For those of you who enjoyed reading my dynasty posts for both the Texans and the Coyotes/Tigers, I’ll be doing more of those games shortly. I’ve just been working on experience profiles for my post-graduate education next year. I have one saved up against the Raiders that should be posted rather quickly compared to the NHL one.
The month of November was the tale of two halves. The early portion of the month featured a 3 game losing streak and various injuries to key players. However, by the end of the month, Hamilton found their winning ways, eventually producing a 4 game win streak at the tail end of their Eastern Conference road trip. Hamilton’s record on the season is 13-8-2 after two months, totalling 28 points and 8th in the Western Conference. However, they are only 3 points behind division leading San Jose and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
The injury bug hit the Tigers hard this month. D Kris Russell missed a couple of weeks in the middle of November. Once he returned, his defensive partner Oliver Ekman-Larsson suffered an MCL sprain and is out until early December. Another major loss is C Kyle Turris who continues to suffer from post-concussion syndrome. While he is expected to be back by mid-December, concussions are a hard injury to accurately gauge.
Here are the current player stat leaders for the Hamilton Tigers: Chris Stewart in goals (12) and points (21), Keith Yandle in assists (13), Rostislav Klesla in +/- (10).
Jason Labarbera saw more action in November, with both of his starts resulting in Tigers losses. Rask now has all 13 wins for Hamilton on the season with a 2.11 GAA with 4 shutouts. His save percentage is also increasing, and is now hovering around .913%.
December has the Tigers playing on consecutive nights four times. This means the team will have to rely more on Labarbera’s play this month to keep them in the playoff race. As shown in the off-season, new GM Brett Smith isn’t afraid of making a roster shake-up. Expect to see another move if the team falls into another slump.
October
The Tigers started their existence on the road and the Sharks didn’t know what hit them. In San Jose’s home opener, the Tigers were led by Chris Stewart’s 4 goal night in a 7-3 victory over their division rivals. Hamilton finished 2-1 on the opening road trip, splitting games against Dallas and Nashville.
The home opener in Hamilton was an emotional affair from the drop of the puck. The Tigers won a very physical game over the newly formed Winnipeg Jets 3-0 with Rask’s first shutout of the season. The rest of the first home stand for the franchise did not end as well. Hamilton dropped the next two games against Chicago and Los Angeles, which started a 4 game losing streak. The Tigers found their winning ways again at home against New Jersey then throttled rival L.A. 7-0 in their last game of October.
Through the first 10 games of the season, Hamilton finished 5-4-1 and currently sits in a 3-way tie for 7th place in the Western Conference with L.A. and St. Louis. F Chris Stewart leads the club in goals (7) and points (10). D Keith Yandle leads the team with 7 assists and a +6 rating. Rask has been inconsistent to start the season. Although he has a 2.47 GAA and 2 shutouts, his save percentage is sub-.900.
Hamilton starts November on the road for a game followed by a 3-game home stand. They then hit the road for 5 games, including 4 against Eastern Conference opponents including heavyweights Philadelphia and Washington.
Hockey in Southern Ontario recently received a shot in the arm. After years of declining ticket sales and ownership turmoil, the Phoenix Coyotes found new ownership this summer. The new ownership group sought to purchase the financially unstable franchise under one condition: a move out of Glendale. In a surprising vote, the Board of Governors approve the sale of the Coyotes under this condition – something Jim Balsillie was unable to secure from the league with a proposed deal to buy the Nashville Predators.
Hamilton, previously having a National Hockey League team in the early 1920s, welcomed the former Coyotes with open-arms in a newly renovated Copps Coliseum. To pay homage to the local hockey tradition, Hamilton decided to name their franchise the Tigers. The early Tigers existed from 1920-1925 when a player strike resulted in the dissolution of the franchise. While not always successful, the team finished first in the league in 1924-25, which was also their final season.
The new ownership group brought in a new General Manager to guide the team in Hamilton, with an early emphasis on getting established young players at the expense of veterans and multiple draft picks. He appears to be finished moving pieces as the pre-season begins Friday, but let’s take a look at the moves he made:
There have also been a number for rumours of adding minor-league talent to fill out the depth of the organization in Portland. There have been no announcements of line combinations as the coaching staff said nothing would be finalized until opening night. The new franchise will continue to play out of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and open the season October 8, 2011 against division rival San Jose.
My name is Brett and I graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton, completing a double major in Honours History and Honours English & Cultural Studies. I am currently in the midst of taking a year off of my education, looking to apply to Sports Journalism programs for fall 2012.
In terms of hobbies, I watch movies and play video games. I am currently employed by Best Buy. I also play basketball, flag football, and Ultimate Frisbee, while watching many major league sports on TV or in person.
My Facebook is here for further contact if you'd like. My Twitter is after my Gamer ID Tags if you'd care to follow.
