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January 2, 2012
Sheffield Steelers Hit Coventry Blaze For 6.
The only Elite League game to be played on New Years Day saw the Sheffield Steelers regain 4th spot in the Elite League with a fine 6-3 win over the Coventry Blaze.
Coventry started the opening 2 minutes looking menacing but a defensive lapse saw Colt King give Sheffield the lead at 2.33. He fired the puck high over the net but it took a funny bounce to come straight back infront of the net and with the Blaze defence asleep King stole in to fire the puck past Hirsch.
The Blaze levelled at 8.34 as Barry Jurynec was the beneficiary from a Matt Stephenson mistake as the puck found him open infront of the net and he fired past John De Caro. Stephenson was less than impressed with himself, smashing his stick on the crossbar as he realised he should have controlled and cleared the puck.
The Blaze levelled at 8.34 as Barry Jurynec was the beneficiary from a Matt Stephenson mistake as the puck found him open infront of the net and he fired past John De Caro. Stephenson was less than impressed with himself, smashing his stick on the crossbar as he realised he should have controlled and cleared the puck.
Sheffield were to take a 2-1 lead into the 2nd period though as ex Blaze star Luke Fulgham got on the score sheet with a clinical finish at 17.46.
2 quick goals at the start of the 2nd period saw Sheffield take a commanding 4-1 lead as Fulgham scored his 2nd of the game at 21.48 and Jeff Legue fired a one timer in off the bar as Colt King fed him the perfect pass on a 2-1 breakaway.
It then turned into the Peter Hirsch show as the Blaze netminder started to stand on his head to keep the score down. He pulled off some jaw dropping saves from Legue, King and Finnerty – the latter the most upset as he slammed his stick into the plexi after being denied on his chance.
The Blaze did pull a goal back in the midst of all these Steelers chances as Owen Fussey scored a powerplay goal at 5.53.
Hirsch was still on top form at the start of the 3rd period as he again denied Finnerty a certain goal but he was finally beaten for a 5th time as Matt Stephenson atoned for his earlier error and managed to force the puck in behind the Blaze netminder.
Coventry weren’t finished yet though and brought the game back to within 2 as Greg Owen scored at 9.32 of the third, firing the puck in off De Caro’s skates from just behind the goal line.
However, Mike Ramsay finished off the scoring at 11.45 of the period as he was put clean in on Hirsch and this time the netminder couldn’t pull off the big save as Ramsay deked round him and fired it into the net.
A superb game from both teams but Sheffield proved they are a force on home ice and got back to winning ways after 2 disappointing games over Christmas.
My man of the match awards go to Peter Hirsch in the Blaze goal who certainly stopped the Steelers scoring 10 in this game. There were at least 5 / 6 one on ones where he pulled of miraculous stops and he kept his team in the game in the 2nd period.
For Sheffield, Colt King really impressed me. Having a reputation as more of an enforcer type of player he is certainly a lot more than that. A great power forward display and his passing was excellent throughout the game. 1 + 1 on the board and was one of the ones that Hirsch stoned otherwise would have scored more.
For Sheffield, Colt King really impressed me. Having a reputation as more of an enforcer type of player he is certainly a lot more than that. A great power forward display and his passing was excellent throughout the game. 1 + 1 on the board and was one of the ones that Hirsch stoned otherwise would have scored more.
- Adam Yates
Josh Georges is Off to a Great 2012
If the 1st day of 2012 is any indication of how the rest of the year is going to play out, then Josh Gorges is going to have an INCREDIBLE year! Not even 12 hours after celebrating for New Years, Gorges got what I could essentially guarantee was the best gift he has ever gotten. 23.4 million dollars is a pretty tough gift to beat, but that is exactly what Gorges received from the Canadiens yesterday in the form of a 6 year extension worth 3.9 million a year. But this gift didn’t come unearned, as he has given his heart and soul to the Habs organization throughout his entire tenure in Montreal.
Josh Gorges isn’t very flashy, he isn’t the best skater, doesn’t have the hardest shot, and doesn’t exactly rack up the points. In 277 games played with the Habs, he has only scored 9 goals, and put up 59 points, that is an average of 17 points in a full season. When you look at those numbers you might wonder why the already Salary Cap-strapped Montreal Canadiens would offer such a lucrative contract to Gorges. This must look like a horrible contract, however, that is not the case. Despite not putting up many points, or being dangerous offensively, Gorges brings a lot of intangibles to the table. First off he is an assistant captain, and if Brian Gionta needed to be replaced as captain, there is no doubt in my mind that Gorges would be named as his successor. Not only does Gorges provide leadership in the locker room, but he also leads by example on the ice. He is one of the only Habs players that gives 100% every single game, and puts his body on the line for the CH on his chest. If an opponent drives the net hard, or takes advantage of one of his teammates, Gorges is always the first; sometimes the only; player to get in his face and defend his teammates/goalie. The Canadiens don’t have a lot of tough guys, and although he isn’t the most intimidating player at 6’1, 200 pounds, he won’t back down from anybody! Right there that’s 2 qualities; leadership and toughness; that he provides that cannot be measured by stats. But let’s look at the stats that do measure how valuable he is.
Josh Gorges isn’t very flashy, he isn’t the best skater, doesn’t have the hardest shot, and doesn’t exactly rack up the points. In 277 games played with the Habs, he has only scored 9 goals, and put up 59 points, that is an average of 17 points in a full season. When you look at those numbers you might wonder why the already Salary Cap-strapped Montreal Canadiens would offer such a lucrative contract to Gorges. This must look like a horrible contract, however, that is not the case. Despite not putting up many points, or being dangerous offensively, Gorges brings a lot of intangibles to the table. First off he is an assistant captain, and if Brian Gionta needed to be replaced as captain, there is no doubt in my mind that Gorges would be named as his successor. Not only does Gorges provide leadership in the locker room, but he also leads by example on the ice. He is one of the only Habs players that gives 100% every single game, and puts his body on the line for the CH on his chest. If an opponent drives the net hard, or takes advantage of one of his teammates, Gorges is always the first; sometimes the only; player to get in his face and defend his teammates/goalie. The Canadiens don’t have a lot of tough guys, and although he isn’t the most intimidating player at 6’1, 200 pounds, he won’t back down from anybody! Right there that’s 2 qualities; leadership and toughness; that he provides that cannot be measured by stats. But let’s look at the stats that do measure how valuable he is.
Time on Ice: This season Gorges has played under 19 minutes in only 2 out of 39 games. And as the season has gone on, his ice time has went up, as he has played 21+ minutes in each of the last 16 games (including 4 of 25+ minutes). When it comes to total time on ice, Gorges is in the top 50 in the NHL. But most other players in the top 50 get significant powerplay (PP) time as well. Gorges rarely gets PP time, as he only averages 39 seconds a game on the PP. Time on the powerplay is a luxury, players love to be on it, but those aren’t the minutes he gets, he gets most of his time without the man advantage. In fact, Gorges has played the 13th most even strength minutes in the NHL, and his nearly 149 minutes played shorthanded is the 3rd most in the NHL. This is a large reason that you don’t see him contributing goals and assists, because he isn’t an offensive player, he is the shutdown guy on the blueline. His TOI combined with his PK expertise make him almost worth the 3.9 million alone.
Hits/Blocked shots: What makes Gorges so effective as a shutdown guy and as a penalty killer is his dominance in the area of hits and blocked shots. Gorges has blocked 101 shots so far this year, which is the most by any player in the NHL, that’s 101 shots that Carey price hasn’t had to face because Gorges sacrificed his own body to help out the team. And when it comes to hits, his 60 hits so far on the year ranks him in the top 50 d-men. What is really impressive however, is the fact that he is 1 of only 9 players in the NHL to have both 50+ hits and 75+ blocked shots!
Hits/Blocked shots: What makes Gorges so effective as a shutdown guy and as a penalty killer is his dominance in the area of hits and blocked shots. Gorges has blocked 101 shots so far this year, which is the most by any player in the NHL, that’s 101 shots that Carey price hasn’t had to face because Gorges sacrificed his own body to help out the team. And when it comes to hits, his 60 hits so far on the year ranks him in the top 50 d-men. What is really impressive however, is the fact that he is 1 of only 9 players in the NHL to have both 50+ hits and 75+ blocked shots!
Plus/Minus: Gorges has been a minus in only 1 of his 4 seasons in Montreal. And this year he currently is a +6, good enough to lead the team. What’s even more impressive about that is the fact that nobody else on the team is better than +2! Only 6 players aren’t a minus on the Canadiens and not a single one of them is a defenseman who has played significant time this year! So when you consider that, clearly Gorges is the most responsible player on Montreal’s blueline.
Those are the reasons why Josh Gorges became a fan favorite almost immediately as soon as he came over from San Jose, and he has gained popularity every single season. He only made 2.5 million last year on a 1 year contract, it was the way he responded once given a bigger role due to the injury of Markov that earned him the extension. 3.9 million is a lot of money for a guy who doesn’t contribute offensively, however, for the reasons listed above, Gorges is definitely worth it.
The only problem I have with the signing is that the Habs were already in cap trouble. After they made the Kaberle trade, they now had 38 million dollars spent on 7 players for each of the next 2 seasons. Add Gorges contract to that, and the Habs have 42 million committed to 8 players that will make up the core of this team for the next 2 seasons. Those 8 players are Gomez (7.4), Cammalleri (6), Plekanec (5), Gionta (5), Cole (4.5), Markov (5.75), Kaberle (4.25) and Gorges (3.9). That is hardly the core of a Stanley Cup contending team. Teams like the Penguins who have stars like Malkin, Crosby, Letang, and Fleury pay around the same amount for their core. The problem isn’t just one contract (although if it was it would be Gomez), the problem is the Habs have too many bad contracts which add up. Over the next 2 seasons the Habs will have 22 million to fill out the rest of their roster. The scariest part of that is the fact that after this season the Habs have many key RFA’s that will be expecting big raises. Carey Price will be expecting a HUGE raise, PK Subban although underachieving should expect a big bump in pay as well, the team’s leading hitter Emelin, and young Lars Eller’s contract is up as well. And in 2 seasons, the team’s most explosive offensive weapon in Max Pacioretty will be up for a new contract. When you look at all those upcoming RFA’s there just isn’t enough money to go around for everyone. You have to ask yourself, was it worth trading for Kaberle and re-signing Gorges, if it means having less money to work on deals for Price, Subban, Pacioretty and other potential free agents…? That is a question that Pierre Gauthier will be asked all summer if he isn’t able to find a creative way to get rid of some cap space.
But the Montreal salary cap problems are not due to Gorges, he is worth what he is getting, it’s the teams higher-paid forward that really just aren’t living up to the contracts they were given. The Gorges signing was great news for Habs fans in the short-term, but a storm could be brewing in the near future in Montreal as problems definitely lie ahead.
Grant Robinson (@Thesportsgrind)
The only problem I have with the signing is that the Habs were already in cap trouble. After they made the Kaberle trade, they now had 38 million dollars spent on 7 players for each of the next 2 seasons. Add Gorges contract to that, and the Habs have 42 million committed to 8 players that will make up the core of this team for the next 2 seasons. Those 8 players are Gomez (7.4), Cammalleri (6), Plekanec (5), Gionta (5), Cole (4.5), Markov (5.75), Kaberle (4.25) and Gorges (3.9). That is hardly the core of a Stanley Cup contending team. Teams like the Penguins who have stars like Malkin, Crosby, Letang, and Fleury pay around the same amount for their core. The problem isn’t just one contract (although if it was it would be Gomez), the problem is the Habs have too many bad contracts which add up. Over the next 2 seasons the Habs will have 22 million to fill out the rest of their roster. The scariest part of that is the fact that after this season the Habs have many key RFA’s that will be expecting big raises. Carey Price will be expecting a HUGE raise, PK Subban although underachieving should expect a big bump in pay as well, the team’s leading hitter Emelin, and young Lars Eller’s contract is up as well. And in 2 seasons, the team’s most explosive offensive weapon in Max Pacioretty will be up for a new contract. When you look at all those upcoming RFA’s there just isn’t enough money to go around for everyone. You have to ask yourself, was it worth trading for Kaberle and re-signing Gorges, if it means having less money to work on deals for Price, Subban, Pacioretty and other potential free agents…? That is a question that Pierre Gauthier will be asked all summer if he isn’t able to find a creative way to get rid of some cap space.
But the Montreal salary cap problems are not due to Gorges, he is worth what he is getting, it’s the teams higher-paid forward that really just aren’t living up to the contracts they were given. The Gorges signing was great news for Habs fans in the short-term, but a storm could be brewing in the near future in Montreal as problems definitely lie ahead.
Grant Robinson (@Thesportsgrind)
The Right Hand For Job? - Was he the right choice for GB Hockey ?
The announcement of Tony Hand as the next Great Britain coach last week as raised many questions. These have ranged from whether it is viable for an EPL coach to be national team coach? Is his record as a coach good enough? Who else is there? Is he tactically sound? And even does he have the passion for it? Added to this outspoken Sheffield Steelers’ spokesperson Dave Simms said after the news that Paul Thompson would be stepping down broke that there was no outstanding candidate for the job.
Putting aside all these questions for a moment it is great that such questions are now being asked. 10 or 15 years ago the national team wasn’t even on the radar of most fans. The Great Britain team was being coached by Chris McSorley was coaching in Switzerland and doing the job without getting paid whilst some duel internationals were being offered large sums of money to play for the side. Today the GB team has gone from this to a Division One promotion possibility and potential host of a world championship as well as rising from outside the top 30 countries to inside the top 20. Fans are also more involved with 2 international games at ‘home’ per year. No longer is the GB job a thankless task for a week a year but a high profile role taken seriously by the players and fans.
Turning to Tony Hand now. His history and experience in the sport does suggest that this is a job he was destined for. His playing career which is still going today has seen Hand score more points than any other British player or any other player in this country, a draftee of the Edmonton Oilers, played in all corners of the British game and was a member of the Great Britain team that last played in the World Championship group in 1994. Behind the bench Hand has built up 10 years worth of experience. Winning the British National League title with Dundee, the EPL title with Manchester and coaching at all ends of the financial scale in the Elite League with Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester.
Despite this some quarters have asked questions.
Does Hand lack the passion and commitment for the job?
Some people have questioned this based on his actions as a player most based on Hand’s decision to retire from international ice hockey despite still being the most proficient British player in the league. However not only was this decision right for Hand given his age and had prolonged his career it has turned out to be right for the national side. By leaving the national programme Hand gave the powers that be at that time a shake up that was desperately needed. The mismanaged, haphazard way in which duel nationals were ‘employed’ was stifling young British talent and making a mockery of the national squad.
Does Hand have the Tactical Knowledge?
Tony Hand has been deeply criticised at times for his tactics. This has centred on his overuse of his top two lines. This is true however during his time in the Elite League with Edinburgh and Manchester Hand has lacked the depth due to tight financial constraints to roll three lines in tight games. However even during the EPL games Hand has continued this practise. This is an area that Hand will need to improve on although in his defence part of his reasoning behind the two-line system is that one of those lines has included Hand himself. It looks from the outside that in close games Hand feels he is better being on the ice himself and so uses the two-line system to put himself out there more. In international games however against strong line-ups such as the Ukraine or Kazakhstan it is much more important to keep the team fresh but of course Hand will not be icing.
Is it Viable for an EPL Coach?
On time will tell but it would appear to be difficult. Paul Thompson as an Elite League coach saw every team and every player by virtue of the fact he was behind the bench of one of the sides. This allowed Thompson to view players together and watch them play on their lines however as an opposition coach Thompson had a responsibility to beat those players and so at times was difficult for him to be abstract. Hand however does not have that problem for the majority of players. Also with more midweek games in the EIHL Hand will be able to watch games from an outsider viewpoint. It is also true that the EPL has some overlooked British players as well as Longstaff and Bowns who made the last GB squad.
The main sticking point however will be the EPL playoff finals. This playoff weekend comes a weekend before the World Championships start and has seen the Great Britain team play warm up games that weekend. With Manchester a favourite to make the weekend for the third successive year there is an obvious conflict of interest. There are of course rumours about Manchester moving back into the EIHL that would solve this problem for the final 3 years of Hands international contract but that is a matter for a whole other blog.
It is worth noting that Hand will have a team of assistant coaches to help him but it is not reasonable to expect an assistant to take charge of the warm up games and then for Hand to charge for the World Championships.
Is Hand’s Coaching Record Good Enough?
Following in the footsteps of a 4 time Elite League winning British coach is always going to make Hand’s coaching record look poor. However Hand has won 2 championships in the BNL and the EPL. It is also worth noting that Hand didn’t really have the resource to win the Elite League in Manchester or Edinburgh but did get them to the playoffs. Belfast was a different matter but Hand did only spend a season in charge there.
So that puts the jury out on Hand’s credentials to be Great Britain coach. So perhaps the deciding factor is who else is there?
So that puts the jury out on Hand’s credentials to be Great Britain coach. So perhaps the deciding factor is who else is there?
The truth is there are not that many candidates. If you are looking for British born coach then there is only Hand who has a record remotely near that of Paul Thompson. Other duel national candidates are available such as Corey Neilsen from Nottingham. However Neilsen is yet to coach a league winning side and would mean losing a defenseman from the pool of players to pick from. There is also Rob Wilson but Wilson is currently coaching in Italy.
There are of course non-British candidates. Gerard Adams of the Cardiff Devils and Doug Christiansen of the Belfast Giants have both coached in this country for several years but neither have been involved in the international set up before and after a successful couple of years now is not to the time to start changing that.
At the end of day Dave Simms is right. There aren’t a great number of candidates for the job and no one perhaps is as suited to the role as Paul Thompson was. In Tony Hand though there is at least someone with a great hockey sense. All the rest of us can do is cheer him and the boys on.
Neil Tucker
January 1, 2012
The Signing of Josh Georges - Sign of a Turnaround for the Habs
Seriously though, it is nice to see the Habs making some smart moves. The same GM who re-signed Markov and traded for Gomez seems to have taken a smart pill on New Year's eve and he finally did something good for the team and not bad, as per usual. Signing Georges is a commitment to youth and to rebuilding.
The Canadiens will have to get Subban and Price under contract in order to give Montrealers something to cheer about. Rebuilding is still the name of the game in Montreal but at least those three signings would shorten the recovery period. Hockey is a way of life in Montreal and we expect that the Molson family will relent this summer and bring in some new hockey people into the front office. Signing like Markov and trades for guys like Gomez have to be part of the past. The Habs need good drafting and they aren't going to get it from the guys running the ship right now. look at the team running the Canucks and the Bruins. The front office of these organizations should be replicated in Montreal.
The Habs can and will rebound. It is a matter of when not if. The only question is will they act decisively enough to fast track the process. If the owners of the Habs truly respected the fans and put a solid product on the ice; Montreal fans and players would respond and make Montreal a Stanley Cup champion again.
2012 is Looking Good for GetRealHockey - Sponvo, Hockey-Community and The Hockey Writers
We are looking forward to 2012. The last 18 months have been a heck of a ride for the GetReal team as we continue to build one of the primary destinations on the net for hockey fans.
During the past year we have reached out and established relationships with groups like Sponvo.com and Hockey-community.com. At the end of December we planned out an association with TheHockeyWriters.com. We think this latest development could spur us on and get the New Year off to a great start. Sponvo.com, Hockey-community.com and TheHockeyWriters.com are all great sites and great resources for hockey fans. We encourage our readers to visit them all.
Our primary plan for 2012 is to get GetRealNHLVIP up and running on a .com platform. The Blogspot for GetRealHockey will also be migrated to a .com. The idea behind GetRealNHLVIP is to offer premium NHL experiences to hardcore fans. These experiences will include VIP trips, golf tournaments and special charity events.
We want to thank our readers for the support in 2011 and we hope to serve all our fans in the same manner in 2012. Of course we need to recognize the efforts of all our bloggers in 2011 and look forward to their contributions in 2012. The new monetization strategy will allow us to pay for top content and further strengthen the blog. If you want exposure on the GetRealHockey blog please email us @ getrealhockey@gmail.com.
As for NHL hockey; we think 2012 will be the year of the repeat for the boys from Beantown. The Bruins are on steroids and if they continue playing as expected they should demolish all potential rivals. Of course we recognize that they will have their hands full with the Flyers, Blackhawks, and Canucks. 2012 is going to be exciting for everyone. Rock on and happy hockey and New Year to everyone.
Neil Tucker is all over the EPL and EIHL Action
It was a busy time in British ice hockey over the New Year period. The EIHL continued to play as did the EPL and there was news off ice as well.
Ice Hockey UK announced on Friday (30th December) that the new Great Britain coach would be Tony Hand. Hand a 1986 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers is currently the head coach of EPL side Manchester Phoenix. Whilst Hand is widely recognised as the greatest ever British player his coaching career began at the British National League Dundee Stars before moving on to roles with Belfast, Edinburgh and Manchester in the EIHL before making the move with Manchester into the EPL as well as being an assistant coach to Paul Thompson with the national side for a spell.
Elsewhere there was less positive news. Firstly the EPL title contenders the Slough Jets have released Tom Carlon due to financial reasons. The Jets are currently second in the EPL standings but stated that poor ticket sales and lower attendances were to blame. The forward has been snapped up by the Peterborough Phantoms for the remainder of the season.
Also in the EPL the Swindon Wildcats have announced the signing of former Basingstoke netminder, Dean Skinns. Skinns will play as back for the injuried Thomas Murdy.
Meanwhile in the third tier English National League the Oxford City Stars ENL1 team has been forced to resign. The Stars blamed the fact that 8 senior players had decided to quit the team as the main reason for their withdrawal. The Stars ENL2 side though will continue to operate.
On the ice a busy New Year’s weekend saw the Belfast Giants take a 3 point lead over Nottingham in the EIHL table. However Sheffield remain hot on their heels as they recorded a somewhat fortuitous victory over the Coventry Blaze. Luke Fulgham the former Blaze player grabbing a brace for his new team.
There was also a win for Fife in the Forth Derby. The Flyers beating the Capitals on penalties in the Hogmanay clash at Murrayfield. Fellow strugglers Dundee however lost their tie against Braehead thanks to a Clan comeback. Those results now mean that the Flyers are tied on points with the Stars for last place in the EIHL. The Flyers and Capitals will return the favour in Kirkcaldy on Bank Holiday Monday.
In the EPL it was a bad New Year for those sides at top of the table. Both Milton Keynes and Slough lost their Friday night games whilst table toppers Guildford lost both their games over the period. The Flames however remain on top of the table with a 6 point gap.
Now that you are up to date with the entire goings on in British hockey I would like to wish all the readers a Happy New Year and hope you continue to follow the EIHL, EPL and British ice hockey. I will be back with the game day reviews, Get Real Guide To and some more opinion piece as well.
Neil Tucker
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