Sometimes, as a lyricist, good ideas just hit you. It happened to me a couple nights ago talking with a friend, when the phrase "on top of the world" was brought up. I said to myself "That's gonna make a great song." So here it is, although you readers can judge the greatness factor:
On Top of the World – This rise to power/It has been very slow/And watching others fail/It can make you feel hollow/But it’s my turn/To take the throne/I have learned my lesson/Let the wisdom be known//Surely you must have a clue/What it is like up there/To be on top of the world/Living up in the air/It’s a hard place to reach/But when you get there you know/While you may feel immortal/You’ll always have some place to go//It has taken a lifetime/To feel like I now do/There were times I could have given up/But I chose to fight through/And while I haven’t done a lot/It feels like a harvest to me/When I truly make my mark/Everyone will see//Surely you must have a clue/What it is like up there/To be on top of the world/Living up in the air/It’s a hard place to reach/But when you get there you know/While you may feel immortal/You’ll always have some place to go//This is something new for me/Something so real/I’ve never done this before/Never been able to feel/Like I am living a dream/Protected and healed/On top of the world/This is all very real//Surely you must have a clue/What it is like up there/To be on top of the world/Living up in the air/It’s a hard place to reach/But when you get there you know/While you feel immortal/You have a place called home/A place to call your own/A place where you are safe/On top of the world/You will always be safe
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
NHL Action - Tuesday
Trying to catch up now, with Tuesday's games coming today before I hit the homework. Also, I have another song that will be added on after this post. For the games, we started off in...
Pittsburgh, where the Penguins hosted the New York Islanders. Kevin Poulin and Marc-Andre Fleury made the starts. Craig Adams, after two periods of scorelessness with two fights between Travis Hamonic and Tyler Kennedy, followed by Zenon Konopka and Aaron Asham, scored his third of the season for Pittsburgh. The assists came from Dustin Jeffrey and Asham, and the Penguins would shut the Islanders out 1-0. Fleury (29 save shutout), Poulin (30 for 31 saves), and Adams were given the three stars.
Speaking of New York, the Rangers hosted the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun and Henrik Lundqvist were in the creases. Rostislav Olesz opened the scoring for Florida with his fourth of the season, coming from Chris Higgins and Dennis Wideman. Derek Stepan tied it for New York in the second period with his 14th of the year, assisted by Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello. Keaton Ellerby put the Panthers back in front with his first of the season, helped along by Dmitry Kulikov and Shawn Matthias. Mike Santorelli put Florida up 3-1 with his 13th of the year, as Bryan Allen and Radek Dvorak picked up the helpers. The Rangers got a goal back early in the third period with Brandon Prust notching his seventh of the season, thanks to Mike Sauer and Zuccarello. New York tied the game at 3 on the power play when Brian Boyle scored his 18th of the year, from Marian Gaborik and Zuccarello, who completed a sock trick. The Panthers finished things in regulation with a Mike Weaver goal, his second of the season coming from Olesz and Santorelli. In the 4-3 Panther victory over the Rangers, Olesz, Santorelli, and Zuccarello picked up the three stars.
Into Ohio, where the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Guarding the cages were Jonas Hiller and Steve Mason. Teemu Selanne scored first for Anaheim, his 15th of the season coming with the man advantage, courtesy of Bobby Ryan and Lubomir Visnovsky. Cam Fowler made it 2-0 for the Ducks on his fifth of the year, also a power play tally, helped along by Visnovsky and Saku Koivu. Columbus got on the board with their own power play goal, after a Jared Boll-George Parros fight, as Rick Nash netted his 23rd of the season thanks to Derick Brassard and Grant Clitsome. Anaheim made it 3-1 in the third period on a Jason Blake goal, his tenth of the year made possible by Koivu and Selanne. Brassard answered for the Blue Jackets with another power play goal, good for his 12th of the campaign, from Jakub Voracek and Fedor Tyutin. Columbus wouldn't muster any further offense, falling 3-2 to the Ducks, with three stars awarded to Hiller (35 for 37 saves), Selanne and Brassard.
Back east and south, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. In front of the nets were James Reimer (despite what Yahoo! would think) and Dwayne Roloson. Tampa Bay got on the board first with a goal by Simon Gagne, his ninth of the season getting help from Victor Hedman and Teddy Purcell. Purcell made it 2-0 on the power play with his eighth of the year, helped along by Brett Clark and Sean Bergenheim. This score would last throughout the rest of the game, resulting in a 2-0 Tampa Bay win over Toronto, where Roloson (26 save shutout), Hedman, and Purcell earned the three stars.
Up into Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Brian Elliott were given the starting nods. Chris Kelly put Ottawa up first with his eleventh of the season, coming from Nick Foligno. Paul Byron responded for Buffalo with his first of the year, made possible by Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford. The Sabres extended the lead to 2-0 with a power play goal by Jochen Hecht, his eighth marker of the season, with helpers coming from Tyler Myers and Thomas Vanek. The Senators finally retied the game in the third period with a Sergei Gonchar goal, his sixth of the year coming on the power play thanks to Erik Karlsson and Mike Fisher. The tie was broken by Buffalo in overtime on Shaone Morrison's goal, his first of the season, assisted by Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. The three stars were given out to Miller (27 for 29 saves), Kelly, and Byron.
Next up, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky were elected to block rubber. Philadelphia struck first, with Jeff Carter scoring his 23rd of the season on the power play, assisted by Mike Richards and Chris Pronger. Kimmo Timonen made it 2-0 Flyers with his own power play goal, helped along by Pronger and Richards as his third of the year. Dan Carcillo also scored his third of the season, early in the second period, with help from Pronger, who secured his sock trick early. Montreal finally visited the scoreboard when David Desharnais scored his third of the campaign, courtesy of Hal Gill and Mathieu Darche. Claude Giroux got Philadelphia up to 4-1 with his 19th of the year, made possible by Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere on the power play. The Canadiens scored again in the third period to make it 4-2 with Darche's ninth of the season, from Travis Moen and Roman Hamrlik. Briere made it 5-2 Flyers, which would be the final, with his 26th of the year, the empty net goal going with assistance from Pronger and the goalie Bobrovsky. Giroux, Pronger, and Richards got the three stars.
Out west in the Windy City, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Corey Crawford tended the twines. Martin Havlat put Minnesota on the board first with his 14th of the season, assisted by Kyle Brodziak. Patrick Sharp tied the game for Chicago with his 26th of the year, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the power play. The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead on the 15th of the season by Troy Brouwer, made possible by Toews and Brian Campbell. The Wild tied it in the second period with Chuck Kobasew notching his ninth of the year, with help from Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Antti Miettinen gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead with his ninth of the season, thanks to Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu. Bouchard wrapped the game up for the Wild in the third period, making it 4-2 with his fourth of the year, which was assisted by Matt Cullen and Kobasew. Picking up the three stars were Backstrom (31 for 33 saves), Toews, and Havlat.
Finally, the Phoenix Coyotes played host to the Edmonton Oilers. Playing in goal were Devan Dubnyk and Ilya Bryzgalov. Scottie Upshall opened the scoring for Phoenix on his 13th of the season, getting help along the way from Keith Yandle and Lee Stempniak on the power play. Kyle Turris made it 2-0 Coyotes with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Ray Whitney and Keith Yandle. Edmonton finally got on the board with Jean-Francois Jacques' third of the season, which got help from Zack Stortini and Kurtis Foster. Taylor Hall tied it in the third period with his 16th of the year, a power play goal from Shawn Horcoff and Jeff Petry. Linus Omark gave the Oilers the lead with his third of the season, made possible by Sam Gagner and Magnus Paajarvi. Phoenix got back into a tie with the second of the night and 14th of the year by Upshall, receiving assistance from Shane Doan and Turris. Dustin Penner secured a 4-3 victory for Edmonton by sinking his 15th of the campaign with just twenty-two seconds left, with assists provided by Hall and Horcoff. Getting the three stars were Upshall, Turris, and Hall.
That's all for Tuesday's games. I'm still significantly behind, so Wednesday's will be out tomorrow. That song I mentioned at the start of the post will be on a whenever I get to it plan.
Pittsburgh, where the Penguins hosted the New York Islanders. Kevin Poulin and Marc-Andre Fleury made the starts. Craig Adams, after two periods of scorelessness with two fights between Travis Hamonic and Tyler Kennedy, followed by Zenon Konopka and Aaron Asham, scored his third of the season for Pittsburgh. The assists came from Dustin Jeffrey and Asham, and the Penguins would shut the Islanders out 1-0. Fleury (29 save shutout), Poulin (30 for 31 saves), and Adams were given the three stars.
Speaking of New York, the Rangers hosted the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun and Henrik Lundqvist were in the creases. Rostislav Olesz opened the scoring for Florida with his fourth of the season, coming from Chris Higgins and Dennis Wideman. Derek Stepan tied it for New York in the second period with his 14th of the year, assisted by Wojtek Wolski and Mats Zuccarello. Keaton Ellerby put the Panthers back in front with his first of the season, helped along by Dmitry Kulikov and Shawn Matthias. Mike Santorelli put Florida up 3-1 with his 13th of the year, as Bryan Allen and Radek Dvorak picked up the helpers. The Rangers got a goal back early in the third period with Brandon Prust notching his seventh of the season, thanks to Mike Sauer and Zuccarello. New York tied the game at 3 on the power play when Brian Boyle scored his 18th of the year, from Marian Gaborik and Zuccarello, who completed a sock trick. The Panthers finished things in regulation with a Mike Weaver goal, his second of the season coming from Olesz and Santorelli. In the 4-3 Panther victory over the Rangers, Olesz, Santorelli, and Zuccarello picked up the three stars.
Into Ohio, where the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Guarding the cages were Jonas Hiller and Steve Mason. Teemu Selanne scored first for Anaheim, his 15th of the season coming with the man advantage, courtesy of Bobby Ryan and Lubomir Visnovsky. Cam Fowler made it 2-0 for the Ducks on his fifth of the year, also a power play tally, helped along by Visnovsky and Saku Koivu. Columbus got on the board with their own power play goal, after a Jared Boll-George Parros fight, as Rick Nash netted his 23rd of the season thanks to Derick Brassard and Grant Clitsome. Anaheim made it 3-1 in the third period on a Jason Blake goal, his tenth of the year made possible by Koivu and Selanne. Brassard answered for the Blue Jackets with another power play goal, good for his 12th of the campaign, from Jakub Voracek and Fedor Tyutin. Columbus wouldn't muster any further offense, falling 3-2 to the Ducks, with three stars awarded to Hiller (35 for 37 saves), Selanne and Brassard.
Back east and south, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. In front of the nets were James Reimer (despite what Yahoo! would think) and Dwayne Roloson. Tampa Bay got on the board first with a goal by Simon Gagne, his ninth of the season getting help from Victor Hedman and Teddy Purcell. Purcell made it 2-0 on the power play with his eighth of the year, helped along by Brett Clark and Sean Bergenheim. This score would last throughout the rest of the game, resulting in a 2-0 Tampa Bay win over Toronto, where Roloson (26 save shutout), Hedman, and Purcell earned the three stars.
Up into Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Brian Elliott were given the starting nods. Chris Kelly put Ottawa up first with his eleventh of the season, coming from Nick Foligno. Paul Byron responded for Buffalo with his first of the year, made possible by Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford. The Sabres extended the lead to 2-0 with a power play goal by Jochen Hecht, his eighth marker of the season, with helpers coming from Tyler Myers and Thomas Vanek. The Senators finally retied the game in the third period with a Sergei Gonchar goal, his sixth of the year coming on the power play thanks to Erik Karlsson and Mike Fisher. The tie was broken by Buffalo in overtime on Shaone Morrison's goal, his first of the season, assisted by Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. The three stars were given out to Miller (27 for 29 saves), Kelly, and Byron.
Next up, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky were elected to block rubber. Philadelphia struck first, with Jeff Carter scoring his 23rd of the season on the power play, assisted by Mike Richards and Chris Pronger. Kimmo Timonen made it 2-0 Flyers with his own power play goal, helped along by Pronger and Richards as his third of the year. Dan Carcillo also scored his third of the season, early in the second period, with help from Pronger, who secured his sock trick early. Montreal finally visited the scoreboard when David Desharnais scored his third of the campaign, courtesy of Hal Gill and Mathieu Darche. Claude Giroux got Philadelphia up to 4-1 with his 19th of the year, made possible by Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere on the power play. The Canadiens scored again in the third period to make it 4-2 with Darche's ninth of the season, from Travis Moen and Roman Hamrlik. Briere made it 5-2 Flyers, which would be the final, with his 26th of the year, the empty net goal going with assistance from Pronger and the goalie Bobrovsky. Giroux, Pronger, and Richards got the three stars.
Out west in the Windy City, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Corey Crawford tended the twines. Martin Havlat put Minnesota on the board first with his 14th of the season, assisted by Kyle Brodziak. Patrick Sharp tied the game for Chicago with his 26th of the year, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the power play. The Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead on the 15th of the season by Troy Brouwer, made possible by Toews and Brian Campbell. The Wild tied it in the second period with Chuck Kobasew notching his ninth of the year, with help from Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Antti Miettinen gave Minnesota a 3-2 lead with his ninth of the season, thanks to Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu. Bouchard wrapped the game up for the Wild in the third period, making it 4-2 with his fourth of the year, which was assisted by Matt Cullen and Kobasew. Picking up the three stars were Backstrom (31 for 33 saves), Toews, and Havlat.
Finally, the Phoenix Coyotes played host to the Edmonton Oilers. Playing in goal were Devan Dubnyk and Ilya Bryzgalov. Scottie Upshall opened the scoring for Phoenix on his 13th of the season, getting help along the way from Keith Yandle and Lee Stempniak on the power play. Kyle Turris made it 2-0 Coyotes with his eighth of the year, courtesy of Ray Whitney and Keith Yandle. Edmonton finally got on the board with Jean-Francois Jacques' third of the season, which got help from Zack Stortini and Kurtis Foster. Taylor Hall tied it in the third period with his 16th of the year, a power play goal from Shawn Horcoff and Jeff Petry. Linus Omark gave the Oilers the lead with his third of the season, made possible by Sam Gagner and Magnus Paajarvi. Phoenix got back into a tie with the second of the night and 14th of the year by Upshall, receiving assistance from Shane Doan and Turris. Dustin Penner secured a 4-3 victory for Edmonton by sinking his 15th of the campaign with just twenty-two seconds left, with assists provided by Hall and Horcoff. Getting the three stars were Upshall, Turris, and Hall.
That's all for Tuesday's games. I'm still significantly behind, so Wednesday's will be out tomorrow. That song I mentioned at the start of the post will be on a whenever I get to it plan.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday NHL action
Sorry for the later post, I've spoiled the reading community with all this live stuff lately. The NHL hosted six games for Monday's schedule. We start with...
The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Cam Ward made the starts in goal. Joe Corvo started the scoring for Carolina with his seventh goal of the season, a power play tally from Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu. Tomas Kaberle evened the score for Toronto with his second of the year, with help from Phil Kessel and Joey Crabb. The Hurricanes made it 2-1 in the second period with the third of the season from Jamie McBain, assisted by Jussi Jokinen. Carolina continued extending their lead in the third period with Brandon Sutter notching his ninth of the year, getting helped along by Ian White and Zach Boychuk. The Maple Leafs got back into a tie when Tim Brent potted two straight, his fifth and sixth of the season, with Luke Schenn and Francois Beauchemin helping out the first time, and Dion Phaneuf and Mike Brown picking up helpers on the latter shorthanded goal. Sutter potted his second of the night and tenth of the year, putting the Hurricanes back ahead thanks to Jokinen. Carolina extended the lead again on a Jeff Skinner goal good for his 18th of the year, courtesy of Corvo and Eric Staal on the power play. Toronto attempted another comeback with Brown nailing his second of the season, made possible by Brent and Carl Gunnarsson on the man advantage. The Hurricanes wrapped the game up 6-4 with an Erik Cole empty net goal, his 13th marker of the year going unassisted. Sutter, Corvo, and Brent were given the three stars.
Up to Washington, D.C., where the Capitals hosted the New York Rangers. Martin Biron and Braden Holtby were given the starting nods. Matt Hendricks got Washington on the board in the second period with his seventh of the season, assisted by Marcus Johansson and Scott Hannan. New York answered in the third period with Marian Gaborik scoring his 16th of the year, with help from Brian Boyle and Sean Avery. The tie lasted into the shootout, with four shooters converting in a row (Wojtek Wolski, Hendricks, Mats Zuccarello, and Nicklas Backstrom) before the Rangers could seal the game off with an Artem Anisimov conversion. The three stars went to Gaborik, Biron (22 for 23 saves), and Alex Ovechkin for being the best Russian hockey player of the 21st century.
Out west a distance, where the Colorado Avalanche hosted the St. Louis Blues. Tending the twines were Jaroslav Halak and Peter Budaj. Brandon Yip opened the scoring for Colorado early in the second period with his eighth of the year, coming from Ryan Wilson. St. Louis tied the game on Jay McClement putting his sixth of the season in the mesh, assisted by Brad Boyes and Brad Winchester. Eric Brewer tied the game for the Blues with his eighth of the year, helped along by Boyes and McClement. Yip retied the game for the Avalanche with his second of the night and ninth of the season, a power play goal from Paul Stastny and Kyle Cumiskey. Colorado made it 3-2 with a power play goal by Kevin Shattenkirk, his seventh of the campaign getting some assistance from John-Michael Liles and Milan Hejduk. Forty-four seconds later, the Avalanche lead was up to 4-2 with the first of the season by Ryan Stoa, courtesy of Adam Foote and Cumiskey. David Backes tried to get St. Louis back in the game with his 16th of the year, from Patrik Berglund and sock-trick-earning Boyes, but it was not good enough, as the Blues fell 4-3. Earning the three stars were Yip, Stoa, and McClement.
Up north into Calgary, where the Flames hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff were chosen to receive ice time. Curtis Glencross opened the scoring for Calgary with his 12th of the season, helped along by Matt Stajan and Niklas Hagman. David Legwand put Nashville into a tie at 1 with his seventh of the year in the second period, with the helpers provided by Colin Wilson and Joel Ward. Jarome Iginla put the Flames back in the lead with his 21st of the season, a power play goal made possible by Stajan and Alex Tanguay. Brendan Morrison produced what would be the final goal of the game while putting Calgary up 3-1 with his eighth of the year. The power play goal got help from Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Tanguay, Kiprusoff (23 for 24 saves), and Stajan were awarded the three stars.
Staying in Canada, the Vancouver Canucks played host to the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Roberto Luongo were in between the pipes. Vancouver struck early with an Alexandre Burrows tally, his tenth of the season coming via Daniel Sedin and Keith Ballard. Brad Richards tied the game for Dallas with his 20th of the year, helped along by James Neal. Ryan Kesler gave the Canucks the lead back with his his 27th of the season, a power play goal from Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver was up 3-1 by the end of the first with Christian Ehrhoff netting his eighth of the year, with help from Henrik and Daniel. Mikael Samuelsson kept the Canucks going with his ninth of the season in the second period, receiving help from Kesler and Mason Raymond. Henrik continued the scoring for Vancouver, making it 5-1 on his eleventh of the year, helped along by Aaron Volpatti and Raffi Torres. Raymond kept the Canucks rolling in the third period with his ninth of the season, assisted by Edler and Samuelsson. Wrapping up the scoring at 7-1 Canucks was Dan Hamhuis on the power play, his fourth of the year going in thanks to Jeff Tambellini and Chris Tanev. Kesler, Henrik, and Raymond got the three stars.
Lastly, previous trading partners played a game, with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Jonathan Quick were given starting honors. Ryan Smyth put Los Angeles up first with his 18th of the season, a power play goal from Jarret Stoll and Drew Doughty. The Kings went up 2-0 in the third period on an Andrei Loktionov goal, his second of the year made possible by Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. This would be the final, with Quick (34 save shutout), Smyth, and Thomas (32 for 34 blocks) earning the three stars.
That's all for Monday. Again, I'm sorry to be slow, but I've been getting swamped lately. Luckily, the All-Star break is fast approaching, and I will be caught up by Friday. Tuesday's games should be out tomorrow, and we'll see how I can do from there.
The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Cam Ward made the starts in goal. Joe Corvo started the scoring for Carolina with his seventh goal of the season, a power play tally from Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu. Tomas Kaberle evened the score for Toronto with his second of the year, with help from Phil Kessel and Joey Crabb. The Hurricanes made it 2-1 in the second period with the third of the season from Jamie McBain, assisted by Jussi Jokinen. Carolina continued extending their lead in the third period with Brandon Sutter notching his ninth of the year, getting helped along by Ian White and Zach Boychuk. The Maple Leafs got back into a tie when Tim Brent potted two straight, his fifth and sixth of the season, with Luke Schenn and Francois Beauchemin helping out the first time, and Dion Phaneuf and Mike Brown picking up helpers on the latter shorthanded goal. Sutter potted his second of the night and tenth of the year, putting the Hurricanes back ahead thanks to Jokinen. Carolina extended the lead again on a Jeff Skinner goal good for his 18th of the year, courtesy of Corvo and Eric Staal on the power play. Toronto attempted another comeback with Brown nailing his second of the season, made possible by Brent and Carl Gunnarsson on the man advantage. The Hurricanes wrapped the game up 6-4 with an Erik Cole empty net goal, his 13th marker of the year going unassisted. Sutter, Corvo, and Brent were given the three stars.
Up to Washington, D.C., where the Capitals hosted the New York Rangers. Martin Biron and Braden Holtby were given the starting nods. Matt Hendricks got Washington on the board in the second period with his seventh of the season, assisted by Marcus Johansson and Scott Hannan. New York answered in the third period with Marian Gaborik scoring his 16th of the year, with help from Brian Boyle and Sean Avery. The tie lasted into the shootout, with four shooters converting in a row (Wojtek Wolski, Hendricks, Mats Zuccarello, and Nicklas Backstrom) before the Rangers could seal the game off with an Artem Anisimov conversion. The three stars went to Gaborik, Biron (22 for 23 saves), and Alex Ovechkin for being the best Russian hockey player of the 21st century.
Out west a distance, where the Colorado Avalanche hosted the St. Louis Blues. Tending the twines were Jaroslav Halak and Peter Budaj. Brandon Yip opened the scoring for Colorado early in the second period with his eighth of the year, coming from Ryan Wilson. St. Louis tied the game on Jay McClement putting his sixth of the season in the mesh, assisted by Brad Boyes and Brad Winchester. Eric Brewer tied the game for the Blues with his eighth of the year, helped along by Boyes and McClement. Yip retied the game for the Avalanche with his second of the night and ninth of the season, a power play goal from Paul Stastny and Kyle Cumiskey. Colorado made it 3-2 with a power play goal by Kevin Shattenkirk, his seventh of the campaign getting some assistance from John-Michael Liles and Milan Hejduk. Forty-four seconds later, the Avalanche lead was up to 4-2 with the first of the season by Ryan Stoa, courtesy of Adam Foote and Cumiskey. David Backes tried to get St. Louis back in the game with his 16th of the year, from Patrik Berglund and sock-trick-earning Boyes, but it was not good enough, as the Blues fell 4-3. Earning the three stars were Yip, Stoa, and McClement.
Up north into Calgary, where the Flames hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff were chosen to receive ice time. Curtis Glencross opened the scoring for Calgary with his 12th of the season, helped along by Matt Stajan and Niklas Hagman. David Legwand put Nashville into a tie at 1 with his seventh of the year in the second period, with the helpers provided by Colin Wilson and Joel Ward. Jarome Iginla put the Flames back in the lead with his 21st of the season, a power play goal made possible by Stajan and Alex Tanguay. Brendan Morrison produced what would be the final goal of the game while putting Calgary up 3-1 with his eighth of the year. The power play goal got help from Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Tanguay, Kiprusoff (23 for 24 saves), and Stajan were awarded the three stars.
Staying in Canada, the Vancouver Canucks played host to the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Roberto Luongo were in between the pipes. Vancouver struck early with an Alexandre Burrows tally, his tenth of the season coming via Daniel Sedin and Keith Ballard. Brad Richards tied the game for Dallas with his 20th of the year, helped along by James Neal. Ryan Kesler gave the Canucks the lead back with his his 27th of the season, a power play goal from Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver was up 3-1 by the end of the first with Christian Ehrhoff netting his eighth of the year, with help from Henrik and Daniel. Mikael Samuelsson kept the Canucks going with his ninth of the season in the second period, receiving help from Kesler and Mason Raymond. Henrik continued the scoring for Vancouver, making it 5-1 on his eleventh of the year, helped along by Aaron Volpatti and Raffi Torres. Raymond kept the Canucks rolling in the third period with his ninth of the season, assisted by Edler and Samuelsson. Wrapping up the scoring at 7-1 Canucks was Dan Hamhuis on the power play, his fourth of the year going in thanks to Jeff Tambellini and Chris Tanev. Kesler, Henrik, and Raymond got the three stars.
Lastly, previous trading partners played a game, with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Jonathan Quick were given starting honors. Ryan Smyth put Los Angeles up first with his 18th of the season, a power play goal from Jarret Stoll and Drew Doughty. The Kings went up 2-0 in the third period on an Andrei Loktionov goal, his second of the year made possible by Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. This would be the final, with Quick (34 save shutout), Smyth, and Thomas (32 for 34 blocks) earning the three stars.
That's all for Monday. Again, I'm sorry to be slow, but I've been getting swamped lately. Luckily, the All-Star break is fast approaching, and I will be caught up by Friday. Tuesday's games should be out tomorrow, and we'll see how I can do from there.
Monday, January 24, 2011
NFC and AFC Championship games
This weekend, two games were played, with the winners headed to (puke) Dallas, Texas to play in Super Bowl XLV in two weeks. The loser were sent home. The first game was the NFC game, with...
The Chicago Bears hosting the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay struck first on Aaron Rodgers' touchdown run of 1 yard, followed by a Mason Crosby extra point. Making it 14-0 was James Starks' 4 yard touchdown run, with Crosby supplying the extra point again, which was the score into halftime. In the fourth quarter, Chicago got on the board with a Chester Taylor run of 1 yard for the score, with Robbie Gould adding the extra point. B.J. Raji gave the Packers the next touchdown, an 18 yard interception return of Caleb Hanie's throw, with Crosby adding the extra point for a 21-7 score. The Bears tried to overcome the Packers' lucky break, with a Hanie pass to Earl Bennett for 35 yards and the score plus an extra point by Gould, but it would be too little too late as Green Bay defeated Chicago and earned a Super Bowl ticket.
The next game had the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the New York Jets. Rashard Mendenhall put Pittsburgh up early with a 1 yard touchdown run followed by a Shaun Suisham extra point. Suisham added a 20 yard field goal to make it 10-0 for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger took to the ground to score a touchdown for Pittsburgh on his 1 yard run, with Suisham adding the extra point. Making it 24-0 was Suisham with the extra point on the William Gay fumble recovery from Mark Sanchez of 19 yards. To avoid a fruitless first half, the score going into the locker rooms was 24-3 after Nick Folk booted in a 42 yard field goal. New York rolled along in the second half, with Sanchez finding Santonio Holmes for 45 yards, allowing Folk to add an extra point to bring the score to 24-10. The Jets added on 2 to their score when they pinned Roethlisberger in his own end zone. Sanchez also connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 4 yard touchdown pass, with Folk making it 24-19. The Steelers managed to weather the rest of the storm, and punched their ticket to play against the Packers in Dallas two weeks from now.
The Chicago Bears hosting the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay struck first on Aaron Rodgers' touchdown run of 1 yard, followed by a Mason Crosby extra point. Making it 14-0 was James Starks' 4 yard touchdown run, with Crosby supplying the extra point again, which was the score into halftime. In the fourth quarter, Chicago got on the board with a Chester Taylor run of 1 yard for the score, with Robbie Gould adding the extra point. B.J. Raji gave the Packers the next touchdown, an 18 yard interception return of Caleb Hanie's throw, with Crosby adding the extra point for a 21-7 score. The Bears tried to overcome the Packers' lucky break, with a Hanie pass to Earl Bennett for 35 yards and the score plus an extra point by Gould, but it would be too little too late as Green Bay defeated Chicago and earned a Super Bowl ticket.
The next game had the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the New York Jets. Rashard Mendenhall put Pittsburgh up early with a 1 yard touchdown run followed by a Shaun Suisham extra point. Suisham added a 20 yard field goal to make it 10-0 for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger took to the ground to score a touchdown for Pittsburgh on his 1 yard run, with Suisham adding the extra point. Making it 24-0 was Suisham with the extra point on the William Gay fumble recovery from Mark Sanchez of 19 yards. To avoid a fruitless first half, the score going into the locker rooms was 24-3 after Nick Folk booted in a 42 yard field goal. New York rolled along in the second half, with Sanchez finding Santonio Holmes for 45 yards, allowing Folk to add an extra point to bring the score to 24-10. The Jets added on 2 to their score when they pinned Roethlisberger in his own end zone. Sanchez also connected with Jerricho Cotchery for a 4 yard touchdown pass, with Folk making it 24-19. The Steelers managed to weather the rest of the storm, and punched their ticket to play against the Packers in Dallas two weeks from now.
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, week 15
This week runs another Fantasy Hockey All-Star edition, while next week will be the actual All-Stars in the game, which will be covered live in addition to the 16A part next week. In the Yahoo! format, week 16 will run both this week and next week, for a total of two weeks. For this past week, the all stars are as follows:
Center: Nathan Gerbe, 4 goals, 1 assist, +4, 8 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 21 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tyler Ennis, 2 goals, 4 assists, -2, 0 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Right Wing: Claude Giroux, 1 goal, 6 assists, +6, 9 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 11 shots on goal
Defenseman: Zdeno Chara, 3 goals, 1 assist, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 15 shots on goal
Goaltender: Tim Thomas, 3 wins, 1.33 goals against average, 106 saves, .964 save percentage, 1 shutout
These guys were the MVPs this week. Buffalo got a boost from Gerbe and Ennis, who combined as quite the deadly line. This feature will run next week in an abbreviated format.
Center: Nathan Gerbe, 4 goals, 1 assist, +4, 8 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 21 shots on goal
Left Wing: Tyler Ennis, 2 goals, 4 assists, -2, 0 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Right Wing: Claude Giroux, 1 goal, 6 assists, +6, 9 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 11 shots on goal
Defenseman: Zdeno Chara, 3 goals, 1 assist, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 15 shots on goal
Goaltender: Tim Thomas, 3 wins, 1.33 goals against average, 106 saves, .964 save percentage, 1 shutout
These guys were the MVPs this week. Buffalo got a boost from Gerbe and Ennis, who combined as quite the deadly line. This feature will run next week in an abbreviated format.
Song of the Week IV
This week, the King of Pop makes an appearance on our weekly list, with Michael Jackson's Dangerous being the designated song. This song is set in a club, with a woman referred to as dangerous talked about throughout the song. The rhythm of the song is a consistent industrial-modern blend to my ears, lasting for a majority of the song. This was a hit off the album of the same title, and also one of Jackson's later works. This has been a favorite of mine for a long time now, with a strong and defiant message coming through. This feature will be run next week.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday Hockey
One week until the All-Star Game at Raleigh, and there are five games on today. Please note that there is no hockey from Thursday-Monday, the 27-31st except for the All-Star Game. Also, on Friday, there will be coverage of the All-Star Fantasy draft between team Staal and team Lidstrom. I will post the teams up as they become available, and I can find them. As for the action today...
The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in the one and only Stanley Cup rematch for this season. Sergei Bobrovsky and Corey Crawford were sent out for netminding duties. Jeff Carter put Philadelphia on the board first with his 21st of the season in the second period with help from Claude Giroux and Nikolay Zherdev. Zherdev made it 2-0 in the third period with his 15th of the year, assisted on by Giroux. Carter extended the Flyers lead to 3-0 with his second of the afternoon and 22nd of the season, with Giroux completing his sock trick with the lone assist. Chicago finally got on the board when Marian Hossa converted a penalty shot after Braydon Coburn fell on the puck, which was his eleventh of the year. Scott Hartnell secured a victory of 4-1 for the Flyers over the Blackhawks with his 17th of the season going into the empty net courtesy of Carter and the four-helper man Giroux. Picking up the three stars were Carter, Hossa, and Bobrovsky (30 for 31 saves).
Next up during the afternoon was the New Jersey Devils hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen faced off against the goalie he used to be backup to, Martin Brodeur. Ilya Kovalchuk put New Jersey up first with his 14th of the season, getting help from Adam Greene and Travis Zajac. With two seconds left in the first period, the Devils snagged a 2-0 lead with a Jason Arnott marker, his eleventh of the year made possible by Adam Mair and Mark Fayne. Jacob Markstrom came on to relieve Clemmensen in the second period. Florida visited the scoresheet with Shawn Matthias sinking his sixth of the season, with helpers provided by Cory Stillman and Steve Bernier. New Jersey made it 3-1 on the power play with Brian Rolston netting his fifth of the year in the net, thanks to Kovalchuk and Mattias Tedenby. Patrik Elias extended the Devils lead once again with his 13th of the season, a power play goal from Rolston and Kovalchuk. The Panthers came back with a Marty Reasoner goal in the third period to make it 4-2, with Radek Dvorak and Stillman assisting on Reasoner's tenth of the year. New Jersey would finish the game up 5-2 after the 12th of the season and second of the afternoon by Arnott, with help from Rod Pelley and Henrik Tallinder for the empty net goal. Kovalchuk, Rolston, and Elias earned the three stars.
A short travel to New York for the other noon game, Pacific time. The Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres, with Ryan Miller and Rick DiPietro guarding the cages. Paul Gaustad got Buffalo on the board just fifteen seconds in with his fifth of the season, assisted by Rob Niedermayer (as opposed to Neidermayer) and Mike Grier. New York answered with Matt Moulson putting his 16th of the year in the mesh, with help from John Tavares on the power play. The Sabres took the lead back with Tyler Ennis potting his 12th of the season, courtesy of Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville. The Islanders tied the game back up with another Moulson tally, his second of the game and 17th of the year, receiving help from P.A. Parenteau and Tavares. Buffalo took the lead once more, this time with Nathan Gerbe notching his sixth of the season, with help from Ennis and Tyler Myers on the power play. The Sabres make it 4-2 with Myers nailing his sixth of the year, courtesy of Gerbe and Paul Byron. Jack Hillen gets New York going later in the third period with his Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen assisted third of the year. Pominville finalized the game at 5-3 with his empty net goal for his eleventh of the season, with helpers by Steve Montador and Jordan Leopold. The three stars were awarded to Ennis, Moulson, and Miller (31 for 34 saves).
Later in the afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Dwayne Roloson went in between the pipes. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period with Nate Thompson's seventh of the season, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Dana Tyrell made it 2-0 Lightning with his fifth of the year, coming from Dominic Moore and Pavel Kubina. Steven Stamkos added on for Tampa Bay with his 38th of the season, with helpers by Martin St. Louis and Mike Lundin. Peter Mannino relieved Ondrej Pavelec after these three goals. The Lightning continued to pour it on, this time with St. Louis notching his 20th of the year, with help by Steve Downie. Simon Gagne kept Tampa Bay going with his seventh of the season, with assists coming from Vincent Lecavalier and Teddy Purcell. The Lightning had no trouble scoring in the third period either, led off by Kubina and his third of the year, from Purcell. Gagne made it 7-0 with his second of the game and seventh of the season, a power play goal from Lecavalier and Purcell again, with Purcell securing a sock trick. Atlanta finally got on the board when Rich Peverley put away his 13th of the year, with help from Niclas Bergfors. This was the final, with Gagne, Purcell, and Kubina getting the three stars.
Lastly, the Edmonton Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk are in place to see rubber. Nashville strikes first with an Alexander Sulzer goal, his first of the season coming from Sergei Kostitsyn and Cory Franson. Edmonton answered in the third period with Andrew Cogliano netting his seventh of the year, helped along by Liam Reddox and Theo Peckham. Joel Ward gave the Predators the lead back on his sixth of the season, getting help from Sulzer and Franson on the power play. The Oilers tied the game again with Taylor Hall putting his 15th of the year in the twine, thanks to Dustin Penner and Jim Vandermeer. Nashville would go on to topple Edmonton 3-2 in the shootout on the back of a Franson conversion, with the three stars given out to Ward, Hall, and Sulzer.
That's all for the hockey world. Monday will bring Song of the Week, Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, and Championship round recaps.
The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in the one and only Stanley Cup rematch for this season. Sergei Bobrovsky and Corey Crawford were sent out for netminding duties. Jeff Carter put Philadelphia on the board first with his 21st of the season in the second period with help from Claude Giroux and Nikolay Zherdev. Zherdev made it 2-0 in the third period with his 15th of the year, assisted on by Giroux. Carter extended the Flyers lead to 3-0 with his second of the afternoon and 22nd of the season, with Giroux completing his sock trick with the lone assist. Chicago finally got on the board when Marian Hossa converted a penalty shot after Braydon Coburn fell on the puck, which was his eleventh of the year. Scott Hartnell secured a victory of 4-1 for the Flyers over the Blackhawks with his 17th of the season going into the empty net courtesy of Carter and the four-helper man Giroux. Picking up the three stars were Carter, Hossa, and Bobrovsky (30 for 31 saves).
Next up during the afternoon was the New Jersey Devils hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen faced off against the goalie he used to be backup to, Martin Brodeur. Ilya Kovalchuk put New Jersey up first with his 14th of the season, getting help from Adam Greene and Travis Zajac. With two seconds left in the first period, the Devils snagged a 2-0 lead with a Jason Arnott marker, his eleventh of the year made possible by Adam Mair and Mark Fayne. Jacob Markstrom came on to relieve Clemmensen in the second period. Florida visited the scoresheet with Shawn Matthias sinking his sixth of the season, with helpers provided by Cory Stillman and Steve Bernier. New Jersey made it 3-1 on the power play with Brian Rolston netting his fifth of the year in the net, thanks to Kovalchuk and Mattias Tedenby. Patrik Elias extended the Devils lead once again with his 13th of the season, a power play goal from Rolston and Kovalchuk. The Panthers came back with a Marty Reasoner goal in the third period to make it 4-2, with Radek Dvorak and Stillman assisting on Reasoner's tenth of the year. New Jersey would finish the game up 5-2 after the 12th of the season and second of the afternoon by Arnott, with help from Rod Pelley and Henrik Tallinder for the empty net goal. Kovalchuk, Rolston, and Elias earned the three stars.
A short travel to New York for the other noon game, Pacific time. The Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres, with Ryan Miller and Rick DiPietro guarding the cages. Paul Gaustad got Buffalo on the board just fifteen seconds in with his fifth of the season, assisted by Rob Niedermayer (as opposed to Neidermayer) and Mike Grier. New York answered with Matt Moulson putting his 16th of the year in the mesh, with help from John Tavares on the power play. The Sabres took the lead back with Tyler Ennis potting his 12th of the season, courtesy of Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville. The Islanders tied the game back up with another Moulson tally, his second of the game and 17th of the year, receiving help from P.A. Parenteau and Tavares. Buffalo took the lead once more, this time with Nathan Gerbe notching his sixth of the season, with help from Ennis and Tyler Myers on the power play. The Sabres make it 4-2 with Myers nailing his sixth of the year, courtesy of Gerbe and Paul Byron. Jack Hillen gets New York going later in the third period with his Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen assisted third of the year. Pominville finalized the game at 5-3 with his empty net goal for his eleventh of the season, with helpers by Steve Montador and Jordan Leopold. The three stars were awarded to Ennis, Moulson, and Miller (31 for 34 saves).
Later in the afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Dwayne Roloson went in between the pipes. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period with Nate Thompson's seventh of the season, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Dana Tyrell made it 2-0 Lightning with his fifth of the year, coming from Dominic Moore and Pavel Kubina. Steven Stamkos added on for Tampa Bay with his 38th of the season, with helpers by Martin St. Louis and Mike Lundin. Peter Mannino relieved Ondrej Pavelec after these three goals. The Lightning continued to pour it on, this time with St. Louis notching his 20th of the year, with help by Steve Downie. Simon Gagne kept Tampa Bay going with his seventh of the season, with assists coming from Vincent Lecavalier and Teddy Purcell. The Lightning had no trouble scoring in the third period either, led off by Kubina and his third of the year, from Purcell. Gagne made it 7-0 with his second of the game and seventh of the season, a power play goal from Lecavalier and Purcell again, with Purcell securing a sock trick. Atlanta finally got on the board when Rich Peverley put away his 13th of the year, with help from Niclas Bergfors. This was the final, with Gagne, Purcell, and Kubina getting the three stars.
Lastly, the Edmonton Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk are in place to see rubber. Nashville strikes first with an Alexander Sulzer goal, his first of the season coming from Sergei Kostitsyn and Cory Franson. Edmonton answered in the third period with Andrew Cogliano netting his seventh of the year, helped along by Liam Reddox and Theo Peckham. Joel Ward gave the Predators the lead back on his sixth of the season, getting help from Sulzer and Franson on the power play. The Oilers tied the game again with Taylor Hall putting his 15th of the year in the twine, thanks to Dustin Penner and Jim Vandermeer. Nashville would go on to topple Edmonton 3-2 in the shootout on the back of a Franson conversion, with the three stars given out to Ward, Hall, and Sulzer.
That's all for the hockey world. Monday will bring Song of the Week, Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, and Championship round recaps.
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