SB Nation User Blog: Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne

Big Changes for Pepsi Center?

Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:29:35 -0000

Pepsi has new logos in the works for a big portion of their product line. As the naming rights holder for The Can I wonder what the implications are for the Pepsi Center. Would you rather have the old or new logo plastered all over?

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/pepsi_revealed_sort_of.php

What will they do to the Pepsi ball thingy that hangs down as if it were the center's testes.

Here are some other interpretations of the new logo design. http://www.movement-radio.com/pepsibutt.jpg

Brian Burke is speaking at my school...

Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:07:30 -0000

http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/091608aaa.html

Yes, yes the notorious Brian Burke is the guest speaker at the season kick-off event for Notre Dame hockey. Now, I want to go support my Irish but I am concerned I might start shouting out things like "Burke has a man crush on Big Bert" and embarrass everyone in the middle of his speach. Then again I may be able to convince him to trade for Arnason.

What should I do MHH? Does anyone have any questions I should ask if I am able to go?

Rookie Camp Initial Response

Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:20:47 -0000

I am being lazy and ripping from my Rookie Camp report on the AdventuraCompany.com forums.

I took lots of pictures and video, and I will start with Kyle Cumiskey, surprise MVP of the day for me. He didn't seem to make any mistakes and was always in a good position to be a part of the play defensively. Good use of stick and body, for a smallish defender. The only thing he didn't do was score a goal, although he managed to set his team in a good position to do so a few times with excellent passing, skating and puck control skills. He was partnered with Nigel Williams who had a nice physical presence and looked pretty decent and should be worth keeping an eye on. They worked well together.

TJ Hensick and Chris Stewart were the most skilled forwards despite seeming to lack consistant focus. When they decided to take over play they stood head and shoulders above. David Jones was all over the ice but I wanted to see some more skill from him. Could be a great 'roll player' (I hate that term in a way) at the NHL level.

Here is some of the video I caught of Cumiskey. Look for the quick poke check in the second clip of the video. He made other plays as well I missed on tape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG710...

The secret ingredient?

Hardshell_Taco_del_Lowayne — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 19:49:31 -0000

Amidst constant questions about bringing Peter Forsberg back to the Avalanche, François Giguère continues to express supreme confidence in Colorado’s current roster. The Avalanche have a logjam of scoring talent at forward, but where does a 30 year old NHL rookie from the Czech leagues fit in?

Following the high profile free agent signings of Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, FG has been prone to say, again, that he is ‘very satisfied with the way our roster looks’. There is however, more meaning to this quote than solely the acquisitions of Smyth and Hannan, they also seem to refer to Jaroslav Hlinka. At the press conference announcing the signing of Smyth and Hannan, FG spoke these words about him:

"Hlinka is a guy we're anticipating a lot of things from," Giguere said. "He was the best player in the Czech League the past two years. Our scout, (right wing) Milan Hejduk, highly recommended him."

As awareness of the Hlinka signing spreads, opinions around the avalanche community range from pegging Hlinka as a high end second line talent to being a roster booster for the Avs’ new AHL affiliate at Lake Erie which ‘needs’ players. I personally feel Hlinka was brought here to be an impact support player on a team that hungers for Stanley Cup playoff success.

First, a few facts and observations we know about Jaroslav Hlinka. Finding information on this Czech player is difficult, but we know that he is a playmaker with ‘speed to burn’. Style wise he has been compared to David Výborný and is the same size and Marek Svatos. Usually a center, Jaroslav has played winger as well. Considered the best player in the Czech Extraliga, he has also been a leader for Czech World Championship teams. Last year, Hlinka led his HC Sparta team to their league championship posting 19 goals and 38 assists (57 points) in 46 games.
Over a point a game is a good number for a player jumping to the NHL but how will those numbers translate as Hlinka moves into ‘the majors’? However you dice it, the premier Czech league is not the NHL, not even close. No one knows how he will transition, but I leave you with this thought, in the Extraliga only PRIMARY assists are counted, no secondary assists figured into those numbers. Can a player who dominates lesser players succeed among equals? Hlinka could become a missing ingrediant as well.

We know that FG and the Avs are expecting immediate contributions Hlinka. His statistics and tournament experience suggest that he is a matured and skilled hockey veteran. As a playmaker he can compliment any number of the Avs’ scoring players and give the Coach Quenneville the chance to roll 3 potent scoring lines. For example, a 3rd line of Hlinka, Arnason, and Svatos is no longer of case of odd man out for a scoring winger (Svatos) but now a legitimate scoring threat that can press the puck against 2nd and 3rd defensive pairings.

Questions we can ask ourselves until the season starts are: How is he defensively? Will he adjust to the NHL style of play with more talent, strength, and rink size? Will Hlinka and Hejduk make jokes about you in Czech? Is he really the secret ingredient to a Stanley Cup winning team over say, a Peter Forsberg?

Videos
http://zlatahelma.hokej.cz/admin/_vi... - Assists on play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI8D7... – Assists 1st goal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvjzW... – Scores second and last goals, demonstrates overall league skill level as less than great.