by Adam GretzOn Monday, we showed you the good fortune of Montreal's Brian Gionta in the shootout when Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller accidentally dropped the puck into the net, giving the Canadiens the eventual game-winning goal.Later that night, Washington's Alexander Semin provided us with some unintentional comedy during his shootout attempt against the Dallas Stars.
by A.J. Perez
ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Dallas Stars had just scored one of their two third-period power play goals Monday when Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau leaned over to talk to Eric Belanger."I got lost on the bench and forgot to use him," Boudreau said at the team's practice facility on Tuesday. "I went up to him and said, 'Eric, I apologize ... I forgot to put you out there.' So, that's my fault."The Stars went on to win the game, 4-3, via a shootout, not that the Capitals have to worry much about losing out on a point as they sit atop the Southeast Division and Eastern Conference. Still, Boudreau says that's no excuse not to fully utilize Washington's deadline acquisitions, which include forward Scott Walker and defenseman Joe Corvo. "I'm a smart guy," Boudreau said. "It shouldn't be a problem to know what you've got and it won't be."Belanger, Corvo and Walker have all seen a drop in ice time from their previous clubs, something that's to be expected when they're coming to a team as stacked with stars like Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Mike Green. But each new Caps player has recorded at least one point, with Walker nearly doubling his scoring output on the season with two goals against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
by Terrance Harris
Never has the swing of emotions been so great for Frank Martin than these past few days.First, the Kansas State coach went into last week with a realistic chance of tying Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season crown and making a case for a No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA tournament only to lose its final two games, including Saturday's stunning 85-82 overtime loss to Iowa State at home.Then Sunday, the third-year Cuban born K-State coach was awarded with a $1.5 million per year contract extension after becoming the first Wildcats coach to notch 20 wins in each of his first three seasons. Later that day, he was also honored by both the Big 12 and Associated Press as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.Martin, who plays it about as straight as anyone with his emotions, was moved to tears Sunday. He was able to explain his emotions during Monday's Big 12 men's teleconference.
Filed under: EV/Plug-in
DOK-ING XD concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
When you think of the auto industry, there are two names that surely will not come to mind. DOK-ING and Croatia. The last time most Americans thought of Croatia was during the early-1990s during the implosion of Yugoslavia. DOK-ING was born during that time and has spent the past 19 years developing and building robotic de-mining equipment.
With so many debuts at the recent Geneva Motor Show, our crew somehow missed this DOK-ING XD. The Croatians have decided to take a stab at the burgeoning electric vehicle market and created this concept for a diminutive three-seat electric commuter. Apparently, there are only a limited number of ways to spin the styling of such small people pods but this combination of Toyota iQ and Smart Fortwo doesn't look bad.
DOK-ING is looking for some partners to start series production, but in the meantime says it would be happy to produce more examples on a build-to-order basis.
Ballard fuel cell forklift - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Ballard Material Products has received the bulk of $6.2 million in Department of Energy funding for research work into fuel cell materials aimed at cutting the cost and improving durability of the electro-chemical energy generators. Ballard Material Products is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems. Ballard will be looking at the causes of material degradation in fuel cells and ways to reduce or eliminate it.
While a fuel cell stack itself has no moving parts (aside from the pumps and compressors feeding and scavenging it) the coatings on the plates do get damaged during use by reactions with impurities in the hydrogen. Water collecting and freezing within the stack can also cause damage. Computer modeling of the gas and water flows may lead to new designs that help to improve the efficiency and durability of stacks. Ballard's work will be targeted at non-automotive applications such as stationary power generation and material handling systems.
Gallery: Vancouver 2009: Fuel cell forklift
[Source: Ballard Power Systems]