Reasons why I love this game: Big Burly Defensemen

They're big. They're tough. They block shots. They hit people. They have ferocious slapshots. The big defensemen are one of my favorite parts of the game.

CHRIS PRONGER. Pronger is 6'6", 220 pounds. He currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, but he's played for a few teams in the NHL and was part of the Anaheim Ducks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2007. He played a crucial role in the Flyer's success in the playoffs last year, and he finished the season ranked 5th among all defensemen. He also logged 79 penalty minutes last year. The thing that I like about Pronger is that even though he's a big guy, he's not a bully. He plays the game well and doesn't usually get dirty. Just look at how he makes Simone Gagne look like a child on the ice:


ZDENO CHARA. Chara is a 6'9", 255 pound monster. He's the tallest player in the NHL, and he plays for a team that I hate, the Boston Bruins. He won the Hardest Shot competition two years in a row - in 2009 he won with a shot that was 105.4 miles per hour. He's a big, beastly player with a crazy hard shot. The thing I hate about Chara is that he's a mix between a bully, a smart player, and a goon. He doesn't exactly take cheap shots on other players, but he definitely uses his size to pick on everybody else on the ice.


TYLER MYERS. Myers is 6'8", 222 pounds. He plays for the Buffalo Sabres, and he's only 20 years old. It's my opinion that Myers has the potential to be one of the greatest defensemen in the NHL. Last year was his NHL debut, and he made the most of it by winning the Calder Trophy (for best rookie). He finished the season ranked as the 11th best defensemen in the NHL. He is a smart player, he scores goals and makes plays. Check him out against the Boston Bruins - keep your eye on number 57.



Honorable mention:
SERGEI GONCHAR - 6'2", 215 lbs, Pittsburgh Penguins
BROOKS ORPIK - 6'2", 219 lbs, Pittsburgh Penguins
MIKE GREEN - 6'1", 204 lbs, Washington Capitals, In 2008, Patrick Thoresen (of Philadelphia) blocked a shot from Green that almost ruptured his testicle. What!

What's not to love about huge, testical-rupturing dudes on skates?

Reasons why I love this game: The Pretty Boys

I'm usually not the type of person to get all excited over good looking celebrities. Sure, there are some good looking actors out there, heck, there might even be a good looking baseball player out there (although I highly doubt it). But there are a few players in the NHL that I must admit that I have a little crush on.

PAUL GAUSTAD. He plays for my favorite team, the Buffalo Sabres. He's 6'5". He's pretty tough too - in February of 2007, he was injured in a collision with another player, leaving him with a sliced tendon in his leg. The injury could have ended his career if it had been an inch deeper. Gaustad recovered ahead of schedule and re-joined the team during the playoffs of that same season.


MIKE RICHARDS. He's the captain of my mistress team, the Philadelphia Flyers. He knows how to score goals, he finished 18th in the league for the 2009-2010 season. In the 2008-2009 season, Richards became the first player in NHL history to score three 3-on-5 goals in his career, and he led the league in short-handed goals for the season. Richards isn't afraid to get physical on the ice either, he usually gets into a few fights each season and logs a decent amount of time in the penalty box. I think it's Richards' style of play that makes him attractive.



MIKE GREEN. Green plays for a team I really dislike, the Washington Capitals. However, he fits into this category quite nicely. If you google the phrase "hot hockey players", you'll see his name appear on quite a few times. He's a 6'1" goal scoring defenceman, in the 2008-2009 season he scored 31 goals.


VINCENT LECAVALIER. He's the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He's 6'4", and quite the goal scorer - he was the league leader in goals in the 2006-2007 season. He's had a somewhat rocky career with the Lightning, he was first named captain back in 2000, but was stripped of the title before the 2001-2002 season began. At the time he was the youngest captain in NHL history. He's grown up as a player, and was renamed captain prior to the 2008-2009 season. Way to go Vinny.


I could go on for quite a while. It's all a matter of opinion anyway. There's people out there who find Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin to be attractive. There's less than 20 days until the season officially begins - let's see what these guys are going to do this year.

Teams I love to hate: The Toronto Maple Leafs

As long as I can remember, I've hated the Toronto Maple Leafs. There is a slight rivalry that exists between the Sabres and the Leafs - with cities that are geographically close, its understandable that the teams and fans wouldn't get along. The fact that my own brother is a Leafs fan makes it even worse for me.

MATS SUNDIN. Sundin played for the Leafs from 1994 - 2008. For twelve of his thirteen seasons with the Leafs, Sundin was the leading scorer, and during his time with the Leafs he broke several goal and point scoring records. He was definitely a player that the Sabres had to keep their eye on. Having one of the best goaltenders in the NHL at the time was key - Dominik Hasek. Sundin recognized Hasek's strength: "When you face a player of Hasek's caliber and a player that's got that reputation that he's almost unbeatable, sometimes it has happened in the past where players try and look for that perfect shot." As much as the Sabres might have dreaded facing Sundin on the ice, he knew he was up against a great goaltender.

TIE DOMI. Domi was the enforcer of the Leafs from 1995-2006. He holds the record for most penalty minutes served in Leafs history. Domi was suspended and fined numerous times in his career - he even fought a fan during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. One reason why I can't stand the guy is that Domi fought Rob Ray of the Sabres 13 times, and Ray is one of my all time favorite players. With a goon like Domi, it's no wonder why I've always hated the Leafs.


The current Leafs team isn't that hot. They finished the 2009-2010 season at the bottom of their division with a record of 30-38-14. In my opinion, the best player on their team right now is defenseman Tomas Kaberle - he finished 10th among defensemen in the NHL. Even though no other players from the Leafs finished with impressive numbers, I think they have a couple players to look out for this year: Mike Komisarek, Phil Kessel, and Colton Orr.

Go Leafs Go?

Reasons why I love this game: The Bad Boys

Boarding. Charging. Cross checking. Elbowing. High sticking. Holding. Hooking. Slashing. Tripping.

If you know anything about hockey, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't know anything about hockey, just use your imagination and you probably won't be too far off.

I absolutely love the physicality of hockey. When players get fired up, I get fired up. These guys can change the momentum of a game. They get their teammates excited, they get the other team angry, and they get the fans into the game. They push, shove, throw punches, and serve the most time in the penalty box. The bad boys are one of the things I love most about hockey.

Let's throw it back to one of my all time favorites: ROB RAY. Robbie played for the Buffalo Sabres for 14 seasons as their main enforcer. He logged over 3000 penalty minutes in his career (6th in overall NHL history). The NHL implemented a fighting rule that is nicknamed the Rob Ray rule - he used to remove his jersey and pads during fights, which made it harder for his opponent to hold on to him - the rule gives additional penalties to players who remove their jerseys or pads during a fight. Rob Ray was one of the best fighters of the 1990's, and helped to fuel some bitter rivalries for the Sabres, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins (two teams that I still hate to this day).

So I don't love this guy but he fits the bill: DONALD BRASHEAR. I'm not a huge fan of Brashear, but he definitely needs to be included in this post. He is extremely aggressive - he was the league leader in penalty minutes for six seasons, and is ranked 15th in NHL overall history. I think Brashear is one of the kings of taking cheap shots - he has been suspended numerous times for blind siding his opponents and intending to injure them. Even though he's definitely a bully, Brashear is the victim of what I think is the most outrageous incident in NHL history (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google Marty McSorley).

Here's a player from my mistress team, the Philadelphia Flyers: DANIEL CARCILLO. In the 2009-2010 season, Carcillo was 4th in the league for penalty minutes served (he led the league in the 07-08 season when he played for the Phoenix Coyotes). During the 2010 Winter Classic, he fought Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins, which was the first fight in Winter Classic history (and it totally made my day). He goes crazy when he's in the penalty box, yelling and throwing stuff around, getting all hyped up. He's totally exciting to watch. If I'm not laughing at his antics it usually means I'm yelling at the person he's going after. Who wouldn't love a game with this guy in it?


I could go on for quite a while: Derek Boogaard, Tie Domi, Ian Laperriere, Colton Orr, Dave Semenko...so many goons, so little time.

The team I will always love: The Buffalo Sabres

I know I'm not the only person to have a nostalgic love for my hometown team, I know it isn't such an unusual thing. But I will always love the Buffalo Sabres.

My family has strong roots in Buffalo hockey history. My mom's father was a part of the Buffalo Bisons organization - my uncle still has a championship ring that belonged to my grandfather. I remember being a little kid, going to games with my dad's mother (who was a season ticket holder for more than 20 years). Those were the days of Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny, and Rob Ray. I remember how disappointed our city was when we lost in the Finals in 1999 - in fact, I still see "NO GOAL" flags when I go back to visit.

I moved from Buffalo to Philadelphia in 2004, and even though I've developed a certain affection for the Flyers, the Sabres are still my number one team.

I'm excited for the new season to start (thirty one days!!) and here are some of the reasons why:

TYLER MYERS: The 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year is one of my players to watch this year. He's a 6'8" workhorse - he blocked 137 shots last year and put up 48 points, not to mention posting the most ice time for the Sabres. He's a smart defenseman, especially for a rookie, and I'm pumped to see what he's going to bring to the ice this year.

PATRICK KALETA: Now I know that this guy isn't going to be leading the league in goals, shots, or assists. Most people think that this hometown boy is just a goon (and they might be right). But he's capable of scoring goals as well as delivering hits (148 last year to be exact). One highlight of mine from last season was watching him score 2 goals against the New York Rangers on December 12. I'm looking forward to seeing him shake things up on the ice.

RYAN MILLER: I'd honestly like to skip having to write about Miller, but since so many people proclaim him to be the best goaltender in the NHL, I think he's worth mentioning. He has great stats - I can't argue with that. The thing that drives me nuts about him is every once in a while he gets into a really stupid situation. He needs to stay healthy and play solidly.

I'm excited to see what a few others will do this year, namely Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe. I'm also curious to see if Thomas Vanek will heat up a little more than he did last season.

The Sabres start the 2010-2011 season off on October 8th in Ottawa.