Down the Frozen River

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  • October 10 – Day Four – Hey Bro’

    Yesterday’s Game of the Day, contested between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings, ended in a 4-0 victory for the home squad over ex-coach Mike Babcock.  Justin Abdelkader earned first star honors after scoring a hat trick before the 24th minute of the game ticked off the clock, with rookie Dylan Larkin accounting for the remaining goal 20 seconds into the second period.  Jimmy Howard made 22 saves, including fighting off Toronto‘s three power plays, to earn his first shutout in as many games played.

    Home teams are now 2-1 in the Game of the Day series.

    Tonight marks the first date when almost every squad in the league is in action.  The only dormant squads are the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets.  Some of the highlights of the evening’s action includes Montréal at Boston (7 p.m. eastern, NHL Network) and the Isles at Chicago (8:30 p.m. eastern).

    Those games being considered, my pick for Game of the Day is the St. Louis Blues at the Minnesota Wild (8 p.m. eastern).

    Unknown-1Unknown-4

    Connor, you’re so biased to pick the Notes.

    Yeah, I know, you probably call ’em as you see ’em, but I do have a few factors that may help you at least semi-respect my choice.  I understand that nine of the 14 games (64%) contested tonight are divisional rivalries (of which this matchup is one) and Calgary/Vancouver is another Western Conference Quarterfinals rematch from last season.  I get it, this one isn’t that special in the grand scheme of things, at least in those regards.

    What makes this one a little bit different is that the Blues bring with them to the Xcel Energy Center newly-acquired (as of July) center Kyle Brodziak, who spent six seasons with the Wild.  While in Minnesota, he qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the last three seasons, with an especially strong performance in the 2014 postseason where he scored three goals and notched three assists to help the Wild beat the Central Division Champion Colorado Avalanche before falling to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Semifinals in six games.

    During his time with the Wild, Brodziak scored 72 regular season goals (including six game winners, with three coming in the 2009-’10 season) and 97 regular season assists, placing him at eighth on Minnesota‘s all-time scoring leaders list (third among centers) with 169 points.  Defensively, he also blocked 291 shots and caused 265 takeaways.

    Minnesota is currently favored in the matchup at -127, but expect the Blues to still harbor hard feelings after yet another early exit from the playoffs, this time at the hands of the Wild.

  • October 9 – Day Three – “All my exes live in… Toronto?”

    Last night’s Game of the Day between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars ended poorly for the road team, as the Stars won 3-0.  Dallas had the game won after only a minute of play when Antti Niemi and Ales Hemsky assisted Mattias Janmark to his first goal of the season.  Pittsburgh managed 37 shots on goal, but were unable to break Niemi, who earned his first shutout of the season.  Two of Dallas‘ goals were a result of the power play, which certainly won’t make Mike Johnston happy, especially when the Pens couldn’t convert on any of their three.

    Today, the NHL has five games on the schedule, including Winnipeg at New Jersey (7 p.m. eastern), the New York Rangers at Columbus (7 p.m. eastern), Chicago at the New York Islanders (7:30 p.m. eastern) and Arizona at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. eastern).

    Unknown-3Unknown-1

    Regardless of how those games may go, the one I’m most interested in tonight is at 7:30 eastern in Hockeytown, when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Detroit Red Wings.

    There’s a ton of story lines that go with this game.  A few of the easy ones: It’s Detroit‘s first game of the season… it’s an Original Six matchup… it’s a divisional rivalry, the first of four games between the squads and the first of two in Motown this season… But we all know the most important factor about this game is that Mike Babcock, new head coach of the Leafs, will return to Joe Louis Arena to coach against the same team he led to the playoffs in all 10 of his seasons as head coach and won the Stanley Cup with in 2008, for the first time in the regular season.

    Babcock’s career in Detroit is certainly not one worth laughing at.  In addition to leading the team to 10 playoff appearances in his 10 seasons (do the math, kids.  That’s good.) and winning Detroit‘s 11th cup, Babcock coached the team for a total of 909 games (786 regular season [third in team history], 123 playoff), winning 458 regular season games (leads team) and 67 playoff games (second in team history), and outright losing 223 regular season games (third most in team history) and 56 playoff games (most in team history).  His .649 regular season winning percentage ranks fifth in team history, while his .545 postseason winning percentage is second best in team history.

    Luckily for Babcock, this won’t technically be his first time coaching against the Wings, or even his first time coaching against them in Detroit, as Toronto and Detroit played a home-and-home series to end the preseason.  That being said, a crowd in the preseason is nowhere near the size, nor has the same amount of energy, as a regular season crowd.

    I think it’s safe to expect a relatively positive response from Red Wings fans when Babcock’s name is announced before the game since the team and coach separated on mutual terms, but I expect a rowdy crowd for the full 60 minutes of action as fans try to propel their team past their ex-leader.

    Detroit is heavily favored to win this one (not as much as Los Angeles over Arizona, though!), which means I’m immediately pulling for Toronto because I love to pull underdog… or plant-life, in this case.  That being said, I think the Wings will grab two points in this one.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Minnesota Wild

    Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Minnesota Wild

    By: Nick Lanciani

    My look at what retired numbers around the league may look like in the future continues. While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    Many thoughts went through my head in each and every consideration. Feel free to agree or disagree- I want to know what you, the fans, consider worthy when evaluating a player, their career, and whether or not their number should be retired by a franchise. I am interested in seeing what you have to say, assuming you are actually a fan of the team and/or player that you argue for or against. Drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    Unknown-4Minnesota Wild

    Current Retired Numbers- 1 Minnesota Fans

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    9 Mikko Koivu

    Koivu has been one of the first- if not the first- products of the Minnesota Wild’s system. The franchise itself is still young, having first appeared in the 2000-2001 season, so not many players have gone through Minnesota for their entire career, or under extraordinary circumstances, hence as things stand right now, we’ll likely only see the Wild retire a number in the next ten or fifteen years.

    Zach Parise's legend continues to grow each year in Minnesota. Will he lead them on a Cup run in the near future? (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
    Zach Parise’s legend continues to grow each year in Minnesota. Will he lead them on a Cup run in the near future? (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

    11 Zach Parise

    Provided Parise spends the majority of his career with the Wild, there’s a good chance they’ll honor him and his legendary Minnesota family. Also, if he keeps scoring hat tricks like the one he had Thursday night, they’ll probably honor him too.

    20 Ryan Suter

    Likewise, it’s the same case with Suter- minus the hat tricks (see above).

    Other Notes

    Minnesota fans are number 1 in the State of Hockey, especially after having to live through the whole North Stars relocation to Dallas- probably hence why the number is set aside to make that connection between a committed franchise and their fans.

    Otherwise, I really got nothing for you in terms of what the future could look like for the Minnesota Wild’s rafters.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Los Angeles Kings

    Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Los Angeles Kings

    By: Nick Lanciani

    I continue to explore an important element of the game and what retired numbers around the league may look like in the future. While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    Many thoughts went through my head in each and every consideration. Feel free to agree or disagree- I want to know what you, the fans, consider worthy when evaluating a player, their career, and whether or not their number should be retired by a franchise. I am interested in seeing what you have to say, assuming you are actually a fan of the team and/or player that you argue for or against. Drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    UnknownLos Angeles Kings

    Current Retired Numbers- 4 Rob Blake, 16 Marcel Dionne, 18 Dave Taylor, 20 Luc Robitaille, 30 Rogie Vachon, 99 Wayne Gretzky

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    32 Jonathan Quick

    Quick is one of the best goaltenders in Los Angeles Kings history. Period. Also, he has two Stanley Cup championships with the Kings that also happen to be the first two Cups in the entire existence of their franchise, so yeah, Quick’s kind of a big deal in Los Angeles.

    Don't you ever wish you could be as slick as Quick?(Photo via nhlpa.com)
    Don’t you ever wish you could be as slick as Quick?(Photo via nhlpa.com)

    8 Drew Doughty

    Drew Doughty is the Rob Blake of our current era for the Los Angeles Kings. It would be only fitting that when Doughty retires someday, the Kings hang up his number as well.

    23 Dustin Brown

    Brown’s a King for life and helped bring two Stanley Cups in three years to Los Angeles (2012 and 2014). The Kings have many current stars within their organization as a result of the strong teams they’ve put together for the last few years. With the exception of missing the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Los Angeles is still a team to be on the lookout for. Sure it might be a lot of retired numbers one day for the Kings, but it’ll be a lot of meaningful numbers for players that were intrinsically connected to significant events in franchise history.

    Anze Kopitar is worthy someday, you guys. I shouldn't have to write anything else. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
    Anze Kopitar is worthy someday, you guys. I shouldn’t have to write anything else. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

    11 Anze Kopitar

    Kopitar is a Kings great and he’s only turning 28 on August 24th. At this point I’d be repeating myself to say everything that I’ve already said, so I’ll just stop writing now.

    Other Notes

    Who knows what numbers may eventually be retired from That 70s Line someday. Many of the Kings players are still under 30 years old, so it’s difficult to predict how well each player will perform in their career, let alone be around with Los Angeles in their career.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Florida Panthers

    Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Florida Panthers

    By: Nick Lanciani

    My look at what retired numbers around the league may look like in the future continues. While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    Many thoughts went through my head in each and every consideration. Feel free to agree or disagree- I want to know what you, the fans, consider worthy when evaluating a player, their career, and whether or not their number should be retired by a franchise. I am interested in seeing what you have to say, assuming you are actually a fan of the team and/or player that you argue for or against. Drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    Unknown-2Florida Panthers

    Current Retired Numbers- 93 Bill Torrey

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    13 Olli Jokinen

    Plenty of great players have had brief stints with the Florida Panthers, believe it or not. Pavel Bure, John Vanbiesbrouck, and others were once the main attraction in Florida. Those former star players, however, never spent as much time as Jokinen did with the Panthers.

    Granted, Olli Jokinen is no longer a part of the Panthers (and unlikely to ever return at this point in his career), his numerous 60+ point seasons- including three consecutive seasons of 70+ points between the 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 seasons- while in Florida have earned him some recognition once he retires. Although he began his career in Los Angeles, Jokinen really stands out as a product of development while in Florida.

    Roberto Luongo certainly loves the warm weather of Florida as the occasional beachball has been spotted in his net. I'm only kidding, just wanted to make you laugh. No hard feelings, Lu. (Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports)
    Roberto Luongo certainly loves the warm weather of Florida as the occasional beachball has been spotted in his net. I’m only kidding, just wanted to make you laugh. No hard feelings, Lu. (Robert Mayer, USA TODAY Sports)

    1 Roberto Luongo

    By the time Roberto Luongo will begin considering retirement, he will have likely spent ten years of his career with the Panthers (split over two stints). He is the winningest goaltender in franchise history, having surpassed Vanbiesbrouck in 2006. While it’s likely the Vancouver Canucks will find a way to honor Luongo’s career after all is said and done, Luongo’s heart, soul, and greatest fans reside in Florida.

    Other Notes

    The Florida Panthers are still a young organization. I’m sure we’ll see them retire a number or two within the next ten years or in at least ten years- like Jonathan Huberdeau’s.

  • Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Edmonton Oilers

    Numbers Game: Look to the Rafters- Edmonton Oilers

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The exploration of an important element of the game continues. I take a look at what retired numbers around the league may look like in the future. While there’s only a finite set of numbers to utilize on the back of a jersey, many teams choose to retire (or honor) some numbers based on extraordinary circumstances, dedication to the organization, or legendary status.

    Many thoughts went through my head in each and every consideration. Feel free to agree or disagree- I want to know what you, the fans, consider worthy when evaluating a player, their career, and whether or not their number should be retired by a franchise. I am interested in seeing what you have to say, assuming you are actually a fan of the team and/or player that you argue for or against. Drop us a line in the comments or tweet to @DtFrozenRiver using #DTFRNumbersGame.

    For each team, I thought of former and current players that should have their numbers retired now or once they hang up the skates.

    200px-Logo_Edmonton_Oilers.svgEdmonton Oilers

    Current Retired Numbers- 3 Al Hamilton, 7 Paul Coffey, 9 Glenn Anderson, 11 Mark Messier, 17 Jari Kurri, 31 Grant Fuhr, 99 Wayne Gretzky, 3542 Rod Phillips

    Recommended Numbers to Retire

    94 Ryan Smyth

    Smyth absolutely adored Edmonton and Edmonton fans absolutely adored Smyth, it’s only logical that the Oilers retire his jersey. *Disclaimer, they may already be doing so, please don’t hurt me if they are. I’m just putting him under this category as his number is technically not retired yet.

    As for anyone else… Lolololololololololololol. Although I guess maybe Chris Pronger’s number 44 is just about the only other jersey number that comes to mind right now. Maybe that’s just because he shut me down too many times in NHL 2001. Then again, it looks like we might have to start taking the Oilers seriously again for the first time in years.

    With that said, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Connor McDavid are at least three more current Oilers with decent chances of seeing long careers in Edmonton that result in seeing their numbers rise to the rafters. Nail Yakupov on the other hand…

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #11- The 2015-2016 Regular Season is Underway!

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #11- The 2015-2016 Regular Season is Underway!

    The Down the Frozen River crew talks about the first few days of the 2015-2016 regular season. Also discussed, Milan Lucic and Dustin Brown’s actions, John Tortorella, Raffi Torres, fighting in hockey, Zack Kassian, and some of the matches from week one of the 2015-2016 regular season.

    Surprisingly not mentioned this week- Zach Boychuk, Pete Blackburn, DJ Bean, and Brunch. Pardon our slight audio issue, we hope to have that fixed next time. As always, thanks for listening.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter- your thoughts might make it on our show (and we really mean it this time, because we’re going to have a new segment for your thoughts next time)! <– We said that last statement last week but this time we really, really, mean it. Please interact with us.

  • October 8, 2015 – Day Two

    Last night’s Game of the Night between the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks ended in a Blueshirts‘ 3-2 winner.  Center Derek Stepan, assisted by Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider, scored the eventual game-winner with less than a minute left… in the first period.  The Hawks could only muster a goal 6:55 into the second period for the remainder of the game.  Although they lost, Chicago put 34 shots on goal (compared to New York‘s 27), but the Blueshirts made sure one more of their’s counted.

    Tonight’s action involves seven games, all played on American soil… er… frozen water.  The Winnipeg Jets are visiting the Boston Bruins (7 p.m. eastern), the Ottawa Senators are visiting the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. eastern), the Philadelphia Flyers are visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. eastern), the Edmonton Oilers are visiting the St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. eastern), the Carolina Hurricanes are visiting the Nashville Predators (8 p.m. eastern), the Pittsburgh Penguins are visiting the Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. eastern), and the Minnesota Wild are visiting the Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. eastern, NBCSN).

    Judging from expected quality of the game, me, and thus Down the Frozen River (Look at all the power I have!), can make only one choice for our Game of the Night.

    Pittsburgh Penguins LogoUnknown-5

    Thanks in large part to the trade for Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh is expected to have improved this season from last, and tonight will be their first real opportunity to show that where it counts: the regular season.  Another team that has improved, maybe even more so from last season to this season, is the Dallas Stars.  Colby has the Stars taking the Central Division crown after missing the Stanley Cup playoffs by seven points.  While not all of us here at Down the Frozen River are yet convinced of that, we do agree that Dallas has made strong moves toward being highly competitive.

    Currently, the Stars are favored in the matchup, but I expect a highly competitive game.  It goes without saying that the Penguins have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in their arsenal, two players that already have significant reputations for scoring.  But Dallas is now the home of Antti Niemi, Johnny Oduya and Patrick Sharp, all of whom have at least one Stanley Cup to their résumé and will want to impose their winning habits early on their new squad.

    It should be an excellent game.

  • Colby’s Corner: Bold Predictions Part 1

    Bold Predictions will be a two-part series where I, Colby, will discuss who I think will and won’t make the playoffs this season and why. The first part will be the teams who will make the playoffs and the order I think we will see them in. Now remember, these are my opinions. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment; we always appreciate feedback.

    Eastern Conference

    Atlantic                                   Metropolitan                                        Wild Cards

    1. Tampa Bay Lightning           1. Washington Capitals                 1. Columbus Blue Jackets (M)
    2. Montreal Canadiens             2. Pittsburgh Penguins                 2. New York Islanders (M)
    3. Ottawa Senators                    3. New York Rangers
    The real surprises in my predictions for the Eastern Conference playoff teams are first, choosing five teams from the Metropolitan, and secondly, Ottawa having the number three division spot.
    Five teams from Metropolitan- I chose these five teams because I believe these teams have improved dramatically. With the Capitals and Penguins’ additions this off-season, they will be top two in this division without a doubt. The Islanders’ sliding down to the last wildcard spot was a tough choice of mine; I looked at the teams left from both divisions and felt like the Islanders were the best team left of both divisions.
    Ottawa at number three- The Senators deserved to make the playoffs last season and no one can debate the fact that they were good enough even with their 3rd string (at the time) goalie. This season, with Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond healthy, they should be able to add more points than last season and take that division spot away from the other teams in the NHL.
                                           

    Western Conference

    Pacific                                   Central                                    Wild Cards

    1. Anaheim Ducks                1. Dallas Stars                   1. Chicago Blackhawks (C)
    2. Calgary Flames                 2. St Louis Blues               2. Colorado Avalanche (C)
    3. Los Angeles Kings            3. Minnesota Wild

    The major surprises I feel in my Western predictions are Dallas at the top of the Central and Colorado getting a wild card spot.

    Dallas to the top- Dallas is at the top because of one word: OFFSEASON. The additions of two multiple Stanley Cup champions—Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya—not to mention another Stanley Cup champion in Antti Niemi between the posts, leaves Dallas with an advantage. So with two number one goalies with experience paired with the young talent of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, there is no way Dallas doesn’t make the playoffs. If Dallas tops their division, I know that GM will be getting a raise, and he’s got an A in my book.

    Colorado as a wild card- I like Colorado and I like how they have built up their organization. This offseason they knew an upgrade was needed at the blue line and they got this with young kids Nikita Zadorov and Brandon Gormely along with veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin. I think with these additions they will be able to protect Semyon Varlamov better and get the puck to bounce in the right direction, giving them a chance at the playoffs again.

                                                                                  

  • DTFR Looks Better Than Ever: Official Logos Unveiled

    DTFR Looks Better Than Ever: Official Logos Unveiled

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    CHARLOTTE, NC (October 7, 2015)- Down the Frozen River is proud to present our brand new official logos that were so wonderfully designed by a friend of a friend, Courtney Lee- a student at NC State University!

    We asked Lee a few questions about the designing process, her art and her aspirations in general.

    IMG_8397
    The new Down the Frozen River wordmark that will appear on the website’s header and on related DTFR materials.

    Where do you go to school and what are you majoring in?

    I recently just transferred to NC State where I plan on majoring in Textile Engineering and minoring in either design or graphic communication.

    What is your one of your future goals?

    One of my future goals is to have a job that challenges me creatively.

    What kind of art do you like to dabble in?

    I like to do it all! From painting to creating a 3D model in SolidWorks- I like to think that everything I make can be thought of as art!

    Where do you get your inspiration from, in regards to your art?

    This may be cliche but everything around me inspires me. It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that inspires me because there are so many things.

    Well, we love our new logos- thank you very much for helping us out and making our brand come to life.

    Haha, thanks! 🙂

    Lastly, do you have a blog or website we could hyperlink to showcase your work?

    I don’t have a blog or website, but I’m starting to think that I should make one because you’re not the first to ask haha… Is it possible to give this to you later?

    Yes, of course. *We’re all dying to see what other awesome things you create, Courtney, please get on that so we can help show it off!*

    IMG_8399
    Down the Frozen River’s new circular logo which will appear on all DTFR social media platforms.

    And now for a little bit about how these logos came into creation…

    First, our founder, Nick Lanciani, jotted down a list of goals back on April 26th, including one about creating a Down the Frozen River logo or having someone create a Down the Frozen River logo.

    Then, at the season ending meeting between the three members of Down the Frozen River, Lanciani pitched the idea. DTFR analyst, Colby Kephart, knew someone who knew someone that might be willing to lend her hand.

    That’s where the wonderfully artistic, Courtney Lee, comes in!

    Through an exchange of communication, the Down the Frozen River crew suggested their basic required elements for a logo 1) it had to include an homage to the first “unofficial” logo (the net) and 2) it could take on a life of its own anywhere from there (with artistic expression highly encouraged)!

    After a few rough drafts, including darker, more maroon shades of red, the Down the Frozen River crew came to an agreement on this cardinal red set of logos.

    The round logo is meant to represent a crest that would go on the front of a jersey and will be seamlessly implemented into all Down the Frozen River social media platforms. The word mark logo pays homage to the old beat-up driveway hockey net in the “unofficial” logo, while creating a lasting impression of its own and establishing a more formal heading for our website.

    Thank you again to Courtney Lee for her exceptional work and helping make Down the Frozen River’s brand come to life.

    About Down the Frozen River: Down the Frozen River is a hockey blog that was created in 2014, by a college student with a life long dream of writing about hockey. By October 2014, he was finally able to convince two of his friends to join the crew and since January, all three content creators have been making huge strides in bringing Down the Frozen River to life with the goal of having daily content for hockey fans around the world to enjoy. Down the Frozen River is not affiliated with the National Hockey League or any of its member clubs and is by no means perfect- we’re always working to improve and look forward to hearing your compliments, comments, or complaints. For more information or to just to send us an email in general, please contact downthefrozenriver@gmail.com.

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