Bauer's New Skates

Hey Guys,


Long time no write,




What do you think of Bauer's new skates? They look a little bit more yellow then last years Total One. Would you want to buy these skates. I am sure they will be over $800. Just need to know about the new features.

Power Bands are Fake

I can now tell you first hand that Power Bands are a scam! They do not work what so ever and never will. Even though the people who made them say there is no scientific way it helps your performance. The whole power is in your head and it docent have any scientic way of improving your balnce, strength etc.


I am taking a week long break from blogging and will see you next week. 

Rumour Has It: Sam Gagner to the Leafs

Rumour has it Sam Gagner is going to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs and Oilers have reportedly been in trade tale over the course of the summer and this appears to be the one.

Steve Tambellini has said he has had trade talks recently and stated that they are not looking for a depth defence man the Leafs may want to trade to him.

The depth defenceman in question is Leafs blueliner Carl Gunnarsson. Him and Leafs center Tyler Bozak have been longly rumoured to pack their bags.

What do you think of this deal? If this happened who would win the trade? 

NHL Western Conference Predictions

Here are my predictions for the Western Conference. Only 1 day till the season starts!


15. Dallas Stars
Pro: None
Con: Losing Brad Richards will make the offence worse.

14. Phoenix Coyotes
Pro: Raffi Torres will help them be tougher.
Con: The goaltending goes down a notch after the Ilya Bryzgalov left.

13. Edmonton Oilers
Pro: Nugent-Hopkins will help the offence.
Con: Losing Sheldon Souray will hurt the PP.

12. Minnesota Wild
Pro: Gaining Heatley will help the worst offence.
Con: Losing Brent Burns will make the D a little easier to score on.

11. Colorado Avalanche
Pro: The goaltending will be better.
Con: Losing JM Liles will woresen the D.

10. Columbus Blue Jackets
Pro: Gaining Jeff Carter means the goals will pile in.
Con: Could of done with a 1st round pick.

9. Calgary Flames
Pro: New GM Feaster will help them after Sutter's days.
Con: Regehr will make the D worse.

8. Nashville Predators
Pro: Ryan Ellis will help the D.
Con: With no good 70-80 point producer offence may struggle.

7. St. Louis Blues
Pro: Arnott will help being a scorer.
Con: David Perron may not play much.

6. Anaheim Ducks
Pro: Ryan Getzlaf is back from injury which mean...... more goals.

5. Los Angeles Kings
Pro: Mike Richards will help on PP and PK.
Con: Losing Ryan Smyth and Wayne Simmonds means losing grit.

4. Detroit Red Wings
Pro: Ian White will fill Brian Rafalski's role nicely.
Con: Losing Rafalski sucks.

3. San Jose Sharks
Pro: Brent Burns will strengthen the D.
Con: Losing Heatley will suck.

2. Vancouver Canucks
Pro: Alex Edler will produce more.
Con: Losing Ehrhoff will mean losing big time PP guy.

1. Chicago Blackhawks
Pro: Mre toughness will help
Con: None.





And our pick for the Stanley cup is..................... Pittisburgh Penguins over the Chicago Blackhawks. 

NHL Eastern Conference Predictions

The NHL season gets kicks off Thursday and that means some predictions. There is a big twist with one of them.


15. Ottawa Senators
Pro: Jared Cowen will help them a lot on the backend.
Con: Injuries could hurt this team a lot.

14. Florida Panthers
Pro: Kris Versteeg will help them on offence.
Con: Don't have a true superstar which hurts any team.

13. New Jersey Devils
Pro: If Ilya Kovalchuck play well they will move up in the standings.
Con: Can Marty Broduer play like Tim Thomas?

12. New York Islanders
Pro: Mark Streit coming back from injury will help.
Con: Lack of #1 goalie hurts.

11. Winnipeg Jets
Pro: The crowd will act like a 7th player on ice.
Con: Losing Anthony Stewart hurts.

10. Carolina Hurricanes
Pro: Thomas Kaberle at the point is great for the PP.
Con: Losing Erick Cole gives away toughness.

9. Montreal Canadiens
Pro: Andrei Markov coming back from injury helps.
Con: If Scott Gomez sucks the Canadiens will to.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs
Pro: Tim Connolly will help Phil Kessel alot.
Con: If James ReIMER CANT PLAY A GOOD 50-60 GAMES, THE LEAFS CAN'T EITHER.

7. New York Rangers:
Pro: Getting Brad Richards helps on everywhere.
Con: If Gaborik sinks, so will the Rangers.

6. Buffalo Sabres
Pro: Getting Leino, Regehr, and Ehroff rocks.
Con: Ryan Miller must play good or else.........

5. Tampa Bay Lightning
Pro: Carter Ashton may make the jump which helps.
Con: Losing Gagne hurts.

4. Philadelphia Flyers
Pro: If Jagr rocks.....
Con: If Jagr or Giroux falls.......

3. Pittsburgh Penguins
Pro: With Malkin coming back they got a great playmaker.
Con: Sid the Kid may be out for a while.

2. Boston Bruins
Pro: Joe Corvo will help the PP.
Con: Who will replace Recchi.

1. Washington Capitals
Pro: Great off season helps.
Con: If Ovi falls again.....yikes.

Baseball Predictions

More playoffs more predictions. This year the AL and NL wildcards were hot but will the two teams dominate in the playoffs? Find out below.



New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers

Outcome: I really see Justin Verlander continuing a dominating performance against the Yanks. Him and Miguel Cabrera doing really well. The Tigers pitching is really good and I think they can beat the Yanks. The Yanks half to do well batting and pitching. Jeter and A-Rod have to play well for them to have a chance. I think the Tigers will win it in 4 games.



Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Outcome: I think the Rays will continue there amazing wild card come back against Boston and will find a way to win against Texas. Josh Hamilton has to do good but I project Evan Longoria to rise from star to superstar in this series. I think Tampa has the edge here.



Philadelphia Phillies vs. Saint Louis Cardinals

Outcome: The Phillies pitching is to good to not win this series. If the sees goes 4 games the Phillies have Roy Halladay, Clif Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels playing very good. Albert Pujols might find a gap in their pitching one game but that it. Philly takes in 4.


Arizona Diamond-Backs vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Outcome: Ryan Braun and Price Fielder are the decision makers in this series. I think they will both do well. Aaron Hill's batting average has been way better with the D-Backs then with the Jays. I think the Brewers win in 4.


Who do you think will win? Tell me in the comments.     

Winter Classic 2012 is in Philly!

The NHL Winter Classic 2012 is heading to Citizen Bank Ball Park in Philadelphia where the Philadelphia   Flyers will host the New York Rangers who are division rivals since 1974. The game will be held on January 2nd at 1 pm.

HBO is also coming back for a 24/7 with both teams. I think Scott Hartnell will be very funny on the show because of his cool personality. HBO did a good job at providing fans with an in-depth look at what happens inside the locker room and out. The whole thing was very entertaining.

  This Flyers jersey looks really cool and I think would be good fit for the team. The orangey colour is a great choice with the cool writing.


Do you think this Winter Classic ill be the greatest. If not what match up was your most favourite. Mine was The Caps against the Pens. Put your answer below in the comments.

NHL 12 Review

NHL 12 has come out but does it really bring the feel of real hockey?




NHl 12 has added new features which some are really good where as others are okay here I will go over them and then grade them.



FULL CONTACT PHYSICS ENGINE:

Now the game gets even more real with this cool new feature. You can pop helmets off, hit an opposing player into a bench or even break the glass with a bone jarring hit. The Full Contact Physics Engine or FCPE for short delivered something that a hockey video game needs to have. The FCPE made the game feel more realistic then before with these hits. Overall this feature added something EA lack in NHL 12.

Full Contact Physics Engine:    A-


Balance Control

I think this feature was Ea's best add. In NHL 11 I was tired of seeing a 5 foot 10 defenceman nail a 6 foot 2 forward. The new balance control adds more realism that EA lacked with NHL 11. Now if the other team hits me I can still keep my balance and create a good scoring chance instead of getting nailed and falling to the ice. This feature I found worked well to give each team more scoring chances then NHL 11. Also I am not saying there are no big hits but just less and more added feel for the game.


Balance Control: A+




Anticipation A.I 


Were you tired of your players going to where the puck is or was and not being smart and going to where it will be? I was and this addition really helped the overall gameplay. Breakout passes are easier because players now realise that offence is now and they change from D to O quicker. Defence is easier and interceptions happen more which creates more counter attacks. This feature was really helpful in creating more chance for your team.



Anticipation A.I.:    A-



GOALIE CONTACT

Goalie contact is better then ever. Now you can create more chaos in the crease then before and knock the net out of the moorings, hit the goalie and even fight a goalie. But dont hit the goaile too much or you will get a penalty. This feature is very fun and I like creating crease chos with my power forwards and this delivered my wish. On the powerplay I like to get the puck to the D and get screens in the net for deflections and this worked well for that. This is another great feature.


Goalie Contact:  A





BE A PRO AND BE A LEGEND

Be a Pro: This feature has drastically improved with the new simulation shift feature. In NHL 11 I made my player play the whole game because I didn't want to leave to the bench and site there for 1 minute. Now you can sim up to your next shift which is way funner. You can also get coaches tasks where you try to complete a certain task. This feature also lets you play 4 seasons in the CHL and then make your way to the NHL.


Be a Pro:    B+


Be a Legend: Who wants to be Patrick Roy on the team of your choice? Now you can do that with him Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Ray Bourque and more. This feature is a very fun one but too much reminds me of Be a Pro. Maybe next year you could go back in time and play with Gretzky on the Oilers with Messier and Co. Now that would be very cool.

Be a Legend:    B


Overall: NHL 12 is the best hockey game to date and has very exciting new features. I hope you enjoyed my review.





NHL 12:    A+++++++++++++++++

Nhl 12 Review Coming!

Hey Guys,


Today has been a busy day for me with football and hockey so lets cut to the chase.

I have been wondering if you readers like 4-6 small posts a week like this or 2-3 large posts a week. Just answer in the comments and I will decide over the comments.

NHL 12 the video game has just been released and that is good news for us hockey fans. I will do a review either Sunday or Monday on the big game. Of all the new gameplay features I sure like the new Be A Pro Mode which I think looks sweet.


My server is rejecting any photos now but if you have seen the new case, what do you think of it. Is it EA's best or worst? Tell me in the comments.

Black or White Hockey Tape?

White or Black Hockey Tape? All hockey fans have faced that decision before. Do I go with white or with black? First we need to record the advantages of both tapes.


Black: Black tape makes it harder for the defencemann or goalie to see the puck somewhat and may lose sight of the puck for a second. Also players can see their blade better because with white tape it blends in with the ice and may be harder to see. Black is easier to see the blade. But also if you ask a goalie if it makes a difference on which tape the player uses he or she will say there is no difference.



White: White tape gives "elite stickhandlers" the ability to see the puck better than with black tape because it gets the puck sometimes is hard to see with black tape on the blade. Also defenders may lose sight of the blade as it camouflages in with the ice.


3 of the top 5 goal leaders in the 2010-11 have used white tape. This is an actual fact. Only Ryan Kesler and Jarome Iginla are the only players to wear black tape on their blades. So is there really and advantage between black or white tape? Lets let the goalies decide.


Next time your looking for tape remember, there is no right or wrong, only black or white.

Alex Ovechkin with Nike!

 Alex Ovechkin has signed a long term deal with Nike.

"I can confirm Alex has signed a long term global partnership with Nike." Ovechkin's IMG agent David Abrutyn said. " Alex is going to be supporting all of the products Nike makes - apparel, footwear, performance apparel,  casual wear, accessories and other elements of the Nike family of products. So he will be wearing their performance product when he's playing and practising, when he's training and in his lifestyle."

When news leaked that Ovie would leave CCM most people dis speculate Bauer over Warrior or Reebok.

Ovechkin has a press conference on September 6th, where he is expected to announce he will be endorsing Bauer gear.

On Bauer's website : http://www.bauer.com/  Yellow laces are on Bauer APX skates and the writing says " This Year Will Be Different".

Will we be seeing him in APX over Crazy Lights?

Favourite Photo of the Week

Sorry about not posting yesterday, I am at a hockey camp 9 am - 5 pm so I was pooped last night. Any way here is todays photo.

What do you think of Sherwood's new stick? I really dig the blue on the shaft and I think besides that the graphics are still cool. Players like Bobby Ryan will be using it so why not you. The only place right now you can buy it is at Pro Hockey Life until early November where it will be at other stores. It will have the same fibbers from top to bottom. It is also very light. The price is $189.99 here in Canada which means it is very expensive but offers great value.

What do you think would you buy this stick over a Easton, Bauer, CCM, or Reebok stick?

Easton EQ 40 Stick Review

I recently got the Easton EQ 40 stick and it is the best stick I have ever had. I will tell you some of the features and then what I thought about it.


Shaft: Hybrid Kevlar - wrapped shaft for impact protection and vibration dampning.

Flex: The Flex is towards the bottom for a low kick point on the shaft. I have a 65 flex.


Grip: Slight sticky felling.


Blade: Focus Weight Technology - [10 grams] Redistributes weight to impact area to control hard passes and make the puck stick like glue.

Multi Rib and Micro Bladder blade adds durability and strength to the blade.


My Thoughts:

The stick is very lightweight and easy to grip. My power has really improved with this stick and so has my accuracy. I couldnt really feel the Focus Weight Technology working but the stick is still really good the stick is very durable. The stick had excellent hitting power and was really good with wrist shot and snapshots.

Overall: It is a really sweet stick and is the best in the $100-$150 range of sticks. Way better than the Warrior Vandal.

I hope you enjoyed my review and I will be back on Monday for more hockey news.

Warrior Vandal Review

Hey Guys,


I am getting a new hockey stick on Friday so I thought I could do a review on my current stick. My current stick is the Warrior Vandal.  It is a low priced stick with good technology that I will tell you about:

Blade: Soft-Core blade resist torque but allows for improved fell of the puck.


Grip: Rubber like feel


Shaft: Precision Taper focuses energy at lower quarter for easy load and release.
        
          Composite Deluxe internal construction increases fiber strand content for more durability.



Junior:

Flex: 50

Patterns: Draper, Kovalchuck, Savard


Intermediate:

Flex: 70

Patterns: Draper, Kovalchuck, Savard


Senior:

Flex: 100, 85

Patterns: Draper, Kovalchuck, Savard, Kovalev, Gionta, Vanek


The stick was light enough for me and had great hitting power. The stick was also very durable for me. Overall it was a great stick with a great price.

By the way, I will not be back until Friday because I am going camping so I will miss some blogposts but I will give a review of whatever stick I do get.

Rumour: Ovie with Bauer

There is a rumour going around that Alex Ovechkin may decided to go with Bauer this season instead of CCM. Take this with a grain a of salt because CCM has just started there new campaign with Ovie gear and it would be weird if he switched so soon. The only way to tell is when training camp starts.


My picture downloader wasn't working but I am sure we all know what Ovie's face looks like.

Sports News of the Week

This has been a very cool week in sports so the news is top-notch.

NHL= The NHL's Research and Development camp is taking place at the Mastercard Centre in Toronto. For those of you who don't know what that is it is when team officials decide over new rule changes to make the game more safe and exciting. The officials get a bonus by watching top prospects perform the rule changes. Some of the new rules may be:


1. One Touch Icing: When the other team dumps the puck without passing the centre ice redline. As soon as the puck passes the far goaline there is a whistle and icing has occurred instead of where two players race after the puck and if the defending team touches it then icing has occurred. Lots of injuries happened on those 1 on 1 battles.


2. Remove the trapezoid behind the goalie.That was pretty much useless.


3. Instead of after a 5 minute 4 on 4 overtime there is a shootout there will be a 3 on 3 overtime.

I think all of them are good ideas.

  NFL:


The NFL Preseason has started after the lockout and there were many interesting games with comebacks and amazing moments. Everyone is happy to have football back.

NBA: 


The Chinese Basketball Association has announced they will not let NBA players on contract to play on there teams but will still let free agents too. Just a cool fact.


The news this week was really cool. Hope you enjoyed it.  

Part 3- Nutrition

Time for Part 3 in my series of conditioning for athletes. Today's topic is Nutrition. What good is an athlete when he eats junk food all day. You need lots of protein and electrolytes to get lots of energy.

Cheese is also a great food for protein and so is different types of meat. If we dont have lots of food and protein our body's will burn down and we will have no energy to play the sports we love. Check out this link down here for nutrition with trainer Gary Roberts :     http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/41223-Gary-Roberts-The-importance-of-nutrition-in-hockey.html

I read the article and have to say I enjoyed it very much.

 Power Bars are great before or after games to provide or replace the energy you need for a great game. There are different types of Power Bars but I will soon provide a home made recipe for a power bar which provides you with energy and still tastes great. Yummmmm!!!



Bananas provide potassium which is a must for athletes. Banana's are one of my favourite foods because they are healthy and taste great.


Which food do you eat before you play sports for energy? Power Bars, apples or something else? Tell us in the comments.

New Schedule!

I have decided that I will create a new design for my blog. I will have a new schedule and design for my blog because I have been losing readers and I am not afraid to admit it. For now on I will put up more pictures and videos . First I will start with a new schedule so you readers know when I will post instead of waiting for me to post.

I will post 3-4 times a week on this schedule below.

Monday: Hockey- Anything on the lines of hockey.


Tuesday: Off Day


Wednesday : Top 10, Photo of the Week, Battle or a book, movie , video game review based on sports.


Thursday: Off Day


Friday: Top Sports Stories of the Week


Saturday: Sports Rumours = trades, free agent signings, stuff like that.


Sunday: Off Day




How do you like the new schedule? Tell me in the comments what you think. 

Photo of the Week

Hey guys,

Since the new NHL season is coming what do you think about the new Tampa Bay Lightning new jersey and logo? It kind of reminds me of the Toronto Maple Leafs with a Detriot Red Wings vibe. Does  anyone agree with me?

The black jersey above was their old home jersey. Do you like that look better than the new look or is the new look way better. As always sound off in the comments below on which you think is a better jersey and which other current teams logo reminds you of the new look.

This is the new home jersey.

This is the new away jersey.

Part 2- Hydration

This is my second part in my 4 part series of sports conditioning for athletes. Today we will be talking about hydration. You can't be dehydrated and still expect to perform your best in any given physical activity. You must be full of fluids to replace all the sweat that you are losing during a tough game. When you do not have enough fluids in your body you become weak and tired and can not perform 110%.


Some of you may know that you can survive a week without food but you can only survive 2-3 days without fluids. Fluids make our body run well and help us in many activities. Without fluids our body will shut down and die.

You may here me say fluids a lot but I don't mean erik Coca Cola when playing hockey! Gatorade and water are the best things to drink well doing a sport.

Most people should drink 1-2 litres of water/gatorade 2 hours before game time. When on the bench drink quick large sips of water.

Gatorade is very good for the elite athlete because it replaces the fluids and energy you are losing well doing a physical activity. But water is better than Gatorade so that should be your first choice over any energy drink.

Lastly I found a great article on hydration at this link : http://builtforhockey.com/one-reason-why-youre-not-playing-your-best/

I hope you enjoyed my post.