The Eagle has landed in Toronto.
On Tuesday, Eddie the Eagle Belfour was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, joining Doug Gilmour, Mark Howe and Joe Nieuwendyk as the newest class of inductees.
The two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s top goalie posted 484 wins (third all time on the NHL career list) and 76 shutouts during a 17-year career during which he played for Chicago, San Jose, Dallas, Toronto and Florida.
With the Philadelphia Flyers signing of Ilya Bryzgalov to a huge nine-year, $51 million contract, it’s important to keep in mind that there are still plenty of talented goaltenders available on the free-agent market. Here are the top five.
1. Tomas Vokoun
It’s no secret that Vokoun wants out of Florida. The 35-year-old netminder is nearing the end of his career and he seems pretty hellbent on only playing for a contender. He has already been offered a deal from Avangard Omsk of the KHL over in Russia, so unless a Cup contender comes to the table (ahem, the Washington Capitals), we may have seen the last of Vokoun in the NHL.
I am happy to announce a new promotion here at Hockey Tickets Online. Beginning in October 2011, we will giving away way two tickets each month to a regular season NHL game.
To enter, simply leave your name and email address below. Once you are entered into the contest, your will be eligible to win tickets every month.
Congratulations to Eric who is our October ticket winner. Eric gets two tickets to the Panthers v Penguins game in November.
2011 didn’t pan out the way Marty Turco or the Chicago Blackhawks had hoped. The Hawks were hoping that the veteran netminder would be able to help them repeat as Stanley Cup champions, but the 35-year-old netminder struggled early on in the season and the Blackhawks ended up getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
But Turco’s disappointing season gave way to rookie Corey Crawford, who ended up taking over the No.1 role midway through the season. Crawford’s play turned a lot of heads and now the Hawks are rewording him with a new contract. The 26-year-old signed a three-year contract worth $8 million.
2011 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers
Wednesday, April 13 at Washington, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS (JIP)
Friday, April 15 at Washington, 7:30 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
Sunday, April 17 at New York, 3:00 p.m. NBC (HD), TSN
Wednesday, April 20 at New York, 7:00 p.m. TSN, VERSUS
*Saturday, April 23 at Washington, 3:00 p.m. TSN, NBC (HD)
*Monday, April 25 at New York, TBD TSN
*Wednesday, April 27 at Washington, TBD TSN
#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres
After 82 games of regular season hockey, the defending Stanley Cup champions found themselves in an unusual spot: needing help to get back into the postseason.
“I can’t even believe we’re here right now,” Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “It’s so frustrating that it has to come down to this. I’m pretty much speechless.”
With only three games left in the season for the majority of teams, it’s hard to believe that there are still eight playoff spots that have yet to be clinched. However, tonight there are two divisions and four playoff spots on the line. Here is a look at a handful of games with playoff-clinching implications.
Tampa Bay fans can rest easy—your captain still has vision in both of his eyes.
In what was a frightening scene during Monday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Vincent Lecavalier was hit with a stick in his right away during the second period. An examination by a Buffalo eye doctor revealed Lecavalier didn’t suffer any structural damage to his right eye.
“I’m always concerned when it’s your captain and he’s been playing incredible the last two months,” Lightning coach Guy Boucher said after the game. “He’s been driving physically and been a real inspiration for the players, so yeah, I am a little worried.”
With things being as tight as they are in the Western Conference, it’s easy to overlook how well teams are playing. And right now, no one is playing better than the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Predators, Blackhawks and Ducks have all had recent surges of their own, but none of them have been as hot as the Desert Dogs. A 3-0 shutout of Columbus on Thursday gave the Coyotes an 8-1-1 record over the last 10 games and a 15-5-2 record since Feb. 5.
Jonathan Toews has been given the monicker “Mr. Serious” for a reason.
No, it’s not just because he’s a no-nonsense type of guy. It’s because back on July 18, 2008, at just 20 years old, the Chicago Blackhawks made Toews the third youngest captain in the history of the NHL.
Wearing that “C” on your sweater is a huge honor, but it comes with an incredible amount of responsibility. Toews may not be the most vocal captain in the NHL, but the now 24-year-old is quickly learning when he needs to take a stand and give his squad a good tongue lashing.
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