Fantasy Question Mark: Mike Green

Up until the NHL season officially starts, many will be participating in fantasy hockey drafts. With the injury ninja in full force last season there are no doubt more than a few questions to be raised about some of the players you might want to draft for the season. We'll profile some of the Question Marks leading up to the start of the NHL season to help you out.

During the Summer, Mike toured with the Backstreet Boys

Whenever a player has an off year I usually try and write their name down so I can remember to draft them earlier then their pre-draft ranking. Many fantasy GM's during a draft don't look ahead and just look at the rankings before them. It's a good way to snag players who had abnormal seasons from either playing less games or not racking up the points like they usually do.

Wax Stain Wednesday: Prospecting

Wax Stain Wednesday is a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. WARNING: these posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

Sometimes you hit gold, sometimes you hit Daigle.

Well the mail hasn’t been interesting since Sakic arrived and with another Wednesday upon us, I thought I would share a new plan I have. If I made a list of what was missing from my collection, the list would seem endless. Even with over 200 autographs and growing, I can always think of more I would like to own. Sidney Crosby is one example, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux are others. Sure, if I got the chance to meet any of these legends I am sure they would be kind and give me a scribble, but fact of the matter is they don’t seem to hang out in the same circles I travel in. I could send a TTM request, but Mario and Sidney both don’t sign TTM, and really with hundreds and hundreds of letters a day, I am sure they couldn’t realistically get to them all anyway. If only, I had been writing letters when Crosby was a slightly less popular junior player!

Toronto Maple Leafs Traffic Jam on the Blueline

Leafs fans are ready to name a highway after some players

The Maple Leafs are currently working on finalizing their D-core for their season opener next week and there's been some interesting developments this preseason in regards to who might make it into the starting lineup.

Broadcasters Behaving Badly

First off, photoshopped or real? Deadspin's I-Team is on the case, as are we. So far we can't find any source of the image, or any potential photos of Ron MacLean that could be used in this potential photoshop, so let's go with it's real.

Mr. Big Likes "Great" Nicknames

The other day I saw the Alexander Ovechkin Mr. Big commercial for the first time. I had heard about Ovechkin joining forces with Mr. Big to promote the chocolate bar, but didn't think much into it. At first I thought it was kind of odd to see him as a spokesperson for a candy bar, but then I remembered years ago that another hockey player had also repped Mr. Big.

Fantasy Question Mark: Jaromir Jagr

Up until the NHL season officially starts, many will be participating in fantasy hockey drafts. With the injury ninja in full force last season there are no doubt more than a few questions to be raised about some of the players you might want to draft for the season. We'll profile some of the Question Marks leading up to the start of the NHL season to help you out.

Will you gamble on Jaromir Jagr this season?

It's been three years since we've seen Jaromir Jagr's mullet flapping around in the NHL. After playing the past three seasons in the KHL with Avangard Omsk, Jagr has decided to return to The Show for another tour at age 39. Many thought Jagr would return to Pittsburgh where he played a majority of his career. Then in a twist, he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers for a 1 year $3.3M contract. So what is Jagr's fantasy value?

Sheriff Shanahan Reporting For Duty

Brendan Shanahan handed down his first suspension today. And then he dealt out another. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was suspended for the remainder of the preseason (4 games) and 1 regular season game in a video-delivered message from Sheriff Shanahan which actually explained his reasoning behind the suspension. Next, Jody Shelley was disciplined. This time for 10 games for his hit from behind/boarding call on the Leafs Darryl Boyce.

NHL 12 Legendary Moments Re-Imagined

There's a cool set of videos on NHL.com right now that feature some of the famous hockey moments the NHL 12 Legends have created in video game form.

 

Mike Modano Calls It A Career

Earlier today, Mike Modano caught many hockey fans off guard - as the 41 year old used Twitter. Modano tweeted a link to an announcement about his hockey playing future. While we were surprised that Modanosaur had Twitter, we were even more surprised that he had Facebook, which was the forum in which he announced his retirement from the NHL.

Modano was drafted 1st overall at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars, becoming the 2nd American-born player to be drafted at the position after Brian Lawton who was also drafted by the North Stars. Modano wouldn't be a bust like Lawton however, and would controversially lose the Calder Trophy to a 31-year-old Sergei Makarov who had already played professionally in the Soviet Union (this led to the 26-year-old age limit). Modano would have a successful and consistent hockey career in which he was a 7 time All-Star, as well as a 3 time Olympian.

Modano maintained his youth through marrying former musician/actor, Willa Ford, also known as Mandy Modano. I think she had a hit song when I was in Grade Seven that was pretty dirty and gained a lot of male fans for photos like this, and this, and this. Congrats on a great career Mike, your slick moves and hockey hair will be missed.

Wax Stain Wednesday: Burnaby Joe

Wax Stain Wednesday is a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. WARNING: these posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

Well it looks like back to back Nordiques here on Wax Stain Wednesday as Joe Sakic arrived at my house last week. There are very few players that have ever played the game with more “class” and “integrity” than Joe Sakic. If fact, I would say Burnaby Joe is in the same class as guys like Steve Yzerman, Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis, and Frank Boucher.

Fantasy Question Mark: Zach Parise

Up until the NHL season officially starts, many will be participating in fantasy hockey drafts. With the injury ninja in full force last season there are no doubt more than a few questions to be raised about some of the players you might want to draft for the season. We'll profile some of the Question Marks leading up to the start of the NHL season to help you out. 

Parise getting ignored by Martin Brodeur was insult to injury.

After struggling on the scoresheet early in the season, Parise was forced to the pressbox with a torn meniscus in his right knee. While he did return for a Devils game in early April, his play before the injury was still worrisome. In his 12 games before going on the shelf, Parise had 3 goals and 6 points  - a slow start for him.

Matt Lashoff: Hockey Playing John Mayer

I know I'm a little late getting to this as he released his album months ago, but I only recently thought of Matt Lashoff's name as it was being tossed around with the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp starting this weekend. Apparently Lashoff is musically gifted so I decided to check out his debut album "Living on Heart" tha dropped a few months ago. Better late than never right?

Keep Your Head Up When Biking

Our buddy Jake is at it again, this time reminding you about bike safety. With the cold weather on its way, many are enjoying the outdoors for as long as they can, including bicyclists. With that mind, and hockey season just around the corner, it's important to keep your head up while on your bike. Just remember. Don't bike like Lindros.

Terry Pegula's Driving The Front Loader In Buffalo

The best owner in the game is tossing his bags of money around again. Most teams in the NHL will cut cheques or do online banking to pay its players, but Terry Pegula likes to personally deliver hard, cold cash to his players. Today the Buffalo Sabres signed Tyler Myers to a 7 year, $38.5M contract extension that kicks in next season. The cap hit is a respectable $5.5M which is a great deal for the Sabres as Myers is a stud on the back end and is still only 21 years old.

Fantasy Question Mark: Jonas Hiller

Up until the NHL season officially starts, many will be participating in fantasy hockey drafts. With the injury ninja in full force last season there are no doubt more than a few questions to be raised about some of the players you might want to draft for the season. We'll profile some of the Question Marks leading up to the start of the NHL season to help you out. 

How will Jonas Hiller bounce back from his 2010-2011 vertigo-ridden season? Hiller was an All-Star last year and the numbers he was throwing up before he went all Lucille Two on us had people talking Vezina. Hiller has pronounced himself symptom-free, however doctors still haven't been able to determine the source of the injury, thus cannot guarantee he is permanently symptom-free.

Wax Stain Wednesday: Peter Stastny

Wax Stain Wednesday is a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. WARNING: these posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

We probably can all guess at who scored the most points in the 1980’s when it comes to the NHL. In fact, we can also probably guess who put up the most points in any decade as well. However, who has the second highest total in the 1980’s or the third highest decade total in NHL history? Well judging by today’s TTM topic I am sure you now know… Peter Stastny.

Fantasy Question Mark: Sidney Crosby

Up until the NHL season officially starts, many will be participating in fantasy hockey drafts. With the injury ninja in full force last season there are no doubt more than a few questions to be raised about some of the players you might want to draft for the season. We'll profile some of the Question Marks leading up to the start of the NHL season to help you out. 

Sid The Ferrari is feeling better, but it's not enough. His recent press conference in which he let it be known he would not be returning until he is a 100% really shakes up the Fantasy Hockey World. Easily a top pick in every draft, where does Sid go now? Taking Crosby is a big risk when we know so little about his return date, but you do have options has a fantasy GM.

Maple Leafs and Blue Jays Bromance

The last month or so we have really noticed a bromance going on between some of the Toronto Blue Jays players and the Toronto Maple Leafs. In this day of social media it's a lot easier for people to see them interacting with each other on Twitter which happens frequently throughout the day. From Colby Armstrong and Jose Bautista talking about steakhouses to Tyler Bozak calling Brett Lawrie a stud, these guys are straight up man crushing. Heck, there's even a sprinkle of BizNasty love in there. 

Fun Things You Can Do In The New NHL 12

The NHL series always creates a great deal of excitement come September. Puckheads are eagerly waiting for the real NHL season to start, so when the latest NHL video game comes out a month before the regular season starts, there's a lot of gaming going on. Every year EA revamps the game by adding a new feature (or returning a feature) and this year is no different. With the introduction of NHL Legends, as well as the ability for greater goaltender interaction, we present you with some of things you will be able to do and recreate in the new NHL 12... and some things we wish you'd be able to do:

Skipping Rocks Won't Help Your Saucer Pass

We got a little creative this past August and decided to put together a few videos to get you ready for the upcoming hockey season. Thanks to the help of our Keanu Reeves-lookalike-friend, Jake, we were able to capture how much fans miss hockey during the summer months.

 

Wax Stain Wednesday: Jean Béliveau

Wax Stain Wednesday is a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. WARNING: these posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

This week’s return is one of the most beloved Montreal Canadiens of all-time, Jean Béliveau. Being a hockey fan in general, I felt my collection would never be complete if I was missing an auto from “Les Gros Bill”. The Hockey News back in 1998 ranked Jean as the 7th greatest player in NHL history. If you look at the list he is ranked above great players like Bobby Hull, Ray Bourque, Guy Lafleur and Mark Messier.

Winnipeg Jets Reveal Jerseys

The Jets jersey reveal was interrupted by a street fight

Today the Winnipeg Jets revealed what their jerseys would look like for the upcoming season. The reveal took place at the Royal Canadian Air Force base 17 Wing and the first glimpse of the jerseys appeared as Andrew Ladd, Nik Antropov, Mark Stuart and Eric Fehr emerged from Dustin Byfuglien's mouth a cargo plane as pictured below.

Why The NHL Must Keep Fighting In The Game

Over the past week there have been many articles written about the fighting debate following the death of Wade Belak, some good like Rick Moldovanyi's article, The Eternal Fighting Debate, and some that were written to stir shit up like Jack Todd's, The NHL must ban fighting. Just to get it off our chests early, we don't generally trust people with two first names as a name. So how can Todd admit that the tragic deaths this summer cannot be linked to their fighting roles in hockey, yet call for fighting to banned because it kills?

Where Will James van Riemsdyk Get Traded To?

On Tuesday the Philadelphia Flyers signed 2007 2nd overall pick, James van Riemsdyk, to a 6 year contract extension worth 25.5M that will kick in for the 2012-13 season. He is currently on the last year of his entry level contract.