Olympic hockey isn’t better… just ask NBC

By DR Hook  
Tuesday, February 23, 2010   8:27 am

As the games go on so do the lemmings who think this Olympic hockey is the best there is… it isn’t.      

 For those that can’t remember when the NHL took their momentum break from playing 4 games a week… there were six teams (Flyers, Boston, Montreal, Tampa Bay, NY Rangers, and Atlanta) battling for three playoff spots in the EAST and a battle in the WEST with seven teams fighting it out.                                                                                

much better hockey

Challenges during this break? Oh yes… what we’ve been treated to is even the most die-hard hockey fans has been challenged to find a live broadcast which got tougher and mostly baffling when being pre-empted by women’s curling.  Great decision by the NHL to allow players in the Olympics? I think not.

 The question I put out there weeks before the Olympic games began remains: Do you think the Pittsburgh Penguins could have

...

Overrated Olympics could cost the Pens another shot

By DR Hook  
Wednesday, January 27, 2010   8:47 am

Are you looking forward to seeing Konstantin Koltsov and how well he does?  Me either.  Can you really

Me like Russian TANK!

and truly name two players on TEAM Latvia?  I didn’t think you could. You see IMHO this is a mostly overblown event and many of the hockey lemmings jump on the Olympic bandwagon without ……

...

Rossi talks hockey… Cook should write for soap operas.

By DR Hook  
Tuesday, January 12, 2010   7:35 am

The report by Rob Rossi in the TRIBUNE-REVIEW 

Rossi: Coaches not to blame for power play is a revealing one. Rossi says, ”I’ve watched too many practices to blame Yeo for this sickening power play. I’ve seen him work too many long days to hold anything but admiration for his commitment to fixing the power play’s problem.”

I'm thinking maybe two units

He went on to say… Hey, don’t take my word for it. ———– ...

Penguins PP… Who turned the lights out?

By DR Hook  
Tuesday, January 5, 2010   7:21 am

Any hockey fan with half of a brain knows that the solution to the Pens situation hinges on fixing the PP success rate.  It can’t get any worse than 30th.

Goaltending and the attention the PK gets from most teams when combined with the Pens playing the same-old PP with only minor modifications makes it one of the easiest to defend in the NHL.  The stats don’t lie.  This is hard to believe (30th) with the likes of Gonchar, Malkin and Crosby out there but the results clearly point the major need for a change.  Is this group of coaches so blockheaded so determined……

...

EASTERN REP – Penguins, Flyers, Capitals, Bruins

By DR Hook  
Thursday, September 24, 2009   9:44 am

Most of the web site scriptures and hockey mags have selected the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals finishing ahead of our Penguins. I may be looking at this all wrong but I think it’s going to be a battle between the Pens and the Flyers.

Here’s the reasoning… The Flyers (bless their soul) are in another one of the goalie situations like it’s an afterthought. Biron and Nittymaki are gone and Emery and the re-cycled Boucher are in. This has been the revolving door in Philadelphia for so many years but this time…..

...

Penguin Lull… NHL… KHL… Balsillie & Expansion

By DR Hook  
Thursday, September 10, 2009   9:09 am

Being that there is a lull right now before training camps begin and looking into the situation with the KHL with Radulov, Hudler and others, plus the Balsillie situation with Phoenix/Hamilton…

Hamliton Blackberries?

I suggest the following things be on the list of things to seriously talk about at the next meeting of the minds. (An article by Jonathan Willis – triggered some of these suggestions as this guy seems to think like me)…

(1) The situation of the threat of team movements can be resolved with another expansion. The expansion would piss-off the hockey purest’s and the argument is mostly that it waters down the sport.  But, it would stop all the….

...

Penguin… Prospect Conditioning Camp Notes

By DR Hook  
Wednesday, July 29, 2009   12:52 pm

Notes from observing a few prospect conditioning camp ‘workouts’ at Southpointe Iceoplex.  What some don’t realize is that the objective of these ‘workouts’ beside building some team bonding is to conduct physical tests, instructional sets, and layout a fitness and training program customized for each player in attendance.  Some out there thought this was just about scrimages and practice.

There were 26 prospects but I think most there were interested in seeing two of them specifically: Eric Tangradi acquired in the Ryan Whitney trade along with Chris Kunitz… and this years first round pick (30th overall) Simon Despres.
I would say they didn’t let anyone down. Tangradi appeared to be the most mature physically and at IMO they have the highest potential of the 25 of the 26 who participated in the drills. Joey Haddad was recovering from a recent surgery to his knee. Tangradi is listed at 6′4 and looked to be all of 225 to 230 (rough guess)… than the 215. Despres also is a big boy listed at 6′-4, 215 skates well and while two scouts were quoted that they didn’t like his progress from previous season to this last season he played for a lousy St. John’s team in the QMJHL… at 30th he could be the steal of the 2009 draft. He skates well and plays a pretty robust game and he is one of those who stood out. Of course at one time I thought the best player in camp was from the 2004 draft was Johannes Salmonsson! Some of these kids have peeked at this stage while others are just getting started.
Two others from the 2009 draft class that stood out were Ben Hanowski (the highest scoring forward in Minnesota HS history) who moved the puck very well and appeared to have a shoot from anywhere skill.  Another, Alex Velischek, a 6′ – 200 pound defenseman also appeared to have super skating ability but they’ll have to correct his jumping in too much and being out of position. High School isn’t the same experience track as with some of the others!
The last one I’ll make comment on is Keven Veilleux… 6–4, 200+, right handed shooter – winger/center -with speed –  looked to be the most improved returnee. Ten of these will be entering their first pro career most likely at WB/S: Bortuzzo, Grant, Haddad, Petersen, Pierro-Zabotel, Strait, Tangradi, Thiessen, Veilleux, and Vitale.

Talent looked a tad sparse two years ago but now things are looking back up again… a lot more than many people  think. The Pens have began to rebuild the youth and appear to be doing a very good job of it.

This is DR Hook… carry on