Hockey News...And A Valour-IT Update

OK…once again, it’s time for the nightly recap for the Valour-IT contest (...see my original post for more info...or visit the Valour-IT homepage...) Remember, the goal is for each team to raise $45,000. And, here are the close of day numbers for 11/01 11:59 Central (Day Three):

Team Air Force: $12,464.00
Team Army: $13,808.00
Team Marines: $12,642.60
Team Navy: $10,187.00

WAY TO GO TEAMS!
Check the Valour-IT links in the sidebar for the sites of the Team Chiefs.
(…uuummm…we definitely set the target too low…!!!...)

Now, for some HOCKEY news…

GO STARS! Mike Smith gets his second win over struggling LA. Currently, the Kings are 0-4-1, though they aren’t doing as bad as their 11 game streak back in 03-04. I can see more players moving around LA pretty soon—if there’s no change in trend that is. On the down side for Dallas, Steve Ott is out for two months with a broken ankle. That’s gonna hurt! (…yes…pun intended…don’t ask next time…)

Sidney Crosby had his first career hat trick and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 8-2 Saturday night for their fourth straight win (…I’m still expecting Philly to start moving a few players…). And, check out this report on where Hitchcock might land after getting the ax in Philly.

Too bad for Buffalo. It would have been really cool to see that record broken. Tied is good…but not as good. Too bad about Tallinder, too. (…makes you wonder how they would have done had the D not been so depleted…)

A quick look at the league this weekend revealed something interesting. Phoenix (6 pts) has the current lease on the basement, closely nipping at the heels of Philadelphia, Boston, Columbus, and Calgary (all with 7 pts). The sad part is Phoenix is outscoring the other teams. They just aren’t defending better.

And, Hockey’s Future has begun releasing their organizational rankings fall 2006, based on prospects in the pipeline. Teams 16-30 are out. So are teams 1-15. They do this twice a year. It will be interesting to see how things change…uuuhhhh…progress as the year goes on. By the way, here is their list of the hot prospects for 2007.
(…it will be interesting to see how the 2007 draft goes…)

Meanwhile, back in Pittsburgh, they have decided to keep ALL three rookies: Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. For this season, given the chemistry the Penguins have going, that could be really good (…currently 6-3-0…). However, ESPN takes a special look at how this could affect the team due to free agency issues. Crosby, for example, goes into restricted free agency status next year. That could have a very nasty financial impact on the already financially struggling Penguins. The kicker? ALL THREE could be unrestricted free agents by 2013.

And, finally, Google will be broadcasting NHL games this year! Yes, you heard that right. I first found the news on Kukla’s Korner. He pulls a quote from the Buffalo Business Journal, stating that games will be available, with a 48-hour tape delay, for about $2.99.
(…well, that should help a little with league revenues…maybe…)