Nottingham Panthers and Belfast Giants Win Again - Uk Round Up Friday 23rd December

The Christmas period started in earnest on Friday night. Belfast and Nottingham were both in league action whilst fellow title chasers Sheffield played their final Challenge Cup group stage game in a winner takes all match up with Cardiff.

Challenge Cup

Sheffield Steelers 4 Cardiff Devils 4

Sheffield and Cardiff both knew that this game could be their last in the Challenge Cup. Cardiff however did have the slight advantage of knowing they only had to avoid defeat to be assured of a place in the semi final.

The first period was an edgy affair that ended goalless but the second period saw the game come back to life. First Jeff Legue put the Steelers ahead before Smith and Pierce put the Devils on top. Legue however got his second and Colt King put the York side back on top before the end of the second.

The Devils needed to score in the third and came out firing as Stuart MacRae levelled up the scores. MacRae’s second goal came on the 51^st minute as the Devils lead again and would prove to be crucial as Mike Ramsay equalised for the Steelers with 2 minutes to go but neither he nor the Steelers could break the deadlock.

The draw meant that the Devils go into the semi final and face the Belfast Giants. The second semi final will be between the Nottingham Panthers and the Braehead Clan.

Edinburgh Capitals 0 Belfast Giants 6

Belfast were on top form on Friday and boosted by the signing of fan favourite and home town lad Mark Morrison.

The Giants dominated with a hat trick from Daryl Lloyd and strikes from Keefe, Awada and Pelle in a game that saw the Giants add 15 shots on Nathan Craze in 15 minutes during the second period.

The win keeps the Giants on top in the title race whilst the defeat for the Capitals means they lose ground on Braehead in the race for sixth.

Nottingham Panthers 6 Dundee Stars 4

With the Steelers in action in the Challenge Cup Nottingham knew they could take second spot in the league table with sides due to meet twice over the festive period.

Despite the Panthers building up a 2 goal lead in the first period the Stars were not out of the game as Turner and Konkle levelled the scores. The Panthers however restored their 2 goal advantage going into the third period through Beauregard and David Clarke.

The Stars started lively in the third period and halved the deficit although Benedict’s goal kept the Panthers two ahead. There was a nervy finish though as Konkle made it a one goal game with 30 seconds left. However there was just enough time for Clarke to complete the win with an empty net goal.

With that defeat the Stars are still looking for a first league win under new coach Brent Hughes. However the Panthers move above the Steelers into second in the league table with the win. David Clarke’s two goal night also sees him tied for the Elite League all time goal scoring record with 229 goals equalling Adam Calder.

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com

Merry Xmas to our readers , bloggers, and the entire GetRealHockey family

GetRealHockey started as an idea just about 18 months ago.  The idea was to create a destination for all hockey fans be they NHL,EPL,KHL, EIHL, or junior hockey.  The blog has had countless entries and we are now poised to breakout in 2012 as a force to be reckoned with in the hockey blogosphere.  The Alexa.com ranking for the blog grows on a daily basis.

The work of the blog has been put on the shoulders of some insiders but most of the burden has been endured by the bloggers who contribute stories on a daily basis.  At this time of the year, we want to reach out and say thank you on behalf of GetRealHockey and the readers of GetRealHockey.  Our bloggers have been putting out stories for zero pay.  They do it because they believe in the future of the blog and the GetReal concept.  This is about to change as we look to open to 2012 with financial backing and we will finally be able to compensate all the hard work.  It is our hope that the blogging team will continue to grow so we can best serve all the hockey niches we have targeted.

We hope all our readers will join us in this journey in 2012.  Our readers are the heart and soul of GetRealHockey and we aim to please with more cutting edge articles and insight in the New Year.  If you are a reader of the blog and you have something to share as a blogger; please email us @ getrealhockey@gmail.com.

In the mean time we wish everyone a Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays.  This is a time for family and of course hockey.  Hope you all catch the juniors and the NHL action between Santa's Day and New Years.

The Boston Bruins are Insanely Good - Pay Attention NHL

Xmas is upon us and the Boston Bruins have handed their fans an early gift with an 8-0 victory over the Florida Panthers.  The team is a juggernaut and they look ready to crush anyone in the league. The Bruins are scary, big, fast and skilled.  They are the definition of team and the epitome of success in professional sport.  Their slow start in this new NHL season is old history and Boston looks ready to take top spot in the entire league. The scoring is nuts for this year's edition of the Bruins.  Their plus/minus is crazy.  The goal tending is from another planet. They look stronger than they did when they bruised their way to a Stanley Cup championship in 2010-2011.  The chances for a repeat in the "new" NHL are slim because of free agency and the lure of big money.  These guys look set to be the exception.

Boston is a town for winners.  The Patriots, the Celtics, the Red Sox and the Bruins inspire rabid loyalty from their fans.  The Bruins have taken that loyalty and fed on it and become the premier team in the NHL.  They blew through the NHL last year like a hot knife through butter and it looks like 2011-2012 will be an instant reply.  Seguin, Marchand, Thomas, Chara, Horton, and Lucic are just too good to not be a dynasty.  This team is insanely good.  Everyone in Boston should be proud and GMs in every other city should be paying attention.  The NHL needs more teams like the Bruins.  Their commitment to the fans is shows up on the ice every night.  To hell with parity.  All teams should be excellent like the Bruins.  Wow that would be a cool thing for the world's best sport.  Hope someone pays attention (Wink !! Wink !! Habs, Flames, Islanders).

Are the Habs the Washington Generals of the NHL ?

Everyone who has been lucky enough to see the Harlem Globetrotters play has also seen the Washington Generals in action.  The Washington Generals are the hapless nitwits who chase the Globetrotters around all night but ultimately they always lose.  The Generals may pull ahead in any one game but they always trip, fall, and crash to the much better Globetrotters.  None of the guys on the Generals ever dreamed they would someday be part of a basketball team that is always slated to lose but every night they go out and get their heads kicked in for money.  They draw their salaries , do their best and move on to the next game.    

This pattern which is well known to the Generals is becoming way too familiar to the Montreal Canadiens.  This once proud franchise has been humbled by mismanagement and the players are starting to show the mental fatigue of getting their collective rear ends handed to them on a regular basis.  Blowouts are becoming very common for the Habs. The Habs have slid into a trap of mediocrity and they seem unable to shake the hex.  The youngsters on the team are listless and talented players like Price and Subban are looking average at best. 

If you ask me they look and feel like the Generals.  The Blackhawks made them look stupid recently and games against the Jets and others were not much better. The owners of the Habs need to move and right the ship. Montreal fans deserve better.  Poor management can push a franchise to the brink.  Just ask the Maple Leafs. They dropped out of sight after their last Cup victory in 1967.  It can take a while for a winning spirit to come back once rot has set in.  This team needs to be turned around now or Habs fans will be in store for years of Washington Generals style hockey. This year is a write off.  The habs need to get in there and make some trades in the New Year.  Get what you can for whatever you have that has worth.  Sometime it is hard to bite the bullet but we are afraid that Molson has to get chewing.  Time to rebuild.  The quicker you face the music the quicker Montreal will bounce back.

An educated Blackhawks fan’s guide to chirping the opposing team.

Let’s be honest if you walked into an arena in the opposing team’s sweater you are going to get harassed. Which for the most part is fine, you deserve it because you decided to put your team ahead of your feelings and in some cases your safety.[1]  In many cases they are educated and have great hockey sense especially if they are wearing the colors of an original six team or in most cases a team from Canada. After an incident I saw last night, I think some people need a refresher on who, what and when its ok to make fun of other fans or teams.

1.       If you are drunk, automatically you sound like you have suffered major head trauma and your argument has not one shred of credibility.

2.       Don’t chirp the defending champion during the regular season, no matter what your opinion is, for at least one year they have the brass ring.

3.       If you are under 25, wearing a green Patrick Kane jersey with a flat billed hat keep your mouth shut. Especially if you are talking to a 60 year old Canadiens fan. They have seen between 10-15 Stanley Cups you have seen 1. They are the second most storied franchise in sports. Your team was almost driven into the ground by an owner reminiscent of Ebenezer Scrooge. Respect your elders Jerkface!

4.       Never start an argument with “If I was on the ice”

5.       Never start an argument with (our fighter) can kick (Your fighter’s) ass.

6.       Never refer to an opposing player that is out with an injury as a wuss or worse, unless that player has a history of faking.

7.       For Chicago Fans…Don’t yell “Detroit Sucks” when Detroit is not even in the building.

So I hope this guide can be a map for becoming a better fan, there is nothing wrong with going crazy, and making fun of the opposing team. But please at least sound educated when you do it, because if you don’t, it just makes you and your fanbase look ignorant. Also for God Sakes, stop yelling “Shoot!” when your team is on the Powerplay!

Happy Holidays/Joyeuses Fêtes

Joe DeTolve

Goodintheroom

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[1] Under no circumstance should you engage an opposing fan physically unless they spill your 10 dollar beer or harass your girlfriend/wife

NYC and Philly Play Starring Roles in HBO's "24/7 Flyers- Rangers"

As I write this review of HBO's debut episode of "24/7 Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic," I'm riding on an Amtrak train through central Philadelphia en route to New York City's Penn Station. As we speed past the rundown rowhouses and abandoned warehouses of this gritty, greasy city, I can't help but think how Season 2 (Caps-Pens last year) of this Emmy Award-winning reality series is as much a tale of two cities as it is about two fierce rivals on the ice.

But the real story is that the two teams and the cities they represent have much in common.

Philly and NYC, despite the popular imagination of big bankers on Wall Street and UPenn rowers on the Schuylkill River, are actually deep down two blue collar cities with many similarities that are brilliantly captured by the HBO cameras. These two rusted out titans of the 20th century are attempting to reinvent themselves to stay on top in the 21st century with the same can-do, blue collar work ethic that made these magnificent metropolisis the economic engines of a bygone era in America. The same can be said of their hard working professional ice hockey teams. 

The opening montage sets up the blue collar theme of the show as Rangers players get to Madison Square Garden by cab, subway and even walking. Rangers forward Ryan Callahan is from hardscrabble Rochester, New York, and the cameras show him meeting his family after playing a game against the Sabres in nearby Buffalo. In perhaps the most touching moment of the hour-long episode we see wheelchair-bound 95-year-old Grandma Callahan beaming with pride as she greets Ryan.

In Philly, the cameras follow Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds as he heads to the opening of an ice rink dedicated to helping inner city youth. Simmonds, who is Afro-Canadian, is joined by Flyers owner Ed Snider at the event.

Episode two airs tonight at 10 p.m. and this fan of the show is looking forward to seeing the urban backdrops of the Big Apple and City of Brotherly Love as much as the Rangers and Flyers.

- Josh Marks

The Guru that is Giroux rises!

Concussions are a big story in the league this year. Concussed players range from the all-star Defensemen Kris Letang to the forwards, like Rocket Richard hopeful Milan Michalek.

It almost seems that each team is hit with this epidemic at some point. One such team had the pleasure of losing not only their gritty Captain Chris Pronger but also was welcomed with a concussion to their leading scorer and MVP of the team.

The Flyers have been an injury plagued team all season, the tipping point that would really test this squad was when leading scorer Claude Giroux went down on friendly fire which gave him a concussion.

The scary part about concussions is that the injuries can be unpredictable in terms of how long a player needs to sit out, yet the promising forward only missed 4 games.

Claude returned to play against a physical and aggressive Dallas Stars team, but that did not stop Giroux from wanting to play.

Immediately he was placed back in his role of being the top countermen for the team and he did not skip a beat.

Giroux ended up playing 15:15 minutes of the game, while getting a goal and 3 assists; to solidify his league leading point totals to 43.

Coach Laviolette played the forward in just about all situations as if he was never injured.

This game not only continued the Flyers winning streak but also is a confidence boost to a team that keeps getting hammered with injuries.

Giroux's return now makes this already dangerous team, even stronger as the season progresses.

- Justin Stefani