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The Stanley Cup will be in the building tonight so I thought we could talk about the beautiful history it carries with it! Game 5 puck drop tonight!

6/9/2016

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Hello Good Lookin Hockey Fans……. Date: June 9th 2016; Time: 5:00pm PST; Place: Consol Energy Centre; Involved: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks. What are they looking for? That rare opportunity to raise the Stanley Cup above their heads in V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.

It's true, tonight the Cup will be in the building, providing the Pittsburgh Penguins a chance to win the Cup on home ice for the first time in franchise history. Don't let that confuse you. The Pens have won the cup 3 times already but everytime they were playing on away ice. I felt like there is no better time than the present to discuss a few little fun facts about the hardest trophy to win in professional sports.
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The Stanley Cup in all of its glory.
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You may recognize it more at this angle though…...
Facts about the Stanley Cup

1) Claimed to be the hardest trophy to win in professional sports. First you have to get into the playoffs which means collecting enough points to get you a spot during the 82 game season. Then you have to make it through 4 rounds of playoffs. Each round is best of 7 meaning the first team with 4 wins advances. Do the math and that means a team would play a minimum of 16 games enroute to the cup but as many as 28!

​2) You may think the Stanley Cup was first awarded back in 1942 when the Original 6 were playing and other teams were dissolved. That is not the case. The cup was first handed out in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club.

3) The Stanley Cup had a name change! It was originally called the 'Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup' 

4) There are a few teams in the current NHL that have never won a cup. The San Jose Sharks being one of them but there are some cities that have won cups in the past while hockey leagues evolved.
 
The Winnipeg Jets have never won a cup but the city of Winnipeg has celebrated lots of wins at the turn of the century in 1900.
 
The Vancouver Canucks have also never won a Cup but the Vancouver Canadians did back in 1915. At the time they played in a rink which would now be located in the West End.
 
The Cup has even traveled to BC's capital! The Victoria Cougars won in 1925. The Cougars beat the Montreal Canadiens to win the Cup, the last non-NHL team to hoist Lord Stanley. Fun fact about the Cougars, following the dissolve of the Western Hockey League in 1926, the Cougars franchise moved to Detroit to become the Detroit Cougars. After short lived name change to the Falcons, the Detroit franchise ultimately settled on their classic moniker, the Red Wings which they still use till this day.

And finally the Cup has even been celebrated in Seattle! The Seattle Metropolitans won in 1917.

5) The city to spend the most time with the Cup would be Montreal. The city won the cup the first time it was awarded and over the evolution of contemporary hockey it has spent a lot of time in Habs land. They have won 24 Stanley Cups since the 1915/16 season.
 
The most modern day dynasties would be the New York Islanders in the 80s with four wins, the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne Gretzky with 5 wins, 4 in the 80s and one in the 90s and most recently the Chicago Blackhawks who are the current 2015 champs but who also won in 2010 and 2013. 

6) The Stanley Cup stands almost 3 feet tall! That is including the bowl on the top, the original piece. It also weights nearly 35 pounds.

7) After each win the Cup in engraved with the names of the players, coaches, club staff and management. In order to get your name on the Stanley Cup the player must have played at least 41 games in the regular season or at least 1 game during the Stanley Cup Final.
 
There are a ton more fun facts about this beautiful piece of hockey but we can discuss those later!
 
Enjoy the game tonight Hockey Fans!

Below are a few commercials for the Stanley Cup Playoffs that I think sum up the Stanley Cup pretty well.
 
Courtney X

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Game 2 is tonight in Pittsburgh! The Penguins took Game One and Tom Cruise learnt how to play hockey in Canada?

6/1/2016

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Hello Good Lookin Hockey Fans! It all started Monday night..... Yes the final round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs! The puck dropped between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks. It was every bit great hockey and very entertaining, especially the Game Winning Goal by Nick Bonino at the end of the 3rd period which sealed the deal for 1-0 series lead Pittsburgh Style.

Below let's go over how NHL playoff hockey is different then the regular season.

1) There are still 3 periods and each period is 20 minutes. In the regular season however if a game is tied at the end of the 3rd the game goes in a quick 5 minute, 3 on 3 OT, with a shootout if need be. Not in the playoffs though, if overtime is required, a full 17 minute intermission happens and then a 20 minute period of 5 on 5 until there is a goal. It is still sudden death meaning 1st goal wins and ends the game.

2) Travel. Teams travel in the finals. Home ice advantage is based on which ever team had a better regular season record. Pittsburgh finished 48-26-8 while San Jose finished 46-30-6 (wins-loses-OT losses). Games 1 and 2 will be in Pittsburgh, 3 and 4 in San Jose, 5* in Pittsburgh, 6* in San Jose, and 7* back to Pittsburgh (*If required).

3) This next little fun fact isn't an official rule but you notice it. There is almost no fighting in the final round. No player wants to take a bad penalty and have his team on the penalty kill while he sits in the sin bin. What you will see is a lot and I mean a lot more hitting. Keep in mind hitting is allowed in hockey, there is such a thing as a clean shoulder or hip check. Personally what I don't like to see is a cheap shots that knocks a player out of game or to the dressing room with an injury.

Below are a few facts about the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins for reference during games!

Fun Facts on the San Jose Sharks

Joined the NHL in 1991 
Current Captain American Hot Shot Joe Pavelski 
Number of previous Cups won by the Sharks: 0
Trips to the Final Round; This is the team's first time!
Lifers with the Team: Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton

Patrick Marleau was drafted by the team in 1997. He has played his entire NHL career in San Jose. He has played 1411 regular season games and 166 playoff games.
Big Joe Thornton was also drafted in 1997 but by the Boston Bruins. He played with the Bruins until the 2005-06 season before being traded to the San Jose Sharks. He has played 1367 regular season games and 151 playoff games.

Fun Facts on the Pittsburgh Penguins 

Joined the NHL during the 1967 expansion
Current Captain Canadian Hot Shot Sidney Crosby 
Number of previous Cups won by the Penguins: 3, most recently in 2009 
​Trips to the Final Round: 5
Lifers with the Team: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin

Sidney Crosby was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, 1st overall in what was nicknamed 'The Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes'. He has played 707 regular season games and 119 playoff games. In 2009 when the team won the Cup, Crosby became the youngest NHL Captain ever to win!
Evgeni Malkin was drafted by the PENS as well in 2004, 2nd overall. His name is also on the 2009 cup playing 644 regular season games and 119 playoff games. 

Enjoy Game 2 tonight Hockey Fans! Puck drops at 5:00pm PST. And please enjoy the video below. I found it yesterday while doing research…. who knew Tom Cruise once lived in Canada and played hockey on outside rinks! Jimmy Fallon however seems to need some more training!
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Hungary and the IIFH World Championship plus my dear friend Gina Holden's recipe for Tom Kha Gai Soup!

5/24/2016

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Good Morning, Good Lookin Hockey Fans! Happy Tuesday! As promised below is my dear friend Gina Holden's recipe for Tom Kha Gai but before that I wanted to talk about Hungary winning their first hockey game at the IIFH World Championships in 77 years.

That is right hockey fans, the last time Hungary was able to sing along to their national anthem and not drop their heads as the opposing team's flag was raised was in 1939 in Zurich when they beat Belgium 8-1. For a country that has a very loyal hockey fan base it was a big deal, with fans going crazy in the stands while the clock ticked down the final seconds in the 3rd period. It was a 5-2 finish. 

A few facts about Hungary and their hockey team:

1) They may not be on top of the podium but they show up to every World Tournament ready to play. They have had a team in the line up every year since 1986. The first time they had a team in the tournament was in 1930.

2) There was only one player for Hungary that had played in the NHL, Frank Banham. He played a total of 27 games with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim between 1996-99 and five games with Phoenix Coyotes. To help you understand better, Team Canada was 100% NHL players who's teams either didn't make the playoffs or were ousted in the first or second rounds. 

3) Frank Banham can tell his team stories of his time in the Big League but he was also the oldest player in the tournament, at 41 years old! Frank was actually born in Alberta, Canada, drafted in 1993 by the Washington Capitals and is now retired.

There you have it Hockey Fans, a few fun facts on Hungary and their latest IIFH World Championship Team!
And now as promised Gina Holden's recipe for Tom Kha Gai

Gina Holden's Tom Kha Gai 

Gina's Ingredients:

6 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 can Coconut Milk
2 Table Spoons Thai Chili Paste
Fish Sauce (to taste)
10 Mushrooms (any variety is fine)
1 Small Piece Ginger
2 Handfuls of Cilantro
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Chicken Breasts (skin on and bone in)

Courtney's Added Ingredients:

1 Yellow and Orange Bell Pepper
1 HandfulShrimp
4 Green Onion
1 Pork Chop
2 Gloves Garlic
1Handful of Nettles
1 Medium Onion
1 Lime

Directions:

1) Heat a large soup pot to medium heat and add a splash of oil/ Heat oven to 350 degrees

2) Salt & Pepper Chicken and Pork Chops. Place in pot and let skin crisp up. Flip onto other side to crisp as well.

3) Once the chicken and pork chop are crisp place on baking sheet and into the oven. Let it cook until juice runs clear. Once cooked leave to cool and pull the meat from the bone. Chop up and add to soup at the end.

4) Dice onion, garlic and ginger. Place in pot that chicken and pork chop was cooking in. Sauté for a few minutes

5) Add Thai Chili Sauce and a couple dashes of Chicken Stock. Fish sauce to taste. I usually add 4 table spoons or so. Let simmer together.

6) Julienne Peppers and Mushrooms and toss in pot. Let everything simmer for a few minutes.

7) Add reminding Chicken Stock and 1/2 Can of Coconut Milk. Turn heat up and bring to a boil. Once the soup boils turn down to a simmer.

8) Now toss in the chicken, pork chop, shrimp, nettles, green onion and cilantro.

9) Done and ready to eat! I do add cilantro and a few drops of lime juice once I have served. 

​And there you have it hockey fans. A traditional Tom Kha Gai Soup with a Courtney twist. Enjoy Hockey Fans!

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Everything you need for delicious Tom Kha Gai Soup!
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Let the soup simmer so the flavours blend together.
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And done, Enjoy!
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The Tampa Bay Lightning win Game 5, Hungary wins a game at the Worlds, 1st time since the 1930s and the San Jose Sharks have a real life cat as a good luck charm!!

5/23/2016

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Yo yo yo Hockey Fans! My where have I been? I have been around. Trust me I know about the cat walking onto the ice in San Jose, I watched the puck hit not one but both posts in Game 7, St.Louis vs Chicago that may have been the non goal that advanced St. Louis to the Western Conference Finals, I know Hungary won their first game at the Worlds in 77 years, I know that Canada won the Worlds yesterday in a 2-0 shutout vs Finland and finally I know that the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals and the St. Louis Blues are playing the San Jose Sharks in the West. 

Anyone who has been following me since the beginning of my quest to learn more about hockey knows it was my two year old son, who is now 8, asking me questions as he was winning countless Stanley Cups in our living room. My son Hunter is still in love with hockey and now I am driving him to evening and weekend practices plus tournaments during Spring hockey. My knowledge of hockey has grown. Not only can I tell you about the NHL but I can also fill you in on how Minor Hockey works in British Columbia. Hockey Canada creates Team Canada for the Olympics but they also have a say in how Minor Hockey Organizations are run country wide.
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Team Canada celebrates Gold, May 22nd in Russia after beating Finland 2-0 in the Final.
I am going to fill you in Hockey Fans with some of my favourites moments in the past few weeks. Until then enjoy the Game Winning OT goal by Tyler johnson assisted by Jason Garrison, last night in Pittsburgh. And please check back tomorrow, I'll have a recipe for my Tom Ka Soup!
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Check back tomorrow for my Tom Ka Soup! Inspired by my dear hockey loving friend Gina Holden, it is an easy dish to make between practice and while you have a game on TV.
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Welcome Back Hockey! The NHL started with a bang last night! Pacrioretty scores as Captain of Montreal and we get to see some Sedinary Magic in Calgary!

10/8/2015

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There was a TV show in the 70s called "Welcome Back Kotter"  which was about a group of remedial students called "The Sweathogs". Last night I thought of the show for two reasons; 1, I was like 'Welcome Back Hockey' and 2, my son loves a series of books called "Brady Brady" where the main team is called the "Icehogs" and with that all I have to say is,

HELLO GOOD LOOKIN HOCKEY FANS AND WELCOME BACK!

Like some hockey fans (and a few of the players) I had a couple cobwebs to shake off last night. Anyone who has been following me since I started this hockey venture 4 years ago will know I follow all 30 teams in the NHL. That being said I live here in Vancouver so I am surrounded by Canuck Nation as well as transplants from all over the place including but not limited to the Edmonton Oilers, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Calgary Flames, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins. Yes I said it the Boston Bruins (insert the Bruins raising the Stanley Cup in Rogers Arena after a Game 7 win circa 2011 and any loyal Canuck fans will still shutter). That being said I felt a quick recap on the basics of the NHL was in order.

Players: Any team in the NHL can carry up to 23 players at any point in time. The only must is they need two goalies. One to start the game and another as the backup. The minimum a team has to carry is 20 players which also happens to be the number of players a team dresses for a game. Again, the one must is two goalies. Other than that teams can play around but it usually boils down to 12 forwards and 6 defenseman dressed each game plus 2 scratches.

Games: Teams play 82 games in a season, 41 at home and 41 on the road. 

Points: A team gets two points for a win, zero points for a loss in regulation and one point for a loss in either overtime or a shootout. At the end of the year a teams total points decides their place in the standings and whether they make the playoffs or nor. The team with the most points in the entire league wins the President's Trophy. 

Conferences and Divisions: There are two conferences in the NHL, the Western and the Eastern. Each conference has two divisions. In the west you have the Pacific Division and the Central Division. In the east you have the Metropolitan Division and the Atlantic Division. 

Teams: There are 30 teams currently in the NHL with a rumour two teams are going to be added. The original 6 teams in the contemporary NHL are the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. A little fun fact: the last two teams to join the NHL were the Columbus Bluejackets and the Minnesota Wild, who both joined in 2000. 

And because I always love a good goal I have uploaded a few from yesterday's Opening Night in the NHL. First is Max Pacrioretty, who skated out onto the ice last night as Captain of the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first shot on net and a goal is a goal is a goal.

Later in the night we saw some thread the needle Sedinary magic in Calgary. The Sedin Twins skated with Brandon Sutter which was a great way to start the season. Every player on the line scored a goal and the line also collected 3 assists collectively. 

And with that Hockey Fans I will sign off until next time! Enjoy 
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The 1st Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is over and that means Round Two is about to start!

4/29/2015

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Hello Good Lookin Hockey Fans! Where have I been during the playoffs that I haven't written since the beginning? Watching the playoffs.... that is where.

It really couldn't have ended any better but a Game 7 between last year's swept Tampa Bay Lightning and the ever strong playoff contender the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings went into Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead and after a 5-2 final in game 6 (Tampa Winning) it was off to sunny Florida for Game 7. It was literally anyone's game until the last few minutes. It was 0-0 heading into the 3rd period. Tampa Bay's Braydon Coburn scored the game winning goal with almost 4 minutes gone in the 3rd. Detroit came back guns blazing but couldn't figure it out which lead to an empty net goal scored by Anton Stralman and assisted by Tampa goalie Ben Bishop. Perhaps the most interesting fun fact about this series: Captains: Steven Stamkos for Tampa and Henrik Zetterberg for Detroit DID NOT score a goal during the entire series!! To add salt to the wound it was the 1st time in 23 playoff series Zetterberg didn't score a goal. Congrats Tampa!

The rest of the series ended like this:

The Anaheim Ducks ousted the Winnipeg Jets in 4 games. The first 3 games Winnipeg scored and Anaheim had to play catch up. In game 4 the Ducks dominated for a 5-2 final. The silver lining.... Winnipeg has the best fans in the league. They were voted the 3rd star of the game!

The New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games. Really I have nothing to say. The Rangers are a powerhouse. Maybe it is their head coach? #AlainVigneault

Both "Battle of the Canadian Teams" series ended game in 6's. The Montreal Canadiens took a stranglehold lead over the Ottawa Senators winning the first 3 games. Ottawa came back to win games 4 and 5 only to be beat in a heartbreaking game 6. Ottawa is a team to pay attention to next year, they a have a fight in them that I consider old school and classic. That being said, clearly for Canada it is exciting to see the Montreal Canadiens go through to Round 2.

In the West it was the Vancouver Canucks vs the Calgary Flames. The Canucks missed the playoffs last year after a terrible season but rose to the challenge this year. The Calgary Flames were making their first appearance in the playoffs since 2008. It was Calgary, Vancouver, Calgary, Calgary, Vancouver and a crazy game six that saw the Canucks lose a 3 goal 1st period lead to a 7-4 Calgary final. But congrats to the Flames and for the first time ever I think I might be saying "Go Flames Go"

The Chicago Blackhwaks beat the Nashville Predators in a game 6. This only makes me sad because I would love to see the Preds advance and let's be honest, the Blackhawks are playoff hogs. That being said the Blackhawks under Joel Quenneville's lead are one of the biggest powerhouse teams in modern day NHL hockey.

The St. Louis Blues lost in a game 6 to the Hockey States very own Minnesota Wild. It was an intense game to start that lead to 4-2 final for the Wild.

Game 7 was left between two series. The New York Islanders and the Washington Capitals. A personal favourite of mine, Capital Joel Ward scored the 1st goal late in the 2rd period. The Islanders scored an early 3rd period goal but a mid 3rd period goal by the Capitals that lead to Brayden Holtby and his team advancing to the 2nd round.

The other game 7 was between the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And Hockey Fans I will leave you with this......

Round Two Unfolds this way:

The Anaheim Ducks are playing the Calgary Flames
The Minnesota Wild will take on the Chicago Blackhawks
The New York Rangers will play the Washington Capitals
and finally the Tampa Bay Lightning with lace up against the Montreal Canadiens

And as I have said in previous years and I will say it again: the Hand Shake at the end of a series is one of if not my favourite traditions in hockey. I couldn't decide on a few so I have uploaded them all!

Enjoy and until next time hockey fans please continue to enjoy this great game!!
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The 1st night of the NHL Playoffs did not let us down, and the good news is we get to do all over again tonight!

4/16/2015

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Happy Thursday Hockey Fans! After yesterday's games I don't think any hockey pools are crumbling to the floor but it was for sure an exciting night!

The battle of the Canadian Teams saw the Montreal Canadiens beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3. Ottawa took an early lead in the 1st period but in the 2nd period there were 6 goals scored in 10 minutes! A scoreless 3rd period meant the 4th Montreal goal scored by Brian Flynn was the game winning goal.

The New York Islanders outright whipped the Washington Capitals with a 4-1 final.

The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Calgary Flames with only 30 seconds left in the 3rd period. It was a 1-1 tie before Kris Russell got one past Eddie Lack.

The only game we saw go into overtime was between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators. The Preds had a 3-0 lead at the end of the 1st period. Then Chicago answered back with 3 goals in the 2nd period, the tying goal being scored by Captain Jonathan Toews. Then is was Duncan Keith's goal in the 2nd overtime period the sealed the deal.
I know what some of you are probably thinking? There is no 2nd overtime? True and False at the same time. There is no 2nd overtime in the regular season, but playoffs are not the regular season. THEY.ARE.THE.PLAYOFFS.

Here are the main differences between the regular season and playoffs

1) Overtime is more then 5 minutes of 4 on 4: In the regular season if a game goes into OT, it is played for 5 minutes sudden death, 4 on 4. Then they move to the shootout. There is also only a quick minute or two between starting OT and organizing your shooters for the shootout. In the playoffs, if a game goes into OT, the players get a full 17 minute break and hit the ice for a 20 minute period. It is still sudden death so first goal scored wins. And this can go on all night, just like it has before. In 1936, the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0. The teams played 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime hockey before Mud Bruneteau's goal won the game!

2) Hockey Ice Advantage: Home ice advantage means three things: 1) Coach of the home team gets to send out his line second to match the line the visiting team has put out 2) Home team players don't have to travel, and finally 3) The fans. Home team gets a rink full of their 7th man.

Remember hockey fans, the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports. Not only does the winning team have to play 4 rounds, they have to win 16 games! Each series is best of of 7 so first team to win 4 games moves on.

Tonight's line up looks like this:

Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins take on the New York Rangers at 4:00pm
The Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning duke it out at 4:30pm
The Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues drop the puck at 6:30 in possibly the most evenly/undecided match up of the series
and finally
The beloved Winnipeg Jets take on the Mighty Anaheim Ducks at 7:30pm
All time Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Until Next Time Hockey Fans!
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The Run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs starts tonight! The 1st Round is only hours away and it is some of the BEST hockey you will ever watch!

4/15/2015

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Yo yo yo Good Lookin Hockey Fans! Tonight is the night! The run to the Stanley Cup begins! There isn't much more to say besides turn on your TV, grab a beverage, some great food because there will be great games all night.

Let's quickly recap how teams make it into the playoffs and who is playing who. Out of the 30 teams in the league, 16 will make it. Eight from the Western Conference and eight from the Eastern Conference. During the regular season teams play 82 games and pick up 2 points for a win, 0 for a lose in regulation and 1 point for a lose in overtime or a shootout. Those points are added up. The top 3 teams in each division (there are four: Pacific, Central, Atlantic and Metropolitan) make it into the playoffs. That leaves two spots open in each conference. Those two spots are called 'Wild Card Spots' and they go to the two teams with the next highest points. Then team are "seeded" 1-4. Each conference is seeded 1,2 and 3, then a Wild Card time is slotted in as the 4th team, 1plays 4 and 2 plays 3. That means this year

The St. Louis Blues are playing the Minnesota Wild
The Nashville Predators are playing the Chicago Blackhawks
The Anaheim Duck are playing the Winnipeg Jets
The Vancouver Canucks are playing the Calgary Flames
The Montreal Canadiens are playing the Ottawa Senators
The Tampa Bay Lightning are playing the Detroit Red Wings
The New York Islanders are playing the Washington Capitals
and finally the
The New York Rangers are taking on Pittsburgh Penguins
The video above is still on of my favourites, It is from 2010 and sums up the fight to win the Cup perfectly.

Tonight's line up looks like this:

The Ottawa Senators play the Montreal Canadiens at 4:00pm
The New York Islanders lace up their skates to play the Washington Capitals at 4:00pm
Veteran playoff team the Chicago Blackhawks will drop the puck with the Nashville Predators at 5:30pm
and lastly
The Vancouver Canucks take on a great rivalry the Calgary Flames at 7:00pm!
All times Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Tomorrow hockey fans I will go over what makes a playoff game different from a regular season game

Until then please continue to enjoy this great game!
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The Last Night of the Regular Season and the Run to the Stanley Cup Begins!

4/11/2015

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Yo yo yo Good Lookin Hockey Fans! Sad but true, tonight is the last night of the regular season in the NHL. The only fact that can make this better is that the Stanley Cup Playoffs start on April 15th and the 1st round of the playoffs in my opinion is some of the best hockey you will ever watch.

Before we bid farewell to the 2014/2015 season let's look at tonight's line up:

Vancouver Canucks vs Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Buffalo Sabres
Calgary Flames vs Winnipeg Jets
Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs
San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings
Ottawa Senators vs Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals
Minnesota Wild vs St. Louis Blues
New Jersey Devils vs Florida Panthers
Columbus Bluejackets vs New York Islanders
Detroit Red Wings vs Carolina Hurricanes
Boston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators vs Dallas Stars
Chicago Blackhawks vs Colorado Avalanche
Anaheim Ducks vs Arizona Coyotes

Do the math: 30 teams in the NHL + 15 games tonight, 2 teams per game = every team in the NHL is playing today! #WIN

This next part may possibly be the best part of hockey for any fan. It isn't even set in stone yet who is going to make the playoffs. In the East for example, the Detroit Red Wings have 98 points and the Ottawa Senators have 97. A win for the Sens and loss for the Wings would mean the Sens could take 3rd spot in the Atlantic Division and the Wings would get a Wild Card spot. BUT we also have the Boston Bruins to think about. The Bruins are not in a playoff spot right now. With a Bruins win that would give them 97 points. If the Penguins lose they will be out and Boston would take their spot, with a Penguins win the Bruins are out. So the East won't be decided until later. Trust me on this one, it will be some good hockey.

The West doesn't have the same dramatic flare as the East this year. Every team in a playoff spot is going to the playoffs. The next team in line, in 9th place, is the reigning Stanley Cup Champs the LA Kings who have only 93 points and are out. The last time the Stanley Cup Champions won and then didn't make the playoffs the following year was in 2007 when the Carolina Hurricane won in 2006 and failed to make it to round 1 the following year. We can cut the Kings some slack though, they joined the league during the the expansion in 1967. Hadn't won a Cup until 2012 and then won again in 2014. They have played more hockey in the past 3 seasons than any other team, so maybe this will be a nice break for them.

And that is it for now hockey fans. Enjoy your fun filled day of hockey. Keep your eye on the East; Detroit, Pittsburgh, Boston and Ottawa all have a lot riding on today's outcome.

Until next time hockey fans, keep enjoying this great game!



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Unanswered goals, Corey Perry and one of my favourite NHL moments thus far in the season.

3/22/2015

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Hello Good Lookin Hockey Fans! Happy Weekend! I do have to start off by saying sorry for not posting in a long time. I am currently writing a play and was in school. It was busy busy busy but I did make time to watch some games and even go to a couple here in Vancouver at Rogers Arena.

One quick hockey term I want to mention.... the unanswered goal. I have a prime example. This past Thursday I was invited by my friend Judy to the Vancouver Canucks vs Columbus Bluejackets. The game started like this:

Canucks score 1-0
Canucks score 2-0
Bluejakcets score 2-1
Bluejackets score 2-2
Bluejackets score 2-3
Bluejackets score 2-4
Bluejackets score 2-5
Bluejackets score 2-6
Final score 6-2 Bluejackets.


You could use the term unanswered goal twice during this game. First you have the Canucks scoring two times. Then you have the Bluejackets "answering back" with not 1 but 6 goals. They went on to score 6 unanswered goals because the Canucks couldn't get the puck in the back of the net again at all. Had the Bluejackets not scored any goals then the Canucks would have had two unanswered goals. So in short an "answered goal or goals" is any goal scored and the other team can't "answer back" with a goal. If a game has a 1-0 final that would mean there was 1 unanswered goal. Friday night however there were 6. So Columbus congrats on your win and answering back.
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Famous last words of any commentator while Corey Perry is on the ice ..... "And there goes Corey Perry, scoring again"
I had to talk about this game winning goal. It happened Friday night in Anaheim, Ducks vs Avalanche. It was a back and forth game with the Ducks tying it up 1/2 way through the 3rd. Off to overtime they went. It was Corey Perry's breakaway game winning goal that sealed the deal. I had to share it. What a beauty of a goal and a real goal scorer's goal.
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BFFs for life? Corey Perry and linemate, teammate, Team Canada buddy Ryan Getzlaf's bound appears to be unbreakable.
As most of you know my son Hunter is the reason I watch hockey. It was Hunter who started to ask me at the tender age of 2 what a slap shot was and if I could find Sidney Crosby videos for him to watch. Sidney Crosby being Hunter's all time favourite hockey player means when Pittsburgh comes to town I take Hunter to the game. The last couple of years my Dad and brother have joined us and we have a great time. This year the Pens were here early February and what a game it was. The Canucks won 5-0 and since then I have wanted to share my favourite part of the game with you. It was Zach Kassian's goal to make the game 4-0 that had me laughing in my seat. It was a great wide open net goal and one that Kassian desperately needed since he hadn't scored a goal in 21 games, coach had not dressed him for a few and it seemed like Kassian's stock was falling (and right before Trade Deadline). Great goal, followed by a little love tap to an opposing Anaheim player which lead to possibly the best "Thanks Bro"  helmet tap to his linemate Linden Vey. I loved it and so did the rest of the Canucks fans in the rink. They went on to cheer and cheer and cheer and they got even louder after Kassian had his close up on the Jumbo Tron. These are the moments in Sport that keep me coming back. Until next time hockey fans! Enjoy, Courtney
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