http://tomferda.com Sportswriter Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:48:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en ATLANTA - Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk is having the kind of season that assures him a place among the NHL's most respected leaders, and I’m not just referring to his sizzling eight-game start.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/ilya-kovalchuk-showing-great-leadership-in-atlanta/ CHICAGO - Instead of pointing fingers at his young players and demanding accountability to light a spark before the next game Coach Joel Quenneville took the gutless route of calling out a referee instead of his players after his team's lackluster performance.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/quenneville-ducks-accountability-during-post-game/ DETROIT - Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco both stood behind offensive lines that allowed him time to pass; Stafford goes to a team who allowed a ridiculous amount of sacks in the NFL over the past few seasons. Aaron Rodgers had a mentor named Brett Favre while Stafford will have an aging quarterback who is clinging to his final few years in the league. The young Stafford will be surrounded by impatient fans and media he will be pressured into trying to please.]]> http://tomferda.com/nfl/stafford-and-detroit-lions-are-a-bad-marraige/ CHICAGO - In a day of banged-up economies, collapsing housing markets and difficult daily challenges, if you are searching for an inspirational story, look no further than the Chicago Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/dustin-byfuglien-interviewfeature/ CHICAGO - NHL icon Scotty Bowman holds a laundry list of coaching records including 1,244 regular season wins and 9 Stanley Cups and is currently the Senior Advisor for Hockey Operations for the Chicago Black Hawks. Now in his fifth decade in the NHL, he has seen drastic changes over the years and believes it is time to look hard at implementing stricter fighting rules.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/scotty-bowman-exclusive-interview-on-fighting-and-rule-changes/ ATLANTA - Atlanta Thrashers forward Eric Boulton is no stranger to fisticuffs. After recording 131 points (65g 66a) and 1,374 penalty minutes in 319 minor league games, Boulton journeyed his way to the NHL where he has established himself as one of the game's respected enforcers. I sat down with the 7-year NHL veteran to get his feedback on the possibility of fight rule changes in the league.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/nhl-enforcer-eric-boulton-talks-fight-rule-changes/ ATLANTA - There has been a buzz around the NHL about the possibility of the Atlanta Thrashers trading their Russian star Ilya Kovalchuk before this year's trade deadline but trading away their hugest asset may is not fix this club's problem, it may add to it.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/trading-kovalchuk-not-the-answer-for-nhl-thrashers/ ATLANTA - When you're only 5-foot-7, it's easy to fly under the radar. But after an impressive college career and an award-winning rookie season in professional hockey, Brett Sterling is proving that big things can come in small packages.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/atlanta-thrashers-nhl/american-brett-sterling-hovering-over-nhl/ Published in The Sunday Paper, Atlanta. There's a buzz around the ATL that is gaining momentum by the week. The buzz is about the new ‘fix' in town that is providing relief to the stress of multi-billion dollar wars, historical home foreclosure numbers and the foul stench of national recession that is in the air.]]> http://tomferda.com/featured-articles/falcons-and-hawks-offer-healthy-%e2%80%98fix%e2%80%99-for-atlanta/ Published in San Fran Examiner. After years of hiding in the shadows of the rival NBA, the NHL is making its way back into the ratings and into Hollywood's spotlight. Since the Red Wings clinched the finals, the Stanley Cup has made a trip down the red carpet and has appeared on several popular television shows including "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." After their "Sexy Back" dance performance that night, we shouldn't expect Osgood and Lidstrom to make it to "Dancing With the Stars," but their representing the NHL and Red Wings that night in front of millions of coast-to-coast viewers is exposure the league desperately needs.]]> http://tomferda.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/hollywood-helps-nhl-get-its-mojo-back/