I'm watching the Pittsburgh - Ottawa Game 3 on Espn360 last night. At least it started great!

*The Opening show: A gladiator comes out and says that tonight The Sens shall win! Tacky as hell, but I get the idea behind it and its a cool unusual thing. Too bad their timing sucks. Just as the gladiator is about to hit the big crescendo, him screaming: HEEEREEEE'S YOUR OOOTTAWWWAAAAA SEEENATOOORSS!!! - cue crowds roaring... the Penguins enter the ice and the crowd boos them.

Comedy requires perfect timing, so this was pure comedic gold.

Then comes the The National Anthem: The speaker tells the crows to "please remove your hats and stand up for the national anthem."

And then this guys sings the national anthem...

...wearing a hat. BWAHAHAHAHAHHAAAA! :)

I'm loving every second of this so far. :D

Monty Python and The Flying Scotiabank Circus.

*Game time! Alfie plays tonight.

*Talbot runs into Gerber! The sens look like they will take a retaliatory penalty, no? It's close but they don't.

*Damn. I always get hungry watching games on Espn360. Is that all you North americans do? Eat?... And drink beer... And buy insurance?

They're showing images of Laraque practising his uppercuts before the game..


Seriously? I wish I could come up with a comedic script like this.

*The Senators are really going hard against Gonchar during the first nine minutes of the game. Good strategy by The Sens.

*Shots: 11-8 so far with 10 minutes to go. Where did the eight Penguins shot come from? The Sens are all over the place so far.

*Malkin sure likes to.. uhm.. Have things in his mouth? During the national anthem he was chewing on his jersey. Three minutes later he was chewing on his gold chain. Now with 8.35 left he's chewing his jersey again. And let's just say that his teeth are representative of Russian Dentalcare (TM). Damn those teeth are crooked.

12.30 ** The Sens are staring to go after Ruutu and Talbot instead of playing their game. Everytime Ruutu is one the ice is a Senators penalty waiting to happen.

14.30 ** Canada still has the little blinking square that signals when another show is on on another channel? I thought that "feature" went out the door when VHS won the war against those pesky BETA tapes.

* Commercial Brake: Poor Mr Carducci.

*More images of Laraque working out before the game. Now hes jumping rope.

Is Rocky Laraque being filmed in Ottawa?

*Ottawa Power Play. Shean Donovan loses his stick and grabs... Ruutus stick. Bad penalty.

*Gerber robs Crosby and Malone! He's the difference maker so far. The pens are now dominating like they did for 3/4 of game 2. In game to they did it 5 on 5 though. I guess that's progress for Ottawa, no?

* End of The First period. Fuck, I'm out of cigarettes.

Hurrah! The Playoffs are here. Here are The Official Bergmanscores Playoff predictions:

Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals:
1 Montreal - 8 Boston 4-2
2 Pittsburgh - 7 Ottawa 2-4
3 Washington - 6 Philadelphia 1-4
4 New Jersey - 5 N.Y. Rangers 4-1

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals:
1 Montreal - 7 Ottawa 3-4
4 New Jersey - 6 Philadelphia 4-2

Eastern Conference Finals:
4 New Jersey - 7 Ottawa 4-2

Western Conference Quarter-Finals:
1 Detroit - 8 Nashville 4-2
2 San Jose - 7 Calgary 3-4
3 Minnesota - 6 Colorado 4-1
4 Anaheim - 5 Dallas 3-4

Western Conference Semi-Finals:
1 Detroit - 7 Calgary 4-1
3 Minnesota - 5 Dallas 3-4

Western Conference Finals:
1 Detroit - 5 Dallas 4-2

Stanley Cup Finals:
1 Detroit - 4 New Jersey 2-4

The Devils?

Stanley Cup Champions?

What?

I came to this conclusion by staging my own NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Prediction Lottery. I made two notes that said H (home team) and A (away team) and then another four notes with 4-0, 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3 written on them.

If I drew a note with an H on it, the highest seeded team in their respective matchups would come out on top.

You cant argue with fate now can you? Everything happens for a reason.

Freecreditreport.com baby.

I'll be seeing you.

Last night I became a dad. Thats one of the reasons I don't blog that much anymore. It's a healthy baby boy. He was born yesterday morning at 04.01. Dad and mum are happy.

His name will be Jes Earl Colby Bergman.

It all happened so fast. I was shocked when I learnt about the pending fatherhood eight months ago. I'de only known my girlfriend for a day before it happened. I never knew pregnancies could last only eight months. Oh, I am so happy. He looks just like me. A bit blond, but thats no problem.. I hope.

I'll be seeing you.

Labels: I'm a dad, XApril 1st

Hello boys and girls. Meet the Blues new and 100% official mascot. His name is WILL (pronounced W-L-L-L). That's a W, often followed by three L's.

Let's repeat boys and girls. That's a W, followed by three straight L's.

Get used to him, he's going to be around for at least the remainder of the season.

In all honesty, I'm not complaining that much though. The Blues shouldn't really be in a playoff race by now. Since whenever they started sucking, they've been playing far and beyond their abilities. I'm still proud of where The Blues are right now, it's the end of february and somehow there's still a small chance they could sneak into the playoffs.

Or not. I forgot, Freaky Freaking Foppa just signed a one year contract with The Avs. And Sakic and Smyth and Stastny are back. They should get the eight and final spot when all is said and done.

I probably won't post tomorrow since there's not gonna be a single freaking trade occuring tomorrow. Getit? NO FREAKING TRADE WHATSOEVER. BORING BUT PERFECTLY SANE I SUPPOSE.

Keenan Is a Winner in Debut With Blues

Article published January 20th 1995 by The Associated Press.

Blues 5, Sharks 2

Brett Hull had two goals and two assists as St. Louis beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-2, last night in Mike Keenan's coaching debut with the Blues.

Keenan, who last season guided the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years, had moved over the St. Louis to take over as coach and general manager this season.

Adam Creighton added a goal and three assists for the visiting Blues.

Goaltender Curtis Joseph, who has a 10-1 career mark against San Jose, made 17 saves. Penguins 5, Lightning 3

A sellout crowd of 26,387 saw Ken Wregget and the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins stop the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-3, at the National Hockey League's largest arena, the ThunderDome in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Penguins gave Wregget an early lead last night with three goals in less than two minutes, and he made it stand up.

Wregget replaced the injured goaltender Tom Barrasso, sidelined for 10 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair tendon and cartilage damage in his right wrist. Wregget stopped 30 shots, including 16 in the second period. Red Wings 4, Blackhawks 3

A capacity crowd of 19,875 cheered loud and long as Detroit defeated visiting Chicago to gain its first opening-game victory in 13 years.

An octopus was thrown on the ice -- a sure sign of a big game in Detroit -- with 1:35 left to play. They played "The Night Chicago Died" on the public address system at the end. The Red Wings had gone 0-9-3 since a 5-2 season-opening victory Oct. 6, 1981, over the Rangers in New York.

Vyacheslav Kozlov, Paul Coffey and Dino Ciccarelli scored as the Red Wings took a 3-1 lead after two periods. Yzerman made it 4-1 at 4:18 of the third period. Dirk Graham scored for Chicago. Oilers 2, Ducks 1

The rookie right-winger David Oliver scored a goal and assisted on Shayne Corson's game-winner as Edmonton Oilers beat visiting Anaheim in a National Hockey League opener.

With his parents watching from the stands, Oliver scored his first-ever pro goal on a power play to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 5 minutes 28 seconds of the second period. Flames 3, Jets 3

Keith Tkachuk scored the tying goal for Winnipeg with 1 minute 35 seconds left in the third period as the Jets and visiting Flames battled -- literally -- to the tie during a game that was filled with fights.

The two teams wasted no time mixing it up. The first penalty was called just 20 seconds into the game, and there were a total of 154 minutes in penalties. Tie Domi and Calgary's Sandy McCarthy spent almost the equivalent of a whole period in the penalty box for their running battles.

Article written by Joe Lapointe, published January 19, 1995 by The New York Times

Finally, a Hockey Season Hits the Ice With Fewer Games but More Questions

Ready or not, the athletes of the National Hockey League will lace up their skates, buckle their chin straps and pull on their sweaters tomorrow night to finally begin the locked-out season.

With only a 48-game scramble for playoff positions, all games will be held within either the Eastern or Western Conferences. The daily divisional standings will be virtually meaningless. The conference standings will be all-important, because that's how teams are seeded for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Eight teams from each conference will make the tournament. No Eastern Conference team will meet a Western Conference team until the finals, which will conclude at the end of June.

There will be six nonqualifiers in the 14-team East and four nonqualifiers in the 12-team West. The Eastern teams have a travel edge because they will never leave their time zone. The Western teams have a competitive edge because fewer of them risk playoff elimination.

League-wide, this season's major questions include:

*How will conditioning affect play?

*What will be the effect of some players having played regularly in Europe or junior leagues while others trained only lightly since October?

*Will new arenas in Chicago and St. Louis help or hurt their teams?

*Will the disappearance of the sport for almost a half-season because of the 15-week lockout hurt the momentum in newly colonized markets like Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Anaheim and San Jose?

*Will the arrival of the Fox television network lift the profile of the sport into the entertainment mainstream?

Each team brings its own questionnaire. Let's start from the top. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division

CAN THE RANGERS REPEAT? Possibly. The short, conference-based season is in their favor because they are an older team and they won't have to travel as far. It remains to be seen whether Mark Messier will sign and return as the team leader. Other questions persist. Can Petr Nedved fit in as a second-line center? Can Sergei Zubov put together a second consecutive scoring explosion? Can Colin Campbell grow into his first head-coaching position? Is Adam Graves fully recovered from serious back surgery? Is Aleksei Kovalev ready for the superstar role his talent suggests? Will the Garden president, Dave Checketts, allow the Ranger president and general manager, Neil Smith, to run the front office?

ARE THE DEVILS READY? Probably not. If any team takes a step back this season, it could be New Jersey. The coaching of Jacques Lemaire and Larry Robinson can't totally negate the anti-player efforts of the owner, John McMullen, and the president, Lou Lamoriello, who were two outspoken hawks during the labor dispute. With stars like Scott Stevens and John MacLean, role-players like Randy McKay and Ken Daneyko and goaltending depth from Martin Brodeur and Chris Terreri, this should remain one of the league's best teams.

WILL BRETT LINDROS HELP ISLES? Maybe. Although not a natural goal-scorer, he netted 24 in 26 games with his junior team in Kingston, Ontario, this season. He gives them size and toughness." On defense, Vladimir Malakhov must show more consistency. Scott Lachance has to prove he wasn't another of this franchise's litany of over-rated first-round picks. If Jamie McLennan isn't ready for first-string goalie responsibilities, this team will struggle to reach .500.

WILL FLYERS MAKE PLAYOFFS? No, they'll miss for a sixth consecutive season. Eric Lindros, beginning his third season, can emerge as the dominant player of the next era as long as his knees hold up. The constant coaching shuffle has hurt, but this year's coach/manager team of Terry Murray and Bobby Clarke has a track record of modest success elsewhere. Ron Hextall returns to mind the goal. Talent at forward doesn't compensate for lack of depth at defense.

CAN CAPITALS GET UNTRACKED? Maybe. By trading Kevin Hatcher to Dallas for Mark Tinordi, they gained toughness, skill and leadership from a defenseman with a history of serious injuries. As a lead center, Joe Juneau is a limited star from the Pierre Turgeon mold. Gung-ho Jim Schoenfeld might be the ideal short-season coach.

LIGHTNING IN A DOME Defenseman Roman Hamrlik and Center Chris Gratton bring youth and skill and hope for the Tampa Bay future. But frayed veterans Gerard Gallant, Denis Savard and Petr Klima will soon join the Esposito Brothers Management Team for old-timers games.

WILL PANTHERS IMPROVE? As an expansion team, most of their players were castoffs with points to prove. That sort of motivation wears off in the second season. Even a top-notch goalie like John Vanbiesbrouck can't carry a team. Northeast Division

FAREWELL TO BOSTON GARDEN In their last season on Causeway Street, the Bruins will miss Al Iafrate more, if his heart, mind and injured knee aren't in sync with the wishes of his tough-guy coach, Brian Sutter, and with the general manager Harry Sinden. Iafrate's barely on speaking terms with the front office and won't start the season. The bosses will have to fill their goaltending opening and keep their fingers crossed that Cam Neely has another healthy and productive season.

ANOTHER MONTREAL BANNER? The third-year coach Jacques Demers hopes to shed the reputation of a quick-fix artist who doesn't wear well with time. Other than Patrick Roy, this team lacks stars, and you usually need more than one to win it all. Serge Savard is a shrewd general manager, not afraid to trade. Needing a scoring gunner for a short season, he'll deal.

PRESSURE IN QUEBEC The Nordiques hope Peter Forsberg benefited from the international experience that delayed his rookie year until age 21. He played in Sweden during the lockout, so he's going to have a running start. He made Mats Sundin expendable, and that brought, in return from Toronto, Wendel Clark, with the toughness the Nordiques lacked.

ANY HOPE FOR OTTAWA? The Senators' best player, Aleksei Yashin, wants out, and hasn't reported. Their best prospect, Radek Bonk, hasn't signed. Their highest-paid player, Alexandre Daigle, had a disappointing rookie year. They're starting the season with three All-Stars called up from the American Hockey League. At least their new arena is going up.

BUFFALO WATCHING LAFONTAINE Pat LaFontaine has not fully recovered from surgery of more than a year ago, and he might miss the opener against the Rangers. Will this mean John Muckler's adaptable team stays in last season's defensive mode? Dominik Hasek is the best young goalie since, maybe, Patrick Roy. Alexander Mogilny is a superstar.

HOW FAR HAVE PENGUINS FALLEN? Perhaps worse than previously thought. Goalie Tom Barrasso has a sore wrist, and Mario Lemieux is out for the season with his back and fatigue problems following Hodgkin's disease. Rick Tocchet is in Los Angeles. If it weren't for stars like Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy and Joe Mullen, they might not contend for first place in their division.

WILL WHALERS BE ANY GOOD? Possibly, if Pete Karmanos becomes a good new owner and Jimmy Rutherford becomes a good new general manager and if Geoff Sanderson has a breakthrough season and if Glen Wesley proves worth the three draft choices they traded to get him and if Jimmy Carson revives his career and if Chris Pronger takes seriously the potential of superstardom. Western Conference Central Division

ARE THE RED WINGS DOOMED? No. They'll win the Stanley Cup this season if they sacrifice their firepower for a little more team play and if their fans are patient with goalie Mike Vernon. When second-line center Sergei Fedorov won the most valuable award, perhaps management should have realized it has mis-evaluated its personnel. Steve Yzerman, the first-line center, would be worth more in trade than he is to the Wings.

HOW MUCH HAVE THE BLACKHAWKS DECLINED? Plenty. Bernie Nicholls still has something to contribute, but hiring him won't reverse a trend. It will be interesting to see what a full season together will mean for Tony Amonte and Jeremy Roenick. This franchise is reluctant to blend in the top talent from Europe.

CAN KEENAN AND HULL COEXIST? In a normal, 84-game marathon, probably not. In a short, 48-game sprint, they might grit their teeth and endure each other. This chemistry could make for the N.H.L's best soap opera. Al MacInnis brings a big shot to the power play; Esa Tikkanen and Guy Carbonneau add the ancient grit that Keenan can't get enough of.

TWO HATCHER BROTHERS IN DALLAS Washington sent the Stars Kevin Hatcher, who will play alongside his younger brother, Derian, who, like Kevin, is also big and maybe even meaner. The passes of the elder Hatcher will upgrade the Dallas attack.

HOW FAR WILL LEAFS GO? Getting to the finals will be tough, even though they may score more and put on a better show. They gained a solid second center when they got Mats Sundin from Quebec to back up Doug Gilmour. They lost some toughness when they sent Wendel Clark to Quebec. An exceptional rebuilding effort by Cliff Fletcher and Pat Burns may be ready for a dose of youth in defensemen Drake Berehowsky and Kenny Jonsson.

IS WINNIPEG'S SELANNE HEALTHY? He seems to be, which is good for fans in Winnipeg and everywhere else. He played well in Finland during the lockout. Now that John Paddock has added general manager duties to his coaching responsibilities, he is weeding out some of Mike Smith's Europeans, but Teemu Selanne seems secure. He wouldn't mind hiring a few more gritty, talented Americans like Keith Tkachuk. In goal, Tim Cheveldae will try to put his confidence back together after his unfortunate Detroit exit. Pacific Division

FLAMES DEPEND ON ROOKIE GOALIE With Mike Vernon gone, Trevor Kidd has only 33 games of N.H.L. experience. His rebuilt defense is filled with familiar names from other teams: Steve Chiasson, Phil Housley, James Patrick, Zarley Zalapski and Trent Yawney. None of these guys make opposing forwards afraid to cruise the slot. Among top forwards, there are durability doubts about Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts.

WHAT'S WITH THE OILERS? The most telling thing about the Edmonton Oilers camp? Right wing Kent Nilsson, 38 years old and out of the league since 1987, is attempting a comeback and will probably make the roster. Up front, they have Jason Arnott and little else to take the heat off Bill Ranford in goal.

HAVE THE KINGS CHANGED? Their last owner is facing jail time for financial fraud. They've added toughness in the veteran Rick Tocchet, the rookie Matt Johnson, former Devils fighting specialist Troy Crowder and the returning Marty McSorley, who spent part of last season in Pittsburgh and most of last autumn on the collective bargaining committee. They are hoping for scoring contributions from the recycled veterans like Dan Quinn and Rob Brown. On defense, they hope Darryl Sydor and Aleksei Zhitnik rebound from subpar seasons and that Rob Blake continues to grow into a Norris Trophy candidate. They hope Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri have at least another year of magic in their sticks.

A STAR IS BORN? Like Peter Forsberg in Quebec, Paul Kariya of the Mighty Ducks, didn't rush himself into the N.H.L., and gained seasoning in international competition. He's a Japanese-Canadian with an American college background, a bright, friendly, talented guy with what the new suits running the league might call upside marketing potential. As for the team, respectable expansion groups like this tend to step back in their second year. The lack of depth will mean plenty of ice time for Kariya to learn his trade.

HOW GOOD ARE THE SHARKS? This team has a lot of international flavor, including two Latvian stars, goalie Arturs Irbe and defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, although the leg injury to Victor Kozlov is an unfortunate step backward. When they upset Detroit and almost eliminated Toronto in the playoffs last spring, they proved they were more than just a pretty uniform shirt.

CANUCKS UNHAPPY CAMPERS Pavel Bure finally reported, although they still haven't resolved his claim for full pay on a guaranteed contract, despite the lockout. Another unhappy non-camper is Murray Craven, who hasn't reported. Geoff Courtnall has reported but is suing the team in a contract dispute. Think how grouchy these guys would be if they had won the final game of the Stanley Cup finals.

Islanders Take a Break About a Game Too Soon

Something like this was bound to happen; the Islanders were simply playing too well.

Their roll skidded to a halt at Nassau Coliseum tonight. Andrei Nikolishin, who seems to make a living playing against the Islanders, had three assists. Sean Burke, another nemesis, stopped 39 shots. And Robert Kron scored two goals -- one from center ice -- as the Hartford Whalers derailed the Islanders' six-game unbeaten streak with a 6-3 victory.

Coach Mike Milbury was worried that his team would take tonight off, what with the All-Star break right around the corner. The players did not, but the goaltenders certainly did. And now a four-game Western swing looms after the break.

"When you get down like we got down you scramble a little bit," said Milbury. "I don't think that was really the story. I don't think I have to tell the story or you better get a new job. Their goaltending was outstanding, our's didn't have a good night."

The Islanders outshot the Whalers by 34-15 through two periods (and by 42-20 for the game), but trailed by 5-2 after 40 minutes. Burke and Nikolishin were fantastic. Tommy Soderstrom and Tommy Salo were not.

Soderstrom, making his 17th consecutive start, lasted only 1 minute 3 seconds into the second period. That was when Milbury yanked him after Brendan Shanahan stole a Mathieu Schneider break-out pass through center ice and beat Soderstrom with a wrister on Hartford's first shot of the second period.

The goal gave the Whalers a 3-1 lead. On eight shots. It was time to change Tommys. Out went Soderstrom; in came Salo (last seen Nov. 3).

Back came the Islanders, with a goal at 8:11 on the power play. Travis Green held the puck while sending Zigmund Palffy cross-ice to the right post. Green faked a slapper from the left point, instead slapping the puck to a waiting -- and wide open -- Palffy for the tap-in that made it 3-2.

Then came the crusher. Kron beat a befuddled Salo from neutral ice, slapping an on-end puck like a knuckleball past the goaltender at 13:25.

"Of course I had a chance," said Salo. "It was my puck. It was my fault. I have no excuse. That's an important goal.

Salo immediately whacked his stick against the left post, and the rowdy crowd of 8,544 rode him for most of the rest of the game.

Salo was not the only one whacking his stick in frustration, however. Marty McInnis had done it moments earlier after Burke had denied him twice in a row on breakaways, then on a shorthanded rush, all on the same Hartford power play as the Islanders were trying to tie the score.

Kron's long-range shot made sure the Isles would need more than a goal and took back all the momentum the Islanders had going for them.

"We had enough opportunities to win several hockey games tonight," Milbury said. "Unfortunately we ran into a goaltender who was very steady and very good and they won the hockey game."

SLAP SHOTS

MATHIEU SCHNEIDER, who scored the Islanders first goal on the power play only 37 seconds into the game after drawing a penalty, is not the only Islander representative in Saturday night's All-Star Game, after all. The equipment manager JOHN DOOLAN will be making the trip to Boston and handling the same duties for the visiting Western Conference squad. . . . SCOTT DANIELS knocked the Islanders' TODD BERTUZZI out of the game with a crushing blow at the blue line early in the first period. Bertuzzi, who lost his helmet on the play, suffered a slight shoulder separation and a mild concussion.

Article written by Jennifer Frey. Published on January 17th, 1994 by The New York Times.

Larmer, Keenan Return on High Note

Mike Keenan came to Chicago reluctantly, unhappily.

He did not want to return to the site of his last National Hockey League job. He did not want to dine with his 14-year-old daughter, Gayla, in some sterile restaurant, rather than at his old home near the lake, where Gayla and her mother, Rita -- Keenan's estranged wife -- still live. The night before the Rangers departed for Chicago, he acknowledged that his only goal for this weekend was a victory.

Steve Larmer's only goal was to play. Larmer, an 11-year Chicago veteran, was not supposed to be back on the ice for at least another three weeks, his broken right pinky still swollen and stiff. But this would be his first trip home since a trade to New York on Nov. 2, and his last chance to play in legendary Chicago Stadium, which will be replaced after this season.

Keenan got his victory -- a 5-1 Rangers' triumph over the Blackhawks. And Larmer got a Chicago Stadium moment he will never forget. A Larmer Penalty Shot

With Larmer and Mark Messier on a breakaway late in the third period, Chicago's Steve Smith threw his stick in desperation as he tripped and fell to the ice. The sliding stick interfered with Larmer's rush to the net, and earned the Rangers a penalty shot, which Larmer took.

The crowd stood and roared -- roared for Larmer, not goalie Ed Belfour -- as Larmer rushed down the ice and beat Belfour with a shot from about 20 feet out. It was the fifth Ranger goal of the evening and it was, quite simply, the perfect finishing touch on what was an emotional game for the entire Ranger team.

"I think the best way for the team to thank them for what they've done for us is to come here and win the game," said Messier, speaking not just of Keenan and Larmer, but also of Greg Gilbert and Mike Hudson, two more former Blackhawks. "I don't think anybody needed to talk about it. It was there."

Messier scored a goal for the first time in more than a month, Kevin Lowe had his fourth of the season and Adam Graves added to his stunning total with goals number 28 and 29 to make sure that Keenan, Larmer & Co. would get their victory. The triumph tied the Rangers with Toronto with a league-leading 61 points; New York has the National Hockey League's top winning percentage. Glad to Leave

"It was a difficult day over all," said Keenan. "It was a difficult week, knowing and anticipating I was coming here, for a lot of reasons. And I'll be glad to get on the plane back to New York."

Keenan did not get the ovation accorded Larmer, but he was applauded by the crowd when he walked to the visitors' bench at the start of the game. Then, too, there was the sign that one Chicago Stadium spectator hung from the upper level between the first and second periods. The bedsheet message offered the Chicago owner William Wirtz, General Manager Bob Pulford, Coach Darryl Sutter, right wing Brian Noonan and "a bag of pucks" in exchange for Keenan's return to Chicago.

Larmer's sign was simpler, but he was touched all the same. "We miss you," it read. "Good Luck Larms."

"Larmer should be out for a couple more weeks," said the Rangers' goaltender, Mike Richter, who stopped 32 of 33 Chicago shots for his 21st victory. "But, I'll tell you, the day after it happened, he was hobbling around the locker room saying, 'I think I'll be ready on the 16th.' "

Private and somewhat uncomfortable with the news media, Larmer insisted that his return had been blown out of proportion, that he was back because he felt able to play, not because this game happened to be in Chicago. No one believed him. It didn't help his case, either, when he acknowledged that he had the organization's "blessing" to play, but "not their clearance."

"I'm taking a risk," said Larmer, who had surgery to place pins in his finger just nine days ago. Larmer has practiced once with the team since the Jan. 5 injury and there is still obvious swelling in his hand.

"It wasn't really talking his way into the lineup," said Keenan, when asked how Larmer convinced the coach to let him dress tonight. "He just said he was playing."

And then Keenan smiled. Broadly. It was, perhaps, the first time Keenan had let down his guard in public in more than a week. The dreaded Chicago reunion had come to its conclusion. And he was going home with the best hockey team in the league.

Article written by Jennifer Frey. Published on January 16th, 1994 by The New York Times.

Bittersweet Homecoming for Keenan in Chicago.

It used to be his favorite National Hockey League city, a place filled with friends and family, the place he called home. Mike Keenan does not want to return.

Tonight, Keenan leads his Rangers into Chicago Stadium for what will most likely be New York's final game in the legendary arena, which will be replaced after this season. Dismissed by the Blackhawks in November 1992, Keenan is not the typical coach returning to the site of his previous job. There is a lot more to this.

When Keenan moved to Greenwich, Conn., after accepting the Rangers' head coaching job last spring, his wife, Rita, and his 14-year-old daughter, Gayla, did not join him. They remain in Chicago, and Mike and Rita Keenan are legally separated. And so Keenan, who has called the separation "the most difficult thing" he has faced in his life, is not looking forward to the pain and the memories associated with a trip to Chicago. Full House Expected

"It's the emotional aspect of it all," said Keenan, whose Chicago plans are limited to the game and dinner with his daughter. "It's not the one game. It's just one game out of 1,000-plus games in the N.H.L., but it has a lot of personal emotions for me."

Keenan left Chicago on awkward terms personally and professionally, and it will be interesting to see what kind of reception he receives from the crowd and some of the Blackhawk players whom he used to coach.

As a coach, then coach-general manager and then, simply, general manager in Chicago, Keenan brought out the best with some of his players, but he also wore out his welcome with some members of the organization. Although Keenan remains close to several Blackhawk players, he is known to harbor some animosity toward the organization.

Keenan appeared pleased when he was told that his return to Chicago with a first-place Rangers team has made tickets to the game scarce. "I hope they receive me well," Keenan said of the Chicago Stadium crowd.

"I think he'll be O.K.," said forward Greg Gilbert, who played under Keenan in Chicago before signing a free-agent contract with the Rangers last summer. "He should be well accepted. But you never know."

Gilbert will not get to play in his former building -- he made the trip with the team to Chicago, but a shoulder injury suffered in the Rangers' 5-2 victory over Philadelphia Friday night should keep him out the next few games. Larmer Hopes to Play

Still, Keenan may not be the only former Blackhawk making an emotional return to Chicago. Forward Steve Larmer practiced yesterday for the first time since fracturing a bone in his right hand on Jan. 5 and is anxious to play at Chicago Stadium tonight.

Larmer had surgery on his right pinky on Jan. 7 and was expected to miss four weeks, but he could be back on the ice just 3 games and 11 days after the injury.

"We'll make that decision tomorrow," Keenan said after practice yesterday afternoon at Rye Playland. "His hand is still pretty swollen. But he wants to play."

Like Keenan, Larmer did not leave Chicago under the best of circumstances. After spending 11 seasons with the Blackhawks, he sat out training camp and the first month of this season, demanding a change of scenery rather than a new contract.

He was traded to the Rangers in a three-way deal with Hartford on Nov. 2.

Larmer wants to go back and play one last game in Chicago Stadium, and it was he who requested a reevaluation of his injury in hopes of being medically cleared for tonight's game.

Keenan is the opposite. He'd probably be pleased to have an excuse to skip this weekend altogether.

"We all have to go back to someplace where we weren't wanted," said the Rangers' associate coach, Colin Campbell, who said Keenan is not talking much about his return to Chicago.

"When he's there, he's going to try to avoid it, get through it, and then he'll be glad it's over."

SLAP SHOTS

The Rangers' 5-2 victory over Philadelphia Friday night at Madison Square Garden snapped a three-game losing streak. MIKE GARTNER scored twice for the Rangers, including a short-handed goal that gave him 5 and the Rangers 14 for the season. Both numbers tie club records. . . . After the Blackhawks game, the Rangers return to New York to play the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night, then they go on a mini-vacation during the All-Star Game break.

Article written by Jennifer Frey. Published on January 15th, 1993 by The New York Times.

Richter's Confidence Melts Like Ice in July.

The first day he didn't dress for a Rangers game, Mike Richter arrived at Madison Square Garden prepared to play and found Corey Hirsch in the locker room and his own name absent from a posted lineup list. It was a surprise -- a shock, really -- and Richter had no idea how to make sense of it, his confidence already damaged by Roger Neilson's decision to pull him out of the goal after more than one shaky start.

Neilson, who lost his job as Rangers' head coach 12 days ago, often did things like that. He had a room full of players who believed they should be playing, and he let those who would not learn the news from a lineup posted on the locker room wall -- sometimes after the morning skate on game days. In Richter, he had a goalie who plays brilliantly when confident and erratically when not, and he responded to Richter's on-ice difficulties with confidence-killers. He banished him to the stands in favor of Hirsch (who never played a minute) and failed to talk to him for days.

With Mark Messier's blessing, Ron Smith runs the Rangers now. And the difference, to quote Rangers President Neil Smith, is that of emotion versus analysis. Neilson was "Captain Video," shuffling and reshuffling players and diagramming and rediagramming plays. Smith may scream "backcheck" from the sideline and run defensive drills in practice, but his greatest focus is on the energy level and the enthusiasm of the players.

He started with the simple things: Each player scratched for a game is informed in person and with an explanation by Smith. Goalies know their fate at least a day ahead of time. In a clubhouse often volatile because of lineup decisions, there is now something akin to peace.

But still there is Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck, and the continuing question of whom to play in goal. Next to the delicate relationship between coach and captain, Smith's efforts to create a calm, confident clubhouse face no greater challenge than that posed by the two goaltenders, particularly Richter.

Smith said from the beginning that he does not believe in a goaltending rotation. It is too difficult. Too disconcerting. Neilson always talked of a goaltender "stepping up" and staking a claim to the position; Smith seems to be demanding such a situation. And, at the moment, Vanbiesbrouck appears poised to seize the opportunity.

The job is Vanbiesbrouck's to lose. Richter had first crack -- he was given back-to-back starts against Ottawa and Philadelphia -- but he allowed three goals in the first period in Philadelphia and was pulled for the fourth time this year. Vanbiesbrouck allowed one goal in two periods that afternoon, held off a late Vancouver rally for a tie on Monday and faced a 51-shot barrage Wednesday night, when the Rangers rallied to beat the Capitals, 5-4.

He will be in goal tomorrow night, when New York meets the Canadiens in Montreal. Most likely, he will remain there until he plays poorly enough to give Richter a second chance. And that could require more than one lousy game. After all, Smith's decision to go with Vanbiesbrouck, even temporarily, has to do with more than a string of solid performances. In many ways, this is about confidence.

Vanbiesbrouck provides terrific play in the clutch, as he did in overtime against Vancouver, stopping a red-hot Pavel Bure on a breakaway. But his greatest asset -- at least at this point, as this team struggles -- has been his ability to remain unflappable even when faced with an early deficit. Never was this more clear then Wednesday at the Garden when, staked to a 3-1 lead, Capitals' forward Peter Bondra tried to up the advantage to 4-1 on a daunting breakaway. Vanbiesbrouck stopped him with barely a flinch.

As brilliant as he can be on the ice, Richter seems to lack that kind of confidence -- this season, at least. As his confidence has sagged, so too has his ability to recover from mistakes. This is why Richter has been pulled four times this season and Vanbiesbrouck only once, during the Rangers' dreadful New Year's Eve outing in Buffalo.

In Richter's case, it is not a punitive move. It is a safeguard. Neilson was never confident that Richter could recover from an early deficit and Smith's decision to take Richter out after a three-goal first period last Saturday seems to indicate he has made a similar assessment.

After Tommy Soderstrom put on a strong performance in net that day in Philadelphia, Smith spoke wistfully of the advantages of having a goaltender so steady that his teammates can play with the expectation that the big saves will be made. Wednesday night, he talked about Vanbiesbrouck in those terms.

"All teams react to a goalie's great play," Smith said. "The guy makes a great play and I think they get a feeling of security."

Swedens own Mr. Ingmar Bergman passed away today. He was 89 years old. I salute your long and eventful life. I leave you with a few silly images I created in photoshop, along with links to what I consider to be funny posts.

From the post entitled "The Swedish Chef Is A Blues Fan".

And from my first "Useless Photoshop Post".

If it indeed was your time, take solace in the fact that your life will forever be remembered all over the world. Here's to you brother.

The Real Berg's life in pictures.

Labels: 1918-2007, Ingmar Bergman

More (and better) coverage here: Covered In Oil, Earl Sleek, Lowetide, Eric McErlain.

One thing I'd like to add: This isn't all Kevin Lowe's fault. The owners must be blamed, or cheered depending on your view, for approving the offer sheets in the first place.

I'll be seeing you.

News broke earlier that The Brothers Staal, Eric and Jordan, were arrested after Erics bachelor party got out of hand. Eric McErlain over at the AOL's Sportsblog writes:

"UPDATE: I've just gotten hold of the official press release from the Sheriff, and the entertainment factor just went way up. As it turns out, the entire party was actually warned that if they didn't knock it off, they faced deportation from the United States:

On 07/21/07 at approximately 12:30 a.m. the Cook County Sheriff's Office received several complaints in the area of Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas. All complaints were similar in nature, and reporting the same incident; a group of approximately 20 people screaming, yelling, and playing loud music.

At approximately 12:50 a.m. Cook County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas. The suspects were warned multiple times to be quiet or they may be removed from the property, issued citations, arrested, and/or deported from the country. "

Deported from the country? HAHA! I know its standard procedure for da man to say to any foreign national getting arrested, but it sounds funny as hell. Well, at least they had a good time. Say what you wanna say about getting arrested, but have you ever heard of of people getting arrested during a bachelor party and NOT have fun?

Congratulations Pittsburgh and Carolina. Now you have a(nother) pair of hockey players that have been arrested.

As long as we are talking about arrested hockey players: remember when Sergei Fedorov got arrested..

"Detroit's star center, Sergei Fedorov, has been arrested on a charge of driving while impaired.

Fedorov was stopped early Sunday in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak after he was seen driving through a red light ''at a high rate of speed,'' according to the police.

The police said that Fedorov failed a field sobriety test, was arrested and agreed to a breath test, which revealed he had a .09 percent blood alcohol content, slightly under the state's limit of .10.

Fedorov was released on bond pending a court hearing no later than Oct. 3.
After practicing yesterday with the Red Wings, Fedorov refused comment. The Red Wings also declined comment. "

And Patrick Roy..

(Did they just stick his face into a Xerox machine or what?)

"Patrick Roy, the NHL's winningest goaltender, was arrested Sunday morning on investigation of domestic violence charges.

Officers went to Roy's Colorado residence after a "911 hangup call."

According to police, Roy and his wife had an argument at the residence. "

That's.. nice. Yes, nice. Those arrests are "cute". Those mugshots look all nice and cuddly don't they? As a Blues fan I feel that I am spiritually connected of THE GREATEST MUGHSOT OF ALL TIME. There's no hockey player involved, but oh lord are The Blues involved. Some of you who have read this blog before know that I love this picture.

Are you ready?

.....

....

...

..

.

This was taken in 1982, when Ozzy urinated at the Alamo in Texas.

Eric and Jordan, you have a long way to go before you become legends.

This has been Ingmar "W" Bergman for Bergman Shoots And Scores, Stockholm Sweden.

The Blues have traded prospect Carl Söderberg to Boston for goaltender Hannu Toivonen and signed Lee Stempniak to a 3 year contract, thus avoiding arbitration.

Blues obtain goalie to fight for No. 2 job.

I'm a bit unhappy about the Söderberg/Toivonen trade. Soderberg is one of Swedens most promising youngsters to come out of our broken youth program in a while. He really came around last season when his club Malmo were relegated to the 1st division. He had 39 points in 39 games in a league with teams that are comparable with lower end AHL clubs.

He helped Malmo get back to Elitserien and last season he surprised everybody by scoring 30 points in 31 games. Think of it as an 80 points season in the AHL. Until his eye injury he was in serious contention for the Swedish MVP trophy. Malmö are/were the New York Rangers of old in Sweden. They signed aging veterans for much money who stopped caring once they came to Malmö. Last year Söderberg, along with leading scorer Mikael Wahlberg, was the only one who seemed to give a damn.

Therefore, trading 6'3 Söderberg for Toivonen looks like a bad deal. Toivonen had promise a few years ago but last year he was terrible. He played in 18 games, going 3-9-1 with a 4.23 goals-against average. Sure, The Blues need another goalie but I don't think Toivonen is the answer.

JD said the team "is getting a prospect who's more advanced." What does that mean? Does he have more pubic hair than Soderberg?

Soderberg is expected to miss a few games this year as he's recuperating from his season-ending eye injury, but everything points to him being fully recovered. Toivonens groin on the other hand.. It seems a bit suspect to say the least.

The Bruins win this trade in my opinion (I bet that's something the Flames said when they selected Jesper Mattsson in 1993).

Stempniak gets new deal.

"..the Blues and Stempniak, the team's leading scorer last season, agreed to a three-year, $7.5 million contract and thus avoided arbitration. The deal will pay him $1.5 million in 2007-08, $2.5 million in 2008-09 and $3.5 million in 2009-10."

I think this is a fair deal. Stempniak had 27 goals and 52 points last season. He got better and better as the season progressed and I think he'll become a 30 goals 60 point player. He may have a hard time topping 70 points because of his skating. But he works hard and is a favourite of both the fans and Murray. If he klicks with Kariya he might score 35 goals during the remainder of this deal, although 30 seems more realistic.

I have no idea what kind of a releationship The Blues have with Tkachuk, but they sure do like him. After trading Tkachuk to the Thrashers late last season, they reaquired him by sending a conditional draft pick (previously aquired in the trade) for the rights to negiotiate with him. They signed him to a two year contract worth $8 million.

Maybe the plan is to trade him every year at the trade-deadline for prospects and draft-picks? That would be a great move if he wasn't playing for us up until then.

"Walt" is without a doubt one of the better americans to ever have played in the NHL, but lately he's been about as useful as a left-wing journalist working for Fox News. He's been injured and out of shape (although I admit that was two years ago) and his scoring touch seems to have evaporated. He scored 15 in 41 games in 05-06 and 20 in 61 games last year.

I would have preferred that they had used the $4 million to sign someone younger and healthier.

The Bergmanator 3000 says: 25 goals and 52 points in 69 games in 07-08.

The Blues made me a lot happier when they announced the signing of Paul Kariya. He's one of the leagues more well known names and he's a very talented player. He scored 85 points (31g+54a) in 05-06 and 76 (24+52) points last year. He signed a 3 year contract worth 18 million dollars. He could score 75+ points and maybe help Stempniak score 30 goals.

One thing that worries me though is that he's been injured every three years, and this is his third year if you go by that cycle. The cycle goes like this: 82g, 69g, 22g, 82g, 74g, 56g, 82g, 82g, 51g, 82g and 82g last year. Hopefully he'll be a healthy player this year.

The Bergmanator 3000 says: 77 points in 07-08.

Somewhere in this picture is the unnamed NHL player. That's the end of me talking about him.

Interview with an NHL Player, Part I
Interview with an NHL Player, Part II
Interview with an NHL Player, Part III

I just read that Ziggy Palffy has unretired and signed with Slovakian club Skalica. I know it's summer and all, but doesn't Palffy look a bit.. uhm.. Tkachukesque in those pictures?

It looks to me like Ziggy's been keeping one too many of them Twizzlers in his back pockets durings his retirement? Or maybe he's been in contact with Keith Tkachuk and his next NHL contract will be with the Blues?

Images and story courtesy of Brushback at the Sidearm Delivery. I'd love to hear Jes' take on Palffys weight since he loves them Slovaks (I'll stop using the word them from now on).

I'll be seeing you.

Hello. My name is Ingmar "W" Bergman and I'm a Blues fan. This is my new blog about The Blues. Here you'll see some lame attempts at humor, mostly involving Photoshop, and some even lamer attempts at something called analysis..es.

Let's call it poorly written stuff about hockey.

The Blues went ahead and signed themselves two of them Kariyas during the off-season. Paul (left), Steve Kariya (in the middle) and unknown-and-yet-unsigned Jebediah Kariya (right) pictured here during the annual Blues off-season Golf Tournament for charity called "There are Motherfucking Blues On The Motherfucking Golf Course Tournament".

I used to have a good thing going here but I blew it by getting addicted to Nintendo Wii and a job that took away a lot of my free time.

Oh, and I interviewed an unnamed NHL player that I said I would give proof of, so you'd know he wasn't a figment of my imagination. I have a photo of a certain bar here in Stockholm were I ran into him. After a few beers and a few hi's a ho's he said he had gotten cold feet and actually regretted a few things he said. Not saying them, but letting me publish them. A day or two later he popped up on the ole' Microsoft Messenger and said he regretted saying what he told me at the bar. I could sorta publish an image I had sent him because you could sorta tell its him, but if you don't have trained ninja eyes you also couldn't spot him right away.

He said there's Foppa, and now he'll be known as Flipp-Floppa. I laughed at that. He also laughed at how I looked. He never imagined I'd be a long haired hippie with a beard that would make the Niedermayers proud. I could post the image today but I'll post it in a few days.

You see I have lined up a few posts now so that I'll be posting a few posts in a row. I tried to make a comeback with the Johan Franzén is my idol post but I just couldn't do it. Therefore I have written a few posts but I haven't published them yet. But don't misunderestimate me. I'm Dubya Bergman. I'll be doing my best to make those of you who might've forgotten me remember me again.

It's great to be back! I love all of ya'll.

Yours sincerely, Ingmar "W" Bergman.