hockey
We talk pucks and objects of that kind. We yell, complain, and analyze in the language of hockey fandom. Gretzky can do no wrong.
NHL March Madness 2023: A Look at the Stanley Cup Playoff Picture
I love the month of March, obviously because I was born on this month, but also because it's the best month in the sports calendar. For us hockey fans, March is the home stretch; it's the final full month of the NHL season, and it begins a period in the season where the numbers get thinned out and the playoff picture becomes complete at last. Right now, it's quite fuzzy. Logjams are all over the place, but such is life in the chaotic NHL.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
The Extraordinary Career of P.K. Subban
In an earlier story, I wrote about Willie O'Ree, who broke the NHL's color barrier back in 1958, when he debuted for the Boston Bruins. O'Ree's influence led to a plethora of Black players making their mark in the NHL in the decades that passed. Notable Black players include Grant Fuhr, who was in net during the Edmonton Oilers' monstrous dynasty in the 1980s, Jarome Iginla, who set all sorts of high numbers in his amazing career, and the subject of this story, P.K. Subban, one of the best defensemen in the league during his career.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
The History of the Quebec Nordiques
My name is Clyde E. Dawkins, and I am a Quebec Nordiques fan. That was my team when I started following hockey at the age of seven. I was fascinated by the team names when I read them in the sports section. Whalers, North Stars, Flames, Islanders. I would see team names I saw in other sports: Rangers, Oilers, Jets. But the name that stood out the most to me was "Nordiques." At the time, I knew very little about hockey. Also, this was the early 1990s. As I would find out, I wouldn't have time to enjoy the Nordiques, as the team moved away in 1995. I would learn about hockey history and each team's history as I got older and after I got cable, making it easier to actually watch hockey. Because of this, I can properly detail the history of the Quebec Nordiques, as shaky as it is.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
I Guess That's Why They Call Them the Blues
On June 12, 2019, the St. Louis Blues finally achieved the ultimate goal: they won the Stanley Cup. The Blues' Cup came after over five decades of hard luck and suffering. The Blues' Cup came one season after they ended up as the last team eliminated from playoff contention. The Blues' Cup came just months after they were actually in last place in the entire NHL. It was an amazing story and a terrific ending for a team who had nothing but hardships since joining the league in 1967, and it looked like they would be a juggernaut for years to come.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
1 vs 8 or Divisional: Which Stanley Cup Playoff Format is Better?
For hockey fans, the road to the Stanley Cup is a fun one. Stressful and nail-biting, yes, but fun. The Stanley Cup Playoffs serves as the best sports stretch on the calendar year; after a wild 82-game season, an even wilder 16-team postseason begins in mid-April and ends with the Stanley Cup awarded in mid-June. There is never a debate regarding how fun the Stanley Cup Playoffs are, because it is immensely exciting to watch 16 teams fight for the greatest prize in sports. The debate, however, is centered on the format.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Reviewing the 2023 NHL All-Star Game
I do love the NHL All-Star Game and its festivities. I've been watching this event since the mid-1990s, and if there's one thing I've learned the years, it's this: the NHL's All-Star Game went through so many changes. When this started in 1947, the format back then pitted the defending Stanley Cup Champions against a mixture of All-Stars from other teams. Then in 1969, it was the East Division vs the West Division, but six years later, the format changed to the Wales Conference vs the Campbell Conference. It became Eastern Conference vs Western Conference when the geographical names returned in the 1993-94, but a few years later, the NHL decided that for the All-Star Game, they would pit a team of North Americans (Canada and the U.S.) against The World (mostly European players), before going back to East vs West.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
NHL January 2023 Review
January means the beginning of a new year on the calendar, but in the NHL, it's the last chance for teams to make some positive noise before the All-Star Break hits. While this review does feature one team from each of the four divisions, for this month, they all have something in common: they are all behind the playoff line. While being out of the loop is a negative, I assure you, not all four of these stories are downers. With that said, here are the four teams who stood out in January.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
The Glorious Career of Bobby Hull
On the morning of January 30, 2023, I woke up to the tragic news that Bobby Hull, a 23-year NHL veteran, passed away at the age of 84--an age he reached just 27 days prior. Bobby Hull is a name I've heard a lot as a hockey fan; one of the great legends in hockey history. Born Robert Morgan Hull on January 3, 1939, Hull's hockey career began in the Ontario Hockey Association in 1954, playing three years for the Gall Black Hawks before joining the NHL's Chicago Black Hawks in 1957. He had 47 points (13 G/34 A) in his rookie season and finished second in Calder voting, and regarding his jersey number, Hull wore #16 and #7 before switching to his famous #9.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Conference Championship Recap: Blown Opportunities
Conference Championship Sunday: the last stop before the big game. For the 53rd year, the American and National Football Conferences take one solitary Sunday to decide which teams will play in the Super Bowl, and for the second year, these games took place on the final Sunday in January. I myself am old enough to remember when the Super Bowl occupied the last Sunday in January, but I digress. Every year, the conferences rotate time slots, and this year, the NFC went first, which featured the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the San Francisco 49ers.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
The Flyers: The Black Sheep of Philadelphia
It's amazing what's going on (or what's been going on) in sports in Philadelphia. The 76ers are continuing to be one of the superpowers in the NBA's Eastern Conference, boasting a pair of absolute superstars in James Harden and Joel Embiid. The Phillies coming off their National League pennant and are looking to get back to the World Series in this upcoming season. The Eagles are kicking a lot of ass and could be headed to the Super Bowl in what has been a dream season for them.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
State of the Colorado Avalanche Address
To any and all of my fellow Colorado Avalanche fans...well...we made it. As we all know, the only thing harder than winning the Stanley Cup is defending it. Every team's ultimate drive is winning the Stanley Cup, but once you've won it, you want to do it again that following year. That is immensely difficult. Yet in the last decade, we've seen the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning go back-to-back. So why can't the Avalanche do it? Even though the team lost Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Darcy Kuemper this offseason, the Avs still have a lot of those big game players that led this team to the Stanley Cup last year. Even after those losses, I said, "We're repeating this year."
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the Boston Bruins' Historic Pace...and What the Result May Be
You know, I'm used to takes and predictions aging badly. After all, I've usually been the one to disprove said takes and poke holes in them. However, we are all capable of big errors, and I am no exception. After the last NHL season ended, I made my share of predictions. Some are on pace to come true, some...not so much. One take I was certain would be a certainty was this: I said that the Boston Bruins would not make the playoffs in 2022-23. I based that prediction on the fact that the famed Perfection Line (Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak) was seemingly carrying the team, as well as their first round exit in the most recent Stanley Cup Playoffs. Add the fact that Marchand would start this season on the IR, and it seemed like Boston would be on the low end of the Eastern Conference standings.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
