text:
Archive for September 2012

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Sweet Music City

There's actually been something to cheer about in Nashville this season.
Unbeknownst to Nashivlle Predators fans, there actually is hockey played after the regular season.
Fans are getting a 101 course on this information in the wake of news that their team may actually make the post-season. Until recently, the Predtoars fans were only left with 'wild rumours' of playoff action. The WCHL Cup was long thought to be a piece of fiction, a tale from long ago of a prized possession long since swallowed up by time in a similar fashion to how San Jose Sharks General Manager Kurt Fulmore swallows... er, nevermind.
"We can't believe it. There's actually more hockey? Since when," questioned long-time Predators fan Ima Not Egirl, herself a long-time puck bunny. Considering the Predators haven't exactly been lighting things up very often in their history in the WCHL, she's had her share of 'consoling' to do over the years.

Even the ice girls are getting into it this year.
But here the Predators are, making big moves and even bigger strides up the standings. One season after finishing second last in the WCHL, the Predators sit fifth in the Western Conference and a full eight points ahead of ninth seeded Vancouver Canucks, with two games in hand.
"We like where we are at, but we still have work to do," acknowledged General Manager Trent Allen in his second season on the job. "To steal a line from Patrick Matthews (Pittsburgh Penguins GM) I've got a few holes to fill."
While Allen wouldn't go into what those holes were, the likely goal is to add another centre to the mix who is capable of playing on the top two lines. Alexander Steen and Lars Eller are currently holding down those two spots and Allen has expressed his desire in the past to move Steen to the wing while trying to move Eller to the third line where there is less pressure.
"Much like Ottawa Senators GM Noel Harrison, we spent most of last year trying to shore up a backend that was getting scored on repeatedly. I think we have done a great job there, but now we have to work harder at finding ways to score. Maybe we'll ask (Philadelphia Flyers GM) Doug (Van Strephen) about that, he's always trying to figure out how to score."
Oddly enough, the Predators are sitting just 28th in the lague on the penalty kill, something which has been a big issue for the PRedators dating back to before Allen even arrived.
"That's been the one big issue we've had," noted Allen. "That's an area I pledged would be the first to improve and right now it's looking like the last place that needs improvement. It will get better."
Overall though, things are going great in Nashville considering where they were a year ago. Leading that charge has been a quartet of players brought in after last season ended.
"We have to credit Mike Green, Alexander Steen, Patric Hornqvist and Roberto Luongo a lot for our turn around," noted Allen.
Patric Hornqvist nd Mike Green are two big reasons for the turnaround of the Nashville Predators this season.
Indeed. Green sits second on the team in scoring with 45 points in 51 games, placing him fifth amongst WCHL blueliners. Steen and Hornqvist meanwhile, both acquired early in the season in a deal with the Boston Bruins, have combined for 35 goals and 77 points in 39 games being acquired, while Luongo has played all 40 games for Nashville since being picked up from the Carolina Hurricanes just prior to the Steen and Hornqvist deal, dramatically stabilizing things between the pipes for the Predators.
"We are sort of going through a rebuild or a retooling here with a focus on youth, but we needs veterans and leaders too and that's what these guys bring to us," noted Allen. "You can't just play with a bunch of young guys all the time. Ask Ryan (McClanahan, Colorado Avalanche GM).
Keeping it up in Nashville won't be easy, but so far, this season has been nothing but music to the ears of many fans. With nothing left to lose on a season already deemed a success, expect Nashville to be a darkhorse contender to at least make some noise come the playoffs, assuming they can hold on to make it that far.
"We'll do some damage. We'll show everyone that we can play with the big boys," said Luongo.

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Long live Les Habitants

Is Montreal Cup bound, or will they have to wait until next year? The answer could come in the regular season oddly enough.
In a season filled with so much potential, the Montreal Canadians are fulfilling that potential - and yet they still might be watching the playoffs from their living rooms.
Such is the fate of Eastern Conference teams this year, where a pack of 15 teams was almost immediately reduced to nine, all fighting hard for a playoff spot.
Nine teams have a winning percentage of .620 or higher, including the Canadians, with eight of those teams actually at .660 or higher. Of note, only two teams in the Western Conference -the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames- even have winning percentages high enough to crack the top eight in the East.
So, while on one hand Montreal fans must be proud of their teams success, the other hand is to busy seeing its nails getting chewed down to nothing as this game of musical chairs will eventually end with one team sitting out the playoffs looking in.
Right now that one team is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who despite a record of 30-14-6, sit ninth in the conference. Montreal sits eighth, but is tied with Pittsburgh and in fact the only thing giving Montreal the edge right now is the fact they have one more regulation win than the Penguins.
Complicating matters are the Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning. Both teams figured to be in tough to make the playoffs this year, yet not only is one of those teams virtually guaranteed a spot, theya re both hanging around with the powers of the Eastern Conference. At one point, the Lightning led the entire conference for a healthy stretch of time.
"With the way we've been playing, we shouldn't have to worry about making the playoffs, but here we are," said Canadians netminder Jonathan Quick. "We're working hard to stay with the pack, but it's tough when you win a game then look up at the scoreboard and see everyone else did too."

It's been the Jonathan Quick highlight reel show in Montreal this year.
This wouldn't be a problem in the Western Conference. If Montreal was in the West, they'd have a hold of third spot in the conference and a likely home playoff seed for the opening round.
Sitting seventh in goals for and second in goals against, the Canadiens have rattled off a strong resume for a playoff berth. Possessing the league's best penalty killing unit at 89.04 per cent isn't hurting matters either.
"There's still time to spereate ourselves a bit more here," noted forward Brenden Morrow, a mid-season acquisition from the Colorado Avalanche. "We have 32 games left on the schedule and if we keep winning, we'll be ok. But we have to keep winning."

Brenden Morrow hasn't been able to light it up the way Montreal had hoped after he came over from Colorado.
To do so, Montreal would benefit from a scoring boost from morrow. Brought in to help anchor the second line, Morrow has amassed just 11 points in 31 games so far as a Canadians player.
That seems to be the lone problem for Montreal though, and the all-star caliber netminding from Quick has made their games easier. Already sporting a 29-12-6 record, Quick also holds a .906 save percentage, third best in the league.
While Montreal may appear to not need any moves to be made, they are rumoured to be shopping defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, whose hefty $6.5 million salry makes him a large burden on the salary cap. Whether Montreal can find a taker is another issue.

Is Montreal really trying to move Christian Ehrhoff?
In the meantime, trades or not, Montreal is in great position to make a meaningful cup run in Le Belle Province for the first time in yeas. Only question left to answer is, can they make the playoffs in the first place?

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Going Hog Wild

It's been a cause for celebration for Minnesota this year.
It's been a bounce back season for the Minnesota Wild, as efforts under General Manager Alex Tanev to revitalize the once sagging fortunes of the club have begun to pay off.
The Wild sit sixth in the Western Conference, just one point behind the Nashville Predators. For a club many figured was one more year away from a post-season berth, the Wild are looking in good shape to be ahead of the trend in that regard, sitting 11 points ahead of the ninth seeded Columbus Blue Jackets.
"It's been a good season for us, but it's not over yet," said defenseman Dion Phanuef, who is tied for the team lead in points with 40. "We've worked hard to get here, now it's time to complete the job."
Indeed. While Minnesota is well entrenched in a post-season slot, they are also only one game over .500 on the season, meaning a smll stumble could cost them big in the playoff race.

Vanilla Ice wannabe Dion Phaneuf and sheep-lover Mikhail Grabovski are two key cogs for the Minnesota Wild.
"We have to keep our foot down on the gas peddle. We can't let up, there are plenty fo teams hunting us down," said centre Mikhail Grabovski who leads the team with 17 goals.
To do that, the Wild do have some areas to shore up. Offense is one, as Phanuef and fellow blueliner Shane O'Brien lead the club with 40 points. While such production from the backend is desired, it's rarely a good omen to have your top two scorers patrolling your blueline.
While some players, such as Richard Zednik and Robbie Schremp have stepped forward and exceeded expectations, others need to start pulling their weight. This includes star forward Milan Hejduk, who has scored just seven goals and 20 points in 51 games this year.

The Wild are left wondering what has happened to Steve Downie and Milan Hejduk, as the duo have combd for just 15 goals and 32 points so far this season.
Others who have stumbled include Steve Downie, with 12 points in 51 games, and Raffi Torres, who has just one point on the season and has been reduced to a fourth line role.
"It's tough, but only I can dig myself out of this hole," noted Torres.
The bright spots have been primarily limited to the defense and in net, where Antti Niemi has been solid. Backup Johan Hedberg has once again excelled in a reserve role, though he hasn't been called on much.

Antti Niemi has been solid for the Wild so far this season.
While in-season trades are always the easiest to do or most effective way to improve your squad, one thing Minnesota would likely be wise to correct is their penalty taking. Minnsota ranks 25th in the league in penalty minutes, taking nearly two minutes more per game than the league average. A few less minutes in the box would certainly improve things elsewhere.
Given that, it's not a surprise to hear that Downie is reportedly being shopped in trade talks by the Wild. Coupled with his weak offensive numbers, Downie also ranks fourth on the Wild in penalty minutes, despite playing significantly less minutes than the players above him on that list. It could be addition by subtraction for Downie, who has often been referred to as a selfish player who puts himself ahead of his team.
Whatever is going on with Downie or any other possible trades, Tanev is keeping quiet.
"We're looking to see what's out there, but for now I have nothing to report," said Tanev. "If the right deal comes along, we might make a move. If not, then we'll stick with what we have."
And why not? It's working so far for the Wild, who could be heading back to the post-season for the first time in a while if they can keep things rolling for another 31 games.

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Kings of the Hill

The Kings simply look magnificent, awesome, awe-inspiring, and breathtaking during their cup victory in Season 6. Can they duplicate that feat again this year?
In a surprising twist of fortunes, the Los Angeles Kings find themselves sitting atop the Western Conference as the league enters the second half of the season.
While some of the credit for that likely falls to the usual heavyweights in the conference, such as the Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, all having somewhat poor seasons this year -especially in the case of Colorado- the Kings themselves also deserve a large degree of credit as well.
Their .647 winning percentage actually ranks Los Angeles third in the conference, just behind Calgary (.670) and San Jose (.652) but the Kings have earned 66 points so far this year and are on pace to finish the season with 106 points. One heck of a positive result for a team that was viewed as being over the hill by many before the season began.
"We may be older than most teams, but we aren't decreped," said elder statesman Brian Rolston who, along with Martin Straka, is one of two 40-year-olds on the team. "We can still play in this league and our record shows that.

Brian Rolston's had a tought season for the Kings so far.
In fact, Los Angeles is only getting better as the season wears along, going 7-1-2 in the last 10 games to give them a three point cushion on Calgary in the Western Conference.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about this success is that the Kings are doing this despite not having Pierre-Marc Bouchard all season. The winger has been embroiled in a bitter contract dispute all season.
Without the offense from Bouchard, the Kings haven't missed a beat, relying on a strong defense to carry them instead. Just like Colorado, the Kings are averaging 2.88 goals per game, which is exactly the same as the league average. Defensively though, Los Angeles sits ninth, allowing just 2.53 goals per game. At times that defense can be downright suffocating though, with netminder Tim Thomas posting six shutouts already this season, good for fifth best in the league and one off the league lead shared by four other netminders.
"I just go out and play my best and try to give the team a chance to win," said Thomas, "and with this crew usually that's been good enough."
Tim Thomas Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins poses with the Vezina Trophy following the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Once again, Tim Thomas has been award-caliber in net for the Kings.
Whether or not it will hold up could be a key question, but for it to maintain, the Kings need to shore things up on special teams. Overall, Los Angeles sits 24th on the powerplay and 26th in terms of penalty killing.
It needs to be better for sure, but we're working on that. We also have a lot of leaders on this team, so I expect this to be taken care of sooner rather than later," explained Head Coach Alain Vigneault.
Things would be worse if not for the surprising efforts of defenseman Radek Martinek. Usually known for his defnsive prowess, Martinek has erupted this year with 10 goals and 31 points. Seven of his 10 tallies have come on the powerplay.
Martínek musel bohuzel predcane oznámit konec sezony.
Radek Martinek would play through a broken neck for Los Angeles.
"I'm doing job coach ask of me. It hard but fun, and I will not fail him," said Martinek in broken English.
Castoffs such as Carl Soderberg and Viktor Kozlov have also stepped forward and contributed to the Kings offense, but the team will need more firepower behind their two top centres in Evgeni Malkin and Paul Stastny if they hope to continue to compete.
One such option would be Rolston. While the veteran is no longer counted on as a 30-goal option, scoring just once and adding two assists in 49 games is also well below what the club thought they were getting. Another option may be to sign 2010 first round draft pick Alexander Burmistrov to a contract.

Is Alexander Burmistrov the answer to Los Angeles' offensive needs?
In the meantime, Los Angles will continue to plug along. When once the playoffs were the goal for this season, now those goals have become much higher indeed, and all signs point to this year being a huge success for the Kings. But will they be crowned?

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Wild cat country
David Booth David Booth #10 of the Florida Panthers watches Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers deflect his shot on goal during the first period at Madison Square Garden on January 25, 2011 in New York City.
Florida's been trying to improve, but so far haven't found much traction as they try and move up the standings.
It's been a season of change and renewal for the Florida Panthers. It's also been another season of status quo when it comes to the standings. Despite some moves done under first year General Manager Melvin Chong, the Panthers have not been able to keep up in the surprisingly successful Eastern Conference, sitting 25 points out of a playoff spot with a record of 13-23-9. That's good enough for 13th in the Eastern Conference and 26th overall, though they are tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals for last in the conference.
Part of their lack of success can be traced to extra time play, where Florida is 1-9 in games that are decided in overtime or a shootout.
"We get there and we seem to clam up. We just can't seem to get the puck to the net. And I seem to fight the puck more for some reason. We're great in regulation most of the time, but in overtime, we just seem to come apart," said all-star netminder Pekka Rinne.
Despite the lack of success, Florida has made a significant transition in their state as a team, as deals for forwards Justin Williams and Brad Richards havecome together this year, not to mention Alexander Ovechkin and Blake Wheeler. The Panthers have brought in a lot of hired guns to do some mercenary work.
"We're hoping to keep up with the rest of the East that way," noted Chong. "We feel with Rinne in net and young defensemen like Leddy and Myers on the blueline, we can have the defense in place already, even if it is down the road a year or two. But we needed to enhance the offense and we did that."

Tyler Myers is a big piece of the future for Florida.
In thoery anyways. While the names Florida has brought in look great on paper, they haven't been on the ice. Despite playing a combined 156 games for Florida this season, Ovechkin, Richards, Williams and Wheeler have combined for just 35 goals this season. A former 60-goal scorer, Ovechkin is on pace for just 17 goals this year, and the pairing of Richards and Ovie has so far failed. Overall, Florida ranks 23rd in goal scoring in the WCHL and 25th in goals against. Part of the problem is Florida doesn't shoot the puck enough, sitting 27th in shots at just 21.69 per game while allowing the most shots against in the league at 28.89 per game. Only Chicago has a worse ratio of shots for and against.

Alexander Ovechkin has been anything but great as a Florida Panther.
Florida though will have to make a decision soon on what they are going to do going forward. Richards and Rinne are slated to be unrestricted free agents this off-season, as is Matt Cooke, who sits third on the team with 11 goals. Wheeler, Leddy and Mark Fayne will all need contract extensions meanwhile, and with the cap not expected to increase between now and next season, Florida may only have approximately $600,000 in wiggle room to get that done.
What potential unrestricted free agents Pekka Rinne and Brad Richards do will have a huge impact on Florida's future.
So do you blow it up and keep it together? On paper, Florida would be wise to keep the pieces in place and try and build around them, but with Rinne likely going to command a $3 million pay increase, it doesn't look like that will be easy to do.
If they do send some salary packing, Tim Connolly looks like a prime target. The $6.5-million man has picked up just 18 points in 36 games for Florida, and that is a lot of money for only average returns. With one more year left on his deal however, he figures to be hard to move.

With a $6.5-million contract, Tim Connolly's bang for the buck might not be enough for Florida.
Expect the team to purge a few defensemen as well, as they are carrying eight on the pro roster already. Additionally, the club is likely to try and make room upfront for Luke Adam, assuming the hot young prospect can sign a contract extension with Florida as well. Adam is currently leading the San Antonio Rampage in scoring and is expected to be ready for prime time duty next season, giving Florida yet another offensive option.

Luke Adam could be in Florida permanently as early as next season.
"If we can keep this core together, we have the ability to build around it," said Chong. "It's just a matter of doing that and not putting ourselves ina huge financial hole in the process."
It will be interesting to see what happens in Florida for sure. With a 1st round pick that is likely to be top 10 in the 2011 draft. Florida has a bright future, assuming they can keep the present intact.

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Gushing Oil

The Oilers aim to roar through the second half of the season.
It's been a rough go of things this year for the Edmonton Oilers. Entering the season, Edmonton was brimming with confidence and full of anticipation, aiming for a playoff berth and a strong post-season push.
If they do reach those playoffs, it won't be in the way they expected however. Starting netminder Tomas Vokoun was placed on waivers after posting an absolutely dreadful record of 3-17-4, a goals against average of 4.04 and a save percentage of .843. Even if he were to clear waivers, with numbers like those it's debateable on if the Oklahoma City Barons will want him.

Former all-world goaltender Tomas Vokoun has been "awful" this season, according to General Manager Keith Foster.
"He has been awful this year. Just awful," explained Oilers General Manager Keith Foster. "I don't like o throw a guy under the bus, but he could dramatically improve those numbers and still be considered an underachiever. He has been terrible."
The Oilers are expected to go with a rotation of Christobel Huet and Rick Dipietro the rest of the season. While Huet's save percentage, .872, isn't very good either, he has still managed to post a 12-7-1 record as an Oiler, something that helps bring a sense of confidence.

Oilers fans might be seeing a lot more of Rick Dipietro the rest of the season.
As does the weak Western Conference, which has allowed the Oilers to stay in contention despite their goaltending woes. Entering action on Friday, the Oilers sat 12th but were just five points out of eighth spot and riding a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games.
"We've had some ground to make up for sure, but we fortunately haven't dug ourselves a huge hole," said forward Craig Smith, the lone rookie on the club. "We know if we were in the Eastern Conference, we'd be buried right now, so we need to take advantage of the situation we are in, not cry over lost points."
An additional bonus to the Vokoun move is it will free up $7 million in cap space for the Oilers, if they choose to look for improvements on the trade market. Prior to waiving Vokoun, the Oilers had less than $900,000 in cap space to play with.
"We'll look around and kick some tires, but the team is playing much better lately so we may just ride this out for a bit too," noted Foster. "Sometimes just making a move like this can be enough and you don't need to bring in anyone. Just having confidence in who is between your pipes can help enough."
Expect the club to ride offensive juggernauts Jason Pominville and Patrik Elias if they hope to have a better second half of the season. The duo has combined for 47 goals and 112 points already, making them the backbone of the Oilers offense.
Jason Pominville Jason Pominville #29 of the Buffalo Sabres and Team Alfredsson poses prior to the 2012 NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Place on January 29, 2012 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Jason Pominville and Patrik Elias have been all-star caliber for the Edmonton Oilers so far this year.
"They've been terrific," said forward olli Jokinen, who sits third in team scoring behind the duo. "Without them, I'd hate to think where we'd be."
Likely vying for the top draft pick in the 2011 WCHL Entry Draft. The Oilers already sit with the leagues worst goals against average at 3.84 goals against per game. That's almost a full goal more than the league average of 2.89. The club also has the 27th ranked penalty kill, yet aren't allowing an obscene amount of shots, ranking 19th in shots allowed per game with 25.78, just slightly ahead of the league average of 25.24.
"It gives us hope," said defenseman Paul Mara, who has a team worse plus/minus ranking of -17. "Once again, I hate to blame all of the issues on Tomas, but when we aren't allowing a lot more shots than the average team, yet we sit dead last in goals against average and are near the bottom on the penalty kill, there has to be a reason for that.
While the offense has been much better this year, it can still get better. Forwards Niklas Hagman and Eric Belanger were expected to contribute in a third line role, yet the pair has combined for just one goal so far this season, despite pulling in a combined $3.8 million.

Eric Belanger will need to pick up the pace the rest of the season.
But overall, things are looking up. How can they not be when you are just five points away from the playoffs despite going just 1-13-3 in a 17 games stretch?
"Some teams should have buried us a long time ago and they didn't. We'll make them pay for that in the second half," said defenseman Jordan Leopold.

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

On a wing and a prayer

Adding to the long list of banners in Joe Louis Arena is a goal of the current Red Wings club.
The Detroit Red Wings find themselves in a rare situation. After years of simply trying to get into the playoffs, Detroit sits fourth in the Western Conference at the mid-way point of the season with 53 points. That's 13 points ahead of ninth placed Dallas Stars. And with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, the winged wheel doesn't appear to be slowing down at all.
It's a quick turnaround for the Wings. After reaching the WCHL Cup finals and pushing the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins to seven games in Season 12, the Wings have seen a quick decline in their fortunates ever since. Barely making the playoffs the next year, the Wings fell on harder times last year, missing the post-season altogether.
In their first full season under General Manager Will Englesby, who came over midway through last year from the Chicago Blackhawks, the Wings got off to a fast start and haven't looked back since. Riding a surprisingly solid season from veteran netminder Nikolai Khabibulin, the Wings are one of the top surprises of the WCHL at the midway point.

It's been all Nikolai Khabibulin at times in Detroit.
"It's been a total team effort. Some games were get hammered, but most games we find a way to stay close and keep ourselves in the game, then turn it on at the end at nail down the win. It's a rope-a-dope style of play that's worked so far," said Englesby.
On the surface, the Wings don't look overly impressive. A collection of players largely thought to have already seen their better days, the Wings have proven to be the fountain of youth for guys like Khabibulin, Michael Ryder and Danius Zubrus, all of whom are on pace for excellent seasons.
With five shutouts, Khabibulin sits tied for the fifth most shutouts in the league with Miikka Kiprusoff. This despite facing the fourth most shots in the league at 1,067. On average, Khabibulin faces the fifth most shots against per game in the league amongst starting goaltenders.
Zubrus meanwhile is on pace for nearly 70 points, while Ryder has amassed 20 goals in 43 games so far. Needless to say, neither has seen this much production in years, if ever.

The play of Danius Zubrus and Michael Ryder has been a key cog in Detroit's success this year.
"It's been clicking well," said Zubrus of his season thus far. Me and my linemates are playing well at both ends of the ice, and it's making things fun so far. Hopefully it continues."
For it to continue, the Wings are likely going to need to spread out the scoring. A second line of Simon Gagne, Jonathan Sim and Paul Gaustad has combined for just 22 goals so far. That's what you get from a line with one player past his prime and two others who never were legitimate scores in the WCHL.
As a result, Detroit sits 21st in goals for this season, and despite their 25-15-3 record, the Wings have actually been outscored 117-119 this season.
The problems certainly aren't on the powerplay, where Detroit ranks fourth best in the league with a 19.56 per cent success rate. Combined with the league's sixth best penalty killing unit, the Wings hold the league's second best combined special teams units, with a total value of 104.7 per cent. Only the Montreal Canadiens are better.
"We've been deadly on the special teams this year. It's been our source of strength," said defenseman Johnny Boychuk who participates heavily on both squads.
If that success could translate to five-on-five play, Detroit would be almost unstoppable.
"We need to find a way to carry that success over to all situations," assessed Englesby. "We've been outscored by 15 goals at even strength. We can't keep doing that and expect to win a lot of games."
In the meantime, the club will continue to look for more help, both from within and from without. Trade options are being explored, but seeing improvement from guys such as Taylor Pyatt, who only has one goal and three points as far, would be a boon.

Less smiles, more goal needed from Taylor Pyatt in Detroit.
If not, the Wings are poised to fall off th rails, and ruin what could be a storybook season in Detroit.

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Shooting stars

The Stars aren't just number one off the ice like they were last year.
One season after posting one of the worst record in the history of the WCHL, the Dallas Stars find themselves working on getting back into the playoffs. While there have been some questionable moves along the way, the Dallas Stars have overall shown a strong turnaround this season.
That began in the off-season, as veterans Marian Hossa and Rob Scuderi were traded for, while centre Joe Thornton was added via free agency, immediately improving the offense and defense at what were relatively low costs; outside of the salary additions that is.

Marian Hossa's offense hasn't been terrific this year, but it's been a boost to the Stars over last year.
While their contribution results have been mixed, the Stars haven't simply rested on the shoulders of those three players. Instead, a large scale overhaul of the team has them boasting a revamped line up full of expectation and void of any hangovers from last years dispicable season.
"They needed a fresh start here in Dallas, and I don't think it gets much fresher than this," said Thornton. "The change has been good and things are going in the right direction, but we need to get better yet, myself included."

"They needed a fresh start here in Dallas," said Joe Thornton, himself looking for a fresh start after 13 seasons in Boston. While it's been a fresh start indeed for both, both the Stars and Thronton could use some improvement as well.
Indeed they do. After starting the season hot, including breifly holding down third spot in the Western Conference, the Stars have fallen back to earth somewhat. Now sitting ninth in the conference and on a five game losing streak.
"It's been a rough stretch lately, but every team goes thugh these from time to time," acknowledged Hossa. "We just need to get past this and get back to winning, not let this streak define us."
And there is plenty of players who have a winning pedigree in the Stars line up. For instance, there are no fewer than 10 former Clgary Flames players who have suited up for the Dallas Stars this season, and the Flames have been one of the leagues most successful teams the past five seasons in the WCHL. This list includes the teams leading scorer David Clarkson, who has amassed 18 goals and 34 points this year.

David Clarkson's offense this year has been a welcome addition to the Stars.
"We have a veteran core, there's no doubt about it," said Clarkson. "We know how to win, now it's just a matter of getting out there and winning."
To do so the club's going to need some more goals. Despite heavily improving the firepower upfront, Dallas still sits 23rd in the league in goals, and 26th on the powerplay. While more was expected out of Hossa and Thornton, who between them have just 19 goals this season, others need to step up their play as well. Included in that list is Brandon Dubinsky, who in two seperate stints with Carolina this year has scored just once and added four assists in 21 games. Wotjek Wolski meanwhile has just three goals and seven points in 41 games as a Stars this year.
While new additions in Mike Fisher and Nick Foligno should help, the team still likely will need a larger upgrade or more contributions from guys like Wolski, Dubinsky or Andrew Cogliano. A true puckmoving defenceman would also help, with Matt Gilroy being the closest thing to that so far for Dallas.

More offense from Wojtek Wolski would be a big assist to the Stars.
If Dallas can get some more balanced scoring, things could rebound quickly for the Stars. And unlike last year, they won't need the stars to align to make the playoffs this time around.

Leave a comment

30 Teams in 30 Stories

Not so Blue anymore

There's been ctual cause to celebrate in Columbus since General Manager Serge Niles took over.
It's been a rough go of things in the WCHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Much like their NHL counterpart, they haven't been met with much success over their life in the league.
But under the new regime headed by Serge Niles, that has begun to change. The Blue Jackets recorded their first ever post-season berth last year and are hanging around in the hunt for another playoff spot this year as well.
As of press time, the Blue Jackets sat in eighth spot in the Western Conference, tied with the ninth place Dallas Stars and just one point behind th two-time defnding WCHL Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
"It's been a slow but positive build for us, and we are pleased with the results," said Niles. "We are sticking to the game plan, which can be a bit difficult seeing where we are in the standings, but it will pay off in the long run. We have confidence in that."
That plan is to build around a young but veteran core which includes the likes of Jason Spezza, Claude Giroux and Brent Seabrook. Of the 23 players on the Blue Jackets roster, only six are over the age of 30. Of that group, only Vaclav Prospal and Bryce Salvador play big roles, and Prospal is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
SAN JOSE, CA - JANUARY 05:  Vaclav Prospal #22 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates after he scored on Thomas Greiss #1 of the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion at San Jose on January 5, 2012 in San Jose, California.  <br /><br /><span class="help">(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)</span>
Vaclav Prospal celebrates a goal against the San Jose Sharks.
"We know that we are a good team right now, but we have the chance to be a really good team down the road, and we can do it together," said veteran centre Jarrett Stoll. "That's something you don't see much of in this league. I would know, I've been in and out of Carolina more often than a long-haul truck driver."
That young core is leading the charge for the Blue Jackets as well, with Giroux, Spezza and Seabrook ranking one, two, three in team coring. Seabrook could be a Norris Trophy contender, with 32 points in 38 games this season while logging 23:22 a game. Surprising contributions from Marcel Goc meanwhile -10 goals and 27 points in 38 games- has helped to make the Blue Jackets not just a one line team.

Brent Seabrook might have a Norris Trophy nod coming his way if he keeps up his impressive play.
They'll need those contributions to continue, but more will be needed. Stoll has amassed just 11 points and is a team worst -14 while pulling in $6 million this season -the third highest pay cheque on the team- while in net, the tandem of Josh Harding and Semyon Varlamov has been dreadful. Varlamov has been the default number one, getting the job without earning it apparently after thus far posting a .867 save percentage. Harding's number is only slightly better, at .874. While both goalies have great potential, something needs to translate to tangible results for the Blue Jackets to make much group up between themselves and the cup favorites.

Semyon Varlamov and Josh Harding need to get going in net for Columbus.
Goaltending aside, the Blue Jackets are likely going to need to further expand their offense in order to compete in the Western Conference. While farm hands like Dwight King and the newly signed Marek Hrivik do offer some potential, odds are the Blue Jackets are going to need to look outside the fold to find that help. Thus far though, Columbus has been fairly quiet on the trade front, electing to see how the current group plays first before making any moves.
Improving their penalty killing would do wonders for the Blue Jackets, as they rank 29th in the league and are one of just two teams (the other being the Vancouver Canucks) with a penalty kill rate of less than 80 per cent. That though would likely change dramatically if a solid performance in net could be gained from Varlamov or Harding. To highlight just how bad the goaltending has been this year, Columbus sits second in the WCHL for shots against, allowing just 22.45 shots per game, yet they rank 21st in the league in goals against.
"Words can't describe how much better we'd be if Varlamov or Harding stepped up and played to their abilities," testified Niles. "We may have to look elsewhere if things don't improve, but for now they have my full vote of confidence in our net. I know they have the ability, both of them, to be number one netminders in this league, it's just a matter of confidence and translating skill into success. Hopefully that happens soon."

Leave a comment


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

WARC-Type: response

text:
Coupon Code: 10732 ENGLISH | 简体中文 | 繁體中文

Tourism News Share wonderful travel information

The Ritz Carlton Guangzhou profile

2020/5/25 17:06:19
Situated in the Pearl River New City in Tianhe District, the 351-room The Ritz Carlton Guangzhou (Guangzhou Fuli Lisi Kaerdun Jiudian) is a ten-minute drive from Guangzhou East Railway Station. A series of landmarks such as the Canton Tower, Guangzhou Opera House, Guangdong Museum and Guangzhou New Library are also located nearby.
The Ritz Carlton Guangzhou features guestrooms and suites with complimentary Wi-fi, LCD TVs and safes. Terrycloth robes are also provided and some rooms have views of the city, river or Opera House.
The Ritz Carlton Guangzhou also houses three meeting rooms, two boardrooms and a ballroom which can accomodate up to 600 people. Pre-function areas are also available.
Six restaurants and lounges are located within the hotel, serving a variety of cuisines including Cantonese, Italian and an international buffet.
A spa center, fitness center and swimming pool are also located within the hotel.

Prev： White Swan Hotel Guangzhou profile

Next： Singapore, China eye mutual restart to business travel

The Westin Beijing Financial Street traffic info

Business zone：Financial Street / Fuxingmen
Address：Beijing · Beijing · xichengqu - No.9C Financial Street Xicheng District Beijing China

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2020-34
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2020
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-213.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.17 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
Whedonesque - a community weblog about Joss Whedon
"Oh, I got heathens aplenty right here."
11973 members | you are not logged in | 07 August 2020

July 06 2009

Tim Minear talks Alien Nation. Some great insights into the SyFy Channel show.

Definitely looking forward to this now. Tim is the man! Using aliens as a metaphor for racism / cultural assimilation is a fantastic idea.
Ooooh. Really looking forward to this now!

He definitely has his finger on the "hot" issues.

The demographics of my current city (Columbus, Ohio) have changed radically in the last ten years. We now have the second largest contingent of Somalians in the US and a still growing influx of Mexicans that are changing the traditional job market picture. Everything Tim wants to touch on is happening right here, right now. Except no Mel Gibson. Which is a good thing.

Here is an slightly out of date, but still basically accurate article about the situation in Columbus. (I think we're actually up to around 40,000 Somalis now.)
Ah. So much more than a rehash of an aging property. I expected no less from Mr. Minear. And SyFy Channel is exactly the right place for a project like this.

This should be fun.
Sounds good.

But am I the only one who still thinks "SyFy" is stupid and it distracts me from the actual news about SciFi channel stuff?
I refuse to call the channel "Syfy". It's Sci Fi dammit.

This show really seems like a great spiritual successor to the BSG re-imagining which brought in real world themes of terrorism and cultures in conflict. Another re-imagining of a classic show also bringing in real world issues to explore in a science fiction backdrop. :-)

With this and, of course, Caprica, I'm pretty excited for future Sci Fi shows.
Haha. I hate "SyFy"...but I love Alien Nation - and have the complete series with the five follow up movies...I wonder if this is gonna go the way of Battlestar Galactica with the reimagining. That's kinda the feel I got from the article.
This sounds great....and pretty brave. I'm not sure I know of any sci fi show that has taken on changing demographics in quite this manner. I alway look forward to Tim Minear's work.
I love the original series and the 5 follow up movies and hope this new project lives up to them. (I have faith in Tim) Btw ... the original AN was about assimilation vs balkinazation and racism as well ... it explored real issues using the SF backdrop. And did it well.
Also, I haven't watched anything on SciFi since they canceled Farscape. This might get me back.
The Wire with aliens?

I may have to check this out...
Big fan of the movie and original series. Looking forward to watching Tim's reboot of AN. Is SyFy going to air Alien Nation on the same night (Friday) like they do Eureka!?
This show is still a while off. From what Tim told me in the interview, it's still in the early development stage. I thought I'd mention that if anyone is interested in following the new Alien Nation as well as the original, there's a dedicated page for it over at
Tim Minear?
"The Wire" with aliens?

count me in!!!
Using aliens as a metaphor for racism / cultural assimilation is a fantastic idea.

As it was in the eighties. That was what the show was about.
Yes, SyFy as a name is stupid. And pretentious. And it just tries too hard. Not to mention it's going to get dated really fast. So says me. :P

Of course I've always preferred the term "speculative fiction." I think it more accurately reflects what we generally see/read--but of course it's a lot harder to say. It doesn't exactly roll trippingly off the tongue, does it? All I can think, is that they are trying to appeal to a bunch of people who would automatically dismiss anything labeled "Sci-Fi" and want to somehow sneak it pass their knee-jerk walls.
Welll, this sounds interesting to say the least. Definately something we're going to have to check out.

Not quite certain of what the feel of the show will be, though. Cultural problems mirroring what's happening in Europe right now, seems like a perfect driving mechanism for a TV show and meshes just fine with '"The Wire" with aliens' and 'paranormal procedural' in the streets of "The Shield". This, to me, sketches the feel of the show quite nicely. But a post-modern, Tarantino-inspired "Lethal Weapon" seems out of step with that feel in many ways.

Regardless though: this promises to be very, very interesting and will hopefully turn out to be quality television. Even if it ends up only half as good as "The Shield" or "The Wire", it'll be well worth watching. Plus, it's Tim Minear.

So I now find myself suddenly very excited for this. Between this and the V reset, it'll be the year of old SF reboots with major whedonverse influence.
As a European, British, living in France, may I ask what is this thing happening in Europe now of which Tim and others speak? I have no clue what is being referred to.
DZR, the American press is usually covering the non-assimilated Muslim presence in the UK, and most recently, France's efforts to maintain a non-religious society. (France's current effort to prohibit burkas was reported on widely last week.) No doubt this is just background noise to those actually living in Europe, but in the United States media it is presented as sort of shape-of-things-to-come-here if "we" don't stop the Muslim faith (I guess that's the implied message). (Note that I am just describing the news reports and their tone; I am not opening a debate or conveying any opinion of my own, only my interpretation of what "this thing happening in Europe now" is. Thanks).
As a European, British, living in France, may I ask what is this thing happening in Europe now of which Tim and others speak? I have no clue what is being referred to.

I would assume that he's talking about the ghettos and refugee camps in France.
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome! Both the using aliens as a metaphor for a "cultural invasion" and its repercussions aspect as the postmodern buddy cop show are fascinating ideas and yes they might make for a strange mixture, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Firefly was a hell of a strange mixture too and somehow that turned out to be one of the best things about it.

Only bad thing is the chance of cancelation/never getting made when you combine brilliant oddness and Tim, but this sounds very good and appealing and it's on Sci Fi, so I'm not too worried yet. Here's hoping we see it quickly and it staying on for a long, long time.

And for the SyFy thing, I'm all for pretending it's still called Sci Fi.
dzr, it's like Simon and will.bueche mention. I myself am Dutch and in this country there's a lot of debate about the "problems with imigrants" and for a couple of years people have been talking about the "failure of the multicultural society" (something I do not agree with this, by the way). It's become somewhat of a national debate and one of the people to stir up this debate is now leading in the polls (which is very worrisome).

Similar sentiments have been develloping across the whole European union as a result of muslim imigrants becoming a more pronounced group. I don't agree with these sentiments and think they're overblown, but there's no denying that feelings on both sides are beginning to become more pronounced, leaving governments with problems to solve.

Taking this, exagerating it, looking at it through a different lense; that could be a powerfull basis for quality television.
I *loved* the original "Alien Nation" series; I even named my cat 'Nemu!' Tim is really the only person I would trust to both put his own spin on the central idea while honoring the spirit...

Can't wait to see this on...whatever they are calling the stupid channel by then. ;-)
Can't wait to see this. Here's hoping this also improves Tim's luck with TV since it's not one of the major networks.

This thread has been closed for new comments.

You need to log in to be able to post comments.
About membership.

joss speaks back home back home back home back home back home


text:
Institutional Intelligence: How to Build an Effective Organization by Gordon T. Smith (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017. 224 pp)

Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as professor of systematic and spiritual theology. He is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and a teaching fellow at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the author of many books, including Courage and Calling, Called to Be Saints, Spiritual Direction, and The Voice of Jesus.

Where Have You Gone, Institutional?

As the 2017 roller coaster comes to a complete stop, a variety of circumstances fight for the label of a year’s defining moment. The world feels miles different from what it was merely a few years ago. Of the many elements out of the norm, the diminishment of institutions seems to be a clear front runner. If I had to define 2017, I would argue that society has decided that institutions have become too powerful and too big to fail. In fact, it appears one of the main reasons the current Commander-In-Chief holds his positions links closely to his promises to break the institutions of which he governs. And he has, to a certain extent, kept his promises. I find it fascinating that almost every appointment appears to be someone intent on breaking apart the very organization they manage.

Given this existential threat to institutions, I wanted to read more about institutions. Are they something worth saving?

An Institutional Manifesto

For Gordon T. Smith, institutions represent the ways in which a community works together to benefit society in ways much larger than someone can do singularly. Institutional Intelligence represents his manifesto on the importance of institutions.

Echoing Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence, Smith argues for the importance of institutions in society. The book spends half its time making the case for institutions, and the other half outlining how leaders can build effective organizations behind the principles of institutional intelligence.

Ultimately, Smith’s argument rests on the notion of purpose. Institutions exist, ultimately, as a vehicle of fulfilling a given purpose.

“There is no such thing as a generic institution. Each organization has a unique identity, calling, and purpose—a reason for being. Institutional vitality depends on finding and living with clarity precisely at this point: Who are we, and what is our purpose, our mission, our calling” (19)?

Institutions, therefore, function as the embodying of a clear purpose that drives people to work together toward a common goal. Smith argues, metaphorically, that the institution is the body that acts out the intentions of its people.

“Just as a soul cannot exist except as embodied, there is no community, no vision, no mission without institutions. The idea, the vision, will not happen, will not make a difference until and unless it is housed in an institution” (4).

Institutional Leadership

From this premise, Smith builds a pragmatic toolkit for executives to use to lead with institutional intelligence. In shorthand, Smith suggests the institutionally intelligent leader will develop mission clarity, build appropriate governance structures, hire well, develop a vision of hopeful realism, balance a budget with financial resilience, place the organization within an optimal physical space, and form value-adding strategic partnerships.

The strength of Institutional Intelligence lies in Smith’s theological framework that defends the value of institutions. The first half of the book builds on Smith’s background as a theologian and a leader of an educational institution.

The back half, however, falters as it extends generalized examples of effective leadership seemingly as an attempt to extend a scholarly article into full-book format.

Nevertheless, Institutional Intelligence makes a compelling case for the value of institutions. In a society where institutions in all forms appear under attack, Gordon T. Smith’s Institutional Intelligence reminds us of how institutions leverage the collective to meet the needs of our communities. Recommended for people in leadership positions.

Verdict: 3 out of 5

Leave a Comment


text:
Online Gaming – Interesting and Always Fun

Parents ought to learn about children online game websites and be judi slot of the risks. Below are a few practical tips.

The favorite online game websites can be great for children. But you ought to be cautious about which websites your children visit, and take care to control the quantity of time that they spend gambling.

Parental supervision is a significant duty, particularly in this time of online predators and porn. It is up to the parents to secure their children and also to help them understand healthy habits and behaviours.

To modulate your kids’ vulnerability to inappropriate online content, it is ideal to use a combination of filtering and management. This helps to decrease access to inappropriate or undesirable content.
Be proactive and find suitable sites for them, and also restrict the time that they spend on the internet. Children will need to become sufficient number in their actions, including time outside and social time together with friends of similar age.

How To Pick the Content
So how can you locate a children online game website your kids will appreciate, together with the sorts of games that are acceptable for the age of your children, and their pursuits?

The solution is that it requires a little digging. To begin with, begin with a favorite online game website, find out what is available there, and also attempt the games .

You have to devote a little time and do your research. This way you can know your children will have a pleasurable experience and won’t be addressing content that’s not suitable because of their age(s).

Be certain you are tracking how long your child spends on the computer. You might choose to restrict their overall daily time to a half an hour or create the time on finishing different chores first.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
From Ice Age Farmer Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

There is a simple and inexpensive way purify water with a solar still made from clear plastic garbage bags.You simply inflate the bag put a bowl of unpurified water in it then seals up the open end of the inflated bag and put it in direct sunlight.Condensation will collect on the inside of the bag and run down to the bottom of the bag where it can be collected.You will need several of these to collect enough water. How about stockpiling many boxes of clear plastic bags which are very cheap you can buy them by the hundreds so you can help out your neighbours should the water pipes freeze underground like they did in Ireland not so long ago Here is a video link showing you how it's done.


text:
Only released in EOL distros:

  1. Overview

This package contains source code and configuration files for all the arm navigation tutorials. These tutorials (which will keep growing) allow you to get up and running with the components of the PR2 arm planning stack on a simulated version of the PR2.

Wiki: pr2_arm_navigation_tutorials (last edited 2010-03-15 23:51:35 by SachinChitta)


text:
posted by user: gkvk70 || 5245 views || tracked by 12 users: [display]

WCMC-IoT 2018 : WCMC journal, Special issue on Security, Privacy, and Trust on Internet of Things

When N/A
Where N/A
Submission Deadline Jul 27, 2018
Categories    IOT   security   trust   privacy

Call For Papers

The ability of commonplace and other modern smart objects to stay connected to the Internet for transmitting and receiving data is referred to as The Internet of Things (IoT). As per recent estimates, the number of IoT devices will surpass 50 billion by 2020. Unsurprisingly, this mushrooming of IoT devices has drawn the attention of attackers who seek to exploit them for their own benefit. Basically, IoT brings along a plethora of potential security and privacy risks to the end-users, including the unsanctioned access and abuse of private information, the enabling and strengthening of assaults against other systems, and the breeding of risks pertaining to personal safeness. Especially, IoT facilitates the creation of an assortment of privacy risks to the consumer associated with the collection of personal sensitive information, like their preferences, locations, habits, and so on. In the mid- or long-run these pieces of data can be used to, say, profile or impersonate the user or group of interest. On the other hand, such risks to security, privacy, and trust may significantly diminish end-user’s confidence in IoT and therefore impede its full realization.

The feature topic at hand intends to promote the dissemination of the latest methodologies, solutions, and case studies pertaining to IoT security and privacy issues. Its objective is to publish high-quality articles presenting security algorithms, protocols, policies, frameworks, and solutions for the IoT ecosystem. Only technical papers describing previously unpublished, original, state-of-the-art research, and not currently under review by a conference or journal will be considered. Previously published or accepted conference papers must contain at least 40% new material to be considered for this special issue.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

- IoT-powered botnets
- iBeacon security and privacy
- Forensics on IoT devices
- HCI and security and privacy in IoT
- Mobile service privacy for IoT devices
- Reverse engineering and automated analysis of IoT malware
- Security and privacy in IoT operating systems and middleware
- IoT payment applications
- Standardization efforts related to IoT
- Testbeds and case studies for IoT
- Traffic monitoring and intrusion detection for IoT
- Virtualization solutions to IoT security
- Security and privacy for IoT-based smart cities
- Ethics, legal, and social considerations in IoT security
- Biometric modalities involved in IoT security
- Cyberattacks detection and prevention systems for IoT networks
- Cloud computing-based security solutions for IoT data
- Security and privacy issues in heterogeneous IoT
- Cloud of Things security and privacy issues
- Intrusion detection for IoT
- Trust Management for IoT

Authors can submit their manuscripts through the Manuscript Tracking System at
Submission Deadline Friday, 27 July 2018
Publication Date December 2018

Papers are published upon acceptance, regardless of the Special Issue publication date.

Lead Guest Editor

Constantinos Kolias, George Mason University, Fairfax, USA

Guest Editors

Weizhi Meng, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
Georgios Kambourakis, University of the Aegean, Samos, Greece
Jiageng Chen, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China

Related Resources

SPIoT 2020   9th International Symposium on Security and Privacy on the Internet of Things
Symmetry-SI 2020   Special issue on Symmetry and Asymmetry in IoT and CPS Security and Privacy
AVC 2020   Advances in Vision Computing: An International Journal
Sensors (MDPI) 2020   Special Issue on Security, Trust and Privacy in New Computing Environments
JISA-CYBER-SEC 2020   Special Issue on Trends in Cybersecurity, Journal of Information Security and Applications, Elsevier
MLIOB 2020   International Conference on Machine Learning, IOT and Blockchain
ESPR-IoTBD 2020   Applied Sciences (Q2), Enterprise Security, Privacy and Risk for Internet of Things and Big Data (ESPR-IoTBD)
2020 IEEE GCAIoT 2020   2020 IEEE Global Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things
JSE 2020   9th International Conference on Software Engineering and Applications
IoTBDS 2021   6th International Conference on Internet of Things, Big Data and Security


text:
Admirals (philately)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

In philately the Admirals are a series of definitive stamps issued by three countries of the British Commonwealth which show King George V, King of the Great Britain and the British Dominions. The stamps are referred to as the Admirals because King George is depicted in his Admiral of the Fleet uniform. The stamps were issued by Canada (1911–28) (Scott 104-134), New Zealand (1926) (Scott 182-184), and Rhodesia (1913–24) (Scott 119-138).[1][2]

Canada 1911-31 stamp issues[edit]

King George V stamp of 1912

Of the three countries that issued postage stamps portraying King George in his Admiral uniform, The Admirals, Canada by far, has issued the most examples, issuing several different series over a period of more than eighteen years.[3]

George V succeeded Edward VII as King of England and the British Dominions on 6 May 1910, however postage stamps bearing his image were not issued until late in 1911. The ensuing period, lasting until 1928, has become one of the most studied areas of Canadian philately which is somewhat unusual because only one basic stamp design was in use. There were several reasons for this, one of which was Canada's involvement in World War I from 1914 to 1918. This resulted in a scarcity of both engravers and the basic resources and materials needed to design and print postage stamps. Changes in currency exchange rates and international postal rates after World War One resulted in the Canadian Post Office issuing new denominations, as well as a change in the stamp's colors. The unusually long issuing period required new dies and several plates to be struck, resulting in a large range of flaws and other varieties for a stamp collector to study.[4][5] Philatelists have also studied the Admirals in great depth due to the large numbers of varieties of the stamps.[6]

On December 22, 1911, the first Canadian definitive stamps, the 1-cent and 2-cent denominations with a portrait of King George V,[3] were issued and saw postal use for about 16 years, which was longer than any other definitives except for the Small Queens.[1] The Admiral series is renowned for its multitude of re-entries and re-touches and like the Small Queen issue has the distinction of being one of the most extensively researched stamps issues by the Canadian government.[6]

First series, 1911–1931
The King George 'Admirals' issues, 1911-1931

The first series of the King George V definitive stamp issues depict the monarch in profile, facing the viewers left, and were issued from 1911 to 1931 with 11 different denominations ranging from 1-cent to 1-dollar.[3] The engraving of King George is modeled after two photographs by H. Walter Barnettby and the other by W. & D. Downey. The engraving was mastered by Robert Savage of the American Bank Note Company whose main base of operation was in New York but which also had printing facilities in Ottawa, Canada.[7] These issues are perforated 12 x 12. The 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 cent denominations were reprinted at later dates with different colors.[3] Every denomination of the King George V issue were printed in panes of 200 and 400 stamps and cut into and issued in sheets of 100 stamps, or in booklet form with pages of 4 or 6 stamps. They were also released in coil form with three different perforation varieties and were first released in November, 1912. The last stamp issue of this series to be released was the 2-cent carmine issue which had the unusual perforations of 12 x 8 and was issued on June 24, 1931.[1][3]

War Tax stamp issues

During World War I, Canada enacted the War Revenue Act of 1915. The Act created a 1¢ increase on all postage in the hopes that it would generate $8,000,000 Dollars to help with Canada's war costs.[7] The War Tax stamp issues were released between April 15, 1915, and December 1916, the last issue being released in coil form.[3] During World War I Canada was the first country to employ the use of War Tax designations on its postage stamp issues[8] and to this end the King George V postage issue, which was already in use at this time, was modified and printed with a War Tax designation, with two different engraved designations on the 1 and 2 cent issues. Like the regular Admiral issues, the war tax stamps were printed by the American Bank Note Company.[8]

1915 Overprints
War tax overprints of 1915

Another type of War Tax stamp was issued with the a War Tax designation overprinted across the face of the stamp, in black or red ink.[3][9] War Tax overprints were used in other capacities. War taxes were also placed on wine and spirits. To confirm the payment of this tax the Inland Revenue Department overprinted the blue 5¢ Admiral stamp with the inscription Inland Revenue WAR TAX, overprinted diagonally in black. The olive green 20¢ and the black 50¢ stamps were also printed with the same style overprint. The 50¢ KGV issue had the overprint in red. The creation of a war tax in April on medicine and perfume provided a use for all three denominations. The overprinted War Tax stamps were not issued to pay for postage but were meant to be used to pay the tax levied on money orders. However, because all the War Tax stamps did bear the inscription that read Postage they were showing up on mail in Post Offices across Canada. The problem with the overprints got so out of hand that the Canadian Post office terminated the use of the overprinted stamps on May 20, 1915.[10]

The '2 cents' overprints
King George V Overprints of 1926

On July 1, 1926 Canada's drop letter rate that had been in use since 1915 was reduced from 3s to 2¢.[11] At this time the Canadian Post Offices still had large quantities of the red King George V 3¢ denomination in their existing inventory. To make use of this stock, which consisted of some 140,000 sheets of 100 stamps, the issues were overprinted with a designation that read 2 cents. There exist two basic varieties of these overprints with the 2 cents designation printed with one line of type while the other designation was overprinted with the numeral '2' over the word 'cents'. Other overprint varieties occurred when the contract to overprint these issues was given to The Canadian Bank Note Company.[12] Some overprint varieties produced are rare and valuable and as such there are faked overprints of those varieties in existence.[1]

Second Series 1928-1929
King George V stamp of 1928

The second series of the King George V Admirals stamps issued first started to appear in August 1928, as stocks of the first KGV 1915 issues were becoming exhausted. Rather than portraying the King in complete profile this series portrayed the King with his head at quarter turn, to the viewer's left. The series was issued in six denominations of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 cents, with a different color for each denomination. The first stamp of this series to appear was the 4-cent issue, released August 16, 1928, while the 8 cent issue was the last of the series to appear, released on December 21, 1928. Stamps from this series that were also issued in coil form and include the 1, 2 and 5 cent denominations.[3]

Rhodesia 1913-24 Issues[edit]

King George V stamp of 1926
The Admiral Issue 1913-22

Proofs and specimens exist. The ½d, 1d, 1½d and 2½d were printed from a single working plate and the remainder were bi-coloured and printed from double plates. Three engraved dies for the head were used which can be identified from the shading on the King's ear and the shank of the anchor on his cap badge. Shades for these issues are numerous. These stamp issues were perforated with gauge 14 or 15. Because of this numerous color varieties and other factors correct identification can be difficult the collector.[13] Many books on the subject are out of print and difficult to obtain as is other source information.

The Admirals of 1922-1924

The new issues were printed on white paper with clear gum. The texture of the paper is plainly evident and can be discerned easily. The 1923 issues however do not show the paper texture very clearly and the gum is smooth. The stamps were perforated 15 were never actually sent to Rhodesia, therefore genuinely postally used examples of these issues on mailed cover do not exist and any 'used' examples could only have been cancelled by request.[13]

New Zealand 1926 Issues[edit]

King George V stamp of 1926

In July 1926, two shilling and three shilling stamps were issued surface printed with King George V in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet. Waterlow and Sons engraved the dies and Bradbury Wilkinson produced the printing plates. The first printing of the 2/- and 3/- values of this series was on thin Jones paper in 1926. The 2/- was in deep blue and the 3/- in mauve. The engraved impressions are generally rather poor. In May 1927, the 2/- was issued on a thick Cowan paper and the 3c was later issued in September 1927. The impressions on the Cowan paper are far better than those printed on the Jones. Initial printings of the 2c value on Cowan paper can easily be distinguished from the earlier Jones paper as they are a much lighter and brighter blue. The colour became deeper in later printings. In November 1926 a 1d stamp was issued with George V in his uniform of a Field Marshal. The Admiral Stamp was only issued in 1926 for New Zealand and contains only three definitive stamp designs.[14] Combined with the Canada and Rhodesia Admirals this makes for both a more comprehensive topical and/or historical study group of stamps.

See also[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Van Someren, Randall W. "The Admiral Stamps of Canada: A Guide for the Beginning and Intermediate Collector". British North American Philatelic Society. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  2. ^ "King George V". New Zealand Post. Archived from the original on 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Lyman's Standard Catalogue of Canada-BNA Postage Stamps
  4. ^ Brown, Tony; Burn, Mike. "On-Line Library: The Admiral Stamps of Canada". The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  5. ^ The Admirals Issue Stamps, 1911-1925, by Hans Reiche
  6. ^ a b "A Display to The Royal Philatelic Society London". Archived from the original on 2010-09-01. The Royal Philatelic Society London Marking the Diamond Jubilee of the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain: The Admiral Issue 1911-26, Sandy Mackie, FCPS |publisher=The Royal Philatelic Society London |date=2006-04-27 |accessdate=2010-08-24
  7. ^ a b Stern, Russell W. (2008-09-05). "War Tax Stamps – The British Empire's Effort 1914-1920". Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  8. ^ a b CANADIAN PHILATELY – AN OUTLINE (PDF), by John Burnett, Gray Scrimgeour, and Victor Willson, Published by the British North America Philatelic Society Ltd., 2008
  9. ^ Klug, Janet. "War Tax Stamps help finance the war effort". Refresher Course. Linns Stamp News. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  10. ^ War Tax, The Admiral Stamps of Canada, by Tony Brown and Mike Burn / The Admiral Issue, 1911 - 1925, George C. Marler, Unitrade Press, Toronto, September 1980. Original work published in April 1949 by the American Philatelic Society.
  11. ^ Van Someren, Randall W. "The Admiral Stamps of Canada: Postal Rates of the Admiral Era". British North American Philatelic Society. Archived from the original on 2011-05-15. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  12. ^ BNA Philatelic Society Archived May 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b Royal Philatelic Society of London Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "George V Surface Printed". Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand. Retrieved 2010-08-24.

Further reading[edit]

  • Marler, George C. The Admiral Issue of Canada. State College PA: American Philatelic Society, 1982 ISBN 0-933580-08-8 567p.
  • Morris, Richard M. Color Guides for the Admiral Issue of Canada.. Norfolk MA: Pittsboro Philatelics, 2000. (unpaged).
  • Reiche, Hans. Canadian Stamp Handbook: The Admirals, 1911-1925. Toronto: Unitrade Press, 1984 30p.
  • Reiche, Hans. Canada: The Admiral Flaws. self-published, 1987 22p.
  • Reiche, Hans. Canada: The Admiral stamps of 1911 to 1925. [Ottawa], c1965 136p.
  • Van Someren, Randall W. The Admiral Stamps of Canada: A Guide for the Beginning and Intermediate Collector.[1]

New Zealand[edit]

  • Berry, Allen P. "New Zealand: The Admiral and Field Marshal Issues 1926-30". The Philatelist. Vol. 6 (Mar/Apr 1986) p. 63.

  • Reah-Johnson, Stephen. A Study of the Colours and Printings of the Rhodesia Bi-Coloured Admirals. n.l.: Rhodesian Study Circle, 2014 ISBN 978-1-908365-06-4 164p.
  • Woolford, John. "The 'Admirals' of Southern Rhodesia". Gibbons Stamp Monthly. Vol. 63 No. 750 (March 1990), p. 30–32.