Hockey

SAN JOSE, CA _ Sharks forward Raffi Torres has been suspended for a charity barbecue this Memorial Day weekend after an illegal check to the head, the NHL announced today. The charity suspension is the first for Torres, who has been suspended four times by the league for infractions during games. Torres will not lose any salary but he will be absent from this Sunday's Bay Area Prosthetics for Pets Celebrity Barbecue and Fundraiser. He is currently suspended for the entirety of San Jose's playoff series against Los Angeles for a high hit on the Kings' Jarret Stoll in Game 1. The hit that caused the Memorial Day suspension occurred during an organizational meeting for the barbecue. With time winding down on the meeting, Torres caught former San Francisco 49er Merton Hanks with an elbow to the head as Hanks was pouring himself a cup of coffee. Hanks appeared dazed and in extreme discomfort as he lay on the floor covered in lukewarm coffee. Torres was ejected immediately from the meeting, while Hanks was helped off the floor and given some Tylenol as a precautionary measure. The Sharks are not expected to appeal the suspension, but general manager Doug Wilson issued a statement vehemently disagreeing with the decision. Wilson insists that Torres was simply reaching for a donut over the shoulder of ex-Golden State Warrior Tim Hardaway, another member of the charity's celebrity board, when his shoulder inadvertently grazed Hanks' head. For Wilson's outspoken comments, the NHL also decided to fine the Sharks 300 hamburger buns, to be delivered to the barbecue no later than noon on Sunday. Torres has a history of questionable actions at community events throughout his NHL career. Last season as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes, Torres was disqualified from one of Alice Cooper's charity golf tournaments for parking his golf cart directly over a rival player's ball in the middle of the fairway. In 2007 while playing for Edmonton, Torres was ejected from a Select-A-Seat event for new season ticket holders after allegedly throwing two teenagers down a flight of stairs at Rexall Place. The Bay Area Prosthetics for Pets Barbecue is an annual event featuring a host of actors, athletes and musicians raising money for the research and distribution of artificial limbs for animals ranging from hamsters to miniature horses. All of the teams from the Oakland/San Francisco/San Jose area send players and Torres was expected to be the Sharks' representative. His replacement has yet to be named. "They'll probably send that Swedish guy, Raga, Ragu...Ragamuffin... something like that, man," said rocker Sammy Hagar, the charity's founder and the barbecue's chief organizer. "The Q's gonna go on no matter what some dickhead does, man. Not gonna harsh this buzz. "We got some killer grub from Guy Fieri, some Cabo Wabo tequilla, a little music, some girls, Rickey Henderson's gonna be there, it's all good. If Raffi promises to chill out, we'll fix him a plate of leftovers he can eat the next day." ___ This is a parody. But is it really that far-fetched to see Torres (or Sammy Hagar) doing any of this? BTW: Did you know that Merton Hanks is basically the NFL's Brendan Shanahan? I had no idea.

So - The Broad Street Hockey boys need a couple of GMs for our upcoming Xbox season. This is a very fun and active league that has 30 players (28 at the moment), a dedicated Google group, and small contingent of Bruins fans along with a German and some hosers . We advance the schedule every Wednesday and Sunday, the league is entering it's 4th season. The teams that are available are the LA Kings and NJ Devils. The Devils do not have Broduer as he retired, but they do have Jacob Markstrom. If you want some more info and are interested in playing shoot me an email, tjs2979@comcast.net Thanks, Tom So - The Broad Street Hockey boys need a couple of GMs for our upcoming Xbox season. This is a very fun and active league that has 30 players (28 at the moment), a dedicated Google group, and small contingent of Bruins fans along with a German and some hosers . We advance the schedule every Wednesday and Sunday, the league is entering it's 4th season. The teams that are available are the LA Kings and NJ Devils. The Devils do not have Broduer as he retired, but they do have Jacob Markstrom. If you want some more info and are interested in playing shoot me an email, tjs2979@comcast.net Thanks, Tom

Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakub Voracek had some good fortune this season, scoring 22 goals (a career best) and winning the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP. For his sake, it’s good to see that fortune has apparently extended to the offseason. According to Sport.cz, Voracek “mishandled” his Ferrari on Wednesday morning in Kladno of his native Czech Republic and crashed into a tree. According to Sporttovni Noviny, Voracek “was driving too fast for a truck that wanted to turn and did not stop in time” and that the “luxury car then crashed into the left side of the truck, drove off the road, where it hit a power line pole and tree." Damage to the car is estimated at $147,715 US. Voracek was given a breathalyzer test on-site, but told Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly: "All good bud. No injuries, no alcohol." Flyers GM Paul Holmgren released the following statement: “I spoke with Jake this morning. He was involved in a car accident in the Czech Republic. Although his car did suffer damage, there were no injuries. Jake is fine.” As The Phanatic notes, anytime you hear “car crash” and “Flyers” it immediately conjures some disturbing history. Glad to hear Jake is OK.

I’ve been asked a few times if I’m excited over the prospect of Patrick Roy becoming the new head coach of the Avalanche. No. Patrick Roy might be a great coach for the Avalanche. He may turn the team around, if he is hired. And he might not. The proof should be in his record, not in the glory of the past, not in his ability to stop a puck, and certainly not in his accomplishments as a junior coach and GM. There is nothing like coaching the NHL. The minors have a lot of movement. College and junior hockey have different goals, with new rosters every four years or so. There are no guaranteed contracts, no ‘no-movement clauses,’ rooms aren’t lost, players are. The NHL is very different. And as we have seen before, having the experience of being behind the bench is not the same as sitting on it. If he gets hired, I will happily wait to see what happens next. I have seen way too many people start the parade before the ink was dry on a contract, be it for a player or coach. No, I’ll get excited when the season starts. Not before. A note on comments: I am getting an s-ton of spam right now, and have turned comments off for the time being. I will turn them back on later, or start asking people to register to leave a comment. Sorry, I know it sucks.

Game Night: Game 4 pivotal moment in semifinal matchup Follow @JohnToperzer !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Poll Results Question: Which is the highest priority for the Penguins? Not surpr...

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports The Chicago Blackhawks have their backs up against the wall for the first time throughout this entire season. A loss on the road against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night puts them in a 3-1 hole that this team may not be mentally prepared to climb out of. If the Blackhawks are going to come out and steal one back on the road, while evening up the series, it’s going to start with the captain. This is a series that has brought a lot of criticism on the shoulders of Jonathan Toews, for a lack of postseason production. In the past few seasons, since winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2009-2010, Toews has been a virtual ghost in the postseason. He had four points in seven games in 2010-2011, when the Hawks were eliminated in the first round. He had four in six last year, when the Hawks were eliminated in the first round (though he returned early from an injury and wasn’t entirely healthy). This year, the Hawks are already off to a better start than the past couple of Stanley Cup Playoffs. They won their first series in five games, giving them their first series win since that Cup-winning ’09-’10 campaign. But they’ve done so to this point without much production from the captain. Toews has had a rough go of things during this year’s postseason. He has yet to find the back of the net, and has only three points in eight postseason tilts. Worse yet, he seems to have lost his composure on several occasions, constantly complaining about calls, or lack thereof, on the ice. The Red Wings have done an excellent job getting inside the head of Jonathan Toews. Henrik Zetterberg has done a number on him, with the Wings as a club physically pounding Toews down around the net. But he’s a world class player. It’s time to rise above that. If the Blackhawks are going to turn it around and get the momentum back in this series, it’s going to start with Toews. Not that he has played terribly. In fact, his possession numbers and scoring chances indicate he’s played very well. But his frustrations are clearly taking their toll, as he’s a mental disaster in this series. An early score from Toews in Game 4, or at any point really, could see this Hawks team take off. It would be a gigantic sigh of relief and would take a world of pressure off of him. We’ve seen him take over games this year. It’s time for that to happen in the postseason. If he’s able to do that in this series, the Blackhawks will be just fine. But if he can’t find his game in time, the Hawks are really in serious trouble.

The Senators' official Twitter feed acknowledged that prospect Mark Stone may draw into the lineup tonight against Pittsburgh, and Don Brennan sees it as something of a sure thing. If he plays, he'll replace Cory Conacher and play on a line with Jason Spezza. Stone made an appearance in last year's playoffs but was later removed for Jakob Silfverberg, a decision that Don Cherry thought cost the Senators the series. Don was wrong, of course, but Stone did show some flashes of brilliance during the series, particularly his beautiful assist on a Jason Spezza goal. The reason that the Senators might now be looking to Stone, who only played four NHL games during the regular season and has been sitting out for the playoffs, is that he is likely the best option out of the healty scratches for beating Tomas Vokoun. Peter had an excellent post this morning that showed how the Senators have been scoring on Vokoun in the series, and Stone appears to fit the bill perfectly. He's a big body who is best in the dirty areas around the net and has a knack for putting in rebounds. His 41 goal season with the Brandon Wheat Kings and his excellent performance at the World Junior Hockey Championships two years ago were both built on his soft hands around the net, and that's something that could prove valuable on a goalie like Vokoun. The factors that have made Colin Greening so successful this series should work in Stone's favour, too. Ottawa can't expect Craig Anderson to have a .980 save percentage every night, and they have to find more ways to solve Vokoun. Bringing in an inexperienced Mark Stone is certainly a risk, but it's a calculated one to attack a perceived weakness in the other goalie.

Pittsburgh was seconds away from taking a 3-0 series lead, but find themselves up only one game heading into tonight's contest in Ottawa. -

Nathan Mackinnon started as the favorite for first overall at the beginning of the season but soon fell into the number two spot. It is not because of poor play or bad character, it is just that Seth Jones managed to put in an extremely successful season in the WHL and shone in the World Junior Championship. But whoever is picking number two in the NHL Entry Draft is jumping with joy because what they are getting in Nathan Mackinnon is a dynamic goal-scoring forward. He scored 32 goals and 43 assists in 44 games in the QMJHL. He is always buzzing around with energy with skill in attacking the net with strength and will. He compliments it with a dangerous shot that he can release from anywhere. Add all of this up and you have a forward that will do anything to put the puck in the net. He isn't the biggest but he has strong feet and plays with determination. He has done almost everything he can at the junior levels so don't be surprised to see him wearing an NHL sweater for the entirety of the season. If Seth Jones wasn't the complete package of physical gifts and skill, Mackinnon would surely be the first overall pick. Still, there just might be the chance he sneaks up into the first overall pick. This only happens if the team is in need of a goal-scorer prospect much more than it needs a two-way defenseman, but seeing how the Avs have the pick, you could almost surely bet Mackinnon will arrive in Florida. Introducing our 2013 NHL #1 Draft Prospect - Nathan Mackinnon NATHAN MACKINNON Center / Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) Height: 6-0 Weight: 182 GP G A P +/- PIM 2012/13 - Halifax 44 32 43 75 40 45 Projection: #1 centerman. 40-50 goal scorer Strengths: Deadly shot; quick release, deadly accuracy Plays with buzz and energy Strong balance, quick speed Versatile Weaknesses: Average size and strength Quotes: Future Considerations MacKinnon’s skating ability is top notch. While he’s not a rocket, he has a good first step and above-average top speed. He’s always in control of his feet and his low center of gravity makes it hard to knock him off the puck, even at top speed. He can speed up or change direction at any given time. MacKinnon’s passing ability matches his elite vision and offensive creativity. He is a true wizard with the puck. MacKinnon is as much a goal-scorer as he is playmaker. He knows how to get in the scoring areas and how to open himself up. His shot is already NHL ready. He has a very quick release, which consistently fools goaltenders. MacKinnon is a very smart hockey player who processes the game at an elite level. Prospect Jersey (What Would They Look Like In a Wild Jersey?): Perfect compliment to Mikael Granlund, we're just not going to get him Video Evidence: Nathan MacKinnon's Hat Trick. (All Goals) Portland Winterhawks 4 Halifax Mooseheads 7. May 18th 2013 (via xXxCrosby87Xx) Special thanks to HFBoards, Future Considerations, The Hockey Writers, TSN, OHLProspeccts and The Scouting Report

Jake Voracek is thankfully not injured after a terrifying car accident in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. The Flyers confirmed the news, first reported by Czech publication iSport, that Voracek collided his blue Ferrari with a truck on a road near Kladno, his hometown. "I spoke with Jake this morning," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement. "He was involved in a car accident in the Czech Republic. Although his car did suffer damage, there were no injuries. Jake is fine." The car "suffering damage" is putting it lightly, as you can see above courtesy of the local police. iSport has even more scary photos over on their site. It appears as though the accident was Voracek's fault. The truck was travelling the opposite direction on the narrow road and slowed down, while Voracek was speeding and couldn't slow down in time to avoid a collision. As you can see in the photos on the iSport page, the front of the truck on the drivers side shows damage, indicating that Voracek's car clipped the front of the truck before spinning into the ditch on the side of the road. A rough translation of the iSport story says that alcohol was not a factor. The driver of the truck was uninjured as well, thankfully. This feeling is all too reminiscent for us. Just three summers ago, Danny Briere and his son Cameron were traveling home from Philadelphia to Quebec when Briere dozed off on Interstate 81 near Binghamton, N.Y., side-swiping a tractor trailer and barely avoiding tragedy. And of course, we'll never forget the tragic story of Pelle Lindbergh, who died when, after a night of drinking with teammates in 1985, he crashed his Porsche into a wall on Somerdale Road in Camden County.