16 days till Christmas! All right I couldn’t help it. We got our tree yesterday, and besides Christmas means no school for two weeks! However, there was a lot of news around the hockey world this week…

 

Scott Niedermayer has announced he will return to the Ducks. The 4 time Stanley Cup winner has debated whether to retire or not since the end of last season. The man obviously has something left in him or else he would have gone out on top after winning the cup. Teammate Teemu Selanne just had a kid last week. A month premature, Selanne will wait until after the first of the year to make an announcement on whether he returns.

 

Not only were the Predators sold to Predators Holdings LLC but they also locked up David Legwand for six more years, through the 2014-15 season. The new ownership decided to extend the captain’s contract for good reason. Legwand is the all time leading scorer in franchise history, with 304 points, 113 goals, 28 game-winning goals, 10 overtime points and 15-multiple goal games.

 

The NHLPA has decided to start thinking about the environment more. Headed by Boston Bruin Defenseman Andrew Ference, the NHL is trying to offset the amount of gaseous emissions from airplane and bus travel. Ference is asking every player to donate $290 dollars to cover the estimated 10 tons of carbon emissions produced per year. The money is used to clean up the air and try to rid the bad gasses that destroy the earth’s atmosphere, contributing to climate change. The process is being called Carbon-neutral, and I shame on you to any player that wont fork over that $290.

 

           

Mark Recchi has been picked up off the waivers by the Atlanta Thrashers. Re-signed to a one-year deal at the beginning of the year with Pittsburgh, he cleared waivers once but was not able to a second time when being recalled. Recchi takes all 510 goals and 1341 points to Atlanta to try and help them make a run.

 

           

After Timothy Thomas Jr. went down for the Bruins, the decided to acquire Alexander Auld from the Phoenix Coyotes. Auld played well in his first game with the team, sporting all Phoenix gear and a Bruins uniform, and the Bruins beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Saturday night.

 

 

30. Washington Capitals 10-17-2: The last team to finally have double digits in the wins column. Ovechkin scores all the goals, Nylander assists on them, nothing more.

 

29. Los Angeles Kings 11-16-2: And the race is on! They’ve almost passed Washington for worst overall, losing thee of four games last week. Allowing 2.96 GAA is what’s hurting them.

 

28. Edmonton Oilers 13-16-1: The Oilers had a nice three game win streak going until the lost two at the end of last week. Bad News: Tarnstrom and Souray on IR.

 

27. Calgary Flames 11-13-5: The Falling Flames lost two more last week. They only capitalized with one win on the home stand, now a six game road trip stands ahead.

 

26. Phoenix Coyotes(-4) 13-15-1: The Coyotes had two wins(against LA) and two losses last week. Bryzgalov is keeping them in games though.

 

25. Florida Panthers(-2) 13-15-1: They almost knocked off Ottawa. But they didn’t, not even a point out of it. Rebounding the next night, the Panthers went 1-1 last week.

 

24. Toronto Maple Leafs(+1) 12-12-6: The Leafs haven’t allowed two goals or less in five straight games all season, until the recent 4-1 streak. Going 2-1 last week, they battle back to ‘.500’

 

23. Tampa Bay Lightning(+2) 13-13-3: With a 3-0-1 record of late, the Lightning are in one of their ‘good streaks.’ Give them a few games, they’ll be back to losing six straight again.

 

22. Buffalo Sabres(-2) 13-13-1: Get trounced one night 8-2, turn it around and win 7-1 the next. Buffalo just isn’t putting up the goals they were last year.

 

21. Atlanta Thrashers(+2) 14-14-1: Knocking off both NY teams last week, the Thrashers dropped the other two road games. Starting off so bad may cost them a playoff spot

 

20. Anaheim Ducks(-1) 14-13-2: The Ducks dropped two of four last week, but Niedermayer is returning! Is he the spark they needed?

 

19. Columbus Blue Jackets(-1) 13-11-5: The Blue Jackets dropped two of three again last week. Such a good team at home, that is where the two losses occurred.

 

18. New York Islanders(-6) 14-12-2: Finally ending a five game losing streak Saturday, the Islanders were 1-3 last week. They really need to improve on the GF-GA ratio, its –15.

 

17. Chicago Blackhawks(-3) 14-12-2: Struggling of late, the ‘Hawks lost three in a row and two more last week. Tough luck vs. the Ducks outshooting them 42-22 and losing 5-3.

 

16. Nashville Predators 14-11-2: The Preds rebounded against the Ducks after dropping two straight last week. Next up: Detroit and Colorado.

 

15. Pittsburgh Penguins(+6) 15-12-2: On a four game win streak(all last week), the Penguins propel themselves past a few teams. In a league with such parity, the Pens could be right back down next week.

 

14. Montreal Canadiens(-7) 14-11-4: Playing another 1-2 week, the Canadiens are falling fast. Almost out of a playoff spot, the defense and offense need to show up on the same night.

 

13. Colorado Avalanche(-7) 15-12-1: The Aves lost two of three last week. And of course, one of those came on the road, as they are two different teams home and away.

 

12. Boston Bruins(+5) 15-10-3: Despite a 2-2 week, Boston has played themselves into 4^th in the East. Can they catch a down Ottawa team?

 

11. Dallas Stars(-1) 15-11-4: Dropping two home games this week was not what they wanted. Nevertheless they took a road win, and are still near the top in the West.

 

10. New York Rangers(-7) 15-12-2: When they won, they did it with defense. Now, no defense. A three game losing steak, 14 GA, and 6 GA on 16 shots to Toronto?

                     

9. Philadelphia Flyers(-4) 15-10-2: The Flyers have alternated W/L in the last nine games. They’ve lost the division lead because of it.

 

8. Vancouver Canucks(+5) 16-10-3: Crosby Buzz was in the air Saturday night, but the red hot Canucks lost in SO. The second loss in four games, the Canucks are tied third in the league.

 

7. New Jersey Devils(+8) 16-10-2: With nine consecutive wins, the Devils are the hottest team in the league. Brodeur is on the mark, only allowing 1.55 GAA.

 

6. Minnesota Wild(+2) 16-11-2: The Wild may have won two of four games last week, but they’re having trouble scoring. Only five goals in four games…not going to cut it in the long run.

 

5. San Jose Sharks(+6) 15-9-4: The Sharks had won four in a row until Buffalo ran up the score 7-1 on them. The team is T-5^th in the league with games on teams in front of them.

 

4. Carolina Hurricanes(+3) 16-11-3: Although scoring the second most goals in the league, they’ve allowed the 5^th most. They helped that last week, only allowing three goals with two wins and a loss.

 

3. St. Louis Blues(+1) 16-9-1: Going 1-1 last week, the Blues are still playing solid hockey, top five in the league right now.

 

2. Ottawa Senators 18-7-3: Thank goodness the seven game losing streak is over! The Sens rebounded nicely with two consecutive wins.