Justin Bourne discusses the news and events around the NHL and world of hockey
by Justin Bourne - June 21, 2011 11:27 AM EDT
It's difficult for a player to decide when to hang them up and the last thing we want to see from Lidstrom is a decline or, worse, an injury.
My dad is a fortunate man. After 14 NHL seasons and more than 1,000 career games (including playoffs), he still feels pretty physically decent for a 57-year-old gent.
by Justin Bourne - June 6, 2011 4:28 PM EDT
Is the Bruins captain tired, hurt or just not on top of his game? Justin Bourne looks at some things that could be behind Chara's lackluster play.
Zdeno Chara is, by consensus, one of the top five defensemen in the NHL today. Few players in the history of the game have been able to direct traffic the way he can.
by Justin Bourne - May 24, 2011 12:54 PM EDT
The Canucks took it to the Sharks on the man advantage in Game 4 because of constant moving, passing and realignment.
A 5-on-4 power play has some design beyond just passing the puck around and waiting for a chance to shoot: there are some specific shots a team tries to create with puck and player movement.
by Justin Bourne - May 10, 2011 1:30 PM EDT
Diving and embellishing has become a storyline in these playoffs, so how can the NHL and its officials tackle the problem?
So here’s an annoying point in the whole discussion on diving in the NHL: it works.
That’s about the only positive thing I (or anyone else) should have to say about it - and technically, it’s not even a positive thing.
by Justin Bourne - April 25, 2011 3:33 PM EDT
Starting Cory Schneider in a pivotal playoff game was risky for the Canucks - and in more ways than one.
A successful NHL coach knows more than how to diagram a power play on a white board. A big part of this job - maybe the biggest - is to be a human resources manager and to find ways to get the best performance of out his people at the right times.
by Justin Bourne - April 12, 2011 1:20 PM EDT
Why do some players excel in the regular season only to see their production drop precipitously come playoff time?
Every year, playoffs bring about a confusing phenomenon: The Case of the Disappearing Goal-Scorer is a mystery even The Hardy Boys would struggle to figure out.
by Justin Bourne - March 28, 2011 3:10 PM EDT
The former AHLer and son of NHLer Bob Bourne writes about the traits and tendencies of strong hockey coaches.
Great coaches operate using different systems and styles and this year’s race for the Jack Adams Award is proof of that. No fewer than a dozen names could be rightly considered for nomination, as teams across the board have been impressive given their in-season difficulties - groups such as the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings all thrived despite multiple injuries to key players.
by Justin Bourne - March 14, 2011 4:10 PM EDT
With all the gimmicky products available on the market, it's easy to get caught up in quick-fixes, but the best results come from playing the game itself.
I spent the majority of my weekend at the boys’ high school hockey state tournament in Minnesota, which featured an incredible gear expo on the lower floor of the Xcel Energy Center.
by Justin Bourne - March 1, 2011 2:45 PM EST
The former NCAA, ECHL and AHL player writes about facing your old team and how he felt when it happened to him.
When the sun rose Tuesday morning and brought light to a new day beyond the trade deadline, there were a number of NHL rosters that appeared significantly different than they did just days before.
by Justin Bourne - February 14, 2011 3:55 PM EST
For some hockey players a physical game is a way of life, but living on the edge isn't effective for everyone.
We often hear hockey people talking about how certain players need to play on “The Edge” to be effective.
Guys such as Matt Cooke, Jarkko Ruutu and Sean Avery are all extremely effective players, but if you sanded the grit from their games, their value would be cut in half.
by Justin Bourne - January 31, 2011 3:19 PM EST
From natural modesty to mutual respect and more, we could have seen more dressing room character that would have made better TV.
I was fairly certain heading into the all-star weekend that we were going to be exposed to more of the players’ personalities and a little bit more of the locker room dynamic that exists between most of the guys who play our wonderful game.
by Justin Bourne - January 17, 2011 3:25 PM EST
In hockey, it's generally accepted that if you shoot from anywhere, anything can happen. Well, that just doesn't work like it used to.
I’ve long railed against the common coach’s mantra “shoot from everywhere,” but only because it’s a horrible idea.
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"That hockey game will haunt me until the day I die…"
- Toronto's Joffrey Lupul reacting on Twitter to his team's meltdown loss in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins.
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