tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26354278039148319152012-01-14T22:42:41.191-05:00Timeless. Iconic. Flipping a switch.Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-54172630019776622382012-01-14T22:42:00.000-05:002012-01-14T22:42:41.198-05:00

Okay, so I've had a hard time keeping up with the losses lately, and I'm suddenly wondering what the Tampa Bay Lightning have in the big picture, concerning their on-ice squad. Clearly they got a lot out of what they had last year. Perhaps last year they got more than they should have out of what they had. Perhaps this year they are get less than they should out of what they have. But what do

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-56569542983738726122012-01-08T00:05:00.000-05:002012-01-08T00:05:07.720-05:00

Ugh, what a crap trip to Canada this is turning out to be. Man, it sometimes feels like I've got nothing to say during a winning streak, but there's always another post to discuss a few losses. Is it possible that I become a blogger just to complain? Am I really that type of person? Well, no, not entirely. I just swing with the team. But it's really starting to look like this team really doesn't

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-9396312710323470702012-01-03T23:50:00.000-05:002012-01-03T23:50:51.858-05:00

Big bump in traffic from Russia and German visitors this week. Strange, that. Especially since I haven't posted in a week. And it's always the same post that gets visited: an old Bolts-Caps preview where I make a joke about Ovechkin's haircut. It was my hundredth post, by the way, but I don't think that's what's bringing in the traffic. What? The game? Oh! The game! Right, so the Tampa Bay

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-19635742546143212182011-12-27T22:58:00.000-05:002011-12-27T22:58:53.737-05:00

Ah ha ha ha ha ha, Okay, so my last two posts have really just been attacks on the Lightning for their recent play, and I've been really nasty specifically to the goaltenders, stating among other things that Dwayne Roloson's NHL tank is empty and Mathieu Garon is a temporary measure who doesn't give the team a chance to contend. This, I felt, was validated by Roloson's brutal stats is his

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-46258768065363053062011-12-24T01:31:00.000-05:002011-12-24T01:31:43.713-05:00

"Mathieu Garon and the Tampa Bay Lightning refused to come home for Christmas empty-handed," was the opening line of Peter Puppelo's recap of tonight's 2-1 overtime loss for the Tampa Bay Lightning to the opportunistic Colorado Avalanche. They refused to come home empty-handed. They wanted at least an overtime loss. Imagine if they had refused to come home without a win? But that's what losing

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-47228103680291437442011-12-23T01:18:00.002-05:002011-12-23T01:27:26.675-05:00

Good freaking gosh, was last season a freaking outlier? Have the Lightning returned to their longtime place of being a shlub team lacking sufficient depth and push to manage anything approaching championship calibre? Were we all deceived by a team that excelled only briefly, and can no longer sustain success with its current lineup? Or has the rest of the league figured out how to punch holes in

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-25331608054224800392011-12-13T02:21:00.005-05:002011-12-22T23:49:39.606-05:00

Having a hard time getting a beginning started here, because I'm having difficulty deciding where to start. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in a bad place. They are a failing on-ice squad. Despite their expensive offensive players and hot-topic coach and GM, they can't beat the other teams. Because that's the way you've got to think about this shit. You can't just think about "Winning games."

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-68392141648737880842011-11-29T09:49:00.000-05:002011-11-29T09:49:15.664-05:00

After 40 percent of the Southeast Division changed coaches during the off-season, and another 40 percent opted for new coaches on Monday, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher is now the most tenured coach in the division. He is in his second year. Here is how he stacks up against the other coaches he faces on his team's top rival clubs: With 57 wins as an NHL coach entering Tuesday,

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-54139484874982206522011-11-23T15:51:00.000-05:002011-11-23T15:51:38.686-05:00

The Tampa Bay Lightning got dismantled 7-1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, and the Bolts are left to reassess and decide what level they're going to perform at for the rest of the season. At this time last year we as observers were able to write off blowout losses and direct blame at a few easy targets: the stunningly sub-NHL goaltending they were getting from Mike Smith and Dan Ellis,

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-42021901508429645502011-11-16T09:44:00.000-05:002011-11-16T09:44:24.891-05:00

I couldn't take it anymore-- the sight of my stupid face with that stupid 'stache every time I saw my reflection made me want to both laugh out loud and punch myself in the face. I was actually starting to hate myself more than when I was fronting a band of heavy metal mimes ("Silent Violence," thankfully not on youtube), so I had to take the unfortunate step of slashing the 'stache. Therefore,

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-20100065825968685682011-11-04T23:53:00.000-04:002011-11-04T23:53:26.975-04:00

It looks like I'm one period too late. Arriving to listen to the third period as usual (after the boy is put to bed), I look and see the Bolts and 'Hawks combined for eight flippin' goals in the second, including two goals from Krabby Patty Sharp and a hat trick from Steven Stamkos. Seen him? It's Ray Emery and Dwayne Roloson, each with a suffering save percentage. Brett Connolly also scored in

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-92164066805932417212011-11-04T00:41:00.000-04:002011-11-04T00:41:48.826-04:00

I've been rather passive with the blogging for the last few weeks. Although I've been keeping up with the games and goings-on, I haven't been commenting much. Why? Too much going on around the homestead. Also, I've dropped most of my other writing projects, and it feels nice to not have any obligations hanging around, making me feel like I should be doing other things besides being part of a

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-16382772176029794982011-10-25T22:09:00.001-04:002011-10-25T22:12:45.968-04:00

(Free Verse Playoffs is an occassional feature at Frozen Sheets Hockey. Bringing poetry and sports blogging closer together, one game at a time.) Third period power play broken stick, save made Miller Just sitting down to listen, son just put to bed later than usual, we were having fun painting Don't know who has the goals but the Lightning are up 3-2 Power play ineffective so far, trying to

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-48640345097745025682011-10-18T15:36:00.000-04:002011-10-18T15:36:46.139-04:00

The Tampa Bay Lightning have allowed more goals than any other team in the NHL. Although they have played at least one or two more games than many of the other teams in the League, their goals against, 26 in 6 games, stands like some great, bloated elephant on skates in the room. The goals are coming. The Lightning have scored 18 through 6, a total exceeded only by Pittsburgh and Colorado, not

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-21922207688919381622011-10-16T00:34:00.000-04:002011-10-16T00:34:16.003-04:00

I guess it looks like I've been asleep at the wheel. I can almost hear the other blogs snickering behind my back: "He says he's a hockey blogger, but he hasn't posted anything on the start of the season, or the first five Lightning games." Bah. I'll live with your disdain. I've been occupied. Several ongoing plumbing disasters through the start of the month have crippled my time for blogging.

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-54073331199717296242011-10-05T21:53:00.000-04:002011-10-05T21:53:20.401-04:00

I was going to get this thing fired out last night. I had a really dark opening in mind that had nothing to do with hockey. It was going to be a quick tour of my social anxieties, but I got distracted by something I read online about the musical collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica, and the backlash from metal fans. I ended up writing about that instead, and didn't even get around to

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-21596832755522797752011-10-01T10:01:00.000-04:002011-10-01T10:01:27.550-04:00

Yeah, I'm still doing this, and I'm still focusing on the forwards. What the bloody nuts is it with me and the forwards? So far I've done predictions on five forwards, and one liner of the blue. Why? Because, it's more fun  to talk about points with forwards, especially forwards that are supposed to score. Like, did anyone ever care how many points Marc Bureau was putting up? Superstar Lightning

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-50625710948901840122011-09-22T11:43:00.000-04:002011-09-22T11:43:53.137-04:00

NOTE: I'm on special assignment (re: painful vacation with inlaws and the only other person speaking English is my four-year-old) and it's making me both miss current events and makes it difficult to blog. Hopefully this gets posted before the season opens. Continuing with my September Player Performance Prognostication Party, I today look at three members of the Lightning's forward corps:

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-50466839061725639222011-09-13T15:43:00.000-04:002011-09-13T15:43:02.340-04:00

I had a post worked up that was about the Lokomotiv crash, the shite summer that hockey fans just had to endure, and then something really hopey-changey to encourage everyone that everything will be okay as soon as pucks start dropping. But who gives a crap, right? Everyone is saying the same thing. I'll spare you the melodrama and save it for when I need something to cry about when I'm drinking

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-86077318285871379842011-09-02T00:15:00.001-04:002011-09-02T00:29:10.827-04:00

I think it's fair to say that a significant slice of fun got sucked out of the NHL this summer, and suddenly the big billion-dollar thirty team "New" NHL is looking an awful lot like like the six team NHL of the 1940s and 50s, where gruesome head injuries were a common enough cause of finished careers, and clued-in players regarded themselves a cattle to be bought and sold. The death of Wade

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-11864283056466789162011-08-16T15:53:00.000-04:002011-08-16T15:53:12.744-04:00

Last night I was happy to be a guest on Up The Pucks, a weekly hockey/punk podcast blog hosted by @real_peterevans and @utpbrandon (the episode, #47, should be uploaded on Friday. I'll post a link when it's up). It was a pretty cool thing for me, because although I've been blogging for a few years, I'm still pretty new to a lot of the cooler things going on in social media (I had to set up a

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-13223917227669485642011-08-11T21:46:00.000-04:002011-08-11T21:46:50.461-04:00

Do you ever just start working on a project, go at it for a while, and then decide it's not working well and give it up? I do that, quite a lot. I start a lot of projects, test them out, and decide whether to continue or bail. One that I started working on this summer was a fiction piece about a hockey blogger. It came up empty, but I've got this stuff written that isn't going anywhere. So here

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-11812839419706821822011-07-28T01:23:00.000-04:002011-07-28T01:23:41.754-04:00

Wow, Lou Lamoriello really went off the map grabbing former Florida Panthers coach Pete Deboer and handing him the keys to Martin Brodeur. Seriously, I did not see that one coming. The New Jersey Devils are like, the oldest of old school hockey clubs, and I expected Lou to stick to his usual routine: hiring either an extremely experienced coach or a playing legend who is already on staff as an

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-61966302996592923362011-07-26T15:38:00.000-04:002011-07-26T15:38:53.112-04:00

So, we have the annual dance of the backup goalies. In comes Mathieu Garon: two years at $2.6 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Out goes Mike Smith: two years at $4 million with the Phoenix Coyotes. The Lightning get an experienced, average goaltender. Garon is affordable, stable, and has managed passable numbers of the last few seasons for the less-than-stellar Columbus Blue Jackets. He

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-35291801347476462172011-07-23T22:05:00.000-04:002011-07-23T22:05:55.777-04:00

I've returned from my brief mid-summer vacation. I checked the wires. Nothing drastic appears to have happened in my absense from the world of hockey media obsession. Oh, sure. Good old Newfoundland boy Teddy Purcell and his partner in RFA-status Steven Stamkos finally reached deals with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But that was hardly a surprise, was it? Nobody, even the wildly speculative

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-5396370094874477402011-07-13T15:45:00.000-04:002011-07-13T15:45:56.766-04:00

It was around this time last year that the Tampa Bay Lightning performed its annual ritual of bringing in an aging scoring threat who is starting to see his play decline, hoping to get his career back on track for a few more years of serious pay. In 2009, it was Alex Tanguay. In 2010 it was Simon Gagne. What made Gagne different from the usual declining scoring addition was that he arrived by

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-47190247840167041432011-07-10T17:19:00.000-04:002011-07-10T17:19:30.777-04:00

We are entering the year when I have the least to say about hockey. There are lots of other blogs and bloggers out there who are maintaining a constant flow of new material. I am not one of them. If there aren't games being played, I don't have a whole lot to say. Instead of trying to post entries for the sake of it, I'll take a snooze, probably for the bulk of July and August. I'll focus on

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-9142424449994548302011-06-29T23:44:00.000-04:002011-06-29T23:44:50.266-04:00

What a long time it took me to figure out the correct spelling of Elliotte Freidman's first name. Remember everybody: two Ls and two Ts. He has his Thirty Thoughts column, and it's great. I have fewer thoughts. Just five, in fact. No one should be surprised to hear it. There's a ton of stuff going on right now during the NHL's busiest time of the year (What's this crap about everybody golfing?),

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-41204032537938771512011-06-23T15:40:00.000-04:002011-06-23T15:40:02.921-04:00

Okay, my only comment on the NHL Awards last night comes in the form of this joke about really old-timey hockey: It's a shame Stamkos didn't win the Ted Lindsay Award. He could have set it next to his Maurice Richard Trophy  and watched them beat the shit out of each other. Congratulations to all nominees and recipients. Now moving on to the NHL in Ramones songs. Today we look at the Northeast

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-56582415240760064542011-06-22T15:32:00.000-04:002011-06-22T15:32:36.635-04:00

Continuing my tour of the NHL, reducing each team and its issues to a single Ramones song. Today it's the Atlantic Division's turn... New Jersey Devils: I Wanted Everything. Ilya Kovalchuk wanted everything, and he got it, holding his pinky finger to the corner of his mouth and asking for a contract worth... "One hundred billion dollars!" Sure, he might regret it when the Devs can't quite afford

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-48098827707500350652011-06-21T16:09:00.000-04:002011-06-21T16:09:52.216-04:00

There's a lot going on in the League right now: the NHL awards, the draft in a few days, free agency season is coming soon... as a responsible blogger I should be tearing off mad copy, yapping about my team's needs, this rumour, that crap, and whatevs... But that just ain't me, man. The playoffs are done, and I'm all about the frivolous. So, while I'll be watching the "important" goings-on, I'll

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-4604416371924458872011-06-17T23:51:00.000-04:002011-06-17T23:51:58.280-04:00

Frozen Sheets Editor: Nolan, we've reviewed the material for your new blog post, and we're not sure if it's your best work. At best, it's a bunch of cheap, obvious shots. At worst, it makes you look like a sore loser who still hasn't gotten over the Lightning's loss in the Eastern Conference Final, and you're taking it out on the Stanley Cup champs. It makes you look as though you don't really

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-53038805198847989252011-06-16T13:24:00.000-04:002011-06-16T13:24:44.371-04:00

To the Boston Bruins, I offer my grudging congratulations for winning the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, and capturing the big mug. Although you are a vicious team full of dirty players, you were certainly the more lovable of the two teams playing for the Cup this year. You should also be congratulated for not making fools of yourselves at every possible opportunity the way your opponents did over the

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-83132831590062064812011-06-07T00:24:00.000-04:002011-06-07T00:24:07.291-04:00

I've gotta tell you, man, this is shaping up to be a weird Stanley Cup Final, man. As sad as I am that the team I support didn't make it to the Final, I'm glad that I'm not a fan of one of these two teams, because the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks are the worst first in this series, and despite the tension and drama of the first two games in Vancouver, all the media-yapping has been about

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-83184141759368540462011-06-01T15:48:00.000-04:002011-06-01T15:48:21.821-04:00

There are a few advantages to working in a sleazy part of town. Not many, but a few. One of the advantages is the close proximity to Thunders, Toronto's only Lightning bar. I decided to pop over on my luch break today and see how the local faithful were dealing with the cruel first week of the off season. I hadn't been back since Friday night, when the Lightning exited the playoffs with their 1

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-21395878778592747822011-05-29T23:58:00.000-04:002011-05-29T23:58:50.361-04:00

Okay, so I finally have to get around to posting about the Lightning's elimination from the NHL playoffs. My heart hurts. It's funny, after the Lightning lost Game Five, I was sitting at the kitchen table talking to my wife. It was around midnight. We were talking about things not at all related to hockey. I was tired, had many different things on many different subjects whirling around in my

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-68367416064695458352011-05-26T00:40:00.000-04:002011-05-26T00:40:58.866-04:00

It's funny how my posture changes in relation to the score of a game and the time of a game. A one goal lead in the first or second period gets a leanin' back, slouchy-cool sitting position. A one goal lead with five minutes left, with your team hemmed into its own zone for so long that they can barely remember what center ice looks like, calls for more of a cross-legged, elbows-on-knees position

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-49594116546928626752011-05-24T00:55:00.000-04:002011-05-24T00:55:01.238-04:00

Okay, so the Tampa Bay Lightning are probably not really, really pleased with how they performed in their 3-1 Game Five loss to the Boston Bruins on Monday night. So guys, what have you learned: 1. I've never really understood what "hell bent for leather" meant on a literal level, but I'm pretty sure Blair Jones is it. The guy skates like he has werehawks after him. 2. Nathan Horton is

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-79004082738356917962011-05-15T23:36:00.000-04:002011-05-15T23:36:33.531-04:00

"I think we've got a good shot in this series," I said. "The Lightning struggled against Dan Bylsma's team. Dan is young and hip, just like Guy Boucher. But the Capitals have Gabby Boudreau, who is old, bald and fat. Now look at Boston. Who's their coach?" Carter J. Lizardman nodded his big freaky lizard head and croaked his reply. "Heh heh. Yeah. Claude Julien. I see what you mean. Old, bald

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-58792305495369910122011-05-10T23:41:00.000-04:002011-05-10T23:41:05.283-04:00

I've been off the map. I wrote a series preview post before the second round, gave predictions for what would happen between the Capitals and the Lightning, and then I sat back and let it unfold without making a comment. What happened? Blogging fatigue happened, basically. In an attempt to set a personal best for traffic in a single month, I cranked out fifteen posts in the month of April,

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-72280890656781664002011-04-28T23:31:00.000-04:002011-04-28T23:31:41.357-04:00

First of all we have to congratulate Martin St. Louis for being nominated for what could be his second Hart Trophy as league MVP. Obligatory congrats as well to his fellow nominees, Canuck Daniel Sedin and Duck Corey Perry. As integral as St. Louis was to the Tampa Bay Lightning this season, the award is chosen by hockey writers, and (sorry for being gross) hockey writers were whacking off all

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-51408936259700057772011-04-28T01:44:00.000-04:002011-04-28T01:44:47.676-04:00

That was my attempt to fit the entire content of the post into the title. What a night. Was that a long final three minutes, or what? Did it feel like... I don't know... seven years long? Okay, so the Lightning beat the Penguins 1-0 in Game Seven to advance to the second round of the playoffs, and will next face the first seeded Washington Capitals. I have a lot to get to, so I'm going to start

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-3765986576807404422011-04-26T18:08:00.000-04:002011-04-26T18:08:57.149-04:00

I've gone into post-win slumber after these past two games. After an 8-2 road win, what is there to say? Aaron Asham cannot score like Sidney Crosby. Mike Rupp cannot score like Evgeni Malkin. And yes, momentum really does win hockey games. Stamkos, the young kid, and Roloson and Gagne, the grizzled vets, showed their big-game skillz. Word. And Game Six? Hell, I'm just happy to be here. But to

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-60872139339551484002011-04-21T13:19:00.000-04:002011-04-21T13:19:41.865-04:00

[Free Verse Playoffs is a poetry series which will appear through this season's playoffs.] Oh! Overtime! From two goals down they came scratching and clawing, Taking yet another ride on a diminutive giant's back; Martin St. Louis reminds everyone again whose team this is, And they'll see overtime in Hockey Bay again. Oh! Overtime! When every rush is a possible miracle or potential doom, The

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-55530520830620290002011-04-19T13:29:00.000-04:002011-04-19T13:29:07.341-04:00

1. First, What Came Afterwards After Lecavalier had to scream over the roaring crowd, arguing that the faceoff should be in the Penguins' zone, After the mad goalmouth scramble, the Roloson-pulled-for-the-extra-attacker rushes, after Moore had the puck on his stick, after Stamkos tried for a big blast from in close and the puck was lost in traffic, After the bodies fell to the ice and after

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-1039453717066163732011-04-16T23:30:00.002-04:002011-04-16T23:33:53.470-04:00

Friday, April 15, 2011 Lightning 5, Penguins 1 I was supposed to watch this game and then write a recap about it, but even though it was on TV at my house and I was home for the entire duration of the game, I wasn't able to watch any of it. Life is funny that way sometimes, isn't it? I've constructed my version of the game based upon the box score. First Period. Nothing much happens for the

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-63105798993623006472011-04-14T18:10:00.000-04:002011-04-14T18:10:18.957-04:00

[Free Verse Playoffs is a series that will run through this year's playoffs.] Sidney Crosby watched Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarter Final from a box suite high up in the Consol Energy Center. Still not symptom-free in his post-concussion convalescence, Crosby is not available for game action, and so sits and watches. His eyes come to rest on Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-80253131379387352682011-04-14T00:24:00.000-04:002011-04-14T00:24:50.560-04:00

With a bloody mouth, Martin St. Louis yelled at the refs, and he yelled at the Pittsburgh Penguins. He yelled about Michalek's stick that was wildly swung after the two of them crashed heavily against the boards. Yelling didn't help. Crashing the net didn't help either. Carrying the puck behind the net, where the Penguin defenders were quick with heavy hits, didn't help. Seven minor penalties

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-57680967785137438932011-04-13T15:40:00.001-04:002011-04-13T15:43:24.565-04:00

They swing in wide arcs around the ice surface of the Consol Energy Center, enemy territory, their first home in the playoffs. They skate in bunches, chatting, trying to keep loose, trying to keep the energy positive. Tonight they will go to work. The huge Penguins logo at center ice, and the thousands of empty seats that will later be filled with unfriendly white-shirted fans do not intimidate

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-13489837006519374252011-04-13T13:29:00.000-04:002011-04-13T13:29:17.599-04:00

As I've been mentioning in this and other places, I'm going to be providing recaps of all the playoff games involving the Tampa Bay Lightning in free verse poetry, beginning with their first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. I'm not a "poet," and I haven't spent much time reading poetry either. This project is simply my way to present a different view of the games as they take place

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-89141459239024027792011-04-12T22:17:00.001-04:002011-04-12T22:20:46.404-04:00

This is the third part of my interview with Canadian poet Randall Maggs, discussing his book Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems, published in 2008 by Brick Books. Night Work combines aspects of biography, sports writing and oral history to present a complex picture of troubled star goaltender Terry Sawchuk, and the violent but often romanticized era in which he played. You can read the first part here

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-70569724631883202472011-04-12T00:15:00.001-04:002011-04-12T22:32:38.620-04:00

This is the second part of my interview with Canadian poet Randall Maggs. (Read the first part of the interview here, and the third part here). I spoke to him about his book Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems, which was published by Brick Books in 2008. Night Work explores the turbulent life and career of NHL goaltender Terry Sawchuk, and casts both a critical and elegiac eye on the brutal world of

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-80456223533645795062011-04-11T00:20:00.007-04:002011-04-12T22:30:33.793-04:00

Terry Sawchuk won eighty-eight games in his first two full seasons in the NHL. By the latter part of that second season, a rival GM declared him the greatest goalie to ever play. He led the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup that year, setting untouchable marks by winning eight straight to sweep both rounds of the playoffs, allowing only five goals in eight games and not a single one scored at home. In a

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-51890941360128393492011-04-10T23:57:00.002-04:002011-04-11T13:05:02.749-04:00

It's crazy, but the Tampa Bay Lightning have been a lock for the playoffs for so long, but I didn't really have that "Holy Crap, we're going to the playoffs" type of euphoria until this weekend when the seeding for the first round in the East was carved in stone on Saturday night. There it was, and there would be no changes: The Lightning would meet the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time in

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-79223433649280424532011-04-07T00:03:00.001-04:002011-04-07T00:07:18.908-04:00

The Lightning have been ramping up for the playoffs over the last week or so, excepting a lacklustre performance against Buffalo. But nothing has been said on the Frozen Sheets since the week before last. Why? What the hell have I been doing? Well, let me explain. Last Saturday, while the Bolts were locking up with the Minnesota Wild, I was conducting an interview with Randall Maggs regarding

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-57286667039621610432011-03-26T23:39:00.001-04:002011-03-26T23:49:30.077-04:00

I frequently mention in this space that although I follow the Tampa Bay Lightning, I live in Toronto. I also don't pay for cable, and I don't see on television any other NHL games than what the Canadian Broadcasting Corperation provides. That means I see the Lightning on TV only a few times every season. I'll occassionally see another scrap of a game online or in a public place like a bar (such

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-86938163940993105072011-03-25T23:38:00.000-04:002011-03-25T23:38:29.450-04:00

Toronto is a desolate, snow-swept place these days. While the Tampa Bay area hosts baseball spring training and warm, sunny crap like that, I've got red cheeks from walking into the bone-chilling wind on the way home from the misery factory. The only warmth I could expect on this cruel night (except the love of my family and stuff) is the warmth of Bolts cameraderie at Thunder's, Toronto

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-30752307585784256752011-03-24T22:54:00.000-04:002011-03-24T22:54:39.297-04:00

The Tampa Bay Lightning's season is becoming one long month of March: in like a lion, out like a lamb. It ran hot for a good long time, piling up points despite a disproportionate number of road games through its first half, and spent a looooooong stretch at the top of the South East Division. Granted, a certain mighty red machine in Washington was slumbering during much of that stretch, but

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-81687554926777989932011-03-18T23:14:00.000-04:002011-03-18T23:14:04.084-04:00

Last week (I don't post as frequently as I would like) I made a bloated, ranting post about the state of the game, the Chara hit, and how Montrealers would probably burn down half of the city if Gary Bettman showed his face at the Bell Centre. If you haven't read the post, you can find it here. I actually received a comment on the post yesterday, from a reader named Rob, and he had this to say

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-76620818028647955412011-03-12T01:25:00.000-05:002011-03-12T01:25:03.034-05:00

Okay, it's late and I've had a few of this and a few of that, and I feel like talking about me for a while. This is a dark time for me. I am, by nature, a very solitary person. I have a loving wife and child, but otherwise I have no "friends." Nor do I actively seek them. I like spending my time by myself, pursuing the few interests I have in a fairly meticulous manner, and the list of interests

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-38295557851748814282011-03-11T14:12:00.000-05:002011-03-11T14:12:42.406-05:00

In my previous post, I made a statement likening Lightning superman Martin St. Louis to former Habs great Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. I was trying to convey that the two players have a similar attitude about winning (please, no Charlie Sheen jokes): they both believe that winning is the only thing in sport, loss is intolerable failure, and while fierce determination is admirable, there is

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-56080023667920528902011-03-10T16:35:00.002-05:002011-03-11T01:25:45.418-05:00

I didn't follow up on my post-trade-deadline post, but since the iron has been left out in the drizzling Toronto rain and is no longer hot, I'm going to move on and a few random thoughts. Briefly: First, it was brilliant and beautiful to see a) Martin St.Louis' fantastic spin-pause-flip shootout goal against Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night, and b) it was nothing short

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-62610546686782200602011-02-28T23:25:00.056-05:002011-03-01T00:53:21.980-05:00

The frenzy of the Trade Deadline has come and gone, and after spending a day basically trying to ignore the chatter of the hockey world, I decided to head to the Wrong End of town and see what the esteemed patrons of Thunders, the most famous fictitious Lightning bar in all of Canada, had to say about what was done and not done. After the train, bus, and then walk down the dark alley, I found

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-27002171739988980632011-02-25T13:28:00.001-05:002011-02-25T13:33:49.225-05:00

Dan Ellis has been traded to Anaheim for irrelevant backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney, and humor writers around the Boltosphere are poorer for it. It was a brief shining era, when the most ridiculous or embarrassing thing about the team was not the imbecility of its ownership group. Early candidate for next year's "Most Ridiculous or Embarrassing" award. Um... the new uniforms? No, no, I'm not

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-65297462486043218412011-02-18T23:45:00.000-05:002011-02-18T23:45:36.822-05:00

Okay, so it's been an eventful week. The Lightning have stood up to the absolute class of the NHL, the Flyers on Tuesday and the Red Wings on Thursday, and they were found wanting both nights. Sure, they took Philly to the shootout, but they lost because they didn't earn the win. They hung on for the one OT-loss point. Not good enough  to roll with the big boys. And sure, the loss to Philly

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-39341157151484437292011-02-13T23:46:00.000-05:002011-02-13T23:46:09.345-05:00

Not much to say following Saturday night's OT win over The Carolina Hurricanes. I guess the Lightning are trying to give fans more bang for their buck these days, being up three-one with only a few minutes left in the game before letting the 'Canes score two extra-attackers goals with Ward on the bench, and then letting the "new guy" put home the winning goal. I guess this is how the Lightning

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-51651004003974549142011-02-09T23:11:00.001-05:002011-02-09T23:16:04.146-05:00

"Vinny should have had five goals tonight. He played tremendous." -Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher, postgame, Feb. 8 against Buffalo. Okay, so the Lightning suffered a complete collapse in the third against the Buffalo Sabres. Everything went wrong in the last twenty minutes, and the Bolts allowed a staggering five goals on twelve third period shots. So, not the ideal way to close out a game,

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-1167309705515578612011-02-09T23:10:00.003-05:002011-05-15T00:49:19.035-04:00

What is Comeback Road? Comeback Road is Nolan Whyte's first rock and roll novel. It's the ultimate tale of redemption through being in a band, with all the normal ugly, over-tired, drinking too much, arguing, not practicing enough, fist-fighting in parking lots, looking for a new drummer, getting hit in the head with beer bottles, rock and roll fun. It holds up as a classic: Terry, The Clutch

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-65370255818477455152011-02-03T23:25:00.002-05:002011-02-03T23:36:21.004-05:00

"(H)ungry... desperate... fight... Do anything... nasty... hack... whack... a shot in the face... Don’t stop... ferocious...” That was Washinton Capitals' forward Brooks Laich on what he expects from Friday night's tilt between the Capitals and the Lightning, taken from the Caps' official game preview. (Read the unedited text here). And while the unedited version isn't as insane sounding, it is

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-67112325444974379182011-01-31T23:57:00.001-05:002011-01-31T23:57:24.144-05:00

Is it over yet? Yes, the All-Star Game was fun, and it had some laughs. I used a bouncer's headcount clicker to try and track how many times Ovechkin acted like an idiot, but the thing maxed out. Do you want to watch a game that promises to be violent? Check out the next time Washington plays in Toronto and see if Colton (Ain't No Bobby) Orr tries to bust some ugly off Ovie's face for laughing

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-69398243467114978832011-01-20T22:59:00.002-05:002011-01-20T23:04:38.438-05:00

First off, congratulations to the Lightning for their 3-2 shootout win over the Thrashers. It was their second consecutive game ending in a 3-2 shootout, the second consecutive game where Steven Stamkos scored both of Tampa's regulation goals (I've got a feeling that kid will be a star one day), and the second consecutive game where grinder Adam Hall saw the ice in the shootout before either

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-9551404551525448432011-01-18T18:21:00.000-05:002011-01-18T18:21:43.560-05:00

I left the house this morning at the usual time, and then called in sick to work. I'm a weak, over-tired, lazy person, and I sometimes need an unscheduled day off to gather my strength and regain some focus. So to I took the subway downtown, blew fifty bucks seeing the early rippers, and then drifted into the bad part of town to check out the action at Toronto's most infamous fictional Lightning

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-32482522959362109322011-01-12T08:30:00.002-05:002011-01-12T08:30:48.405-05:00

Okay, so 2011 is going a little topsy-toivy (not a typo, just an accent) for the Tampa Bay Lightning so far. The good news (good being relative) is that the team has a 2-2 record in its last four games. The bad news? The team has been outscored 15-7 in those four games, and seems to have the confidence of... something... lacking... um... confidence. I woke up before my alarm this morning, and I

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-31076236149730612162011-01-02T23:45:00.000-05:002011-01-02T23:45:43.809-05:00

So, obviously, I totally called the Roloson trade. With the Lightning succeeding despite the train-wreck ineptitude of their goalies, Steve Yzerman demonstrated patience, restraint, and finally tactical straight-shooting by trading minor leaguer/prospect Ty Wishart for Dwayne Roloson, Roli The Goalie. Back on the sixth of December, with the Lightning reeling from blowout losses, I wrote a post

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-41756183013771901402010-12-31T01:45:00.001-05:002011-01-06T12:23:55.544-05:00

I'm of mixed minds, reflecting on this blogging world. Tampa Bay won tonight, slapping the Montreal Canadiens to the tune of a 4-1 win at home. The Habs have lost eight of ten, while the Bolts are 7-1-1 in the last nine. Two teams going in other directions, and I feel like sitting back and smoking a cigar because I'm cheering for the team on the good end of things this time around. Today,

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-3944055331855761682010-12-22T22:58:00.002-05:002010-12-22T23:03:07.467-05:00

Yes, it's a bleak realization that I've come to, following tonight's 2-1 OT loss to the New York Islanders: that despite being on an excellent pace and occasionaly dominating games, the Tampa Bay Lightning are still so vulnerable that they have been beaten twice in overtime this season by a team that is so institutionally bankrupt that the New York Post has suggested the league should wrest

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-61082139877838673582010-12-18T22:10:00.000-05:002010-12-18T22:10:33.436-05:00

Just got home from late holiday shopping (you're getting wine), got the kid's teeth brushed and slammed him into bed. Now? Beer, cookies with left-over cake frosting, and the last ten minutes or so of the Buffalo Sabres unable to score on the inpenetrable wall that is Nate Thompson. I mean Mike Smith. Did I just say that? Good acquisition of this Mike Smith kid. He's been crazy good these last

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-19354468517494722362010-12-15T01:40:00.000-05:002010-12-15T01:40:01.404-05:00

It finally happened: the Tampa Bay Lightning were on CBC Hockey Night In Canada, as I was free to sit down and watch it. The Lightning, like a lot of the American teams in the NHL, appear each year on HNIC once. How often is Nashville on HNIC? Atlanta? St. Louis? Florida? Tampa Bay? It was all aligned so perfectly. The game was in Vancouver, and had an extra-late start to accomodate the

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-76442182879939853592010-12-06T00:08:00.001-05:002010-12-06T00:10:17.897-05:00

(Disclaimer: The title of this blog entry is not entirely true, but it does express a certain level of emotion on the part of the blagger. Certain events described in the following blog also did not happen, although some things described are all too painfully true.) "Yzerman's hands are somewhat tied when it comes to making personnel adjustments in net. No one is ready in the minors, and trade

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-35039887301177809872010-12-02T23:12:00.000-05:002010-12-02T23:12:51.188-05:00

That's the only possible explanation that I can come up on how the two Lightning goalies allowed eight goals in their loss to Boston tonight: they missed the flight to Boston, and Guy Boucher had to get a couple of equipment boys to substitute for them. How else could you explain save percentages of .773 for Mike Smith and .700 for Dan Ellis? My guess as to where the two goalies were when the

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-25993250439712815772010-11-26T23:32:00.001-05:002010-11-26T23:33:26.434-05:00

I just got the kid to bed and turned on the computer. Damn. The Lightning got slapped around to the tune of a six-nothing loss at the hands of the team that I regard as the Lightning's real competition this year, the Washington Capitals. Ouch. Bad ouch. I read the recap and watched the postgame with Boucher, Stamkos and Lundin, but I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the highlights.

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-53333144497608033812010-11-20T02:42:00.000-05:002010-11-20T02:42:45.803-05:00

Thursday night's game between the Lightning and Flyers was incredible. It was a game-of-the-year type of match, and all I can say is that I was aware of what was going on, although I couldn't really watch or listen. I often don't see the games. That's actually very rare for me. On nights when I'm not working, I've usually had the game on the radio. This year, although my schedule has now

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-74245927845685315822010-11-11T19:28:00.000-05:002010-11-11T19:28:28.628-05:00

Okay, let me just say that I've been busy. I've changed jobs, had my schedule completely rearranged, and I've been busy with everything except updating this blog. But hey, life is life, and blogging is blogging. Sometimes blogging gets in the way of life, and sometimes life... ah, you get the point. Anyway, I haven't had the opportunity to wax philosophical on the Lightnings play over the last

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-57154485209338689992010-10-24T22:46:00.000-04:002010-10-24T22:46:14.716-04:00

Too bad the Bolts came up short with their comback attempt against Nashville tonight, but hot damn, that was a lot of fun in the last five minutes. If you can't give me wins, at least give me excitement. Okay, five things I'm taking away from tonight's game. 1. Is  Sean Bergenheim a steal, or what? Are we calling him Bergie yet? I had no idea about this guy, and I basically ignored his signing.

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-8038926250953666282010-10-23T23:54:00.000-04:002010-10-23T23:54:00.865-04:00

Okay, let's be clear: I am a Tampa Bay Lightning fan. Hence the biased blogging. And I live in Toronto. Generally I get away with it when I tell people that I moved here from a city with no team, so I was free to choose whoever I wanted to cheer for. That helps a little, but I still don't wear my Bolts jersey very often. Now, the Maple Leafs haven't made the playoffs since I've lived here, which

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-74975210598769246252010-10-22T11:38:00.000-04:002010-10-22T11:38:03.115-04:00

A couple notes on last night's game between the Bolts and the Isle: - I have no issue with the call on the goal in OT. If the puck "crosses the plane," then it's a goal, right? It sucks that it's against the Lightning, but fair is fair. It's just a shame that it happened in OT, and required ten solid minutes of review. What a super-anticlimax to an entertaining game. - What I do have issue with

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-61466508698057290642010-10-21T01:43:00.000-04:002010-10-21T01:43:15.458-04:00

Does anyone think it's weird that the Tampa Bay Lightning is sitting with a four-and-one record (an .800 win percentage according to the MegaComputronCorp Think-o-Matic Ten Billion Machine) and yet they have actually allowed more goals this season than they have scored? Is this troubling to anyone? Okay, sure, it has a simple answer. The Bolts won four close (re: one or two goal) games, and then

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-62074153029233076572010-10-16T23:39:00.009-04:002010-11-10T20:50:22.348-05:00

I had to run an errand and pick up some snide in a snide-field nine miles wide after work tonight, and had a late start getting downtown to watch the Lightning visit Sunrise for the Panthers' home openers. I caught the crosstown, tranferred to the downline, and then hooked around on the shorty to make it to Thunder's waaaay too late to see any meaningful action. Mantel had the cable at Toronto's

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-87703803142296020802010-10-14T02:43:00.001-04:002010-10-14T03:03:13.046-04:00

Okay, this was a brutal night. No joke, it didn't go right at all. I wasn't able to pay any attention at all to the game (althought the radio was playing). For the first long stretch I was one-on-one with my three year old, which I don't mind at all, but I'm usually able to pay more attention because both my wife and I will be there to split his attention. Tonight she was out partying, and I was

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-22184017934802740052010-10-10T02:28:00.001-04:002010-11-10T20:48:19.662-05:00

So, befitting the importance of tonight's home opener for the Tampa Bay Lightning, I put the kid to sleep early and headed to the weird part of downtown, where I'm always happy to find that Toronto's only Lightning-friendly bar has not yet been burned down. Thunder's is a hole-in-the-wall joint. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays they have the special on ribs, as well as dancers that

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-4383631712896894262010-10-06T22:29:00.000-04:002010-10-06T22:29:59.754-04:00

How many different ways can a team bottom out? After coming in 30th and 29th overall the two years prior, the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared to be turning things around last season. Although the front office was still a disaster and the team was being sold (again), at least things were turning around on the ice. Or so it seemed. After pulling into contention for a playoff spot before the Olympic

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-47780467846530841262010-10-03T22:33:00.000-04:002010-10-03T22:33:25.834-04:00

I know coaches and players don't like to set targets for numbers of goals and points, etc, for an upcoming season, but I do, and since I'm just a loose cannon screwball fan, and I can do whatever I want. So carrying on with my series of Preseason Prognostications, here's what numbers I think the captain of this ship, Monseiur Vincent Lecavalier, should be capable of putting up this season. Some

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-43047299267285063072010-10-02T07:47:00.000-04:002010-10-02T07:47:33.459-04:00

I recently contributed to a piece for the SB Nation blog network discussing "burning questions" for the Lightning's upcoming season. In it I discussed the Bolts' inability over the past few seasons to win in one goal games. I mention they had difficulty especially in protecting late leads, and winning in the ol' overtime period. Well, we got a little taste of both against the Florida Panthers in

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-86095154050951039272010-09-28T02:44:00.000-04:002010-09-28T02:44:01.473-04:00

So all at once, the roster of the Tampa Bay Lightning gets chopped by 40 percent, with 21 players being excused from the big boy table, and leaving 28 still fighting for spots. Nearly all of the cut players are heading for the AHL's Norfolk Admirals, with a few outright releases and six of the demoted players needing to clear waivers. There were no "hokey-spit" surprises. A lot of the kids got

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-42596248048780436412010-09-20T15:19:00.000-04:002010-09-20T15:19:39.555-04:00

I'm going to take a little break from making guessing how many or how few goals the members of the Tampa Bay Lightning will score this season to talk about Guy Boucher, the team's new coach, and the buzz that his new system is generating. There's been a lot of talk about Boucher since his hiring. The scar-faced young coach has quickly climbed from the QMJHL to the AHL, and after two seasons with

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-15730723533141063462010-09-13T00:11:00.000-04:002010-09-13T00:11:04.034-04:00

Ha ha! Okay, so what do we do with Simon Gagne? Well, obviously "we" (and by we I mean the Tampa Bay Lightning, whom I am not actually affiliated with) should stick Gagne on Vincent Lecavalier's wing and hope they each pot 45 goals. There is unspoken debate whether Vinnie is a sniper in search of a set-up man, or a set-up man in search of a finisher. Since the Vin-Man won the Rocket Richard

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-71966541709254093392010-09-09T23:14:00.000-04:002010-09-09T23:14:25.086-04:00

Okay, after breaking the ice with Ryan Malone, it's time to look at one of the perceived cornerstones of the Tampa Bay Lightning's future, that being the raw young talent that is Victor Hedman. Okay, so he's six foot six, two hundred and thirty pounds, and he stepped into an NHL lineup as an eighteen year old. Pretty good, I guess. And yeah, he managed to pick up twenty points playing as a boy

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-14963494294766152372010-09-04T23:51:00.002-04:002010-09-05T00:00:29.120-04:00

I'm sure there will be a lot more tinkering with the lineup before opening night of the new season. Players will make the team that no one expected, some players that people thought would definitely make the the big club will end up relegated to the minors, and maybe some actual just-like-the-olden-days trades will occur. But for this highly un-intellectual exercise, I'm going to treat the Tampa

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-24455367810377369902010-08-30T01:14:00.004-04:002010-08-30T01:21:56.314-04:00

Okay, the dogs are going away. August, the annual most boring time of the year for hockey fans, is gradually coming to a close, and those of us who prefer watching the game to prognosticating are almost ready to start cranking it up. Because I have to tell you folks (if anyone is listening), I might be a blogger, but I ain't no talking head. I want to see some hockey. And I want to see it soon.

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2635427803914831915.post-79712650941020386082010-08-06T13:55:00.000-04:002010-08-06T13:55:30.344-04:00

It amuses me to see how the NHL has turned around from just a little while ago, with regards to the reverence and esteem with which starting goaltenders were once held. It used to be that you absolutely needed a super-goalie to compete (even if you were Detroit...remember that Hasek guy?), but now it seems that top teams regard the 'tender as an afterthought. Reasons? Two obvious ones: cap space

Nolan Whytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18011555322598138486noreply@blogger.com0