Predators Sign Smithson for Additional Two Years

The Nashville Predators today announced that they have signed Jerred Smithson to a two year contract extension. Here is the press release:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed forward Jerred Smithson to a two-year, $1.6 million contract. He will make $800,000 during both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.


Smithson, 31 (2/4/79), has played in all 42 of Nashville’s games this season, posting eight points (4g-4a). He ranks eighth in the National Hockey League in face-off winning percentage (58.7) and ninth among League forwards in average shorthanded time on ice, a category he’s led the team in the last four seasons. He’s also paced Predator forwards in hits the past three seasons, and again leads the club in the statistic. Additionally, the Vernon, B.C., native ranks fifth franchise’s all-time shorthanded points list (5g-4a)


A free-agent signee of the Predators on July 22, 2004, Smithson has appeared in 434 career games with Nashville (404) and Los Angeles (30) since 2002-03, notching 79 points (34g-35a) and 290 penalty minutes. He ranks ninth on the franchise’s all-time games played list, and is tied for third in longest tenure with the club among active roster members. Smithson has suited up for 20 of the Predators 22 playoff games since 2006.

Smithson is one of those players that every team needs to be successful: gritty; versatile; and consistent. He can play both center and wing and excels at killing penalties and winning face offs. Smithson has been one of the top shut down forwards for the Predators and also chips in with some timely goals.
 
Good to see Smithers rewarded for his efforts, but this is also an excellent signing by the Predators, as Smithson contributes in many ways that are not reflected on the scoresheet.

Predators Whip the Wild 5-1

Watching the Minnesota Wild play hockey is akin to watching mildew grow in your bathroom: ugly and difficult to get out. Tonight at the Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Predators faced the Minnesota Mildew Wild, and for two periods, it appeared as if the Wild would be the fungus that would frustrate the home team with their grind it out, trapping style of play. The third period, however, was all Predators, as they whipped the Wild 5-1 for their 6th straight victory.

It was obvious that the Wild were going to trap all night and attempt to force turnovers by the Predators. That strategy worked for much of the first period as the Wild kept the Predators bottled up in their own end of the ice. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne was called upon early to make some big saves to hold the Wild off the board.

Playing against a team like the Wild takes patience and persistence. Keep chipping the puck out of the zone and work it into the offensive zone and generate chances s the formula for success against the trap that the Wild employ.

That formula would pay dividends for the Predators at 7:03 of the first period as Marek Svatos entered the zone with speed. He slipped a nice pass to David Legwand, who was driving the net with speed. Legwand got his stick on the puck and re-directed the pass between the pads of Wild goaltender Jose Theodore for a 1-0 Predators lead. This was Legwand's second goal in as many games and his 4th goal of the year.

That lead would last for nine minutes, when the Wild tied it on an even strength goal by Mikko Koivu as a Predator Pk had just ended. Koivu drove to the net and split two defenders and lifted a backhand that beat Rinne at 16:05.

The Wild outshot the Predators 9-6 in the first period, but controlled the puck for lengthy stretches at a time, as their trap thwarted the Predators offensive effort. At the end of one, it had the feel of a game that could be decided by one mistake by either team.

That mistake would occur at 1:02 of the second period, as Joel Ward gathered in a rebound of a Kevin Klein shot and backhanded the puck under the glove of a sprawling Theodore to give the Predators a 2-1 advantage. On the play, Ward was patient with the puck, settling it down and getting off a good shot that beat the Wild netminder.

The remainder of the second period was a back and forth affair with both teams generating some chances and both goalies being equal to the task. Minnesota continued to trap and slow the Predators through the neutral zone, at times totally frustrating the offensive efforts of the Predators.

In the defensive zone, the Predators did a good job of keeping the Wild to the outside and on the boards, rarely giving the Mildew Wild quality scoring chances.

Minnesota outshot the Predators 12-10 in the second period.

Going into the third period, the game was in the balance, and it would go to the team that could exert their will.

That team would be the Predators.

The Predators would extend their lead to 3-1 at 4:18 of the third as Nick Spaling would launch a shot toward the net with traffic in front. The puck sailed cleaning through the mass of bodies in front of Theodore, who never saw the puck, and found the back of the net for his third goal of the year.

It would be Spals out again as he crashed the net on a Shea Weber shot. Spaling would jam at the puck several times, and would wedge home the shot with Theodore out of position and s Wild defender trying to hug the post. His persistence paid off with his second goal of the game at 10:39 of the third.

This goal was enough to cause Wild coach Todd Richards to pull Theodore and insert backup Anton Khudobin. Khudobin was welcomed to the contest with a Marcel Goc goal off a horrible Wild turnover that left Goc alone in the low slot. He buried a nice wrister over the shoulder of Khudobin for a 5-1 Predator lead and his 8th goal of the year.

The Predators began their winning streak with a win in Minnesota on December 31. That win was big for the Predators because it snapped a 5 game losing streak.

The win tonight was big for the Predators because they were just 3 points in front of Wild coming into this contest. This win extends their lead over the Wild to 5 points and keeps the Predators in fourth place in the West with 52 points, one ahead of Phoenix at 51.

The win tonight was characterized by players who don't score often coming through for the Predators. The line of Spaling, Ward, and Smithson was the best line on the ice tonight for the Predators. They played with jump, created chances, and more importantly, finished those chances.

The PK continued its stellar play, killing off all three Wild man advantage chances.

For this team to win, they have to have solid contributions from all lines. Tonight, they got those contributions. Successful teams have several lines that can play good two way hockey. If the third and fourth lines can contribute like tonight, this team will be dangerous in the second half of the season.

My three stars:

1. Nick Spaling

2. Joel Ward

3. Pekka Rinne

Predators Complete West Coast Sweep, Defeat Sharks 2-1

The Shark Tank has been a house of horrors for the Nashville Predators with wins coming rarely in San Jose. The Predators reversed their fortunes with a 2-1 victory over the Sharks in a hard fought contest that saw Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne play an outstanding game. With this win, the Predators completed a three game road sweep of the California teams.

As so often happens when the Predators play the Sharks, the shot advantage for the game was decidedly in the Sharks favor, as the Sharks outshot the Predators 43-26. With a shot advantage this lopsided, one would expect the Sharks to blow the Predators out of the Tank. The difference in this contest was Rinne, who played a near flawless game.

The Predators opened the scoring at 13:10 of the first period as David Legwand drove the net and put a shot in on Antti Niemi. Niemi gave up a rebound, and Legwand beat the Sharks defense to the front of the net and backhanded the rebound over the shoulder of Sharks tender to make it 1-0.

San Jose outshot the Predators 18-12 in the first, and had some glorious scoring chances. Rinne was called upon to make some huge saves, often times coming well out of his crease to make saves on Sharks that were driving the net. Rinne did an excellent job of tracking the puck throughout the night and looked calm in the face of the Sharks unrelenting pressure.

The second period was more of the same for the Sharks, as they outshot the Predators 11-6. While that doesn't sound too bad, it took the Predators 5 minutes into the period to register their first shot on goal of the period. In the meantime, Rinne was stopping everything thrown at him.

That would change at 4:35 of the period as Logan Couture broke in on a 2 on 1 and beat Rinne high glove side with an absolute laser of a shot. This was the 19th goal of the season for the Sharks outstanding rookie.

While San Jose was flying and firing shots from all directions, the Predators continued to chip the puck in the zone and grind on the Sharks defense. That effort paid off when Sergei Kostitsyn crashed the net and knocked a rebound of a Patric Hornqvist shot over the shoulder of Niemi. Kostitsyn beat Jason Demers to the puck and poked the rebound over the shoulder of Niemi to give the Predators a 2-1 advantage.

The Sharks kept pressing the attack and Rinne kept rejected all attempts to score. Niemi was pulled for the extra attacker, but Rinne was equal to the task. He got some help as the Sharks rang a shot off the post in the dying seconds, but one felt that the Sharks were just not going to beat a determined Rinne.

That proved to be the case as the Predators were able to make one final clear to melt the clock and seal the win. As improbable as it might seem, and contrary to what the statistics might indicate, the Predators had captured their second win against the Sharks this season. More importantly, they had picked up 6 out of a possible 6 six points on a tough West Coast swing.

With this win, the Predators have run their record to 22-13-6, good for 50 points and sole possession of 4th place in the Western Conference.

It's no secret that the Predators have to score by committee. Tonight, David Legwand chipped in with his third goal of the season. Sergei Kostitsyn added his 11th. Kostitsyn may prove to be the best "afterthought" pick up by an GM in the NHL this season.

While scoring may come by committee, the Predators have to have solid defense and outstanding goaltending. Tonight, the effort by Rinne was off the chart. He moved well, was positionally sound, and did not give up rebounds. With an effort like this, the Predators have an opportunity to win a lot of games.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Logan Couture

My View

Ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...


Do you remember a study that was released in 2004 that tied childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella to autism? This "study" was released by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a British physician, and he claimed a very strong causal link between the vaccine and the onset of autism. The effect of that study was dramatic and expected. MMR vaccinations in Great Britain dropped to less than 80% of children, and the number of cases of measles in both Great Britain and the United States have risen remarkably. Guess what? That study was faked. Why? (You know what I'm going to say here, doncha?) For the money! It has been revealed that Dr. Wakefield was paid 435,000 British pounds ($674,000) to produce a study that definitively showed the link between the MMR vaccination and autism. Who paid him? A law firm in London that was preparing to launch a massive class action suit against all vaccine manufacturers. Dear reader, ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY! The claims of so many in the scientific community have come under intense scrutiny because when you peel away all the junk science, whether it is falsified data about vaccinations or the debunked theory of global warming, what you find are supposedly objective researchers that have sold out for money. This hurts the legitimate researchers in all fields and the advancement of our knowledge in treating disease and improving the quality of life for all. The consequences of this fraud are not just financial; a number of children have unnecessarily contracted the measles because of the greed of this doctor. Remember, always follow the money.


If you smoke after sex, you might be doing it too fast.


During the debate over socialized medicine in this country, the proposal for end of life planning- what came to be known as "death panels"- generated a firestorm of criticism and protest from both the left and the right of the political spectrum. President Obama quickly dropped this provision of the socialized medicine bill in the face of this furor. Well guess what? They're baaack. The end of life planning that the public overwhelmingly rejected is back in place, courtesy of a new Medicare regulation that went into effect January 1. According to the New York Times,  in the new Medicare regulations, doctors will be paid for end of life planning, including advance directives to forgo life sustaining treatment and the supervision of end of life events. The outcry against payment for this service was due to the concern that doctors would unnecessarily terminate life sustaining procedures or medicines for patients that had the possibility of recovery. The end of life planning is something that everyone should undertake- I have done so as part of my estate plan. I have no problems with anyone doing that. The problem I have with this situation is that it is proof that this administration will obfuscate and use back door attempts to change the direction of health care- or other major national policies- because they cannot get it past the electorate. Voters resoundingly responded in the negative to this provision. Never mind, said Obama and his cronies, we will implement this policy through a regulation that cannot be voted upon. Here is  Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) in an e-mail to his staff, "We would ask that you not broadcast this accomplishment out to any of your lists, even if they are supporters...The longer this goes unnoticed, the better our chances of keeping it." Seems to me I vaguely recall somewhere back in 2008 Obama saying his administration would be the most transparent ever. If this is transparency, I do not want to see opaqueness.


I have an inferiority complex, but I don't think it's a very good one.


There was much talk about the housing recovery of 2010, and how that would bode well for our economy and for the recovery of housing prices (great news if you're a seller). I would tend to disagree that we have turned the corner in the housing market. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked. According to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, prices did rise modestly during the first half of 2010. I attribute that rise to incentive that was provided through the first time homebuyer credit that expired mid year. Prices started to fall nationally shortly after that incentive expired. Here is the reality that we must face when it come to the housing market in this country: we created one of the biggest economic bubbles in history in the middle of this past decade when interest rates were artificially lowered and the Fed printed copious amounts of money. We created a glut of housing. The current inventory of unsold homes in the U.S.  as of the end of November was 3.71 million homes, according to the National Association of Realtors. We are building an additional 197,000 new homes each year. At the current rate of home sales in the U.S., it will take 16 months to deplete the inventory of unsold houses. Add to these numbers the "shadow inventory" homes that are seriously in arrears in payments or are in foreclosure, and the numbers get worse. It is estimated that home prices will have to fall another 10-15% to dissipate most of this unsold inventory. And that is why there is not a real housing recovery going on in the U.S.


We all know the story of the little engine that could. As I have grown older, I am the little engine that couldn't give a rat's ass.


And that, my friends, is my view.

LA Lashed by the Predators 5-2

In their two previous contests, the L.A. Kings have owned the Nashville Predators, winning the first two contests of the season by a combined score of 10-2 in games where the Predators never mustered much in the way of offense. Tonight, at the Staples Center,the Predators turned the tables on the Kings with a decisive 5-2 victory.

The first period opened with both teams showing some good jump and generating some quality scoring chances. Anders Lindback and Jonathan Bernier were both challenged and both were equal to the task.

L.A. opened the contest trying to take the body and exert their physical will. Unlike the two previous tilts, the Predators answered the physical challenge and did a good job of skating hard and establishing a good forecheck. That effort resulted in some good scoring chances, but the Predators were unable to solve Bernier.

Anders Lindback fended off some good scoring chances by the Kings, holding off all 12 of the Kings shots. Bernier stopped all 11 shots he faced from the Predators.

Kyle Clifford tallied for the Kings at 2:16 of the second period as J.P. Dumont absorbed a thunderous hit and was struggling to get to the bench, effectively leaving the Predators a man down. Marco Sturm shot the puck off the wing, and Lindback made the initial save but gave up a big rebound that Clifford buried into an open net.

The Predators had a glorious scoring opportunity as Patric Hornqvist found Kevin Klein sneaking down the off wing and hit him with a perfect pass. Bernier managed to slide across the net and get a piece of the shot for a great save five minutes into the period.

The injury bug continued to bite the Predators as the lost Nick Spaling to an upper body injury in the early going of the second period.

Jarrett Stoll scored on the power play at 7:57 of the second with Francis Buillon in the box for interference. Stoll launched a bomb from the blue line that beat Lindback high over his glove side. Lindback had lost his goal stick, but it was not a factor in the play as the shot beat Lindback cleanly.

The Predators answered on a power play of their own at 9:57. Ryan Suter wound up for what appeared to be a slap shot, but instead delivered a nice slap pass to Colin Wilson who was alone at the side of the net. Wilson re-directed the pass past Bernier for his 10th goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1.

This goal was critical for the Predators to stave off the momentum of the Kings and keep themselves in the contest.

Marek Svatos would tally his first goal as a Predator at 10:19 as Colin Wilson took a shot coming down the wing that Bernier kicked out off his pads. The rebound came to Svatos, who was driving the net and was able to put the rebound past an out of position Bernier.

The Predators had taken a punch from the Kings. In their previous contests, they did not answer. Tonight, they answered.

The Predators went back to the power play with Matt Greene in the box for interference and made the Kings pay for their transgression. Colin Wilson walked in off the half boards and cranked a shot low along the ice. Patric Hornqvist was camped- where else- at the top of the crease and re-directed the shot past Bernier for his 12th goal of the season at 14:28.

After back and forth play, including a fight between Francis Buillon and Wayne Simmonds that left Buillon with a broken nose, the period ended with the Predators on top 3-2.

The third period opened with more of the back and forth play between the teams, with each team looking for the other to break. The Kings were the first to crack under the pressure as Sergei Kostitsyn whistled a wrist shot toward Bernier. Bernier got a piece of the shot but not enough to stop it, and the puck slid in the net just inside the far post to extend the Predators lead to 4-2 at 9:10 of the third period. This was Kostitsyn's 10th goal of the season.

That off season signing of Kostitsyn by GM David Poile looks mighty good right now.

Patric Hornqvist tallied his second goal at 15:33 of the third period as he buried a rebound given up by Bernier off a shot by Sergei Kostitsyn. After being down 2-0, the Predators had scored five unanswered goals.

That 5-2 margin would be the final score of the game as the Predators played a complete game, being physical, aggressively forechecking to create offensive opportunities, and playing solid defense. These are the hockey characteristics that were vital to the Predators win.

The aspect of this game that doesn't show in the score sheet is the heart that the Predators displayed in winning this game. Down 2-0 to a team that had dominated them this season, it would have been easy to fold under the pressure. Instead, this team manned up and came back in the face of definite adversity.

Heart will be critical to continuing the winning streak and piling up points.

This team is built around heart and character. Continue to play like this, and this team will continue to win and lash future opponents.

My three stars:

1. Colin Wilson

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Sergei Kostitsyn

Predators Quash Quack Attack 4-1

The Nashville Predators began a three game West coast road swing with a hard fought 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The game was not as close as the score would indicate, as the Predators had their hands full with a swarming Ducks squad that peppered Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne with 41 shots.

The Ducks were flying all game and kept the Predators fighting for their proverbial lives through out the game. The Ducks speed seems to always present a challenge for the Predators, and once again, their forecheck pushed the Predators back in their zone all night.

The game opened with both teams pressing each other and challenging in the offensive zone. The Predators would break through at 5:10 of the first period as Jerred Smithson would walk the puck out of the corner and jam a shot in on Ducks netminder Jonas Hiller. Hiller made the initial pad save but did not control the puck. Smithson took another whack at the puck and was able to eke the puck over the goal line. Smithson immediately celebrated the goal, but the officials were out of position and did not make the initial call. After a video review, Smithson was awarded his fourth goal of the season and the Predators had a 1-0 lead.

After that positive note, the Predators spent the rest of the first period back on their heels, and except for some solid goaltending from Pekka Rinne, the Predators would have been blown out of the Honda Center. For the period, the Predators were outshot 15-5.

The Predators started to change the momentum in the second period. They started skating better and controlling the puck in the offensive zone. Their efforts paid off early in the period as Sergei Kostitsyn slipped a beautiful pass through traffic to Patric Hornqvist, who had worked himself open at the side of the net. Hornqvist fought off a defender to get position, and the pass ricocheted off his skate past an out of position Hiller at 3:56 of the second.

The Predators till gave up some quality chances to the Ducks, but in this period, created some good chances of their own. In the second, the Ducks outshot the Predators 13-11.

Saku Koivu would cut the lead to 2-1 at 11:46 of the third period as the Predators got hemmed in their own zone and could not clear the puck. The Predators lost a board battle and Koivu got the puck from Dan Sexton. He beat Rinne with a shot over his shoulder with a shot from just inside the face off circle.

You knew the Ducks were going to come out with pressure and challenge the Predators. The Koivu goal energized the Ducks and they were flying. If the Predators were going to win this game, they would have to hold off the Ducks.

The Predators were absolutely on their heels in the latter stages of the third period. The Preds lost most of the board battles and races to loose pucks. The Predators managed to hold off the Ducks, but did not aid their cause as Pekka Rinne was called for tripping at 16:13 of the third. Fortunately for the Predators, their PK continued their excellent play and held the Ducks off the board.

The Predators would ice the game as Sergei Kostitsyn potted an empty net goal at 19:08. Shea Weber would add an empty net goal as his clearing attempt from behind the goal line would bank off the side board and slide down the ice into the open goal at 19:58.

For the game, the Ducks outshot the Predators 41-26.

This game shows that if the Predators decide to play it safe, they will usually wind up on the wrong side of the score. Without a stellar effort from Pekka Rinne, that would have again been the case.

This game also showed that if the Predators play with heart and refuse to wilt, they can win the tough contests. This victory was only the Predators 6th win in 24 attempts at the Honda Center.

The remainder of this West coast swing will require heart and grit. The rest of this season will require the same. Play with heart and character, and you will skate away with more improbable wins.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Ryan Suter

Big Brother Predators Bop Little Brother Blue Jackets 4-1

If you have ever had a little brother, you know how annoying they can be. They get in your stuff, they are a constant source of irritation, and occasionally, they can get the better of their big brother. Once big brother has had enough, they usually bop them rather forcefully and they are once again put in their place.

Tonight at the Bridgestone Arena, the little brother Blue Jackets were irritating for a period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Predators going into intermission. The BJ's scored on the first shot of the game, as R.J. Umberger tipped in a shot from the point by Marc Methot. The Predators defense was caught flat footed and left Umberger alone in front of the net, and he was able to re-direct the shot past Nashville's Pekka Rinne just 37 seconds into the contest.

After the first intermission, big brother woke up and started to exert their will over the BJ's. I would suspect that Head Parent  Coach Barry Trotz had a few choice words for his charges when he took them to their room. Whatever was said, it worked, as the Predators started to dominate the contest.

Shea Weber tied the game with a blast from the point with Nick Spaling and Jerred Smithson screening in front of Jackets goaltender Steve Mason. Mason never saw the shot until it hit the back of the net at 2:59 of the second.

The Predators continued to put pressure on the BJ's in the offensive zone, and their effort was rewarded at 6:09 of the second as Nick Spaling was able to find a puck at the side of the crease and knock home a rebound of a Weber shot from the point. Mason was able to make the initial save, but could not control the rebound. Taking a page from Patric Hornqvist's book, Spaling fought into the hard area at the net and was able to slap home the rebound past an out of position Mason.

Hornqvist was not going to let Spaling have all the fun at the net, as he lifted a puck over the shoulder of Mason while being knocked to the ice. Hornqvist's goal came on the power play at 16:50 of the second with Fedor Tytutin in the box for holding. This goal showed the strength of Hornqvist, as he was being hit and knocked to the ice. He still had the strength and ability to lift the puck and find the back of the net.

With a 3-1 lead going into the third period, everyone knew that the pesky little brother Jackets would come out pressing, and it was going to be important for the Predators to answer. They thwarted several BJ scoring chances with some strong goaltending from Rinne and solid defense in front of him. The Predators rarely gave up a secondary scoring chance and did a good job of slowing the BJ rush through the neutral zone.

The Predators iced the win as Colin Wilson ripped a shot from just inside the face off circle. The shot beat Mason, and it  hit the crossbar and appeared to go in. The officials did not rule it a goal, but Sergei Kostitsyn was crashing the net and tapped the puck into an open crease while it was lying on the ice in the blue paint at 5:53 of the period.

The Predators spent the remainder of the game throttling the BJ's offensive effort and notched their second win in three contests against little brother Columbus.

For the contest, Rinne stopped 19 of 20 shots.

This victory kept Columbus winless in Nashville since April of 2006.

This win was not without a price, however. The Predators lost Cal O'Reilly mid-way of the third period with a broken fibula. Once again, the injury bug has bitten the Predators hard.

After a first period that found the Predators on their heels for the most, they came out and played solid, Predator hockey for the next two periods. They shot the puck and challenged Mason, and when he has to move side to side and track pucks through traffic, he is average. Tonight, the Predators offense made him look average.

More importantly, the Predators aggressive forecheck and solid defense in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone limited the Jackets offense. The Jackets top line of Rick Nash ( 1 SOG), Derick Brassard (1 SOG), and Antoine Vermette (3 SOG), were limited to 5 shots on goal and were held in check all night by the Predators. This is the key to any Predators win, moreso against the Jackets.

The Predators will now embark on a west coast swing, and it is going to be essential that they bring this kind of effort every night. This is a team that is built for the grind of the regular season, built for the wars that are the Western Conference contests.

Skate like this, shoot the puck and crash the net, and play solid defense, and you will continue to play the role of big brother.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Nick Spaling

3. Pekka Rinne