The AXA Advisors, Buffalo Trace, Dylan Murphy’s, Nice Guy Eddie’s, Van Diemens Bar and Wharf Bar & Grill teams all have two games on this weekend’s schedule and the PwC team has three games so contests rained out earlier in the season can be made up.

The adMarketplace and Buffalo Trace teams will also be completing a Week 3 game which was stopped by rain with the game tied 5-5 at 14:33 of the second period.

MRHL PLAYOFF SPOTS STILL TO BE DECIDED:  All of the eight Empire Conference / Tier 1 squads still have a chance at one of the six playoff spots available in that division.  The 7-1-1-0 Whiskey Rebel Bar team has already clinched first place overall and the #1 playoff seed.  The 2 and 6 AXA Advisors and their six points are advised to bring their axes to the rink if they have any hope at chopping out at least five more points during their last two games (at least a regular time victory and an overtime win) and somehow vaulting over both the adMarketplace (ten regular season points) and Wharf Bar & Grill (seven points) teams into the sixth and final playoff seed.

Over in the Liberty Conference / Tier 2 division five of the six playoff spots have been clinched by the Soldier McGee Tavern, Debevoise Plimpton, Ernst & Young, BDO Seidman and Mighty Mouses teams.  The three squads battling for the final spot are the Markit Maniacs, Van Diemens Bar, and PwC who has two games at hand but a long road ahead of them if they’re counting on adding to their eight points and getting into the post-season rounds.  The Saturday 9:00AM contest between Van Diemens Bar (14 points) and PwC is critical for both teams as the Markit Maniacs take their 13 points into a tough game against a 6-2-1-0 Debevoise Plimpton team gunning for first place and the #1 playoff seed.

STANDINGS, SCORING AND STATS PAGES UPDATED AS OF WEEK 9 GAMES:  The League-wide Scoring, Goaltending Statistics and PP/SHG/EN Statistics pages are current as of the Week 9 games played on Sunday May 13th as are the Tier 1 Standings and Tier 2 Standings pages.

The team scoring numbers are all current as of the Week 9 games.  You can find scoring stats for all 20 MRHL teams starting at this Regular Season Scoring Statistics By Team / Team Rosters page. 

Each players’ Games Played number is up to date on these pages as of the May 13th Week 9 games.  Per the “Rosters” section of the MRHL Playing Rules page a player must participate in at least  four  Regular Season games to make it onto his team’s locked playoff roster.

Weekend Traffic Advisory:  You can find information about travel conditions which could slow your trip to the rink in this NYC Department Of Transportation Weekend Traffic Advisory for May 18th through 20th.

Weekend Weather / Game Postponement Hotline:  As of May 16th the Weather.com forecast for this weekend shows a high of 73 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday with mostly sunny to sunny skies.  There is 0% chance of rain on Saturday and only a 10% chance on Sunday.  The latest updates about game postponements due to weather or rink conditions will be left on the league’s 888-MRHL-411 / 888-674-5411 hotline as needed.

WEEK 10 GAME SCHEDULE

Home team is listed first

Saturday May 19th

8:00AM      PwC vs. Nice Guy Eddie’s

9:00AM      Van Diemens Bar vs. PwC

10:00AM    Mighty Mouses vs. Nice Guy Eddie’s

11:00AM    Van Diemens Bar vs. Eagles

12:00PM    Alumni vs. Nomura Holding

1:00PM      Debevoise Plimpton vs. Markit Maniacs

Sunday May 20th

9:00AM        PwC vs. BDO Seidman

10:00AM      Ernst & Young vs. Soldier McGee Tavern

11:00AM     Whiskey Rebel Bar vs. Wharf Bar & Grill

12:00PM     Special Delivery vs. AXA Advisors

1:00PM      Wharf Bar & Grill vs. Dylan Murphy

2:00PM      adMarketplace vs. Buffalo Trace (continuation of Week 3 game tied 5-5 at 14:33 of 2nd Period)

2:30PM      Buffalo Trace vs. adMarketplace

3:30PM     Dylan Murphy’s vs. East End Terriers

4:30PM     AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace

As the dream matchup of the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils battling for the Eastern Conference championship and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals continues here are links to some articles and YouTube videos about this heated rivalry:

Battle of the Hudson: Inside the Rangers-Devils Rivalry (Time magazine)

Rangers, Devils Renew Heated Playoff Rivalry (Associated Press/CBC Sports)

Devils-Rangers Rivalry (Wikipedia)

YouTube Video: History of a Rivalry: New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils

YouTube Video: Rangers vs. Devils Stanley Cup Playoffs 1994

YouTube Video: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers 1994 Game 6 (entire game)

STANDINGS PAGES UPDATED AS OF WEEK 9 GAMES:  The Tier 1 Standings and Tier 2 Standings pages have been updated as of the Week 9 games played on Sunday May 13th.

WEEK 9 GAME SCORES

SATURDAY MAY 12th

East End Terriers (9) over adMarketplace (8)  OVERTIME  Game-winning goal by #29 Mike Marian

Wharf Bar & Grill (6) over AXA Advisors (1)   Game-winning goal by #29 Pat Yorke

adMarketplace (5) over Special Delivery (4)   REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #96 Andrew Brodsky

Buffalo Trace (10) over Dylan Murphy’s (5)   Game-winning goal by #4 Sean Marcel

Whiskey Rebel Bar (9) over Special Delivery (1)   Game-winning goal by #18 Scott Lebwohl

SUNDAY MAY 13th

Mighty Mouses (6) over Ernst & Young (4)   Game-winning goal by #21 Jared Feigenbaum

Soldier McGee Tavern (3) over Van Diemen’s Bar (2)   REGULATION  Game-winning goal by #16 Nick Iuliucci

Debevoise Plimpton (6) over Alumni (1)   Game-winning goal by #17 Bill Robles

Alumni (9) over Nice Guy Eddie’s (6)   Game-winning goal by #10 Ben Zises

Debevoise Plimpton (8) over Eagles (0)   FORFEIT

PwC (8) over Nomura Holding (0)   FORFEIT

BDO Seidman (5) over Markit Maniacs (1)   Game-winning goal by #8 Brandon Farrugia

Hockey Jersey / Goalie Mask Videos:  The links between the photographs below are to YouTube videos about ugly hockey jerseys and the evolution of goaltender masks in the NHL.  Most of the photographs are linked to Wikipedia entries with more information about the subject of the picture.

Top 10 NHL Third Jerseys

Hockey Jersey Fouls

Top 10 Ugliest NHL Jerseys

Top 10 Alternate Jerseys

Evolution Of The Goalie Mask

Hockey’s Greatest Goalie Masks

Jacques Plante: The Mask

Further below is some information about the teams playing the Rangers and Devils in the Eastern Conference playoffs and about the four teams that made it to the Western Conference semifinals.

WEEK 8 GAME SCORES

SATURDAY MAY 5th

9:00AM   PwC vs. Nice Guy Eddie’s   POSTPONED DUE TO WET RINK (will be made up later in the season)

Nomura Holding (4) over Markit Maniacs (3)  SHOOTOUT (2-0)  Game-winning goal by #16 William Collingham

Soldier McGee Tavern (6) over Debevoise Plimpton (1)   Game-winning goal by #23 Andrew Newman

BDO Seidman (3) over Eagles (1)   Game-winning goal by #8 Brandon Farrugia

1:00PM   AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace  POSTPONED TO MAY 20TH AT 4:30PM

SUNDAY MAY 6th

Dylan Murphy’s (4) over adMarketplace (3)   OVERTIME   Game-winning goal by #5 Louis Ambriano

East End Terriers (6) over Buffalo Trace (5)   OVERTIME   Game-winning goal by #29 Mike Marian

Van Diemens Bar (6) over Ernst & Young (5)   REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #29 Jason Krieder

East End Terriers (9) over AXA Advisors (2)   Game-winning goal by #29 Mike Marian

Mighty Mouses (11) over Alumni (8)   Game-winning goal by #4 Matt Schwartz

AXA Advisors (8) over Whiskey Rebel Bar (5)   Game-winning goal by #17 Dan Bogart

Special Delivery (5) over Wharf Bar & Grill (1)   Game-winning goal by #12 Martin Angert

With the opening round of the National Hockey League’s 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs finished here is some information about the Rangers’ and Devils’ opponents and the teams matched up in the Western Conference semifinals.  Links to some interesting YouTube videos have also been provided below.

With the 1974 NHL expansion to 18 teams the two clubs added were the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts (relocated to Denver in 1976 to become the Colorado Rockies and then to New Jersey in 1982 to become the Devils).

The Capitals’ first regular season game in the NHL was a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on October 9, 1974.

The Philadelphia Flyers joined the NHL during the 1967 Expansion from six to twelve teams.  The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup with victories during the 1973-1974 and 1974-1975 seasons.

Here are some videos about the NHL’s expansion and the history of the Philadelphia Flyers:

NHL Expansion Documentary 1967 – 1999

Philadelphia Flyers history

The Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues were both brought into the NHL as new teams during the 1967 expansion.  Aside from the Flyers, the other three teams added in 1967 were the California Seals, Minnesota North Stars and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here are some links to videos providing information about the history of the Blues and Kings:

Los Angeles Kings – A Look Back At First 25 Years

History of the St. Louis Blues

The Phoenix Coyotes can trace their roots back to the Winnipeg Jets team formed during the launch of the World Hockey Association in 1972.  After the Jets won the WHA’s Avco World Trophy three times and then joined the NHL during the 1979 merger, the financially-troubled team relocated from Manitoba to Arizona in 1996.

The Nashville Predators joined the NHL for the 1998-1999 season.  Their first trip to the playoffs was during the 2003-2004 season when they entered as the Western Conference’s #8 seed and promptly suffered an opening round loss to the Detriot Red Wings in six games.

Here are links to videos with more information about the Phoenix Coyotes and Nashville Predators:

Nashville Predators tribute video

Winnipeg Jets tribute video / Phoenix Coyotes tribute video

Per the notes and pictures below the Manhattan Roller Hockey League will debut its new scoreboard at this weekend’s games.

Weekend Traffic Advisory:  You can find information about travel conditions which could slow your trip to the rink in this NYC Department Of Transportation Weekend Traffic Advisory for May 4th through 6th.

Weekend Weather / Game Postponement Hotline:  As of May 4th the Weather.com forecast for this weekend shows a high of 67 degrees with partly cloudy skies on both days with a 20% chance of showers on Saturday and a 10% chance of rain on Sunday.  The latest updates about game postponements due to weather or rink conditions will be left on the league’s 888-MRHL-411 / 888-674-5411 hotline as needed.

WEEK 8 GAME SCHEDULE AND SCORES

SATURDAY MAY 5th

9:00AM          PwC vs. Nice Guy Eddie’s   POSTPONED DUE TO WET RINK (will be made up later in the season)

Nomura Holding (4) over Markit Maniacs (3)  SHOOTOUT (2-0)  Game-winning goal by #16 William Collingham

Soldier McGee Tavern (6) over Debevoise Plimpton (1)   Game-winning goal by #23 Andrew Newman

BDO Seidman (3) over Eagles (1)   Game-winning goal by #8 Brandon Farrugia

1:00PM         AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace  POSTPONED TO MAY 20TH AT 4:30PM

SUNDAY MAY 6th

Home team is listed first

9:00AM          Dylan Murphy’s vs. adMarketplace

10:00AM        East End Terriers vs. Buffalo Trace

11:00AM        Ernst & Young vs. Van Diemens Bar

12:00PM        AXA Advisors vs. East End Terriers

1:00PM          Alumni vs. Mighty Mouses

2:00PM          AXA Advisors vs. Whiskey Rebel Bar

3:00PM          Special Delivery vs. Wharf Bar & Grill

THE NEW SCOREBOARD HAS BEEN INSTALLED:  The Manhattan Roller Hockey League, mainly through the stalwart and untiring efforts of Hockey Director Hank Livia, had a new Electro-Mech LX 7860 LED model scoreboard installed at the 96th Street rink on Wednesday May 2nd, 2012 as shown in the pictures posted below.

The old weather-beaten, time-worn and cranky scoreboard (as shown in the first picture below) was installed in 2003 by a kids soccer league using the Stanley Isaacs rink at that time.  It was a Nevco 3402 model which used old-fashioned light bulbs and only posted period, time remaining and score numbers. It was getting very unreliable the past few seasons and the MRHL officiating staff had to resort to timing games with stopwatches when the clock wouldn’t run.

RIP: The Nevco Model 3402 Scoreboard used by the MRHL during the Summer 2007 through Spring 2012 seasons

The new Electro-Mech scoreboard uses bright LED lights and features two penalty clocks for each team.  This should save the MRHL officiating staff some vocal cord power as they’ll no longer have to bark out remaining penalty times to anxious player benches.

These photos document the removal of the old Nevco scoreboard and installation of the MRHL’s new Electro-Mech:

With the old scoreboard removed from its posts the installation crew prepares to unpack and put up the new one

A little work on the electrical line...

 

 

...move the new board into place and attach to posts...

 

 

...and it's ready to power up and test

 

 

Final work is done on the electrical line

 

 

The Manhattan Roller Hockey League's new scoreboard is up and running and ready for the Week 8 games of the Spring 2012 season

 

 

The AXA Advisors team has three games on this weekend’s schedule and the Buffalo Trace and East End Terriers teams are playing two games so contests rained out earlier in the season can be made up.

STANDINGS, SCORING AND STATS PAGES UPDATED AS OF WEEK 7 GAMES:  The League-wide Scoring, Goaltending Statistics and PP/SHG/EN Statistics pages are current as of the Week 7 games played on Sunday April 29th as are the Tier 1 Standings and Tier 2 Standings pages.

The team scoring numbers are all current as of the Week 7 games.  You can find scoring stats for all 20 MRHL teams starting at this Regular Season Scoring Statistics By Team / Team Rosters page. 

Each players’ Games Played number is up to date on these pages as of the April 29th Week 7 games.  Per the “Rosters” section of the MRHL Playing Rules page a player must participate in at least  four  Regular Season games to make it onto his team’s locked playoff roster.

WEEK 8 GAME SCHEDULE

Home team is listed first

SATURDAY MAY 5th

9:00AM          PwC vs. Nice Guy Eddie’s

10:00AM       Markit Maniacs vs. Nomura Holding

11:00AM       Debevoise Plimpton vs. Soldier McGee Tavern

12:00PM       BDO Seidman vs. Eagles

1:00PM         AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace

SUNDAY MAY 6th

9:00AM          Dylan Murphy’s vs. adMarketplace

10:00AM        East End Terriers vs. Buffalo Trace

11:00AM        Ernst & Young vs. Van Diemens Bar

12:00PM        AXA Advisors vs. East End Terriers

1:00PM          Alumni vs. Mighty Mouses

2:00PM          AXA Advisors vs. Whiskey Rebel Bar

3:00PM          Special Delivery vs. Wharf Bar & Grill 

With the opening round of the National Hockey League’s 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs finished here is some information about the Rangers’ and Devils’ opponents and the teams matched up in the Western Conference semifinals.  Links to some interesting YouTube videos have also been provided below.  

With the 1974 NHL expansion to 18 teams the two clubs added were the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts (relocated to Denver in 1976 to become the Colorado Rockies and then to New Jersey in 1982 to become the Devils). 

The Capitals’ first regular season game in the NHL was a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on October 9, 1974.

The Philadelphia Flyers joined the NHL during the 1967 Expansion from six to twelve teams.  The Flyers were the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup with victories during the 1973-1974 and 1974-1975 seasons.

Here are some videos about the NHL’s expansion and the history of the Philadelphia Flyers: 

NHL Expansion Documentary 1967 – 1999

Philadelphia Flyers history

The Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues were both brought into the NHL as new teams during the 1967 expansion.  Aside from the Flyers, the other three teams added in 1967 were the California Seals, Minnesota North Stars and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here are some links to videos providing information about the history of the Blues and Kings:

Los Angeles Kings – A Look Back At First 25 Years

History of the St. Louis Blues

The Phoenix Coyotes can trace their roots back to the Winnipeg Jets team formed during the launch of the World Hockey Association in 1972.  After the Jets won the WHA’s Avco World Trophy three times and then joined the NHL during the 1979 merger, the financially-troubled team relocated from Manitoba to Arizona in 1996.

The Nashville Predators joined the NHL for the 1998-1999 season.  Their first trip to the playoffs was during the 2003-2004 season when they entered as the Western Conference’s #8 seed and promptly suffered an opening round loss to the Detriot Red Wings in six games.

Here are links to videos with more information about the Phoenix Coyotes and Nashville Predators:

Nashville Predators tribute video

Winnipeg Jets tribute video / Phoenix Coyotes tribute video

Per the revised Spring 2012 Regular Season Game Schedule the six contests scrubbed on Sunday April 22nd have been moved to slots on the Weeks 7 through 10 schedule.

The Tier 2 league-wide scoring statistics have been updated as of the Week 6 games played on Saturday April 21st.

WEEK 7 GAME SCORES

SATURDAY APRIL 28 TH

Whiskey Rebel Bar (8) over adMarketplace  (4)   Game-winning goal by #00 Josh Gold

Dylan Murphy’s (7) over AXA Advisors (2)   Game-winning goal by #11 Chris Ralston

Whiskey Rebel Bar (7) over Buffalo Trace (6)  REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #5 Mike Gardner

East End Terriers (6) over Special Delivery (4)   Game-winning goal by #15 Mike Friedman

Buffalo Trace (5) over Wharf Bar & Grill (2)   Game-winning goal by #4 Sean Marcel

SUNDAY APRIL 29TH

Nice Guy Eddie’s (3) over Markit Maniacs (2)  REGULATION  Game-winning goal by #61 Chase Hausler

Van Diemens Bar (3) over Debevoise Plimpton (2)  REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #9 Mike Alaia

Whiskey Rebel Bar (10) over East End Terriers (2)   Game-winning goal by #14 Dan Glaser

Mighty Mouses (4) over PwC (3)  SHOOTOUT (1-0)   Game-winning goal by #88 Adam Goldsmith

BDO Seidman (4) over Soldier McGee Tavern (0)   Game-winning goal by #5 Dennis McLaughlin

Ernst & Young (7) over Alumni (2)   Game-winning goal by #63 Eric Ross

Nomura Holding (5) over Eagles (3)  1 EMPTY NET GOAL   Game-winning goal by #16 William Collingham

WEEK 6 GAME SCORES FROM APRIL 21ST:  The scores from the games played on Saturday April 21st, are provided below.  The Tier 1 and Tier 2 Stars Of The Week from last weekend’s Week 5 games are listed below.

The following five Tier 1 teams are playing two games this weekend so some of the Week 4 games rained out on Saturday March 31st can be made up:

adMarketplace

AXA Advisors

Dylan Murphy’s

Special Delivery

Wharf Bar & Grill

Weekend Weather / Game Postponement Hotline:  As of April 21st the Weather.com forecast for this weekend shows a very high chance of heavy rain on Sunday.  The latest updates about game postponements due to weather or rink conditions will be left on the league’s 888-MRHL-411 / 888-674-5411 hotline as needed.

SCORING AND STATS PAGES UPDATED AS OF WEEK 5 GAMES:  The League-wide Scoring, Goaltending Statistics and PP/SHG/EN Statistics pages have all been updated as of the Week 5 games played on Sunday April 15th as have the Tier 1 Standings .  The Tier 2 Standings pages have been updated as of the Week 6 games played on April 21st and 22nd.

You can also find the scoring stats and Games Played numbers for all 20 MRHL teams, as of the Week 4 games, starting at this Regular Season Scoring Statistics By Team / Team Rosters page.

WEEK 5 TIER 1 STARS OF THE WEEK

First Star:   Josh Gold / #00 Whiskey Rebel Bar  (4 goals and 3 assists)

Second Star:  Steve Carro / #9 East End Terriers  (3 goals and 2 assists)   

Third Star:   Jeff Olsen / #79 East End Terriers  (2 goals and 2 assists)

WEEK 5 TIER 2 STARS OF THE WEEK

First Star: Jared Feigenbaum /  #21 Mighty Mouses (4 goals and 1 assist)

Second Star:  Randy Cohn  / #3 on Van Diemens Bar  (2 goals)

Third Star:  Jared Carmen /  Goaltender – #4 for Nomura Holding  (31 Saves on 34 Shots On Goal)

WEEK 6 GAME SCHEDULE AND SCORES

SATURDAY APRIL 21ST

Ernst & Young (2) over Eagles (1)   REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #26 Josh Moelis

Nomura Holding (6) over Nice Guy Eddie’s (4)   EMPTY NET GOAL FOR NOMURA   Game-winning goal by #96 Brian Sullivan

Markit Maniacs (6) over Soldier McGee Tavern (2)   Game-winning goal by #9 David Thoma

Mighty Mouses (6) over BDO Seidman (3)   Game-winning goal by #21 Jared Feigenbaum

Dylan Murphy’s (6) over Special Delivery (4) (make up of rained-out Week 4 game)   Game-winning goal by #10 Damien Briggs

SUNDAY APRIL 22ND

Home teams are listed first for games not yet played

Wharf Bar & Grill (5) over adMarketplace (4)   REGULATION  (make up of rained-out Week 4 game)

10:00AM        AXA Advisors vs. Buffalo Trace

11:00AM        Wharf Bar & Grill vs. Dylan Murphy’s

12:00PM        AXA Advisors vs. East End Terriers  (make up of rained-out Week 4 game)

1:00PM          Special Delivery vs. adMarketplace

2:00PM          Van Diemens Bar vs. PwC

3:00PM          Alumni vs. Debevoise Plimpton

SPORTSCENTER TOP 10 CLIPS: With the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings on the brink of elimination from the playoffs by the Nashville Predators our collection of hockey-related Top 10 lists (as linked below) starts with items thrown on the ice during a game.

                    TOP 10 ITEMS THROWN ON THE ICE DURING A HOCKEY GAME

TOP 10 PENALTY BOX MOMENTS

TOP 10 DOOR MOMENTS

TOP 10 “GLASS” MOMENTS IN HOCKEY

TOP 10 CREATIVE HOCKEY ASSISTS

SCORING AND STATS PAGES UPDATED AS OF WEEK 4 GAMES / STANDINGS AS OF WEEK 5 GAMES:  The League-wide Scoring, Goaltending Statistics and PP/SHG/EN Statistics pages have all been updated as of the Week 4 Tier 2 games played on Sunday April 1st.  The Tier 1 Standings and Tier 2 Standings have been updated as of the Week 5 games played on Sunday April 15th.

All of the Tier 1 Week 4 games scheduled for Saturday March 31st were rained out.  These games were moved to slots in Week 6 and Week 7 as shown on this revised Spring 2012 Regular Season Game Schedule.

You can also find the updated and current scoring stats for all 20 MRHL teams starting at this Regular Season Scoring Statistics By Team / Team Rosters page.

WEEK 5 GAME SCORES

SATURDAY APRIL 14th

Markit Maniacs (5) over Alumni (2)   Game-winning goal by #12 Sean Shapiro

Van Diemens Bar (3) over Nomura Holding (2)  OVERTIME  Game-winning goal by #28 Wes Bronson

Mighty Mouses (9) over Eagles (1)   Game-winning goal by #3 Jason Aaron

Soldier McGee Tavern (8) over Nice Guy Eddie’s (0)   Game-winning goal by #10 Matt Fazzi

SUNDAY APRIL 15th

Whiskey Rebel Bar (11) over Dylan Murphy’s (3)   Game-winning goal by #11 Marc Pantirer

adMarketplace (8) over AXA Advisors (5)   Game-winning goal by #94 Michael Brooks

East End Terriers (6) over Wharf Bar & Grill (4)   Game-winning goal by #9 Steve Carro

Buffalo Trace (6) over Special Delivery (5)  REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #20 Bob Rentz

Ernst & Young (12) over PwC (7)   Game-winning goal by #2 Keith Lowenhar

Debevoise Plimpton (7) over BDO (6)  REGULATION   Game-winning goal by #4 Brad Yale

SPORTSCENTER TOP 10 CLIPS: With the NHL playoffs starting this week here are four links to some great Top 10 collections of interesting playoff moments.  Both the Rangers and Devils, as well as a lot of old teams like the Quebec Nordiques, are represented throughout these clips.

Top Ten Game 7 moments:

Top 10 NHL Playoff Controversial Goals / Non Goals:

Top 10 Stanley Cup Final Moments:

Top 10 Tough Guy NHL Playoff Overtime Goals:

RESCHEDULED WEEK 4 TIER 1 RAINED-OUT GAMES:  The four Tier 1 games which were rained out on Saturday March 31st have been moved to slots on the revised Week 6 and Week 7 schedules as shown on this Spring 2012 Regular Season Game Schedule.

WEEK 4 TIER 2 STARS OF THE WEEK

First Star: Jason Schwab /  #2 on Van Diemens Bar (3 goals and 1 assist)

Second Star: Joe Jensen  / #93 on Debevoise Plimpton  (2 goals and 1 assist)

Third Star:  Jason Derector /  #18 on Alumni  (1 goal and 3 assists)

MRHL Referee Matt Cleary watching shot on AXA Advisors goaltender Eric Gallion

MATT CLEARY’S ACCOUNT OF REFEREEING IN HOLLAND:  I never realized that 8 years ago when I began to referee that it would take me to the lengths of Europe, but that’s exactly what happened to me recently.

I have played ice and roller since I was 7 years old. I played ice hockey for my high school and then took a laid-back playing approach with the area mens leagues at the Westchester Skating Academy and at Cheslea Piers in Manhattan. Still, no signals of my future to come as a referee were visible.

Matt Cleary reffing a kids game at Madison Square Garden

Then I was asked to referee a floor hockey game in Riverdale, to which I replied “What could go wrong?”.  Needless to say, everything went wrong. I was as unfamiliar working as a referee as a fish out of water. I found myself wanting to play rather than watch for penalties, etc.

Matt Cleary officiating at a kids game at Madison Square Garden in November 2010

However, the separate game of Referee grew on me and I started to read and learn all the rules for roller versus ice hockey. I then was so much better prepared the next time they asked. This was the time I decided to become a full time referee as after the games, players would come to me and say thanks for a good game.  I was immediately hooked.

Matt Cleary (#24) playing for USA team against the Rotterdam Blue Lions at PWA SilverDome in Holland

I registered for USA Hockey the following year and became a Level 3 referee after a couple of seasons.  I currently referee for Hockey North America in Westchester, New York and for the Manhattan Roller Hockey League. Both leagues are the best at what they do, providing a safe environment for the love of hockey.

Matt Cleary dropping the puck at a game between the KMC Eagles and France 1 held at the PWA SilverDome

I recently was given the chance to referee overseas at the PWA SilverDome in Amsterdam, which was the best learning experience of my life.

Matt Cleary calling a five minute major at a game in Holland

The referees chosen for this event were from all around the world (France, Germany, Holland). The things I learned from these other referees will long be used here in the U.S. with my assigned games going forward.

Matt Cleary (left side of front row) on a team with MRHL referees Chris Ramirez (third from left top row) and George Ramirez (right side of bottom row) in April 2009.

I thank the players and members of the MRHL league for giving me the confidence and experience to continue my journey. Tommy Smith, Hank Livia and Chris Ramirez are a huge reason I am where I am today, along with Elliott Root and Billy Godschalk from HNA who have entrusted me with performing at a level associated with that prestigious Ice Hockey league.

Huge thank you to Mark Barbour for hiring me to start the MRHL in its infancy.  What a ride and congratulations on your continued success.

Best Regards,
Matthew Cleary

SCORING AND STATS PAGES UPDATED AS OF WEEK 3 GAMES:  The Tier 1 Standings, League-wide Scoring, Goaltending Statistics and PP/SHG/EN Statistics pages have all been updated as of the Week 3 games played on Sunday March 25th.  The Tier 2 Standings have been updated as of the Week 4 games played on Sunday April 1st.

You can also find the scoring stats for the 20 MRHL teams starting at this Regular Season Scoring Statistics By Team / Team Rosters page.

WEEK 4 GAME SCHEDULE

SATURDAY MARCH 31st     ALL GAMES RAINED OUT

Special Delivery vs. Dylan Murphy’s

Wharf Bar & Grill vs. adMarketplace

AXA Advisors vs. East End Terriers

Whiskey Rebel Bar vs. Buffalo Trace

SUNDAY APRIL  1st

Ernst & Young (7) over BDO Seidman (1)   Game-winning goal by #12 Mike Bialokur

Markit Maniacs (5) over PwC (3)    Game-winning goal by #20 Padriac Driscoll

Debevoise Plimpton (4) over Nomura Holding America (3)  OVERTIME    Game-winning goal by #93 Joe Jensen

Alumni (7) over Eagles (6)  OVERTIME    Game-winning goal by #0 Mike Fabrizio

Van Diemens Bar (6) over Nice Guy Eddie’s (2)   Game-winning goal by #2 Jason Schwab

Soldier McGee Tavern (5) over Mighty Mouses (3)    Game-winning goal by #10 Matt Fazzi

NO GAMES ARE SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY APRIL 7TH OR SUNDAY APRIL 8TH BECAUSE OF THE PASSOVER AND EASTER HOLIDAYS. 

THE SPRING 2012 REGULAR SEASON WILL RESUME WITH THE WEEK 5 GAMES SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 14TH AND APRIL 15TH.

 APRIL FOOLS DAY HOCKEY VIDEOS:  Here are links to some interesting SportsCenter Top Ten collections of NHL weirdness.

Top Ten Shootout Fails:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jr9WvrqYL4

Top Ten Non-Goalie Saves:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nswRVfvGGVc

Top Ten Creative Assists:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GhkdmiXBuM

Top 10 Strangest Goals:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTZd7MkSNHs