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.
And You Thought YOUR Owner Was Bad!: The Twisted Tale of Harold Ballard
Oh boy. You know, a decade ago, I joined Twitter, and a few of my first followers were wrestling fans and fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I remember when the Leafs clinched a playoff spot during that lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, and how happy those fans were on Twitter, because it had been nine years since the Leafs qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I also remember one or two of them telling me about the Leafs under the ownership of Harold Ballard. All I knew back then was that Ballard wasn't a good owner. If only that was all.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NHL November 2022 Review
This November was quite amazing during the 2022-23 season. As I watched during the past 30 days, I was planning on what teams to feature in this review for the month of November, and the reason for that is simple. As I stated in my October review, the monthly review will contain a story from each of the NHL's four divisions: Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific, and each story centers on a team who I believe made the most noise from each of the divisions, either positively or negatively. The teams are as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Iconic Career of Börje Salming
On November 24, 2022, Börje Salming, one of the most legendary figures in the history of the National Hockey League, passed away at the age of 71. As a diehard hockey fan, I am ashamed to say that my knowledge of this great man is quite small, but I would learn a lot about this amazing player in the last couple of years--especially in the last few weeks. Born Anders Börje Salming in Salmi, Sweden on April 17, 1951, Salming began his hockey career in his native country in 1967, playing three years for Karuna AIF before joining Brynäs IF in 1970, going on to win two championships in 1971 and 1972.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 2011-12 and 2013-14 Los Angeles Kings
When I started getting into hockey at the age of seven, the Los Angeles Kings were the lone local team out here in Southern California. The Kings were part of the "Original Expansion Six"; the six franchises who joined the NHL in 1967 and doubled the size of the league--from six teams to twelve. The Kings joined the league along with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the St. Louis Blues, the Minnesota North Stars, and the defunct Oakland Seals. The team was best known for being the lone American team in the infamous Smythe Division in the 1980s and early 1990s, forming some interesting rivalries with the Alberta teams. 1992-93 saw the Kings (with The Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky) reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time, and it was an interesting run that saw them face nothing but Canadian teams; defeating the Flames (Smythe Semifinals), Canucks (Smythe Final), and Maple Leafs (Campbell Final), only to be defeated by the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
25 Years: A Look at the Nashville Predators
It doesn't seem like 25 years since the Nashville Predators joined the NHL. I remember it like it was yesterday; I was 13 years old and in eighth grade when the Predators joined the league. The expansion/relocation wave during the 1990s and early 2000s was very intriguing. NHL franchises were located in markets that no one ever thought would have hockey in them. Two teams in Florida, two more teams in California. Teams moving to Dallas, Denver, and even Phoenix. Now Nashville with a team? Amazing.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What in the World is Going On with the Columbus Blue Jackets?!
I've always been fascinated by the Columbus Blue Jackets, even before the team officially debuted. It was back in 1998 (the year that the Nashville Predators debuted in the NHL) that I learned about Columbus getting an NHL franchise. That was a pretty fun period for me as a hockey fan, because I had never seen expansion like this in any sport. The Predators debuted in 1998, and a year later, the NHL returned to Atlanta with the Thrashers (they would move to Winnipeg in 2011), and 2000 gave us two teams: the Minnesota Wild (bringing the NHL back to Minnesota for the first time in seven years) and the aforementioned Blue Jackets.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Matt Duchene Trade: 5 Years Later
Hard to believe that it's been five years since the famous Matt Duchene trade. I watched the game that featured the trade and even now, I still can't believe what I saw. Even more amazing was the impact left from the deal, which included three teams: the Colorado Avalanche, the Nashville Predators, and the Ottawa Senators. Before I mention that fateful Sunday evening, I have to start this story with the 2016-17 season.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
NHL October 2022 Review
The 2022-23 National Hockey League season got off to a very exciting, interesting, and chaotic start; beginning with a pair of games in the Czech Republic just days before things got started in North America. As usual, 32 teams competing, 31 of them hungry for the Stanley Cup, while one team is looking to repeat. The month of October is setting a very wild tone to the season, and here are some of the teams who made some waves in the opening month.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Which Canadian Team Has the Best Chance to Win the Stanley Cup in 2023?
A brand new NHL season has arrived, and it's hit with the same question fans in Canada have asked for so long: is this finally the year? We all know about Canada's cup drought, which will reach an even three decades if none of the seven teams capture Lord Stanley's Cup this season. When the Montréal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, it was not only the franchise's 24th Cup, it was also the last Cup won by a Canadian team. When the drought began, there were eight teams in Canada: the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Winnipeg Jets, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Nordiques, and the Montréal Canadiens.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Is Auston Matthews the NHL's Next Great Scorer?
The 2015-16 NHL season was the lowest point for Canada's franchises, as all seven teams missed the playoffs. The worst of Canada's teams just happened to be the Toronto Maple Leafs, who went 29-42-11 with 69 points, the worst record in the entire league. However, that season, as terrible as it was, was all by design. The Leafs tanked to get the #1 pick, doing so after the team developed a knack for giving away their top first round. This time it worked out, as the Maple Leafs used their top pick in the 2016 draft to select their next big star: Auston Matthews.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 2010-11 Boston Bruins
The early 2000s saw a sports uprising in the town of Boston, beginning with the New England Patriots winning Super Bowl XXXVI. They added two more Super Bowl wins later on, and in baseball, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, and won another championship three years later in 2007. The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship in 2008, but regarding hockey, the Boston Bruins had to wait a bit to join the Boston Ring Party--as if they hadn't been waiting long enough as it is.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks
I can't believe it. This upcoming season will mark the 30th anniversary of the debut of the then-named Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. I was eight years old when the team debuted, I was barely getting into hockey as a whole, but I definitely remember the buzz over the Mighty Ducks. A year prior, Disney's Mighty Ducks film hit theaters, and it was due to the big box office numbers that the team came to fruition. I've lived in Southern California since I was three years old; at the time, I was attending elementary school in Anaheim, and I fondly remember the Mighty Ducks' NHL debut being a huge moment for the city--a key part of the league's expansion wave in the 1990s.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
