It’s been three months since Boltsmag ceased to be and the hockey blogosphere was introduced to Raw Charge. I had been syndicating the headlines of new posts at Raw Charge over here for those who used to haunt the site and were not yet aware of the change.

92 days later, I’m ceasing this. Please make sure you update your bookmarks to Raw Charge.

While Boltsmag is no longer updating (for blog posts about the Lightning, check out Raw Charge), I did need to post this graphic — five years late — for superstition sake…

Five years ago, I had this “The Wall” graphic updated with every game played in the Cup playoffs. Every game, a new notch was put up. Though it should have only been victories (I was young and stupid! Forgive me!), I notched every game – win or lose.

Some people blamed lack of updates on loses the Bolts suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals. This made me more responsible in updating said-graphic. After the Bolts won the Cup in 2004 — I neglected to update the graphic once again to register the 7th and final game.

This is my attempt to rectify that situation and perhaps throw off a jinx that the Bolts have had since:

Ya gotta’ love the Instigator…

…and this picture reflects so many words about the ill conceived notions of building the 2008-09 Tampa Bay Lightning. (credit Alan Snel)

From champion to bottom dweller. The attendance fall-off didn’t happen over night… or did it?

(most attendance stats from Andrews Stars Page)

Now, for the benefit of the doubt, the game last night was for bragging rights of the Southeast cellar dwellers. The “rivalry” between the Lightning and Thrashers just doesn’t make up for two sub par teams going at it.

All that being said, it’s a steep drop between last season and this season so far with attendance. Things fell apart last season around the trade deadline and the rumors (and then loss) of Brad Richards didn’t help things.

And now? Starting the season in Europe didn’t help, starting the season with a revamped team that hadn’t been marketed well to the fans didn’t help. Having a bombastic head coach known from TV and a lone Cup appearence didn’t help. Playing Music Chairs with the roster hasn’t helped. Injuries and overall instability of the team hasn’t encouraged turnout.

Besides freebies and give-aways, how do you fix things? Winning helps, but how do you get back to winning?

Stability.

Martin St. Louis is heading to Montreal for the All Star Game as a replacement for Sidney Crosby. The former HART Trophy winner and current leading scorer for the Lightning joins Vincent Lecavalier as Lightning representation in the game (Steven Stamkos will be playing in the Young Stars game).

Damian Cristodero at the Times reports that NHL official Stephen Walkom sees nothing wrong from last night:

Stephen Walkom, the NHL’s director of officiating, said the ruling that Lightning goaltender Mike Smith deliberately threw his stick to disrupt Milan Hejduk’s shootout attempt on Thursday was the correct call.

“It was a very tough call. It was a gutsy call. It was a call that was made in an instant, and I support the call,” Walkom said.

In a related story, Stephen Walkom is an idiot if he thinks this was a deliberate stick throwing incident:

(hat tip to Cassie at Boltsblog for getting the full video)

This is just a show of solidarity and among officials by standing by each other when one is wrong. Not just minorly, mistakenly wrong in this case, but completely batshit-crazy wrong that determines the outcome of a game without a goal being scored.

How many people are looking forward to the Winter Classic this year?
[poll id=55]

While we’re at it, of the three teams at the top of the Southeast division standings, who’s best poised to win the division? (still a long way to go on that one, anything can happen, but consider it a “what if” question):
[poll id="54"]

And seeing I asked this question last summer but got such a low participation turnout, I’ll ask again for impressions of OK Hockey, owners of the Lightning. Yes, it’s a loaded question but I might as well ask:
[poll id=49]

Feel free to use the comments to voice opinions on any of the above topics.

One of Boltsmag’s longtime readers introduced me to a game that he and a few local bloggers up north put together for Washington Capitals fans and Toronto Maple Leaf fans. It’s called Pick SPG and it’s a pick’em game but not of the traditional sort where you pick the winner of games…

Nope, you’re picking production:

SPG is an online game where you predict which players on your favorite NHL team will get the first shot on net, take the first penalty, and score the first goal for each period in a game, including overtime & the shootout.

There’s more information about the game on the SPG website. Gary would love to add more teams (the Lightning specifically) but there has to be enough interest in order to do it… That and someone dedicated to administrate additional teams.

Yeah, that’s me… Of course no one has heard hide nor hair from me on the blogosphere about the Lightning since… well, my last post. I’ve been busy as hell with other projects and interest in other things…

Not that I am going to let Boltsmag fade away. Which leads me to this post: I’d have aprpeciated it if someone could have pointed out to me how out-of-whack the site looks when you venture to the archives. It makes me ashamed

Back to the drawing board on that… And who knows, maybe I’ll talk Olaf Kolzig or Steven Stamkos sometime soon?

You are not making the most of first impressions in hockey circles. Just saying.

Before the season, I had given my buddy Keith soem grief about Calgary throwing a wad of cash at Cory Sarich. Not that I don’t like Cory, not that I feel Cory doesn’t bring anythign to the table or doesn’t contribute, I just think he got paid too much in his new deal.

Well, this Sarich hit from the other night has turned into celebration and a rallying point for Flames fans:

Cory’s gone but not forgotten in TB. i revel in his moment.

I wrote off bringing in Jassen Cullimore in pre-season. Maybe that was a mistake. Or maybe circumstances would make it look like it was?

Jassen’s not putting up big numbers for the Panthers — that’s no shock — but he’s stable. Though he’s only played in 21 games this season, he’s averaging 14:38 of ice time and is a solid plus 7 at this juncture. If Cullimore was back on the Bolts, however, the situation he would be playing in would be different from where he is now…

Here’s the Lightning defense numbers for you to look at:

Look at Brad Lukowich’s numbers. He was supposed to be 3rd pair this season (with Boyle, Ranger, Kuba and O’Brien playing in front of him). With Dan Boyle’s injury, Brad’s been asked to do much more and he’s averaging almost 18 minutes of ice time… And weighing down the D with a minus 16. I’m not putting blame on Brad as so much pointing at the numbers.

If Cullimore were here, it’d likely be the same case — more games, more ice time, more asked of him and lower numbers.

However, those numbers would likely be better than Doug Janik’s. The other drag on the defense in his non versatility on ice, Janik’s TOI average of 11 minutes or so puts more pressure on the kids (2nd year player Shane O’Brien and rookie Mike Lundin) to cover. Of course, others have had the opportunity to step in and beat Doug for a roster spot — but that didn’t happen. So Doug is playing where and as he should — as a #6 defensiveman… All while I was expecting the rookies (be it Lundin, Smaby or others) to serve the role and be brought along slowly.

Dan Boyle’s return can’t come soon enough… But then again, getting the ownership situation squared away couldn’t come soon enough either — having a de-facto roster freeze doesn’t help remedy the ills of the franchise.

I watched parts of the Lightning game last night… Parts. Oddly it was always the parts where the Lightning stood around and couldn’t move the puck up ice. They played a poor mans dump-and-chase and had no desire to do much more than give the Capitals what amounted to even-strength power play opportunities.

John Tortorella is pissed and wants “no excuses” for the loss. Of course, he wouldn’t flat out call his team pathetic or inept… But that’s exactly how they are playing. There’s a lack of passion once you get below Lecavalier, St. Louis, Richards and Prospal. Jan Hlavac is doing so poorly he’s been demoted to the fourth line (note to my friend Jes Golbez — it appears you were right when you scorned the addition of Hlavac this summer).

I feel flat out sorry for Karri Ramo who has played his ass off the last few games. Here’s a 21 year old goaltender standing toe-to-toe with one of the NHL’s elite netminders in Olaf Kolzig and what’s happening? His team gives up in front of him.

Read that again: his team gives up in front of him.

That’s the only way to term last night. They flat out gave up. I won’t say that everyone on ice didn’t try or put an effort out there. They did, however, fail to look like they were competing in the end. And the lame duck season will continue unless the ownership situation solidifies soon (meaning don’t expect cavalry to swoop in via a trade or management change any time soon).

Meanwhile, Caps land is rejoicing a new found glory in their new coach… Oh, and the win. RJ can find two positives — and only two and that’s not surprising. Ramo, Lecavalier, and then suckage… that was last night.

Holiday Greetings to everyone out there! The NHLFA just sent out this press release that probably won’t get much attention until Wednesday:

We are pleased to announced an opportunity for two fans to bid and win opportunities to be public relations assistants at the 2008 NHL All Star Game weekend in Atlanta held January 25-27. Two fans will help the NHL’s public relations department and assist the game’s best players as they fulfill media availability. The two fans will also spend some quality, private time with the Stanley Cup.

Half of the proceeds from the auction will be given to the charity Hockey Fights Cancer. The other half of the proceeds will go to the NHLFA.

The NHL has stepped up and presented us with a wonderful opportunity for two fans to get up close to the game’s best players. It will be a very memorable weekend for two lucky fans.

The online auction begins on December 25, 2007 and concludes January 12, 2008 at 21:00 hrs (ET). Please (join us on) www.nhlfa.com to bid on these opportunities.

A merry opportunity for two merry causes.

Merry Christmas everyone.

RJ had stated this offseason that trading Vaclav Prospal for Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was a possibility. At least that was the rumor.

Forget a trade now, Bryzgalov is on waivers. Would Jay Feaster want to, or be able to, pick up Ilya if he wanted? Or does the in-flux status of ownership prevent him from taking on more payroll? Also, would acquiring a new goalie show too much of a lack-of-confidence in Johan Holmqvist?

It’s worth exploring, but the team is ultimately handcuffed unless PSE/Absolute Hockey reach an understanding.

Is it just me or does it seem as if watching Lightning games has become a grasping competition by Rick Peckham and Bobby Taylor when it comes to bright spots? Heck, let me go further and blame producers as for the umpteenth time since preseason the Lightning will be broadcasting a Chris Gratton piece, referencing his status as a former Kitty.

Here we are, with the Lightning in a 2-1 hole during the first period and Rick and Bobby were musing several times that the Martin St. Louis opened scoring. More talk about Marty — he scored the opening goal! — more talk about that opening goal by St. Louis and an overall neglect of what was going on, on ice. Then, chip in references to Saturday’s game against the Thrashers: repetitive talk about how well the team played, how great the team played, what a great effort by the Lightning.

To steal a line from Jim Rome: Scoreboard! 6-4, on the losing side, ultimately is a failing effort.

Sometimes you gotta face facts that things aren’t bright and rosy. Of course, this gets blurred a bit too often on TV and through the media. In some of the losses this season, the effort has been there along with consistent errors in how the Bolts move the puck — slogging ahead with razzle-dazzle attempts when the passing lanes have been clouded, if not closed. This further infuriates me when Bolt forwards decide to be selfless and dish off the puck instead of finishing a drive to the net or taking the shot. Yes, selflessness on ice will pay off if you’re able to deceive the goalie on a one-on-one, but how many times have the Lightning been in a position to do thisso far this season? Or more importantly, been in a position where an opposing defensiveman or forward isn’t in position to swipe the puck and ruin the play?

Another disappointing loss tonight where effort came up for naught. Effort can be trumpeted all over the land, but it comes down to wins and losses because there are no points for moral victories in this league… and the Lightning aren’t supposed to be a team vying for moral victories alone to begin with. Bobby Taylor can say this is really gotta be disappointing because the Lightning were playing so well… But if they capitalized on opportunities and played with a little more urgency before the final minutes of the 3rd period in Miami tonight, having a late goal scored by the Panthers wouldn’t have mattered.

A casual October has left the Lightning in 2nd place in the Southeast division but trailing the Carolina Hurricanes with thanks to that casual-October. Today and tomorrow will be the biggest test — endurance wise — the Lightning have yet to face this season as they play back to back games.

Is Jason Ward a better fit on the 2nd line than Michel Ouellet? He’s not a natural goal scorer but… well, Michel Ouellet isn’t proving to be much of one either. The difference is there is more click-age between Bradmaster and Jason Ward than with Ouellet.

On the blue line, the question is which D-man stays and which one goes when Dan Boyle comes off Injured Reserve? Matt Smaby seems like the most likely suspect at this time — and I feel sorry for him knowing that things in Norfolk are complicated defensively right now.

At any rate, Jaspers Rink has a rundown on tonights matchup (with complimentary quotes from me and RJ to boot).

The game is not a brush-off campaign that the Lightning can fart around with – it’s another must Southeast Division matchup. Yeah, it’s a long season, but with the team ending slow the previous two, winning now will likely prove vitally important if they end the season lackluster once again this season.

Hartley’s gone in Atlanta.

TSN.ca’s reporting Don Wadell has cut loose Bob Hartley and will take over duties behind the bench for the Thrashers. While TSN.ca notes the slow start, they should have made a point to stress the team has lost 10 straight if you include the Rangers sweep of the Thrash in the 2006-07 playoffs last April. One could have expected both Wadell and Hartley to be handed walking papers after a retooled-for-the-playoffs team fell down and went boom, but that wasn’t the case. Hartley survived, Wadell survived.

Now Bob is gone… And one has to wonder how much more time ownership will give Wadell to make something out of the team he’s been stewarding?

The NHLFA — National Hockey League Fan Association — is celebrating their 10th anniversary this season. For those of you who do not know what the Fan Association is, it is (or was?) an attempt to give fans a direct say in National Hockey League matters.

Jim Boone, one of the founders of the NHLFA, sent out this email:

This note is being sent to the 29,633 Members of the NHL Fans’ Association.

Welcome to the 2007-08 hockey season, hopefully the most exciting season of
NHL hockey ever.

This is a special season for the NHLFA, since it marks our 10th anniversary.
It seems like yesterday we recognized a lack of representation for NHL
hockey fans and decided to create a Web site and announce to the hockey
world we were accepting Members at www.nhlfa.com. Within a few short months
we had over 3000 fans join our team. Today we are inching close to 30,000
fans and are proud to say that we are the largest body of NHL fans in the
world.

Our colorful plans 10 years ago didn’t materialize as colorfully as we had
hoped, but nonetheless we skate forward and continue to nurture the NHLFA.
We have forged trusted relationships with the NHL, the NHL Players
Association and many hockey media. We are respected in this industry and
have gained a reputation as a valuable source of NHL fan opinion. Our
credibility is our strength.

Can you please take a minute to answer a brief mini-poll? Please complete the poll by Sunday, October 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET. We will share the results of the poll with you next
week.

I’m surprised the NHLFA has not grown larger than 30,000 members. There are no dues, there are no meetings (that I am aware of). With the power of the Internet, people join groups with ease. I’m wondering why there hasn’t been more of an electronic push to make the league relevant?

I mean, jeez, Rory Fitzpatrick got the Netroots (in this instance, grassroots-internet-based hockey fans) to almost land him on the All-Star ballot last season. Where’s the Myspace group? Where’s the Facebook community? Where’s the email list? Where’s the blog network of supporters? Or are hockey fans too apathetic to really take part in an organized coalition of fans? You saw these protest groups by the dozen during the lockout and yet how many of them can say that they are still around?

The NHLFA is not irrelevant in any case — simply look at the fans that belittle Gary Bettman, Colin Campbell and other league changes and issues and you will find a passionate fanbase that wants to influence the game of hockey… But with such a rabid base come volatility (”Get rid fo the southern teams! Add more teams to Canada! Ban the salary cap! Ban the New York Rangers!”) and a voice of moderation representing those fans is needed.

Now the question is, can the NHLFA take the next step forward and make itself more relevant to the fans and the National Hockey League? Or will it continue to muddle on and remain on the outside, looking in? I interviewed Jim Boone in 2004 at the beginning of the NHL lockout and he cited costs and time among other issues that hold back the NHLFA (a non profit entity). There are ways to get around those issues, of course, but reaching out to members and the Internet hockey community is the first step in finding that. Boone and Jim Spendlove (his partner) need to take that step.

At any rate, there is a mini survey being conducted at by the NHLFA with some current league issues being among the questions.

If there was one thing apparent watching Johan Holmqvist and the Lightning defense against the Florida Panthers on Friday, it was the fact that they drove home the idea things would be different this season early on. How many odd-man breaks Holmer thwarted and how many times the Defense swept in from behind to rescue Johan is beyond count for me. Indeed, something was different tonight.

Holmer stops 30 of 31, Chris Gratton scores twice and the Lightning hang on to win 2-1.

The most disturbing thing about this game was the M-V-P line being pass-happy while the Panthers were clouding passing lanes rather well. Add to the fact that the Lightning tended to shoot low on Craig Anderson — resulting in Lightning shots eating goalie padding — and the teams 23 shot performance doesn’t particularly wow those who have seen the Bolts offensive surge the past two games.

This game was won on defense and between the pipes — hats off to Johan and company for doing what the Bolts failed to do last season and (mostly) shutting down the Panther offense. Their lone goal being a flukey, bouncy, roll-around tip in that got through Holmqvist’s pads. The team improves to 3-0 and heads on the road to Miami.

Johan Holmqvist starts in net tonight for the Lightning against Florida…

…

Let me say it again, maybe this will register for some of your die hards and some of you non-die-hards. Johan Holmqvist starts in net tonight versus the Florida Panthers. In six games versus the Kitties in 2006-07, he was 1-2 with a 4.88 GAA and a .841 save percentage. Do I need to go on? To put it shortly, Johan was a disaster versus the Panthers for one reason or another. Versus numerous opponents last year, he looked fine if not great in net. But when it came to the Panthers it wasn’t the greatest performance that he could put up… And that’s putting it lightly.

18 Goals allowed and 113 shots faced in six games. That’s only close to 19 shots a game for the mathematically challenged. That’s unacceptable.

But here we are, it’s a new season, a new start… Will Johan make the most of this tonight or will we see Marc Denis getting his first action of the season to spell Holmer? I’m hoping for the former and fearing the latter. I made a big deal about the Lightning playing a division rival on Saturday and this is just as big… Division rival trying to reverse it’s losing ways with a new backstop with a reputation all his own. If the Lightning fall into the same trap as last year against the Panthers, this could end badly.

That’s why I’m wariest about Holmer regressing into 2006-07 form for tonight.

Atlanta visiting Tampa Bay on Saturday night was overshadowed in the south with college football (LSU hosting Florida and a full slate of college football games in the ACC, Big East and SEC) that got everyone’s attention.

It hit me during the 2nd period, before Brad Richards break away short handed goal, how big a game this first match-up between the Thrashers and the Bolts was. It wasn’t just the 2nd game of the Lightning’s season but it was a matchup between a bitter division rival — last year’s Southeast division champion. A team that gives the Lightning fits at times and takes advantage of the Bolts when they aren’t firing on all cylinders.

The Thrashers vs. the Lightning is something hockey fans in the area should know is a big deal… how come it felt like anything but going into this game? It’s a long season but to be competitive, the Lightning are going to have to play well against all SE teams, not who they chose and when they chose.

And seeing the Thrashers are the reigning kings of the hill — with thanks to the Lightning not playing as it needed to at times down the stretch last season — and meeting them head on and trumping them in a contest should be looked at as imperative even this early in the season. Getting lucky and playing them on no rest (Atlanta only mustered 13 shots as proof of them being tuckered out) is a positive and the Lightning didn’t waste the opportunity.

The M-V-P line (Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Vaclav Prospal) continued it’s play as an offensive juggernaut that became apparent last season. Proposal especially is benefiting at the moment from Vincent Lecavalier’s incredible play, netting two goals with thanks to Lecavalier and redirecting a Martin St. Louis shot.

Meanwhile, Brad Richards finally stepped to the plate and scored twice — both on special teams (SHG and PPG). All in all it was a good night of play and a 5-2 victory to show for it.

…Now if there had only been more hype to this game before hand, as it may carry great weight come spring 2008.

As the reigning champion of Mike Chen’s Crappy Player Pick’em, it’s my duty to announce that the Crappy Player Pick’em contest has returned! Get over to Mike Chen’s Hockey Blog and play along, or perhaps just watch as bloggers and fans around the league make their selection of best of the “worst” in the NHL. The ground rules are simple — A player making under the league average, over the age of 26 and a contributor on their teams lower lines. Read more on Mike’s blog in both the content and the comments.

I’ve been trying to focus on some responsibilities away from Boltsmag… Yesterday was a day especially where I was focusing away from the site and hockey in general.

Keith, my Calgary Flames fan friend, dropped an email to me that Bill Wirtz had died. It wasn’t a matter-of-fact email, it was a quip.

And yet reading the news piece itself, all I could do was smirk. The true “Dollar Bill” of hockey and his anal, tightwad, ancient ways were no longer going to rule the Chicago Blackhawk franchise… His grip on NHL leadership is gone.

Bill Wirtz reputation as an owner is comparable to Hugh Culverhouse and Bill Bidwell of the NFL (Culverhouse, since passed, was Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner — and a tightwad himself while pledging millions for philanthropic causes)… Wirtz had control of one of the Original Six NHL franchises and ran it into the ground — milking the team for what money he could get, alienating the fanbase and making the Blackhawks irrelevant in the hockey world. He didn’t just alienate fans but turned of generations of midwesterners to what should be one of the marquee franchises of pro sports.

Bill Wirtz is dead, and all I can do is smirk. This overlooks the mans own philanthropic deeds and how it improved lives (though I do not know what he has given to or who he has supported with his money). Just as well, his legacy for me will be handcuffing the ‘Hawks.

Roenick’s sticking around after all. This after announcing his retirement — by text message.

I don’t mean to sully J.R. like I have in the title but really — while he has another shot by signing with the Sharks during their window of opportunity that they’ve been in the last few seasons… It just seems like hanging-on-for-hanging-on-sake.

Can he contribute? Sure. Will he? Arguable. Should he just hang them up? Again,arguable but he’s an American Don Cherry in the making — if he wants to be. He has a media presence and could find a second career on TV… If he doesn’t further compromise his head with more concussions or other hockey injuries that may make him less TV-friendly, so to speak.

Good luck, Jeremy… Though I’d rather see you save the NHL through the media than try to attain personal glory on the ice.

EDIT: 9-06-2007 David at The Ice Block has a nice take on the possible way J.R. found his way to San Jose. I’m left wondering if I should be thrilled at the marvels of technology or be disgusted by them?