Now THIS is the Greatest Hockey Fight Ever

I take it all back. Sure, Potvin vs Hextall is a great hockey fight, so is the Vernon vs Roy fight. But nothing compares to the one below.

NHL Trade Deadline, who is playing with who

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone I’m going to take a look back at the big names that moved and see who they are playing with. Because if you can’t add the big name to your Fantasy Hockey roster, you may be able to pick up some points by snatching their new linemates off of the waiver wire.

Peter Forsberg

Centering Paul Kariya and Martin Erat would likely boost any players fantasy stats, if that player is Peter Forsberg the sky may be the limit. If you didn’t manage to nab Forsberg before the deadline take a look and see if you can nab Erat. Forsberg has only put up 3 points since the trade so you may be able to snag him from a dissatisfied owner.

Ryan Smyth

Smyth is on a line with Islanders leading scorer Jason Blake and Randy Robitaille, once Alexei Yashin returns from injury he will replace Robitaille on that line. This could greatly increase Smyth’s point production for the remainder of the season and Robitaille might be worth a pickup for the short term.

Keith Tkachuk

Is now centering Ilya Kovalchuk and John Sim. Anyone on the same line as Kovalchuk should be able to generate some points, especially a player like Tkachuk who makes his living by parking his butt in front of the net. He has yet to record a point since the trade but keep an eye on him.

Bill Guerin

Guerin has joined former teammate Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo on San Jose’s top line. Guerin is probably gone already but some twitchy owner may have dropped Cheechoo earlier this season, if so grab him immediately.

Gary Roberts

Roberts started off riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi but has since been bumped down to the second line with Evgeni Malkin and Michel Ouellet. He also has 0 points since the move. Don’t take any action yet but keep an eye on Roberts as he could end up with a nice point burst in the last few months of the season.

Those are the big names, there were a few smaller names traded that could make a serious impact due to their new linemates.

Kyle Calder

Calder is currently on Detroit’s second line with Robert Lang and Johan Franzen, not a big deal but if Bertuzzi returns healthy Calder could see some quality icetime.

Anson Carter

For the short term Carter is partnered with Ray Whitney and Eric Staal but once Erik Cole returns from injury he will be likely relegated to the third line. He is a quality short term pickup until then even though he is pointless in 3 games so far.

Scottie Upshall

Upshall is on Philly’s top line with Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, since the Feb 15^th Peter Forsberg trade Upshall has potted 3 goals and 2 assists in 7 games including 2 GWGs. Considering that he had only put up 2 goals and 1 assist (both of those goals were game winners by the way!) this is a huge increase. If he can continue or even increase his current pace he would be a good addition as a 3^rd or 4^th winger to most teams in larger fantasy hockey leagues.

NHL Starting Goaltenders Saturday Night

Below are the reported starters for Thursday night:
(Bold is my predicted winner, Italic is an uncertain starter)

Blues – Curtis Sanford vs Rangers – Henrik Lundqvist
Predators – Vokoun vs Kings – Sean Burke
Islanders – Rick DiPietro vs – Capitals – Brent Johnson
Sabres – Ty Conklin vs Leafs – J.S. Aubin
Canadiens – Jaroslav Halak vs Bruins – Tim Thomas
Lightning – Johan Holmqvist vs Panthers - Ed Belfour
Blue Jackets – Brian Boucher vs Coyotes – Curtis Joseph
Flames – Miikka Kiprusoff vs Oilers – Dwayne Roloson

Starting Goalies in the NHL tonight Thursday, March 1st

Below are the reported starters for Thursday night:
(Bold is my predicted winner, Italic is an uncertain starter)

Penguins - Marc-Andre Fleury vs Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist
Lightning - Johan Holmqvist vs Capitals - Brent Johnson
Flyers - Martin Biron vs Bruins - Tim Thomas
Stars - Mike Smith vs Panthers - Ed Belfour
Blues - Curtis Sanford vs Islanders - Rick DiPietro
Avalanche - Peter Budaj vs Blackhawks - Nikolai Khabibulin
Wild - Josh Harding vs Oilers - Dwayne Roloson
Coyotes - Curtis Joseph vs Canucks - Roberto Luongo
Ducks - J-S Giguere vs Kings - Sean Burke

Things to note tonight:
Josh Harding is replacing Niklas Backstrom who is out with injury, there is a small risk that Backstrom may actually play, but it is doubtful
Martin Biron is now playing for Philadelphia, start him at your own risk!

If I were a hockey player meme

Found an interesting little feature on several Hockey blogs out there. If I were a hockey player who would I be? No if I was a particular player, but if I were the actual player what would I be like?

So...

If I Were a Hockey Player:

Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Uniform Number: 29
Position: Goaltender
Nickname: "Crooks"
Dream Linemates: Darryl Sittler, Borje Salming
Rounding out the PP: Borje Salming and Tiger Williams.
Job: Keep the puck out of the net and players out of the crease.
Signature Move: Combination of a glove save on one side and an ankle chop on the other.
Strengths: Positional play
Weaknessess: Taking too many slashing penalties
Injury Problems: Both knees
Equipment: Thief mask with prison striped cage and goal stick.
Nemesis: Dave "The Hammer" Shultz and the rest of the Flyers
Scandal Involvement: Caught cavorting naked with 5 Toronto Argonaut Cheerleaders in the fountain out front of Ryerson.

Who I'd face in the Stanley Cup Finals: Philadelphia Flyers winning in 4 after knocking Shultz out for the season with an ankle injury.

What I'd do with the Stanley Cup after our victory: Baptize my child in it.

Would the media love me or hate me: They'd love me because I always give them something to talk about