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Saturday, May 12, 2007
10:13:36 AM EDT
Red Wings - Ducks Preview
http://fyisportsfans.com/redwingsduckspreview.htm
For the Ducks, this is nothing new to them. 2003, first-round, overtime. That three-overtime game eventually led to a first-round upset over the defending champion Red Wings, and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. They're there again, but now it's slightly different.
This year, the Anaheim Ducks take on the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals. Although the Wings are the number-one seed, the Ducks are favored by most people to win this series.
Also different is the coaching. In 2003, Mike Babcock led that Ducks, well Mighty Ducks then, team to victory over Detroit. Now, he is coaching the Red Wings.
This series should be a fantastic one. You could call it the Battle of the Defenses, as opposed to the Battle of the Goaltenders over in the Ottawa-Buffalo series, but the goaltenders may decide the outcome of this series.
The Red Wings have a superb goalie in Dominik Hasek. The 42-year-old has been stellar when the Wings have needed him to be. For Anaheim, they are led by Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Giguere has also been awesome, and has played a big part in the Ducks 8-2 record this postseason.
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Whatever way you look at it, the defense in this series will be great. Perhaps the three best defenseman in the past decade are on these teams. The Ducks have Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. The Wings have Nicklas Lidstrom. Also on the Wings is ageless wonder Chris Chelios. Pronger and Niedermayer (along with fellow Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin) have logged the most minutes out of the remaining D men, with Pronger racking up 31:13 a night, and Niedermayer logging 29:45.
Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle uses this strategy when playing the dynamic duo: Pronger "is a totally different player from Scotty Niedermayer from the standpoint that he uses his size and range and his stick very effectively, where Scotty is a guy that he uses his skating ability," Carlyle said. "And what we try to do … is try to at least have those players on for at least 50-55 minutes a night combined ice times; that means only five or six minutes that has to be shared with one of them not on the ice."
Lidstrom and Chelios just keep on chugging. Even without Mathieu Schneider, who broke his wrist in Game 5 against the Sharks, Lidstrom is playing an incredible amount of time (29:15). Along with Chelios, they are playing great defense for the Wings. I still think Lidstrom's sprawling goal-saving save on San Jose's Mike Grier in Game 6 has been the best defensive play of the playoffs. Brett Lebda is back after a concussion, which should help take the load off of the captain and Chris, but expect Chelios and Lidstrom to put up an incredible amount of TOI.
The one problem Anaheim has is penalties. The Ducks have been short-handed a total 53 times in their 10 playoff games. Although their penalty-kill is No. 1 in the postseason, they still don't want to have to kill penalties against Detroit's power play, which is a patient, take-their-time power play unit.
The Red Wings need to take advantage of those power play opportunities in order to be successful. I believe they will do that. It all starts with Tomas Holmstrom, the league's best get-under-your-skin player. Although the Wings will be missing Schneider's rocket shot from the point. Well, it looks like Chris Chelios will have to contribute on the power play again! (If you don't know, Chris has been begging Babcock to let him play on the man advantage).
If the Ducks want to win, they need to take advantage of the absence of Detroit's defensive players. And J.S. Giguere has to be playing like he has been.
If the Wings want to win, they need to attack Pronger and Niedermayer relentlessly, and hold their own defensively.
Ultimately, I think this series will come down to goaltending, where I think Detroit has the edge. Detroit in seven.
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10:12:48 AM EDT
The Battle of the Goaltenders
http://fyisportsfans.com/sabressenspreview.htm
The Sabres and Senators have had their share of bad blood this season. As you may remember, these two teams had a huge brawl, sparked by Chris Neil's ugly hit on Buffalo co-captain Chris Drury. Remember people asked, "What would it be like if these two teams met in the playoffs?"
Well, that is about to become reality, as number-one seeded Buffalo takes on Ottawa in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This almost seems like a perfect matchup, as both teams are trying to get revenge for that brawl. This is a series that boasts the two top offensive teams in the Eastern Conference, and some of the best D.
Last year, the teams met in the second-round, where Buffalo took care of Ottawa in five games. Now, Buffalo is the top-seed, and the Sens are the "underdog" although they are not playing like it.
"I think the series may be unpredictable at times," said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. "I think this series can go a number of directions."
What are we waiting for?! Let's get started!
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For the Sabres, the key for them is to stop Ottawa's big line, which is possibly the best line in the game as of now. The "big line" consists of Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Buffalo had some trouble containing the New York Rangers' Jarimor Jagr and Michael Nylander, as they racked up nine points in six games. The trio of Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley is tougher to contain. They had a field day against the New Jersey Devils, with the three of them combining for 23 points in their five-game series. The Sabres D men that have to handle them - the underrated pair of Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder. The Sabres will have a whole lot of trouble if they cannot rope Ottawa's big line in a keep them from getting loose.
Hey, we gotta talk about the Buffalo offense too! Although Buffalo's offense is less explosive, they are within the top 5 offenses in the league. The Sabres offense is led by the line of Drury, Daunius Zubrus and Jochen Hecth. Also at center is All-Star Game MVP Daniel Briere. Thomas Vanek, one of the Sabres four 30+ goal scorers this season, is also on that Sabres offense, and can go off like a bull in a china shop at any moment. The D pairing that is going to face Buffalo's top line is Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips. These guys have been brilliant this postseason, as they have shut down the Devils' main offensive unit (Patrik Elias, Scott Gomez, and Brian Gionta), and keeping the Pittsburgh Penguins big three (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal) in tact in the first round.
Now, we move onto the key matchup in this series - goaltenders Ryan Miller and Ray Emery. Miller has been great so far for Buffalo, holding 2.07 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage while having an awesome 8-3 record in the 2007 playoffs. It's hard to really compare these two goalies, because they have been playing about the same. Miller has been terrific. Emery has been terrific. Although there was one instance when Emery overslept and got in a crash on his way to Game 5 against New Jersey. But, even with that, he was great. This series will be a battle of the goaltenders if everything goes right. This has to come down to the goalies, because who's going to stop the high-powered offenses?
For Buffalo to win this series, their defense, no matter who's up against the big line, has to play great. I do not think they will be able to do that, that's why I'm picking Ottawa to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games. This has a great chance to become one of the NHL's greatest series.
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Thursday, February 22, 2007
8:29:02 PM EST
Lookback Series: Part 4
When I first got into the blogging business, the first person I "met" was Sports Bloggers Live host Jamie Mottram. There is no way I could thank him enough for the hints/tips and support he has gaven me. We don't talk much now, but he is a great host and good guy. This "lookback" goes out to him, Chris, Lush, Errin, and the rest of the fellows at SBL for naming me blog of the week back in June.
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Blog of The Week (June 14, 2006)
Just wanted to let my readers know that yesterday on Sports Bloggers Live, my blog was named Blog of The Week.
Again, I want to say thanks to Jamie, Lush, Chris and everyone else at SBL for this. Also to my readers, commenters and friends and family.
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8:20:42 PM EST
Lookback Series: Part 3
This probably was the best thing to happen to this blog. My TV appearence
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My Interview, Success!! (June 10, 2007)
Tom Leyden of Channel 7 Action News out of Detroit came over today to interview me. He was a very nice guy. Also, photographer Phil came and took some great shots and filmed. The interview will be on Channel 7 WXYZ Sports Update at 11:30 p.m. Sunday (6-11-06) if you live in Southeastern Michigan. If you don't, I will try my best to get the footage up and running on here. I would like to thank Tom and his photographer, Phil, for taking time out of their busy work schedule to come to my house and interview and chat with me. It means a lot. I think I did great!!
He asked me questions like, when did you make it, what do you do to make a entry, what's your favorite part of blogging, etc. We even finger jousted and talked about spelling bee's! LOL. They pulled up in their big Channel 7 van with all the equipment in it. It was very cool. There's some pics of the interview up there.
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Tom was such a great guy and helped me alot. As soon as it aired I check my Site Meter and there were about 500 visitors. It was pretty cool.
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8:14:39 PM EST
Lookback Series: Part 2
Today I look back at the entry about the news that I was going to be on TV.
Here it is:
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Good News!!!! (June 9, 2006)
Tomorrow will be a big day for me and my blog and will change my life. Tomorrow at 10 a.m. my local Detroit news sports guy, Tom Leyden, out of ABC will be coming to my house to interview me. He said that he loves my blog and it will be a good story. The interview will be about a hour and he will (mostly) ask me questions about me and my blog. I am of course very excited about this and I expect it to increase the popularity of my blog a lot! I will try to get the interview up and running on my blog ASAP. So just stay tuned.
Also, I would like to give all of my readers, friends, family my thanks for supporting, commenting and helping with this blog. This blog would be not even close to where it is right now with out you guys. Thanks (again)! I guess that this kicks off my 12 year old media career!
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Wow, was I excited. It was a really awesome thing.
Part 3 soon.
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Saturday, February 17, 2007
11:18:25 AM EST
Hearing The WFJF Interview
Lookback Series: Part 1
Welcome to Part 1 of the SNSB Lookback Series, where I look back at milestones for me and this blog.
This first part really got me satisfied with myself. My first interview.
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The Best Thing Since Arm Wrestling, Finger Jousting (May 31, 2006)
Ok. I saw a link on Deadspin that led me to the World Finger Jousting Federation (WFJF) home page. So I checked it out. And as I do at every website I go to (okay, not every website) I leave a link to this blog. The next day, I got a e-mail from the Lord of The Joust or Julian R. Gluck. Turns out he's the President of the WFJF. Now, I've never seen finger jousting before but it sounds cool. So we traded e-mails and he wanted me to interview him over e-mail. So I did and here's the interview.
Q. What is finger jousting?
A. Finger jousting is an obscure and independent sport that has
been around for at least thirty years and was modernized was the
formation of the World Finger Jousting Federation on August 1, 2005. It
is a competitive test of quickness, strength, technique, and tradition
where you only need a right arm, hand, thumb, and index finger, and an
opponent with the same outfitting. You basically grab your opponent's
right hand with your right hand in an arm wrestling fashion, and you try
to touch your right index finger to your opponent's body before they
touch their right index finger to your body.
Q. What makes finger jousting a great sport in your mind?
A. To me, finger jousting is a great sport, because you can do it
virtually anywhere, it's inexpensive, you don't have to carry around
equipment, it promotes exercise and competitiveness for younger kids,
and it provides a way for individuals to have fun in a sporty way.
Q. Why should other people and I be more interested in finger jousting?
A. People should be interested in finger jousting, because it's an
obscure sport that is fun for the whole family. There is little risk of
injury, and it can be just as social as it is funny and competitive.
Q. Who are the "stars" in finger jousting?
A. The biggest name in finger jousting is Julian Gluck (me). I'm
the president and founder of the World Finger Jousting Federation. I
also coined the move names "majigger" and "bobbo lance." I'm also known
as the Lord of the Joust, but for my nobility as a hierarch not for my
skills in thearena though I am an exceptional finger jouster. However,
I can not compete in professional or amateur tournaments, because I'm in
the hierarchy. Some other big names are "Weekly" Aaron Contreras, Luke
"Satoshi" Brown, Kyle "K Money" Weeks, Josh "Darth Bob" Kinder, Kevin
"Count Gargalar" Repass, and Ben "Top Gun" North. Some of those names
are big competitors while others help out with federation dynamics and
the like. All of them are official members though.
Q. Where is the major event (like a championship) located?
A. We have not held any official professional or amateur
tournaments, though we have held official events. The biggest
professional tournament we are planning would be the World Championship
which would be held wherever Federation Headquarters is located at that
time. Right now it is located in LaGrange, Georgia, USA.
Q. When did the World Finger Jousting Federation start?
A. The WFJF was founded on August 1st, 2005.
Q. How did you organize the WFJF?
A. The organization of the WFJF was difficult and a still ongoing
project. It started with creating an unabridged ruleset, buying a
website, and kept going from there. It's the official member of the WFJF
that help it growing strong. Soon it will be sponsors that help, too.
Q. What can other people and I do to spread the word on finger jousting?
A. The best ways to spread finger jousting are through word of
mouth and posting hyperlinks in websites, blogs, and forums. We can use
all the press we can get. However, the best things you can do for us are
become official members, sponsor us (in the future), or feature us (if
you're in the media).
Q. Where can you find more info on finger jousting?
A. For more information on finger jousting, go to
www.FingerJoust.com.
You should really try this at home after you read this. It's pretty fun. Be sure to check out the site and spread the word on the WFJF!
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I feel that this was important for this blog because it gave me a chance to be the reporter, which is what I want to do. I also learned a cool new sport to play. Now, almost seven months later, the WFJF is about to hit it big. They're close to getting on TV, and they're going to have an official tournament soon.
Stay tuned for Part 2 later on.
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Sunday, January 14, 2007
1:46:03 PM EST
How It Should Be
Welcome back.
I know it's 14 days into 2007, but I want to wish everyone a Happy 2007. I have been busy with FYI.
Here is a link to an article I think is my best. It's about how I think the NHL Structuring should be. Take a look.
www.fyisportsfans.com/howitshouldbe.htm
Also, check out the official FYI SF forum, http://z10.invisionfree.com/The_Sportz_Zone
Nick
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Thursday, November 23, 2006
9:37:28 AM EST
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
Ahh yes, Thanksgiving. No school. Turkey. Football.
Wait, Lions football? The Lions traditionally play a game on Turkey day, and no, I'm not gonna watch it.
I'm not going to watch those pathetic losers. Oh -- Matt Millen can really find the players we need -- Arlen Harris is startig at Running Back.
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The Lions and Millen
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Sunday, November 19, 2006
9:36:56 PM EST
Posting....
I'm sure you have all seen my decreased amount of posting over the past week(s) or so, but that's because of FYI Sports Fans
I just wanted to let everyone know that I am NOT stopping this blog.
I may not post in it a lot, but I'll try to pop in every once and a while. You'll find a lot of my writing on FYI Sports Fans, where I'll not only be giving my opinion, I'll be giving the facts and stories too.
I'll probably say stuff on here about posts on the site, and new things.
Thanks for everything.
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Friday, November 17, 2006
4:09:46 PM EST
RIP Bo Schembechler
Today is a very sad day in Michigan sports and all of college football.
Bo Schembechler did today at 11:42 after collapsing during his weekly football show on Channel 7 out of Detroit.
This is very sad and ironic. He died the day before possibly the greatest game in the rivalry.
Bo Schembechler, dead at the age of 77.
  
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