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I've been to a bunch of hockey games over the years but on Saturday Gregory and I went to the Flyers vs. Islanders game and sat three rows from the ice. Here are so sites and sounds from it.

Professional Tailgating: We're talking about practice.

As Allen Iverson once said: "we're talking about practice." The Flyers hold an open practice at Boardwalk Hall in AC and it was entertaining. 

    

NHL Draft Notebook

Here are some thoughts on the recently completed NHL Draft.

1. The Devils know how to make an impact when they are hosting. Wow never say that coming. 

2. If you have a top defenseman available you have to take him, they are harder to find than forwards so Avalanche fans beware on passing on Jones. 

3. How good a junior team was the Halifax Moosehead, very few teams could match up with the that team.

4. Is it me that its weird to be watching the draft late on Sunday after, the last affect of the lockout. 

5. By the way the Dallas Stars new logo is as bad as it gets. That is what happens when you have a team in Dallas.

6. The so Flyers finally get their defenseman. I think that I might pass out after hearing they drafted a d-man in the first round. Don't worry they will probably trade him before he makes it to the NHL. 

7.This tweet sums up how the Flyers have to handle its newest defenseman: "@TheOrangeNBlack: The key to Morin? Patience. Hopefully the Flyers have learned their lesson and let him develop. Will be a player in time."

8. You start to get to the middle of the first round and the estimated arrival time for these players goes from 13-14 to 15-16 to 16-17. That means that most of these kids are projects and need times. 

9. I think that I might fall over, the Flyers used their first two picks on defensemen. 

The only winner in the NHL Lockout could be Hockey Canada

While the NHL and the NHLPA are fighting about a collective bargaining agreement, Hockey Canada is licking their chops. If  the lockout continues Canada would be set to send another Dream Team to the World Junior Championships in Russia. Bob McKenzie of TSN breaks down what Team Canada could look like at World Junior Championship if the lockout drags on.

The last time the NHL had a labor issue in 2005, Hockey Canada benefited. During that years World Juniors in Grand Forks, South Dakota Team Canada was loaded. That team featured:  Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Dion Phaneuf and Shea Weber. Not bad for an NHL team let alone a WJC team. 

The infusion of the locked out players could not potentially come at a better time for Hockey Canada. Canada has not won the WJC since 2009 and that is simply not good enough for the hockey crazy country. 

I guess I need a new shirt

With JVR being traded to Toronto it's time for me to get a new shirt

OTWT NHL Mock Draft

It's draft time and here is OTWT mock NHL Draft. I think I get a couple right and a bunch wrong. 

1. Edmonton: Nail Yakupov, RW, Sarnia (OHL)

Filip Forsberg

2. Columbus: Filip Forsberg, RW, Sweden
3. Montreal: Alex Galchenyuk, Sarnia (OHL)
4. N.Y. Islanders: Ryan Murray, D, Everett (WHL)
5. Toronto: Mikhail Grigorenko, Quebec (QMJHL)
6. Anaheim: Matt Dumba, D, Red Deer (WHL)
7. Minnesota: Morgan Rielly, D, Moose Jaw (WHL)
8. Carolina: Radek Faksa, C, Kitchener (OHL)
9. Winnipeg: Griffin Reinhart, D, Edmonton (WHL)
10. Tampa Bay: Jacob Trouba, D, UNDP
11. Washington (from Colorado): Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Finland
12. Buffalo: Cody Ceci, D, Ottawa (OHL)
13. Dallas: Oli Maatta, D, Finland
14. Calgary: Hampus Lindholm, D, Sweden
15. Ottawa: Zemgus Girgensons, C, USHL
16. Washington: Derrick Pouliot, D, Portland (WHL)
17. San Jose: Sebastian Collberg, RW, Sweden
18. Chicago: Slater Koekkoek, D, Peterborough

Brady Skeji

19. Tampa Bay (from Detroit): Matthew Finn, D, Guelph (OHL)
20. Philadelphia: Brady Skeji, D, UNTDP
21. Buffalo (from Nashville): Malcom Subban, G, Belleville (OHL)
22. Pittsburgh: Thomas Wilson, RW, Guelph (OHL)
23. Florida: Thomas Herti, C, Czech
24. Boston: Brandon Gaunce, C, Belleville (OHL)
25. St. Louis: Stefan Matteau, Center, USHL
26. Vancouver: Michael Matheson, D, USHL
27. Phoenix: Tanner Pearson, LW, Berrie (OHL)
28. N.Y. Rangers: Phillip DiGiuseppe, RW, Michigan
29. New Jersey: Scott Laughton, C, Oshawa
30. Los Angeles (optional to Columbus): Ville Pokka, D, Fineland

The Cover Story: Sending the Penguins home

The Flyers have ended the Penguins season in six games. The Philly Daily News had a classic front and back pages to honor the win this morning They have had great front and back pages all during the series.

The baby Flyers are easy to love

Fresh off of knocking the Penguins out of the playoffs, Philly Daily News columnist Rich Hofmann looks at why this team is easy to love.  Fans get behind kids and that has been in the case in Philly this year. The city has taken to this team that was rebuilt over the summer.

Another great front page from the Philly Daily News

During the Penguins/Flyers playoff series the Philly Daily News has been on the top of their game when it comes to its front page and today they hit another home run.

A post Wrestlemania back page

Wrestlemania was last night, I don't know if that played into this wrestling themed back page of the Philly Daily News but it was cool.

The Flyers should just stand pat

For the last couple of days Philly has been abuzz over the idea of the flyers trading for Rick Nash. While most are in favor of it I'm totally against it. The price that has been rumored includes a package that includes: JVR, Sean Couturier or Brayden Schenn, Sergi Bobrovsky, and a first rounder. That is a huge price to pay for a 27-year old that had never played in a big time playoff series.

Who is to say that the Flyers would be trading away two player that could be better and cheaper than Nash. JVR, Coutrier, and Schenn are the next generation and need to stay in orange and black.

Professional Tailgating: Starting the New Year

The OTWT Tailgating Crew kicked of the year by attending a different kind of event. The group headed to the AHL Outdoor Classic game between the Adirondack Phantoms and Hershey Bears at Citizens Bank Ballpark. The attendance at the game was a league record 46,653 people. So it was nice to be part of history. 

Citizens Bank Ballpark looks a little different then it did the last time I was there

 My baseball seats are some where out there 

The Phantoms and the Bears take the ice 

Our seats in section 417 where not that bad for an outdoor hockey game

He will be missed

I never thought that Chris Pronger would ever stop playing but yesterdays news that he will not play again this season because of concussion issues, leaves his future in doubt. Pronger was one of the nastiest and best players ever to play his position.

In 1993, the Ottawa Senators select Alexandre Daigle with the first pick, while Pronger was selected second overall by the Hartford Whalers. You think the Senators want a redo on that. If this is the end for Pronger, its been a great trip and career for him.

Professional Tailgating: The Fifth Beatle

On Friday night the world was introduced to the fifth Beatle, Vance Worley. Worley made the start for the Phillies and dominated the Mets. Are are some of the sights from it.

It looked like a filming of the Kung Fu movie before the game started.

 Its a little early to be voting for the All Star Game

 Going ole school Nails

 These guy thought they were at a Flyers playoff game.

Professional Tailgating: Flyers vs. Islanders

As part of my birthday gift my wife sent me to the Flyers Islanders game on Thursday night and here are some of the sites and sounds from the game.

The old Spectrum is no more, so sad

The flyers hat trick wall

This seat could be yours for next season

Former United States World Junior Championship hero Al Montoya in goal in goal for the Islanders. Montoya was named top goalie during the 2004 event.

Fomrer Shore Conference hockey player JVR interviewed between the second and third periods

Professional Tailgating: Minor League Hockey

Never been to a minor league hockey game, went on Friday night and boy was it bad. The OTWT Tailgating Crew took in the Phantoms (on their return to Philly) take on the Penguins. Was not the greatest show.

Both teams take the ice

 Ice Girls maybe one of the more entertaining aspects of the game

 The weird camera man that sat infront of us

These guys were the best skating guys of the night

Kane and JVR forever linked

Three years ago, Patrick Kane (above) and James van Riemsdyk (below right) stood on the ice in Sweden getting their bronze medal after finishing third at the World Junior Championship that year. The duo helped the USA Hockey beat home standing Sweden for the medal, but come Saturday the two will be on opposite ends of the ice as they Blackhawks battle the Flyers.

These two are two of my favorite players in the NHL. Kane is the flashy player who went from the 2007 NHL Draft to stardom in NHL, while JVR, a former Shore Conference standout at CBA, took the longer road and went to University of New Hampshire and then showed up in Philly this year. JVR was selected with the second overall pick in the draft that year.

The pair show the continued growth of the USA Hockey, a couple of years ago the thought of these two players having this type of impact would be crazy. The pair are products of the USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. The program takes the best players from the around the country and puts them in Michigan so that they can development their skills. While Kane and JVR are battling it out for Cup, the NTDP is watching with a smile on their face knowing that the program has been a huge success.

Front Page Story: Epic Fail

The Bruins had it all in their hands up 3-0 in game seven against the Flyers and then the wall came caving in and the Flyers stormed back and won 4-3. The Bruins had a 3-0 lead in the series and blew that, it will go down as on of the worst FAILS in the history of sports.

The Phily Daily News

The Boston Herald
The Boston Globe

Professional Tailgating: The Doctor is in the house

So the OTWT Tailgating crew headed to Citizens Back Park yesterday for the Phils and Mets game. The game featured a great pitching match up between Mike Pelfrey and Roy Halladay.

Flyers goal scorer Jeff Carter, who will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury, watches his teammates battle the Bruins in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at McFaddens

The Doctor warms up for his start. The Doctor was amazing another complete game shutout.

Nothing says baseball like a four wheeler that shoots pork products

Jason Werth really needs to get a uniform that fits, he makes Barry Bonds seem form fitting

The Cover Story: The NHL Winter Classic

Over the last couple of years the National Hockey League has started to steal the spotlight away from college football bowl games and to theirselves with the Winter Classic on New Years Day. This year the Bruins defeated the Flyers in a classic at Fenway Park, the best one of the series so far. The game featured a fight (the first in Classic history), hard hitting and a game played with a passion.

Here are how some of the papers in the Boston area covered the action from Fenway Park:

Boston Globe

Telegram and Gazette (Worcester)