Today marks the 100th anniversary of the first game played by the Montreal Canadiens, just one month after the 50th anniversary of Canadiens’ goalie Jacques Plante first wearing a goalie mask. I recently took a tour of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto where they had set up a beautiful tribute to the Habs’ centennial. My attention, of course, was centered on the goalies featured in the exhibit. In case you didn’t get a chance to visit the HHOF before the exhibit ended you can at least view the important parts here.
What a great way to enter the Habs Centennial exhibit! If you watched the Habs during the 1970's the only image more lasting than Ken Drydens's famous pose is that of the Cup being lifted again and again. And then again and again and again and again. What's the opening bid for this statue when the exhibit ends?
November 1st marks the 50th anniversary of the first time a goalie, Jacques Plante, wore a mask in an NHL game. Not quite the same as Willie O’Ree breaking the NHL’s color barrier, or even the addition of the forward pass – a rule cursed by goalies ever since – but a landmark event in hockey history. Plante went on to revolutionize the mask from his original solid fiberglass cutout to the version worn by many pros in the 70′s. Along the way Doug Favell painted his mask for Halloween and in the process an art form was born.
On November 1st 1959 Jacques Plante became the first NHL goalie to wear a mask in a game after being cut for seven stitches.
Disney's Chicken Little... now playing in an NHL arena near you!
The sky is falling in Toronto and Vancouver, and things are not much better in the rest of Canada for that matter. The fans in Toronto are clamouring for coach Ron Wilson to make Swedish rookie Jonas Gustavsson the starter after two lackluster performances by Vesa Toskala. In Vancouver the Stanley Cup parade plans have been shelved after Roberto Luongo and the Canucks have not only opened the season 0-3 but have looked terrible in doing so.
Anderson knows he needs to get down to business in Colorado if he wants to prove he's a true number one.
10. Is Craig Anderson ready for prime time? He showed he could be the go-to guy when Tomas Vokun was hurt last year in Florida and now he gets the chance to prove it in Colorado. But Peter Budaj is ready to show he can still be the guy if Anderson falters.
Maintaining a blog while working long hours at a funded internet startup is difficult; trying to do so with a new baby at home is close to impossible. You may have noticed (I know some of you have because you’ve made me aware of it) little activity recently on TendersLounge, but today I am obligated to sign back into WordPress. A surprisingly large number of you have called/emailed/twittered to get my take on the huge deal signed this week between the Vancouver Canucks and their all-world goalie Roberto Luongo. So after sending out a few emails and tweets I figured it would be better for everyone if I shared my thoughts here.
Roberto Luongo contemplates the prospect of another 13 rainy winters in Vancouver
This is a great deal for:
A) the Canucks
B) Luongo
C) Canucks’ fans
D) the NHL
The obvious answer is A, B and C (and maybe D but probably not). Luongo lands a once-in-a-lifetime contract and Canuck fans are seeing true commitment from management to bring a meaningful trophy to Stanley Cup-less Vancouver.
Tenders Lounge is taking an early look at the potential goalie lineups for the 2010 Winter Olympic hockey tournament in Vancouver. The first segment of the series reviewed Team Canada, a team that many assumed had their two goalies lined up but after some playoff surprises could be making some changes. This segment looks at Team USA who, for a refreshing change, will be looking anywhere but the crease for potential weaknesses to correct.
Tim Thomas is a lock for one of the two spots on Team USA and gives them the type of goaltending that can steal a game from Canada or Russia. Playing on NHL-sized ice will help Thomas, who's style is rarely as quiet as this reflective moment.
It’s one thing for Sean Avery to swing his stick or fists at an opposing goalie’s head. But even Avery wouldn’t swing at his own goalie! (he wouldn’t, would he?)
Tomas Surovoy (except for an obituary this should be the last you read of him) swung his stick at Jaroslav Halak’s head after the goalie gave up a goal in Slovakia’s game against the Czech Republic in the IIHF World Championship going on in Switzerland. Czech-Slovak games are tough enough without players turning on each other.
Watch Halak’s response after the swing. Either he is an incredibly easy going guy or he is just so stunned that he has no idea how to react. He probably thought it was a Czech player and was looking to his teammate for help! It may be tough playing in Montreal but at least there you only have to deal with the viciousness of your own fans.
And how about those announcers? Can someone who speaks Slovakian please translate for me? The tone in their voice sounds like they’re watching paint dry! Their goalie just took an axe chop to the head and they have the reaction of Eyore on a rainy day!
UPDATE: Apparently the broadcast is Finnish and not Slovakian. Would they have shown more emotion if it had been a Swedish goalie facing the axe?
