Mussings
As the zamboni came on the ice, the player got out of its way and took a seat on the bench. Without haste, he pulled off his gloves, setting one down carefully on the bench next to him before removing the other. He took off his helmet and set it down too. He was the second to last player to leave the ice after the morning skate. He was clearly a healthy scratch.
An assistant coach, finished working with the last guy on the ice, came to the bench, said something to the player, mussed his hair, and took a seat next to him.
They’re all so young and human and bleeding and feeling and breathing and yearning and…hair mussable. I don’t know why that all came flooding in on me when I saw that.
This season at least, that player always seems to sit a while on the bench after morning skates. He doesn’t just leave the ice the way most players do.
So why would him sitting there as a scratch be more poignant? What was on the coach’s face as he listened attentively to whatever the player was saying?
What we understand from what we see is mysterious to me. Without a replay, I can’t parse it.
Even Steven, don’t wait for Nate
(Originally published at Kukla’s Korner, February 18, 2013)
The Sharks recalled Matt Pelech again, and placed James Sheppard on IR. That last is based on the Sharks’ online roster, which I’m not sure I can rely on. Tim Kennedy has gone missing from that same roster, but maybe he wasn’t there to begin with. I haven’t been checking closely. I only checked today to find out why they needed Pelech again. Kennedy isn’t on today’s AHL transactions list so he could be anywhere except in the AHL. I like to think it’s a webmaster omission, because without him the Sharks only have twelve forwards available and that’s not great. There’s so much that isn’t great in Shark territory right now, it is only natural that injuries would pile on. (more…)
AHL/ECHL Monday mentions, Feb 18
(Originally published at Kukla’s Korner, February 18, 2013)
AHL:
The Worcester Sharks played three games this last weekend, and only won one. Friday, their seven power plays went scoreless against the Springfield Falcons (AHL affiliates of the Blue Jackets). The Sharks killed seven of eight penalties. The lone goal for the Sharks was scored by Daniil Tarasov, with assists to Danny Groulx and Adam Comrie. It was Tarasov’s fifth of the season. Harri Sateri made 27 saves on 29 shots. LW Tommy Grant and defenseman Denny Urban were second to Tarasov in shots on goal, with four each.
Saturday, the Sharks traveled to Glenns Falls to play the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL affiliate of the Flyers). They came away from that with a 3-2 win. They scored on one of their two power plays, and killed four of five penalties. Sharks goals were scored by Jon Matsumoto (PPG, Kearns, Urban), John McCarthy (Hamilton, Viedensky), and Hamilton (Groulx, McCarthy). Alex Stalock made 26 saves on 28 shots for the win. (more…)
Old Home Trades
It was already a good day, then I heard about Old Home Week being kicked off on the NHL Trade market:
@BroadStHockey: Gagne just sold his house in New Jersey. He said Peter Laviolette was renting it for the last two-and-a-half years.
That made me laugh. I saw a tweet yesterday or the day before talking about how Gagne would probably be traded and I was unhappy about LA being such ungrateful jerks as to not use him… but I didn’t imagine they’d send him back to his old stomping grounds. They can use him. He’ll bring some of what they lost in Jagr, who I believe they needed because they had sent Gagne away in the first place. So all’s well that ends well even if none of these teams is likely to have a legit shot at the Cup. It’s all hockey, be happy.
Flatlining, or where did the fourth go?
(Originally published at Kukla’s Korner, February 13, 2013)
That’s six. I hate to think what the farmer’s new bride would do to the person who crossed her six times, but I’m sort of relieved that the Sharks got this out of the way. If they were mystified about why they lost again, after doing so many things so much better, well, it could not happen any other way. Once they lost five, the sixth loss was going to will itself into being no matter what.
T.J. Galiardi, Adam Burish, and Martin Havlat… What in the world happened while I was testing out America One Sports? When I said the Sharks should just play their game, just go out there and do what they know how to do, I wasn’t including Todd McLellan in that freestyle instruction. On the other hand, putting that line together touched on something I’ve been wondering about for years now: why have a traditional fourth line? (more…)
Every which way to lose
(Originally published at Kukla’s Korner, February 12, 2013)
Holy flashbacks, Batman. This is what Sharks fans mean when they say “these are the same old Sharks,” when they start making suggestions like the ones described in this tweet:
@BroThornton: bring back irwin! trade marleau! go back to the cow palace!
It was the sort of game that leaves you speechless. You could go rant somewhere about this or that mistake, but… where do you start? Where does it end? Beaten by Columbus 6-2? It makes me tired just thinking about it. I don’t know if I’ve got a rant left in me to do it justice. McLellan described that speechless, astonished feeling very well post-game:
“It’s a pretty simple league — the team that works the hardest wins,” a visibly intense McLellan began. His team, he added, was “outworked, out-executed, out-detailed, out-goaltended, out- a lot of things.” (more…)
AHL/ECHL Monday mentions, Feb 11
(Originally published at Kukla’s Korner, February 11, 2013)
AHL:
Last week, the Worcester Sharks played two games in Newfoundland against the Ice Caps. The Sharks won both games, 3-2 and 4-0.
Tuesday’s game was a nail-biter. Daniil Tarasov opened the scoring at 1:32 of the first with assists from Tim Kennedy and Bracken Kearns. The Sharks gave up a short-handed goal to Jason Jaffrey (assist to Maxime Macenauer) in the middle of that period. Then the teams went scoreless through the second, each team taking an assortment of penalties. At 6:31 of the third period, Jaffrey scored a power play goal for St. John’s (assists to Raymond Sawada and Derek Meech). The Sharks didn’t get that goal back until 16:42, with a power play goal from Bracken Kearns (assists to Tim Kennedy and Denny Urban). Less than two minutes later, Tarasov scored the game winner with 1:31 left in the game (assists to Kearns and Kennedy). The Sharks scored on one power play out of three and they killed four of five penalties. Harri Sateri made 30 saves for the win, Eddie Pasquale made 29 saves for the Ice Caps. (more…)
petshark 