He’s been doing this for the last eighteen years. Since 2008, Shaver has climbed that same ladder and across a wooden bridge that looks like it could collapse if you took a bad step. After one sharp right turn and about thirty feet later, a high-top chair, a headset and a monitor wait for him. He happily adds to the clutter, as he props up spot sheets, team notes, and ad reads among other things.

On the surface, if you were a Chicago Wolves fan watching this game versus the Texas Stars on FOX+ Chicago or AHLTV, one of your thoughts would probably be that the play-by-play announcer sounds like he has found his calling; as if this has been his destiny his entire life.

While that first part may be true, the second part is anything but.

Shaver is a third-generation sports broadcaster, as his father, Wally, still calls the University of Minnesota’s hockey games on radio, while his grandfather, Al, is in the Hockey Hall of Fame for the work he did with the Minnesota North Stars since they joined the NHL in 1967. Jason was initially uninterested in the idea of being like his father and grandfather.

“When you’re a kid, your first thought isn’t to follow in your father’s footsteps,” Shaver said. “The free games were always nice, but broadcasting never occurred to me.”

Most home Wolves games have the same routine: Shaver and his broadcast partner, color analyst Bill Gardner, have an opening segment where they share their initial thoughts on the matchup taking place. What follows is the in-arena pregame intro, starting lineups, and Chicago legend Wayne Messmer’s rendition of the National Anthem. By then, Jason and Bill are back at their posts, with Bill’s setup mirroring Jason’s, as the tightness of the broadcast space doesn’t allow them to sit next to each other.

Now, it’s no surprise that Jason grew up around the sport of hockey. Not only was it a part of his family bloodline, but he played hockey his entire childhood, even while attending Augsburg University. After some time away from the sport, he eventually decided to put a headset on and give play-by-play a try.

“To my surprise, I actually really enjoyed it,” Shaver said. “I mean, I had to have enjoyed it. Look where I am today!”

He enjoyed it so much that leading into the summer before he graduated, he started bringing a tape recorder to games, some of which he wasn’t even scheduled to call, even practicing doing ad reads.

“If I messed something up, I would have to cut it and do it all over again,” Shaver said. “Welcome to the 90s.”

Jason eventually landed a job in Waterloo calling games for their United States Hockey League team (the Black Hawks), as well as their Northwoods League Baseball team (the Buck). Play-by-play wasn’t the only thing he had to do, though, as he was also the Director of Communications and Public Relations for both clubs. Using his tapes, he got his foot in the door, much like someone he unknowingly emulated and was his eventual predecessor. Pat Foley got his start with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 80s by constantly sending his tapes to their offices consisting of games he called in the stands while at Michigan State. Sandwiched in his two stints with the Blackhawks, he was the voice of the Wolves—during which they won the Calder Cup in 2008.

Shaver’s path to the Wolves was complicated, working for teams some of which are now defunct, while also having to do sales, communications, marketing, and anything else that could be deemed ‘front office.’ He even substituted the ice rink for the larger pitch and called soccer for one summer. With each new team, the other responsibilities slowly started to diminish. Now, with the Wolves, his duties outside of broadcasting are voicing TV commercials, helping with social media and website content; still mostly amenities that fall under the entertainment category.

Gardner on the other hand has been with the Wolves since 2002. He worked with Pat Foley during his time with the Wolves and played for the Blackhawks when Foley began broadcasting for them. When hearing Shaver and Gardner on the call in the present day, their chemistry is palpable, almost as if they’ve been working together since 2008:

“The Stars are currently outshooting the Wolves eight to three,” Shaver recalls after a TV timeout in the middle of the first period, still no score on the board.

“I think the shots are updated now,” Gardner replies. “Wolves have six.”

“…you’re ahead of me then, Bill,” Shaver says with a smirk, which is immediately followed by Gardner’s uncontrolled laughter.

Even with the better part of a decade worth of broadcasting experience coming to Rosemont, Shaver still finds ways to reshape his craft.

For seven seasons, while still with the Wolves, Shaver was a fill-in play-by-play for the Chicago Sky, despite the fact that he had barely called basketball before. Instead of calling it a downgrade from hockey, he used it as one of his best learning experiences.

“When you don’t know a sport as well, you tend to use your color analyst as a learning tool,” said Shaver. “Not only are the fans educated, but so are you.”

Working with Gardner, he’s learned how and when to hand over the torch: “I’ve learned over time to focus on the black and white, which is what the play-by-play should be doing anyway,” Shaver said. “If Bill complains about a call, I don’t have to do the same.”

Sometimes, the line is crossed for a brief period, as Shaver asked, “when are they going to listen to their coaches?” in response to a Wolves forward electing to pass the puck instead of taking the open shot while they were down 2-0.

Other times, it’s understanding the world you’re living in and knowing your audience. Families usually tune into Wolves games, so when noting that two centers who had a faceoff percentage of 67% were going to duel in the dot late in the game, he reluctantly followed it up with, “the kids will like the ‘six-seven’ reference, the Wolves would like a goal.” They wouldn’t get another one, as they surrendered an empty net goal one minute later, and lost to the Texas Stars 3-1.

In eighteen seasons, he has seen it all. He’s watched the Wolves fanbase grow from individual diehard fans into mostly families with children, a change that he says still brings the same energy inside Allstate Arena. He’s seen the American Hockey League shift from a ‘rough and tough,’ ‘brouhaha’ infested league into a league where any line any team puts out has the same skill set. His calls bring all different facets of energy and meaning. One minute, he’s calling a random scoreless regular season game a “[Amir] Miftakhov show early in this hockey game!” The next, he’s calling the final seconds of the Calder Cup Final: “They reclaim their championship glory! The Chicago Wolves are the 2022 Calder Cup Champions, and the celebration is under way!” 

Through it all, win or lose, Shaver loves his job so much that he doesn’t consider calling games a job: “The actual job is preparing for the game; then you get to watch a hockey game for free!”

To his point, if you’re doing what you love, should it ever feel like a job? For Jason, no matter how difficult the game prep is, or how tedious the broadcast setup can be, or even how high of a climb it is on the ladder, he can let it all go from the first countdown to open the show until the moment he closes, bidding you a farewell. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The post Calling for Free appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Some 2300 kids, droning and buzzing like worker bees, shrieked with every goal, every scuffle, and every “67” reference, which there were a lot of.

Though the puck dropped at 10:30 a.m., as concession stands were closed and their metal folding windows were fastened shut, it felt like a playoff game.

“It’s just amped up like crazy,” Jen Van Otterloo, a third grade teacher at Heritage Christian School in North Liberty, said.

“The Best Field Trip Ever”, the Iowa Heartlanders’ theme for their December 10th game, turned into one of the best hockey games that most of the kids had probably ever watched. The Heartlanders took down the Kansas City Mavericks 5-4 in a dramatic overtime thriller, complete with momentum swings, fights, and brilliant goals.

“Kids for some reason, bring the energy tenfold,” Heartlanders superfan Marc Korver said.

Amongst a sea of mostly black, gray, and gold, Korver stuck out not only for his age (decidedly not in grade school) but also his outfit.

Green and white striped zebra pants. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hockey sweater. A half dozen bead necklaces and chains, some in team colors, some adorned with letters spelling out words like “puck” and “goal”. Yellow and black dreadlocks, and to cap it off, a backwards gray Heartlanders cap with antlers sticking out on either side. 

“More well known as the Antler Man” he said after introducing himself, then turned away from us. “116! Let me hear you! Let’s go!”

The 300 plus grade schoolers in the section began screaming in response.

“I think of just the enthusiasm of the crowd and the home team, the community it builds,” Shari Bozorgzad, the head of St. Vincent’s School in Keokuk, said. “They’re so excited.”

A few students were hockey buffs. Others were there watching their first ever game. All of them instinctively knew what to do.

When a Mavericks player went to the penalty box, they banged on the glass incessantly. With every bone crushing check, they cheered with a bloodlust that straddled the line between endearing and troubling.

There were homemade signs scattered throughout the crowd. Some on posterboard, some on scrolls of paper.

One banner said “Hartlanders” in kid handwriting with alternating yellow and black letters. Later during the game, each of the five kids holding it up received a black t-shirt. Another sign said “St. Vincent’s ♡s the Heartlanders”.

When we asked the St. Vincent’s students what their favorite part of the game was, the response was unanimous down the line: the fights. That sentiment was shared by the Heritage Christian kids as well.

Nobody dropped the gloves, but there were shoving matches, trips, slashes, interferences, and headlocks. Every time, the kids ate it up.

“It was a great environment and I think the guys really fed off that,” Chuck Weber, Iowa’s head coach and general manager, said.

But because they were still technically in school, the kids were at the mercy of the school day. When some groups began filing out in the third period to catch their bus home, Kansas City seized the advantage with two goals in 13 seconds to tie the game at 4-4.

“I’m almost worn out with these kids,” Korver told us before the start of the third period.

But as the game went to overtime and his section remained mostly intact, he found a second wind, leading “Lets go Landers” chants as if he was the conductor of an orchestra.

With kids jumping to their feet and screeching, then falling back into their seats after every missed shot, the chaos reached its peak with a snapped stick and a counterattack led by Heartlanders forward Elliot Desnoyers.

In the final minute of overtime, he surged down the right wing, took the puck across his body, and slotted it past Mavericks goaltender Jack LaFontaine to win the game for Iowa. 

He then dropped to one knee and glided across the ice towards Korver and the students, who pounded against the plexiglass in celebration.

The Heartlanders entered the day undefeated in morning games throughout their franchise’s five years and counting of operation. They kept it intact with a little help from the next generation of hockey fans.

“These kids are awesome,” Korver said. “They need to come all the time.”

The post The Iowa Heartlanders Field Trip Experience appeared first on KRUI Radio.

There were flyers posted in the entryway of the restaurant and all over this side of Waupun. We even gave

Piggly Wiggly, the only grocery store in town, flyers to place in all the bags and there are posters on both sets of doors.

Logan never showed up at my place once we left End of the Trail two weeks ago. Olivia and I waited an hour for her, calling and texting her with no responses. Eventually, we went back to the coffee shop to see if she was still there, but all we found was her car with the door thrown open.

The minute we saw this, we called the police. We went in for questioning right away but ever since they let us go, we’ve been kept in the dark.

Our food arrives and we try to eat it, but everyone keeps staring at us. People always look at us with pity in their eyes. We are the friends of the missing girl. And for a small town, you can’t escape it. Once the word is out, it’s out. Nothing can get it back in.

Everyone thinks we have something to do with her disappearance–that we helped her run away and this is all a hoax. But, let me tell you, it’s not. This is real. This actually happened. One of my best friends is missing and all anyone can do is stare.

It doesn’t help that we are at the restaurant she worked at. The waitresses are all acting differently towards us. They think we know everything that is happening within the investigation, even though that’s not the case.

Olivia and I can’t take the staring anymore, so we ask one of the waitresses for the check and some boxes and we head back to Olivia’s place. I’m pretty sure everyone in Helen’s Kitchen was happy to see us leave.

Her kitchen is painted light yellow with white cabinets and wood flooring throughout. There is an island with bar stools and a little table in the corner of the room that is surrounded by windows, which is where we always sit. Her mom walks in just as we finish our dinner.

Mrs. Bennett looks just like Olivia, with her long ginger hair and green eyes. They are even of the same height. She teaches chemistry at the high school, while Mr. Bennett works for the city in the Parks and Recreation department. Even though they don’t seem like they would know much about what’s happening within the town, they usually know the most gossip. And today is no different.

“It’s a Friday night; don’t you guys want to go out? Isn’t there a hockey game you can go to?” she asks us while taking her coat off.

“Now why would we go to that? I have never been to a hockey game in my life, why would I start now?” Olivia replies.

“Maybe you should try it. Get a change of scenery. You can’t keep waiting by the phone for news about Logan. I know how important she is to you, but the police have it handled.”

“Handled? They haven’t given a single update since she’s gone missing! It seems like she low priority or something! And I’m not hanging out by the phone. I just don’t like sports.” Just then, Mr. Bennett enters the kitchen from the living room.

“Are you talking about Logan?” he joins the conversation.

“Yeah, have you heard anything yet?” Olivia asks him.

“The police are bringing in Travis Reynolds for questioning. Apparently those two have been texting and he might know something about her whereabouts. Did you guys know that they’ve been talking?”

“We knew that they’ve been talking for a while, but we don’t know what their conversations consisted of. Do you think he had something to do with her disappearance?” I ask him.

“I don’t know. But I do think he could know something that you guys didn’t. Even if it’s something basic, at this point anything will help.”

“So they haven’t found out anything else? Like possible suspects or possible whereabouts of where she is being kept?” Olivia asks her parents.

“So far, they only have Travis Reynolds. But at least that’s something right? Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure the police will have some hard evidence soon,” Mrs. Bennett says.

“Why hasn’t any of this been in the news? You’d think the news casters would be all over it,” I ask.

“I think they want to get some proof before they tell the world what they have found,” Mrs. Bennett replies.

“Or it’s just because Waupun sucks and they don’t want to try to ruin a reputation of the city which wasn’t that high in the first place,” Olivia snaps back.

“Olivia, it’s not that. They just don’t want everyone to worry about something until they can give them definite answers,” Mr. Bennett says, “Now, stop worrying. You’ll hear of something soon.”

Olivia and I relocate to her bedroom to watch The Godfather. Her parents are going out with some friends for dinner and have already left. She was chilling on her bed and I was at her desk, when I looked out the window and saw an envelope stuck to it.

“Hey, Liv, how long has that been there?”

“How long has what been where?”

“That envelope in your window, was it there when we came up here?”

“I’m not sure.” She rolls off her bed and opens the window to grab the envelope. Written on it, in black sharpie, was her name. She opens it and pulls out a scrap of paper. Written in the same black sharpie as the front, and in all caps, were the words: She’s Alive.

The post Pieces of the Puzzle- Prison City Keeps Quiet appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In the 2015-2016 NHL season, there are quite a few defenseman worthy of the trophy.  In this article, I take a look at 3 of these defenseman that I believe most deserve the Norris Trophy and why each one deserves it.

Erik Karlsson- Ottawa Senators

A familiar face on the end of the season contenders for the Norris Trophy, Erik Karlsson is the embodiment of an offensive defenseman.  Karlsson is a two time Norris Trophy winner, in 2012 and 2015.  This season is much of the same for Karlsson, who is leading the entire NHL with 64 assists.  And yes, that includes forwards as well as defenseman.  It is no surprise that Karlsson also leads all defenseman with 80 points.  A point per game as a defenseman is incredibly tough to do, but year after year it is Karlsson who is able to hit that mark or come close to it.  However, Karlsson is not the best defender in the league.  The Senators struggled this year, and Karlsson finished with a +/- of -3 which is not terrible by any means, especially considering he averaged over 29 minutes a game.  What he lacks in defensive ability, he more than makes up for offensively.

The Norris Trophy winner is so often won by the top point scoring defenseman.  So if Karlsson is going to win it for a third time and second time in a row, it will be heavily influenced by his offensive numbers paired with his average time on the ice per game.

Drew Doughty- Los Angeles Kings

It is amazing to me that Drew Doughty has yet to win a Norris Trophy in his career.  However, I am sure he will tell you his two Stanley Cup rings are much more important.  Doughty represents everything a team could want in a defenseman because he is so good all around.  In a great bounce back year for the Kings, Doughty has 51 points in 80 games and has a +/- of 25.  He also averages about 28 minutes per game.  Doughty does it all for the Kings, and has been doing so since his first year with the team in the 2008-2009 season.  He does not put up the offensive stats that a defenseman like Karlsson does, which has contributed to why he has not won the Norris in his career.  However, Doughty is a perfect hybrid because he does have good offensive ability but is as defensively sound as they come.

For Drew Doughty to win his first Norris Trophy, those voting will have to put points in the back seat and see what else Doughty excels at – which is everything.  Doughty may never win the Norris because he plays for a defensive minded team in the Kings, and his offensive stats reflect that.  However, with seasons like this Doughty will always be a strong candidate.

Kris Letang- Pittsburgh Penguins

The last player that I choose for this article was a tough one.  But in the end, I went with the defenseman that I felt was most important to his teams’ success.  With that in mind, I chose Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Letang and the Penguins are enjoying a lot of regular season success.  Letang has been the go-to-guy on the blue line for the Penguins for a long time now, and this season was no different.  After dealing with injuries last season and into the off-season, Letang only has 70 games played this season but has been more than efficient in them.  Playing 70 games this season, Letang 50 assists and 66 points, good for third highest among defenseman.  He also has a +/- of 7 and averages just under 27 minutes per game.  While Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin get the spotlight in Pittsburgh, Letang’s success and importance cannot be overlooked and he proved this season that when he is on the ice, the Penguins are worlds better.

For Letang to win the Norris Trophy, Letang’s impact on the team when he plays must be highlighted.  He has quite an injury history, but in seasons like this where he plays most of the game Letang is almost a point per game defenseman with good defensive abilites to go along with his scoring.

Who Should Win?

If it were up to me, Drew Doughty would be the Norris Trophy winner.  He fits the all-around defensive play that the trophy strives to award and in my opinion, he is the best defenseman in the league.

Who Will Win?

I believe that Erik Karlsson WILL win the trophy.  The league tends to favor defenseman who put up a high number of points, and I think Karlsson has had too good of an offensive season for that trend to stop.  While I may not believe he deserves it again this season, Karlsson is easily one of the best defenseman in the league and will be a top three finalist for the award for years to come.

The post Breaking Down the Norris Trophy Race appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The first round pick is expected to be either that of St.Louis or the New York Islanders first round picks, whichever pick is lower.  Buffalo owns both teams first round picks.

After missing a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Kane was reportedly involved in a disagreement with teammates.  Kane showed up to a team meeting in a track suit, which breaks the suit and tie dress code of the team, and afterwards, Kane’s teammate Dustin Byfuglien threw the track suit into a locker room shower.

Only days after the incident, Kane opted to have shoulder surgery.  The surgery will sideline Kane for 4-6 months and he will miss the remainder of the season.

With the character and health issues to Kane, it seemed the return for the Jets would be an unfavorable one.  However, bringing in Myers and a first round pick shows that Kane’s value was still high.

Myers, a 25-year-old former Calder trophy winning defenseman, gives the Jets a boost to their defenseive end this season and for seasons to come.  Although his stats have seen a decline in recent years, the 6’8 Myers still has a lot of potential to become a top defender in the NHL, especially now that he is away from the poor situation in Buffalo.

Acquiring forward Drew Stafford provides the Jets with a good fill-in for the loss of Kane. Stafford, now in his 9th season, spent his entire career with Buffalo.  And having him on the wing will provide the Jets with the forward depth that they will need in order to make it out of the Western Conference.

Another big asset to the trade is the first round pick that Winnipeg is receiving.  Although it will be a late first round pick, the Jets are still getting another first round talent in their system to go along with Lemieux and Armia, the other prospects acquired in the trade.

Although the return for the Jets is highly regarded, one cannot undermine the potential that Evander Kane has to become a prominent forward in the NHL for Buffalo.

The Sabres will be without Kane for the rest of this season, but the team hopes that the former 4th overall pick in 2009 draft will reach his potential with his move to Buffalo.

After scoring 30 goals in the 2011-2012 season, the first season after the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, Kane has failed to reach that mark again.  He was not on pace to do so this season as he finished with 10 goals before the surgery.

Buffalo is currently dead last in the league, and many expect the Sabres to get the number one pick in the NHL draft. Expected number one pick, center Connor McDavid, could be on his way to Buffalo.  If that were the case, Kane could benefit greatly from the playmaking ability of McDavid, and the two young forwards could become a dominant force in the league.

Along with Kane, Buffalo is also getting a proven young defender from the Jets in Bogosian.  At 24-years-old, Bogosian has struggled to stay healthy but has been with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise since he was drafted by the franchise 3rd overall in 2008.

As with all trades, the winner cannot be determined shortly following the player swap.

Buffalo is getting a couple of young pieces which could fit perfectly into their rebuild and future of the franchise.  If Evander Kane can become the player that many expected him to be, Buffalo will have a top line winger for the future.

Winnipeg on the other hand is getting the best of both worlds, with youth for the future and ready-now players that will contribute to their playoff success if the team gets in.

For more hockey news, tune in to Center Ice every Monday from 12-1 PM on 89.7 FM KRUI.

The post Evander Kane Traded to Buffalo appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The 82 game NHL hockey season is a grind. Teams go through stretches where things are not clicking. Certain teams have the personnel to get through adversity, while some are not as lucky.

As the trade deadline looms, general managers of teams that are still in contention of making the playoffs are racing to add a piece or two to get a leg up over other teams.

For the Minnesota Wild and general manager Chuck Fletcher, their move came inside the crease in acquiring goaltender Devan Dubnyk on January 14th. The Wild dealt a third round pick in the 2015 draft to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Dubnyk.

In the month prior to trading for Dubnyk, Minnesota only won two out of a possible fifteen games with horrid goaltending from Darcy Kuemper and Niklas Backstrom and injuries to key players. The Wild were in 12^th place in the Western Conference and 8 points out of a playoff spot at the time of the Dubnyk trade.

Since then, the Wild have gone 7-1-1 and have shot back up to ninth in the standings behind eighth place teams Vancouver and Calgary and Devan Dubnyk has been the catalyst for it all. He has started each of the last nine games for Minnesota, and he has amassed four shutouts in those nine games to go along with a 1.31 GAA and a .948 save percentage.

Minnesota is his fifth organization to play for after being drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 2009 NHL Draft. Last season, he played for three teams in different stints. He started out in Edmonton before being traded to the Nashville Predators in late January. In early March, Dubnyk was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Last summer, he joined the Arizona Coyotes to compete with incumbent goaltender Mike Smith for the starting job.

Dubnyk has essentially gone from riding the bench most nights on a Coyotes team that is going nowhere this season to being one of the integral pieces for a team that is looking to get to the playoffs for a third straight season. If Dubnyk can keep playing as excellent as he is right now in the crease, there is no question the Wild can continue their rise up the standings. However, this is no easy task.

The next couple of weeks will be critical for the Wild. Five out of the next eight games are against teams they are either tied with or behind in the standings. Upcoming games against Vancouver twice, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Dallas will be vital in continuing the climb up the Western Conference standings for the Wild and the State of Hockey.

The post Devan Dubnyk shines as newest member of Wild appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In a league where it is hard to find a good, solid goalie, the Penguins have been able to lock up just that.  Since becoming the Penguins full time starter in the 2005-2006 season, Fleury has been one of the best regular season goalies.  In 521 career regular season starts, Fleury holds a 2.61 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.  The Penguins have been a playoff team year after year, and having a consistently solid goalie in Fleury has no doubt been one of the main reasons for their success.

The contract, at just under $6 million per year, is reasonable for the quality of goaltending that Penguins are getting.  Fleury has proved that he deserves to be paid and as a household name in Pittsburgh, $5.75 million is just right.  With the salary cap set to rise after this season, the money spent on Fleury will become less significant and will not cause as much of a hit.

The Penguins were smart to lock Fleury up as they would have faced limited offseason options.  As stated earlier, it is not easy to find a goalie that you can rely on season after season to be the backstop on the ice.  The Penguins are lucky to have a goalie where they know what they will get out of him and know they can trust.

If the Penguins decided not to bring Fleury back, there is little doubt that he would have gotten more years and more money from a different team in free agency.  Teams with goalie needs would jump almost instantly on the chance to lock up a proven goalie for possibly five or six years, even with Fleury being 29 years of age.

It is still early in the season, but Fleury appears to be in the midst of a career year.  In 11 games, he is 9-2 with a 1.99 goals against average and 3 shutouts.  At the “prime” of his career, this could turn into one of Fleury’s top seasons as a pro.

A concern in Fleury’s game can be seen in his inconsistency’s in the past couple of playoffs.  After posting good numbers in the playoffs from 2008-2011, 2012 and 2013 were a whole different story.  In those two playoff years, Fleury had a 4.63 and 3.51 goals against average, respectively.

Despite those struggles in the playoffs, Fleury had a nice bounce back post season in 2014, where he posted a 2.40 goals against average along with a 9.15 save percentage.  It is not a definitive sign of things to come, but it was a big step for Fleury and it very well could have decided his future fate with the Penguins.

Although there are flaws in Fleury’s game, his contract extension is well earned.  Fleury may not be a superstar goalie in the NHL, but he is a good goalie and one that the Penguins and their fans should be very excited to have for four more seasons.

A concern in Fleury’s game can be seen in his inconsistency’s in the past couple of playoffs.  After posting good numbers in the playoffs from 2008-2011, 2012 and 2013 were a whole different story.  In those two playoff years, Fleury had a 4.63 and 3.51 goals against average, respectively.

Despite those struggles in the playoffs, Fleury had a nice bounce back post season in 2014, where he posted a 2.40 goals against average along with a 9.15 save percentage.  It is not a definitive sign of things to come, but it was a big step for Fleury and it very well could have decided his future fate with the Penguins.

Although there are flaws in Fleury’s game, his contract extension is well earned.  Fleury may not be a superstar goalie in the NHL, but he is a good goalie and one that the Penguins and their fans should be very excited to have for four more seasons.

The post Defending Marc-Andre Fleury’s Contract appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A little over a week ago, I saw that the cast of D2: The Mighty Ducks had a twentieth anniversary reunion, where they got together to take pictures and form a giant “Flying V.”

That got me all nostalgic about the movie because I loved this movie as a kid. For example, when I would check it out from the library, my mom would write little “ditto” marks on the checkout sheet, as in “the same kid who checked it out the last five times.”

As you probably guess, I have seen D2 a few times, but through my years of growing up, “maturing,” and becoming more educated on how things actually work in life, I’ve come to realize that, alas, this movie has its flaws.

That’s why I thought it would be fun to dust off the old VCR (not really) and revisit this classic 20 years after it was first released and probably 15 years since I was obsessed with it as a first grader.

If you haven’t seen the first Mighty Ducks movie, you should stop reading this right now and get on that, but if you’re unlike me and have priorities, I’ll catch you up.

Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) is a former hockey star assigned to coach a local youth hockey team full of misfits against his will. These kids are horrible at hockey, but as anyone knows, changing the team’s name from “District Five” to the Ducks and implementing a team-unifying duck chant can turn any team into winners. Bombay and team captain Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson) lead the Ducks to an improbable league championship that almost seemed like something out of a Disney movie.

That brings us to D2, which starts out with Bombay getting injured in his quest for another shot at the NHL While in rehab, he visits his old mentor Jan in his home state of Minnesota. Jan is basically a Swedish hockey Yoda, and Bombay finds Jan training his apprentice Charlie Conway in the art of skate sharpening. The gang of main characters is back together. We have a sequel.

While staying with Jan, Bombay gets a visit from a Mr. Tibbles. We find out Tibbles owns “Hendricks,” a hockey merchandise company, and he wants Bombay to be the next head coach of Team USA hockey. “I want to make you a household name,” says Tibbles.

It’s for Team USA in the Junior Goodwill Games, whatever that is. This is a terrible marketing decision Mr. Tibbles, especially since I can almost guarantee that over 95% of Americans do not know the current head coach of the U.S. Olympic hockey team (It was Dan Bylsma in Sochi. I looked it up.).

After this encounter, we meet Team USA, which is inexplicably made up of the entire Mighty Ducks team from the first movie, as well as about 10 more players from all over the country. You’re telling me this entire local peewee league team that barely won its league championship the year before is up to national team standard over every single other player in the county? I’m not buying it.

As the new players are introduced to the Ducks and Bombay, we meet Julie “The Cat” Gaffney. She is actually known as “The Cat” for her fast reflexes, an important skill in goaltending. Bombay’s current goalie, Goldberg, whom he starts for every game of the tournament, is best known for farting in enclosed spaces. The entire team knows to accuse him every time they smell something raunchy. The goalie situation is an issue.

The old Mighty Ducks team scrimmages the new members of Team USA and instantly gets smoked. It’s not close. At one point, Bombay asks Lester Averman if they’ve trained at all in the offseason, and he says no. Really Averman, your whole point of existence in the first movie is to call the other team stupid names, and you haven’t trained at all?

After a practice consisting of tying the whole team together and making them skate in the same direction followed with a session of line dancing on the ice while a player named “Rancher Duane” from Texas tries to lasso everybody, Team USA is ready for its first game against Trinidad and Tobago.

Yes, Team USA is playing a team from a country with no ice that doesn’t have an ice hockey team. A Google search of Trinidad and Tobago hockey doesn’t even have ice on the first page. Well-played Disney.

After a few games of blasting the underwhelming competition, Team USA squares off against the heavy favorites, Iceland, coached by Wolf Stansson. Wolf is stereotypically stoic with greased-back hair, and he got kicked out of the NHL after one season for fighting too many players. This is who Iceland is allowing to coach its youth.

Iceland is an all-male team that towers over Team USA and destroys the USA 12-1 in the first meeting. Julie “The Cat” meets with Bombay before the game requesting a shot at playing, but Bombay turns her down, saying Goldberg is on a hot streak.

Bombay doesn’t remove Goldberg until after he allows eight goals, and once he does, Julie shoves two guys down and immediately gets ejected. Goldberg proceeds to allow four more goals, but he starts every game afterwards. I don’t get it.

After the Iceland game, Team USA gets a lesson in toughness from Russ Tyler (Keenan Thompson) and his brothers’ South Central Los Angeles street hockey team. This lesson combined with some soul searching by Bombay helps Team USA beat a couple other teams on the way to a championship rematch with Iceland.

The rematch with Iceland starts out the same as the first game. Goldberg allows four goals in the first period alone, yet Bombay keeps Julie on the sidelines. I would say Bombay was sexist if Connie Moreau wasn’t already playing for the U.S. That means he must be stupid. Goldberg sucks, end of story.

Speaking of Connie, she is trapped up against the board towards the end of the second period. As an Iceland player starts closing in to check her into the boards, Rancher Duane hops up off the bench, skates onto the ice, and lassos the guy. The referee gives him two minutes in the penalty box.  Most of my hockey knowledge comes from NHL 98 for Windows 95, but this doesn’t seem right.  Bombay and the refs have lost control of this one.

After the second period, USA heads to the locker room down three goals. The team is riled up after Duane’s lasso fiasco, but Bombay tells them they’re fired up for the wrong reason. He then has the entire team introduce themselves and say where they’re from.

Instead of being logical and telling the team that the United States of America is the greatest country on earth because it is a melting pot of different people and cultures that works together through difficult times to create something great just like the team in front of him is capable of doing, Bombay tells them that, “Ducks fly together.”

This worked for me when I was six, but don’t fault me for not being riveted now. Then, wise, Hockey Yoda Jan comes in with brand new Mighty Duck jerseys that the whole team wears for the third period.

That’s right. The entire team denounces its country and discards its Team USA jerseys to be associated with the Ducks. This is treason.

Before the third period, “We Will Rock You,” by Queen plays throughout the arena. The fans start stomping, clapping, and chanting, “We Will Quack You.” This is an important element in sports movies. Rhythmic clapping directly correlates with winning games.

The newly christened Ducks predictably come back to tie the game in the third period despite Goldberg allowing yet another goal. I’m not sure why Julie hasn’t left the team by now.

The game goes directly into a shootout without overtime. NHL fans would riot if this were commonplace. The teams trade shots until the game eventually comes down to whether or not Iceland can score on its last attempt.

At this point, Bombay finally has a glorious epiphany that tells him that he should play Julie over Goldberg, despite the fact that anyone with half a brain would have done it for the first game of the tournament. He literally waited until the last possible moment to use his all-star goalie.

Sure enough, Iceland’s best player, Gunnar Stahl (great name) tries to sneak one past Julie’s glove side, and she spears it out of the air. The girl nicknamed “The Cat” has better reflexes than the kid known for eating and farting. Color me shocked.

Team USA wins, and Charlie Conway (who gave up his spot on the team to add Russ Tyler) starts skating around the rink with an American flag.  Apparently everyone is back on Team USA now.

That’s really the end of the movie. There’s just so much wrong.

That said, I still love this movie for the nostalgia and the parts with the kids doing dumb, immature kid stuff. This is how I learned about the shaving cream/feather prank to get someone to slap shaving cream all over his face. Anybody ages 20-30 who says, they haven’t said, “It’s knuckle-puck time,” is lying. The “Bash Brothers” bro-ing out and running kids over on the ice is great.

Just don’t get me started on D3.

The post D2: The Mighty Ducks 20 Years Later appeared first on KRUI Radio.

During the second period the Blackhawks were able to score three goals within five minutes. The game ended with a final score of 5-1 in the favor of the Hawks. Blackhawks defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson tallied his first goal of the season in the victory while forward Brandon Bollig tallied his second NHL goal of his career.

Scoring is always important in a hockey game, but so is keeping the puck out of the net. Early in the second period Chicago’s goaltender, Corey Crawford, made great saves that kept the Hawks in the game. Crawford ended the game with 26 saves.

This victory marks Chicago’s third consecutive win while it marks Winnipeg’s third straight loss. Winnipeg has only had one win in their last seven games.

The Blackhawks must continue to play their upcoming games with the dominant force seen in this game. If they continue their strong offense and continue to improve defense the Blackhawks have the potential to be a powerhouse in the league. They must continue to win games and get the full two points though. Allowing games to go into overtime and potentially only coming out of it with one point will not win the Blackhawks the season.

The post Blackhawks Take Down the Jets in Winnipeg appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Wednesday night early predictions were made that Iginla would go to the Boston Bruins. TSN’s Aaron Ward even initially reported that Iginla was indeed going to Boston. Meanwhile, after midnight the official news came out that Jarome Iginla would be joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. After this trade statement was reported, chaos arose amongst fans and the NHL world.

Many Bostonians went to bed believing Iginla would be joining in on their race for their second Stanley Cup in three years, but they woke up to crushed dreams. It’s true that Boston’s offer was more attractive to the Calgary Flames, but Iginla had to approve of the deal before he was traded, hence why the Penguins ended up beating Boston. Jarome Iginla agreed to the trade with Pittsburgh, the Flames receiving two prospects and a 2013 first-round draft pick in the deal.

So why did Pittsburgh want Iginla so bad? Easy. They have the cap space and many players who could leave in free agency at the end of the season. They’re making the most of what they have for another Stanley Cup run. The Penguins are currently the number one seed in the Eastern conference and one of the best teams currently in the league. With their skill and line depth they have a serious chance contending for the Cup. With the addition of right-winger, Jarome Iginla, their first two lines may be the best in the league. So, it’s all or nothing for the Penguins. The team is sure to undergo major change during the off-season, so they have to use all the skill they possess now, because they won’t be able to retain it all for next year.

Iginla and Crosby have also played together before on team Canada back in the 2010 Winter Olympics. They have good chemistry and are sure to make an impact together. With the addition of Iginla, Pittsburgh will only become a stronger opponent in the East. Not only did Boston lose the chance for Iginla, but also one of their toughest opponents just got even stronger. After this trade it will be interesting if the East can keep up with Pittsburgh, or if they’ll remain the dominant force they’ve been. When the playoffs come around though, that’s when it will be really exciting too see the Western and Eastern conferences meet for the first time this season. Will the Penguins have enough to beat out another powerhouse team like the Chicago Blackhawks? Only time will tell.

The post Iginla Goes To Boston… SIKE! appeared first on KRUI Radio.