Archives for: January 2008
Doyle: Exciting Thursday night at SSEC

The top team in the OHL Eastern Conference came into Sarnia Thursday night an appeared to have the game in-control, but then the home team found their game just in time to get the victory.
Doyle: Atlanta All-Star Wrap

The 2008 NHL All-Star Game is in the books. Here are just some random thoughts that have sprung into my wee little brain.
Doyle: The streak is over

For the first time since the end of October, Oshawa Generals forward Brett MacLean has been held pointless. It appears a certain team has his number.
Doyle: NHL Skills Competition in Atlanta

The eyes of the NHL hockey world are on Atlanta, Georgia for the 2008 NHL All-Star Weekend. Tonight, it is the annual Youngstars Game and Skills Competition
Doyle: Atlanta or Iqaluit?

I arrived in Atlanta this Saturday morning for NHL All-Star Festivities. But as I drove into Downtown towards Phillips Arena, I had to wonder whether I was in Georgia or VERY northern Canada.
Doyle: Gens/Sting receive suspensions, officially

The Ontario Hockey League has handed down its ruling following last Sunday's Oshawa/Sarnia end-of-game fiasco.
Doyle: Hotel Internet and Luggage Issues

Most hotels now offer high-speed internet connection. But when it comes to the actual speed and quality of the connection, it's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.
Doyle: Team White dominates CHL Top Prospects

The way goals were going in to start the 2008 CHL Top Prospects Game, you'd think it might have been an All-Star Game afterall. The two teams tightened up, but it was the team coached by former Edmonton Oilers Grant Fuhr and Glenn Anderson that came away with the victory.
Doyle: CHL Prospects Display Skills

The top 40 players eligible for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft strutted their stuff at Rexall Place Tuesday night.
Doyle: Leafs fallout - long day for Dougie

If the folks at Westjet were smart, they can use Tuesday's happenings as part of their upcoming advertisements. Unfortunately for me, I was on Air Canada.
Doyle: Majors to go pink

It was just about a year ago on here we wrote about the WHL's Spokane Chiefs doing a breast cancer fundraiser using pink ice. This type of event is now coming to the Ontario Hockey League.
Doyle: Looking ahead to the Prospects Game

It's a new week in the world of junior hockey, and much of the focus this week will be on Edmonton for the annual CHL Top Prospects Game. I'm just getting set to head to the Alberta capital, but have a few thoughts before taking flight.
Doyle: Generals/Sting get ugly

It happens more often than you might expect. Two OHL teams that play in separate conferences and rarely play each other end up setting off fireworks. This was true Sunday night on a national TV broadcast.
Doyle: Belleville's Matthias called up to NHL

For the second time this month, an OHL player has been recalled by his NHL parent club under the emergency injury replacement rule.
Doyle: Plymouth's Leo Jenner receives 20 game ban

A hit that went unpenalized during Friday night's Plymouth-Sarnia game has resulted in the longest suspension in the OHL this season.
Doyle: Belleville's Tangradi out two months

As the Belleville Bulls continue their battle with Oshawa for top spot in the Eastern Conference, they will have to do it without one of their top wingers.
Doyle: Sault Ste. Marie gets OHL TV coverage

In an announcement that is good news for all OHL fans, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are the latest team to have their games televised.
Doyle: OHL All-Stars Announced

The players heading to the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic in Sault Ste. Marie has been announced.
Doyle: Nikiforov out with broken jaw

The Sarnia Sting are going to be without one of their top scoring forwards for more than a month.
Doyle: Turnout the lights, the deadline is over

That's it, OHL Trade Deadline 2008 is in the books. Certainly different this year with the deals spread out over many days.
Doyle: Rangers move Clarkson to Erie for picks

The Kitchener Rangers have moved plenty of draft picks lately, but have brought one and maybe two back in a deal with Erie.
Doyle: Majors and Spitfires swap D-men

The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors and Windsor Spitfires have hooked up on a trade that will see defencemen changing teams.
Doyle: Knights add a goalie, trade a goalie

The London Knights have made a pick-up off the waiver wire at the trade deadline, bringing a goaltender who returns to the OHL. Then moved one of their current goalies north.
Doyle: Plymouth moves Valliquette to Ottawa

The first trade of deadline day sees the Plymouth Whalers and Ottawa 67's hook-up on a deal.
Doyle: Whalers sign 2005 Draft Choice

The Plymouth Whalers have made an addition on deadline day, but it is a player who they already had the rights to.
Doyle: Welcome to the Deadline

It is the morning of the OHL Trade Deadline. Normally this is the calm before the big storm, but today should be more like an overcast day with scattered showers.
Doyle: Cards...got 'em, need 'em?

I had an e-mail about player cards and hearing reports on how many cards teams have left, etc. and what does it all mean? I will try to explain it as best as I can, and I'm sure (or at least I hope) someone will call or e-mail me to correct anything I've said wrong.
Doyle: CHL Top Prospects roster released

The Canadian Hockey League has released the list of 40 players who will take part in this year's Top Prospects Game in Edmonton. No surprise that there will be plenty of OHL talent on display.
Doyle: Oshawa solves OA issue - Jarram to Saginaw

The Oshawa Generals had four overage players, and had to be down to three by noon Thursday. Therefore, the Gens have moved Jarram to Saginaw for an eighth round pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection.
Doyle: The Soo's new Caria sits for 5 games

After playing two games for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Matt Caria has now been slapped with a five-game suspension.
Doyle: Spirit acquire Tront from Bulls

The Saginaw Spirit have made another trade with the Belleville Bulls, this time picking up a defenceman for a draft choice.
Doyle: IceDogs and Wolves trade goalies

The trade Sunaya reported last night between the Niagara IceDogs and Sudbury Wolves has been completed, with each team's starting goaltender headlining the deal.
Doyle: Knights trade Adam Perry to Belleville

Just as the Oshawa Generals load up in the Eastern Conference, the Belleville Bulls have responded.
Doyle: Spitfires move Neuvirth to Generals

The wheeling and dealing by the Oshawa Generals continues, they now have their long sought after number one goaltender.
Doyle: Generals grab scorer Baker from Sudbury

The Oshawa Generals and Sudbury Wolves have completed a deal that sees the Generals pick up a veteran overager.
Doyle: Steve Mason called up to Columbus

It does not happen very often, but an OHL goaltender has been called up by his NHL club in mid-season on an emergency basis.
Doyle: Countdown to the Trade Deadline

This year's OHL trade deadline has been different from many years that the big deals have been spread out over the past month, rather than them all coming on January 7, 8, 9, 10. There really are not that many big names still out there to be moved.
Doyle: And now deep thoughts....

Well not quite, but with the World Juniors done, the most recent OHL trades wrapped up and more, we have a few minutes to reflect on what has happened around the junior hockey circuit over the past few days.
Doyle: Canada Golden x 4

Matt Halischuk, you've just had the greatest moment of your hockey career! The Kitchener Rangers forward, who was a longshot to make Team Canada, scored the winner at 3:36 of overtime to give Canada the gold medal.
Doyle: Canada will go for Gold

Team Canada is still alive in its quest for four straight World Junior gold medals - next stop: Team Sweden.
Doyle: Done Deal, Mason a Ranger

As we reported here last night, the London Knights have traded goaltender Steve Mason to the Kitchener Rangers.
Doyle: OHL Deals coming fast and furious

Two trades have been made just around the dinner hour, with another one to come soon.
Doyle: Congrats to a friend in the business

Just wanted to pass along a quick note of congratulations to Greg Brady. The former voice of the Saginaw Spirit, who has been working on the Windsor Spitfires broadcasts this season, has been named the afternoon drive co-host on AM640 Toronto for The Bill Watters Show.
Brady's full-time gig had been as morning show co-host on WDFN Detroit until November.
Doyle: Bulls to honour Doc Vaughan

When the Belleville Bulls play host to Mississauga on Saturday, January 12th, they are going to show appreciation to the man who helped bring OHL hockey to the friendly city of Belleville.
Doyle: Settle it on the ice

After watching the New Year's Day Sarnia/London game, it reminded me of a conversation I had with a former OHL referee a few years back, and how he handled a certain type of situation that would come up.
Doyle: Matt Caria to the Soo for Jordan Mayer

Happy New Year!
The much anticipated, long awaited, much talked about trade between the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds has finally been completed.
