AGRI Biz

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter Every season we see a number of players that were virtual unknowns turn into household names. For some, the accent to star status is nothing more than a blip in their otherwise very average hockey careers, for others, a great season serves as the beginning of their super-star status and, in most cases, a change in their teams fortunes. LetÆs take a look at ten ...

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter LetÆs face it folks. When you outscore your competition by a score of 155 to 40 in the last 31 tournament games and you earn a record of 30 wins and one loss in the process, your nation goes into a hockey tournament as the prohibitive favorites to win the thing. Such is the case for CanadaÆs junior team. To ...

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter Congrats ôBroö Congratulations go out to New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, who set the all-time shutout record this week versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. With 104 shutouts, Brodeur has further solidified his reputation as the NHLÆs best goaltender of all-time and his place on team CanadaÆs roster at the 2010 Winter Olympics as CanadaÆs starting goalie. Trading Mr. Carter ...

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter Admittedly, I did get in on the conference call a bit late and thus, was unable to ask any specific questions to Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger. That said, I was able to jot down a few highlights from another writers questions. HereÆs what Pronger had to say about the Winter Classic and the state of the struggling Flyers. On the state ...

There has been a lot of talk on various websites as to why the Philadelphia Flyers are struggling so badly this December. On the surface, it would appear as if goaltending is a major issue, but when you dig a little deeper you discover that, while not flawless, Flyers starting goaltender Brian Boucher has been more than adequate and, in most cases, has kept the Flyers in most of the ...

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter Before the month began, I wrote that I felt December may very well be the difference between the Flyers making the playoffs and making reservations at the local golf courses. Thus far, the Flyers have two measly wins in ten games and, in the process, they have gone from a top ten NHL team to 29th overall, no easy feat! ...

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter When faced with adversity, there is often that split second when you are forced to make a decision, fight or flight? For the Philadelphia Flyers it may be time to flight, at least where a few players are concerned. The off-season experiments of adding Chris Pronger to the fold are up for debate. That said, given the amount of chatter ...

Written By: Mark "The Hard Hitter" Ritter Twas the week before Christmas and all the through League, Parody was everywhere, adding to the intrigue. Avalanche and Kings surprise us this year, whilst Lightning and Hurricanes, bring up the rear. Super Saturdays and Winter Classics headline the year's events, there is even a chance the Coyotes will get out of their mess. Brodeur and Crosby are still the key ...

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doesnÆt get everything right, and in some cases, NHL fans feel he needs to have his head examined.á With that said, BettmanÆs announcement that he would like to see a second Winter Classic game added in Canada is refreshing and by all accounts, a no-brainer. á I still like the idea of hosting a Winter Classic in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the Canad Inns Stadiumùhome of the Canadian Football ...

Written By: Mark ôThe Hard Hitterö Ritter The Bridgestone Winter Classic is just weeks away, an event that will see the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins play outdoors at historic Fenway Park in Boston. Last week I had a chance to conduct a brief interview with former NHL star and current NBC analyst, Ed Olczyk. One of the comments he made was that he felt the Winter Classic should continue to ...