Alumni in the Pros - March 2009

nr53
O'Byrne called up to the Habs today

[canadiens.nhl.com]

Boston lost to Philly 4-2 tonight, but Byron Bitz saw some powerplay time at the end of the game, and subsequently picked up an assist on Stephane Yelle's PPG.

sah67
Boston lost to Philly 4-2 tonight, but Byron Bitz saw some powerplay time at the end of the game, and subsequently picked up an assist on Stephane Yelle's PPG.

Bruins just traded Nokelainen to Anaheim for Steve Montador. This move was made possible because Bitz replaced Nokelainen on the 4th line, and basically won the job.

The question that I would have is why would they trade a decent defenseman from a generally horrible defensive team (even though Anaheim is keeping Pronger, Niedermayer and traded for Whitney)? They already dumped Morrison to cut salary and create cap space. Seems like a great move for Boston.

oceanst41

sah67
Boston lost to Philly 4-2 tonight, but Byron Bitz saw some powerplay time at the end of the game, and subsequently picked up an assist on Stephane Yelle's PPG.

Bruins just traded Nokelainen to Anaheim for Steve Montador. This move was made possible because Bitz replaced Nokelainen on the 4th line, and basically won the job.

I wonder how their acquisition of Mark Recchi will affect Bitz as well.

sah67

oceanst41

sah67
Boston lost to Philly 4-2 tonight, but Byron Bitz saw some powerplay time at the end of the game, and subsequently picked up an assist on Stephane Yelle's PPG.

Bruins just traded Nokelainen to Anaheim for Steve Montador. This move was made possible because Bitz replaced Nokelainen on the 4th line, and basically won the job.

I wonder how their acquisition of Mark Recchi will affect Bitz as well.

It may not affect him too much -- Recchi was brought in partially for his experience, but also largely because he shoots left, I think. That side of our game has been fairly lacking, especially on the PP. Of course, bumping a LWer creates a ripple in the roster that could see Bitz on a bus to Providence, but given how well that fourth line has been clicking, I don't think it's a given.

ftyuv

sah67

oceanst41

sah67
Boston lost to Philly 4-2 tonight, but Byron Bitz saw some powerplay time at the end of the game, and subsequently picked up an assist on Stephane Yelle's PPG.

Bruins just traded Nokelainen to Anaheim for Steve Montador. This move was made possible because Bitz replaced Nokelainen on the 4th line, and basically won the job.

I wonder how their acquisition of Mark Recchi will affect Bitz as well.

It may not affect him too much -- Recchi was brought in partially for his experience, but also largely because he shoots left, I think. That side of our game has been fairly lacking, especially on the PP. Of course, bumping a LWer creates a ripple in the roster that could see Bitz on a bus to Providence, but given how well that fourth line has been clicking, I don't think it's a given.

Very true, the Bruins added a forward without changing the depth of their current roster. That means someone has to be a scratch. That may mean Bitz is carried as the extra forward for the remainder of the year, or maybe someone else takes a seat in favor for as solid a 4th line as their is. Plus Lucic is hurt and going to be a must in the lineup for the playoff run, don't need to rush him back now.

oceanst41

ftyuv

sah67

oceanst41

sah67
Boston lost to Philly 4-2 tonight, but Byron Bitz saw some powerplay time at the end of the game, and subsequently picked up an assist on Stephane Yelle's PPG.

Bruins just traded Nokelainen to Anaheim for Steve Montador. This move was made possible because Bitz replaced Nokelainen on the 4th line, and basically won the job.

I wonder how their acquisition of Mark Recchi will affect Bitz as well.

It may not affect him too much -- Recchi was brought in partially for his experience, but also largely because he shoots left, I think. That side of our game has been fairly lacking, especially on the PP. Of course, bumping a LWer creates a ripple in the roster that could see Bitz on a bus to Providence, but given how well that fourth line has been clicking, I don't think it's a given.

Very true, the Bruins added a forward without changing the depth of their current roster. That means someone has to be a scratch. That may mean Bitz is carried as the extra forward for the remainder of the year, or maybe someone else takes a seat in favor for as solid a 4th line as their is. Plus Lucic is hurt and going to be a must in the lineup for the playoff run, don't need to rush him back now.

Lucic skated at practice today, and Coach Julien said he's ready to play tonight (source). Bitz is probably going to be the odd man out -- but unless the B's somehow make it through the rest of the season and (woof, woof!) postseason without injuries, he'll probably play another game or two.

Recchi's a rental and a few of the B's top guys are free agents after the season, so I think there's a good chance Bitz will end up as a fairly regular player next year.

As expected, Byron Bitz is a healthy scratch tonight for the first time since being called up.

Sawada is back down in the minors as of Monday.

Press Release

I was bummed (though not surprised, given the trades and talk of the last couple days). I got invited to my first Bruins game last night (luxury box, no less), and it would have been nice to see Bitz out there. Alas, it was not to be...nor was the offense for the Bruins. Well, maybe I'll get lucky and get another chance.

Finally, Mike Iggulden has gotten the call for today's Islanders-Devils game.

cbuckser
Finally, Mike Iggulden has gotten the call for today's Islanders-Devils game.

Sweet...look forward to watching some of the action.

Here's an excerpt from today's Boston Globe mentioning Bitz:

After his recall Jan. 10, Byron Bitz appeared in 23 straight games for the big club. The rookie right wing netted two goals against Florida Feb. 24. He took on Washington's Donald Brashear, one of the NHL's premier heavyweights, Jan. 27. He's drawn attaboys from Julien for being a hard-to-play-against widebody who, because of his willingness to enter the dirty areas, could score more goals in years to come.

For all that, the forward tabbed "Bitzy Cat" by his teammates was a healthy scratch for the first time Thursday.

"I'd be lying if I didn't want to be back in there," said Bitz. "Everyone's competitive in this game. You want to play, obviously. On the other hand, I'm not going to sulk or whine. I'm just thrilled to be here and be part of this group. I'll accept my role, whatever it is. If it's doing extra conditioning just because you're not playing, I'm very happy to do that."

Bitz was one of four forwards (with Yelle, Thornton, and Axelsson) practicing on the fourth line yesterday. The 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pounder, whose emergence factored in the trade of Martins Karsums to Tampa Bay as part of the Recchi deal, said the biggest challenge was to maintain mental sharpness and prepare as if he's going to be in the lineup.

Full article here:

[www.boston.com]

Iggulden with his first NHL point, with the first assist on a Sean Bergenheim goal!

And a second assist on Bergenheim's second goal of the game.

Iggulden just got an assist on a Sean Bergenheim goal, I believe

(oops - sorry for re-post)

A nice minute or so of chat focused on Iggulden and Cornell during the Islanders broadcast, as Steve Jaffe did a couple of their games back in the CSTV days. Noted that Iggulden wasn't a big scorer playing under Schafer's defensive system. Jaffe further remarks that "the team had a lot of guys 6'5", 6'6" -- they looked like a basketball team."

And Howie Rose chimes in with the obligatory Nieuwendyk and Dryden references.

With 2 assists in his Isles debut, Iggy gets the 3rd star of the game.

Also, last night against Atlanta, OB beat the bejesus out of the younger of the skating Bogosians. Of course he does have 6 years and about 40 lbs on Zach.

CowbellGuy
Also, last night against Atlanta, OB beat the bejesus out of the younger of the skating Bogosians. Of course he does have 6 years and about 40 lbs on Zach.

Well then I guess Zach should have kept his yap shut.

Well Bitz is back in the lineup for Boston and we got our Cornell shoutout on NBC after Byron produced a good scoring chance in the first period

I was at MSG this afternoon (practically morning with the time change), and Bitz played a very solid game in Boston's 4-3 loss.

Interestingly, he played center for most of the game on a line with PJ Axelsson and Shawn Thornton, and did decently on draws. He was also given a lot more responsibility than in the past, seeing significant time on the PK and in a 4x4.

Despite his time on the PK, Bitz looked not-so-great in his own end, and a failure to keep track of his man at one point led to a easy Rangers goal.

The 4x4 time was notable since Bitz set a beautiful screen in front of Lundqvist for Chara's goal. They appreciated it enough to let Bitz skate at the front of the celebration line.

He also had a good scoring chance early on where he muscled his way past a Rangers defender and broke in along the goal line on Lundqvist who stoned him as he tried to pop it in short-side.

Despite the loss, I think he might have earned his spot back...but we'll see if they decide to keep Stephane Yelle out when he returns to 100%, as he apparently was kept out today after being a bit banged up yesterday against Chicago.

Islanders are up 2-1 on Phoenix in the 2nd and Iggulden already has another assist.

sah67
I was at MSG this afternoon (practically morning with the time change), and Bitz played a very solid game in Boston's 4-3 loss.

Interestingly, he played center for most of the game on a line with PJ Axelsson and Shawn Thornton, and did decently on draws. He was also given a lot more responsibility than in the past, seeing significant time on the PK and in a 4x4.

Despite his time on the PK, Bitz looked not-so-great in his own end, and a failure to keep track of his man at one point led to a easy Rangers goal.

The 4x4 time was notable since Bitz set a beautiful screen in front of Lundqvist for Chara's goal. They appreciated it enough to let Bitz skate at the front of the celebration line.

He also had a good scoring chance early on where he muscled his way past a Rangers defender and broke in along the goal line on Lundqvist who stoned him as he tried to pop it in short-side.

Despite the loss, I think he might have earned his spot back...but we'll see if they decide to keep Stephane Yelle out when he returns to 100%, as he apparently was kept out today after being a bit banged up yesterday against Chicago.

I was also at the game this afternoon and was thrilled to see Bitz back in the lineup. Of course I was more thrilled with the Rangers win. I thought Byron looked quite good, especially on his strong move to the front of the net in the first. The good board work that led to their 4-on-4 goal was also impressive. Don't know if anybody else noticed this, but after Bitz led the line through the bench fist-bumps, he started to continue towards the net, as our Big Red do after a goal, only to reach the circle alone, and with Ferndandez's back to him taking a drink. I got a little chuckle out of that as Bitz returned to the bench.

A pair of ECAC alums connected as Ryan O'Byrne picked up an assist on a Chris Higgins goal in Montreal's 3-1 win over Dallas tonight.

Nice game by Bitz. He learned well at cornell.

I wouldn't be too hard on him for having contributed to a Rangers' goal.

Watching on TV it was easy to see that Fernandez was brutal in the Bruins' net and was weak on at least three goals. As one of the announcers commented on NBC, "they have to get better goaltending than that." Hmmm...that means we'll see a lot more of old friend Tim Thomas.

I didn't know that Sasha Pokulok has concussion problems (again). Looks like he's been out since January. Post this article, he hasn't played in a game yet.

Get well Sasha

sah67
The 4x4 time was notable since Bitz set a beautiful screen in front of Lundqvist for Chara's goal. They appreciated it enough to let Bitz skate at the front of the celebration line.

The NBC TV guys also commented on what a good job he did on that sequence, first winning the puck in the corner if I recall correctly, and then setting a screen and holding his position instead of moving out of the way of Chara's slapper.

More good press for Bitz in today's Globe:

[www.boston.com]

Rich S
Nice game by Bitz. He learned well at cornell.

I wouldn't be too hard on him for having contributed to a Rangers' goal.

Watching on TV it was easy to see that Fernandez was brutal in the Bruins' net and was weak on at least three goals. As one of the announcers commented on NBC, "they have to get better goaltending than that." Hmmm...that means we'll see a lot more of old friend Tim Thomas.

Manny was indeed awful.

And it's really a shame that Bitz didn't get an assist on the Chara goal. He did some great work along the boards and in front of the net, but unfortunately he was the odd man out when it came to points on that 4 on 4 goal.

Yes, and Chara was clearly giving him a lot of the credit for the goal. He definitely pointed at Bitz and rubbed his helmet when they came together to celebrate. There aren't too many guys in the league that can make Bitz look small.

Bruins' 4th-liner Stephane Yelle will be sitting out today's game (injury), so Bitz will probably be filling in his spot (or another spot on the 4th line) again.

BCrespi, in reply to your last sentence, even after a couple years I remain in awe of how huge Chara is. There are times when he's using his body to protect the puck against a "small" forward that are almost comical.

From the Bruins game-day blog today (3/10):

Bruins Blog
5:35 p.m.
Bitzy-chat
Cornell's Byron Bitz (photo: USCHO.com)
Certainly you've heard that we are going to continue our Rinkside Chats (sponsored by Covidien) tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. with Byron Bitz.

Byron said to make sure to mention that he would love to hear from all the Cornell alumni.

He said we can talk about "Lynah Rink. Catherine Street. College Town Pizza. College Town Bagel and Statler Library."

And with the Big Red going into the ECAC playoffs, you can certainly let the Bitzy-Cat know how things are going in Ithaca!

Chat info is here: [bruins.nhl.com]

Did the hockey players have a house on Catherine St. or something? (Sadly I even had to check where exactly Catherine St. is... it's been a while.)

KeithK
Did the hockey players have a house on Catherine St. or something? (Sadly I even had to check where exactly Catherine St. is... it's been a while.)

Yes

KeithK
Did the hockey players have a house on Catherine St. or something? (Sadly I even had to check where exactly Catherine St. is... it's been a while.)

Yikes. The players had a house on Catherine Street in the 80's. I hope it wasn't the same house.

A few lived on Cook my senior year... To me Catherine st. is the worlds narrowest two-way street. It was always fun driving up it in the winter only to see another car coming the other way. One of the many times I was glad to be driving a Jeep around Ithaca.

Iggy (#36) just picked up an assist on the Isles 2nd goal. From some angles, it looked like he may have tipped it, but apparently not.

Iggulden gets his 4th assist in three games for the Isles. On the play in question, he ended up whiffing on the deflection but screened Gerber enough that Gerber let the puck slip in.

Interesting story about his last game in the Air Canada Centre (how European!).

Iggy the goon!

nr53
A few lived on Cook my senior year... To me Catherine st. is the worlds narrowest two-way street. It was always fun driving up it in the winter only to see another car coming the other way.

It was also the best place to watch the ΦΨ 500 in the grand old days before the drinking age went up.

is here:

[bruins.nhl.com]

Among the other important bits of information, I have now learned that Bitz's favorite item at CTBs is a "breakfast bagel with egg, cheese, and bacon, and that his Uncle John grows "wheat, barley, canola, and peas" on his farm.

sah67
is here:

[bruins.nhl.com]

Among the other important bits of information, I have now learned that Bitz's favorite item at CTBs is a "breakfast bagel with egg, cheese, and bacon, and that his Uncle John grows "wheat, barley, canola, and peas" on his farm.

What's with the censorship:

letsgoRED: Did you know that Harvard still [stinks]?]

French Rage

What's with the censorship:

letsgoRED: Did you know that Harvard still [stinks]?]

I'm Andy Noel and I approve this chat transcript.

Yeh. The upperclassmen were on Catherine.

Lucky her!

I posted that question in frustration as none of my serious questions were being answered. On the live chat it came up as "sucks" but I guess they censored it for the transcript.

Andy, please don't take my tickets away!

He did it in Montreal tonight.

cbuckser
He did it in Montreal tonight.

Kid's making the Isles look pretty stupid for waiting this long (Not that it's difficult to make the Islanders look stupid).

BCrespi

cbuckser
He did it in Montreal tonight.

Kid's making the Isles look pretty stupid for waiting this long (Not that it's difficult to make the Islanders look stupid).

It certainly isn't the system...

I've been asking the Iggy question for months, I still don't understand why they didn't bring him up until now. Glad he's been a regular scorer so far. Did you hear the announcer pause when trying to pronounce his name after he scored?

Goal video

RatushnyFan
I've been asking the Iggy question for months, I still don't understand why they didn't bring him up until now. Glad he's been a regular scorer so far. Did you hear the announcer pause when trying to pronounce his name after he scored?

Maybe that's why they hesitated to bring him up.

"I don't want to make the phone call. You make the phone call!"

RatushnyFan
Did you hear the announcer pause when trying to pronounce his name after he scored?

I'm pretty sure Howie was just figuring out who scored the goal; may have had a brain freeze seeing #36, (or maybe he had his eyes on the computer checking out how Johan was doing down in Port St. Lucie).

He and Jaffee have been talking about Iggulden a lot since his call-up, with no pronunciation issues.

Short blurb from dobberhockey (fantasy hockey site):

Mike Iggulden has played in four NHL games this season and has points in all four, with five in total. The big, undrafted forward is ranked 185 on my prospects list, but has been in the top 100 before. However, when he turned 26 and still didn't make the team, he sunk like a stone. Now there is room for him and he is showing he deserves to stay. As I said above, if he keeps rolling through the end of the season and ends up with 17 points in 18 games, he could be something in the NHL. If he twists his knee next game and is out for a month - would he get a real shot next year? Twists of fate.

Jordan 04

RatushnyFan
He and Jaffee have been talking about Iggulden a lot since his call-up, with no pronunciation issues.

What have they been saying? I just saw the highlights on NHL on the Fly. I've only seen his highlights, it's historically been difficult to stomach a full Islanders game. Looks like his minutes are creeping up above 10 minutes the last couple of games. I can understand being careful, not throwing him to the wolves and getting him in over his head, but the kid had 5 shots in 11 minutes, I hope they give him a couple of games where he gets 15-18 minutes of ice time. They gave him 30 seconds of PP time last night. Was he active on the PK unit when he was in Bridgeport?

RatushnyFan
What have they been saying? I just saw the highlights on NHL on the Fly. I've only seen his highlights, it's historically been difficult to stomach a full Islanders game. Looks like his minutes are creeping up above 10 minutes the last couple of games. I can understand being careful, not throwing him to the wolves and getting him in over his head, but the kid had 5 shots in 11 minutes, I hope they give him a couple of games where he gets 15-18 minutes of ice time. They gave him 30 seconds of PP time last night. Was he active on the PK unit when he was in Bridgeport?

During his first or second game up, Jaffe talked a little bit about his time at Cornell and having played on a team of big player, in a defensive system under Schafer. (See my post from March 7)

They've also been very complimentary of his hard-working shifts and early success, with the multiple assists (and now a goal) that he's been tallying.

BCrespi
Yes, and Chara was clearly giving him a lot of the credit for the goal. He definitely pointed at Bitz and rubbed his helmet when they came together to celebrate. There aren't too many guys in the league that can make Bitz look small.

Among those that Chara has made look really small is Tech's '97 grad Todd White. Whitey was generously listed as 5' 10" at the time he and Chara were Ottawa teammates a few years ago.

But I'm 5' 9 1/2 on a good day and I looked down at Todd. Funnier yet was see him stand next to "Lurch" after the game at MSG when I met White afterwards. "Small" doesn't describe how he looked next to Chara.

Congrats to Iggy!

I think it's unfair to bash the Isles for not calling him up sooner. Maybe his success is based on the fact that he has had so much time in the A to work on his skating and physical game?

That being said, it's great seeing him get the chance to play at the top level. And having watched a few Isles games recently, I think they have a very interesting future.

nyiballs
I think it's unfair to bash the Isles for not calling him up sooner. Maybe his success is based on the fact that he has had so much time in the A to work on his skating and physical game?

That being said, it's great seeing him get the chance to play at the top level. And having watched a few Isles games recently, I think they have a very interesting future.

Considering how many guys they've called up this year, and how bad they've been, and that Iggy's been their leading scorer for most of the year (if I'm not mistaken), I'm going to stick with my bashing.

Not to mention he has an NHL size body, no history of failure at the NHL level..............why wouldn't they have brought him up earlier?

nyiballs
And having watched a few Isles games recently, I think they have a very interesting future.

Their coach (whose name eludes me at the moment) has them playing fast-paced hockey and they've got some talented young players. Still have issues in goal though; losing Dubielewicz was unfortunate for them, and Milbury deserves every last bit of grief he gets for trading Luongo and then drafting DiPietro instead of Heatley or Gaborik. They seem to be headed in the right direction, but then, when you've got the worst record in the league, there's really nowhere to go but up.

Josh '99

nyiballs
And having watched a few Isles games recently, I think they have a very interesting future.

Their coach (whose name eludes me at the moment) has them playing fast-paced hockey and they've got some talented young players. Still have issues in goal though; losing Dubielewicz was unfortunate for them, and Milbury deserves every last bit of grief he gets for trading Luongo and then drafting DiPietro instead of Heatley or Gaborik. They seem to be headed in the right direction, but then, when you've got the worst record in the league, there's really nowhere to go but up.

Milbury didn't give DiPietro a geologic era-length contract. At least now they're playing hockey that's fun to watch, and are playing very well considering that the teams they are playing are fighting for every point.

Burn it all down and start over from a nucleus of guys like Iggulden, spend your high picks on chalk, get worse to get better.

[www.theahl.com]

This season, the Iowa Chops and goaltender David LeNeveu have teamed up with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines for a program that truly goes to a good cause.

The program is called David LeNeveu’s Saves For Kids, a fundraiser that raises money for every save he makes this season, whether it be a home or away game.......

San Jose Mercury News web site
The Sharks then called up Ryan Vesce, presumably for fourth-line duty with Jody Shelley and Brad Staubitz. The only other option would have McLellan go with seven defensemen and there was no word on Christian Ehrhoff’s availability.

They play Nashville tonight. Hope Ryan gets a shot with Douglas . . .

profudge

San Jose Mercury News web site
The Sharks then called up Ryan Vesce, presumably for fourth-line duty with Jody Shelley and Brad Staubitz. The only other option would have McLellan go with seven defensemen and there was no word on Christian Ehrhoff’s availability.

They play Nashville tonight. Hope Ryan gets a shot with Douglas . . .

Awesome!
He was up for a couple of games a few weeks ago but didn't make much of an impact and saw limited ice time.

Most important, I hope he stays up for Saturday's CU at the Sharks vs. Stars outing and that he can join Douglas at the post-game get-together.
....Now if Dallas would only recall Sawada...

Roy 82
Awesome!
He was up for a couple of games a few weeks ago but didn't make much of an impact and saw limited ice time.

Most important, I hope he stays up for Saturday's CU at the Sharks vs. Stars outing and that he can join Douglas at the post-game get-together.
....Now if Dallas would only recall Sawada...

That's a good point, I didn't think about that. It would be cool to meet both of them.

Stephane Yelle is back in the lineup for Boston, relegating Byron Bitz to healthy scratch-status for tonight's game against the LA Kings.

Vesce (#53) is playing tonight, playing like he "has been shot out of a cannon".

Rita
Vesce (#53) is playing tonight, playing like he "has been shot out of a cannon".

Nice mention of college hockey during the second intermission (radio). They mentioned the Duluth-Gophers game and then highlighted the ECAC matchups for tomorrow.

Rita
Vesce (#53) is playing tonight, playing like he "has been shot out of a cannon".

He got a whopping 6:17 of ice time tonight. It will be hard for him to showcase his talents while skating on a line with Jody Shelley and Brad Staubitz.

cbuckser

Rita
Vesce (#53) is playing tonight, playing like he "has been shot out of a cannon".

He got a whopping 6:17 of ice time tonight. It will be hard for him to showcase his talents while skating on a line with Jody Shelley and Brad Staubitz.

But he certainly has "protection" on that line.

A player like Vesce probably needs to be on a line with offensive players to really shine. That's not going to happen on the Sharks, especially at this point int he year. So the best he can do is show hustle and good all around play and hope for some breaks.

KeithK

cbuckser

Rita
Vesce (#53) is playing tonight, playing like he "has been shot out of a cannon".

He got a whopping 6:17 of ice time tonight. It will be hard for him to showcase his talents while skating on a line with Jody Shelley and Brad Staubitz.

But he certainly has "protection" on that line.

A player like Vesce probably needs to be on a line with offensive players to really shine. That's not going to happen on the Sharks, especially at this point int he year. So the best he can do is show hustle and good all around play and hope for some breaks.

I forgot to credit sharks tv color guy Drew Remenda (sp) for the "shot out of a cannon" remark. I missed Ryan's first shift because I wanted the goofer point of view on what the Minnesota loss meant.

IIRC, didn't Staubitz have a 2 goal night this season? Though I guess after last night's fight, his hands might have lost some of that "soft touch" that offensive minded players are known to have. .

The Sharks site indicated that Clowe would be out for about 10 days or so. The goal is to have him back for the last 3 games. So Ryan should be able to get at least 2 cups of coffee this time around. And hey, Ryan really does need to get a goal or he will probably get a lot of ribbing from Sawada, Molson, Bitz and Iggy at the next alumni/hockey/golfing event.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. Just a few more hours.

Vesce got a little power play time tonight, with Setougouchi and McGinn, as opposed to his usual line with Staubitz and Shelley. McGinn scored on a deflection with Vesce screening in front.

Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

RatushnyFan
Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

Blah! Naturally, two days before I go to an Islanders game.

jkahn
Vesce got a little power play time tonight, with Setougouchi and McGinn, as opposed to his usual line with Staubitz and Shelley. McGinn scored on a deflection with Vesce screening in front.

Got some love from the guys on the XM Hockey Fantasy show, too.

Beeeej

RatushnyFan
Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

Blah! Naturally, two days before I go to an Islanders game.

Mike Iggulden is back with the Islanders and will dress for tonight's game. The demotion was just temporary while the Islanders had a short hiatus in the schedule. He was similarly sent down for a few days last week.

cbuckser

Beeeej

RatushnyFan
Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

Blah! Naturally, two days before I go to an Islanders game.

Mike Iggulden is back with the Islanders and will dress for tonight's game. The demotion was just temporary while the Islanders had a short hiatus in the schedule. He was similarly sent down for a few days last week.

Dammit - and I left my #18 game-worn at home today specifically because Iggy got sent down! AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!

cbuckser

Beeeej

RatushnyFan
Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

Blah! Naturally, two days before I go to an Islanders game.

Mike Iggulden is back with the Islanders and will dress for tonight's game. The demotion was just temporary while the Islanders had a short hiatus in the schedule. He was similarly sent down for a few days last week.

I take it hockey doesn't have any kind of options system like baseball does. A baseball player can only be sent down a limited number fo times before he has to clear waivers. You wouldn't send a guy down for a couple days under that kind of system.

KeithK

cbuckser

Beeeej

RatushnyFan
Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

Blah! Naturally, two days before I go to an Islanders game.

Mike Iggulden is back with the Islanders and will dress for tonight's game. The demotion was just temporary while the Islanders had a short hiatus in the schedule. He was similarly sent down for a few days last week.

I take it hockey doesn't have any kind of options system like baseball does. A baseball player can only be sent down a limited number fo times before he has to clear waivers. You wouldn't send a guy down for a couple days under that kind of system.

No, they don't. Once you hit certain combinations of age/number of NHL games you have to go through waivers, but before you reach those limits they can send you up and down as much as they want.

Douglas Murray picks up his 7th assist tonight on Jamie McGinn's goal. This highlight clip call says it was Vesce's goal. However according to the Shark's announcers, the video review showed that it went in off of McGinn.

Vesce did however get on the score sheet with a 2 min interference call.

(start of 3rd period, 4-3 blackhawks).

cbuckser
Mike Iggulden is back with the Islanders and will dress for tonight's game. The demotion was just temporary while the Islanders had a short hiatus in the schedule. He was similarly sent down for a few days last week.

Iggy had a decent night tonight, close to ten minutes of ice time, and a couple of good looks at the net, but no assists or anything. He helped screen Gervais's opening goal, and had a steal or two, as well. It was very cool seeing him skate in the bigs from close to the glass - I believe, though I wouldn't swear to it, that this was the first time I'd ever seen an NHL game in person with a Cornell alum on the squad. With the nagging thought that I might have seen Joe Nieuwendyk play at some point several years ago, tonight was certainly the first time I'd ever seen an NHL game in person with a Cornell alum on the squad whom I'd seen play for Cornell in person as well.

Anyway, discounted tickets near the glass + Nathan's hot dog + absurd quantity of cheese sauce helped make up for the disappointing 6-2 loss.

Rita
Douglas Murray picks up his 7th assist tonight on Jamie McGinn's goal. This highlight clip call says it was Vesce's goal. However according to the Shark's announcers, the video review showed that it went in off of McGinn.

Vesce did however get on the score sheet with a 2 min interference call.

(start of 3rd period, 4-3 blackhawks).

McGinn took the shot from the left wing and it went in off the skate of Hawk D Hjalmarsson who was in front of Vesce as Vesce was charging toward the net. The Hawks' announcer quickly corrected his call when he saw the replay. Had Vesce touched it, Murray would've lost his assist. Vesce skated tonight between Jamie McGinn and Travis Moen, with Tom Cavanagh (Harvard) getting Vesce's previous role of centering Staubitz and Shelley.
By the way, Hawks won 6-5 in a shootout.

The Sharks radio guy called it for Vesce at first too, punctuating his call with "How about the kid from Cornell!".

KeithK

cbuckser

Beeeej

RatushnyFan
Iggulden is currently back with the Sound Tigers. He was -4 in his last two games with the Isles.

Back in Bridgeport

Blah! Naturally, two days before I go to an Islanders game.

Mike Iggulden is back with the Islanders and will dress for tonight's game. The demotion was just temporary while the Islanders had a short hiatus in the schedule. He was similarly sent down for a few days last week.

I take it hockey doesn't have any kind of options system like baseball does. A baseball player can only be sent down a limited number fo times before he has to clear waivers. You wouldn't send a guy down for a couple days under that kind of system.

Actually, options don't work that way in baseball anyway. A baseball player has three options that can be used to send him back down to the minors. Once one option is used, it is active for the entire season. He could be designated and recalled as many times as the team wants. One option per year, so a team has control to send a player down as much as it wants in three seasons. The reason guys aren't designated/recalled every few days is that a player must be down for 14 days (or thereabouts) after being designated to be recalled, unless there is an injury. Oh the vagueries of MLB roster management.

OK, thanks for the clarification. You know, I think I knew that at some point but it's hard to remember the arcane rules when you're not a GM (and probably sometimes when you are).

I knew it was different from hockey at least!

In the face of Doug Weight's return from injury, Mike Iggulden has truly been sent down. He'll play for the Sound Tigers, rather than the Islanders, this weekend.

Byron Bitz is back in the Boston lineup tonight after being scratched for several games. Tampa Bay is in town, with former SLUzer Mike McKenna in net for them.

Bitz had his 2nd NHL fight with Richard Petiot of the Lightning in the 3rd period. I'm not watching the game, but based on the reactions on HFBoards, Byron won the scrap in decisive fashion.

sah67
Bitz had his 2nd NHL fight with Richard Petiot of the Lightning in the 3rd period. I'm not watching the game, but based on the reactions on HFBoards, Byron won the scrap in decisive fashion.

Hey, maybe ESPN might decide that is a "hockey highlight" though he would be up against Montreal's Andrei Kostitsyn sticking up for his brother.

Didn't take long for this to pop up on youtube. Turns out it wasn't much of a fight at all, but I guess Bitz was still the "winner".

Maybe he should watch some of the Murray fights to see how it's done.