As if the Nashville Predators didn’t already possess one of the most dominant defensive corps in the NHL with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter at the helm, the club now looks that much more dominant after just recently adding veteran Hal Gill.
In a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, the Preds picked up Gill and a conditional 2013 draft pick in exchange for forwards Blake Geoffrion and Robert Slaney, plus a 2012 second-round pick.
“Hal Gill brings our team a number of elements—size, penalty-killing ability, depth on defense and playoff experience,” said Predators General Manager David Poile. “He has won a Stanley Cup and played a combined 69 playoff games over the last four years, experience that significantly benefits our team.”
Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber isn’t known for scoring amazing goals, but this incredible shot from the upper deck at Bridgestone Arena is a thing of beauty.
Apparently, Ryan Miller is becoming a target for forwards in the NHL.
In his first game back since recovering from a concussion he suffered after getting run over by Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic, a fragile Miller was taken out by Nashville Predators forward Jordin Tootoo during the second period of Saturday night’s game between the Preds and the Buffalo Sabres.
However, unlike Lucic, who merely received a little shove, Tootoo was immediately pounced upon by all five Sabres on the ice, including Miller.
Nashville Predators forward Jordin Tootoo is notorious for being an agitator and a flopper.
Unfortunately for him, neither of those qualities have endeared him to the rest of the players around the league.
His latest acting job won’t help.
During a game against the Edmonton Oilers Monday night, Tootoo received an innocent, mild crosscheck from defenseman Theo Peckham. Right on cue, Tootoo dropped to the ice as if there was a sniper in the building.
Tootoo was given a two-minute penalty for diving, but it this type of behavior that hurts the league, according to Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf.
However, with Milan Lucic’s hit (which was either intentional or unintentional depending on what city you are from) on Ryan Miller in Saturday night’s game at TD Garden, the two now seem to be sworn enemies for life.
The incident occurred as Lucic was chasing down a loose puck that got away from him on a potential breakaway. Miller thought he could beat Lucic to the puck, so he came out of the crease to clear it away. Lucic ended up crashing into Miller, with his arms up, knocking off Miller’s mask, practically decapitating him in the process.
Nov. 3, 2011 could go down as one of the best days ever for Pekka Rinne.
Not only did the Nashville Predators netminder celebrate his 29th birthday with an impressive 3-0 shutout victory over the Phoenix Coyotes, he also signed a brand new, seven-year, $49 million contract earlier in the day.
Head coach Barry Trotz summed up Rinne’s day best.
“He had a goalie hat trick,” Trotz said. “Birthday boy, obviously, shutout and $49 million—I’d call that a goalie hat trick.”
All of the talk surrounding the Nashville Predators this offseason was focused on captain Shea Weber and a courtroom. After the two sides were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal, Weber was awarded a one-year deal worth $7.5 million through arbitration.
This, unfortunately, overshadowed the memory of the most remarkable season that the Preds put up in their 13-year history. By virtue of an exciting six-game victory against the higher-seeded Anaheim Ducks, the Preds made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Nashville Predator fans can finally let out a sigh of relief: Shea Weber is staying put in Tennessee. For now.
After going to arbitration, Weber was awarded a one-year, $7.5 million contract for the 2011-12 season after a hearing Tuesday in Toronto. Although the terms of the deal may not be ideal, anytime teams and players get together with an independent arbiter, things can get kind of messy. The burden of proof is on the team to provide evidence why the player doesn’t deserve the money he is seeking, thus leading to hard feelings and potential ego bruising.
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.
There is still no confirmation as to whether or not Henrik and Daniel Sedin do in fact share a brain, or practice telepathy, or take part in some sort of voodoo ritual prior to every game. Whatever is they do, no one can fathom how the Swedish twins always seem to have the uncanny ability to find each other on the ice. And put the puck in the back of the net.
As if the Nashville Predators didn’t already possess one of the most dominant defensive corps in the NHL with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter at the helm, the club now looks that much more dominant after just recently adding veteran Hal Gill.
