Tag: Stanley Cup

2012 NHL Free Agent Watch

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

Today is the third day for free agents in the NHL to make deals with the teams.  There are still two big players that everyone is waiting on: NJ Devils Captain, Zach Parise, and Nashville Predators Defenseman, Ryan Suter.

The twitter-verse has been blowing up the past few days about where these player will end up.  Parise made the decision to return home to Minnesota yesterday to further discuss his options with his family.  Many people feel that this means he may be moving back to Minnesota for good.  The Minnesota Wild are just one of many teams interested in signing with him.

What I find hard to believe is that Parise would want to leave the New Jersey Devils after this past year. The New Jersey Devils made it to the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and forced a Game Six on the Los Angeles Kings, who had not seen a Game Six until then.  Also, goaltender Marty Bourder, resigned with the New Jersey Devils for another two years.  It just seems to me, that with all the success he has had in Jersey, he’d feel stronger about staying there.

Of course, players change teams for all kinds of reasons.  As people have been saying, maybe he wants to be back home in Minnesota, so the Wild is a better fit for him.  There are so many ways this decision could go.

Does he want to come home to play in front of family and friends? Does he want to go to teams with strong franchise history and play with Sid and Geno, Toews and Hossa, Datsyuk and Zetterberg? Or does he want to return to the place he knows and is comfortable with in New Jersey?  Hopefully today we’ll have an answer.

Ryan Suter is also taking his time in making a decision.  The rumor mill has been flying around about him as well.  Since Jordin Tootoo signed with the Detroit Red Wings, people have said there is a strong possibility that Suter would too.  The Red Wings have a strong franchise and with a familiar face already here, he might be inclined to come to Hockeytown.

Sources also say the Suter is strongly considering the Minnisota Wild.  Could Parise and Suter become the new dream team with the Wild?

If you want to keep track of what is happening within the NHL, check out the free agent tracker.  And check back for more updates!

Kings Capture Royal Reward: Lord Stanley’s Cup

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

2012 Stanley Cup Champions: LA KingsLOS ANGELES, CA – It’s been 45 since the formation of the Los Angeles Kings, and tonight they made history by winning their first Stanley Cup.  It took six games for the Kings to reach this milestone in the franchise’s history, but with a 6-1 final score against the New Jersey Devils, the Stanley Cup is calling Los Angeles it’s home for 2012.

The Kings have done a lot to get to this point.  They defeated the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, and Phoenix Coyotes, the 1-3 seeded teams in the Western Conference.  Vancouver also had the best record overall this year.  The Kings won each of those rounds in five games or less, with the Stanley Cup Final round being the first round that they played a sixth game.  They are also the first team to win the Stanley Cup in their home arena since 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings did it.  And on top of that, the first team to be up 3-0 in a series and win it in Game 6.  The Kings were making history all post season.

The Kings started out strong in the first period by scoring three goals during a five minute penalty for boarding by Devils player, Steve Bernier, who also received a game misconduct. As the second period started, the Kings added to their lead with a goal by Jeff Carter.  The Devils got on the board in the second period with 1:15 left in the period with a goal scored by Adam Henrique.

The Kings and Devils both played strong in the third period, and at 16:15 in the third period, Trevor Lewis scored an empty net goal.  New Jersey goalie, Marty Brodeur, returned to the net right after Kings’ fifth goal only to allow another making the final score, 6-1 in favor of the LA Kings.

This is truly a Cinderella story.  The Los Angeles Kings struggled to even gain a playoff position at the end of the 2011-2012 NHL season.  They ended up with the 8th-seeded position meaning they were paired again the number one team, the Vancouver Canucks.  Many expected the Kings to be out in the first round, based on the team they were facing.  They took America by surprise when they went up 3-0 against the Canucks, finishing the series in five games.

As the Kings entered the second round, they face the St. Louis Blues, who were one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year.  They were no match for the Los Angeles Kings though, as they were swept in four games.

That left only the Phoenix Coyotes in their way to the Stanley Cup Final.  Like a repeat from the first round, Kings won the first three games and ended the series in five.  For the first time in 11 years, they made it to the Stanley Cup Final, and this year they captured the cup.

All that was left was the New Jersey Devils.  They were up 3-0 again in this series and all looked well for them to win it in four or five games again, but the Devils put on the pressure and stayed alive for a couple of game.  LA’s win is huge because they broke so many records during the post season, and there is one more to add to it.  They are the first number 8-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup.  They fought long and hard to win the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and truly deserve the title.

*Note: This article is not affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings or the NHL.  It is written by a private writer.

Devils Stay Alive

Posted on by mlavens in Press Release

NDJ vs. LAKLOS ANGELES, CA – With a 3-1 win at the Staples Center, the New Jersey Devils avoid being swept by the Los Angeles Kings in Game four of the Stanley Cup Final.

Both teams went scoreless in the first two periods of the game.  The tie was broken in the third period by Patrick Elias of the New Jersey Devils.  Sixty seconds later, the Kings answered the goal with a goal of thier own by Drew Doughty on the power play.  At 15:29 in the third period, the Devils took the lead again with a goal by rookie, Adam Henrique.  The Devils added to their lead with an empty net goal by Ilya Kovalchuk.

This win is huge for the New Jersey Devils who found themselves at risk of being swept by the Kings for the ultimate hockey trophy, the Stanley Cup.  New Jersey goaltender, Marty Brodeur said after the game that they were glad to win tonight because the Devils wanted to give their fans at least one more game in the home arena because the fans support them so much.

Does this mean the Devils have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup? Well, sure.  They’re not out yet.  They are three games away from winning.  But one must not overlook the Kings who have not lost a road game during the post-season this year.  We’ll just have to wait and find out.

Game 5 will be in New Jersey at 8pm Eastern Standard time.  The game with be broadcasted on NBC.

 *Note: This article is not affiliated with the NHL, the New Jersey Devils or the Los Angeles Kings.  It is written by a private writer.