Brian Leetch and Lyndon Byers Added to Boston Bruins Legends Roster For Whale Bowl

Hartford, CT … Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that Cheshire, CT-bred Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, and former Bruin fan favorite, and current media sensation, Lyndon Byers have been added to the Boston Bruins legends roster for the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game February 19, 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Leetch “We are thrilled to be able to offer fans the chance to catch two such bigger-than-life icons at the Harvest-Properties.com Hockey Fest,” said Baldwin, Jr.. “Brian Leetch was truly one of the greatest defensemen ever to play the game, and the best player the state of Connecticut has ever produced. And Lyndon Byers, in addition to being as tough as they come on the hockey rink, has legitimately become a crossover star in the media world after his on-ice career.”

The legends game is part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl,” the featured event of the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest spectacular at Rentschler Field that will include numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games. The legends game will face off at 4:00 PM on February 19 and will be followed by the outdoor AHL game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins at 7:00 PM.

Leetch played prep school hockey at Avon Old Farms before going on to Boston College and an 18-year NHL career. Drafted ninth overall by the New York Rangers in 1986, Leetch would go on to become the highest-scoring defenseman, and second-highest-scoring player overall, in Ranger history. Leetch skated in 1,129 games for the Broadway Blueshirts in 17 seasons and totaled 741 assists, a franchise career record, along with 240 goals and 981 points, second only to Rod Gilbert’s 1,021 in Ranger history.

Leetch was captain of the Rangers from 1997-98 to 1999-00, and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1994, the year the Rangers ended a 53-year championship drought by winning the Stanley Cup. Following his Ranger tenure, and 15 games with Toronto in 2003-04, Leetch finished his career with the Bruins in 2005-06. He was Boston’s leading-scoring defenseman that year, with five goals and 27 assists for 32 points in 61 games.

Leetch was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

Byers, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, played 261 games in a Bruin uniform over nine seasons from 1983-84 through 1991-92, after being selected in the second round of the 1982 NHL Draft. He saw action in 261 games in his Bruin career, totaling 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points, along with 959 penalty minutes, ninth all-time in franchise history. Byers also played 18 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks in 1992-93, scoring four goals and adding an assist for five points and serving 122 minutes in penalties.

Always a fan favorite in Boston, Byers has achieved even greater fame in the media world in his post-hockey career. He is a co-host of the “Hil-Man Morning Show” on WAAF-FM in Boston and also makes television appearances on NESN. Byers’ non-sports credits include appearances on several episodes of Denis Leary’s “Rescue Me” and film roles in “Shallow Hal”, “Stuck on You”, “Monument Ave.”, “Freedom Park” and “Oxy-Morons”.

Tickets for the February 19 Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, which include admission to both the AHL game and the legends game, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com., as well as at the Bushnell box office from Monday through Friday, 12 noon-5:00 PM. Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and can also be purchased by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366. Tickets purchased online can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

Kemba Walker One Of 20 Finalists For 2011 Bob Cousy Award

UConn Huskies junior point guard Kemba Walker is among the 20 finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award. Here’s the press release from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

JANUARY 12, 2011 – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts announced today 20 finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award. This annual award is given to college basketball’s top point guard and is named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic great Bob Cousy. An original list of 70 plus candidates was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally based committee to the below list of 20.

Bob Cousy Award “This list makes up college basketball’s elite at the point guard position,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “These 20 players in contention for the award all have skills that Mr. Cousy would be proud of. The Hall of Fame looks forward to having these players compete for one of college basketball’s most prestigious awards.”

“We are pleased with our list of 20 candidates that have advanced into the next round of the process,” said Ken Kauffman, Chair of the 2011 Bob Cousy Award. “We’ve got a very competitive field of players in contention for the award and we look forward to moving into the next phase. All of these players are well deserving of the recognition.”

The current listing of 20 finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed down to 10 players by February 3rd and than further to five players by March 3rd. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. This Hall of Fame committee is made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, Sports Information Directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2011 Bob Cousy Award will be awarded at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Monday April 4th in Houston as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award have included: Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), Acie Law (Texas A & M), DJ Augustin (Texas), Ty Lawson (North Carolina) and Greivis Vasquez (Maryland). For more information on the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, log onto www.cousyaward.com .

To see the final 20 candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, click on the read more button below if you’re on the homepage.

Kevin Anderson – Richmond
Norris Cole – Cleveland State
Malcolm Delaney – Virginia Tech
Corey Fisher – Villanova
Jimmer Fredette – Brigham Young
DJ Gay – San Diego State
Tu Holloway – Xavier
Scoop Jardine – Syracuse
Brandon Knight – Kentucky
Kalin Lucas – Michigan State
Demetri McCamey – Illinois
Mickey McConnell – St. Mary’s College
Jacob Pullen – Kansas State
Nolan Smith – Duke
Isaiah Thomas – Washington
Jordan Taylor – Wisconsin
Tyshawn Taylor – Kansas
Kemba Walker – Connecticut
Casper Ware – Long Beach State
Chris Wright – Georgetown

SI.com Has UConn Football Ranked No. 28 For 2011

It’s definitely a little too early to be looking at rankings for the 2011 college football season. Most teams have verbal commitments from recruits but signing day isn’t for another three weeks. However those teams do know who will be back for 2011 unless you’re the UConn Huskies football team.

UConn Huskies Football SI.com released a way too early Top 25 list for the 2011 season and they have the UConn football team ranked No. 28.

I, for one, don’t know how they could even have UConn ranked.

For starters, we don’t have a coach. Secondly, without a coach in place, we don’t know what kind of offense or even defensive scheme for that matter, they plan on running in 2011.

They have no starting quarterback and their leading rusher Jordan Todman has declared for the 2011 NFL Draft. They lose their top tackler in Lawrence Wilson as well as the emotional leader of the defense in Scott Lutrus.

What they do have isn’t so bad though.

Three starters return from the offensive line. The receiving corps is intact. The secondary, which showed a vast improvement in 2010 is back. The defensive front is also back. And Robbie Frey has shown he’s capable of becoming the next 1,000 yard rusher at UConn.

But without a man at the top, I don’t see how the Huskies can be even ranked or even considered in any way too early poll for 2011.

Hopefully in the next day or two, we’ll find out who will coaching UConn next year and hopefully beyond. Then maybe we can revisit this pre-preseason ranking.

Video: Fitzy Previews Patriots/Jets Round 3

Everybody’s favorite Patriots fan, Fitzy, is back for the postseason and this week’s preview is all about the New England Patriots and New York Jets matchup on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

And be sure to head over to TownieNews.com to check out Fitzy’s preview of all the NFL Divisional Round playoff games this weekend.

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/13

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

What we learned from Big East bowl season [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Familiar story for Big East in bowl season [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Best and worst from Big East bowl season [Brian Bennett – ESPN.com]

Someone will be named UConn coach, I promise [Chip Malafronte – New Haven Register]

DC answered some questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Still waiting [Joe Perez – Norwich Bulletin]

Signs still point to Whipple as UConn’s next coach [CT Post]

Whipple Wait Continues At UConn [Hartford Courant]

UConn football job may be down to Whipple, mystery candidate [New Haven Register]

Whipple hiring looks solid, but not sizzling [The Republican-American]

Whipple seen as front-runner at UConn [Boston Globe]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

UConn’s defense steps up [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Better is boring [Joe Perez – Norwich Bulletin]

When Will Michala Johnson Be Ready To Help? [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Syracuse Men’s Players Pay Homage To Huskies [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Tidbits From UConn’s 84-52 Win Over St. John’s [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno On The Late Start Time Of Wednesday’s Game [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Did You Hear UConn’s Freshmen Aren’t Making Progress? [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Geno Is A Big Fan Of St. John’s And Its Coach [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

What It’s Like To Always Be The Hunted Team [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Kim Barnes-Arico; Advice From The Best [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Dixon hosts a Garden party [Vickie Fulkerson – The Day]

Walker aids UConn’s rout of St. John’s [CT Post]

UConn Routs St. John’s For Geno’s 750th Win [Hartford Courant]

Good Friends Auriemma, Boeheim Coach In Same Building [Hartford Courant]

Geno gets 750th win in rout over St. John’s [New Haven Register]

Geno, Boeheim have bond that goes back [New Haven Register]

UConn women enjoy Big Apple visit [The Day]

Huskies make strides in rout of St. John’s [The Republican-American]

Maya Moore puts up numbers in all categories [The Republican-American]

It’s Not St. John’s Night in 2 Losses at Garden [New York Times]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Kemba Walker Looking For Right Shots [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

UConn Most Inexperienced Team In Big East [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Mike also answered a few questions in his mailbag [Mike Anthony – Hartford Courant]

Calhoun Pleased With 13-2 Start, But Looking For More [Hartford Courant]

Shabazz Napier brings it for the Huskies [New Haven Register]

UConn men coming up aces in chemistry department [The Day]

Young Huskies pass their chemistry tests [The Republican-American]

Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger lead our first National Player of the Year poll of the season [AnnArbor.com]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Host Vermont In Two-Game Hockey East Series [UConnHuskies.com]

UConn Women Storm Past St. John’s

Connecticut’s from left, Bria Hartley, Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes cheer on their teammates from the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against St. John’s, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, in New York. Connecticut won 84-52.

The UConn Huskies women’s basketball team got out of the state of Connecticut just in time to miss the 24 inches or so of snow the state got on Wednesday. And on Wednesday night, there wasn’t much that they missed.

A balanced scoring attack led by Tiffany Hayes and Maya Moore paced the Huskies to an easy 84-52 win over the St. John’s Red Storm in front of 14,440 at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden.

The Huskies improve to 15-1 (5-0 Big East) on the season. The Red Storm fall to 12-5 (1-3). It’s the fourth straight loss for the Red Storm.

Connecticut’s Tiffany Hayes (3) drives past St. John’s Shenneika Smith (35) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011, in New York. Hayes scored 21 points in their 84-52 win. Hayes had 21 points, including 5-of-8 on three pointers, a game-high eight rebounds and three assists. Moore added 21 points as well plus had six rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Samarie Walker had one of her finer games in a UConn uniform as she came off the bench to score 15 points and pull down three rebounds.

Kelly Faris rounded out the Huskies in double-digits with 13 points and also had six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Lorin Dixon, making the start in her final visit to New York City, had seven assists to go along with two points.

Connecticut native, Da’Shena Stevens led the Red Storm with 12 points and five rebounds. Nadirah McKenith chipped in with eight points and five assists. Centhya Hart also had eight points and four rebounds in a losing effort.

Things weren’t looking good for the Huskies early on as St. John’s stayed close for the first five and a half minutes. But then the patented Huskies run and tough defense took over.

UConn put the game away with a 19-0 run over the next four minutes and 11 seconds before Eugenia McPherson would score her only basket of the night to temporarily stop the bleeding for the Red Storm. The Huskies would push the lead to 28 points at 48-20 before St. John’s would close out the half on a 5-0 run to make it 48-23.

The run for the Red Storm would continue on to start the second half as they scored the first four points before a Hayes’ three pointer ended that. St. John’s would get no closer than 24 points the rest of the way.

Moore is definitely the best player in the country, there’s no doubt about that. If you watched her on Wednesday night when she didn’t have the ball on offense, she was constantly out there working hard either to get open, battle for the rebound or dishing off to one of teammates for another UConn basket.

They are still a young team but as they continue to play games, they’ll continue to get better. And that can only bode well for them come NCAA Tournament time.

UConn will return home on Saturday afternoon to host the Louisvile Cardinals at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m. and the game will be televised locally in Connecticut on CPTV.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Notes and musings:

UConn Huskies @ St. John’s Red Storm 1.12.11 box score

The starters for the Huskies were Lorin Dixon, Tiffany Hayes, Kelly Faris, Maya Moore and Stefanie Dolson.

“24” star Kiefer Sutherland was in attendance for the game.

The win for Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma was the 750th of his career. It’s the seventh most all-time and puts him sixth among active coaches.

UConn shot 57.1% (32-56) from the floor while the Red Storm shot 36.7% (18-49).

The Huskies had an astounding 25 assists on their 32 made baskets.

UConn was 9-of-17 (52.9%) from beyond the arc while St. John’s was 3-of-8 (37.5%)

The Huskies were 11-of-13 (84.6%) from the charity stripe. The Red Storm actually shot more free throws then the Huskies as they were 13-of-17 (76.5%).

UConn dominated the glass holding a 44-18 advantage.

The Huskies outscored the Red Storm 44-18 in the paint, 6-0 on the fast break and 19-8 on second chance points.

UConn had 23 points off of 16 St. John’s turnovers. The Red Storm had 17 points off of 17 Huskies turnovers.

Photo credits: AP Photo, AP Photo

Red Sox To Appear on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball At Least 4 Times in 2011

ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Normally a time that Boston Red Sox fans loathe because that means we have to listen to Jon Miller and Joe Morgan along with Orel Hershiser.

Major League Baseball on ESPN Don’t get me wrong, Miller isn’t all that bad and Hershiser is great. It was Morgan we all despised.

Well when the Red Sox appear on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball this year, we won’t have to listen to Miller and Morgan anymore. They’re gone. In their places, Dan Shulman will be the play-by-play announcer along with Hershiser and Bobby Valentine as analysts.

Shulman has been doing ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball for the past three seasons and before that was on ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball from 2002-2007.

Oh by the way, ESPN announced a portion of their Sunday Night Baseball schedule on Wednesday afternoon and here is when our beloved Red Sox will be on.

April 10, New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox, 8:05 p.m.
May 15, Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees, 8:05 p.m.
May 22, Chicago Cubs @ Boston Red Sox, 8:05 p.m.
July 17, Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays, 8:05 p.m.

Also, the Red Sox will be on ESPN on Opening Day, April 1st at 4 p.m. when they’ll take on the 2010 American League Champion Texas Rangers in Arlington, TX.

Boston Bruins Roster Announced for Whalers vs. Bruins Legends Game at Outdoor Harvest-Properties.com “Whale Bowl” February 19

Hartford, CT … Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today the current Boston Bruins legends roster for the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game February 19, 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. More Bruins are expected to be announced this week.

Whale Bowl

Highlighting the group of featured Bruins legends are Hall of Fame defenseman Brad Park, along with all-time great forwards Rick Middleton, Ken Hodge and Ken Linseman.

Park, who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, was a seven-time NHL All-Star and scored 213 goals and added 683 assists (an NHL record for defensemen at the time of his retirement in 1985) for 896 points in 1,113 career NHL games over 17 seasons. Eight of those years were spent with the Bruins, and Park is fourth all-time in franchise history in points among defensemen. His 417 Bruin points included 100 goals 317 assists, in 501 total games. In addition to his time with Boston, Park also saw NHL action with the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

Middleton, who earned the nickname “Nifty” for his deft puckhandling touch, played 12 seasons in a Bruin uniform from 1976-77 through 1987-88, and is the fourth-leading all-time scorer in franchise history, with 402 goals and 496 assists for 898 points in 881 games. Prior to being acquired by Boston via trade in May of 1976, Middleton played two seasons with the New York Rangers. In 1005 career NHL games, the Toronto native scored 448 goals and added 540 assists for 988 points.

Hodge was a Bruin for nine seasons, from 1967-68 through 1975-76, and won Stanley Cups with Boston in 1970 and 1972. A two-time First-Team All-Star selection, Hodge’s tenure with the Bruins was highlighted by 105-point seasons in 1970-71 and 1973-74. He also hit the 50-goal mark, a career high, in ’73-’74 and is sixth all-time in Bruin franchise history in goals (289), and seventh all-time in points (674), in 652 games in a Boston uniform. Hodge’s NHL career also included stints with the Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks, and totaled 881 games, with 328 goals and 472 assists for 800 points.

Linseman, whose smallish stature belied his feisty nature, spent six years with the Bruins during a 14-year NHL career that spanned from 1978-79 through 1991-92. After going to the Stanley Cup Finals with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1980 and winning a Cup with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984, Linseman was acquired by Boston in June of 1984. He would go on to play 389 games with the Bruins, scoring 125 goals and adding 247 assists for 372 points and amassing 746 penalty minutes. He would help lead the Bruins to the Cup Finals in 1988 and was the team leader in playoff points and goals that year, with 11-14-25 in 23 games. Following his departure from Boston in January of 1990, Linseman would have second stints with both Philadelphia and Edmonton, and also play two games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His overall career NHL totals show 860 games, with 256 goals and 551 assists for 807 points, as well as 1,727 PIM.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Additional members of the Bruins Legends team for the Whale Bowl include:

Don Marcotte – spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Bruins, winning Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972. His games-played total of 868 ranks seventh all-time in franchise history, and he scored 230 goals and 254 assists for 484 points with the Bruins.

Rick Smith – defenseman who had two separate stints with the Bruins, and won a Stanley Cup with the club in 1970. NHL career totaled 687 games, 513 of which were with Boston.

Reggie Lemelin – goaltender, who ranks tenth all-time in Bruin franchise history in wins (92) and games-played (183) and played a total of 507 career NHL games over 15 seasons, also seeing time with Atlanta/Calgary.

Bob Sweeney – former Boston College Eagle who had a pair of 20-goal seasons among six years in a Bruin uniform in the late ‘80s. Totaled 639 games in his NHL career, with Boston, Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Quebec.

Jay Miller – Wellesley, MA-born University of New Hampshire product who was one of the NHL’s most respected tough guys during a 446-game NHL tenure. Had 33 points and 858 PIM in 216 games with the Bruins from 1985-89.

Bob Miller – Billerica, MA native who played 263 games with the Bruins over four seasons, part of a 404-game NHL career.

Cleon Daskalakis – Boston-born goaltender who played 12 games with the Bruins over three seasons from 1984-87, as part of a five-year pro career out of Boston University.

Tickets for the February 19 Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, which include admission to both the AHL game and the legends game, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com., as well as at the Bushnell box office from Monday through Friday, 12 noon-5:00 PM. Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and can also be purchased by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366. Tickets purchased online can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/12

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they are in the Big Apple at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, for a Big East matchup with the St. John’s Red Storm. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET and the game will be carried locally here in CT on CPTV. It is also available on Hoop Streams for a fee. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Lesson learned? [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Mutual admiration society [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Dolson learned from costly miss [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

The Story Of The Recruitment Of Kelly Faris [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Barnes Arico Talks UConn/Geno Talks Rex Ryan [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Maya Moore Named to Wooden Award Mid-Season Top-20 List [UConnHuskies.com]

Trinity Catholic grad Stevens strives to be more consistent and a better leader [CT Post]

Stefanie Dolson, UConn Women Cash In On Freebies [Hartford Courant]

Dolson knows nothing on the court is free [New Haven Register]

Auriemma, staff find selves teaching again [The Day]