Hamilton Bulldogs Weekend, CBA Discussions Resume, Impeaching Bettman, More

Good AM hockey fans.

As I've mentioned before, I enjoy writing this little column on Monday mornings. After all, there are actual scores to talk about.

The Hamilton Bulldogs played a high-scoring two game set against the rival Toronto Marlies, winning 6-3 and then losing 6-1.

The much maligned Alexander Avtsin scored in the win for his team. It was his first game this year.
Down a notch below, the Wheeling Nailers got hammered 6-1 (a lot of sixes, eh?) by the Toledo Walleye.

Interestingly — and also discouragingly — both farm teams sit at 14th in their respective conferences.

Habs and Hockey News

- HabsWorld provides an always excellent recap of the activity down in Hamitlon and Wheeling.

- As the NHL and NHLPA are set to return to the table today, Grantland's Bill Simmons contemplates impeaching Gary Bettman.

- Stu Hackel writes about the 'illusion' that team's are losing money.

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Simulated NHL Seasons, Mathieu Darche, Blake Geoffrion, More

Good AM!

For those of you who view this morning column regularly enough, you probably have noticed that I have never linked to Hockey Inside/Out or ESPN's simulated hockey seasons.

Why?

Because I really don't care.

I don't check the simulated scores. I don't read articles about the topic. Personally, I have a hard time understanding why there would even be interest in these virtual campaigns.

What about you?

Habs and Hockey News

- While being interviewed on l'Antichambre, Mathieu Darche claims he still believes in a December 1st start to the NHL season.

- Also over at RDS, Bertrand Raymond has a slightly soapy piece on Blake Geoffrion, his family and his recent injury. 

- The writer's at HabsWorld pick sides in the NHL-NHLPA debate.

- Goaltender Scott Darling, who has played two games with the Wheeling Nailers this season, has been given a professional tryout with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

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NHL and NHLPA Meet Over Weekend, Blake Geoffrion, Hamilton Bulldogs, More

Happy Monday hockey fans!

Rough few days for the Montreal Canadiens' farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Dogs lost their two weekend contests against the Syracuse Crunch, including a 4-1 defeat in front of an 18,000 person crowd at the Bell Centre.

On top of that, Blake Geoffrion was forced to have emergency surgery on Friday night after taking a skate blade to the head.  He is now out indefinitely

Hamilton currently sits 12th in the AHL's Western Conference and have played the fewest amount of games in the league.

Habs and Hockey News

- As always, HabsWorld's Brian LaRose recaps the week that was for the Montreal Canadiens and their farm teams.

- Eric Engels comments on his experience watching the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Bell Centre.

- Down in the ECHL, the Wheeling Nailers also lost their weekend contest against the Toledo Walleye.

- The NHL and NHLPA met on Sunday yet again, but appear still deadlocked. In the meantime, you can always read Bob McKenzie's excellent insights on the situation.

- Three teams — the Netherlands, Ukraine and Great Britain — moved on to the final stage of Ice Hockey Qualifications for the 2014 Olympics.

(Photo via the Canadian Press/TSN.ca) 

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CBA Talks Continue, NHL Legends, AHL, ECHL, More

Happy Thurdsay hockey fans.

Another day, another round of talks between the NHL and NHLPA.

After extended sessions on both Tuesday and Wednesday, the two sides are again set to meet today.

And, as Pierre LeBrun explains, it seems this set of talks may have reached a critical point with the Make Whole provision now being discussed.

Habs and Hockey News

- Our Rosalyn Roy shares her experience when the NHL Legends visited her part of the world in Port-Aux-Basques.

- The Hamilton Bulldogs fell 0-3 last night against the Syracuse Crunch. Down a league below, the Wheeling Nailers dropped a 3-4 decision against the Reading Royals.

- Stu Hackel presents some of hockey's greatest photographs.

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Hamilton Bulldogs, Alex Galechnyuk Video, NHL-NHLPA Talks, More

Good AM hockey fans.

The nice thing about Monday mornings — and yes, there are nice things about Monday mornings — is that I get to start off the week starting about actual hockey.

Not lockout, labor, negotiation mumbo-jumbo. Scores, statistics and results.

The Hamilton Bulldogs played a two-game set against the Rochester Americans over the weekend, losing 2-3 in a shootout and winning the second contest 4-3 in comeback fashion. Brendan Gallagher had two goals and an assist along the way.

In the process, however, Greg Pateyrn was injured and the Bulldogs were forced to call up Joe Setjskal from the ECHL.

Speaking of the ECHL, the Wheeling Nailers hit the ice recently, registering an overtime loss in their last game against the Cincinnati Cyclones.

See, doesn't it feel good talking about actual hockey?

Habs and Hockey News

- As always, Brian La Rose of HabsWorld provides an excellent recap of the last week in the world of the Montreal Canadiens.

- The Hockey News recently posted a video profile of Habs' top prospect Alex Galchenyuk.

- The NHL and NHLPA apparently spoke over the weekend, and more talks are apparently scheduled for Tuesday.


(Photo by Graham Hughes and the Canadian Press)

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Habs Overseas Prospects, Taylor Hall in AHL, Devin Setoguchi in ECHL, More

Good AM hockey fans!

So, what have you been doing with NHL hockey still in the dark?

I have been paying close attention to the American presidential election — after all, I am American. But, sporting wise, I've found no adequate replacement for my beloved Habs.

What about you? Have you gotten your hockey fix elsewhere or have you shifted your focus somewhere else?

Habs and Hockey News

- HabsWorld, which always has excellent prospect coverage, takes a look at Montreal Canadiens prospects playing in Europe.

- Taylor Hall has been cleared to join the AHL's Oklahoma Barons while Devin Setoguchi has signed with the ECHL's Ontario (Calfiornia) Reign.

- The Washington Capitals new head coach, Adam Oates, is slated to join the farm team in Hershey. An odd experiment, as ESPN's Scott Burnside points out.

- Ryan Kennedy looks at some of the NCCA-eligibility issues faced by the newly formed CHLPA.

(Photo via Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

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Lars Eller in Finland, Hamilton Bulldogs, Wheeling Nailers, More

Good morning hockey fans!

You can now add Lars Eller to the list of players who have opted to play in Europe.

The Danish forward is set to join defending Finnish champions JYP Jyvaskyla. He will line up alongside Rich Peverley as well as former NHLers Ramzi Abid and Éric Perrin.

Finland also appears to be the destination of choice for Denmark's top players, with Philip Larsen, Mikkel Boedker and Frans Nielsen currently playing for Lukko Rauma.

Habs and Hockey News

- The Hamilton Bulldogs beat the Abbotsford Heat by a 2-1 score on Sunday night. Blake Geoffrion and Aaron Palushaj provided the goals for their side. Earlier in the weekend, Brendan Gallagher also scored his first professional goal in an overtime loss to the Toronto Marlies. HabsWorld has a full recap of the weekend's action.  

- Down in the ECHL, the Wheeling Nailers won their weekend set against the Reading Royals, winning 3-2 and 7-3. 

- Winnipeg Jets' forward Blake Wheeler is bound for Munich in the German Elite League.

- It appears that HC Mountfield of the Czech Extraliga has acquired Milan Michalek, Martin Hanzal and Vinny Prospal in one fell swoop.

- More and more, the KHL is positioning itself as a viable pan-European league. Next year a Milan, Italy based squad is set to join the circuit. 

(Photo via Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

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Hamilton Bulldogs Split Two, Wheeling Nailers, NHL and NHLPA talks, More

Good AM!

Although the NHL is still without players on the ice, the AHL schedule has gotten well underway.

The Hamilton Bulldogs played two games over the weekend against their cross-province rivals, the Toronto Marlies.

While the Habs' farm team took the first game 4-1, they fell harshly in the second contest, losing 0-5.

Louis Leblanc and Aaron Palushaj currently lead the team in scoring with two goals a piece.

Habs and Hockey News

- The ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, the Wheeling Nailers, have not fared very well. They are goaless this season and lost their weekend games against Reading and Elmira.

- HabsWorld has a full report on the last week of action for the Hamilton Bulldogs and Wheeling Nailers.

- The NHL and NHLPA are still talking, but not necessarily negotiating. Apparently, representatives on both sides of the lockout had telephone conversations on Sunday but those talks have yet to translate into concrete negotiations

- After a thirty-day stint in Germany's 2nd division, Wayne Simmonds and Chris Stewart are moving to the top league in the Czech Republic.

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Hamilton Bulldogs Win, Michael Bournival, Conor McDavid, More

Good AM!

Although NHL arenas are dark accross North America, the rest of the professional hockey world has begun to get their seasons underway.

The Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, opened the season with a 4-3 win against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Michael Bournival was a standout in the victory, providing an assist and the shootout goal.

Down a notch below, the Wheeling Nailers began with a 3-2 loss to Cincinatti and their roster is certainly quite interesting. Of note, AHL regulars Ian Schultz and Phillippe Lefebvre are currently part of the squad, although are apparently held up due to visa issues.

NHL or not, it's nice to see the hockey season get into full swing.

Habs or Hockey News

- The NHL and NHLPA are set to meet this Tuesday.

- Sidney Crosby apparently thinks very highly of Conor McDavid.

- HabsWorld discusses some issues surrounding the Hamilton Bulldogs upcoming season. Elsehwhere, the HW crew also counts down the top-five Habs' prospects as voted by the fans.

- Interesting piece on Maxim Noreau, a player who has chosen to go to Switzerland in hopes of getting an NHL gig.

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Scott Gomez Denies Alaska, Tougher Bulldogs, KHL on ESPN, More

Good AM Hab fans!

Call me late to the party, but I did not realize Scott Gomez denied signing with the ECHL's Alaska Aces. After all, it's not like the team took down the press release from their website.

Too bad. Last time he was with the team in 2004-05, Gomez was named the league's MVP and, coming out of the last lockout, had his best ever NHL season.

In any case, the Alaskan team recently added Brandon Dubinsky to their training camp roster.

I'm no ECHL expert, but they are starting to look like league favorites, aren't they?

Habs and Hockey News

- Darren Dreger reports that tension between the NHL and NHLPA is rising. News like that certainly dampers my optimism.  Elsewhere, Stu Hackel contemplates whether

- Hockey Inside/Out looks at how the Hamilton Bulldogs have gotten tougher since Marc Bergevin took over.

- HabsWorld takes a look back at where Montreal Canadiens ended up during the 2004-05 lockout.

- Steven Hindle muses over how Montreal fans must possibly endure a cold, long winter without their beloved Habs.

- The KHL recently signed a US broadcast deal with ESPN. Elsewhere, Stu Hackel contemplates whether anyone will tune in to watch the KHL. My answer? No.

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