First, how about the journey of Tri-City goaltender Alex Pechurskiy over the last four weeks….started the season in the KHL, where he got little playing time. Got cut from the Russian WJC team and came over to the WHL to play for the Americans. Six games there – with a 1.84 GAA and .936 sv% – and he gets a call-up to the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins on an emergency basis. Goes there expecting to just open the gate for the Penguins-Canucks game in Vancouver on Saturday night but ends up getting tossed into action after the starter – AHLer John Curry – stunk up the joint. Pechurskiy stops 12 of 13 Canucks shots in relief and gets named the game’s #3 star for stopping the bleeding.
He only signed a one-game contract so he has to return to the Americans now, but the chance to play in the NHL has to have been a big thrill for a guy who spent the first half of the season riding the pine in the Russian league.
I noticed though that Pechurskiy had to borrow a set of pads from Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, as apparently Pechurskiy’s own pads are illegal in the NHL. Which makes me wonder….I thought the WHL and NHL were using the same equipment rules….which means Pechurskiy’s pads would be illegal in the WHL too? Could it be that the WHL is actually not using the same equipment rules as the NHL? I should investigate that if I have time.
The hottest team in the WHL today? Undoubtedly the Kootenay Ice, who have now won a franchise-record 12 straight games. In that span they have gone from not being in a playoff position, to being within one point of having home ice for the first round of the playoffs. And they haven’t been beating up on patsies – those 12 wins include six victories over Calgary (3 times!), Medicine Hat, Saskatoon, and Spokane. You have to consider the Ice a strong contender if they can keep up this pace.
I see the Pats’ Jordan Eberle is on pace to accomplish a rare feat in the hockey world – 50 goals in 50 games. He currently has 34 goals in 33 games and with the Pats having 24 games left, continuing on this pace would see Eberle end up with 59 goals in 57 games. I can’t even remember the last time anyone scored 50 in 50 in the WHL……must have been back in the old shoot-out-the-lights days in the 8o’s.
And lastly, construction on the new Moose Jaw arena is underway and Regina p-b-p guy Rod Pedersen has some pictures of it on his
blog today.
It looks like it’s better than the Crushed Can already….
