Reminder: NHL 11 Demo Available Tomorrow!!

The NHL 11 Demo will be available tomorrow Tuesday August 17th in North America for both PS3 and Xbox360.  The team at EA Sports has yet again made vast improvements to the game like the new physics engine and a new game mode called Hockey Ultimate Team.  But unlike in Madden and Fifa, the game mode will come free with the game. 

The demo will feature short demo version of Ultimate Team that if you happen to complete, you will receive a bonus Starter Pack for the game mode when the full version hits stores.  You will also get to play the final 5 minutes of the 3rd period of a Battle For The Cup Mode Game 7 between the Flyers and Blakchawks.  The demo is free so go ahead and download it to get a taste of the game.  The full version of the game comes out on September 7th for $59.99.

Here is a preview of Hockey Ultimate Team:

Friday News All In 1 Post!!

Sorry to all my news and loyal fans/followers for no posts today but I have been spending the whole day down at the Jersey Shore with my friends.  But I have found some time to basically do a roundup/grouping of all the days news and events.

Dan David did an article on newyorkrangers.com today on Rangers Blueliner Dan Girardi.  Here is some of what Dan had to say:

"No matter what you do during the summer and how hard you train, nothing is like Torts' camp, really," he said. "I was prepared for it last year, but no matter what you do it's just so different when you get out there with the guys. It's probably one of the hardest things I've ever done, for sure. You try to do some hard skates on the ice during the summer, but it's not the same as when he's out there and the coaches are out there and everyone else is out there. The summer skates around here are not the caliber of what I will experience in camp, so I try to push myself as much as I can, and I've found that I try to do a little extra when my workout's done. Just to kind of get ready for that skating and the running."

He also continues to be on the side of almost all players and coaches in saying he likes the fact they have brought a core back and how it will signifacantly impact the team.  "There are a couple of new faces, but I'm also glad the main group is still together," said Girardi. "We can try to jell and improve every season going forward."

Stan Fischler did Part 2 of his sit down with John Tortorella today on msg.com!  They spoke about Del Zotto, Gilroy, Redden, Drury, White, McDonagh and Stepan.  It's a very good read so definitely go ahead and check it out.  Here is some of what Torts said about Drury:

In a frank admission that only a Tortorella can divulge, the coach noted, "Chris and I have grown and I can say that I now understand him a lot better.  He's not a rah-rah guy, but he is a great guy; a thinker and he cares so much. He's still growing as a captain and I know that he wants to score more in the new season. He got bounced around last year, but he'll get his chance to redeem himself offensively."

Click here for Part 2 of the interview!

HockeyBuzz.com's Juile Robenhymer(I hate HockeyBuzz but Julie is actually one of them that I respect and she does some interesting pieces) did a piece on Chris Krieder today! I found it interesting so I think you guys should check it out also.

Patrick Kane continued his bad luck in his hometown of Buffalo.  Last offseason he beat up a assaulted a cab driver over 20 cents and today he got stuck on a fire truck ladder while on his one day with the Stanley Cup. The truck apparently got stuck while going up but after about 20 minutes they were able to get him down.

The Best Of The NHL History Will Be Made Commercial Parodies!!

I was on YouTube searching NHL videos and came over a bunch of NHL fan made History Will Be Made parody videos.  Some of them I had not seen before so I thought I would post my favorites here.  This was a campaign the NHL ran during the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year and it was definitely one of the best ideas the NHL has come across in the marketing area of the game.

Join me after this for some of my favorite of the parodies and NHL originals.....

Offer Sheets Are Very Very Rare!!

A lot of NYRangers fans have become increasingly worried about Marc Staal and his contract negotiations.  The talk that maybe some team will drop an offer sheet on him has been pushed around as a reason why we should get this deal over with.  While I agree that we should hurry this process up and get Staal locked up for at least the next two seasons, an offer sheet is not one of those reasons.

If Staal does get an offer sheet, I can't see Sather not matching it unless it is upwards of $7M and if it is then the Rangers will get a boatload of picks in compensation.  For any offer sheet above $7.7M, the team will receive four first round draft picks.  This is the main reason we do not see offer sheets as often because teams could get screwed into giving up a lot of compensation.  But they know that going in and are aware of the risk.

Join me after this for more on offer sheets and the Rangers history.......

NHL News: Chris Chelios Retires!!

Chris Chelios has announced that he will finally retire at the age of 48! He would have turned 49 in January if he played this season.  The U.S born defensemen did not have a very memorable last NHL season.  But he went out on his own terms when he felt like he was done and could not play at the top level.  He feels like he can be more of an asset to a team in the front office then on the ice.

Chelios will definitely be looked at as one of the best U.S born defensemen in NHL history with many many trophies, awards and memorable moments that will fill highlight reels for years to come and inspire young U.S defensemen.

Join me after this for more on the retirement of Chelios......

NHL Has Best Buisness Year in History in Terms of Ratings, Attendence, Merchandise Sales and Much More !!!

Well this is kind of old news but for people who have not seen it, well now you will.  The NHL had a press release in mid-June that stated some of it's best accomplishments this season and also some of the brighter moments.

The NHL saw an increase in TV Ratings throughout the season and playoffs, greater attendance, merchandise sales, and saw its most watched games in a LONG time.  NHL Network also had a large increase in subscriptions this season. 

Join me after this for the full press release from the NHL....

Was The Stanley Cup Worth It??

I think as a Ranger Fan that if we ever got to the Stanley Cup Finals again I would be pretty excited.  But what if right after they won the Cup they had to trade away or not re-sign almost half of the team that just brought the Cup back to The Garden.  This most likely bothers most Blackhawks fans to a certain level but knowing that the team has kept the top six players on the team and the fact that they just won the Cup probably eases that disapproval.  But with that said they have still lost some key players.

The players lost that will have the biggest impact will definitely be Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien. But with all the players traded away, they have received some good young players and draft picks in return that will help keep this good young team alive for years to come while still having good young pieces to play with if things get down.  They managed to keep the main core group of stars and top end talent and now have some rebuilding pieces for the future.  Of course not all of the pieces they received in return will work out but it is a good way to keep the team running for years with filtering young stars to play along side the already proven stars of the Hawks.

Join me after this to see a recap of trades and all the players who have left and my thoughts on each move:

Where Might Niemi Land???

Well the news today out of Chicago is that the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks have decided to let Niemi walk after declining the award he was given in his arbitration case!  The award was $2.75M and the Hawks would have found it very hard to fit that under the Cap so they opted out.  Not that long after the news was announced, the Hawks came out with word that they have signed veteran goalie Marty Turco to a one year deal worth only $1.3M. 

Turco waited and maybe got less money then he wanted but now will most likely be the starting goalie for the defending Stanley Cup champions.  At this point not many players will still be on the Cup team on opening night when the banner is raised.  But the core group of superstars in Keith, Kane, Toews, Seabrook and Sharp are still there so they will still be contenders regardless.

Now the question of where Niemi will go next arises! While I could see him going back to Europe or the KHL for most likely more money, I see him staying in the NHL and trying to lead a different team to the Cup. 

Join me after this for some potential destinations for Niemi: