Empty Netter Assists - 02-22-10
Olympics
Group A (Canada, Norway, Switzerland, United States)
-United States 5, Canada 3. On a team dominated by youth, it was the old guys - Brian Rafalski, Chris Drury and Jamie Langenbrunner - who ruled the day. NHL.com's recap.
-"You look up, and everything was red and white, with very few American flags." - United States coach Ron Wilson.
-"It’s a huge win for us. But they didn’t give us any medals tonight." - United States defenseman Jack Johnson.
-Canada's goaltending situation is now wide open.
-"Obviously tonight we would have liked to be better in that area." - Canada coach Mike Babcock on his goaltending.
-"For whatever reason we don't seem to be clicking 100 percent right now." - Canada captain Scott Niedermayer.
-"It seemed like they had eight or nine guys out there to our five." - United States forward Chris Drury.
-"It's probably one of the biggest games I've ever played." - United States goaltender Ryan Miller.
-The United States when from being an underdog to being a target.
-The United States beat Canada in an Olympic tournament for the first time since 1960, the same year the U.S. won gold for the first time.
-Was this loss the fault of goaltender Martin Brodeur?
-"It was actually the most polite trash talking I’ve ever heard in my life, because we’re in Canada." - Miller on Canadian fans.
-Ryan Kesler was one Yank who felt right at home.
-This was an all-star game. Expect it actually meant something.
-Canada got to dress in the Canuck's stat of the art locker room. The United States dressed in a storage closet.
-Leave it to the Ottawa Citizen to not write a headline implying that the United States actually won a game. No, they wrote a headline that indicated Canada's path to the gold medal is now tougher.
-Ditto the Toronto Star.
-Ditto the Globe and Mail.
-Ditto Mike Babcock.
-Happy times for Rafalski:
-Happy times for Captain America, Jamie Langenbrunner:
-Happy times for Zach Parise and Ryan Kesler:
-Miller having a moment:
-Miller having a chat with an official:
-Miller letting the world know who the most overrated goaltender in the world is:
-We think.
-Sidney Crosby being popular:
-United States defenseman Jack Johnson teeing one up:
-U-S-A! U-S-A!:
-Brooks Orpik giving some freedom candy to Crosby:
-Happy times for the United States. Not so much for Niedermayer:
-Happy times for the United States. Not so much Crosby:
-More happy times for the United States:
-Happy times for Canada. Not so much for Miller:
-Canada's Dany Heatley beating Miller:
-Crosby taking a tumble over Miller:
-Canada's Jonathan Toews laid out for this puck:
-Brodeur reached out for this puck:
-Brodeur having a moment:
-This kind of says it all:
-Handshake line:
Group B (Czech Republic, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia)
-Russia 4, Czech Republic 2. Alex Ovechkin > Jaromir Jagr (above). NHL.com's recap.
-Evgeni Malkin's new line with Ovechkin and Alexander Semin worked out pretty well.
-"If I have a chance to hit somebody it does not matter who it is." - Ovechkin.
-"I do not care about the check, I care about the turnover. It was my mistake. I made a bad decision." - Jagr.
-Was Ovechkin's hit legal?
-Jagr and Ovechkin being good sports:
-Happy times for Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Semin:
-Malkin kneeling down to beat Tomas Vokoun:
-We're not goaltending experts, but we're thinking Vokoun played the wrong angle on this one:
-Happy times for Russia. Not so much for Vokoun:
-Vokoun didn't keep his eyes on this puck:
-Happy times for the Czechs:
-Jagr ready for a faceoff:
-Jagr flying up the ice:
-This might the photo of the entire tournament. Jagr and Russia's Evgeni Nabokov having a chuckle:
-Czech forward Tomas Fleischmann kept his eyes on this puck:
-Nabokov stretching out for a save:
-A pile up in the Russia net:
-A meeting at the Russian net:
-We do not like these vertical stripes on the socks of many of these teams:
Group C (Belarus, Finland, Germany, Sweden)
-Sweden 3, Finland 0. Finland's powerful power play was shutdown. NHL.com's recap.
-Finland defenseman Joni Pitkanen was suspended for one game for hitting Sweden forward Patric Hornqvist in the head.
-Imagine that, a governing body in hockey making a no-questions-asked decision about a head shot. How weird.
-A good look at Sweden's Loui Eriksson beating Finland's Miikka Kiprusoff:
-Sweden's Fredrik Modin kicking up some ice on Kiprusoff:
-A big pile up in the Finland net:
-Kiprusoff had issues with this puck:
-And this one:
-Happy times for Sweden. Not so much for Kiprusoff:
-More happy times for Sweden:
-FInland's Valterri FIlppula taking a tumble over Detroit teammate Niklas Kronwall of Detroit:
-Finland's Kimmo Timonen mashed Sweden's Henrik Zetterberg into the boards:
-Zetterberg and Finland's Niko Kapanen taking a faceoff:
-Sweden's Henrik Lundqvist busted out the hawk eyes here:
-Sad times for Finland:
-Finnish Elvis never left the building:
-If you can translate this, feel free to pass it on:
-Handshake line:
Group D (Potpourri)
-Beer and liquor sales in Vancouver have been cut off each of the past two nights.
NHL
Penguins
-The Pirates have officially confirmed they want to host a Winter Classic between the Penguins and Capitals at PNC Park.
-Luca Caputi and Mark Letestu each had a goal and an assist for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 4-2 defeat of the Manchester Monarchs. John Curry made 25 saves in the win.
-The AHL Penguins are on a six-game winning streak.
-Casey Pierro-Zabotel had a goal and an assist for the Wheeling Nailers in a 7-4 loss loss to the Trenton Devils.
-Happy 35th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Patrick Boileau. A free agent signing in the 2003 offseason, Boileau appeared in 16 games for the 2003-04 Penguins and recorded seven points. He bolted for Europe prior to the 2004-05 lockout.
-Happy 36th birthday to former Penguins forward Mathias Johansson. Acquired from the Flames along with Micki DuPont in a trade that sent Shean Donovan to Calgary, Johansson appeared in 12 games and recorded six points for the 2002-03 Penguins before returning to his native Sweden in the offseason.
Southeast Division
-On arguably the greatest one-day display of international hockey, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis decides to write a Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin post. Because no one has ever compared the two.
Adams Division
-Brooks Ostergard made 27 saves and led the Robert Morris men's team to a 4-2 win at Alabama-Huntsville.
-Today would've been the 100th birthday of former Pittsburgh Shamrocks forward Earl Roche.
-Mondesi's House rounds up a pretty solid list of notable sport and media figures with Pittsburgh connections on Twitter:
-We don't care if our name is mispelled. That's the closest we've ever gotten to Sonni Abatta.
(Photos: Olympics-Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images, Bruce Bennett/Getty Images, Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images, Harry How/Getty Images, Julie Jacobson/Associated Press, Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Chris O'Meara/Associated Press; Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press, Matt Slocum/Associated Press, Jamie Squire/Getty Images and Canadian Press)