Inside Pulse » NHL

CB’s Open Mic: Boston Bruins Fans Sing the National Anthem Wednesday 04.17.2013, plus a Personal Tribute

CB — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:08:58 +0000

Boston, this one’s for you. And please know, we are all with you.

Anthem (for Boston)

We run ourselves ragged in today’s race
Our feet pitter pattering off the ground
Stare down at our phones in every place
Communicating with barely a sound

We forget what it’s like to be together
our minds scattered across comment pages
No need to ask, “Hey, how is the weather?”
All of the talk stops as quiet rages

But then the news breaks across several feeds
that two bombs have burst in the Boston air
and from that finish line to shining seas
their limbs — and our hearts — break everywhere

The silence breaks on a crisp Boston night

“…and the home of the brave…”
WE got that right
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NHL Cancels The Rest Of Preseason

Kyle Fitta — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:56:00 +0000

On Thursday, the NHL cancelled the rest of their preseason games for the 2012/13 season. Thursday is the 12th day of the lockout, and there will be more negotiations Friday.
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Images Of McFarlane Sportspicks NHL Series 31

PK — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:19:45 +0000

McFarlane has released a ton of new images of NHL SportsPicks Series 31.

-Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers)
-Phil Kessel (Toronto Maple Leafs)
-Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg Jets)
-Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
-Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers)

Collector Level versions include Carey Price wearing the Canadiens 1909 throwback jersey, Zdeno Chara in his white Bruins jersey, Phil Kessel in his white Maple Leafs jersey, and Andrew Ladd sporting his Jets blue.

[View with PicLens]

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McFarlane SportsPicks NHL Series 31 Line-Up Revealed

PK — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:01:22 +0000

If you thought NHL Series 30 was awesome, just wait until you see next group taking the ice for McFarlane’s SportsPicks! NHL 31 includes a dynamic combination on youth and experience.

Carey Price and Phil Kessel return to the lineup with all new poses, while we have the SportsPicks debut of Andrew Ladd, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zdeno Chara. Rounding out the series is Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, who is in an all new pose, and holding the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the 1988 Edmonton Oliers Stanley Cup winning team.

The Great One’s figure depicts him capturing his fourth and final Stanley Cup win for the Edmonton Oilers in 1988. This moment in time showcases Gretzky with the Conn Smythe Trophy, after being named the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The series also includes the SportsPicks debut of three NHL players. Zdeno Chara, Captain of the Boston Bruins; Andrew Ladd, Captain of the Winnipeg Jets; and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who is developing into one of the most exciting young players in the NHL.

Fans will again have plenty of Collector Level versions to look for including Carey Price as the rare ‘GOLD’ Collector Level figure, wearing the retro blue jersey once worn by the Canadiens back in 1909. This jersey was last worn back in 2009 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the team.

So work on that slap shot while you wait for this all-star lineup to hit stores September 2012.

Credit: Spawn.com
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TOY FAIR 2012: McFarlane SportsPicks

PK — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:38:55 +0000

Check out the SportsPicks gallery below from Toy Fair!

The only new figures shown were MLB 29. Plenty of playmakers were also shown, along with the current wave of NFL, NHL & NBA.

[View with PicLens]

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NHL Realignment Confirmed, New Plan Sees Complete Change

Murtz — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:04:22 +0000

After Atlanta moved to Winnipeg last summer, it was clear that things had to change and they have. Time will tell if it is for the better or not.

League officials approved a radical realignment plan Monday that will give the league four conferences instead of six divisions and guarantee home-and-home series among all teams.

The Board of Governors authorized commissioner Gary Bettman to implement the proposal pending input from the NHL Players’ Association. It could go into effect next season.

“This is not a subject that everybody is going to get their first choice on,” Bettman said. “What you try to do is come up with something that everybody can live with, get comfortable with and understands the value of. Because if you ask 30 clubs, you’d probably get 30 different solutions. That’s what makes this a difficult process.”

The new look has two conferences with seven teams all based in the Eastern time zone: New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Washington and Carolina in one, and Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, Florida and Tampa Bay in the other.

The third conference consists of eight teams in the Eastern and Central time zones: Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas and Winnipeg.

The fourth conference has eight teams in the Mountain and Pacific time zones: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Colorado.

The top four teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, which then bring back divisional matchups. The four respective conference champions would meet in the third round of the playoffs, with the winners playing for the Stanley Cup.

The conferences have not been named.
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McFarlane SportsPicks NHL Wave 30 Line-Up & Images Revealed

PK — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:38:54 +0000

McFarlane’s SportsPicks is proud to unveil our NHL 30 series, the first of our collectible action figure series to hit the big 3-0! It’s a strong mix of hockey talent, with new poses for Daniel Sedin and Pavel Datsyuk, as well as new uniforms for Brian Gionta and Ryan Smyth. Toronto goalie James Reimer makes his Sports Picks debut as a Collector Level ONLY figure, while Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is showcased in an iconic pose, raising his first-ever Stanley Cup from back in 1991.

Here’s your first look at the NHL 30 lineup:

Pavel Datsyuk 2
Mario Lemieux 4
Brian Gionta
Ryan Smyth 2
Daniel Sedin 3
James Reimer (Collector Level Only)

McFarlane’s Collector Level is strongly represented in NHL 30, with four figures having rare Collector Level versions. Look for NHL 30 to arrive in stores in mid-January 2012.

[View with PicLens]

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McFarlane Toys SportsPicks Spring Line-Ups (MLB, NBA & NHL)

PK — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:07:52 +0000

McFarlane Toys has announced their spring line-ups for Sportspicks:

NBA 20 (early January 2012)
Blake Griffin – Los Angeles Clippers
Kevin Durant 2 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Dwyane Wade 3 – Miami Heat
John Wall – Washington Wizards
Derrick Rose 2 – Chicago Bulls
Carmelo Anthony 4 – New York Knicks
Kobe Bryant 6 – Los Angeles Lakers

NHL 30 (late January 2012)
Mario Lemieux 4 – Pittsburgh Penguins
Daniel Sedin 3 – Vancouver Canucks
Brian Gionta – Montreal Canadiens
Pavel Datsyuk 2 – Detroit Red Wings
Ryan Smyth 2 – Edmonton Oilers
James Reimer – Toronto Maple Leafs (COLLECTOR LEVEL ONLY)

MLB 29 (mid-February 2012)
Alex Rodriguez 6 – New York Yankees
Carl Crawford – Boston Red Sox
Starlin Castro – Chicago Cubs
Cliff Lee – Philadelphia Phillies
Josh Hamilton 3 – Texas Rangers
Troy Tulowitzki – Colorado Rockies
Thurman Munson 2 – New York Yankees

MLB 30 (early April 2012)
Prince Fielder – Team TBD
Albert Pujols 5 – Team TBD
Adrian Gonzalez – Boston Red Sox
Mark Teixeira 2 – New York Yankees
Matt Kemp – Los Angeles Dodgers
Rickey Henderson – Oakland Athletics/New York Yankees

PK’s Pulse: I don’t really like the idea of older players being released in regular assortments, but these are some solid assortments. It looks like Kemp & Hamilton are the only MLB players I kept off my Weekly Wishlist back in May.
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KHL Hockey Team Dies on Russian Jet Crash

Aaron Glazer — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:00:32 +0000

A Russian Jet carrying hockey team Lokomotiv crashed, leaving 43 dead and 2 others in critical condition. Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins, Slovakian national team captain and ex-NHL playerPavol Demitra and the team’s coach, former Detroit Red Wings assistant and NHL player Brad McRimmon, are among those confirmed to have died. For much more on this tragedy, click here.
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McFarlane SportsPicks NHL Series 30 Line-Up Revealed

PK — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:30:27 +0000

Here is the list of NHL Stars that will be in NHL Series 30 from McFarlane Sportspicks, which are due out in January 2012.

From Spawn.com:
MARIO LEMIEUX 4 – Pittsburgh’s captain had accomplished a lot in his first six NHL seasons – he’d played in five All-Star Games, won the Calder and Hart Trophies, and established himself as the likely successor to Wayne Gretzky as the league’s undisputed best player. But an NHL championship had eluded Mario Lemieux until 1991, when he put together an unstoppable playoff run – delivering 16 goals and 28 assists in just 23 games to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy and defeat the Minnesota North Stars in six games to win his first title and finally lift the Stanley Cup.

DANIEL SEDIN 3 – Part of twin royalty in Vancouver, Daniel Sedin watched with pride as his brother Henrik earned the Canucks’ captaincy, and went on to secure the Hart Trophy in 2010. THe following season, Daniel emerged as Vancouver’s best player – establishing career highs in goals (41), assists (63), and points (104) while leading the Canucks to the league’s best record and all they way to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals.

PAVEL DATSYUK 2 – It would be appropriate to call Datsyuk Detroit’s “Swiss Army knife” except that he’s Russian. He does it all for the Red Wings – an equally accomplished scorer and playmaker, Datsyuk contributes on the power play and the penalty kill, has earned the Selke Trophy (Best Defensive forward) in three consecutive years, and also delivers faceoff wins 55% of the time.

RYAN SMYTH 2 – “Captain Canada” delivered a dozen seasons of hard-nosed hockey for the Edmonton Oilers, before the hometown team traded him to Colorado during the 2006-07 season. When he returned to Edmonton the following season, the Oilers played a video tribute and the fans offered a long standing ovation for their former captain. After two seasons in Colorado and two in Los Angeles, Smyth requested a trade back home and the Kings’ General Manager agreed. This season, Oiler fans will celebrate the return of #94 Ryan Smyth, and Smyth will be able to wear the Oilers (new but kinda retro) uniform once again.

BRIAN GIONTA – 5’7 doesn’t even begin to tell the story. Montreal’s Brian Gionta has been silencing critics his entire career, turning doubters into fans one shift at a time. After delivering a 48-goal season and contributing to a Stanley Cup victory in New Jersey, Gionta arrived in Montreal in 2009 and so impressed the team that he was named Captain the following season.

JAMES REIMER – The Maple Leafs have been looking for a consistent answer in goal since the departure of Ed Belfour in 2004, and this season may have delivered the solution. James Reimer impressed fans and scouts alike last season, stopping 32 of 33 shots in his first NHL start (a 5-1 win at Ottawa) en route to 20 wins in 34 starts, a .921 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. Hope springs eternal in the off-season, but Toronto has every reason to believe they’ve finally found their answer in goal.
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