THB All Stars 2006/07 Season
September 1, 2006
Yes! Our Yahoo Fantasy Hockey League will be back for another season. If you’d like to join in the fun please sign up. Here’s the link and login info:
In order to join the league, follow the link above or go to game front page, click the “Sign Up Now” or “Get Another Team” button and follow the links to “Join a Custom League”. When prompted, enter the League ID# and password below.League ID#: 26176
Password: dropthepuck
Weekly Crosscheck, Vol. 1, #8
January 23, 2006
Well… what do you know? I found a few minutes to write a Weekly Crosscheck. So Flame On!
I have two reasons for writing this week.
1. To raz the Phlamers for falling 9-1 to the Sublimators:
The league leading Philly Phlamers finally lost one, and lost BIG to the Sublimators. The Sublimators proved this week that they are more than just great goaltending. A couple of short handed goals would have swept the Phlamers who are in serious injury trouble. (Why couldn’t that happen when they were playing the Icebats???) If the Phlamers don’t start swapping out some players, their troubles will only be just beginning.
2. To congratulate the Monks on a brilliant goaltending strategy:
I thought last Saturday night that the Monks were doomed this week when Ed Belfour proved for the third straight time that he can’t stop any puck that just left a Senator stick. Yikes! But it turned out that the Monks had benched Belfour that night in favor of Lunqvist and Brodeur, who combined for two wins and a 1.85 GAA. Although the Monks lost to the Pucknuts, they swept the goaltender categories and coach Billy wins the Hockey Blog All Stars Coach of the Week award!
No records broken last week, but perhaps next week!
Week 17:
Monks vs. Icebats
This week Coach Billy will try to continue his brilliant strategies when The Monks take on The Icebats. The Bats need to figure out a way to shut down Alfredsson, Prucha, and Nylander. I give this week to the Monks, although the Bats have been putting together a better game lately. When is McCabe coming back, or is he just resting up for the Olympics????
Pucknuts vs. Sublimators
This is a match up between two of the hottest teams. The #2 Pucknuts take on the #3 Sublimators who are only 3 points back. The Pucknuts dropped Aebishcher and picked up Thomas. You really think that’s a great idea John? Thomas vs Washington… twice? Not gonna work. I give this series to the Sublimators.
Moonshimers vs. Phlamers
You know the Moonshimers have been struggling, and swapping players by the dozen, but this is their week to shine. Looks like a good healthy line-up. I give goalie stats to the Phlamers, but that’s it. Seven points for the Moonshimers, and a close battle between them and the Monks for the last play-off spot.
Oochamkunutk vs. Badabings
Ooch has been sinking steadily as coach Kathleen has been finding less and less time to go over her player lineups. Still that’s better than the Badabings who haven’t changed their line-up since before goalies wore masks. A good chance for Ooch to keep the Ice Bats farther behind this week.
Tune in next week when you will hear the Coach Dave ask “How the *&^@# did I lose to the Moonshimers”?
That is all.
Weekly Crosscheck, Vol. 1, #7
December 19, 2005
The Weekly Crosscheck is back!
Sorry for the absence, but it could not be avoided. During my time off, I did file one press release, although it did not get published. For those of you who missed it, here it is:
Birchcliff Icebats Press Release
Dec 15th, 2005During the past two weeks the Icebats players union has issued a “skate to rule” decree in response to the management absenteeism. Icebats players have stopped scoring goals, taking excessive penalties, or even shooting the puck in the general direction of the opposing goaltender. Icebats goaltenders have decided to protest by playing only two games a week. Following the example set by the Canadian Parliament the players are expected to issue a vote of no confidence later today. If the vote is carried it is expected that Icebats fans will hold an immediate election between Coach Johnny and a suitable contender. The leading contenders at the moment are thought to be recently available Eddie Olczyk, a Chicago native, former Winnipeg Jet and Stanley Cup winning New York Ranger, with three months coaching experience and Seleen Dion, who knows absolutely nothing about hockey, but is in fact Canadian.
It is not know if Coach Johnny (the only currently registered Icebats fan) would vote for himself over Eddie O., but would undoubtedly give up hockey forever if Dion were ever to enter Birchcliff Arena.
Now, at the end of Week 11, there is a very different picture of the HBAS standings. The Icebats turned things around at the expense of the Sublimators. The Phlamers continue their mid-season slump. The Pucknuts finally pull ahead of Oochamkunutk. The Moonshimers need to get it in gear if they are going to make the play-offs.
I won’t go into great details of it all (I don’t really have the time). Most of the team strategies have remained the same. Most teams are sticking with their preferred line-ups, and only trading when injury makes it necessary. Most teams, that is, expect the Pucknuts, who seem to think the HBAS is the futures market. I must admit, that with his 74 trades as of the time of this report, Coach John is beating the odds. Team loyalty may not pay off for the Moonshimers, however. Even without DiPeitro, the team has four goalies and four Islanders. That may work out during this abbreviated week, if Blake can screw his head back onto his body…. but I think it’s a big gamble.
I have received last week’s stats total, and the only major note to mention is that the Icebats are no longer PIM Kings. The Pucknuts now lead that in both overall minutes, and best week. (Dang it, he bested me by two minutes!)
Since time is running short here at the Icebat Cave, I’ll get onto this weeks predictions. This is going to be tough because most points are going to be earned on Friday, and there are no games on Saturday and Sunday.
Icebats vs. Moonshimers:
We’ll have to see what happens with Blake. This may be a close race. The Icebats now have only goalies from two teams, whereas the Mooshimers have goalies from four teams. Which of us is crazier than the other? Hard to say. With Limeaux pretty much out of it, and Spezza acting goonish, I have to give most of the points to the Icebats (assuming they can squeeze in three goalie games by Friday).
Pucknuts vs. Oochamkunutk
The Pucknuts are only ahead by one point, so this is for big bragging rights. Ooch is sticking with her computer picks. Pnuts are trading players fast and furious. Weekes is back and Gerber, Rolston, and Heatley are hot. The trade for Drury was a pretty wise move too. I have to say that the Pucknuts are better set up for the short week, and will probably take at least 7 points, unless he makes a rash, and unwise trade after drinking too much Eggnog at the office party.
Monks vs. Sublimators
Here are two teams trying to catch up to the Icebats. I think they both have a good shot at it. The Monks have strengthened their Ranger position, which is cool and all, but the wrong week to do it, Billy. I give this week to the Sublimators with the unstoppable goalie line-up, and a good mix of players. Burtuzzi may be the only thing keeping the Monks ahead of the Sublimators by the end of the week.
Phlamers vs Badabings
This is the week the Phlamers finally put the breaks on their loosing streak. Count on Detroit staying hot and giving the Phlamers more than enough points to shut the Badabings down completely. What I want for Christmass is for the Badabings to activate just one more goalie, and at least make it a little challenging. I feel sorry for all the pressure Raycroft is under.
Well, that’s it for now. I’m leaving the Icebats in the capable hands of assistant coach Juliet, while I work hard, and then hide for a week. I’ll check in from time to time, but that’s about it. We may call up a couple of rookies from the Reber Volunteer Fire Department (our minor league affiliate) if we pull too far ahead of the Moonshimes by the end of the week. Have a good holiday, keep your stick on the ice, and don’t forget to put on your toque.
That is all.
Weekly Crosscheck Vol. 1, #6
November 29, 2005
Welcome to a belated Weekly Crosscheck brought to you by John of the Pucknuts.
The other John has traveled north, presumably in search of penalty minutes. He was last seen trying to coax Rob Ray out of retirement.
Weekly Wrap-up
The premiere matchup for the week (because it involved my team, of course) was Pucknuts vs Ice Bats. What started as a close match turned into a blowout. The turning point of the week? Andrei Markov’s 10 minute misconduct penalty for shoving the referee. Once the Bats lost the lead for PIMs, the team collapsed and almost fell 9-1 after Auld gave up 6 goals Sunday night. The affect of losing the penalty category to a shield wearing Hab was too much for the Bats to bear and they released Brian McGrattan in shame. Coach Rayburn was quoted on Sunday as saying “If my goons aren’t willing to rough up a few zebras to win, then they don’t deserve the paycheck”.
In the “You Can’t Defeat Him, but Only Hope to Contain Him” category, the Monks put up a spirited battle against the Phlamers and held the first place team to winning 6 categories due in large part to an excellent week by the Rangers. It is unfortunate that they did not have Marek Malik on the Monk roster or they could have swept as detailed in rule 136-B subsection 4 of the THB All Stars rule book.
If any player pulls a game winning, trick shot out of his ass in the 15th round of a shootout his team shall be awarded victories in all 10 categories and his opponent must be dragged behind the zamboni for 3 turns of the rink wearing nothing but his opponents jock. Location of the jock to be determined by coin toss (head/tail).
Around the rest of the league Oochamkunutk pulled out a 6-4 win in a tightly fought match against the the Sublimators while the Moonshimers whooped the ever slacking Badabings 8-1 even with DePietro in the lineup (although he was promptly dumped at the end of the week).
Sublimators vs Phlamers
Looking ahead to next week it is the Sublimators turn to try and reel in the Phlamers. They are in luck with Forsberg out for most of the week. It will be interesting to see just how many goals Gagne can score without him.
Ice Bats vs Badabings
The Ice Bats have a week to lick their wounds and rack up some wins against the Badabings.
Moonshimers vs Oochamkunutk
The Moonshimers will be taking on the second place Ooch in an attempt to get above .500. Watchout for Coach Shimers four goalie tactic. It may just work since one of them is NOT DePietro.
Pucknuts vs Monks
The matchup of the week features the two Rangers fans going head to head with the Pucknuts going against the Monks. Unfortunately for the Monks the Rangers only play two games this week. Jis only hope is that Coach Howell is too busy trying the Malik shot in the driveway to do his lineup.
Also:
I have investigated the playoff format. The top six teams will make the playoffs with the top two getting a first round bye. I think a special award may be in order for the poor team to finish 7th and to share the basement with the Badabings.
That is all!
Weekly Crosscheck Vol.1, #5
November 21, 2005
“Two minutes by yourself … and you feel shame … and then you get free”
OK, everyone deserves an off week. When I left for NYC on Wednesday, the Ice Bats and Phlamers had a close week going. When I got back, I discovered that my assistant coach Juliet had spent the week watching the squirrels through the window, and not taking care of our players! She was supposed to pay attention to the injury list and the goalie rotations…. not nap in a sunny spot all week. Anyway, the Ice Bats weren’t totally shut out. We took the PIMs by one minute. I apologize to the other franchises in the league for letting the Phlamers get so far ahead in my absence.
No new records were broken this week, however there has been a major position shift. Contrary to my predictions, the Pucknuts have move up to third place, behind the always surprising Oochamkunutk. While the Pucknuts almost blanked the Badabings, Ooch lost a close one to the Monks. The Monks owe the win entirely to Lundqvist in a Sunday night dandy. Meanwhile the Sublimators and Moonshimers split the week with four points each. I hate to say it, but it was in fact DiPietro that kept the Moonshimers in the game. I’d take back what I said about DiPietro last week, but uhhhh….. I can’t bring myself to do that. I saw him lose too many with Bridgeport, so I know what he is fully capable of. (Believe me… the Sound Tigers fans are GLAD he’s with the Islanders now.)
This week in The Hockey Blog All Stars:
Game of the week:
Pucknuts vs Ice Bats
This is a matchup of two teams that are constantly being fine tuned by their GM’s. In fact, there has just been a major turn-over for the Ice Bats following last weeks near shut-out. Ice Bats GM, Winnipeg Johnny, would also like to rant about the Can’t Cut List. As if it wasn’t already bad enough, what do you do when you have a Can’t Cut player who is on the IR???? Monks GM, Ranger Billy, declared this week that one IR spot is not enough this season. I completely agree. I have to give this matchup to the Pucknuts. The Bats have no chance in net, and are out-gunned by the Pucknuts forwards. You’ll notice that I did finally pick up ‘Grats. Last week’s PIM win was too close for me.
Willsboro Division matchup of the week:
Oochamkunutk vs Sublimators.
This matchup is completely the opposite of the Pucknuts/IceBats. Here are two teams of computer picks with only minimal player manipulation. (How do they do it????) This one is going to be too close to call. I give the goalie stats and +/- to the Sublmitors, Goals, Assists, PPP and SOG to Ooch. It’s a toss up for PIM and shorties.
Also:
Phlamers vs Monks.
Uh…. good luck Billy. Lets just hope that the young Rangers and Alfredsson can have another great week. I hate to give the goalie stats to the Phlamers, but as long as the Rangers keep starting Weekes, I have to do it. You just can’t count on Belfour to be consistent.
Moonshimers vs Badabings
As much as Potvin sucks, he doesn’t suck enough for the Badabings to win this one. (Or even come close!) The Moonshimers will be picking up mega points this week and getting back into the race.
I would now like to draw your attention to the New York Rangers website, and the advertisements therein. (Assist to Ranger Billy for showing me this last weekend.) I just can’t get enough of the Bobby Granger’s Guide to the Rangers. (This is especially for you Binghamton guys who get blacked out of the MSG games). I recommend “Abuse” and “Master Class”.
OK, I’m ready to shake off a bad week and get back in the game. Drop the puck!
That is all.
Willsboro Division Logos
November 14, 2005
I thought I’d include The Hockey Blog Allstars Willsboro Division logos.
I’m still waiting to see the Binghamton Division logos.
What about it Pucknut?
Weekly Crosscheck Vol. 1, #4
November 14, 2005
Hi Hockey Fans,
Can I call them, or can I call them? Another close week for all (except the Badabings, of course). Hey… the Sublimators needed the points.
When I went to bed last night (before the Vancouver/Detroit game…. honest!), I had no clue what the outcomes of the other three matchups were going to be. True to prediction, Ooch beat the Ice Bats, but it was closer than I thought. The Bats goaltending went down the tubes, but at least they took a healthy number of penalties.
The Phlamers pulled ahead of the Pucknuts with an outstanding Sunday evening from the LA Kings. At least the Pucknuts kept it close! Good job John.
Hey… How many Islanders does it take to loose to a Rangers line up? The answer this week was three, but next week with the addition of DiPietro many of us are counting on an even bigger headache for the Moonshimers. (Note that Blake is on Waivers….. can he resist?)
Records Broken:
The Sublimators broke the Goals record with 27 for the week.
The Ice Bats have broken the record for shorties in a week with 4.
The Pucknuts came dangerously close to breaking the Ice Bats record of PIM, but even with Whitney’s serious box time, they fell short by a 5 minute major.
The Monks join Oochamkunutk, Phlamers and Badabings in the 5 wins club.
The Monks also break the old ± record with +13 (old record was +12) however the Sublimators blew that record away with +33!!!!! (I had to add it up myself to make sure it wasn’t a computer glitch.) Ladies and gentlemen…. that +33 rating is real! I doubt we will ever see that record broken.
Hey… the Pucknuts also broke a +/- record with -13 this week. DOH!
Week 7 Matchups:
Matchup of the week: Ice Bats vs Phlamers.
(I’ve got a line up that’s sure to match them! Mwuohahahahaha). Don’t be surprised if I finally bring myself to sign McGrattan before Wednesday, just to be sure of at least a PIM win, though. If I can figure out a way to jinx Hasek and Jagr, while at the same time magically transforming the Pens into a winning team, I’m sure I can take at least 5 points, perhaps 6?
Willsboro Division Matchup of the week: Ooch vs Monks.
Can the young Rangers overcome the second place team of computer picks? (The Bats sure hope so!) Who can tell? I say no, but that’s because I’m expecting great things from the Rangers this week, and that always leads to disappointment. Since I’ll be in NYC Thursday-Sunday, I’ll be sure to make a sacrifice to the Mask Of Richter Idol on top of Billy’s TV.
Also: Sublimators vs Moonshimers:
I was concerned for the Sublimators, just coming off a big win and possibly slacking this week, however the Moonshimers now have DiPietro. No worries Cara. He can’t get points for all the PIM his goalie picks up for playing the puck out of bounds. I’m also betting he picks up Blake. Let me check the Islander 8-Ball. “Does Potvin Suck?” ALL SIGNS POINT TO YES.
Pucknuts vs Badabings? {Yawn}… hey, if you are going to keep Sundin on the bench, I’ll take him back. I have a feeling the Commissioner won’t be reminding the owner that his players are out on the golf course this week. At least 8 points for the Pucknuts. Since Raycroft is currently the only Badabing goaltender on the ice, the Pucknuts even have a 3 point handicap. The Pucknuts can’t break into the top three this week, but they could certainly climb to fourth place.
Has anybody noticed that the refs made fewer interference calls this week? It was almost back to old-time hockey. It hurt PIM collectors, like myself, but you could tell from the fans reactions (especially in the Toronto/Montreal game) that it’s what we really want. I hope the league noticed that too. Just let them play hockey. If I see another 3 on 3 I’m going to be sick. That’s not hockey!
That is all.
Weekly Crosscheck Vol.1, #3
November 6, 2005
SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY
BE THERE, BE THERE, BE THERE.
This week’s report just can’t wait until tomorrow.
Most everything from last week’s Hockey Blog Allstars report is coming true. Three of the contests are down to the wire and will be determined tonight.
Moonshimers were off to an early start this week, but the Ice Bats have caught up. For the first time this season the Bats are winning the goaltender categories and losing PIM. (Note that after tonight I dropped Domi’s ass in pure shame… although I just couldn’t bring myself to pick up ‘Grats.)
The Sublimators are killing the Monks in goaltending. Sure enough Weekes has been back in net for the rangers. Only a turn-around week for Belfour, and the amazing Alfredsson have kept the Monks in it at all.
Can the Pucknuts catch Oochamkunutk? John’s goaltender scramble has been a salient effort, but too little too late. The Magic 8 Ball says that Lindros will determine the outcome of this matchup. It’s going to come down to ± stats.
Hey… the Badabings came out to play. (Sort of). He’s stocked up on some more injured players and is about to be shut out. Maybe he’s planning to catch up in March, but he’s not helping us keep the Phlamers within reach.
Next week:
Willsboro Division Match Up Of The Week:
Oochamkunutk vs. Ice Bats
Keep a close eye on this race. It may not be that close. Oochamkunutk has been lighting of the stats, while the Bats have been struggling to stay in the race. The Bats have the edge on goaltending, and have been making moves to increase PIM over recent weeks. Oochamkunutk has had to put Leetch on IR, but still have a strong offensive lineup. Right now I’m predicting an Ooch win, but I certainly won’t guarantee it!!!
Binghamton Division Match Up Of The Week:
Phlamers vs. Pucknuts
Can the Pucknuts find a way to trip up the Phlamers? (We certainly hope so.) Doubtful that the Pucknuts will do it with goaltending. Wouldn’t count on Cloutier for a while yet. Maybe Hasek will have a bad week. (And maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt.) Look for a last minute short handed goal to give the Pucknuts that extra point to keep this an even match-up. Also look for more Rangers/Flyers flaming e-mails. I’m staying out of this one!
Also watch out for Monks vs. Moonshimers
This will turn into an Islanders/Ranger death match. Since Potvin still sucks, I’m giving this one to the Monks.
Sublimators vs. Badabings
Here is where the Sublimators catch up to the rest of the Division. Goaltending is a slam-dunk, and as long as the Badabings keep Sundin on the IR for no apparent reason this week may be another sweep against them. Watch out for Thornton to have a good week, though. The Badabings are not totally without potential.
Keep your sticks on the ice (unless you need that extra 2 PIM!!!)
That is all.
Weekly Crosscheck Vol.1, #2
October 31, 2005
Hi Hockey Fans!
What a long strange week it’s been for the Hockey Blog All Stars.
The Sundance Oochamkumutk still hold on to the lead in the Willsboro Division, but remain 8 points back of the league leading Philly Phlamers. The Birchcliff Icebats are tied with Ooch, but are ranked 3rd place overall because of the win/tie ratio. The Monks are creeping up the ladder with another strong week, but the Sublimators slipped several places to 7th overall. The Sublimators had strong goaltending including an excellent game last night from Jean-Sabastien Giguere, which did give them one point overall.
The Bats still remain the PIM kings, however the Pucknuts have set a new league record for goals scored with 25. (Heatley’s four goals Saturday night didn’t hurt, eh?) The Fenton Pucknuts look poised to break into the top three this week unless Ooch can find a way to shut them down and stay within striking distance of first place.
Speaking of which…. The Phlamers are playing the Badabings this week. Mr. Commissioner… I know you are reading this… Please convince the Badabings that THIS is the week to get in the game. We don’t need the Phlamers to get completely out of reach.
Willsboro Division Match Up of the Week:
Sublimators and Monks.
Regardless of this past weeks results the Sublimators are a strong competitive team with first rate goaltending. The Monk’s week depends on the New York Rangers (vs Montreal and N.J.), and we all know how the Rangers can choke when you least expect it. The Monks goaltending is also in trouble with Brodeur still listed day-to-day, Belfour acting like a mega-sieve, and Weekes looking like he’s ready to take back his place in the Rangers line-up. I wouldn’t bet either way on this match-up to save my life.
Also watch:
Ice Bats vs Moonshimers
Meanwhile the Bats will have their work cut out for them against the MoonShimers. I predict this to be another close one. The MoonShimers have traded their way back into a strong Islanders team, while the Bats have unloaded an Islander (Hunter) {Potvin Sucks}, and also rejected a MoonShimer trade offer for Blake. Why oh why couldn’t he have asked me for Pronger????? I HATE THE CAN’T CUT LIST!
Meanwhile in the Winnipeg Johnny Home, John & Juliet are loving NHL Center Ice. Karen hasn’t gotten tired of it yet, but I have a feeling that I am pushing my luck some nights. Now that we have it, we should get our money’s-worth out of it, right?
Drop The Puck.
That is all.
Weekly Crosscheck Vol. 1, #1
October 24, 2005
The Hockey Blog News
Breaking Story
Oochamkunutk take the league lead, and for the first time a Willsboro division team is in front. Kathleen (Ooch GM), who dumped a few losers last week and picked up a couple of Devils last week was named the Hockey Blog manager of the week by the Willsboro Hockey Association president Juliet. “Kathleen’s management style of sitting in front of the computer and moving players around instead of grading homeworks, is very similar to that of Bats GM Winnipeg Johnny, her hockey mentor” said Ms. Juliet. “It provides a nice lap to curl up in, but is not conducive to getting dinner in the bowl on time.”
Meanwhile the Greenbay Monks took an early lead over the Bats this week, and stuck it out to the end, although it went down to the last player on almost all categories. Now that the Monks rookies are settled in, and starting to play well, we expect to see the team climb steadily through the ranks. Not much for talking to the media, Bill’s only comment this week was “Potvin Sucks”.
Bats Manager, Winnipeg Johnny, is assigning extra laps during practice for all players who didn’t get at least 4 PIM this week. “That was WAY too close… thank god Selanne picked up 2 min for holding last night. Sure the goal and the assist were nice, but that’s not what I want from these guys.”
Sublimators GM Cara is still trying to juggle the IR players in her line-up. Even with two skaters down, the Sublimators pulled ahead of the Bats this week too. Hey Cara, Bure isn’t really hurt. He’s just a whiney girley-man. Drop his ass and get a real hockey player.
Match-up of the week:
Sublimators vs Bats. Loser of this series may have to compensate all other Willsboro division coaches at the North End of the arena.
That is all.
