rise and fall in the first two months of this season.
It remains to be seen how long this trend will last, but as long as the standings remain tight, the longer it'll take general managers to start spending their valuable salary cap space in roster-boosting or salary-dumping trades.
It appears goaltender Alex Auld will be getting another shot at playing in the NHL this season.
The Phoenix Coyotes traded Auld to the Boston Bruins in exchange for minor league forward Nate DiCasmirro and a fifth round pick in 2009.
Auld began this season with the Phoenix Coyotes but became the odd man out on their goaltender rotation when the club plucked Ilya Bryzgalov off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks over two weeks ago. Auld is on a two-way contract and was demoted to the Coyotes minor league affiliate in San Antonio.
This could prove a good opportunity for Auld to get his once-promising career back on track. He was dealt by the Vancouver Canucks in June 2006 to the Florida Panthers as part of the return for goalie Roberto Luongo, and it was believed he'd have the chance to establish himself as a number one netminder with the Panthers.
Unfortunately Auld struggled with the Panthers and ended up as Ed Belfour's backup for the second half of last season. He signed with the Coyotes this summer as an unrestricted free agent and was part of their goalie tandem along with Mikael Tellqvist until Bryzgalov arrived.
This was a trade the Bruins were forced to make. Veteran starter Manny Fernandez remains sidelined rehabbing his surgically reconstructed knee, and Tim Thomas, who'd admirably carried the load in his stead this season, was injured in a recent game, apparently more seriously than originally believed.
It remains to be seen how long Thomas will be sidelined, but it's apparent the Bruins had no one in their system to suitably back up promising young netminder Tuukka Rask, who has played only two games thus far for the Bruins as Thomas' backup but looked sharp in those appearances.
Rask will now be thrust into the starter's role in the short term, and having Auld there should provide him with an experience backup, which should help take some pressure off the young Finn.
And with his two-way contract, Auld will be affordable to demote should Thomas return to action.
Another week, another instance in the NHL of a mindless cheap shot leaving a player injured.
This time, it's Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell on Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Alberts. See for yourself at this link.
Hartnell could've let up on Andrews, who was on his knees near the boards and clearly in a vulnerable position.
Hartnell claims he let up and was just "finishing his check", but there is no reason at all to hit a player who's already down. If Alberts had been on his feet, no harm no foul, but Hartnell saw he was in a vulnerable position and hit him anyway, driving the head of the Bruins blueliner into the boards. Alberts was injured although thankfully not seriously.
The last time these two teams met Flyers forward Randy Jones injured
Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron by checking him from behind into
the boards. That however was inadvertent on Jones' part as he obviously
didn't intend to hurt Bergeron, although debate still rages if Jones
should've let up or if Bergeron put himself in that position to be
hurt. Ultimately, the Bergeron injury was in my opinion an accident.
Like Randy Jones, Hartnell isn't considered a dirty player nor does he have a history of injuring opponents with questionable hits, but there was no reason for him to hit Alberts. It wasn't an accident, it was intentional, and using the excuse "I was just finishing my check" doesn't wash .
It's the fourth time a Flyers player has injured an opponent (the third time it's been done by a deliberate cheap shot) since September. Not only should Hartnell be punished for his actions, but also Flyers head coach John Stevens and GM Paul Holmgren, since it appears they've done little, if anything, to stop these kind of cheap shots by their players.
I'm not singling out the Flyers but this season they've been guilty of multiple incidences of dirty or careless play.
I believe the head coach and general manager of any NHL team that has multiple occurrences of these instances in a season deserve their share of blame and punishment for failing to police their players.
As I've said for some time, if the league doesn't do something to crack down on cheap shots, somebody's going to be crippled or killed.
**UPDATE** Hartnell received a two-game suspension from the league.
"It appears that Mr. Hartnell was attempting to let up on delivering a check
to an opponent that was in a vulnerable position," said NHL Senior Executive
Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "However, at the point
of contact, he did deliver a blow to the head of Mr. Alberts that resulted in
an injury."
During Thursday's Montreal Canadiens-Boston Bruins game, Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon leveled Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward with what appeared to be a blindside elbow to the head.
Ward lay motionless for several minutes and had to be helped off the ice. Fortunately he did not require a trip to the hospital and early reports suggest he didn't suffer a concussion.
The video I saw of the game was inconclusive as the incident occurred away from the play, but if Bouillon did what those who covered the game claim he did, he deserves a lengthy suspension for deliberate attempt to injure.
As a Habs fan I'm disappointed in Bouillon, who's a better player than that.
There's no place in this game for these kind of cheap shots, yet the message doesn't seem to be sinking in to the players.
If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times and will say it a thousand times more: somebody's going to be crippled or killed someday by these headhunting tactics in the NHL.
**UPDATE** The Boston Globe reports Ward suffered a concussion on that hit and is out indefinitely. The Globe is still reporting Bouillon elbowed Ward in the head, and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has not heard back from the league yet on possible discipline for Bouillon (Hat tip to Paul Kukla over at his Korner for the pointer).
I still haven't seen a video yet that conclusively shows what happened. If Bouillon did deliberately elbow Ward in the head he deserves a lengthy suspension. If he didn't elbow Ward and the injury was the result of a clean hit then Bouillon shouldn't be disciplined.
Hopefully there'll be more clarification on this soon.
The hockey world is abuzz over the injury suffered by Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron after he was hit from behind into the endboards by Philadephia Flyer Randy Jones.
As per Canadian Press:
“Bergeron was diagnosed with a broken nose and a concussion after being hammered to the boards face-first by the Flyers' Randy Jones in Boston's 2-1 loss to Philadelphia yesterday.
Bergeron lost consciousness and was taken from the ice on a stretcher during the first period after he was hammered into the boards by Jones. He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was diagnosed by Bruins team physician Dr. Bertram Zarins.
Tests didn't show any other serious injuries to Bergeron's head or neck, and he was awake and able to move all his limbs, Zarins said.
Bergeron was chasing after a loose puck in the Flyers' zone late in the first period when Jones closed in on him and drove his head into the boards with his forearm.
The 22-year-old crumpled to the ice and lay on his back motionless while the Bruins went after Jones, 26.
"Words really can't express the way that I feel right now. I am very apologetic for the hit and what I did," Jones said in a statement. "It was not intentional. It is something that I have never done before and it is not part of my character. I am extremely sorry.
"I hope he does okay and everything works out for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery."
Bruins head coach Claude Julien called it a dirty hit, and because yet
another Flyer player injured yet another opponent there undoubtedly
will be calls for the Flyers management and coaching staff to be
punished along with Jones.
The Flyers already have a dubious record this season for injuring opponents, with Steve Downie and Jesse Boulerice earning lengthy suspensions for their actions over the past month.
There is a difference, however, between what Jones did and what Downie
and Boulerice did. The latter two went out of their way to deliberately
injure an opponent with a cheap shot. Jones, while what he did
constituted a boarding penalty, wasn’t deliberately trying to injure
Bergeron.
Unlike Downie and Boulerice, Jones doesn’t have a history of dirty play. In hitting Bergeron he was finishing his check, which all players in today’s game are encouraged to do. Jones obviously didn’t mean to hurt Bergeron and was as shocked as everyone else as to the extent of the young Bruin’s injuries.
Jones might have to face possible consequences from the league, and this situation highlights the potential danger for hitting players from behind into the boards.
Now before some of you out there start screeching about how I want to remove physical play from the game and turn hockey players into ballerinas with sticks, let me once again remind you that nothing could be further from the truth.
Hitting - good clean body-checking - is every bit as vital to the game of hockey as a wrist shot and a glove save. Nobody wants to see it removed from the game.
Even no-nonsense hockey commentator Don Cherry, a well-known champion of physical hockey, has been an advocate for years against hitting players from behind into the boards.
Part of the problem is that players nowadays are being coached on turning their backs to their opponents when the puck is along the boards to “protect the puck”, the thinking being an opponent won’t hit them from behind and therefore making it more difficult for them to strip away the puck. It does work to an extent, but it still leaves a player in a vulnerable position.
That wasn’t the case with Bergeron, however, as he was trying to beat Jones to the puck and pass it around the end boards to a teammate to set up a scoring chance when hit by Jones. It wasn’t a late or dirty hit by Jones as Bergeron moved the puck when Jones was already committing to the hit.
Jones probably believed Bergeron was closer to the boards than he really was in the split second when he made that hit.
It remains to be seen what, if anything, Jones receives for a punishment. It’s quite possible he won’t get anything as intent could be the determining factor. It also wouldn’t be proper to punish the Flyers organization over this.
These kind of hits have been going on for years, and in recent years critics (including the aforementioned Cherry) have been warning of the potentially serious consequences. It’s only been through good luck that crippling injuries from these hits are rare.
It comes down once again to protecting the players and that means continuing to stress to players at all levels about the dangers of hitting opponents from behind. At the NHL level there must be a true willingness, not just at the league level but also the NHL Players Association, to address this issue otherwise the risk of careers cut short from these type of hits remains a real possibility.
**UPDATE** The NHL has announced Jones will be suspended for two games.
"While it is my determination that Jones did not intend to injure
his opponent, he did deliver a hard check to a player who was in a
vulnerable position," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey
Operations Colin Campbell. "There have been suggestions by some that this
hit was comparable to incidents earlier this season where players
received significant game suspensions for blows to the head. These
comparisons and suggestions are wrong," Campbell added.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
