SB Nation - Andy Wozniewski

Byron Bitz wishes he was Suri Cruise and other fun facts from the Bruins Media Guide

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:35:20 -0000

I was perusing the '09-'10 Boston Bruins Media Guide and Record Book recently and discovered that there are some interesting facts in there. Let's get to know your '09-'10 Boston Bruins a little better.

Did you know...?

- If Byron Bitz could choose any two celebrities to be his parents, he would choose Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

- Patrice Bergeron's ideal linemate would be Peter Forsberg (....stay tuned).

- Andrew Bodnarchuk's biggest fear/phobia is the "the feel of cotton balls".

- Andrew Ference's nickname is "Ferknuckle". I guess this nickname hasn't quite caught on yet. I'll stick with Fragile Ference and Captain Planet.

- Ference chose Oprah and Bono for his celebrity parents. Really? OK, so you would be super rich, but still you would have to spend time with Oprah and Bono. Are there two more overrated celebrities on the planet?

- Jeff LoVecchio appeared in a GMC commercial with Brendan Shanahan when he was in second grade.

- Andrew Bodnarchuk and Brad Marchand grew up together in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.

- Zach McKelvie played one year with the U.S. Soccer Olympic Development Program.

- Most of the Bruins players were asked what they would bring to a desert island. I think Adam McQuaid might be the only one who would survive. His answer: food, water, and someone else. Marc Savard also had a great answer: a sand wedge, a golf ball, and a flashlight. Trent Whitfield had a similar answer: golf clubs, a 1,000 balls, and bug spray.

- Apparently Kevin Regan really wants to be a back-up goalie. When asked if he could play with any Bruin in history, he chose Andy Moog.

- Vladimir Sobotka's favorite band is Nickelback. I just lost a little bit of respect for Vlady.

- Sobotka also apparently wishes he was an orphan from a third world country. His choice for celebrity parents: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

- Marco Sturm does not have a very good eye for the ladies (or sense of historical perspective). If he could meet anyone in history, he would choose Steffi Graf.

- One of Tim Thomas' nicknames is "Cheeseburger". This one hasn't caught on yet either. It may stem from his pre-game ritual of eating a cheeseburger the day before a game.

- Blake Wheeler's father James was a pitcher in the Detroit Tigers system.

- Andy Wozniewski claims to have never been bitten by a mosquito.

Bruins send more players down to Providence

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:22:31 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

Bruins placed goaltender Dany Sabourin on waivers with the intention of sending him down to the Providence Bruins.

Browse more photos »

The Bruins announced another round of cuts yesterday in order to trim their roster down in preparation for opening night. The Bruins placed the following players on waivers with the intention of sending them down to Providence: Dany Sabourin, Drew Fata, Drew Larman, Andy Wozniewski, Trent Whitfield, and Guillaume Lefebvre. The Bruins signed Lefebvre to a one-year deal prior to placing him on waivers. These players will all need to clear waivers before being assigned to Providence.

The Bruins also assigned four players with two-way contracts to Providence. Kirk MacDonald, Jeff LoVecchio, Adam McQuaid, and and Mikko Lehtonen will all head down 95 to join the AHL club.

Bruins hold on to beat Maple Leafs 3-2 in preseason action

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:35:01 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

2 months ago: Boston Bruins' Steve Begin's helmet falls off during a fight with Toronto Maple Leafs' Andre Deveaux, right, during first-period NHL preseason hockey game action in Toronto on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Darren Calabrese)

Browse more photos »

The Bruins were able to hold on to edge out Toronto 3-2 in an exhibition game Wednesday night. The B's got goals from Steve Begin, Brad Marchand, and Andy Wozniewski, while Patrice Bergeron added assists on 2 of the Boston goals. Dany Sabourin made 25 stops to earn the win.

Tyler Bozak and Viktor Stalnerg found the back of the net for the Leafs.

The Bruins return to preseason action Saturday afternoon at 4:00 when they play host to the New York Rangers at TD Garden.

B's set to take on Leafs in preseason tilt

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:59:17 -0000

More photos » by Chris Young - AP

Browse more photos »

The Bruins are in Toronto tonight to take on the Maple Leafs (7:00, NHL Network). Most of the players that sat out last night's game will play tonight, plus Blake Wheeler, Matt Hunwick, Adam McQuaid, Vladimir Sobotka, Byron Bitz, Brad Marchand, Jamie Arniel and Tuukka Rask will also dress. Steve Begin, Patrice Bergeron, Drew Larmen, Andy Wozniewski, Mark Stuart, Dennis Wideman, Shawn Thornton, Derek Morris, Michael Ryder, Jeff LoVecchio, Guillaume Lefebvre, and Dany Sabourin round out tonight's lineup. Sabourin will get the nod in the Boston cage tonight.

Vesa Toskala and former Bruin Joey MacDonald will split time in goal for the Leafs tonight. The Leafs are dressing 1st round draft pick Nazem Kadri and offseason addition Garret Exelby. Expect to see a few dust-ups tonight, as the Leafs have decided to dress tough guys Colton Orr, Andre Deveaux, Phil Oreskovic, and Jay Rosehill. Christian Hanson (son of Slap Shot's Dave Hanson) and former Bruin Jason Allison are also expected to dress tonight for the Leafs.

Every ticket to tonight's game was given away for free by the Maple Leafs and Coca-Cola (there's a promotion you will never see in Boston). The game will air on NHL Network tonight at 7:00. I figured since we can actually watch this game on TV, we would do an open thread. Feel free to stop by here for the Public Skate (open thread) starting an hour before puck drop. For more on the Leafs, check out Pension Plan Puppets.

2009-10 Boston Bruins Season Preview

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:23:06 -0000

I was planning on writing my big season preview closer to the start of the regular season, but James Mirtle and the SBN Hockey crew decided to have 2 blogs write season previews for each the 15 days leading up to the start of the regular season (one from the East and one from the West each day). The order was determined by alphabetical order, so here is your early edition Bruins season preview.

2008-09 Season Recap

The B's surpassed all expectations last season, finishing first in the Eastern Conference with a regular season record of 53-19-10 (116 points) and regaining mainstream relevance in the Boston sports landscape. Goaltender Tim Thomasand defenseman Zdeno Chara both had career years in '08-'09, winning the Vezina and Norris respectively. 08-09 also saw the emergence of several young players including David Krejci (22-51-73), Phil Kessel (36-24-60), Blake Wheeler (21-24-45), Matt Hunwick (6-21-27, +15), Milan Lucic (17-25-42, 1 broken pane of glass) and Mark Stuart (5-12-17, +20). Offseason signing Michael Ryder proved the doubters wrong by potting 27 goals, while playmaker Marc Savard led the team in points (88) and assists (63).

The Bruins roared into the first round of the playoffs by dismantling the hated Montreal Canadiens in 4 games. However, the Bruins would hit a roadblock in the second road when the ran up against the Carolina Hurricanes. The B's took the Canes to 7 games, but ultimately Carolina would advance...on a goal from Scott Walker of all people.

Who's In

The Bruins didn't dive head-first into the free agent market this offseason but they were able to make a few additions that should help the hockey club.

Derek Morris (D, free agent signing)
The Bruins seemed to be lacking that highly-coveted puck-moving defenseman last season and struggled at times trying to start the attack from their own end of the rink. Hopefully, Derek Morris can be that guy for the B's this season.

Steve Begin (F, free agent signing)
Steve Begin was the guy that B's fans loved to hate when he was wearing Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, but they will probably love him now that he is in Black & Gold. He a Grade A pest that will create traffic in front of the net and provide plenty of grit. Begin will likely fill the role vacated by Stephane Yelle...only with a little more nasty.

Tuukka Rask (G, call up)
The much-heralded goaltending prospect will likely get a crack at being a full-time NHL player this season. The 22 year old Finnish puckstopper will likely be the backup to Tim Thomas this season.

Dany Sabourin (G, free agent signing)
The Bruins signed Sabourin to give the Bruins some depth at the goalie position. It's never a bad thing to have another goalie with NHL experience.

Marco Sturm (LW, return from injury) and Patrice Bergeron (C, return from injury)
OK, so Sturm and Bergeron aren't technically additions to the team but it will be nice to have these guys healthy and back in the line-up.

Other Depth Additions: Matt Dalton (G), Trent Whitfield (C), Andy Wozniewski (D), Drew Larman (C), Drew Fata (D)

Who's Out

Aaron Ward (D, traded to Carolina)
The veteran defenseman was shipped back to his former team in a salary dump move. I have to say I am going to miss Ward Wednesdays on Toucher & Rich.

Steve Montador (D, signed with Buffalo)
The Steve Montador experiment didn't go exactly as planned.

Shane Hnidy (D, signed with Minnesota)
I can't say I am really sad to see The Sheriff leave town.

Phil Kessel (F, RFA/expected to be traded or sign elsewhere)
All summer long there has been a lot of speculation regarding Phil Kessel's future in Boston. At this point, it looks like #81's days in The Hub could be numbered.

Manny Fernandez (G, UFA/still looking for a team)
The oft-injured veteran goaltender was contemplating retirement after the Bruins let him walk at the end of the season, but decided to test the free agent waters. So far, there has not been any nibbles for Manny.

P.J. Axelsson(LW, UFA/signed with Swedish team)
The Bruins decided not to re-sign the long-tenured Bruin and P.J. returned to his home country. Axelsson's game started to decline a bit in the last few years, but his presence on the PK will be missed.

Stephane Yelle (C, UFA/signed with Carolina)
Yelle was solid defensively and at the dot last season, but I think others can fill this role just fine.

Team Strengths

Like most Claude Julien teams, the Bruins are strong in their own end of the rink and play a puck possession game, however that doesn't mean that they can't put the puck in the net. The Bruins are returning a solid nucleus of young talent with an extra year of experience under their belts. On paper, their goaltending is the strongest it has been in years, but this is the first time that Tim Thomas has been called upon to be the definitive starter. Hopefully, he can prove that last season wasn't a fluke.

Team Weaknesses

Last season, the Bruins did not fair well when they ran up against a team that forechecked aggressively. The Bruins need to do a better job off creating offense from the defensive zone and moving the puck. Derek Morris could help them out in this area. Depth on blue line could be an issue for the Bruins at some point during the season. Other than the top 6 defensemen, the B's don't have a lot of D-men with NHL experience. Also, if Kessel is sent packing, the Bruins will need to find a way to make up for his 36 goals. The penalty kill also took a big hit when PK specialist P.J. Axelsson left for Sweden.

Depth Chart

This is what the lineup could look like this year:

Milan Lucic - Marc Savard - Michael Ryder
Blake Wheeler - David Krejci - Mark Recchi
Marco Sturm - Patrice Bergeron - Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton - Steve Begin - Byron Bitz/Vladimir Sobotka

Zdeno Chara - Derek Morris
Andrew Ference - Dennis Wideman
Matt Hunwick - Mark Stuart

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Depth/Minor League Forwards: Mikko Lehtonen, Jamie Arniel, Zach Hamill, Drew Larmen, Jeff LoVecchio, Jordan Knackstedt, Brad Marchand, Matt Marquardt, Trent Whitfield, Levi Nelson, Yannick Riendeau

Depth/Minor League Defensemen: Johnny Boychuk, Drew Fata, Andy Wozniewski, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Adam McQuaid, Jeff Penner, Zach McKelvie

Depth/Minor League Goaltenders: Dany Sabourin, Kevin Regan, Adam Courchaine, Matt Dalton

Predictions

This is the part I hate most about writing a season preview, because everyone can look back a few months from now and tell him how much of an idiot I am. I'm going to say that the Bruins will finish 3rd in the East (1st in the Northeast).

I'm looking forward to another great season of Bruins hockey and I hope you will all join me here at Stanley Cup of Chowder all season long.

Poll

So, what do you think? How will the Bruins finish in the East this year?

1st

118 votes

2nd

107 votes

3rd

48 votes

4th

14 votes

5th

3 votes

6th

3 votes

7th

1 votes

8th

2 votes

Miss Playoffs

3 votes

299 votes | Poll has closed

Thursday links: Let's break some champagne edition

averagejoe — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:45:07 -0000

Blues news

Andy Murray will be live today from 1 to 2 p.m.[Stltoday.com]
Blues win! The future Blues beat the future Wilds. [Blues]
John Davidson is ready to go: "This is it, this is like christening the boat," Davidson said as he took time out from a scouting meeting. "This is a champagne bottle over the side of the boat, and that means a new boat for a new season." [Belleville News-Democrat]
Best news I've heard in a while: JD says no to Dany Heatley. [SLAM! Sports]
A look at Blues Rookies on FSM was on last night, but never fear -- it will be on again. [Blues]

Hockey news

The showdown of two douches: Jim Balsiilie and Gary Bettman. [TSN]
Theo Fleury will soon find out if he can fail at his attempted comeback. [TSN]
Alex Ovechkin will play in the 2014 Olympics, NHL be damned. [CTV Olympics]
A look at the lazy cliche of "big body presence." [Matchsticks and Gasoline]
Are the Rangers primed for a bad year? [Blueshirt Banter]
A look at what the Coyotes summer saga has done to the fans. [Puck Daddy]
Former Blues farmhand Andy Wozniewski has been signed by the Boston Bruins. He's not very good. [Pension Plan Puppets]

Other links

The links are for more than entertainment, I hope you all learn something. Like what a virus looks like and such. [Newsweek]
I guarantee your heart will clog just by looking at this page. [Maxim]
Old people: Don't use technology if you don't understand it. [College Humor]
Every guy will watch this video and nod knowingly. [Babelgum]
Some fucked up school lunches. Fact: I never ate a school lunch in school -- always brought a sack lunch. NatetheGreat. can back me up. [cityrag]
Drug dealing may be bad, but you can get some cool shit. [MARRS ATTACKS]

Video

This is the most tragic, depressing thing I've seen all week. Stupid, naive newspaper editors.

gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Boston Bruins Sign Andy Wozniewski

Chemmy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:22:27 -0000

That's right the title isn't a clever joke by me, it's an actual fact. The Boston Bruins have signed Andy "Are you shitting me?" Wozniewski aka. "herpes" because we thought he'd never go away, to a one year contract. In all likelihood he'll only play in Providence but man oh man does he stink. Steve Ludzik agrees with me in this clip, audio NSFW if you work in a Mormon Temple:

Wow. The amazing thing is that "are you shitting me?" is exactly the correct thing to have said having watched Woz play. Boston.com claims that the Woz will be a depth signing, though I'm not convinced the Bruins know what "depth" means if that's the case.

Bruins sign defenseman Andy Wozniewski to a one year deal

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:28:56 -0000

The Bruins have signed defenseman Andy Wozniewski to a one year deal. Terms of the deal have not been dislcosed per Boston Bruins team policy.

The 6'5", 225 lb defenseman spent time last year in the AHL with the Peoria Rivermen and Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. He appeared in 74 AHL games last season, posting 3-18-21 totals and 82 PIMs. The 29 year-old blue-liner has appeared in 77 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues. New England hockey fans might remember Wozniewski from his college days. He played at UMass-Lowell his freshman year, before transferring to Wisconsin.

This looks to be nothing more than a depth signing for the Providence Bruins, but it doesn't hurt to have an extra defenseman with NHL experience in the system.

AHL Playoff Update: Baby Pens blow Game 3, but still have series lead 2-1

Hooks Orpik — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:25:41 -0000

We're very wrapped up around here with the NHL playoffs, but there's another playoff seres for the Penguins organization going on right now. In the blink of an eye, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have played three games in the past three ~~games~~ days against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Game 1 Recap (Friday): Chris Minard and Dustin Jeffrey scored to give the Pens a 2-0 lead. Luca Caputi put another on the board to make it 3-0. The Sound Tigers rallied back to make it 3-2 but John Curry held strong and Wilkes-Barre took a 1-0 series lead. Unfortunately though, Janne Pesonen would leave this game with an apparant hand/wrist injury and has been out of the playoffs ever since with not much in the way of details for his return.

Game 2 Recap (Saturday): This game was in Bridgeport, thanks to some scheduling quirks with the Sound Tigers. Back in their own barn, they came out the gates strong and took a 4-2 lead into the third period. But defenseman Andy Wozniewski with 6 minutes left in the game to make it 4-3. Ben Lovejoy then tied it on a great rush up the ice to force over-time. Four minutes into OT, Minard scored the game winner to give the Baby Pens a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 Recap (Sunday): The game would be back in Wilkes-Barre but Tim Wallace wouldn't be available, as he was suspended a game for a hit to the head. Still, WB/S roared out the gates taking a 4-1 lead in the game on the strength of Jean-Michel Daoust's two goals and two assists. Undeterred, Bridgeport rallied back to score three goals in regulation and then take the game in OT.

It's seemed like a real back and forth battle, which shouldn't be a surprise since Bridgeport (49-23-3-5) and Wilkes-Barre (49-25-3-3) had almost identical regular season records and are no strangers to one another. In the best of seven battle, expect this one to keep going right down to the wire until one of the teams emerge to move on.

A quick look at the Penguins' minor trades and moves

FrankD — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:24:48 -0000

You can keep up with all of the trades and waiver claims on the Open Thread (or scroll down below this post)

So far the Penguins remain quiet in the trade circuit, but there are a few minor moves worth mentioning.

For starters, the Pens sent Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman Danny Richmond off to St. Louis in exchange for Andy Wozniewski. Hooks put it best, "Depth for depth." If anything Wozniewski has a bit more NHL experience, but that comes with the territory when you play for an open team like the Blues.

The Penguins also claimed Craig Adams, formerly of the Chicago Blackhawks, off waivers. Adams is a right winger who tallied 35 games (2G, 4A) with the Hawks this year. He spent a good amount of time with the Carolina Hurricanes before shipping out to Chicago. He's not a young guy at 32, but he'll likely add a little depth and experience.

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2008 - Craig Adams	2	4	6	-3	22