sport-scan daily brief

Transcription

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF
NHL 5/16/2012
Boston Bruins
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Cam Neely encourages further study of equipment
Calgary Flames
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Baertschi to rest, then turn focus to Flames
Morrison yearns to put better finish on NHL career
Ward sets sights on Flames’ vacant coaching post
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Trading Kane would be irresponsible
Blackhawks breakdown:Daniel Carcillo
Reports: Torres' appeal to be heard Thursday
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Avalanche's Paul Stastny powers U.S. to 5-0 win over Swiss
at worlds
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Dallas Stars
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Stars confident goalie Keri Lehtonen's undisclosed injury not
serious
Four Stars continue on to quarterfinal round at IIHF World
Championships
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Detroit Red Wings
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Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
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New Jersey Devils
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Jimmy Howard, U.S. to face Red Wings teammate Valtteri
Filppula, Finland in elimination game
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings' determination was key in Game 1
against Phoenix
631184 Coyotes might have lost more than Game 2
631185 Los Angeles Kings don't miss a trick in rolling to 2-0 series
lead
631186 Kings are showing their youth and talent in postseason run
631187 Kings take 2-0 series lead over Coyotes
631188 JILL PAINTER on THE KINGS: Move over Lakers and
Clippers for this weekend's Staples Center headliner ... the K
631189 KINGS 4, PHOENIX 0: L.A. stays red hot in the desert
631190 KINGS NOTEBOOK: Rookie defenseman Voynov displays
poise during playoffs
631191 Sutter postgame quotes (May 15)
631192 Quick postgame quotes (May 15)
631193 Carter postgame quotes (May 15)
631194 Penner postgame quotes (May 15)
631195 King postgame quotes (May 15)
631196 Brown postgame quotes (May 15)
631197 Scuderi postgame quotes (May 15)
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Minnesota Wild
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Russo: Announcement on Wild's play-by-play voice delayed
by backlash
It's official: LaPanta named Wild TV play-by-play man
LaPanta's dream job in Wild booth comes with hot seat
Todd Richards brings lessons from Minnesota Wild stint to
Columbus
Minnesota Wild TV voice: Anthony LaPanta
Nashville Predators
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Nashville Predators are close to contending again
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Devils Trying to Keep Rangers Fans from Playoff Seats
Absorbing Blows in a Battle Just Begun
Devils Plot a Way to Make More Shots Count
Devils also block shots but with a different philosophy than
Rangers
Devils' Martin Brodeur: Rangers' shot blocking not exciting,
but effective
Devils' Martin Brodeur stopped talking on game days
because of negativity
Devils' Jacob Josefson hopes to play in series against
Rangers
Devils hot topic: Which member of Rangers have you hated
the most?
Devils' Cam Janssen, Peter Harrold, Eric Boulton skate with
AHL squad
Devils find themselves facing heavy traffic against Rangers
Devils hot topic: What was the biggest reason for Game 1
loss to Rangers?
Devils have narrow margin for error against Rangers
Martin Brodeur kept the Devils in the game, he just couldn't
win it for them
Devils-Rangers hot topic: What are your thoughts on John
Tortorella?
Game 1: Rangers, Devils stars
Devils notes: Josefson getting closer
Devils battle cry: One doesn’t mean we’re done
NY Rangers’ enforcer Mike Rupp has seen both sides of
Blueshirts vs. N.J. Devils rivalry
Girardi, McDonagh bolster Rangers’ defense
Sykora’s past meets his present
Devils: Don’t sell tix to Rangers fans
Devils: We won’t shoot at Rangers on purpose
Marty foolish to suggest such a thing
Anisimov steps up at right time
New York Rangers
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Rangers Adopt Team-First Refrain Once Voiced in Tampa
Bay
NY Rangers' Artem Anisimov lets his assist do talking in
Game 1 win over NJ Devils
Chris Kreider skates from Boston College right into NY
Rangers' Stanley Cup chase
Trade for Ryan McDonagh looks like steal for NY Rangers
NY Rangers hope third time is charm in Game 2 as they look
to take 2-0 lead on NJ Devils in Eastern Conference
NY Giants lineman Justin Tuck becomes the leader of NY
Rangers bandwagon
Rangers, Devils turn toward Game 2
Hat's the way they like it
Ranger goal: Choke life out of series
Rangers notes:
Rangers notes: History lesson
Can Rangers finally win a Game 2 to take control of series?
Staal's injury accelerated McDonagh's development
Devils say they have a blockbusting plan
Rangers defensemen have been front and center
NHL
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Kings of the road
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Makeshift defence pair turns into gem for Rangers
Injuries in short supply so far in NHL playoffs
NHL labour strife looms this summer
Los Angeles Kings beat Phoenix Coyotes 4-0, lead series 20
Fans divided over Phoenix Coyotes in city gone to the dogs
Rangers’ Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh more than just shot
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blockers
631258 Rangers fans are legendary for their antics
631259 Some mighty fine early Conn Smythe candidates
631260 The NHL injuries nobody told you about
Ottawa Senators
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Clouston gets sacked by the Brandon Wheat Kings
Alfredsson won’t be coaching any time soon
WHL's Wheat Kings can Clouston
Alfie sees coaching in his future
Philadelphia Flyers
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Former Flyer Gagne cleared for contact
Will Schenn play center or wing next season?
NHL Wrap: Carter's hat trick lands Kings 2-0 lead
Former Flyer, now King, Gagne cleared for contact
Websites
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ESPN / Accidental pairing pays big dividends
ESPN / West finals turn nasty in Game 2
ESPN / Kings find new ways to dominate
FOXSports.com / Carter's big game keeps Kings rolling
NBCSports.com / Blues waiting on Russian rookie to decide
if he wants to come over
NBCSports. Daniel Alfredsson wants to be a coach…
Someday
NBCSports.com / Report: Raffi Torres’ appeal to be heard
Thursday
NBCSports.com / Report: Madison police “had contact” with
Kane, but no charges filed
NBCSports.com / It’s even cheaper to get Coyotes tickets
today
Sportsnet.ca / Brophy on Semin: Any takers?
Wall Street Journal / Lundsanity's No Passing Fad
SPORT-SCAN, INC. (941) 484-5941 phone (619) 839-3811 fax
631172
Boston Bruins
Cam Neely encourages further study of equipment
Phoenix Coyotes
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Phoenix Coyotes need to return for fans
Los Angeles Kings' gritty play leaves Coyotes frustrated
Phoenix Coyotes are going cold while losing their cool
Phoenix Coyotes' discipline tested by rivalry
Phoenix Coyotes routed by Los Angeles Kings in Game 2
Pittsburgh Penguins
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Penguins’ Michalek has hip surgery
To-do list for Penguins' Shero long, all decisions pending
San Jose Sharks
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Sharks could add assistant coach
Sharks spotlight: Colin White /Colin White was a lightning
rod for criticism last season. (AP)
Tampa Bay Lightning
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Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Wayne Fleming still fighting
cancer
Lightning takes close look at Swiss forward Damien Brunner
Vancouver Canucks
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CTV quotes Canucks.com forum in “news” story about Booth
hunting bear
NHL Playoffs: The run for the Stanley Cup has become a
crap shoot
Hockey Night In Canada: Iconic program pushes 60
Canucks' Raymond has the speed, but not the goals
Canucks Mayday: A look at Mike Gillis
Canucks Mayday: A look at Mason Raymond
Washington Capitals
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Mike Knuble says he feels good, would like to continue
playing
Tomas Vokoun: ‘I wasn’t planning on being back’ in
Washington
McPhee: Capitals don’t expect Kuznetsov to join them in
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2012-13
631289 Dale Hunter’s exit kicks off a challenging offseason for the
Capitals
631290 SNYDER: Family business suits Dale Hunter best
631291 WHYNO: Is Ovechkin still the man for Capitals?
631292 Term and money matter, but those are not the only factors.
By Fluto Shinzawa,
Bruins president Cam Neely is among the game’s leaders who want
equipment to undergo continual examination in relation to player safety.
“Personally, I’d rather have a player with a separated shoulder than
someone with a concussion,” Neely said earlier this month. “I don’t know
why it’s that difficult to look at the equipment and say, ‘We really need to do
something with the shoulder pads and elbow pads.’”
In the playoffs, the Bruins were without Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid
because of concussions. Marc Savard’s career is most likely over because
of his head injuries. It’s difficult to determine whether equipment played a
part in each of the player’s concussions.
However, the league, the NHLPA, and equipment manufacturers are
regularly examining gear to maximize safety. We’ll have more on equipment
in this Sunday’s Globe.
Boston Globe LOADED: 05.16.2012
631173
Calgary Flames
Baertschi to rest, then turn focus to Flames
By Scott Cruickshank,
Even now, remarkable season behind him, Sven Baertschi has trouble
putting his winter’s work into perspective.
Understandably.
It had been a whirlwind of hockey excellence. Highs and highers.
After acing the Calgary Flames’ training camp — rave reviews from start to
finish — Baertschi rejoined his junior outfit, the Portland Winterhawks, in
time to dominate the Western Hockey League.
In the midst of that productive spree — ringing up 94 points in 47 games —
the left-winger also skated for the Swiss side at the world junior
championship in Calgary and, later, enjoyed a rather loud two-week
showing with the Flames.
All of which was capped by the WHL’s post-season scoring crown.
But Tuesday afternoon, following exit interviews at team headquarters in
Portland, the young man sounded a tad spent. This, of course, is only days
after the Winterhawks’ seven-game ouster at the hands of the Edmonton
Oil Kings, a development that cost Baertschi & Co. a trip to the Memorial
Cup.
“It’s still tough that we lost in the WHL (final),” said Baertschi, 19. “I keep
thinking about it, and it’s a real tough time right now. I guess life goes on.
The season is over. There’s other things I want to think about right now. I
want to stay away from hockey for awhile.”
The season’s grind scraped nine pounds off his wee frame. The five-foot-10
kid is barely 180.
And, truth be told, the ol’ chassis is kind of creaky, too.
“Most of the time, after a season is done, you start feeling the stuff,” said
Baertschi, the 13th overall pick at the 2011 National Hockey League draft.
“You start feeling your shoulders, your knees and stuff. That’s just normal.
It’s been a long season, a tough playoff run. There’s soreness, but not
really injuries. But every hockey player has it after a season.”
The remedy, of course, is rest.
No one has to tell Baertschi about that.
“My plan right now is to relax — spend time with my billet family here in
Portland, spend time with my girlfriend here in Portland,” said the native of
Bern, Switzerland. “Just relax and get away from hockey. Not do anything
for awhile. At some point, I want to get home and start training again, spend
time with my family.”
After that, Baertschi’s benchmarks can be boiled down to two:
Like most athletes, he wants to go out on his own terms.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said the 37-year-old, moments
before he hit the ice again, this time in a referee uniform during the
Oilympics Hockey Marathon in Chestermere on Tuesday. “This season was
a long season as far as trying to get back to full health after knee surgery
last year, but I feel good now. I’m going to prepare like I’m going to play and
then we will have to make a decision later in the summer.
“I don’t think anything is going to happen early in the summer, but I’m going
to prepare.”
It’s a situation Morrison has been through before. Before he caught on with
Calgary two seasons ago, he was a training camp invite of the Vancouver
Canucks. Once camp was over, he was picked up by the Flames.
He lasted a season and a half in Calgary, posting 54 points in 94 games,
before he was dealt at the all-star break to the Blackhawks for minor-league
defenceman Brian Connelly.
Unfortunately, after a debut that saw him play almost 19 minutes against
the Canucks, he was a scratch in 21 of the team’s remaining 31 games and
was relegated to fourth-line duty when he did play.
“I didn’t play a whole lot when I got there, which was a little disappointing,”
Morrison said. “It was a challenge. I never really felt comfortable. I didn’t
play for three weeks and I finally played the last few regular-season games
and felt great and I got into three playoff games and I felt really good. I was
contributing and making things happen.
n Attend the Flames’ summer camp in July.
“Overall, I would say it was a little bit disappointing.”
n Crack the Flames’ roster in October.
Morrison said he’ll stay in shape, wait by the phone, but his kids will play a
key role in his decision.
Which isn’t so far-fetched.
Everyone saw Baertschi, summoned from Portland on an emergency basis,
score three times in five dates for the Flames. And everyone heard the
fans, fuelled by hope, chanting his name.
“For me, it was very special to get called up to Calgary,” said Baertschi. “If I
think about it now, I can’t even believe it did happen. It was such an exciting
time. Now I start to feel that it was actually awesome. At the time, it was
great. But right now? It’s an incredible thing. It was awesome to get a
chance. I tried my best up here. It was a good learning process for me.”
No fool, he is aware that expectations have shifted. He’s gone from a
relatively unknown commodity to a household name in a matter of months.
“They are in school here. The tough thing now is that they are at the age
they don’t really enjoy moving a whole lot,” he said. “If it’s the right situation
then we might do it, but if it’s not, then it might be it.”
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Calgary Flames
Ward sets sights on Flames’ vacant coaching post
By Vicki Hall,
Meaning all eyes will be on No. 47 this fall.
“I look forward to camp, but it might be a little different for me,” said
Baertschi, with a laugh. “I guess I’ve set the standard a little high. I got lucky
once or twice and I was able to score three goals. But I take that as a big
challenge for me, and I do like it. But, on the other side, people understand
that I’m young. There’s things I have to learn — things I want to make sure I
learn.
“Last year, the first pro camp, it was a little difficult. You try to do your best,
you’re a little nervous and stuff . . . so you don’t (think), ‘OK, 100 per cent, I
want to make the team. If I don’t make the team, I’ll be really sad about it.’
This time, this year, it’s a little different. Going into camp, I want to make
sure I make the team. I want to be part of the Calgary Flames next year.”
631174
Calgary Flames
Morrison yearns to put better finish on NHL career
By Bryce Forbes,
Former Calgary Flames centre Brendan Morrison has had the retirement
talk in his head over the course of last season.
Part of him is OK with walking away from the game. Another part doesn’t
want to go out after the season he had. It was a campaign where he battled
back from knee surgery, was dealt mid-season to a contender (Chicago
Blackhawks), but was a healthy scratch down the stretch.
Reporters caught Troy Ward off-guard Monday morning in the seasonending news conference for the No. 1 farm team of the Calgary Flames, the
Abbotsford Heat.
Inquiring minds wanted to know what Ward thought of the fact the
oddsmakers at bodog.ca have pegged him as the undeniable favourite to
take over from the departed Brent Sutter as head coach in Calgary.
“What’s Bodog?” the Heat coach asked, turning the tables on his
inquisitors. “A gambling website?”
The tall foreheads at Bodog have set 7/4 odds on Ward becoming head
coach next season at the Saddledome.
Bob Hartley, a close friend of general manager Jay Feaster and former
Stanley Cup champion, is listed at 5/2. Former Edmonton Oilers coach
Craig MacTavish is in third place at 6/1
“I wouldn’t put any mortgages on that,” Ward said, with a hearty chuckle.
“Or any kind of money.”
Truth be told, Ward had yet to hear from the Flames as of Monday morning
about the National Hockey League club’s coaching vacancy. But the 49year-old said he doesn’t read anything into that radio silence from his
employer on that topic.
After all, less than a week has passed since the Heat fell to the Toronto
Marlies in the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs. Together with
Flames assistant general manager John Weisbrod, Ward conducted exit
interviews with every Heat player. There’s also a pile of paperwork to
complete before Ward flies south Friday to take care of more important
matters.
“I’ll hopefully get my work done this week and get back to Wisconsin, and I’ll
be able to be a dad,” he said. “That’s my biggest concern right now is to
hug my kids.”
Now is no time for the Blackhawks to let somebody else raise Kane. Now is
the time for the Hawks to do whatever they can to save the immature 23year-oldfrom himself.
A divorced father of two, Ward clawed his way into the coaching
conversation this season with a franchise-best 42 wins.
They have too much invested in Kane as a player to abandon their
responsibility to him as a person. The Hawks can't just consider Kane one
of the faces of the franchise when they need him to win games and sell
tickets; the organization has an obligation to embrace Kane when he so
obviously needs its help too.
With all due respect, the Flames are not exactly known for talent in the
system. But Ward to set out to change that.
Reclamation projects are his specialty. He benched former Chilliwack
Bruins star Ryan Howse for more than a month so the kid could shed
pounds, learn to eat right and finally achieve the physical conditioning
necessary for a career in professional hockey. He helped minor-league
journeyman Krys Kolanos rediscover his scoring touch. He groomed
defenceman T.J. Brodie and forward Lance Bouma and watched proudly
when they were promoted to Calgary.
Never has Kane needed support from the Blackhawks more than he does
now.
“That’s the reason we do what we do or show up every day and put in the
time that we do,” Ward said. “We’re in a position to help dreams come true.”
Kane needs tough love more than a change of scenery. Nobody can
deduce if Kane has a drinking problem. But nobody can deny he has an
image problem.
Ward’s own dream of reaching the big leagues started at the University of
Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he played Division 3 hockey. Upon
graduation, he took a job as an assistant coach with the college team.
From there, he bounced around for the better part of two decades at
various outposts in the NCAA, USHL, IHL, ECHL and AHL. Holding a
master’s degree in sports administration, Ward served as an assistant
behind the bench for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1997 to 2000.
He also worked for one year as the vice-president of hockey operations for
the East Coast Hockey League in 2000-01.
The Heat players are clearly aware of the constant mention of Ward’s name
in the daily Internet rumour mill
“Troy is a great person and a great coach,” said defenceman Clay Wilson.
“He deserves any opportunity that might come his way. He’s definitely put in
the time and has been a great mentor and a great coach.”
On the cusp of his 50th birthday, Ward makes clear his own personal
dream of holding down one of 30 head-coaching jobs in the NHL.
But he’s philosophical about the timing of it all.
“To speak to the Calgary situation, to be honest with you, I don’t really put
any time into it,” he said.” I can’t control it, and I don’t really worry about
things I can’t control. That’s just who I am as person.”
So Ward intends to follow the advice he espouses daily to his players.
“I’ll just stay true to what I’m doing every day and try to work as hard as I
can,” he said. “Hopefully, like any athlete at this level, you do the best you
can with what you have and you put your best foot forward and hope at
some point in time — whether it’s with this organization or some
organization out there — that they want to give you an opportunity.”
Clearly, his immediate sights are set on the job vacancy in Calgary.
That was my lasting impression of Kane recently inhabiting his personal
mad house in Madison on the University of Wisconsin campus. The more I
saw those well-publicized Internet photos of Kane partying, the louder I
heard a cry for help the Hawks cannot ignore.
If, in past offseasons, team officials have told Kane how tired they are of his
penchant to carouse in public, repeat it for emphasis — but this time attach
conditions to conduct in front of audiences. If the Hawks haven't discussed
sending Kane to alcohol counseling or haven't approached Kane's family
about intervention, consider doing so now. If they still believe a young AllStar's career is worth rescuing, as I do, by all means tell us why.
The Blackhawks have reasons for their prolonged silence that go beyond
Kane being in Buffalo, N.Y., and GM Stan Bowman being out of town, but I
find them unsatisfying. For a team that prides itself in managing perception,
saying nothing suggests either a lack of accountability or faith. The Hawks
easily could show strength by scolding Kane for embarrassing the franchise
and point out that, so far, all anybody has proved is that he was guilty of
being foolish.
I reached out to a witness who claimed on Deadspin.com he saw Kane
choke a woman at a fraternity party, but the young man, a suburban high
school student according to his Twitter profile, didn't reply.
Joel DeSpain, public information officer for the Madison Police Department,
told the Tribune that Sgt. Kelly Donahue broke up an altercation between
Kane and another partygoer outside a bar but Donahue "told (Kane) to
move on and he did without problems.''
The president of the sorority house identified as a place Kane "disappeared
into,'' clarified to the Tribune that "nothing related to Patrick Kane happened
at my sorority.'' The woman, unhappy over unwanted publicity, asked that
neither her name nor her sorority's name be used.
Jordan Meier had similar concerns but felt stronger that reports had
mischaracterized Kane's weekend. Meier owns the Kollege Klub, the
campus bar where Kane was photographed looking over-served. He
confirmed seeing Kane on Friday and Saturday but denied Kane's presence
created a ruckus.
“But I don’t ultimately control that.”
"I'd say that's overblown and dramatized because of his name,'' Meier said.
"He was never removed from the bar. He was never in a situation where my
staff intervened. I talked to people who worked for me all weekend and the
kid didn't do anything bad here.''
Regardless of what the oddsmakers say.
That doesn't absolve Kane of being stupid.
But the rush to want the Hawks to trade Kane as a result of his latest
tomfoolery baffles me. We have spent the spring celebrating the Bears'
acquisition of Brandon Marshall, who has been arrested six times , but
Kane's buffoonery suddenly offends our sporting sensibilities?
“I’m like any player in the organization,” he said. “They want to play and
wear the ‘C.’ I want to do the same thing.
631176
Chicago Blackhawks
Trading Kane would be irresponsible
David Haugh'
Trading Patrick Kane would represent one irresponsible act intended to
clean up another and just make everything messier.
Trading Kane would be a dumb move in response to something dumber
and eventually produce more regret than relief. Trading Kane would be the
easiest way for the Blackhawks to react to their star's shenanigans but
make it hard to look at the organization the same way again.
Using the same rationale the Rangers used in standing by troubled slugger
Josh Hamilton, the Hawks can justify supporting Kane through any
struggles because he possesses high-end ability. Say what you will about
Kane falling short of his potential — valid criticism of a player too
inconsistent on and off the ice — but he was the Hawks' best player down
the stretch. He remains a rare playmaker who likely won't ever be the goalscorer many envisioned.
Still, in the proper hands, under the right redirection, Kane can be a bigger
part of the solution than the problem for an NHL team. The one in Chicago
still makes the most sense for everybody.
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks breakdown:Daniel Carcillo
Tracey Myers and Chris Boden
CSNChicago.com Blackhawks Insider Tracey Myers and PGL host Chris
Boden will evaluate the 2011-12 performance of each player on the Hawks
roster. One breakdown will occur every weekday in numerical order.
In one hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Tom Gilbert on Jan. 2, Daniel
Carcillo received a five-minute major penalty, seven-game suspension and
torn ACL that ended his first season in Chicago after just 28 games. While
he was on the ice (for an average of 11 minutes, 24 second per game),
Carcillo scored two goals and had nine assists. He delivered 76 hits, sat i
the penalty box for 82 minutes and fininshed plus-10.
Boden's take: Like Steve Montador, Carcillo's season can't truly be
assessed outside of the 28 games he played. He started the season
serving a suspension carried over from the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs, and
earned two more sitdowns, including the play that eventually ended his
season. As he shuffled between forward lines, he seemed at times to be
trying to figure out the fine line between hard, clean play and a style that
crept over "the edge." Sometimes it even seemed as though he was
thinking whether to be more agitator or playmaker. When he found a
comfort zone on the correct side of that line, he was good. Had he stayed
healthy, he could have been useful in the playoff series against Phoenix.
He's willing to dig in corners and protect the skill guys if he's on the top two
lines.
Myers' take: Ah, Carbomb. When he was good, he was pretty good. And
when he was bad he was suspended. Carcillo started the season where
few expected him to: on a line with Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane. And for
the most part, the experiment was a good one. Carcillo provided the
protection for the Blackhawks’ stars and added a little offense of his own.
But then there was that other side, the one that has led to 10 suspensions
and fines, including three this season. Carcillo’s last was his most costly,
both for the Blackhawks and him personally (seven games and a seasonending knee surgery).
2012-13 Expectations
Chris: Despite being sidelined with his major knee injury, the Blackhawks
re-signed him to a two-year, $1.65 million deal, saying if they didn't, they'd
be looking for a similar type of player on the market, anyway. He wasn't
expected to begin skating for another couple of weeks after his January
surgery. The play on which he was injured is a classic example of the quick
decisions a player like him must make. He could have won the race to the
puck behind the Oilers' net, but in my opinion, chose to slow down to make
the physical (and illegal) play on Gilbert.
We know what he's capable of doing from a hell-raising standpoint. If he
finds himself too often on the wrong side of discipline, the Blackhawks need
to be much better penalty killers than this past season. He doesn't have to
do his best Matt Cooke impression and go almost completely choirboy (the
Penguin had a career-high 19 goals, but a career-low 44 penalty minutes
after 129 and multiple suspensions the year before), but just find a way to
play his game, and remain in the lineup.
Tracey: The Blackhawks gave Carcillo a two-year extension because they
liked his edge. Now he needs to play on the right side of it a lot more often.
His past is what it is, and the suspension lengths will only keep going up if
he keeps getting into trouble. Guys like Cooke have shown they can clean
up and be a strong -- and still edgy -- contributor to their teams. Carcillo has
to do the same.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 05.16.2012
631178
Phoenix forward Raffi Torres wanted to appeal his 25-game suspension for
his hit on Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa. On Thursday, he’ll reportedly
get that opportunity.
Torres will meet with the NHL to appeal the length of his suspension on
Thursday, according to Sportnet’s Nick Kypreos. The Torres suspension
was the longest the NHL had handed down since 2007, when then-New
York Islanders forward Chris Simon was suspended 30 games for stomping
on Jarkko Ruutu’s ankle.
The meeting, which will be in New York, will be with Torres, the NHLPA and
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
Brendan Shanahan said in his initial suspension ruling that Torres’ previous
suspended/fined hits, all to the head, were also factors in the 25-game
decision.
Torres left his feet and hit Hossa in the head in Game 3 of their first-round
series last month. Hossa, who suffered a concussion, had to be taken off on
a stretcher and to a local hospital immediately after the hit. Hossa is
currently back in Slovakia recovering.
Hossa talked about his recovery about two weeks ago; he said he spent
those first few days sleeping a lot and sitting in a dark room. At the time of
his interview, Hossa said he was just starting to take walks.
Hossa got a phone call from Torres a few days after the hit but that didn’t
do much to pacify Hossa. The Blackhawks forward told Torres he was
angry that Torres left his feet on the hit.
“I told him, I was upset about the jump. If he wouldn’t jump, maybe I’m hit
but he wouldn’t hit my head and he would (be suspended) 25 games,”
Hossa said in that May 3 interview. “The phone call was pretty quick and
that was it.
“The jump upset me. The hit to my head, that’s the one thing that upset me.
I’ve never been hit like that,” Hossa said. “Obviously he got 25 games and I
believe he wouldn’t have gotten 25 games if not for the hits before (this
one).”
631179
Colorado Avalanche
Avalanche's Paul Stastny powers U.S. to 5-0 win over Swiss at worlds
Staff
HELSINKI — Avalanche forward Paul Stastny scored a goal and had two
assists to lead the United States to a 5-2 victory over Switzerland on
Tuesday. The result sets up a quarterfinal showdown against Finland on
Thursday night. The Americans defeated Finland 5-0 on Sunday. "We've
played well all through the tournament," said Stastny, "and the last couple
of games we've played better and better. This quarterfinal game is almost
more important than anything because after that anybody can win a medal."
Canada will face Slovakia, Russia meets Norway and Sweden plays the
Czech Republic in the other quarterfinal games. Denver Post wire services
Denver Post: LOADED: 05.16.2012
631180
Dallas Stars
Stars confident goalie Keri Lehtonen's undisclosed injury not serious
Chicago Blackhawks
MIKE HEIKA
Reports: Torres' appeal to be heard Thursday
TRACEY MYERS
Stars goalie and team MVP Kari Lehtonen was injured at the World
Championships Sunday and will not return to play there, but the injury is not
thought to be serious, according to Stars goalie coach Mike Valley.
Lehtonen, who has been the No. 1 goalie for Finland, was hit in a collision
with Bobby Ryan of Team USA on Sunday. Lehtonen immediately left the
game _ a 5-0 loss for Finland -- and will not play again. However, it's not
clear whether he hurt his knee or a groin or both.
"They're still looking at everything, and there has been a lot of
communication between doctors there and our trainer,'' Valley said.
"They're not 100 percent sure what the injury is, but I've been told it is not a
serious injury.''
That set up Thursday's elimination games: The U.S. plays Finland; Canada
takes on Slovakia (which includes Wings prospect Tomas Tatar); Pavel
Datsyuk and Russia get Norway, and Sweden faces the Czech Republic.
The U.S. crushed the Finns, 5-0, on Sunday, with Howard only facing 18
shots. Thursday's game will be in Helsinki, too, putting that much more
pressure on the host Finns as they face being eliminated.
Because the Stars don't play until October, Lehtonen has plenty of time to
recover. However, the injury is serious enough that Lehtonen is not
expected to play again for Finland at the World Championships, Valley said.
Finland finished third in the Helsinki pool with 15 points, one behind the
U.S. and four behind Canada. The Slovaks gave Canada a good test when
they met on opening day in a game Canada only won by a goal, 3-2.
He was 2-2 in pool play with a 2.85 GAA and an .894 save percentage. He
allowed nine goals in his last two games, losses to Canada and Team USA.
Russia is a hockey powerhouse and has a roster that includes the
tournament's second-leading scorer Evgeni Malkin (14 points). Norway
played decently in a 4-2 loss to Russia earlier in the tournament and is
capable offensively, but this is Russia's game to lose.
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 05.16.2012
631181
Dallas Stars
Four Stars continue on to quarterfinal round at IIHF World Championships
MIKE HEIKA
Sweden, three points behind Stockholm pool winner Russia's 21, plays the
Czechs, whom the Swedes beat, 4-1, on Day 2 of the tournament. Wings
defenseman Jonathan Ericsson is expected to join the lineup, as general
manager Ken Holland confirmed to the Free Press on Tuesday that
Ericsson (back) had been cleared to play after missing all but the first game
of round-robin play.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 05.16.2012
631183
Los Angeles Kings
Pool play ended Tuesday at the IIHF World Championships, and four Stars
players will move on to the quarterfinal round.
Kari Lehtonen was injured (lower body) for Team Finland and is not
expected to return to play. Philip Larsen was a stalwart for Denmark, but his
team did not make it out of Pool Play. And Tomas Vincour is not on the
active roster for the Czech Republic.
Los Angeles Kings' determination was key in Game 1 against Phoenix
Helene Elliott
Still, the Stars are getting plenty of solid experience.
Loui Eriksson is one of the top scorers in the tournamenty with 11 points (4
goals, 7 assists) in seven games. He is plus-5.
Alex Goligoski has been one of Team USA's best defensemen. He has five
points (1 goal, 4 assists) in seven games. He is plus-6.
And Jamie Benn has been a solid role player for Canada with five points (3
goals, 2 assists) in seven games. He is plus-5.
Richard Bachman is the backup goalie for Team USA. He is 1-0 with a 1.86
GAA and .895 save percentage. He will likely not play unless the United
States decides to change from No. 1 goalie Jimmy Howard.
The quarterfinal round begins Thursday.
Canada will meet Slovakia, Russia will play Norway, USA will play Finland
and Sweden will meet the Czech Republic.
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 05.16.2012
631182
Detroit Red Wings
Jimmy Howard, U.S. to face Red Wings teammate Valtteri Filppula, Finland
in elimination game
By Helene St. James
Next up for Jimmy Howard and his U.S. team at the world championship:
Facing Red Wings teammate Valtteri Filppula and Finland for the second
time in five days.
Howard made 25 saves and Justin Abdelkader had an assist Tuesday to
lead the U.S. past Switzerland, 5-2, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland,
in the last day of preliminary action. Team Canada, which includes Kyle
Quincey, beat Belarus, 5-1.
Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and two assists, and Johan Franzen
contributed a goal and an assist as Sweden beat Latvia, 4-0, at Globe
Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall used his
particular skill and delivered a crushing hit on Kaspars Saulietis, who was
busy looking at the puck when he got "Kronwalled" and didn't return for the
third period.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kings were outshooting and outworking the
Phoenix Coyotes in the opener of the Western Conference finals, beating
them along the boards, in the faceoff circle and by almost every imaginable
measure. But through two periods the score was tied, the only numbers that
mattered.
"There have been some times in games where we haven't been very good,
but we've managed to hang around," Coyotes Coach Dave Tippett said. "A
bend, don't break kind of thing."
The Kings were doing all they could to break the Coyotes' resolve but were
getting nowhere. "They're a pretty veteran team, one of those teams that
keeps coming at you," winger Brad Richardson said. "They make those
smart plays holding on to pucks and they made it here for a reason, just like
we did.
"They kept fighting back and we kept going at them. Even though they tied
it up, we kept fighting."
Because the Kings didn't let up, they seized control of a game that might
have gone either way. Their 4-2 victory also set the tone of the series,
which resumes Tuesday atJobing.com Arena.
The Coyotes got a break on their first goal Sunday, a 98-foot bouncer that
skipped past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, but they earned their
second goal, late in the second period, through their alert forechecking. The
Kings absorbed those blows and delivered a decisive stroke early in the
third, when defenseman Slava Voynov's long lead pass put Dustin Brown in
behind the confused Coyotes' defense for the winner.
The Coyotes did break, subdued by the force of the Kings' greater skill and
will.
"I thought we were sort of getting a little better in the second period, had
some scoring chances, time in the offensive zone," Phoenix winger Taylor
Pyatt said Monday. "But that goal gave the momentum back to them and
we never really recovered from there."
The difference in the game was clear to Kings center Jarret Stoll.
"It's the difference in our team," he said. "Last year or two years ago, we
might have pulled back and started going downhill from there, started selfdestructing. And now we just have that confidence within our group that
shift after shift we can put waves out there, lines playing good hockey in the
offensive zone. And nothing's bothering us. Not even that first goal. It did
not deflate us even one bit."
Stoll said their confidence was born late in the season while they fought for
a playoff spot and has grown during their upsets of the No. 1- and No. 2seeded teams during a remarkable 9-1 playoff run.
But they lost their discipline and their cool, with Doan's misdeed preceding
a nasty slash by goalie Mike Smith to the back of Brown's leg and giving the
Kings a five-on-three advantage they cashed in.
"Beating teams that we beat and playing how we played, it's pretty hard to
not get that confidence as a group and know that no matter what happens,
don't let it bother us. Just play the game, keep playing our game and let
them adjust to us," Stoll said. "We know when we play that way, so far it's
been good. We've won."
In the third, Hanzal's hit and a Derek Morris kneeing penalty against Kings
defenseman Rob Scuderi topped the miscreant chart, but the Kings paid
them back in the best possible way: by winning.
Their composure comes from the calmness of Coach Darryl Sutter and from
the knowledge that Quick will bounce back after even the most
questionable of goals, as he did Sunday.
"Quickie came back and played great," Richardson said. "He played
unbelievable in the third and made some huge saves."
The traditional requirements for a Stanley Cup champion are strength in
goal, on defense and up the middle, and the Kings have checked off all
those boxes. Centers Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Stoll and Colin Fraser
have been great assets for the Kings. If the Coyotes only suspected that
before, they know it for sure now.
"If we don't raise our level, we're going to go home," Phoenix center Martin
Hanzal said.
The Coyotes promised to make tactical adjustments Tuesday and that's
another victory for the Kings. Their confidence and game plan are intact.
The Coyotes can't say the same.
LA Times: LOADED: 05.16.2012
631184
Los Angeles Kings
Coyotes might have lost more than Game 2
"We're not here to worry about it," Scuderi said when asked if the Coyotes'
actions were beyond the norm. "We came to get the game. We got it.
Fortunately, all of the guys that were on the receiving end of those hits are
all fine and we can move on and go back to Los Angeles."
They will return with a 2-0 series lead and club-record seven-game playoff
winning streak. If the Coyotes' actions sprang from frustration at the Kings'
continued superiority in speed, strength and scoring balance, the Kings are
only too happy to continue to discourage them at every turn.
"If that's the case, we've got to keep going," Brown said. "We've got to keep
finishing our checks, keep being over top.....
"When you have that going, whether it's your best players or your role
players finishing checks, just doing anything they can to get in your way, it
can get frustrating. The intensity is high and the pressure at this stage in the
playoffs. It's important for us to understand that if they are frustrated we've
got to keep doing what we're doing."
If winning means taking hits and wearing ice packs after games, the Kings
are willing to pay that price.
"I know you're probably going to roll your eyes when I say this, but we
haven't played our best game yet," Penner said. "But that's the mentality
you want to have in the playoffs, that you're never satisfied. You can always
be better and you have to have that mentality where you keep on improving
and keep on improving until you're finally finished and you reach your goal."
631185
Los Angeles Kings
Helene Elliott
Los Angeles Kings don't miss a trick in rolling to 2-0 series lead
GLENDALE, Ariz. — As the sun and the Phoenix Coyotes sank slowly in
the West, the key question after the Kings' 4-0 conference finals victory
Tuesday was whether the NHL, which has operated the Coyotes franchise
for three years, will suspend one or more of its players for the frustrationdriven fouls they committed.
The lesser of the evils was Shane Doan's hit on Kings forward Trevor Lewis
at 16 minutes 29 seconds of the second period at Jobing.com Arena. Doan,
the Coyotes' captain, drove Lewis into the boards after Lewis had turned his
back, and got a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct while Lewis
was treated for a cut and bloodied nose.
"Cheap," Kings forward Dustin Penner said.
The more dangerous blow was leveled by center Martin Hanzal on Kings
captain Dustin Brown after a long and rapid approach and a push that sent
Brown's head into the glass at 11:01 of the third period. Hanzal had Brown
lined up and shoved him hard, the kind of hit the NHL has cracked down on
this season.
"Cheap," Penner said. "Indicative of the score. They were frustrated and
they're both reckless hits."
By Lisa Dillman
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kings' dormant power play stirred to life, as did
forward Jeff Carter, and the Phoenix Coyotes picked the second game of
the Western Conference finals to look like they had spent too much time in
the midday sun.
The Coyotes simply lost it, and now the Kings are within two victories of
winning the series and reaching the Stanley Cup finals for the second time
in franchise history.
Getting there took a collective effort, featuring the first career playoff hat
trick from Carter and another goal from rookie Dwight King in the Kings' 4-0
victory over the Coyotes on Tuesday night at Jobing.com Arena. It was their
seventh straight playoff road victory this spring, and ninth in a row going
back to last year, which ties an NHL record.
But will NHL chief disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan suspend Doan or
Hanzal — or both — for Game 3, to be played Thursday at Staples Center?
Not only did Carter get the hat trick, two of the goals coming on the power
play, but goalie Jonathan Quick, who made 24 saves, recorded his third
career playoff shutout. The Kings have lost just once in 11 playoff games
and are on a club-record seven-game postseason winning streak.
"They probably won't suspend them because our guys didn't get carried off
on a stretcher," Penner said. "So it will be interesting to see."
The victory displayed the Kings' considerable depth. Anze Kopitar had two
assists, and in all, nine players figured in the scoring.
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter called the hit on Lewis "probably more of a
hockey play.... I didn't really have a big problem with that." But the hit on
Brown, he said, "I don't think the puck was even close, was it? That's about
it."
"It's huge for this team," said captain Dustin Brown, who had one assist.
"This is what it has been for this team. We've got a lot of guys playing at
high levels and it's one of those things where we have guys stepping up at
different times.
That's not really it, though. Because the Coyotes, after losing the first two
games of this series at home, must now try to stop the onrushing Kings on
the road, possibly without one or two of their top-six forwards.
"You can go back all the way to the Vancouver series, the first game in the
playoffs was a big win for us and a lot of it had to do with [Mike] Richards.
Phoenix played a strong first period yet trailed, 1-0. Even after the first of
Jeff Carter's three goals, scored at 4:47 of the second period thanks largely
to a strength move by Penner, the Coyotes weren't out of it.
"Quickie is probably the one guy that does it every night for us and you've
got guys on different nights, doing different thing for us."
Carter's contribution was a welcome addition as he scored the first two
goals on deflections in the second period to make it 3-0 and the final one on
a rebound, at 12:56 of the third. The second and third goals came on fiveon-three power plays.
It is his trademark to score goals in bunches. The Kings had been one for
their previous 44 on the power play before his goals.
"It would be nice if he scored in bunches all the time," Kopitar said. "He's
been playing hard for this team. There's people that are probably criticizing
him for not scoring.
"He's brought to the table a lot more than goal-scoring. He's working hard.
He's a big part of this team and tonight he got rewarded with three. It was
just really good for him because he's been around the net for quite a lot of
time.
"The puck bounced to his stick tonight and he was able to bury it."
Carter, who had scored just once in the first 10 games of the playoffs,
admitted to a big sense of relief. He was asked if being snakebit around the
net was a thing of the past.
Forward Dwight King, a fourth-round pick in 2007, had a puck deflect off
him for the Kings' first goal Tuesday, giving him three goals through the first
two games of the series.
Drew Doughty and Trevor Lewis, both also Lombardi draft picks, assisted
on the goal.
"The first couple years, we signed all those free agents," Lombardi said.
"We were an old team and we had to get young. That's when we started
hoarding all the draft picks."
Lombardi followed the same path to success with the Sharks from 19962003. The Sharks — like the Kings — made the playoffs in his fourth year
and were Stanley Cup challengers in his sixth season — just like the Kings.
"It's the same script, you just never know if it is going to follow the same
track," Lombardi said.
The Kings are "anywhere between the third and fifth youngest team in the
league," Lombardi said, with the average age "between 25-26."
"I hope so," he said. "Obviously I'd love to be scoring every game. They
haven't come that easily for me the last little while here. It's something that
I've been working on in practice, trying to get to the net during the game,
get a couple greasy ones. I was lucky enough tonight."
"Traditionally guys learn to win in that 27-28 age range," Lombardi said.
While the Kings were firing up, Phoenix melted down. It's not often when a
team completely self-destructs on the big stage, but the Coyotes complied,
starting in the second period when they were already trailing, 2-0.
The Coyotes took a different path with a roster that has 17 players who
were signed as free agents or acquired in a trade.
Captain Shane Doan took a five-minute major for boarding the Kings'
Trevor Lewis, receiving an automatic game misconduct late in the second
period. An even more dangerous-looking play occurred in the third period
when Martin Hanzal ran Brown into the end boards, headfirst.
In 2010, "Chicago showed you could win being at the younger end,"
Lombardi said.
"They are a unique model," Lombardi said.
Though not one he'd care to test drive.
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter took more of an issue with the hit on Brown.
"You go through the draft," Lombardi said. "[New Jersey General Manager]
Lou Lamoriello always said that at the end of the year you should sit down
and list your three biggest mistakes, and that wasn't hard for me to do, but
none were ones that got us off track."
"It's hard to say from the bench. I didn't look at it," he said. "But I don't think
the puck was even close, was it? That's about it."
Of course, if the Coyotes win the Stanley Cup, Lombardi said, "we're all
going to have to look at how they did it."
Etc.
Numbers game
The Kings began the night with an unexpected lineup change when forward
Colin Fraser had to leave the team in the afternoon because of family
reasons. Taking his spot in the lineup was left wing Kyle Clifford, who had
been out since Game 1 of the first-round series against Vancouver, having
suffered a concussion.
The victory gave the Kings nine consecutive playoff road victories — seven
this season and two in 2011 —tying the New York Islanders' NHL record.
The Kings killed four penalties, running their streak to 28 in a row.
631186
Carter's hat trick was the 10th in Kings' playoff history. The last was Wayne
Gretzky against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1993.
Los Angeles Kings
Kings are showing their youth and talent in postseason run
The Kings had two power-play goals — both by Jeff Carter — after having
only one in their previous 44 chances.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots for his third playoff shutout,
tying Felix Potvin's team record.
Lineup change
By Chris Foster
Kings forward Colin Fraser missed the game to attend to a family matter.
Kyle Clifford replaced him in the lineup.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The blueprint was not original ... well maybe to the
Kings, who spent too many seasons chasing success with a checkbook and
patchwork trades.
631187
Los Angeles Kings
But General Manager Dean Lombardi followed a plan that was almost as
old as the game, and had been successful during his time as the San Jose
Sharks general manager.
Kings take 2-0 series lead over Coyotes
"You walk a fine line between getting younger and getting better," Lombardi
said.
By Chris Foster
The Kings have done both this season and are two victories from reaching
the Stanley Cup finals after a 4-0 victory Tuesday over the Phoenix Coyotes
in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Kings have gone deep in
to the playoffs with a roster largely built through the draft.
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Look for a white sale in Phoenix.
"We're living in a world that says 'OK, we want it now,' " said Lomabrdi, who
was hired by the Kings in 2006. "The fact of the matter is, you want to have
a team that not only wins, [but] has a chance to be there year in and year
out."
Only three Kings who have played in the postseason are 30 or older. Of the
20 players in uniform Tuesday, only two were free agents, while 11 were
Kings draft picks, eight of which were drafted since Lombardi was hired.
The Kings took the starch out of the Phoenix Coyotes newly energized fan
base, which again showed up decked out for a “white out” atJobing.com
Arena.
The bleached-out crowd had that “uncle” look after the Kings cruised to a 40 victory in the Western Conference finals Tuesday. Jeff Carter’s hat trick
sent the them home with a 2-0 series lead and left Coyotes fans looking at
a consolation prize -- new ownership -- provided that Greg Jamison’s deal,
announced last week, doesn’t fall apart like their team did Tuesday.
It was the seventh consecutive road victory in the playoffs for the Kings,
tying an NHL record.
Singer Alice Cooper was the in the crowd and -- forgetting momentarily
where the music industry is based -- led fans in a “Beat L.A.” chant. But
Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” seemed more the Coyotes’ theme.
The Coyotes were better than the Kings in only one area -- game
misconduct penalties. The Coyotes had three and the Kings one.
Shane Doan received the first for slamming Trevor Lewis into the boards in
the second period. Martin Hanzal had the second for doing the same to
Dustin Brown on the third period. Both led to Carter goals.
Doan’s penalty came during a stretch when the Kings were burying the
Coyotes too deep to resurface. The Coyotes were called for four penalties
in a four-minute span and Doan received five minutes for boarding and a
game misconduct after he slammed Lewis face-first into the boards.
Nothing about the Kings added up to playoff bully before the postseason
started but my, how things have changed. When a team like the eighthseeded Kings gets hot and stays hot, it doesn't matter how they limped into
the playoffs. It's all about what have they done lately, and all they've done is
dominate, dominate, dominate.
They dispatched top seed Vancouver and No. 2 seed St. Louis and are in
the process of their best work yet - stampeding the Coyotes.
The Kings are two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals, where they
haven't been since Wayne Gretzky led them there in 1993. It's the only
Finals appearance for the franchise.
Even the Dodgers used batting practice Kings swag by donning black
baseball caps as a shoutout.
Kopitar seemed almost speechless when asked about the two more wins
needed for the Stanley Cup Finals.
The rash of penalties ended when Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith was
called for slashing Brown, who was also called for diving.
"We'll focus on the next one," Kopitar said, careful not to let out a smile or
holler.
Still, the Kings were left with a two-man advantage. They cashed in on it.
Anze Kopitar flicked a shot that went off Carter’s knee lined up and flicked
wrist shot for a 3-0 lead 18 minutes 49 into the second period.
The Kings are 9-1 in the playoffs, many thanks to goaltender Jonathan
Quick, who notched his second shutout of the playoffs this season and third
in his career.
But the bounces went the Kings way all night.
Both tied franchise records with Felix Potvin.
Drew Doughty flung a shot from the blue line that deflected off Dwight King
in the slot, redirecting it past Smith. It was King’s third goal in the series and
gave the Kings a 1-0 lead 13:15 into the first period.
Dwight King scored first in the first period, and Carter scored two in the
second and another in the third as the Kings were en route to another rout.
Early in the second period, the puck ricocheted off Dustin Penner’s skate
directly to Carter, who slipped a shot between Smith and the post for a 2-0
lead.
This is becoming old hat.
The Kings are so good they even ended a power play playoff drought at 1
for 44.
How did the Kings manage such a dominant run with that kind of
inefficiency? They're that good. Carter's power play goal in the second
period directing Kopitar's shot from the faceoff circle came on a power play.
631188
Phoenix was unraveling.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick made 24 saves for the shutout.
Los Angeles Kings
JILL PAINTER on THE KINGS: Move over Lakers and Clippers for this
weekend's Staples Center headliner ... the Kings
It came out with some energy in the first period, something it didn't do in
Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Kings. But shoulders slumped and heads bowed
after their hard-working first period in which the Kings still scored. And then
the Coyotes came unhinged.
By Jill Painter,
"Every time things don't go your way, you get a little frustrated, sure,"
Kopitar said of the Coyotes.
The Kings are so dominant they've managed to get under the skin of the
Phoenix Coyotes in their own house.
In the third period, the Coyotes' Martin Hanzal and Antoine Vermette got
10-minute misconduct penalties, as did the Kings' Dustin Penner at 13:18 in
the third.
Now that's the sign of a darn good team.
When the biggest playoff bonanza to hit Staples Center in its history starts
Thursday, realize the Kings are the biggest show in town.
The Kings flustered the Coyotes so thoroughly Phoenix captain Shane
Doan was thrown out of the game in the second period after a 10-minute
game misconduct and five-minute major for boarding.
It's not the Lakers, who were crushed in Game 1 of the Western
Conference semifinals by the younger, faster, better Oklahoma City
Thunder.
Kings center Trevor Lewis had blood gushing from the bridge of his nose
after that boarding call, but the Kings had cut the Coyotes' legs out from
under them.
It's not the Clippers, who are having a nice playoff run but lost Game 1 to
the Spurs on Tuesday.
These Kings are good.
They crushed the Coyotes 4-0 Tuesday in Game 2 of the Western
Conference finals behind Jeff Carter's hat trick at Jobing.com Arena,
otherwise known as Welostourcool.com Arena.
The Kings now have seven playoff wins in seven games on the road and
seven consecutive wins overall in the postseason.
The best show in town is kicking off the exciting playoff weekend at Staples
Center, and if you want to hang your hat on one team it's the Kings.
Phoenix had five penalties in the second period, including goaltender Mike
Smith with a 2-minute slashing penalty on Dustin Brown's knee. It was
about the only thing Smith did all evening.
"We got under Vancouver's skin, and we got under St. Louis' skin," Brown
said.
"It's all about business, but you always hear about the Lakers for sure,"
Brown said. "The Clippers probably feel a little like we do. But this is great
for the city of L.A."
Now, if the city of L.A. will fully get on board. Two local television stations
have shown logos of the NBA's Sacramento Kings in the past few weeks
during news broadcasts.
This year is about the Kings, and if you haven't been on board you should
get there.
"It's one of the busiest arenas in the world," Kings winger Justin Williams
said. "There's something going on most nights. I think it's exciting there are
different sports on the same day. But we want most of the excitement and
buzz to be about us."
If it's not, it should be.
The biggest thrill in town is the Kings.
"It's not a result of trying to get under their skin, it's just the way we play.
LA Daily News: LOADED: 05.16.2012
We finish our checks and do all the little things and those add up."
631189
Los Angeles Kings
KINGS 4, PHOENIX 0: L.A. stays red hot in the desert
Drew Doughty's wrist shot from the blue line was deflected in by Dwight
King 13:15 into the game.
The rookie King has scored three goals in two games and four in his past
four contests.
By Andrew Knoll
Midway through the first the Kings counterattacked with a two-on-one rush.
Kopitar hit Williams in stride but Smith snared his rising wrister.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Move over Hawk and Animal. The Kings are the new
Road Warriors.
They tied an NHL playoffs record by improving to 7-0 away from home after
a 4-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 2 of the Western Conference
series at Jobing.Com Arena on Tuesday in front of 17,149 disillusioned
fans.
That victory gave them a commanding 2-0 lead for the third straight series
and pushed their overall win streak to seven games.
Their seven straight road wins in one postseason and nine straight over two
campaigns both tied NHL records.
Jeff Carter netted a hat trick for the Kings to support Jonathan Quick's 24save shutout.
"Every night you can pull one player and he made the difference for us,"
captain Dustin Brown said. "Quickie's probably the one guy who does it
every night for us but you've got different guys on different nights doing
different things for us."
Brown appeared to be targeted by the Coyotes. He was slashed by goalie
Mike Smith in the second period. He was also boarded recklessly by Martin
Hanzal as Brown went to retrieve a puck by the boards in the third period.
Hanzal received a game misconduct.
"It's my job just to keep my head down and keep going," Brown said. "If
they're coming after me, I like our chances with Kopitar and Williams. If
they're all worried about me, that's a good thing for us."
Carter found a rebound in front for a power-play goal with
7:04 left. His third goal was the Kings' second on the power play, as they
scored just their fifth and sixth man-advantage goals of the playoffs.
"Our power play chipped in with a couple. It's great to see because they've
been doing all the right things, just the shots sometimes don't fall for you,"
said defenseman Rob Scuderi, who helped continue the Kings perfection
on the penalty kill in the series against St. Louis and Phoenix.
The Kings also managed to capitalize on a slew of second-period penalties
by the Coyotes. Phoenix came unglued as Coyotes captain Shane Doan
received a game misconduct for boarding and Smith slashed Brown's leg
maliciously.
On the first of two unsuccessful power plays of the first period, defenseman
Alec Martinez missed a sterling chance. His shot from prime position went
wide of the Phoenix net.
The Kings continued testing Smith early, peppering his net and testing his
glove.
Center Brad Richardson's high shot was snagged, bobbled and held by
Smith.
This Western Conference Finals series shifts to Staples Center on
Thursday, where the Kings have gone 3-1 in these playoffs.
"It doesn't matter what the temperature is outside, we'll just play our game,"
Penner said.
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Los Angeles Kings
KINGS NOTEBOOK: Rookie defenseman Voynov displays poise during
playoffs
By Andrew Knoll
GLENDALE, Ariz. - For a rookie on a roster with four Stanley Cup winners,
two gold medalists and a host of big-ticket players, it seems difficult to make
the cut, much less stand out.
But Russian defenseman Slava Voynov has done just that in establishing
himself as likely the finest rookie in the Pacific Division this season.
"He's been great his first year in the league," defenseman Drew Doughty
said. "He does a lot of things on the ice that most young guys can't do.
"He competes so hard, he's positionally very good, he takes the body and
then offensively he has that incredible shot and great vision."
Voynov first impressed during Doughty's preseason holdout, when he
edged out former No. 4 overall pick Thomas Hickey in the resulting
positional battle.
Anze Kopitar crept down from his point position to hammer a cross-ice pass
from Justin Williams. The shot deflected in off Jeff Carter's leg. Carter's
second goal of the game put the Kings up 3-0 with 1:11 left in the second
period.
Doughty eventually came to terms with the Kings, but Voynov stuck with the
club for the better part of the season and played in 54 regular-season
games and all 11 playoff contests.
On the slash by Smith, Brown was assessed a minor for diving. The call
puzzled the Kings, but did not seem to concern them after a lopsided win.
Nine of Voynov's 20 regular-season points came in the 21 games after the
team dealt Jack Johnson and a first-round pick to Columbus for forward Jeff
Carter.
"You get slashed in the back of the leg, that's one thing," Brown said. "But if
he catches you in the right spot, there's the nerve. My leg just collapsed
because I was numb."
Voynov, recalled from Manchester along with Dwight King and Jordan
Nolan, were hidden benefits of the Carter trade.
After withstanding another brief early-period surge from Phoenix, the Kings
struck a second time.
"He's played well. One of the main reasons why they let Jack Johnson go
was probably because they knew he could step in and fill his role," top
Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle said. "Johnson's a great player, so you
knew that
Dustin Penner chipped the puck in for Mike Richards. Richards dished back
to Penner, who found Carter in the slot. Carter's goal 4:47 into the second
period was his second of the playoffs.
this guy was gonna be good, up there with the top guys."
"Getting the second goal and getting the PP goal were huge for us to get a
little more insurance," Kopitar said. "After that we pretty much brought it
home. We didn't give up a whole lot."
Voynov appeared to hit a bit of a rookie wall when he was reassigned to
Manchester in February. But he returned from the American Hockey
League stint more focused on his defensive play.
Despite a 17-9 disadvantage in faceoffs, the Kings gained possession and
carried play as the first period progressed. They outshot the Coyotes 15-8
and carried a 1-0 lead into intermission en route to a 40-24 shot advantage
for the game.
"He's a strong character guy that doesn't let much bother him," forward
Jarret Stoll said. "Even when he had a couple of tough nights here for us,
which everyone has, he bounced right back."
After squandering several early opportunities, the Kings opened the
scoring.
In the postseason, Voynov has played regularly on the power play and
provided plenty of stability at even strength. He has been partnered with
Willie Mitchell on the Kings' second pairing of defensemen.
He scored a goal in Game 1 of the second round to erase the only lead St.
Louis had in the entire series. In Game 1 against Phoenix, his alert pass
found Dustin Brown in stride to spring him for a partial breakaway and the
winning goal.
"He just makes those smart, simple plays. He's very strong down low in the
defensive zone," Stoll said. "He's very smart, you can see him thinking the
game while he's playing it. He's very underrated, I think, in terms of his
smarts and how he thinks the game out there."
"He's very agile, he can move the puck, play the power play and he has a
good shot. He's a very good defenseman."
Doing it all
Stoll has been an important player for the Kings. He scored two winning
goals in the Vancouver series, including the overtime series clincher.
Former linemate Justin Williams described him as a "man of many talents"
as the right-shooting Stoll has proven a rather reliable faceoff option,
penalty killer and point man on the power play.
"He's a competitor and he brings that to every area of the game," King said.
"That's someone you want to play with, obviously.
"When you see someone working hard, you want to work just as hard for
him."
Earlier in the season, injuries forced the Kings to play Stoll out of position
and out of his comfort zone. Head coach Darryl Sutter said Stoll's move
back to center has been positive for the team.
Stoll also has proven himself as a team leader, a calming and instructive
voice who went on a run to the Finals with Edmonton in 2006.
(on his team’s confidence…)
SUTTER: “Well, I didn’t think tonight we were especially great. I thought we
were better the first game than we were tonight. I think tonight we wanted to
get through that first period because we knew it was going to be important
for them. I think we scored the deflection goal, then we scored a power-play
goal. That was really important for us, I think.”
(on maintaining discipline in the third period…)
SUTTER: “Yeah, we didn’t want to do anything after the whistle. Other than
Dustin’s… you couldn’t see what went on down in the corner from the
bench. We wanted to stay right away from it. I don’t think we have anything
to prove that way. You know, that’s for another time, another place.”
(on his team’s run…)
SUTTER: “We started (at) zero, so we came to Phoenix. I don’t look at it as
a remarkable run. I think we won the first game, we are going to have to
play better next game than we did tonight. I know that.”
(on when he knew Fraser couldn’t play…)
SUTTER: “This afternoon. Personal family thing. Spent some time with him
this afternoon. Wanted to get (him) going.”
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Los Angeles Kings
Quick postgame quotes (May 15)
"He's vocal. He's obviously there to help and he lets you know about the
little things here and there that he sees," King said.
Posted by Rich Hammond
"He's on your side, he's hoping for the best, he's helpful and it's good to
have him on your line."
Jonathan Quick’s postgame thoughts…
Strong up the middle
(on his game…)
Gretzky and Messier. Sakic and Forsberg. Yzerman and Fedorov. Kopitar
and Richards?
QUICK: “Obviously I wanted to get off to a better start than I did last game
there. You know, in order to win on the road, you need your goalie to make
a few saves. For the most part, we did a great job of keeping a lot of the
chances to the outside, clearing out rebounds and stuff like that. When they
needed me, I was able to make the save.”
The Kings hoped to create a Cup-caliber one-two punch at center when
they acquired Mike Richards from Philadelphia. He and Anze Kopitar just
may have formed it.
At a minimum, they have given the Coyotes cause for concern.
(on the chippy play…)
QUICK: “You know what, that’s part of the game, time of the year. There’s
going to be some chippy stuff going on. It’s going to happen both ways. It’s
just part of the game. I don’t think we got under their skin or anything like
that. These guys won two rounds. You don’t win two rounds this time of
year being able to get rattled easily. We know what to expect here coming
into Game 3. We know they’re going to bring their best. That’s all we’re
looking at right now.”
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"Obviously, they have a great two lines, Kopitar and Richards," Coyotes top
center Martin Hanzal said. "We have to be hard on these guys, take the
time away from them and take the space away from them.
"That's going to be the key."
Los Angeles Kings
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Los Angeles Kings
Sutter postgame quotes (May 15)
Carter postgame quotes (May 15)
Darryl Sutter’s postgame thoughts…
(on the hits on Lewis and Brown…)
Jeff Carter’s postgame thoughts…
SUTTER: “I think (on) Doan’s hit on Lewie, Lewie is turning back. It’s
probably more of a hockey play, eh? It’s a tough one. I didn’t really have a
big problem with that. But the one on Brownie, it’s hard to say from the
bench. I didn’t look at it. But I don’t think the puck was even close, was it?
That’s about it.”
(on whether he’s no longer snake-bit in scoring…)
(on Jeff Carter’s game…)
(on whether he sensed frustration from the Coyotes…)
SUTTER: “Well, he’s certainly getting good opportunities, so it’s good to
see him cash in. He had a couple the other night, really good ones, and
then tonight early, he had one, too, where he was cutting in on the power
play. You know it’s coming. Guys like that, it’s percentages, right?”
CARTER: “Yeah, I think we did a good job on the right guys tonight. We
made it hard on their key guys. Yeah, might have taken them off their game
CARTER: “I hope so. Yeah, I mean, obviously I’d love to be scoring every
game. They haven’t come that easily for me the last little while here. It’s
something that I’ve been working on in practice, trying to get to the net
during the game, get a couple greasy ones. I was lucky enough tonight.”
a little bit. I actually didn’t see the two hits that happened, so I can’t say
much about that. I think we’re doing a good job.”
is their frustration level, on the other side, build up. Then we’ve got to
protect ourselves.’’
(on the Kings’ power play…)
(on being up 2-0 in the series…)
CARTER: “Definitely nice to get two tonight, obviously, like you said, it’s 5on-3, something we’ve been working on. We have to get a lot better if we
want to keep going here. We have to keep working on it, keep getting shots
in net traffic. We have guys in the two units that can put the pucks in the
net, so it’s got to come.”
PENNER: “I know you will probably will want to roll your eyes when I say
this, but we haven’t played our best game yet. That’s the mentality you want
to have in the playoffs, is that you’re never satisfied. You can always be
better, and you have to have that mentality, where you want to keep on
improving until you’ve finally finished, until you have reached your goal.’’
(on the Kings’ playoff success…)
CARTER: “Well, I mean, obviously that’s what we came here to do, was to
win two games. I thought we did a fairly good job both games. Still think we
have some room for improvement, which is obviously a good thing being up
2-0. We were a confident group coming in. We had to battle hard the last
month of the season just to get in. Pretty much playing playoff hockey all
the way through there. I think that’s helped us carry over playing into the
playoffs. We just kept rolling.”
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Los Angeles Kings
King postgame quotes (May 15)
(on whether his confidence ever sagged…)
CARTER: “You’re obviously thinking about it. It’s always in the back of your
mind. I tried to keep patient and keep working in practice, like I said, during
the games trying to get to the net, trying to get a couple good bounces
there. Lucky enough to get a couple today. It’s a good start.”
(on how this run compares to his experiences in Philadelphia…)
CARTER: “Oh, it’s real similar. Same thing when we were in Philly there.
Basically had to battle right down to the last game. Shootout there to make
it. I think, like I said, when you’re in that kind of position, just kind of rolls
over into the playoffs. Whereas, if we were locked in there a little while in
the season, you might sit back a bit, get a little complacent. I think it’s
definitely helped us out.”
Dwight King’s postgame thoughts…
(on his line working hard on his goal…)
KING: “For sure. All of us did, and the forwards and Dewey getting the shot
through. It was good for our line to get rewarded early.’’
(on maintaining composure, despite all the penalties…)
KING: “That was key, obviously with some of the penalties here and there,
and our power play played good for us, and the penalty kill again. The ups
and downs, we managed them really well tonight and came out with a win.’’
(on his key to his offensive success in this postseason…)
(on his neutral-zone and defensive-zone play…)
CARTER: “I was happy with my game tonight. We played all situations. I
thought we did a fairly good job of limiting their chances. They had a few at
the end there. You know, I thought our line and our penalty kill units did a
good job.”
KING: “For myself, I just get to the front of the net. If you see my goals,
they’ve all been pretty much right there. That’s one thing I try to do.’’
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Los Angeles Kings
(on the Kings’ road success…)
CARTER: “I think it’s just a mindset. We get away, there’s no distractions.
The guys are together. The coaches have us well-prepared. For some
reason this team all year likes to play on the road. We’ve had a lot of
success since I got here. They had a lot of success before I got here.
Hopefully we can just keep it rolling.”
Brown postgame quotes (May 15)
(on Dustin Penner’s play on Carter’s first goal…)
CARTER: “It was a great play by him. Him and Richy down low working
hard to get pucks back. Penns is such a big guy, when he gets planted in
front of the net, has position, you’re not moving him. He laid it up for me
there. He has a lot of skill.”
(on the Kings maintaining composure…)
CARTER: “It’s one of the things in the room we talked about, is just keeping
calm. We knew they were going to come and try and maybe suck us into a
few penalties. Obviously you never like to see anybody on your team get hit
like that. Browny is a huge part of our team. They know that. He’s probably
been our best player all playoffs. He’s a guy they’re keying on. He’s a tough
guy, he can take it.”
Dustin Brown’s postgame thoughts…
(on whether this was the dirtiest game he’s been in…)
BROWN: “I’ve probably been in dirtier games. The intensity out there,
combined with the fact that we’re in the Western Conference Finals, there
were some hits out there that weren’t good, but there were guys playing
hard and we capitalized on some of the opportunities we had.’’
(on how he got called for diving after Mike Smith’s slash…)
BROWN: “I’m not sure how… (The ref) said I embellished. If you look at the
replay, his stick is above his head when he chops down on me. I think most
hockey players know, if you get hit in the right spot, your leg goes numb.
That’s what happened in that case.’’
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Los Angeles Kings
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Los Angeles Kings
Penner postgame quotes (May 15)
Posted by Rich Hammond on 15 May 2012, 10:20 pm
Scuderi postgame quotes (May 15)
Dustin Penner’s postgame thoughts…
(on all the penalties in the game…)
PENNER: “I think you saw that with every team we’ve played so far in the
playoffs. We try to frustrate teams, and I think that’s what you saw tonight,
Rob Scuderi’s postgame thoughts…)
(on Martin Hanzal’s hit on Dustin Brown…)
SCUDERI: “I’m obviously biased, but I thought it looked pretty ugly, but
that’s something for the league. I thought the referees made the right call,
and if there’s further discipline, that’s up to the league.’’
LaPanta, the Gophers' play-by-play voice since 2010 and the Wild, Wolves
and Twins studio host since 2004, will join analyst Mike Greenlay as the
Wild's television team.
(on Shane Doan’s hit on Trevor Lewis…)
The hire comes after three days worth of almost universally negative
feedback from fans over LaPanta's expected hiring on blogs and message
boards.
SCUDERI: “I didn’t see it that well. Again, I’m not sure. It’s kind of tough
for us to talk, because we want to protect our guys. Again, I thought they
made the right call there. It’s up to the league if they want to go any
further.’’
(on whether this was a dirty game…) SCUDERI: “I don’t think so. I’m sure they were a little bit frustrated. They
had some good chances tonight. I thought Quickie was on top of his game
when we needed him. The rest of the time, I thought we played pretty well
defensively. Some of the guys you’re looking at aren’t usually dirty players.
So, I don’t really think it’s a case of them trying to do anything. I just think
they were trying to get themselves going a little bit, that’s all.’’
(on the unusual penalties…)
SCUDERI: “They may not be the norm, but it’s not as though they were a
dirty team during the season, or any of those guys are dirty players
throughout the history of their careers. So we’re not here to worry about it.
We came to get the game and we got it. Fortunately for all the guys who
were maybe on the receiving end of those hits, we’re all fine and we can
move on and go back to Los Angeles.’’
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Minnesota Wild
Russo: Announcement on Wild's play-by-play voice delayed by backlash
Michael Russo
No announcement came Monday regarding the Wild's next play-by-play
voice, but I am told an announcement is close and it will indeed be Fox
Sports North veteran Anthony LaPanta.
An announcement was supposed to come Monday, but things got
sidetracked when the Wild and FSN were taken aback by the backlash
regarding the LaPanta hire on this blog, Twitter and other message boards.
The team also needed to complete the process of contacting candidates
who were not chosen. The Wild and FSN did hold a conference call to
discuss the feedback and how to manage it. But they were always going to
stick with the original decision of hiring the longtime Wild, Twins and
Wolves studio host and Gophers' hockey play-by-play voice, though.
I'm guessing an announcement comes Tuesday.
At the risk of having you flame throwers turn on me (ha), I'll be honest and
say I haven't listened to LaPanta call many games because I'm usually
working Wild when he's working Gophers, but he's a polished broadcaster
and at the very least didn't deserve to be raked over the coals. There's a
human side of this, too. I'm all for passionate fans, but some of the
comments on the previous blog were just mean-spirited.
Star Tribune LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Minnesota Wild
It's official: LaPanta named Wild TV play-by-play man
Michael Russo
Fox Sports North and the Wild made it official Tuesday morning: FSNorth
veteran Anthony LaPanta is the new television play-by-play voice of the
Wild. He replaces Dan Terhaar, whose contract wasn't renewed last month
after seven seasons at the mike.
The Wild has the right to hire its own broadcasters in consultation with
FSNorth. It was clear from the early going that FSNorth had a big influence
over the decision. That's what happens when you pay big bucks for the
local TV rights of a sports team, I guess.
The way it works with these deals in most cases is the teams pay the
broadcasters, but FSN reimburses the team up to usually $250,000 to pay
salaries. Any overages is paid by the team. So when fans complain to me
about homerism, that's why I always write: "What do you expect? They're
paid by the team."
I've gotten so many e-mails and tweets and I've read comments in the last
couple days from Gophers fans and other WCHA fans that LaPanta is the
ultimate homer. Again, I don't watch often because I'm working and I can't
claim to know LaPanta well. But again, I say, what do you expect? FSNorth
is a rightsholder, a partner. Don't want homerism, read a newspaper.
Turn on any local broadcast in any sports league, and for the most part,
other than New York and Chicago and a few other markets, you're going to
see the exact same thing, if not worse.
Ive gotten a lot of e-mails asking for other names that were interested in the
job. I've got to keep most secret because the conversations I had with them
were in confidence and some are under contract with other entities.
Former Columbus play-by-play man Dan Kelly, I'm told, was a candidate.
Former Thrashers studio host and radio play-by-play man Dan Kamal was
interested. The most intriguing name that may have been available is
longtime Carolina play-by-play man John Forslund. I'm not sure he's looking
to uproot his life because he's a staple in Raleigh and I've got to think will
re-sign, but his contract is up June 30 and he's basically become the No. 3
or 4 man on NBC Sports Network. Like I said, not sure he was even
interested and of course it would have taken a sweet, long-term deal to get
him here IF it didn't work out in Raleigh.
One talented guy that was available is admittedly a good friend of mine former Marlins announcer Roxy Bernstein. He's the Cal basketball
announcer, fills in on Sharks games and hosts a radio show in San
Francisco. So talented, great voice.
I believe about 20 or so folks, with varying degrees of experience, officially
applied for the position..
Here's the press release. Youngblood will have a story for the paper
tomorrow.
ANTHONY LAPANTA NAMED MINNESOTA WILD TELEVISION PLAYBY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
FOX Sports North: the Exclusive Local Television Home for the 2012-13
Minnesota Wild Season
The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Minnesota Wild today named
Anthony LaPanta television play-by-play announcer.
LaPanta, a graduate of Totino-Grace High School and St. John’s University
(Collegeville, Minn.), has covered the Twin Cities sports scene since 1991.
The New Brighton, Minn., native has hosted the pregame and postgame
shows on FOX Sports North for the Twins, Wild and Timberwolves nightly
since 2004 and served as the television play-by-play announcer for the
University of Minnesota men’s hockey team the past two seasons. LaPanta
has also served as a play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Twins and
Minnesota Timberwolves on a fill in basis.
“I have dreamed of doing NHL play-by-play since I was very young,” said
LaPanta. “To have this opportunity in my hometown is truly special. I am a
lifelong resident of the State of Hockey, and hockey is in my blood. From
my work covering the Minnesota Wild for the last eight years, to calling
games at the high school and college level, to spending as much of my free
time as possible as a youth hockey dad, the game has been a huge part of
my life. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”
Before joining FOX Sports North, LaPanta was the television voice of the
St. Paul Saints for ten seasons and was the radio play-by-play announcer
for the Twins in 1999. He has won four regional Emmy Awards (two for
play-by-play and two for anchor/host) and was involved with the
development of the Hockey Day Minnesota concept. LaPanta and his wife,
Margo, have four children, and reside in Shoreview, Minn., where he is
active in the hockey community.
LaPanta will team with television analyst Mike Greenlay on FOX Sports
North, the exclusive local television home for Wild hockey. Greenlay enters
his 11th year as the Wild’s television analyst since being assigned to the
post on Aug. 13, 2002. The former goaltender previously served as the
radio analyst for the Anaheim Ducks (1999-2001) and the Nashville
Predators (1998-99) and also worked as a television analyst on several
networks.
Maher also praised the fans' intense interest but said that LaPanta was the
guy they wanted. "Anthony is our man."
For LaPanta, the job is one he has wanted since he was a boy growing up
listening to Al Shaver call North Stars games. "To have the opportunity to
do NHL play-by-play, in my own home state? It's literally a dream come
true," he said.
LaPanta, who graduated from Totino-Grace High School and St. John's
University, has been part of the local sports scene for nearly 20 years. He
has hosted pre- and post-game shows for the Twins, Wild and
Timberwolves games since 2004.
“This is a great opportunity for Anthony, we’re enthusiastic about his new
role in our Wild telecasts,” said Mike Dimond, Senior Vice President and
General Manager for FOX Sports North. “Anthony has worked long and
hard as the face of our network. We’ll miss him in that capacity, but thankful
he’ll still be part of our network moving forward.”
LaPanta called Gophers hockey games on FSN the past two seasons.
Before joining FSN, he was the TV voice of the St. Paul Saints for 10
seasons. In 1999 he did radio play-by-play for the Twins at a time when
Herb Carneal was not going on road trips.
LaPanta has won four regional Emmy Awards, two for play-by-play.
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"He knows the culture of hockey in this state," Dimond said. "He's also been
around the Wild for eight years, so he has relationships with people there.
Plus, he's a good play-by-play man. He's had experience at all levels."
Minnesota Wild
LaPanta's dream job in Wild booth comes with hot seat
LaPanta will have one-year deal
KENT YOUNGBLOOD
LaPanta, who signed a one-year deal, will work with Mike Greenlay, who
has been the TV analyst the past 10 seasons. The radio team of Bob Kurtz
and Tom Reid, along with producer and host Kevin Falness, will return as
well.
His selection as the Wild's new TV play-by-play announcer brought
considerable objections from the team's fans.
Anthony LaPanta, a long-time Fox Sports North veteran, was introduced as
the Wild's television play-by-play announcer Tuesday, after some fans
expressed disappointment in the hiring.
If there is anyone who understands the love Minnesota has for hockey it is
Anthony LaPanta.
LaPanta, 43, a long-time Fox Sports North veteran, was introduced as the
Wild's television play-by-play announcer Tuesday. His Minnesota roots and
experience both as a hockey dad and as a hockey broadcaster helped him
earn the job.
LaPanta and his wife, Margo, have four children.
LaPanta's move to the Wild means a search has begun for the person who
will call Gophers games on FSN this coming season. Dimond said that
search is in its early stages, and that he couldn't yet give a short list of
candidates. There is a chance some of the candidates who were looked at
for the Wild job could be considered for the Gophers job.
But there is at least a little uncertainty about the future of the school's
hockey TV broadcasts, given the upcoming inauguration of a Big Ten
hockey conference for the 2013-14 season. Presumably, the Big Ten
Network will have a role in televising hockey games, though it remains to be
seen how extensive that will be.
LaPanta knows about fans' passion, too. Reaction to news of his promotion,
which leaked days ago, was extremely passionate.
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Most of it was negative. There was a backlash on websites about LaPanta
taking over for Dan Terhaar, who worked the FSN telecasts for seven
seasons.
Todd Richards brings lessons from Minnesota Wild stint to Columbus
There are many things LaPanta can -- and, he said, will -- control: how hard
he prepares, the energy he brings to the job. But the recent fan reaction is
one thing he can't control.
By Bruce Brothers
"I don't feel the need to win anybody over," he said. "I like to think my
performance will speak for itself. I feel the opinions you have some impact
over are the people you work with on a daily basis and the people for whom
you work. I feel those who know me know how passionate I am about what
I do, how hard I work to prepare."
Remember how Todd Richards, when he took over as Wild coach in June
2009, talked about an up-tempo style of play that in theory would bring the
fans out of their seats at the Xcel Energy Center?
FSN executive defends hire
The hiring was a collaborative process between the Wild and FSN. Mike
Dimond, FSN senior vice president and general manager, called the
process "fairly extensive."
As for the reaction? Dimond said he appreciated how much the fans cared
about the team and the position being filled, though he felt some of the
comments were "out of bounds."
"That's the great thing about our state, the passion for Wild hockey,"
Dimond said. "People care about it; we care about it, too. ... We stand by
our hire. We think Anthony will do a great job."
The Star Tribune reported Monday that, surprised by the negative
feedback, the Wild and FSN held off on an announcement to discuss the
backlash and how best to manage it. But at no time was their decision on
LaPanta going to change.
John Maher, the Wild's vice president for brand marketing, said having a
local connection was important to the team. "Being able to have a
Minnesota guy who is a hockey guy was icing on the cake," Maher said.
Minnesota Wild
He issued no such forecast this week after completing his rapid NHL
rebound by being named the Columbus Blue Jackets' full-time head coach.
"That's one of the things I learned," Richards said with a wry chuckle from
Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 15. "I certainly want to play a certain
style, but I'm not going to go out and say we're going to do this and this and
this. You set expectations, and then you hold yourself to them -- or at least
try to -- and sometimes you can and sometimes you can't."
Richards was fired as the Wild's coach on April 11, 2011. Two months later,
he was added to Scott Arniel's staff with the Blue Jackets, and on Jan. 9,
Richards took over as interim head coach when Arniel was fired.
Monday's announcement that the Blue Jackets would retain Richards
brought the coach full circle.
"Very humbling," he said.
Although Richards came under fire because that high-tempo style of play
rarely emerged in Minnesota, he built a 77-71-16 record over two seasons
with the Wild. Under Mike Yeo, the Wild went 35-36-11 this past season.
The Blue Jackets finished in last place in the Western Conference this
season, but Richards coached them to an 18-21-2 record over their final 41
games.
Analysis by Josh Cooper
Richards said during a visit to Minnesota in February that
While it’s understandable that some forecasts predict an offseason of gloom
and doom for the Predators — there are 15 unrestricted and restricted free
agents on the current roster — with a few minor tweaks, this team can
contend for the Stanley Cup next season.
he stepped into a difficult situation when Arniel was fired. The Jackets had a
record of 11-25-5. Negativity and disarray prevailed.
"We were pretty dire there," he recalled Tuesday.
He mulled the interim job. When Arniel urged him to step in, that plus the
loyalty he felt to the Blue Jackets for giving him another coaching job took
over.
But his head was swimming.
The first practice for Richards, 45, was a morning skate on the day of a
game against the Blackhawks in Chicago. He worked on the team's penalty
kill and a few other minor things, but the biggest change had nothing to do
with techniques and details.
"My first job was to try to make it fun again," he remembered.
The players were shaken by Arniel's firing; Richards had their attention
immediately.
"The big thing I learned from this year is morale; morale is everything," he
said. "That's most of the battle."
As affable and easygoing as he was during his tenure with the Wild,
Richards had what amounted to a three-month interview for the job,
according to Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson.
"He passed with flying colors," Howson said at Monday's news conference.
Blue Jackets senior adviser Craig Patrick was in Richards' corner.
"He's a very motivated and demanding coach," Patrick said. "But he also
brings fun to the game, which is really important in this business."
A native of Crystal and a four-year regular for the University of Minnesota
as a player, Richards says his family has successfully made the move from
Minnesota to Ohio because Columbus has a Midwest feel with its friendly
people and high-quality schools.
"I guess you could say I'm a Buckeye, somewhat," he said. "But I'll still be a
Gopher at heart."
Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.16.2012
631202
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota Wild TV voice: Anthony LaPanta
Pioneer Press
Anthony LaPanta will be the Minnesota Wild television play-by-play
announcer, the team announced Tuesday, May 15.
The Wild also have re-signed Mike Greenlay (TV analyst), Bob Kurtz (radio
play-by-play) and Tom Reid (radio analyst).
"I have dreamed of doing NHL play-by-play since I was very young,"
LaPanta, a Totino-Grace High School and St. John's University
(Collegeville, Minn.) graduate, said in a statement. "To have this opportunity
in my hometown is truly special. I am a lifelong resident of the State of
Hockey, and hockey is in my blood. From my work covering the Minnesota
Wild for the last eight years, to calling games at the high school and college
level, to spending as much of my free time as possible as a youth hockey
dad, the game has been a huge part of my life. This is the opportunity of a
lifetime for me."
Pioneer Press LOADED: 05.16.2012
631203
Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators are close to contending again
Ownership says it has the money to re-sign its important unrestricted free
agents, namely All-Star defenseman Ryan Suter.
Defenseman Shea Weber’s restricted free-agent status means his return is
likely.
If forward Alexander Radulov decides not to come back to the Predators,
they probably can use his rights to deal him for another piece.
Forward Craig Smith had 36 points as a rookie and should have a better
sense of the pro game as a sophomore.
Patric Hornqvist and his 27 goals are signed for next season. Leading
scorer Martin Erat will be back. Goaltender Pekka Rinne should give the
Predators a chance to win on most nights.
A lot of the offseason depends on Suter, however. The Predators hope he
realizes that the team, if most players return, is still on the rise and not the
decline.
If he doesn’t, ownership will at least need to prove that it’s willing to spend
to replace Suter. They’ve given every indication that they have the
resources to do so.
Here is a position-by-position look at the roster going into the offseason:
CENTER
• Under contract for 2012-13: Mike Fisher, David Legwand, Nick Spaling,
Craig Smith
• Restricted free agents: None
• Unrestricted free agents: Paul Gaustad
• Level of importance: Low
• Status report: The Predators lack a true No. 1 center but have plenty of
serviceable players locked up in Fisher, Legwand, Spaling and Smith. None
are big-time scorers, but all can chip in offensively while being defensively
responsible.
• What will happen: The Predators likely will try to re-sign Gaustad before
he hits UFA status on July 1. Nashville gave up a first-round pick for him at
the trading deadline, so odds are they’d like him back. Gaustad probably
will carry a hefty price tag, though. His last contract had a salary-cap hit of
$2.3 million.
• What should happen: The Predators should look to add a free agent with a
cheaper price tag, or promote from within. The Predators played Gaustad
an average of 13:31 during the regular season and 11:36 in the playoffs.
They’d essentially be paying for his nearly 60 percent faceoff success rate
and little else. If the Predators opt not to re-sign Gaustad, Smith would be
his successor on the fourth line. Though he’s not a defensive ace like
Gaustad, Smith had 15 more points and is eight years younger.
FORWARD
• Under contract for 2012-13: Martin Erat, Patric Hornqvist, Matt Halischuk,
Gabriel Bourque, Kyle Wilson
• Restricted free agents: Sergei Kostitsyn, Colin Wilson, Alexander Radulov
• Unrestricted free agents: Andrei Kostitsyn, Jordin Tootoo, Brandon Yip
• Level of importance: High
• Status report: The Predators could lose five of their six restricted and
unrestricted free agents at wing. Of the six, only Colin Wilson seems a
certainty to return. Nashville faces some tough decisions on whether to
qualify Sergei Kostitsyn, how to smooth over relations with Radulov, and
whether to hope Andrei Kostitsyn finally reaches his potential.
• What will happen: The Predators probably will try to make peace with
Radulov and end ill feelings over his suspension for Game 3 against the
Coyotes. Sergei Kostitsyn is too valuable an asset to let walk for nothing,
but it’s hard to see him making much more than the $2.5 million he signed
for last season. Yip and Wilson will likely be back. That leaves Tootoo, who
is arguably the team’s most popular player, at least in Nashville. His
numbers tailed off at the end of the season, but the Predators have said
they’d like to bring him back. After a very public rant about lack of playing
time, the question is what price will it take for him to come back? Our guess
is that he at least fields offers from other teams on July 1.
• What should happen: Nashville has one of the top offensive talents in the
game on its roster in Radulov, and the playoffs seemed to be an eyeopening experience for him. Keeping him for at least one more year and
seeing this experiment through to the end of his contract would probably be
a smart move. The coaching staff likes Yip, and it makes sense to bring him
back — he makes less than $1 million. Wilson seemed to turn a corner in
the playoffs. By the end of the postseason, the Kostitsyns seemed to wear
out their welcome. The only issue is whether the Predators should let
Sergei walk for nothing by not qualifying him. Tough decision, but they
should bring him back — his $2.5 million price tag isn’t that steep for a
guaranteed 40-point, 20-goal player. Tootoo is another tough choice. On a
team that’s scrappy but not physical, Tootoo is relatively cheap ($1.25
million cap hit) and hits harder than anyone else on the roster at the forward
position. Also, he’s a fan favorite.
DEFENSE
• Under contract for 2012-13: Kevin Klein, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis
• Restricted free agents: Shea Weber, Jack Hillen
• Unrestricted free agents: Ryan Suter, Francis Bouillon, Hal Gill
• Level of importance: High
• Status report: This is the most important position of the offseason. The
Predators will muster all they can to re-sign Suter, who could be the crown
jewel of free agency if he makes it to July 1. And whatever Suter does
affects Weber’s situation. If Suter walks, you have to wonder if Weber will
try to force the situation and also leave — they have been defense partners
for almost their entire NHL careers. Gill and Bouillon were arguably
Nashville’s top defensemen in the series with the Coyotes. They’re both
reasonable monetarily, carrying $2.25 million and $1.35 million cap hits,
respectively.
• What will happen: Suter opts to become a free agent. The Predators trade
his rights, but he comes back after courting offers and signs long term with
Nashville. Weber signs a one-year contract, bridging himself to unrestricted
free-agent status. Nashville re-signs Gill before July 1 and allows Bouillon
to test the open market.
• What should happen: It’s easier said than done, but re-sign Suter and
Weber to long-term deals. Make re-signing Gill a priority. If bringing back
Bouillon isn’t feasible, go after an unrestricted free agent who’s a little
younger, such as Bruin and former Predator Greg Zanon. Hillen is a good
locker-room guy and is cheap at a cap hit of $650,000.
GOALTENDER
• Under contract for 2012-13: Pekka Rinne
• Restricted free agents: Anders Lindback
• Unrestricted free agents: None
• Level of importance: Low
• Status report: Rinne is locked up for seven more seasons. Lindback is a
good asset to use this offseason — a 24-year-old Rinne clone with starter
potential.
• What should and will happen: There isn’t much difference between
speculation and fact. It’s hard to imagine Lindback with the Predators next
season. Some believe the 6-foot-6 netminder is further along at this age
than Rinne was. With Rinne signed for the next seven seasons, Lindback
could be expendable and yield a usable position player or high draft pick.
With Vancouver likely deciding to keep Cory Schneider as its starter,
Lindback could command quite a bounty from teams needing goaltenders,
such as Tampa Bay or Columbus.
Tennessean LOADED: 05.16.2012
631204
New Jersey Devils
Devils Trying to Keep Rangers Fans from Playoff Seats
By LYNN ZINSER
The Devils do not want these people in Prudential Center for Games 3 and
4.Aaron Houston for The New York TimesThe Devils do not want these
people in Prudential Center for Games 3 and 4.
It is a nasty fact of life for both the Devils and Islanders: when they play
home games against the Rangers, a huge swath of the seats are occupied
by an occupying army of Rangers fans. And while it’s a financial boon to
those teams to have more seats filled, it’s also sort of a slap in the face.
And the Devils are trying to do something about that for Games 3 and 4 of
the Eastern Conference finals, which will be played in the Prudential
Center.
The Devils have posted a message on their Web site urging Devils fans not
to sell their tickets to Rangers fans. Titled “No Blue,” it offers three
strategies for Devils tickets not to fall into the hands of the blue-clad enemy,
including finding ticket-seeking fans conversing via Devils blogs. Then it
suggests requesting photos or an in-person meeting to insure a buyer’s true
allegiance.
Even more hilariously, it directs people who are “unsure about conversing
on Devils blogs” to call the Devils fan experience hotline for help in selling
tickets to Devils fans.
Rangers fans, of course, are most likely to find this uproariously funny, and
are also likely to find their way around the Devils’ front office’s best
intentions. After all, they are motivated by what are likely far cheaper tickets
than can be had at Madison Square Garden and the games are a short
train ride away. Are the Devils confident that photos are enough to insure a
buyer’s allegiance? Would a DNA test be better? An anti-Rangers screed
on your Facebook page? A parking stub from the dearly departed arena in
the Meadowlands? Must Martin Brodeur personally vouch for you?
What do you think? Will the Devils succeed in stemming the tide of blue?
New York Times LOADED: 05.16.2012
631205
New Jersey Devils
Absorbing Blows in a Battle Just Begun
By CHARLES McGRATH
For the Rangers’ playoffs series this year, the overflow press box at
Madison Square Garden is a narrow balcony tucked under the roof at the
west end. It’s cold, dark and lonely up there, especially if you’re a Devils fan
bound by the code of the press box not to show any feeling: no groans,
cheers, fist-pounds or high-fives. You have less legroom than in the
bulkhead seat on the Delta shuttle, and from this distance, the smoke
plumes that shoot up from the rink ends when the Rangers score look like
steam puffs escaping from a manhole.
On the other hand, the perch is lofty and detached, allowing you to watch
play unfold all over the ice. The view is not unlike the one the fans on
Olympus must have enjoyed during the extended series between the
Greeks and the Trojans, who didn’t like each other any more than the
Rangers and the Devils do.
The Olympians loved gore and surprises, and had they visited the Garden
for Game 1 on Monday, when the home team beat the Devils, 3-0, they
would surely have appreciated the shot-blocking efforts of Rangers
defensemen Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, who time and again slid
across the ice in front of a blast, got up slowly, limped to the bench and
came back next shift as if nothing had happened. (Lots of wine-dark
contusions, the classical scribes might have noted.) They would have loved
the way Devils forward Patrik Elias took a puck right on the beezer and bled
copiously before also returning to the ice.
And they would have especially relished the game’s drastic reversal. The
Rangers, presumably much the wearier of the two clubs — playing on only
two days’ rest, while the Devils had been relaxing since May 8 — were so
worn out during the second period that a little more than halfway through,
Coach John Tortorella had to call a timeout to give them a breather. Yet
they sprang alive in the third, while the Devils, stunned by a Girardi goal
before a minute was up (the winner, it turned out), were the ones who ran
out of gas and looked aimless and worn out.
Devils fans are not disinterested gods, though, and if you were a Jersey
rooter at the Garden or watching on television, the game was more stressful
than it was fun. The first period was tentative on both sides, the second was
mostly Devils but still sloppy, and the third, after Girardi’s goal, was over
almost before it began.
There were not a lot of big hits, and for much of the way the game was so
uneventful that even the vaunted hometown crowd was pretty subdued, and
often cheered for the wrong things. Note to Rangers fans: when you chant,
“Hen-RIK, Hen-RIK,” during your team’s power play, it’s not a good sign. It
means your goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, is being shelled by the penalty killers.
But neither team’s power play was very good, as it turned out, and that, too,
drained some of the excitement from the proceedings.
The two clubs played like exaggerated versions of the teams they have
been all during the playoffs. The Devils dumped and forechecked,
especially during the second period, when they mounted a sustained attack,
cycling and scrapping along the boards, while the Rangers fell to the ice
and stopped shots. (Girardi and Marc Staal had five blocks each, and
McDonagh had three.)
The Devils forwards broke out quickly while the Rangers, collapsing into the
trap-that-must-not-be-called-that, kept them to the periphery. McDonagh
swept Ilya Kovalchuk wide on almost every rush and also skated down
Zach Parise on a first-period breakaway The Rangers defensemen were
sure-handed, while their Devils counterparts Bryce Salvador and Marek
Zidlicky fought the puck all night. A couple of times, Salvador looked like a
homeowner trying to swat bees off his porch with a broom.
The 40-year-old Martin Brodeur, in net for the Devils, made the best save of
the night, a diving grab in the third, but Lundqvist played a little bit better, a
little bit younger. In the second, he stuffed the Devils rookie Adam Henrique
on two chances, and amazingly batted away three consecutive Parise
attempts: forehand, rebound, backhand — nope.
And the Rangers were faster, or Chris Kreider, the rookie out of Boston
College, was. During the Capitals series, he wound up in the doghouse for
some defensive lapses. But in Game 1 against the Devils, his speed and a
delicate little pass set up Girardi’s goal, and he zinged in the Rangers’
second, at the end of a power play, with a release so quick it seemed to
catch Brodeur by surprise. It’s only Game 1, and it would be a mistake to
draw too many conclusions. Ask the Philadelphia Flyers how much a firstgame victory will do for you. This one was a little closer than the score
would suggest (the Rangers’ third was an empty-netter), and until the start
of the last period, you would have given the Devils the edge. But if you’re a
Jersey fan, you need to hope your team shoots more often next time, or
threads more seeing-eye pucks through the falling bodies (the Devils had
only 21 shots, their fewest in the playoffs so far, because the Rangers
blocked so many), and gets on the board early. Another scoreless period,
and Henrik could start to get in your head.
So let’s win Game 2 and take the series to the Pru, where, thank goodness,
we won’t have to listen to Ron Duguay give a pregame pep talk. Note to
Ron: time to lose the grizzled, lounge lizard look. You’re in New York, not
Vegas.
From Jersey ice, we’ll get home quicker. One of the things New Yorkers
don’t understand is that the Garden State closes early. The gates come
down, the drawbridge ratchets up, the last bus from the Port Authority to the
Vince Lombardi park-and-ride leaves at 11:30. Barely time to catch the
Coach Tortorella news conference, where, famously grumpy and impatient,
he greets the ink-stained wretches of the reporting corps the way Wackford
Squeers welcomed the poor scholars at Dotheboys Hall in need of a
caning.
On Monday, he chastised a writer who allowed his cellphone to go off.
“That’s ridiculous,” he said. To a writer who asked a question about Kreider
and his college career — something about being taught to take sticks away
— he replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” And when Stan
Fischler — the hockey maven, as he is known, the dean of local
sportswriters — remarked on how the Rangers didn’t wear out in the third
period, Tortorella said testily: “If we’re tired at this time of year, something’s
the matter. We still have a month to play. You might as well not ask me.”
631206
New Jersey Devils
Devils Plot a Way to Make More Shots Count
By DAVE CALDWELL
NEWARK — There are probably better people to ask about the perils of
shot-blocking than Martin Brodeur. He has done that for a living for 20
years, but rugged, take-one-for-the-team defenses have helped him win
three Stanley Cups with the Devils.
“Whatever brings success is what you need to do,” he said Tuesday. “And I
know it’s probably not the most exciting brand of hockey. But it’s really
effective.”
Then, referring to the Rangers, Brodeur said, “And again, they got it in
people’s heads by doing what they’re doing, and they’re tough to play
against because of that.”
The Rangers blocked 26 shots in their 3-0 win on Monday at Madison
Square Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Only 21 shots
got through to Henrik Lundqvist. Devils defensemen blocked 14 shots.
The Devils know that shot blocking is not a new tactic employed by the
Rangers, who ranked fourth in the category during the regular season. The
Rangers and the Devils played six times, with the Rangers out-shotblocking the Devils, 88-54.
“They make you work,” said the Devils’ captain, Zach Parise. “This is not an
easy game playing against them. They make you work for everything. You
have to be prepared to be hit and to create scoring chances the hard way,
because they don’t give you anything easy.”
The Devils did not practice on Tuesday in advance of Game 2, which is
Wednesday at the Garden. But they did meet at their practice facility to talk
about ways to prevent the Rangers from getting set up to smother so many
shots.
The key, they said, was to unleash the kind of ferocious forecheck that was
so successful in the Devils’ five-game series victory over Philadelphia. The
Rangers’ defensemen are tenacious and responsible, Parise said, so the
Devils have to outwork them in their zone.
“The more we get on the forecheck to wear them down, maybe some other
opportunities will open up,” said Travis Zajac, the center on the Devils’ top
line.
The Devils have a template: they pounded Lundqvist with 28 shots in a 4-1
victory on March 6. The Rangers blocked only 10 shots in that game. Ilya
Kovalchuk scored on a breakaway in the first minute, and David Clarkson
and Ryan Carter broke a 1-1 third-period tie with goals scored two minutes
apart.
On Monday, the Devils’ forecheck looked especially robust in the second
period, when they took 11 of their 21 shots on goal. Parise slammed three
from close range within three seconds at Lundqvist.
“We’ve got a plan,” Devils Coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday.
The plan, he said, involves finding open lanes, moving the puck quickly and
being in the right places. The Washington Capitals tried faking shots to get
the Rangers to leave their feet. The Devils fired the puck toward teammates
in the slot instead of directly at Lundqvist.
Rangers defensemen Dan Girardi and Marc Staal each blocked five shots,
anyway. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Anton Stralman each blocked
three, as did Ryan Callahan. Only one Devil, the defenseman Marek
Zidlicky, blocked as many as three shots — but he had five of his shots
blocked by the Rangers.
“They’re a good shot-blocking team,” DeBoer said. “Every team you play
has strengths in certain areas. And that’s one of the Rangers’ strengths.
One of the strengths of the New Jersey Devils is our penalty kill. It’s
something you have to deal with. It’s not the story of the series.”
Referring to the Devils’ five-day break that preceded the series, DeBoer
said: “And when I look back at the game last night, I think it was as much
our execution, or lack of execution. Whether that was the layoff or
whatever, we have to do a better job executing, too.”
Patrik Elias, the Devils’ veteran forward, said late Monday that the Rangers
were not the type of opponent that gives up 30 to 40 shots a game,
especially in the playoffs. The Devils and the Rangers average the same
amount of shots on goal (27), the Rangers have blocked twice as many,
293 to 146.
The Devils said they thought they played well for the first two periods
Monday, and defenseman Andy Greene added, “If we could have squeaked
one in there, you never know how things were going to change.”
Star Ledger LOADED: 05.16.2012
631208
New Jersey Devils
Devils' Martin Brodeur: Rangers' shot blocking not exciting, but effective
But a minute later, he said: “We’ve got to get shots off quicker. We’ve got to
get them to the net. And it doesn’t matter how they get there.”
631207
Rich Chere
New Jersey Devils
Devils also block shots but with a different philosophy than Rangers
The Devils have the t-shirts with the slogan on the back, but one game into
the Eastern Conference finals it is the Rangers who appear to be executing
their own version of “Swarm It Up.”
So successful is coach John Tortorella’s team at blocking shots that some
wonder if that tactic should be made illegal for the good of the game.
Mike Vorkunov/
The Devils, if the message wasn’t sent to them strongly enough Monday
night, spent another day talking about the litany of blocked shots the
Rangers stood in for during their Game 1 victory. It was 26 in total, though
that number pales in comparison to how many times Devils players had to
answer questions about it.
But why was there no talk of the Devils’ own shot-blocking prowess? They
did block 15 Rangers shots, with Marek Zidlicky standing in the way of
three. Still, the disparity in the totals doesn’t lie in the willingness of one
team to put their body in harm’s way, but in the difference in organizational
preference.
The Rangers want to create a multi-level defense that means shooters have
to get past well-positioned bodies before their shots reach Henrik Lundqvist.
The Devils, however, don’t place as high an emphasis on blocking shots
because it can leave the defender behind the play if they aren’t successful
or a shooter fakes.
It shows in the stats. The Rangers had two players in the top-10 in blocked
shots this year, in Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh. The Devils’ most
prolific player was Anton Volchenkov, coming in at No. 58.
“We try to get in the shot lane and deter them from shooting on net,” Mark
Fayne said, a day after he blocked two shots. “Make them miss the net
wide or just pass it. It’s a little different philosophy to just get them not to
shoot when they try to block every shot. I think there’s good and bad for
both. Clearly it works for them where they try to block everything and we try
to stay in position so in case there is a shot or a rebound so we can recover
quickly and just try to get the puck out of the zone quickly.”
The Devils know that there is an importance to the technique, but it’s just
the emphasis that separates them from the Rangers.
“I think it’s definitely a critical part of the game, especially on the penalty kill,
stuff like that when you really need to come up and get big blocked shots,”
Fayne said. “It’s also more of a mindset too, knowing that it’s the playoffs
and do whatever it takes, a lot of times that’s a blocked shot or taking a hit. I
think it also discourages the other team when they keep getting their shots
blocked but in our case, since that happened so much last night, we have to
figure out a way to get around it.”
The upside of blocking shots is that it can cause frustration in opponents,
which Travis Zajac and Fayne admitted was a result for the Devils.
“A little bit but you can only get frustrated with yourself because we knew
they were going to do that,” Fayne said. “We knew how they played. They
played the same way all year. We just have to make a few adjustments and
get the shots around them.”
There are appropriate times to get in front of a shot. Fayne showed that
himself in Game 1 when he lost his stock but stayed on the ice to try to stop
a 3-on-2 rush, used himself as a human shield and got his left arm in the
way of a shot. He now has a red welt on the inside of arm to show for it. It
may sting for now, but it’s not the time to think about minor pains like that or
jumping in to block a shot.
“There definitely are guys that think about it because they’re picking one leg
up or are trying to block it but really don’t,” Fayne said. “But I think at this
time of the year you just go all out and do whatever it takes. A bruise isn’t
going to hurt that much.”
That idea brought a smile to face of goalie Martin Brodeur, who has three
Stanley Cup rings partially due to the fact the Devils were so adept at
playing the neutral zone trap.
“I’m the wrong guy to ask. We were blamed for the trap. We were
successful at it,” Brodeur said today as the Devils stayed off the ice and in
the video room in an effort to find some shooting lanes for Game 2.
“Whatever brings success is what you need to do. I know (shot-blocking) is
probably not the most exciting brand of hockey, but it’s really effective.
They’ve gotten into people’s heads by doing what they are doing. They’re
tough to play against because of that.”
At the very least frustrating. The Rangers blocked 26 shots in Game 1,
although NHL stats are notoriously inaccurate.
“We have to do a better job of getting pucks through,” defenseman Andy
Greene said. “That’s their system. Everyone does it. Some are better than
others. They pack it in pretty tight down low.”
The Rangers’ own version of Swarming It Up.
“They make you work. It’s not an easy game playing against them. They
make you work for everything,” captain Zach Parise said. “You have to be
prepared to be hit and to create scoring chances the hard way because
they don’t give anything easy.
“Those guys are used to playing low-scoring games. They’re comfortable
playing low-scoring games. So are we. It would be nice to get that lead.
Every team is a better team when they have the lead. The goals from both
sides are going to be tough to come by.”
The Devils have been in this spot before. They lost Game 1 to the Flyers in
the previous round and then won the next four in a row. The key is not
letting the Rangers’ shot-blocking get in their heads.
“That’s part of their game. It’s part of all teams’ game. It’s how they’ve
played all season long,” Ilya Kovalchuk said. “It’s not a big deal. It’s not a
one-game series.”
Coach Pete DeBoer thinks the attention on the Rangers’ shot-blocking is a
little misguided.
“It’s definitely not the story of the series,” he said. “They’re a good shotblocking team. Every team you play has strengths in certain areas and
that’s one of the Rangers’ strengths. One of the strengths of the New
Jersey Devils is our penalty kill. It’s something you have to deal with.
“When I look back at the game, it was as much our execution, or lack of
execution. Whether that was the layoff or whatever, we’ve got to do a better
job executing.”
In losing Game 1 to the Flyers, the Devils justifiably pointed to the quick
turnaround after the seven-game series against the Florida Panthers. They
will not use the week-long layoff before the start of this series as an excuse.
“We kept almost the same schedule as if we would’ve played games,”
Brodeur pointed out. “We took a day off, practiced really hard, took a day
off. We almost played our seven games against the Flyers without playing
competitive hockey.”
So now what?
“It’s finding lanes, moving the puck quickly, being in the right places,”
DeBoer said. “We’ve got a plan.”
DeBoer said he does not view shot-blocking as the latest curse hurting the
game.
Today was his hardest day on the ice but he said he's been riding the bike
and running.
“I’m worried about getting a win,” he said. “I’m not worried about changing
the game. Shot-blocking has been around for 30 years. Some teams do it
better than others.”
Josefson has yet to practice with the team.
"Obviously if I want to play, the first step is for me to practice with the guys,"
he noted.
If the Devils cannot solve this issue, they won’t be around for long. They
can take their Swarm It Up t-shirts and call it a successful, if disappointing,
season.
He already has a playoff beard.
He said he surprised himself how well his playoff beard came in.
631209
Looking back at the injury, Josefson said: "It was not fun at all. I felt good
and it was almost playoff time and I was really looking forward to playing.
Now I have a chance and I'll do my best to get an opportunity to play."
New Jersey Devils
Devils' Martin Brodeur stopped talking on game days because of negativity
Rich Chere/
"I'm ready," Josefson said with a smile.
DeBoer on losing Game 1: “You’re down one game. They have home ice
advantage. We’ve been in this spot before. We know we can play better.
Credit to them. They got the job done and found a way to get a win. Now it’s
on us to respond the right way.”
Andy Greene; “We can’t get down and change the way we’re playing.”
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur is a rarity for more than just the numerous
records he holds. Ordinarily, he is one of the NHL's few goalies willing to
talk to reporters on the day of a game.
But not in these playoffs.
At some point during the opening round against the Florida Panthers,
Brodeur decided to stop making himself available on game days because of
all the negative questions and he says it's been beneficial.
"I think it has been. In the past there was not as much negative stuff said to
me in the morning," he explained. "I felt early on in the series against
Florida everything I had to talk about was defending my team not winning
two games in a row, not winning a series since 2007. And you know what?
On game days I don't need to have that aggravation in my head. It was all
because of these type of questions that were asked to me.
"I figured, let it be for the time being in morning skates. It's been working out
good. I've been a lot more positive without bad thoughts in my mind."
Zach Parise on Henrik Lundqvist: “We’ve played against him quite a bit. I
think this year was the first time in a long time he didn’t actually start (one)
game against us. We’ve seen our fair share of him throughout the years.
We know how he plays. He plays deep. He plays a lot deeper than most
goalies in the league.He anticipates the pass across really well laterally. So
he’s pretty unique in that aspect of the way he plays. But he’s a butterfly
goalie. All the goalies in the league are butterflies now. Nothing changes.
You always preach the same thing: Get in their sight lines.”
631211
New Jersey Devils
Devils hot topic: Which member of Rangers have you hated the most?
By NJ.com Staff
631210
New Jersey Devils
Devils' Jacob Josefson hopes to play in series against Rangers
The long rivalry of Devils vs. Rangers has produced many, many heroes
and many, many villains. One might even say that some of the perceived
villains are that way because of how good they were.
Stéphane Matteau might be on your most-hated list for the simple reason of
his classic series-winning goal in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
Rich Chere/
Among some of the other possibilities: Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Sean
Avery, Mike Rupp, and Henrik Lundqvist. Let's not limit this to players,
either. So John Tortorella, come on down!
Devils center Jacob Josefson, sidelined since he fractured his left wrist on
April 3, is hopeful of playing in this round of the playoffs against the
Rangers.
We want to hear who is your most-hated Ranger of all time. Drop down to
the comments section below to discuss.
"I hope so. That's my goal. That's why I'm working hard right now. I think
there is an opportunity to do it, so I'll do my best to try to be ready."
Also, check out the Rangers fans' perspective on a similar hot topic about
hating Devils players.
Josefson and defenseman Henrik Tallinder both skated today under the
guidance of strength and conditioning coach Mike Vasalani.
631212
It would be a long shot for Tallinder, out since Jan. 19 with acute
thrombophlebitis (blood clots in his leg) to play again this spring. But
Josesfon is a realistic possibility.
Devils' Cam Janssen, Peter Harrold, Eric Boulton skate with AHL squad
New Jersey Devils
"They're getting closer," coach Pete DeBoer said.
Tallinder had been skating lightly for three months but has recently stepped
it up. He did not talk to reporters today.
"He's past some hurdles," DeBoer said.
The moment Josefson suffered his injury, he was hoping his teammates
could keep playing until he was ready to return.
"That was my first thought," Josefson said. "I hoped we would go a long
way so I'd be able to play. I'm not 100 percent yet but it's getting better each
day. The strength is almost all the way back and the motion is almost
normal. There is some progress every day. The strength and motion are
coming back better and better every day. I like the progress."
Rich Chere/
Devils extras Eric Boulton, Cam Janssen, Tim Sestito, Matt Taormina and
Peter Harrold practiced today at the AmeriHealth Pavilion with the club's
AHL squad.
Henrik Tallinder, sidelined with blood clots in his leg, went on the ice after
the AHL practice session along with center Jacob Josefson.
Tallinder, who received high-fives from several players, including Mattias
Tedenby, has been skating on his own for some time but is probably not
going to be available for the playoffs.
What do you think was the biggest reason for the Devils' Game 1 loss?
Here are some reasons we've highlighted. Read on, vote in the poll and
then head to the comments section to talk about it.
Josefson, recovering from a fractured wrist and surgery, has been skating
on his own and could be available at some point if the Devils stay alive in
the playoffs.
Rangers defense -- The Blueshirts blocked 26 shots, and even Marty
Brodeur said after the game the Devils needed to get more pucks on net.
Henrik Lundqvist made some key saves, but he only had to make 21 of
them, thanks in part to the Rangers' steady defense.
The Devils were scheduled to practice at noon, but they had a team
meeting rather than go on the ice.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Rangers will be
played Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won
Game 1, 3-0.
631213
New Jersey Devils
Devils find themselves facing heavy traffic against Rangers
Mike Vorkunov
Rust/long layoff -- The Devils didn't look like they had the same juice that
they showed during the series against Philadelphia -- some of that because
of the opponent and some may have been because of the long five-day
layoff and possible rust. In the third period, the Rangers -- who just finished
a seven-game series -- were skating circles around the Devils.
Special teams -- The Devils were 0-for-4 on the power play, and only tallied
two shots on goal during their time with the extra man. Even worse, they
allowed four shorthanded shots on goal. Along with that, when the Rangers
tacked onto their lead with a power-play goal, it all but sealed the outcome
of Game 1.
Stars didn't finish -- On offense, Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise had their
chances but couldn't finish. Each of the Devils' two stars failed to score on a
breakaway that would have given the Devils a 1-0 lead. Combined, Kovy
and Parise had eight of the team's 21 shots on goal but nothing to show for
it.
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers Game 1 of the Eastern
Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs
Vote for one of these or the "other" option and explain your thinking by
telling us why in the comments section below.
Martin Brodeur offered a frank, if not glib, assessment of how he thought his
opposite in goal, Henrik Lundqvist played in the Rangers' 3-0 Game 1
victory.
"Well, in my view, I saw him about 10 minutes of the game because there
were so many Ranger players in front of me," Brodeur said. "He played
pretty well."
His point stood. Brodeur faced 27 shots Monday night and most of them
came with a Ranger or several in front of him. The opening goal, a shot
from the blueline by Dan Girardi, came as Derek Stepan set up in front of
the crease. That was just one of many times that the Devils were unable to
keep Brodeur's sight lines clear.
The Devils, conversely, struggled to create obstacles in front of Lundqvist.
Given a difficult task of scoring on the Rangers' netminder -- made even
more difficult by the
Rangers' propensity for blocking shots -- getting players to screen Lundqvist
and create visibility problems is key going forward.
"Sure, you want more traffic," Devils coach Pete DeBoer said of what his
team can do better in Game 2. "You want more shots. We've got to find a
way to stick them in the back of the neck. We know we can do that. We've
done it before. We watched Washington score on them. We watched
Ottawa score on them. We've just gotta find a way."
The Devils, after the loss, talked of playing smarter, of finding different
shooting lanes and taking advantage of the Rangers' desire to get down
and block shots by faking first. But also there exists a need to get more
pucks -- and bodies -- to the net.
"We might have got a little too cute once in a while," DeBoer said. "But it
was probably an area we can probably improve a little bit at."
631214
New Jersey Devils
Devils hot topic: What was the biggest reason for Game 1 loss to Rangers?
NJ.com Staff
Game 1 did not turn out how the Devils and their fans had hoped, as the
Rangers left Madison Square Garden with a 3-0 win. After two scoreless
periods, the Blueshirts dominated the third period to grab the victory and
the early series lead.
631215
New Jersey Devils
Devils have narrow margin for error against Rangers
Mike Vorkunov/
They were the first words out of Pete DeBoer's mouth. The Devils coach,
without pause, said that Monday night's game was a simple case of the first
to score being the one that wins. He had that thought before the Rangers'
first goal 53 seconds into the third period to break a scoreless deadlock,
and he was correct.
"I think whoever was going to score first tonight was going to win," DeBoer
said. "And they threw a point shot at the net that found a way through. We
threw a lot of those at the net, too, and didn't find one through. So that was
the story of the game. And we've been in this spot before. We were down 10 to Philly and we know how to handle this."
It's true, the Devils found themselves down a game to start the last round
but some circumstances have changed. Against the Flyers, the Devils said
they had a resolve if they fell behind. This round, against the Eastern
Conference's top seed in the conference final, the Devils' margin of error is
slimmer.
The Rangers will try to replicate Game 1's recipe for victory -- perfect
goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist and a slew of Rangers willing to jump in
front of the Devils' shots -- throughout the series.
"I think that’s how it’s going to be all series," Zach Parise said. "Not saying
that the first goal is going to win it but the goals are going to be tough to
come by in this series, both ways. So we just have to do a better job and
bear down."
Not helping the Devils was their non-existent power play. They went 0-for-4
with a man advantage.
"Not as good as it needs to be," Parise said. "We had some OK looks and
some other times we didn’t set up. We have to be a little better about that.
They pressure really well. We just have to make better passes, better plays.
Our power play is going to have to be a lot better."
Despite the task ahead -- winning four of six remaining games in the series
against a stingy Rangers club -- the Devils expect adjustments within their
own locker room can tilt the series.
"It’s one game," Parise said. "We know what we have to do better. Their
goalie played very well. We just have to be a lot better."
631216
New Jersey Devils
Martin Brodeur kept the Devils in the game, he just couldn't win it for them
Mike Vorkunov/
NEW YORK — The Madison Square Garden crowd taunted Martin Brodeur
all night. In between synchronized waves of white towels, they serenaded
him with chants of “Maaarty, Maaarty,” hoping to break through.
For 40 minutes, they were in vain. For the final 19:07, they were haunting
reminders.
Brodeur is the other goaltender in this Eastern Conference finals series — a
secondary role he has not had to play very frequently in his career.
Monday night, he did though, taking the loss and leaving amongst the
defeated in the Devils’ 3-0 Game 1 loss to the Rangers.
But for all the plaudits that will be heaped on Henrik Lundqvist, who picked
up his
second shutout of the postseason, it was Brodeur who played the foil
perfectly for two periods.
By NJ.com Staff
John Tortorella has been a hot topic during the NHL playoffs, but not
necessarily for all the right reasons. Instead of fans and media talking about
his great season behind the bench coaching the Rangers, a lot of the focus
has been on Tortorella's antics during press conferences.
The coach often refuses to answer questions about individual players or
specific parts of a game, and when he gets fed up with a reporter or a
question, he'll sometimes just bolt.
This is nothing new with Tortorella. What, don't believe us? Just type "John
Tortorella" into a YouTube search.
With that said, though, the coach has won a Stanley Cup and is three wins
away from getting the Rangers back into the finals for the first time since
1994. So maybe we can't question the way he goes about his business and
does things.
What do you think about Tortorella as a coach and his approach to press
conferences? Do you enjoy watching him, or do you think it poorly reflects
on the organization? Is he within his right to act the way he does and not
answer questions? Or does he owe it to fans and the media in the No. 1
market to be more forthcoming? Drop down to the comments section to
discuss.
As the Devils sputtered out of the gate, unable to get past the wall of
Rangers willing to fling their bodies in front of shots — let alone get one
past Lundqvist — Brodeur was also stout.
631218
“Marty was unbelievable again for us,” Stephen Gionta said. “He gave us a
chance to win.”
Brodeur made 25 saves on 27 shots, one so stellar it’s sure to be on the
highlight reel.
New Jersey Devils
The Record
Still, he was not perfect on a night when almost-so was not good enough.
Just 53 seconds into the third period, he allowed Dan Girardi’s shot from
the blue line to whistle past him.
1. Chris Kreider, Rangers: Rookie set up Dan Girardi's goal to give the
Blueshirts the lead and scored on the power play later in the third period.
Girardi’s shot earned a pathway past Brodeur thanks to Derek Stepan, who
settled in front of the crease to inhibit his view.
2. Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers: Made 21 saves to post his second shutout of
this year's playoffs and the fifth postseason shutout of his career.
That gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. It was backbreaking.
3. Dan Girardi, Rangers: Broke a scoreless tie by scoring on his right point
shot 53 seconds into the third period.
“I felt that the first goal tonight was probably going to win,” Devils coach
Pete DeBoer said. “It was that type of game.”
Bergen Record LOADED: 05.16.2012
His foresight proved true. The Rangers scored again 11 minutes later when
Chris Kreider broke through, snapping a shot past Brodeur from inside the
faceoff circle. That’s when the crowd’s noise rained down full bore.
“Maaaarty, Maaarty.”
631219
New Jersey Devils
Devils notes: Josefson getting closer
It was all in good fun for Brodeur.
“I’m used to it,” he said. “It’s a great atmosphere. It’s a great building to play
hockey in.”
Yet, Brodeur’s night was just as much about saves he made, as the two
shots he could not.
Down 1-0, he made a diving save on Marc Staal that forced the Rangers
defenseman to his knees in contemplation of what he had just seen.
Staal seemed to have the entire near side of the net for his choosing but
Brodeur sprawled to make a glove save.
“Those are the saves you need to win,” Gionta said.
Brodeur could only provide enough of them to keep the Devils in the game,
not enough for them to win.
631217
New Jersey Devils
Devils-Rangers hot topic: What are your thoughts on John Tortorella?
Tom Gulitti
Josefson gets closer
Center Jacob Josefson (fractured left wrist) and defenseman Henrik
Tallinder (blood clot in left leg) skated on their own Tuesday afternoon and
Devils coach Pete DeBoer said both are "getting closer" to returning.
Although DeBoer said Tallinder, who hasn’t played since Jan. 17, has
"passed some hurdles" it’s probably a long shot that he’ll play again this
season.
Josefson, who was injured April 3, said his wrist is "getting better and better
every day, and the strength is almost back and the [range of] motion almost
normal."
Josefson hopes to play before the end of the conference finals, but has to
be cleared to practice.
"I think it is an opportunity for me to do it, so I will do my best to try to be
ready," he said.
At home on the road
With Madison Square Garden just a short bus ride away (without traffic), the
Devils will sleep at home every night during this series. That takes away
some of the camaraderie the players usually feel when they’re together on
a road trip, though.
"When you play in the playoffs, you go [on the road] for four days at least
once in the series and then you get together," goaltender Martin Brodeur
said. "Now, it’s kind of everybody by themselves a little bit. That makes it a
little different. But it’s fun. It’s great. It’s a long year, so it’s nice to break it
up like that and be able to play almost seven home games."
Briefs
The Devils didn’t practice Tuesday, but extras Eric Boulton, Tim Sestito,
Cam Janssen, Peter Harrold and Matt Taormina skated with the group of
the organization’s minor league players who have been practicing
throughout the playoffs. … The Devils have never won a series in which
they lost the first two games on the road. They are 6-1 in the last seven in
which they split the first two games on the road.
631220
Tuesday when asked if he thought the recent trend toward shot-blockingcentric defense is a potential problem for the sport.
“I’m the wrong guy to answer that question,” Brodeur said. “We were
blamed for the trap when we were successful at it. So, whatever brings
success is what you need to do. And I know it’s probably not the most
exciting brand of hockey, but it’s really effective. And, again, they got it in
people’s heads by doing what they’re doing, and they’re tough to play
against because of that.”
There already have been a lot of questions about whether the Rangers’
shot-blocking is in the Devils’ heads. They insist otherwise.
“It’s definitely not the story of the series,” DeBoer said. “They’re a good
shot-blocking team. Every team you play has strengths in certain areas and
that’s one of the Rangers’ strengths. One of the strengths of the New
Jersey Devils is our penalty kill. It’s something you have to deal with. It’s not
the story of the series.”
631221
New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
Devils battle cry: One doesn’t mean we’re done
NY Rangers’ enforcer Mike Rupp has seen both sides of Blueshirts vs. N.J.
Devils rivalry
By TOM GULITTI
By Peter Botte
NEWARK – Down but not discouraged, the Devils believe that if they stick
with what has gotten them this far they will be able to break through against
the Rangers tonight and even this Eastern Conference finals series.
Mike Rupp was in his first season with the Devils in 2003 — the one that
ended with him scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal — when he realized
the extent of the rivalry with the Rangers.
Following Monday night’s 3-0 Game 1 loss, the Devils head back to
Madison Square Garden for Game 2 and still have a chance to achieve
their objective of splitting the first two games of the series on the road.
“I just remember the chants. . . . We were playing the Florida Panthers and
(the Devils fans) were chanting “Rangers suck,’” Rupp, who now serves a
fourth-line role for the Rangers, said before the Blueshirts won Game 1 of
the Eastern Conference finals, 3-0, Monday night at the Garden. “That’s the
one thing I remember thinking: ‘Wow, there must be something to this. It’s
obviously something special.’
“It’s only one game,” Devils right wing Ilya Kovalchuk said Tuesday. “It’s
happened with us before where we lose one game. [Tonight] is a must-win
game for us, and we just have to be focused and do our best. We know
what to do to be successful and we just have to do that.”
After a 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers in Game 1 of the conference
semifinals, the Devils responded with one of their most complete efforts of
the season in a 4-1 Game 2 victory in Philadelphia. And they played that
game without Kovalchuk, who was sidelined with a lower-back injury.
“You’re down one game and they have home-ice advantage,” Devils coach
Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve been in this spot before. We know we can play
better, and credit to them, they got the job done, found a way to get a win.
Now, it’s on us to respond the right way.”
Although they were shut out by Henrik Lundqvist in Game 1, the Devils saw
enough positives in the way they played through the scoreless first two
periods to believe they don’t need to make any major adjustments. They
were able to create some chances off their forecheck, particularly in the
second period, and feel they’ll generate more if they can maintain the same
effort for the full game.
“But right now, at this point in the playoffs, I think that’s more for the fans
and the media to have fun with. For us, it’s about going out there and
winning four games.”
Rupp, 32, actually has connections to all three local teams. He was a top10 pick of the Islanders in 1998, but the hulking winger didn’t sign with them
and re-entered the draft, only to be selected by the Devils in the third round
of 2000.
Rupp served two tours of duty with Jersey — with stops in Phoenix and
Columbus in between — before two productive seasons in Pittsburgh (22
goals and 244 penalty minutes) landed him a three-year, $4.5 million
contract to fill a tough-guy role with the Rangers last summer.
“It’s good for the game, it’s good for the fans, this series and the buzz
around here,” Rupp said of the first Rangers-Devils series since 2008. “We
know the Knicks are done. These are teams that are close to each other,
that don’t like each other.”
“I think we still feel pretty good about the way we played for 40 minutes
[Monday] night, and we know that that game could have gone both ways,”
Devils captain Zach Parise said.
Rupp, of course, took part in the three-fight brawl just after the opening
faceoff that marred the game between the teams on March 19. But he
expects little, if any, carryover from that unsightly incident.
“We just didn’t play well enough for a long enough period of time and that
was a big difference. But we feel really comfortable with the way we played.
We still have to be much better, and we will be. I don’t think we played
nearly as good as we’re capable of playing.”
“Those are just kind of moments that happened, but right now, it’s a lot
bigger than rivalries,” Rupp said. “I think we’re at a stage in the season right
now in the playoffs where we need to take the next step, and both teams
probably feel the same way.
Much has been made already of the Rangers’ commitment to blocking
shots and having their forwards play lower in the defensive zone to clog the
shooting lanes. The Devils had trouble fighting through that Monday as the
Lundqvist’s teammates blocked more shots (26) than the 21 he had to stop.
“We’re going to go out there and do our thing. It’s not like all of a sudden,
because it’s New Jersey, that we’re going to play harder or play better. I’d
like to think we’d play the same if it was anybody. So I don’t really think
about it right now. Maybe in the early parts of the playoffs you would, but
not now.”
The Rangers’ style doesn’t produce the most visually pleasing hockey, but,
as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said, “It’s really effective.”
Brodeur remembers the days when many criticized the Devils for playing
the neutral-zone trap and accused them of making the game boring with
their suffocating defensive style. So, Brodeur wasn’t about to take the bait
Rupp, the only player in Stanley Cup history to have his first career playoff
goal be the Cup-winner, also said the Devils have become more of an
offensive team under first-year coach Pete DeBoer than those he played on
from 2002-04 and 2007-09.
“Right now, you’re four wins away from getting to where you’ve been
working so hard to get to as a team, so I don’t really think about any of
that,” Rupp said. “I really don’t. I don’t look at it like me once playing for
them or them being our biggest rivals, that’s kind of non-existent right now.
Right now it’s about winning hockey games, it doesn’t matter who it’s
against.”
New York Daily News LOADED: 05.16.2012
631222
New Jersey Devils
“Every time it’s brought up, it’s a good lesson,” McDonagh said of the trade.
“I say it was a good lesson to learn that there was a business side of things,
and I was able to learn that at a young age.”
“I love the guys we have in our locker room and what we’ve got going,” said
the 22-year-old with overgrown poise. “It’s a special feeling to be a part of
that.”
And odds are McDonagh will get a chance to be a part of it, along with
Girardi, for a long time to come.
“I’m not sure if I’ll ever split those two guys up,” Tortorella said. “That’s just
the way it works, and that’s the interesting part when you have injuries, how
things work out.”
New York Post LOADED: 05.16.2012
By BRETT CYRGALIS
631223
Early October must seem like years ago for Rangers coach John Tortorella,
who was then faced with a decision to find a top defensive pair and
stumbled upon a duo that has been bettered by few, if any, in the league.
It was in Stockholm, Sweden, on Oct. 7, 2011, when Dan Girardi and Ryan
McDonagh played together for game No. 1 of 82 in the regular season. It
has been followed by 15 playoff games as the shutdown blue line mates
prepare for Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals
against the Devils at the Garden, up in the best-of-seven series, 1-0.
By DAVID SATRIANO
Tortorella was forced to match the two because Marc Staal, the regular
partner for Girardi the previous four seasons, was suffering from postconcussion symptoms that would keep him out until the Winter Classic on
Jan. 2.
“It’s funny how it works out when you end up with injuries,” Tortorella said
Tuesday. “We always talk about when there are injuries, another guy gets
an opportunity. You never know where it’s going to lead you.”
Where it led Tortorella was to finding more than just a replacement for
Staal, but an emerging young talent in McDonagh that has proven in these
playoffs to be as integral in the Rangers’ defense as anyone.
“With [McDonagh], the amount of time he got so quickly in key situations
because of that injury has accelerated his process, where that may be a
year down the road if we didn’t have an injury,” Tortorella said. “So you
never know how this works out.”
McDonagh made his presence felt in Monday’s 3-0 Rangers win in Game 1,
covering for Girardi when the Devils’ two most lethal scorers, Zach Parise
and Ilya Kovalchuk, both sprung through with breakaways and were caught
from behind by McDonagh.
“I’m lucky he’s such a good skater,” Girardi said. “I had a couple of tough
plays right off the start. And I think Mac did a good job of covering for me
and making some good, solid plays, and that helped me get past a couple
of things.”
McDonagh also helped Tortorella get past Michael Sauer’s concussion,
when the top-four defenseman was drilled by the Maple Leafs’ Dion
Phaneuf on Dec. 5. Sauer has been out indefinitely, not skating with the
team since February.
When Staal did return, Tortorella had to decide if he wanted to reunite him
and Girardi, or keep Girardi and McDonagh together. First, he eased Staal
back in by pairing him with the sixth defenseman, Stu Bickel. In Winnipeg
on March 28, Tortorella decided Staal was ready to play more, so he paired
him with Anton Stralman, while Michael Del Zotto went with Bickel.
With the exception of some in-game switches on the back two pairs —
mostly in the third period — Tortorella has stayed with those combinations.
They have proven to trust each other, which Girardi and McDonagh did
right off the bat.
“I think if there’s a grace period like that, you’re not going to be very
successful,” Girardi said. “Especially starting the year in Europe and kind of
got together there, and it was just had to have trust in the guy right away.”
McDonagh came to the Rangers in a trade from Montreal three years ago
that sent Scott Gomez and his dead-weight contract into Canadian
hibernation. McDonagh has turned out to be the gem of that deal,
highlighted not only by his stellar season, but a postseason that has seen
he and Girardi contain the Senators’ Jason Spezza in the first round and
the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin in the second.
New Jersey Devils
Petr Sykora is the only current Devil who knows what it’s like to also play for
the Rangers. He has played eight seasons with the Devils, compared with
just 40 games with the Rangers in 2006. Though many players who have
been on either side will tell you how intense this rivalry is, to Sykora, this is
just another series.
“For me personally, I just try to take it as any other team. I just worry about
my own game, the team’s game,” he said. “All that matters is between the
first whistle and the last whistle.”
Monday night, the Devils couldn’t manage to put any pucks behind Henrik
Lundqvist between the first and last whistles in a 3-0 loss, leaving them
trailing 1-0 in the Eastern Conference finals entering Game 2 Wednesday
night. But Sykora’s attitude makes it easier to not get distracted and just
focus on the task at hand.
“He can be a big part of a team. He doesn’t get too many chances to put
the puck in, but he keeps playing his game no matter what is going on out
there,” teammate and good friend Patrik Elias said. “The way he
approaches the game, he is loose in practice. He doesn’t get too stressed
out. It’s just a game. It’s an important game, but it is just a game.”
The 35-year old Sykora was on the Devils when they went 15-0-8 during a
four-season span against the Rangers from 1997-2001. He was hurt and
did not play when the teams met in the 1997 conference semifinals, but was
on the Rangers in 2006 when the Devils swept the teams’ opening-round
series, so he has seen his ups-and-downs in this rivalry. Still, it is just
another game to him.
“I’m fighting for the Stanley Cup Finals right now,” Sykora said. “I am just
very happy the way it went for me the whole season, and I just want to keep
it going. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played one playoff game or 150, we all
play the same way and that is why we have success.”
Sykora played in the Czech League and the KHL last season, almost
retiring, but then got a call from Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello. He
was offered a tryout in preseason and passed with flying colors, making the
roster with a $650,000 contract.
“Great story. Everyone knows the story of how he got here. Nothing was
promised to him other than the ability to come out and skate. Full credit to
Lou, who obviously had had him and recognized some special things he
did,” head coach Peter DeBoer said.
Sykora scored 21 goals this season, including six game-winners. He played
in all 82 games, and had four points in the six games against the Rangers
during the regular season. But his playoff experience is invaluable, having
reached five Stanley Cup Finals, winning two (Devils in 2000, Penguins in
2008). He has played in 128 playoff games over his career with 34 goals
and 39 assists.
“We were a team that was 30th in scoring the year before. I think as a
group, we didn’t want to close the door on anything that we thought would
be able to rectify that. Petr is a guy that’s come in and really helped in that
area,” DeBoer said.
He has also helped make sure his teammates put the rivalry aside and
focus on winning.
Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique says deliberate head-hunting isn’t
necessary.
“All the stuff around it, the media, the hype, doesn’t matter,’’ Sykora said.
“All that matters is what we are going to do between the first and last
whistle.”
“You pay the price to block shots,” the center said. “It’s always been part of
the game.
631224
New Jersey Devils
By JUSTIN TERRANOVA
The Devils have launched an online campaign to try to convince fans not to
sell their tickets to their Rangers counterparts.
The plan concentrates on stopping Rangers fan from infiltrating Prudential
Center in the secondary market, where Devils fans who cannot attend the
game or games sell off their tickets.
Here are some of the options the Devils laid out on their website:
If you own seats and have to sell for any of the home games because of
conflicts, do NOT list your seats on the secondary market. The team
recommends several blogs to list available seats and suggests asking for
pictures or to meet in person to ensure the buyer is a Devils fan.
If fans are unsure about conversing on Devils blogs to sell tickets, they can
call the Devils Fan Experience Team line at 855-DEV-ARMY, and as a
service they will help sell seats to fellow Devils fans.
Tickets are available for all games on the secondary market and the team
lists websites such as Ticket Exchange in encouraging Devils fans to scoop
up the remaining seats.
“Either find a way around it or find a way through it. I don’t think you look to
hit a guy in the head.”
The numbers are daunting. The Rangers blocked 26 Devils shots Monday,
and Jersey missed on 15 more, putting just 21 on Henrik Lundqvist in 62
attempts. Ilya Kovalchuk’s big shot staggered Derek Stepan in the first, but
Stepan returned to action.
“Hah,” Kovalchuk responded when asked if the Devils would shoot to maim.
“No, we have to find the lanes. We played against them a lot, and that’s
their strategy. When we were successful the last game in Jersey (March 6),
we beat them 4-1, our ‘D’ found a way to put the puck on net, with traffic in
front.”
The Eastern Conference has watched and waited all season as the
Rangers blocked shots all the way to the top seed. Now they’re seven
victories from their second Stanley Cup in 72 years. It still is working.
“We’ve got a plan,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said.
They will be honorable. The Rangers will block shots, the Devils will try to
exploit sliding defenders. It’s a Stanley Cup playoff series, push and shove,
act and react. Perhaps DeBoer will reunite Kovalchuk and Zach Parise.
Then it will be Tortorella’s turn to react.
But despite DeBoer’s insistence yesterday that “it’s definitely not the story
of the series,” the shot-blocking is the first issue for a losing team to
resolve.
631226
New Jersey Devils
631225
New Jersey Devils
By MARK EVERSON
The Rangers consciously risk their bodies — and lives — in their signature
shot-blocking strategy. They gain a major advantage, yet they object to the
suggestion that the Devils might exploit those risks.
The Devils’ dilemma is to avoid becoming good losers — like the Senators
and Capitals before them — while remaining good sportsmen.
“They’re hot at blocking shots. We might be able to hurt a few guys [by]
hitting one-timers in the foot and their head or something,” goalie Martin
Brodeur said after the Devils were blanked 3-0 in Monday’s Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference finals.
It could be ruled unsportsmanlike conduct or attempt to injure. It would be
condemnable. Apologists would call it “doing what it takes.”
Ah, but this is ice hockey, where John Ferguson rips Bobby Hull’s football
facemask off his head to pound his still-broken jaw.
The Devils may have to decide whether they would prefer winning dirty to
losing admirably.
Should they wait until they see the whites of their eyes?
“I can’t tell you that to put in the paper,” one Devil said.
“That’s a little hard-core,” winger Dainius Zubrus said. “I haven’t done that
yet in my career, actually shoot at anybody’s face. I’m not really planning on
it. I think there are still lanes to get it through. Sometimes the puck gets
away, and people get hit. But honestly, I’ve never aimed at anybody’s
head.”
By LARRY BROOKS
I've got to tell you, I can’t even begin to imagine exactly what Martin
Brodeur was thinking after the Devils’ 3-0 defeat in Game 1 of the Battle of
the Hudson on Monday, in which the Rangers blocked more shots (26) than
actually got through to Henrik Lundqvist (21), but clearly, he allowed
frustration to get the best of him.
There’s no other way to explain how this 18-year NHL veteran, who never
has hurt an opponent in his life, would suggest, as he did, that, “Hopefully
we’ll be able to hurt a few guys [by] getting one-timers in the foot or their
head or something …”
The foot or the head or something … which translates into Brodeur putting
his foot in his mouth or something.
But then, even worse, there were Devils yesterday who actually seemed
willing to debate whether this different kind of headhunting might be a
legitimate tactic to discourage shot-blocking, though none would suggest it
ever could be or ever would be adopted by New Jersey’s team.
Still, the seed has been planted. When a pitcher who muses about brushing
someone back nails a batter in the head, the presumption of innocence has
been forfeited, the purpose having been advertised.
What now would be the response from the Rangers, forget for the moment
from the NHL, if a shot off a Devil’s stick went awry, as in right into the face
a Blueshirts defender?
Brad Richards was less than pleased to hear of Brodeur’s postgame
remark, though the Rangers’ alternate captain told The Post he did not
interpret it as either a threat or a promise.
“I don’t think it’s a very smart thing to say, that’s for sure,” Richards said.
“But I don’t think we’ve sunk to a level of such disrespect in this game that
one player would intentionally shoot the puck at another player’s head.
“I don’t think it’s anything we have to worry about, but I don’t understand
why it even would have been brought up and said that way.”
Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather found it impossible to believe
Brodeur hadn’t been facetious in the wake of the Game 1 defeat.
“It just must have been an off-color remark, it couldn’t have been serious,”
Sather told The Post. “I don’t think one player would ever say it would be
good strategy to hurt another player intentionally and mean it.”
Brett Favre begs to differ after his run-in with the bounty-hunting Saints.
It would be disconcerting enough for any player on any team to have
introduced this issue into the Stanley Cup playoffs even as an aside or a
matter of facetiousness, but it is astounding that this should have come out
of the Devils’ locker room and from Brodeur, as Marty most certainly should
know better.
For it was nine years ago that Scott Stevens suffered a concussion after
being hit in the head by a Pavel Kubina slap shot in Game 3 of the 2003
second round against the Lightning. The injury and Stevens’ decision to
return two days later without sitting out so much as a match combined to
form the genesis of the end of the Devils’ captain’s career after just 38
games the following season due to post-concussion syndrome.
It was at 1:17 of the first period on April 28 that year in Tampa that Kubina
sent a rising shot that caught Stevens on the left side of the head, knocking
him down not so far from where Brodeur stood in his crease and knocking
him out of the 4-3 Lightning victory that would be the only one for John
Tortorella’s squad in the five-game series against the ultimate Stanley Cup
champions.
No one in the arena believed the play to be anything other than an accident
… no one, that is, other than Brodeur and Ken Daneyko, who after the
game charged that Kubina had done it intentionally in order to knock
Stevens out of the game or series. Daneyko was irate, Brodeur more
miffed.
Tortorella has been hot and cold this postseason when it comes to
answering questions about individual players. Sometimes he has freely
talked about the ups and downs of a single player, while other times he
tightens up and gives one-word answers.
Yesterday, the team was in the midst of a very optional practice, he was
asked why he keeps from expounding on individuals.
“This isn’t golf,” he said. “This is a team sport. It has to be. You push as a
coach. You push every individual within the team sport to be the best they
can be. But you have to combine that within a concept, in a team concept.”
The Devils think the most important thing to breaking the Rangers’ tight
defense is to draw blood first.
“The key against them is to score first,” Ilya Kovalchuk said. “Then they
have to change and open up.”
Kovalchuk proposed one way to do that, recalling a time on Monday night
when he tried to shoot wide to give Dainius Zubrus a back-door gimme.
“That’s going to work for sure,” Kovalchuk said. “The puck bounced. In the
second, one hit [David Clarkson] in the chest, and one went wide. We don’t
have to change anything.
“They look like they block a lot of shots because they give a lot of room to
our D on top. We have to make better plays.”
Kovalchuk also rejected the idea of trying to jump on the Rangers in order
to get them out of their shell.
“No, we have to do what we do,” Kovalchuk said. “We’re successful against
good teams on our forecheck. We have to go low to high quicker and get
the puck to the net, yes, but the forecheck is the key.”
Devils coach Peter DeBoer suggested perhaps his team was rusty.
“I remember that,” said Richards, who was then in his third NHL season and
his first playoffs. “We were aware of what they were saying, but we thought
it was a kind of a heat-of-the-battle reaction that we never allowed to
become part of the discussion inside our room.
“When I look back at the game last night, I think it was as much our
execution or lack of execution,” DeBoer said, “and whether that was the
layoff or whatever, but we have to do a better job executing.”
“It was obviously so far from the truth. Who would do that to another
player?”
DeBoer said he thought Brodeur was bumped on Dan Girardi’s opening
goal on Monday, and Michael Del Zotto put his hand on the puck on
another play.
Who indeed?
631227
631228
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Rangers Adopt Team-First Refrain Once Voiced in Tampa Bay
By JEFF Z. KLEIN
By BRETT CYRGALIS AND MARK EVERSON
When Artem Anisimov lifted the puck into the gaping Devils’ net to finish off
his Rangers’ 3-0 Game 1 win on Monday night, it seemed like validation for
a young player whose game has grown substantially as the playoffs have
progressed.
As recently as Game 5 of the second-round series against Washington,
Anisimov was relegated to fourth-line duty, getting just 4:56 of ice time in
that 3-2 Rangers’ win. Since then, he has been moved up in the lineup,
most recently paired with Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko on a line that
is made for checking but is not devoid of offense thanks, in large part, to the
presence of the 23-year-old Russian.
“It’s important everyone has to step up and continue throughout the
playoffs,” is how captain Ryan Callahan put it yesterday when asked about
Anisimov, as the Rangers prepare for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference
finals tonight at the Garden. “He’s a big body and it’s tough to take him off
pucks.”
Before the empty-netter, which was Anisimov’s third goal of the playoffs, he
was out on the second power-play unit and made a slick backhanded pass
to Chris Kreider, who buried it to take a 2-0 lead.
“I mean, he makes a hell of a pass there to Kreider,” coach John Tortorella
said. “That’s why he’s been moved up. He’s done some good things away
from the puck. A lot of people don’t realize some of the things he does. He’s
improved.”
Perhaps no other N.H.L. team is as emphatic a personification of its coach’s
philosophy as the Rangers.
Rangers Coach John Tortorella during his team’s 3-0 win over the Devils.
“This isn’t golf — it’s a team sport,” he said.
That was abundantly clear in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals
Monday night. The Rangers persevered through two scoreless periods,
then surged in the third, outhitting the Devils and outblocking them, hustling
tirelessly in the face-off circle and in the corners, and ultimately winning, 30.
Afterward, when asked about their individual achievements, the Rangers
players talked instead about the team, just as their coach, John Tortorella,
did.
On Tuesday, Tortorella had a typically succinct way of putting it.
“This isn’t golf — it’s a team sport,” he said, already looking forward to
Wednesday’s Game 2.
It is a familiar refrain for Jay Feaster, who was Tampa Bay’s general
manager in 2004, when Tortorella coached the Lightning to the Stanley
Cup.
“Oh yeah, that’s exactly how he was then,” Feaster said. “It’s never about
anyone other than the team. It’s never about him, it’s not about anybody
other than the team, and that’s his whole focus.”
Feaster, now the general manager of the Calgary Flames, is watching with
interest as Tortorella’s Rangers have been clawing their way through the
playoffs.
“In ’04, we obviously had some tremendously talented hockey players: a
world-class goalie in Nikolai Khabibulin; Martin St. Louis, who was the Hart
Trophy winner; Vince Lecavalier; Brad Richards, who won the Conn
Smythe,” Feaster said.
Anisimov fed Chris Kreider with a crisp pass across ice for the rookie’s
insurance goal with eight minutes remaining in the third period, then he
potted an empty-netter with 1:27 to play, giving him eight points (three
goals, five assists) in 15 games.
That ties him with Derek Stepan, who has just one goal, and trails only Brad
Richards (11 points) and Marian Gaborik (10).
“But in reality with that team, the whole was greater than the sum of its
parts.”
“Artie’s been very good, and he’s a smart player,” said Brian Boyle, who
assisted along with Ruslan Fedotenko on their linemate Anisimov’s empty
net goal.
“And I think it’s one of the things that Torts excels at is getting that from
guys. You look at this Rangers team, and it isn’t about any one star player.
It’s about the whole ensemble, and every guy has to contribute or he’s not
going to play.”
Anisimov’s two-point performance capped off his locker room performance
Monday morning, when he heard about John Tortorella’s latest sound bite
and then was asked by the Daily News whether players tire when they play
longer playoff series.
On Monday, the ensemble included Ryan McDonagh, who made up for the
early errors of Dan Girardi, his defense partner; Girardi, who scored the goahead goal and drew the penalty that led to the second goal; and the rookie
Chris Kreider, who set up Girardi’s goal and scored the second.
“I will not answer this question,” Anisimov said. “Stop coaching, Pat.”
“It’s the little things, the details — that’s what Torts insists on,” Feaster said.
“I have to admit as an outside observer watching how Kreider has managed
to work his way into John’s good graces, it’s about doing the little things.
“You know how much confidence he has in Kreider when he does things
like put him out in the last minute of Game 7 against Ottawa.”
Feaster noted the little things done by Ruslan Fedotenko, a veteran of that
2004 Lightning team. He referred to Game 1 against the Capitals, when
Fedotenko fought off two Washington players along the end boards and set
up Artem Anisimov for the first goal in a Rangers victory.
“That’s 2004 John Tortorella coaching — what he expects,” Feaster said.
“All Ruslan did was protect that puck. That’s a big thing with Torts. That’s
one of the reasons we won in ’04. It wasn’t a fancy play. It wasn’t some
highlight-reel thing. But it’s a hockey play. And it requires commitment and it
requires you to be willing to take a pounding. I thought it indicative of how
and why we won in ’04.”
Feaster said Richards, who leads the Rangers with 6 goals and 11 points in
the playoffs, also complemented Tortorella.
“It’s one of the reasons why the Rangers wanted Brad so badly this
summer,” Feaster said. “Torts is a believer that you need the players in your
locker room to carry the message. It can’t be a coach every day, because if
it is, after a while, it falls on deaf ears. You need the guys in the room to
hold each other accountable. Ryan Callahan does such a good job as
captain, and if you get a guy like Brad, with what he’s been through with
John, he understands what Torts wants.”
It is no surprise that Richards and Fedotenko, longtime participants in
Tortorella’s system, are currently No. 2 and No. 3 among Rangers forwards
in shot-blocking.
Tortorella will be looking for more of the little things from all his players in
Game 2.
“It has to be,” he said. “Especially the group of people we’ve evolved to.
That’s how we end up staying consistent, and have any chance to win a
hockey game — it’s to play as a team.”
FORGET THE REST
The Devils were used to their five-day layoff between their second round
against the Flyers and the beginning of the conference finals. Their firstround series with the Panthers was the very last series to start and gave the
Devils a six-day layoff between the regular season and the playoffs.
So rust was not a factor Monday night, Devils veteran center Patrik Elias
said. “The first two periods we were fine,” Elias said. “We just got scored
on. Not that we panicked, we just didn’t stay with our games. That’s the
bottom line, it had nothing to do with the week off.”
SWEPT UNDER THE RUG
Always chatty Rangers backup goalie Martin Biron will engage reporters
about practically any topic, and usually does, so he’d be the one to ask
about Newark mayor Cory Booker’s boastful tweet Saturday about the
Devils: “I wonder if I should get a dust pan, cause (there) might be a sweep
coming.”
Right? Wrong.
“That’s political stuff. That’s not for me to say anything,” Biron said. “There’s
no need to talk about it. The game is played on the ice.”
THE YACHT CLUB
Injured forward Brandon Dubinsky is slowly rehabilitating his injured right
foot, but does not appear close to a return. He worked out in the Garden
weight room on Monday morning prior to Game 1, wearing sneakers and
not the protective boot he had on Sunday morning in Greenburgh.
Dubinsky has not started skating, which explains why on Sunday he was
decked out in his summer’s best and a pair of Hunter S. Thompson
sunglasses — a private invitation short of attending Judge Smails’ yacht
party.
ALL-AMERICAN BOYS
It may be Canada’s game, but there are three American-born captains
leading their teams into the NHL conference finals this week: the Rangers’
Ryan Callahan (Rochester), the Kings’ Dustin Brown (Ithaca) and the
Devils’ Zach Parise (Minneapolis).
Asked when he learned this philosophy, he said, “I don’t know.”
“They figured it out, finally,” Parise joked after the Monday morning skate at
the Prudential Center. “I think it’s just a coincidence.”
“It’s just what it is,” he added.“It’s not learning, it’s just what it is.”
STILL UNBEATEN
Ruslan Fedotenko improved to 6-0 in his career in Game 7’s, with the
Rangers’ victories in the first two rounds against Ottawa and Washington.
He even scored twice in Game 7 when Tampa Bay – with John Tortorella
and Brad Richards – won the Stanley Cup against Calgary in 2004.
631229
New York Rangers
NY Rangers' Artem Anisimov lets his assist do talking in Game 1 win over
NJ Devils
By Pat Leonard, Peter Botte AND Kristie Ackert
“Statistics are all in the past. It doesn’t matter what we did in the past,”
Fedotenko said before Game 1. “I scored two goals in a Game 7, but does
that matter? Did I score the last two games (against the Senators and
Capitals)? No, so it doesn’t really matter. What’s in the past is in the past
and there’s always a record to break and always a new record to set and
things to do. To me, it doesn’t matter.”
There are only two Ranger forwards with more points this postseason than
Artem Anisimov, a 23-year-old Russian not always quoted due to his
broken English and shy disposition who is beginning to build a reputation as
a big-time player.
631230
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider skates from Boston College right into NY Rangers' Stanley
Cup chase
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BOSTON — There have been other hockey stories at least something like
Chris Kreider’s, a kid jumping the kind of speeding train that the New York
Rangers are right now. There was the time when Ken Morrow went from
Lake Placid, from the greatest hockey story of them all, to the Islanders, put
his name on the Stanley Cup a few months later.
But Morrow had a year of Olympic hockey in the books before he ever
made it to Lake Placid, got to play regular-season games for the Islanders
before the Stanley Cup playoffs began in 1980. It is plenty different for
Kreider, the Boston College kid who on Easter weekend was in Tampa
winning the second national championship of his college career in college
hockey’s Frozen Four.
So in less than two months Kreider has gone from there to here. To New
York and the Garden and games like the ones he is playing and nights like
he had Monday night against the Jersey Devils.
“It is,” Kreider’s college coach Jerry York was saying here Tuesday
morning, “like a college baseball player who doesn’t just go straight to the
big leagues, he goes straight to the World Series. It’s the kind of thing that
changes the athletic landscape a little bit.”
If the Rangers take this run of theirs all the way to another Stanley Cup,
there will be so much to remember about this hockey spring in New York,
from Henrik Lundqvist to all the blocked shots in front of him, to triple
overtime against the Caps, to that crazy goal from Brad Richards with
seven seconds and change left, the goal that changed everything in the
series before this one.
But it will also be remembered for the way that Kreider came from BC to all
this, made his way to one of the best teams in the NHL and has found a
way to make it better. It will be remembered as the beginning for Kreider, a
big, strong, fast talented kid who is going to be a star here for a long time.
“It is electrifying watching him do this, figure things out like this on the fly,”
York, who has won five national championships — four with BC — was
saying. “Not just figure them out, but do it on a team like this, in the media
capital of the world.”
“This doesn’t speak to his talent,” Jerry York said, “it speaks to the kind of
team he joined, the kind of locker room he walked into, the kind of
chemistry John Tortorella has obviously created with the Rangers. Chris
has shown them that he does belong. But it doesn’t work if his teammates
don’t accept him, which they clearly have.”
York said, “The kid is a winner, and showed them pretty quickly that he
gives them all a better chance to win the Stanley Cup. And wouldn’t that be
something?”
Kreider has been something to see. He didn’t jump on with the Rangers in a
regular-season game in Philadelphia. He jumped on this kind of express,
the kind that makes you feel as if the train is running right through the
Garden, not downstairs at Penn Station.
Chris Kreider plays the way he plays in a city like ours, on a stage like this,
as the Rangers try to win their first Stanley Cup since Messier. Yeah. Other
hockey stories for young guys like Kreider. None quite like this.
631231
New York Rangers
Trade for Ryan McDonagh looks like steal for NY Rangers
By Peter Botte
Ryan McDonagh, promoted to top defensive pair when Marc Staal got
injured, has earned trust of John Tortorella.
IT MIGHT NOT quite be the acquisition of Manhattan by Dutch settlers for
$24, but the Rangers’ trade for defenseman Ryan McDonagh is starting to
look as if it will go down as one of the better deals in New York history.
McDonagh, a former first-round pick obtained in a multi-player trade that
sent Scott Gomez and his prohibitive contract to Montreal in 2009, enjoyed
another standout performance in the Rangers’ 3-0 victory over the Devils in
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday.
McDonagh, whose acquisition for Gomez also freed up salary-cap space for
GM Glen Sather to sign Marian Gaborik , was promoted to the top defense
pair with Dan Girardi this season when Marc Staal spent the first half on the
injured list with a concussion.
York first saw Kreider as a kid who looked bigger than everybody at Boxford
(Mass.) High School, saw a big “power forward” who could carry the puck
and score and win games all by himself. But then he watched as Kreider
made himself into a complete player in college, and a smart one, helping
the Eagles win a title as a freshman and then another as a senior.
“Now, I’m not sure if I’ll ever split those two guys up,” John Tortorella said of
Girardi and McDonagh before an optional practice Tuesday at the Garden
in preparation for Wednesday’s Game 2. “That’s just the way it works, and
that’s the interesting part when you have injuries, how things work out.
“When we first got him, I was concerned that he didn’t understand all the
nuances of the game,” Jerry York said. “But from the start, he wanted to
learn, wanted to improve his hockey IQ. This was a college player who
wanted to sit in the film room and learn and get better. When I talk about
him figuring things out, Chris always wanted to figure things out.”
“We always talk about when there are injuries, another guy gets an
opportunity. You never know where it’s going to lead you. But with Mac, the
amount of time he got so quickly in key situations because of (Staal’s) injury
has accelerated his pro gress, where that maybe a year down the road if we
didn’t have an injury.”
York is the winningest active coach in college hockey, and at the same time
we were talking on Tuesday, Boston College announced that an
anonymous donor had given $5 million as an endowment to the school’s
hockey coach — because of all the winning with players such as Chris
Kreider. You should know that York has recruited a lot of small, fast guys
over the years. But there have been big guys, too. Like Brian Boyle of the
Rangers. And like Kreider.
McDonagh, who played a whopping 53 minutes in a triple-overtime win over
Washington, seemed as if he was everywhere in Game 1 against the
Devils.
While York and Kreider’s BC teammates were on the field at Fenway Park
Monday night for a first-pitch ceremony, Kreider was getting ready to assist
on the huge first goal for the Rangers and then beat Martin Brodeur with a
goal of his own later on, putting the game away.
“He’s always had the requisites,” is the way York put it. “He’s strong, fast,
can hit, can skate, can shoot the puck. And, on top of all that, it looks like
he’s made for the big city, doesn’t it?”
He has made his mistakes and been benched by John Tortorella. But from
the start, he has played and acted as if he belongs in this moment for the
Rangers, in games like these, in New York, in this hockey spring at
Madison Square Garden. After having already had a pretty good hockey
spring for Boston College, the one that ended in Tampa with another
Frozen Four for him. Like he went straight from there to the World Series.
The former Wisconsin star used his speed to cover up a few early mistakes
by Girardi and thwart breakaway attempts for Zach Parise and Ilya
Kovalchuk, finishing with a plus-2 rating and three blocked shots over 24:27
of ice time. “Obviously, it’s easy to play with Mac on the ice. He’s such a
good skater, it makes my job pretty easy out there,” said Girardi, who
described himself as more of a stay-at-home defenseman than the mobile
McDonagh. “I think sometimes it works between guys and sometimes it
doesn’t. But it just seemed to jell right away. I think if there’s a grace period
there, you’re not going to be very successful.”
“I’m just happy that I had the opportunity to play here and make the jump
and help the team in the playoffs last year,” McDonagh said. “ I just wanted
to be prepared to help the team win. It’s been awesome.”
When asked about his acquisition by the Rangers being widely considered
“a steal,” McDonagh called it “a good lesson” but stressed that he doesn’t
“think about it too much” as he progresses into a top NHL defenseman
alongside Girardi.
“You try to put guys together. ,” Tortorella said. “And that’s what happened
with Mac and Danny, it certainly was out of necessity. . . . If any coach tells
you that he knows things will work, he’s lying, because we don’t.”
631233
NY Giants lineman Justin Tuck becomes the leader of NY Rangers
bandwagon
631232
New York Rangers
New York Rangers
By Ralph Vacchiano
NY Rangers hope third time is charm in Game 2 as they look to take 2-0
lead on NJ Devils in Eastern Conference finals
By Peter Botte
Rangers’ Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi and Marian Gaborik hope to be
celebrating in Game 2 like they did in Game 1.
The Rangers have won the opening game in each of their first three playoff
rounds.
Of course, against Ottawa and Washington, they dropped the subsequent
game on home ice each time, and that is a trend they hope to buck
Wednesday in Game 2 against the Devils.
Justin Tuck has been going to Rangers games since 2005, but nobody
noticed until last week when Brad Richards scored to tie Game 5 against
the Capitals with 7.6 seconds remaining and the Giants’ defensive end . . .
went a little nuts.
“Yeah,” Tuck said. “I lost my mind.”
Tuck, seated just behind the Rangers bench, was caught on camera
jumping up, raising his arms, and running up the aisle as the Garden
erupted.
“It’s funny because I’ve been to a lot of Ranger games,” Tuck said Tuesday
night aboard the USS Intrepid for a screening of the movie ‘Battleship’. “And
until I banged on the (glass behind the) home bench, no one ever noticed
me. Now I’m like the greatest Ranger fan ever.”
“The last two series we kind of let Game 2 slip away from us. So we have to
make sure we’re ready (Wednesday),” Ryan Callahan said Tuesday at the
Garden. “The last two rounds it’s been back and forth, and we haven’t had
a two-game lead yet in the playoffs. We’re putting a lot of emphasis on
(Game 2) to try and get that.”
“No I’m not, but I definitely root for the Rangers and am definitely going to
try my best to get to as many of those playoff games as I can.”
LUPICA: KREIDER NOW A VARSITY BLUESHIRT
He just won’t root for them to beat the Rangers this round.
MCDONAGH IS LOOKING LIKE A BLUESHIRT BARGAIN
Ryan McDonagh allowed that the Rangers discussed the importance of
taking Game 2 in a team meeting Tuesday after taking the opener, 3-0, on
Monday despite some rocky moments, particularly in the second period.
631234
“We don’t play a great game, but we find a way to win in the third, getting
through some of their surges,” McDonagh said of the Devils. “You start the
series 1-0 and you want to get a hold of the series in the next game.
Rangers, Devils turn toward Game 2
“It’s a huge opportunity for us. We haven’t done it before. And it’s made it a
tougher road. It would be nice, in a sense, to make a stand on home ice
and make that last win mean that much more.”
“If the Devils so happen to beat the Rangers in this series I’ll root for the
Devils to win it. I’m not a Devils fan, but I’ll root for them to win it.”
New York Rangers
By IRA PODELL
BLOCK HOCKEY
For the third straight series, the Rangers are basking in the glow of a 1-0
lead earned in the confines of The World’s Most Famous Arena.
The Rangers’ willingness and reliance on blocking shots has been a topic
throughout the playoffs, but Martin Brodeur said he’s “the wrong guy to
answer that,” when asked about opinions that such a style is bad for
hockey.
The Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team has failed in its first two
attempts to double that edge at Madison Square Garden. Given a third shot
against the Devils, the Rangers are determined to make the most of homeice advantage in Game 2 of the East finals on Wednesday night.
“We were blamed for the trap, when we were successful at it. So whatever
brings success is what you need to do,” Brodeur said. “I know it’s probably
not the most exciting brand of hockey. But it’s really effective. And again,
they got it in people’s heads by doing what they’re doing, and they’re tough
to play against because of that.”
The Rangers held an optional practice Tuesday at their home rink, the site
of a 3-0 win in Game 1 on Monday.
John Tortorella had another interesting exchange with a reporter who asked
when he made shot-blocking “a core part of your (coaching) identity.”
Tortorella responded “forever” and argued that the Rangers are coached no
differently than he’d done in winning the Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay in
2004, despite that Lightning team’s aggressive “Safe is Death” credo.
“You have to play defense to win,” Tortorella said. “Blocking shots is playing
defense. That team in Tampa played defense.”
When the questioner came back with “I understand that, but I don’t
remember it being that way . . . obviously you know better than I do” —
Tortorella shot back: “I do.”
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
Devils coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday that he believed the Rangers
committed penalties on their first two goals. He believes Derek Stepan
bumped Brodeur on Dan Girardi’s goal (“Looked like a bump to me”) — and
Michael Del Zotto closed his glove on the puck just prior to Chris Kreider’s
power-play goal (“Looked like a hand on the puck”).
The teams slogged through two periods, and the Rangers admittedly
weren’t at their best coming off their second straight seven-game series.
But the Rangers scored three times in the third period and rode their
defense and the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist to victory.
“I don’t know about escaped,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said of the
win. “We’ve got to be better. We know that. We’ve got areas in the game
that we need to improve on and we need to work on. We’ll be ready for
tomorrow.”
Though no one in the Rangers room could put a finger on what went wrong
in Game 2 losses to Ottawa and Washington, they voiced a determination
to break the trend in which it alternated wins and losses through the first
four games of the opening two rounds.
The Rangers went win-one-lose-one through all seven games against
Washington. The Devils won four straight against Philadelphia after losing
the opener, to end that second-round series in five games. The Devils came
back from a 3-2 deficit in the first round against Florida.
A two-game lead could do wonders for the Rangers, if for no other reason
than to get a mental break from the constant pressure.
“We don’t look to come out the same way we did in Game 1,” forward Mike
Rupp said. “We’re fortunate, but we’ll move forward and make sure we’re
better in Game 2. We need this game. It’s a pivotal game, and both teams
want it. The stakes are going to be higher and the game is going to be at an
even higher pace.
“In the first two rounds, we exchanged wins and losses through the first four
games. We’re looking to get away from that. We want to win every game if
we can. We obviously would like to string a few more together.”
Not only haven’t the Rangers taken a 2-0 lead, but they haven’t held a twogame edge at any point of either series. The only time they have won two
games in a row this postseason was when they rallied from a 3-2 hole and
took Games 6 and 7 against Ottawa.
The Devils, who had five days off between the second and third rounds,
would be happy to take a 1-1 tie home for Game 3 on Saturday.
“You’re down one game, and they have home-ice advantage,” Devils coach
Peter DeBoer said Tuesday. “We’ve been in this spot before. We know we
can play better. Credit to them, they got the job done — found a way to get
a win. Now it’s on us to respond the right way.”
The Devils will try to quickly figure out how to neutralize the Rangers’ ability
to block shots. The Devils shot 21 pucks that made it through to the net,
and they were all stopped by Lundqvist. As difficult as it is to face a premier
goalie, the Devils also had to deal with the frustration of having an
additional 26 attempts turned aside before they got close to the net.
“We couldn’t seem to get that first one past him,” Devils captain Zach
Parise said of Lundqvist. “The opportunities were there. Some great
chances right in front of the net, some good shots from the slot, but he
made big saves. Then they got one early in the third, and we couldn’t
rebound after that.”
Islanders, in the Devils’ third-to-last regular-season game, and was
expected to be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks.
631235
New York Rangers
Hat's the way they like it
By STEVE SERBY
It is scruffy and weathered and shrunken and black, something someone
who lost a bet might be forced to wear, but to the Rangers, the Broadway
Hat is not meant to be a fashion statement. It is a symbol of their unity and
camaraderie, a reminder that a team chasing a Stanley Cup as doggedly as
they are can celebrate a different hero every night, and hat’s off to him.
“When you receive it, it’s a pretty cool feeling,” Brian Boyle said Tuesday.
“It’s a little embarrassing, but I think it’s a fun thing that we started as a
team this year.”
Embarrassing?
“You wear it and you get the interviews and you’re wearing this funny hat on
your head,” Boyle said. “Then the next game [we] win, you gotta give a
speech and hand it to someone. ... It’s nice to see that the guys appreciate
what you’re doing.”
The Devils frustrated clubs for years with a lock-down, trapping style that
was backstopped by goalie Martin Brodeur. Now they are being tested with
another maddening form of defense.
The Broadway Hat goes to the player who made the biggest impact that
night. It is a spur of the moment decision made only after a victory in the
dressing room by the previous winner.
“We were blamed for the trap when we were successful at it,” said 40-yearold Brodeur, who has made 183 consecutive playoff starts for the Devils.
“Whatever brings success is what you need to do. I know it’s probably not
the most exciting brand of hockey, but it’s really effective.
“Our MVP of the night,” Brandon Prust said. “Teams in the past have used
hard hard hats, or I’ve heard of teams handing out like a shovel. It’s kind of
like a hard-working kinda hat, so that’s who you hand it out to.”
Broadway Joe Namath wore fur coats, but never the Broadway Hat.
“They got in people’s heads by doing what they’re doing, and they’re tough
to play against because of that.”
The Rangers got a dose of it, too, against the Capitals, the only team in the
playoffs that has blocked more shots than they have.
Dan Girardi, who broke the scoreless tie with a goal 53 seconds into the
third period Monday, and fellow defenseman Marc Staal each had a gamehigh five blocks in Game 1. Callahan, Ryan McDonagh (Girardi’s defense
partner) and another defenseman Anton Stralman all had three blocks
each.
The Devils had 15 blocks of their own and allowed 28 shots, including one
into an empty net with 1:27 left.
“You have to play defense to win,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said
Tuesday. “Blocking shots is playing defense.”
DeBoer also vented frustration Tuesday about calls he felt were missed by
the officials. He felt that Brodeur was nudged by Rangers forward Derek
Stepan as he provided a screen on Girardi’s shot from the blue line that
Brodeur said he never saw.
“Looked like a bump to me,” DeBoer said.
He also took issue with a play in which he believed defenseman Michael
Del Zotto closed his hand on the puck in the third period. But DeBoer knows
the only way to win is for his club to penetrate the Rangers defense then
solve Lundqvist, who has allowed 25 goals in 15 playoff games.
“He’s a challenge. He’s a very good goalie,” DeBoer said. “But Ottawa
found a way to score on him, so did Washington, so did we during the
regular season. We’re going to get goals. We’ve got to concentrate and do
a better job on our execution around the net.”
The Rangers recalled goalie Cam Talbot, defensemen Tim Erixon and
Dylan McIlrath, and forwards J.T. Miller, Kris Newbury and Casey Wellman
from the Connecticut Whale, who were eliminated from the American
Hockey League playoffs on Friday. ... DeBoer said defenseman Henrik
Tallinder, out since early January because of a blood clot in his left leg, has
passed some hurdles and that he and center Jacob Josefson are “getting
closer” to returning. Josefson broke his left wrist on April 3 against the
Brad Richards bought the hat from a stranger on the Rangers’ preseason
trip to Europe.
“It was bought off a human’s head,” Prust said.
Tom Landry was famous for wearing a fedora on the sidelines. Bear Bryant
wore a black-and-white houndstooth hat. The Broadway Hat has a style —
or lack thereof — all its own.
“It’s kind of a goofy-looking thing,” Rupp said. “First of all it doesn’t fit half
the guys in this room — it’s too small, and I don’t know, I think it’s thrown in
hockey bags and goes on the road, it’s kinda gross. It just doesn’t look like
it has any kind of form to it ... but it’s something that we take pride in
receiving that.”
The Broadway Hat is not something you would see the elegant Clyde
Frazier wearing.
“It’s kind of like when you were in school and you got a gold star from your
teacher,” Prust said. “Getting that from your peers is a good feeling.”
Rangers coach John Tortorella, who would rather eat the hat than regale
the media, just might allow his players to pose it atop the Stanley Cup
should the Rangers knock off the Devils and party like it’s 1994. They could
call it the Stanley Cap.
“It’s got a lot of character,” Prust said, “just like this team.”
The Broadway Hat takes it with him on the road.
“Whoever wins it just throws it in their bag and then the next game they
have to pass it out,” Rupp said.
Henrik Lundqvist has worn the Broadway hat a club-high seven times. He
was the first.
“He was like, ‘Oh, thank you,’ and he went to put it in his stall, and we’re
like, ‘Oh no no no no no, you’re wearing that thing!’” Marty Biron recalled.
During the regular season, 22 different Rangers got to wear it. Rookie Chris
Kreider became the 23rd in the playoffs. Only twice has the hat not been
given out — when Boyle (concussion) went down against Ottawa, and after
Marian Gaborik’s triple overtime winner. Dan Girardi, who beat Martin
Brodeur to break the ice in Game 1 Monday night, is the latest.
Who looks the best in it and who looks the worst?
“I think Michael Del Zotto probably looks the best in it ... the Italian looks
probably help with that,” Rupp said. “And I think Brian Boyle looks funny
’cause it doesn’t even fit on him at all.”
Boyle doesn’t argue.
“It doesn’t fit me very well, I don’t look the best by any means, I’m probably
one of the worst,” he said, and smiled. “Hanky (Lundqvist) could probably
make anything look good.”
Prust gives Richards the nod for best in show.
“That’s Broadway Brad,” Prust said. “Worst, I don’t know ... It seems to
have shrunk in size, so some guys with big heads it doesn’t fit too well.”
The Broadway hat is made by H and M, and is size men’s 56. It even has
its own Facebook page.
“I just don’t think anybody looks bad in it, to be quite honest,” John Mitchell
said. “Maybe Boyler [Brian Boyle] or somebody with some nice long hair
kinda flowing out the back of it might look the prettiest in it . ... Or Haggy
[Carl Hagelin], he’s got nice long hair, but I don’t know who would look the
worst . . . maybe Marty Biron . . . No I’m just kidding. ... Like I said, I mean a
hat, it just makes everybody look so good.”
Dainius Zubrus said the edge is built-in, and needs no honing.
“Some of our games in the regular season went to the next level, so the
rivalry’s already there,” Zubrus, the Devils winger, said. “Now, it’s just win
four games and go to the finals. With that, bragging rights come, but that’s
not what we’re after.”
The Devils did not skate yesterday, and spent much time talking about
being blocked and blanked. They say they’re ready to try again, and try
better.
“We’re not going to worry about what we have to do. We know what we
have to do,” winger David Clarkson said. “We have to play the way we did
in the second [period] for the whole game, win battles down low and get the
puck to the net. If we do those things, we’ll let whatever happens, happen.”
The Devils will be desperate, too, to avoid falling behind by a pair. They
have survived once, coming back after losing the first two of a series, but
not since they have been champs, 18 years ago against the Bruins. They
have lost all four times they have dropped the opening pair on the road.
The Rangers had won 11 straight series, of all lengths, from a 2-0 edge
until their 2009 first-round fiasco against the Caps. They opened a 2-0 lead
in Washington, and took a 3-1 hammerlock, only to lose the final three
games.
631237
New York Rangers
Only seven more wins, and the Broadway hat becomes the Stanley Cap.
631236
New York Rangers
By BRETT CYRGALIS
Ranger goal: Choke life out of series
By MARK EVERSON
Champions take goals out of the game, done it for decades. Now the
Rangers — who want to be champs — can take the big buzz out of the
Battle of the Hudson, too.
The Blueshirts want to ferocious to become killjoys and take the air out of
this Rangers-Devils balloon, attempting to take a stranglehold on this
Eastern Conference final that resumes tonight at the Garden.
There were Jacques Lemaire’s Devils, Al Arbour’s early Islanders, even
Punch Imlach’s ancient Maple Leafs. The team that clamps down often lifts
the Cup. The Rangers play that part perfectly.
“We’re putting a lot of emphasis on [tonight] to get that two-game lead,”
Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said.
The Rangers won the opener in their first two series — against he Senators
and Capitals — only to lose Game 2 and be forced into a seven-game
series each time.
The only Hudson clashes that lived up to the billing, the only ones really
remembered, were the seven-game classics of 1992 and 1994.
John Tortorella’s Turtles, snug in their defensive shell, would want nothing
to do with letting up on the advantage they took with their 3-0 victory in
Game 1 on Monday. A straightforward, uneventful slog to the finals is
preferred.
The Blueshirts can get halfway past the Devils in Game 2 tonight at the
Garden, where they seek the 2-0 series lead that has just a 13-percent
failure rate — 43 of 321 teams in NHL history. The Rangers did squander
their last 2-0 series lead, to the 2009 Caps, but they might conclude that
makes them immune from it happening again so quickly.
Jan. 2.
of things.”
In reality, inside the boards, the Battle of the Hudson is now a label. Ever
since the start of the third period in Monday’s opener, this series has
become a primal battle for survival, the big stage, the Big Hate, all now
secondary to staying alive personally.
“That’s our focus. It’s another team in our way. It happens to be the
Rangers,” Devils center Travis Zajac said. “That doesn’t change our focus,
and that’s winning the series.”
was offered a tryout in preseason and passed with flying colors, making the
roster with a $650,000 contract.
right off the bat.
“Great story. Everyone knows the story of how he got here. Nothing was
promised to him other than the ability to come out and skate. Full credit to
Lou, who obviously had had him and recognized some special things he
did,” head coach Peter DeBoer said.
Sykora scored 21 goals this season, including six game-winners. He played
in all 82 games, and had four points in the six games against the Rangers
during the regular season. But his playoff experience is invaluable, having
reached five Stanley Cup Finals, winning two (Devils in 2000, Penguins in
2008). He has played in 128 playoff games over his career with 34 goals
and 39 assists.
“We were a team that was 30th in scoring the year before. I think as a
group, we didn’t want to close the door on anything that we thought would
be able to rectify that. Petr is a guy that’s come in and really helped in that
area,” DeBoer said.
He has also helped make sure his teammates put the rivalry aside and
focus on winning.
that.”
“All the stuff around it, the media, the hype, doesn’t matter,’’ Sykora said.
“All that matters is what we are going to do between the first and last
whistle.”
things work out.”
631239
New York Rangers
631238
New York Rangers
By DAVID SATRIANO
Petr Sykora is the only current Devil who knows what it’s like to also play for
the Rangers. He has played eight seasons with the Devils, compared with
just 40 games with the Rangers in 2006. Though many players who have
been on either side will tell you how intense this rivalry is, to Sykora, this is
just another series.
“For me personally, I just try to take it as any other team. I just worry about
my own game, the team’s game,” he said. “All that matters is between the
first whistle and the last whistle.”
Monday night, the Devils couldn’t manage to put any pucks behind Henrik
Lundqvist between the first and last whistles in a 3-0 loss, leaving them
trailing 1-0 in the Eastern Conference finals entering Game 2 Wednesday
night. But Sykora’s attitude makes it easier to not get distracted and just
focus on the task at hand.
“He can be a big part of a team. He doesn’t get too many chances to put
the puck in, but he keeps playing his game no matter what is going on out
there,” teammate and good friend Patrik Elias said. “The way he
approaches the game, he is loose in practice. He doesn’t get too stressed
out. It’s just a game. It’s an important game, but it is just a game.”
The 35-year old Sykora was on the Devils when they went 15-0-8 during a
four-season span against the Rangers from 1997-2001. He was hurt and
did not play when the teams met in the 1997 conference semifinals, but was
on the Rangers in 2006 when the Devils swept the teams’ opening-round
series, so he has seen his ups-and-downs in this rivalry. Still, it is just
another game to him.
“I’m fighting for the Stanley Cup Finals right now,” Sykora said. “I am just
very happy the way it went for me the whole season, and I just want to keep
it going. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played one playoff game or 150, we all
play the same way and that is why we have success.”
Sykora played in the Czech League and the KHL last season, almost
retiring, but then got a call from Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello. He
By BRETT CYRGALIS
Jan. 2.
of things.”
The Rangers consciously risk their bodies — and lives — in their signature
shot-blocking strategy. They gain a major advantage, yet they object to the
suggestion that the Devils might exploit those risks.
right off the bat.
The Devils’ dilemma is to avoid becoming good losers — like the Senators
and Capitals before them — while remaining good sportsmen.
“They’re hot at blocking shots. We might be able to hurt a few guys [by]
hitting one-timers in the foot and their head or something,” goalie Martin
Brodeur said after the Devils were blanked 3-0 in Monday’s Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference finals.
It could be ruled unsportsmanlike conduct or attempt to injure. It would be
condemnable. Apologists would call it “doing what it takes.”
Ah, but this is ice hockey, where John Ferguson rips Bobby Hull’s football
facemask off his head to pound his still-broken jaw.
The Devils may have to decide whether they would prefer winning dirty to
losing admirably.
Should they wait until they see the whites of their eyes?
that.”
“That’s a little hard-core,” winger Dainius Zubrus said. “I haven’t done that
yet in my career, actually shoot at anybody’s face. I’m not really planning on
it. I think there are still lanes to get it through. Sometimes the puck gets
away, and people get hit. But honestly, I’ve never aimed at anybody’s
head.”
things work out.”
631240
New York Rangers
“I can’t tell you that to put in the paper,” one Devil said.
Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique says deliberate head-hunting isn’t
necessary.
“You pay the price to block shots,” the center said. “It’s always been part of
the game.
“Either find a way around it or find a way through it. I don’t think you look to
hit a guy in the head.”
The numbers are daunting. The Rangers blocked 26 Devils shots Monday,
and Jersey missed on 15 more, putting just 21 on Henrik Lundqvist in 62
attempts. Ilya Kovalchuk’s big shot staggered Derek Stepan in the first, but
Stepan returned to action.
The Devils have launched an online campaign to try to convince fans not to
sell their tickets to their Rangers counterparts.
“Hah,” Kovalchuk responded when asked if the Devils would shoot to maim.
“No, we have to find the lanes. We played against them a lot, and that’s
their strategy. When we were successful the last game in Jersey (March 6),
we beat them 4-1, our ‘D’ found a way to put the puck on net, with traffic in
front.”
The plan concentrates on stopping Rangers fan from infiltrating Prudential
Center in the secondary market, where Devils fans who cannot attend the
game or games sell off their tickets.
The Eastern Conference has watched and waited all season as the
Rangers blocked shots all the way to the top seed. Now they’re seven
victories from their second Stanley Cup in 72 years. It still is working.
Here are some of the options the Devils laid out on their website:
“We’ve got a plan,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said.
If you own seats and have to sell for any of the home games because of
conflicts, do NOT list your seats on the secondary market. The team
recommends several blogs to list available seats and suggests asking for
pictures or to meet in person to ensure the buyer is a Devils fan.
They will be honorable. The Rangers will block shots, the Devils will try to
exploit sliding defenders. It’s a Stanley Cup playoff series, push and shove,
act and react. Perhaps DeBoer will reunite Kovalchuk and Zach Parise.
Then it will be Tortorella’s turn to react.
If fans are unsure about conversing on Devils blogs to sell tickets, they can
call the Devils Fan Experience Team line at 855-DEV-ARMY, and as a
service they will help sell seats to fellow Devils fans.
But despite DeBoer’s insistence yesterday that “it’s definitely not the story
of the series,” the shot-blocking is the first issue for a losing team to
resolve.
Tickets are available for all games on the secondary market and the team
lists websites such as Ticket Exchange in encouraging Devils fans to scoop
up the remaining seats.
By JUSTIN TERRANOVA
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New York Rangers
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New York Rangers
By MARK EVERSON
By LARRY BROOKS
I've got to tell you, I can’t even begin to imagine exactly what Martin
Brodeur was thinking after the Devils’ 3-0 defeat in Game 1 of the Battle of
the Hudson on Monday, in which the Rangers blocked more shots (26) than
actually got through to Henrik Lundqvist (21), but clearly, he allowed
frustration to get the best of him.
There’s no other way to explain how this 18-year NHL veteran, who never
has hurt an opponent in his life, would suggest, as he did, that, “Hopefully
we’ll be able to hurt a few guys [by] getting one-timers in the foot or their
head or something …”
The foot or the head or something … which translates into Brodeur putting
his foot in his mouth or something.
But then, even worse, there were Devils yesterday who actually seemed
willing to debate whether this different kind of headhunting might be a
legitimate tactic to discourage shot-blocking, though none would suggest it
ever could be or ever would be adopted by New Jersey’s team.
Still, the seed has been planted. When a pitcher who muses about brushing
someone back nails a batter in the head, the presumption of innocence has
been forfeited, the purpose having been advertised.
What now would be the response from the Rangers, forget for the moment
from the NHL, if a shot off a Devil’s stick went awry, as in right into the face
a Blueshirts defender?
Brad Richards was less than pleased to hear of Brodeur’s postgame
remark, though the Rangers’ alternate captain told The Post he did not
interpret it as either a threat or a promise.
“I don’t think it’s a very smart thing to say, that’s for sure,” Richards said.
“But I don’t think we’ve sunk to a level of such disrespect in this game that
one player would intentionally shoot the puck at another player’s head.
“I don’t think it’s anything we have to worry about, but I don’t understand
why it even would have been brought up and said that way.”
Rangers’ general manager Glen Sather found it impossible to believe
Brodeur hadn’t been facetious in the wake of the Game 1 defeat.
“It just must have been an off-color remark, it couldn’t have been serious,”
Sather told The Post. “I don’t think one player would ever say it would be
good strategy to hurt another player intentionally and mean it.”
Brett Favre begs to differ after his run-in with the bounty-hunting Saints.
It would be disconcerting enough for any player on any team to have
introduced this issue into the Stanley Cup playoffs even as an aside or a
matter of facetiousness, but it is astounding that this should have come out
of the Devils’ locker room and from Brodeur, as Marty most certainly should
know better.
For it was nine years ago that Scott Stevens suffered a concussion after
being hit in the head by a Pavel Kubina slap shot in Game 3 of the 2003
second round against the Lightning. The injury and Stevens’ decision to
return two days later without sitting out so much as a match combined to
form the genesis of the end of the Devils’ captain’s career after just 38
games the following season due to post-concussion syndrome.
It was at 1:17 of the first period on April 28 that year in Tampa that Kubina
sent a rising shot that caught Stevens on the left side of the head, knocking
him down not so far from where Brodeur stood in his crease and knocking
him out of the 4-3 Lightning victory that would be the only one for John
Tortorella’s squad in the five-game series against the ultimate Stanley Cup
champions.
No one in the arena believed the play to be anything other than an accident
… no one, that is, other than Brodeur and Ken Daneyko, who after the
game charged that Kubina had done it intentionally in order to knock
Stevens out of the game or series. Daneyko was irate, Brodeur more
miffed.
“I remember that,” said Richards, who was then in his third NHL season and
his first playoffs. “We were aware of what they were saying, but we thought
it was a kind of a heat-of-the-battle reaction that we never allowed to
become part of the discussion inside our room.
By BRETT CYRGALIS AND MARK EVERSON
When Artem Anisimov lifted the puck into the gaping Devils’ net to finish off
his Rangers’ 3-0 Game 1 win on Monday night, it seemed like validation for
a young player whose game has grown substantially as the playoffs have
progressed.
As recently as Game 5 of the second-round series against Washington,
Anisimov was relegated to fourth-line duty, getting just 4:56 of ice time in
that 3-2 Rangers’ win. Since then, he has been moved up in the lineup,
most recently paired with Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko on a line that
is made for checking but is not devoid of offense thanks, in large part, to the
presence of the 23-year-old Russian.
“It’s important everyone has to step up and continue throughout the
playoffs,” is how captain Ryan Callahan put it yesterday when asked about
Anisimov, as the Rangers prepare for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference
finals tonight at the Garden. “He’s a big body and it’s tough to take him off
pucks.”
Before the empty-netter, which was Anisimov’s third goal of the playoffs, he
was out on the second power-play unit and made a slick backhanded pass
to Chris Kreider, who buried it to take a 2-0 lead.
“I mean, he makes a hell of a pass there to Kreider,” coach John Tortorella
said. “That’s why he’s been moved up. He’s done some good things away
from the puck. A lot of people don’t realize some of the things he does. He’s
improved.”
Tortorella has been hot and cold this postseason when it comes to
answering questions about individual players. Sometimes he has freely
talked about the ups and downs of a single player, while other times he
tightens up and gives one-word answers.
Yesterday, the team was in the midst of a very optional practice, he was
asked why he keeps from expounding on individuals.
“This isn’t golf,” he said. “This is a team sport. It has to be. You push as a
coach. You push every individual within the team sport to be the best they
can be. But you have to combine that within a concept, in a team concept.”
The Devils think the most important thing to breaking the Rangers’ tight
defense is to draw blood first.
“The key against them is to score first,” Ilya Kovalchuk said. “Then they
have to change and open up.”
Kovalchuk proposed one way to do that, recalling a time on Monday night
when he tried to shoot wide to give Dainius Zubrus a back-door gimme.
“That’s going to work for sure,” Kovalchuk said. “The puck bounced. In the
second, one hit [David Clarkson] in the chest, and one went wide. We don’t
have to change anything.
“They look like they block a lot of shots because they give a lot of room to
our D on top. We have to make better plays.”
Kovalchuk also rejected the idea of trying to jump on the Rangers in order
to get them out of their shell.
“No, we have to do what we do,” Kovalchuk said. “We’re successful against
good teams on our forecheck. We have to go low to high quicker and get
the puck to the net, yes, but the forecheck is the key.”
Devils coach Peter DeBoer suggested perhaps his team was rusty.
“When I look back at the game last night, I think it was as much our
execution or lack of execution,” DeBoer said, “and whether that was the
layoff or whatever, but we have to do a better job executing.”
“It was obviously so far from the truth. Who would do that to another
player?”
DeBoer said he thought Brodeur was bumped on Dan Girardi’s opening
goal on Monday, and Michael Del Zotto put his hand on the puck on
another play.
Who indeed?
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New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The Record
the same and his belief in shot blocking has been "forever," even if his
Lightning squad had a "safe is death" motto referring to their aggressive
offensive style.
Print | 1. Chris Kreider, Rangers: Rookie set up Dan Girardi's goal to give
the Blueshirts the lead and scored on the power play later in the third
period.
"You have to play defense to win," Tortorella said. "Blocking shots is playing
defense."
2. Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers: Made 21 saves to post his second shutout of
this year's playoffs and the fifth postseason shutout of his career.
Veteran left wing Ruslan Fedotenko, a member of both squads, said the
current Rangers’ team plays an "altered style" from the Lightning.
3. Dan Girardi, Rangers: Broke a scoreless tie by scoring on his right point
shot 53 seconds into the third period.
"The game has evolved," Fedotenko said, citing post-lockout rule changes
that make it harder to defend without having a penalty called. "We need to
evolve with the game."
Hurting
631245
Center Derek Stepan hurt his right toe blocking a shot by the Devils’ Ilya
Kovalchuk at 12:29 of the first period in Game 1 while on the penalty kill.
New York Rangers
Rangers notes:
Stepan had trouble skating to the bench but did not miss any time.
Stepan had his big toe taped but that won’t affect his status for tonight’s
Game 2.
Andrew Gross
It’s a fact no team that has been extended to seven games in each of the
first two rounds – as the Rangers have – has ever gone on to win the
Stanley Cup.
But as far as coach John Tortorella believes, that means nothing as it
relates to the Rangers.
"It’s a bunch of crap," Tortorella said.
The Bruins swept the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals en route
to last season’s Cup but played seven-game series in each of the three
other rounds. In 1994, the Rangers played nine games in the first two
rounds before going on to win their last Cup.
Funny line
Rookie left wing Chris Kreider, one of only four players in NHL history to
have three playoff goals before skating in a regular season game,
according to Elias Sports Bureau, was asked whether he’s still living out of
a suitcase.
The Boston College product signed his deal one day prior to the first round.
"Yeah, but it’s a pretty big suitcase," Kreider said.
631247
New York Rangers
Can Rangers finally win a Game 2 to take control of series?
Close call
Defenseman Marc Staal nearly got the Rangers’ second goal at 9:43 of the
third period as he collected the rebound of Dan Girardi’s shot from the right
point as he stood just off the left post, staring at an empty net.
by STEVE ZIPAY
But Martin Brodeur dove to his right, as did defenseman Anton Volchenkov,
with the goalie getting credit for the save.
Henrik Lundqvist celebrates with teammate Brandon Prust after
"I saw [Girardi] about to shoot it, and I had a feeling it would come to that
side," Staal said. "I had to stop it quickly, it was rolling. He makes a huge
save, one of those two."
Briefs
Defenseman Michael Del Zotto took a game-high six shots in 22:41. …
irardi and Staal each had five blocked shots as the Rangers’ had 26 to the
Devils’ 14. … Brad Richards won 14 of 21 faceoffs. … Left wing Brandon
Dubinsky (right foot) is still unable to skate, but he did work out in the
Rangers’ weight room. … The Rangers recalled goalie Cam Talbot,
forwards Casey Wellman, J.T. Miller, Chad Kolarik, Jonathan AudyMarchessault, Kris Newbury and Marek Hrivik and defensemen Dylan
McIlrath and Tim Erixon from Connecticut (AHL) to form a taxi squad.
631246
New York Rangers
Rangers notes: History lesson
Call it the terrible twos.
First it was Chris Neil's overtime goal in Game 2 of the first-round series
against Ottawa on April 14 that washed away the Rangers' heady feeling of
a 4-2 win in the postseason opener at Madison Square Garden.
Two weeks later, on April 30, the Rangers had a 3-1 home victory in Game
1 under their belts against the Washington Capitals, but Alex Ovechkin's
power-play goal in the third period of Game 2 gave the visitors a hardearned split on the road.
In each case, the 3-2 loss in Game 2 was a precursor of a rugged sevengame series that the Rangers survived.
Wednesday night, the Rangers host the Devils in the second game of the
Eastern Conference finals after a 3-0 whitewash of the Devils in Game 1.
Will the third time be a charm?
Coach John Tortorella, playing it close to the vest as usual, said there was
no common theme or connection between those losses and Game 2 of this
series.
"We're not even looking at it that way," he said. "It's another game in the
series."
Andrew Gross
History lesson
The Rangers’ shot-blocking ability – they had 26 in Monday’s 3-0 win over
the Devils in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference final – was a main topic of
discussion as they conducted Tuesday’s optional practice.
So coach John Tortorella was asked to compare his coaching "identity" to
when he won the 2004 Stanley Cup with the Lightning. Tortorella said it’s
But players said they were aware of the track record and had discussed the
topic.
"You really want to try to get a hold of the series," defenseman Ryan
McDonagh said. "The next game, it's a huge opportunity, we haven't done it
before, it's made it a tougher road, and it would be nice, in a sense, to make
a stand on home ice, and make that last win mean that much more.
A 2-0 lead in the series bodes well for a team advancing to the Stanley Cup
Finals. According to whowins.com, a site that tracks pro sports results, a
team ahead 2-0 wins this round of the Stanley Cup playoffs more than 90
percent of the time.
Game 3 is Saturday afternoon at Prudential Center in Newark.
"The last couple series, it's been win one, lose one," said Dan Girardi,
McDonagh's on-ice partner. "We really want to try, especially at this stage,
to get a 2-nothing lead and build it from there. We're going to have a better
first two periods for us to be successful.
"It starts with a hard start, make sure we're not turning pucks over and
make sure we're playing under the hashmarks."
The Devils spent Monday night watching the Rangers block 26 of their
shots. They spent yesterday doing their best to block out the entire subject.
That wasn't easy, though, when many of the questions reporters posed
were on that very topic.
"It's definitely not the story of the series,'' coach Pete DeBoer said in
response to the very first question he faced after an early afternoon team
meeting. (The team did not skate.)
A little cushion also would help if the Rangers, as has been the trend, fail to
light the lamp regularly in the remaining games of the series.
"I mean, they are a good shot-blocking team. Every team you play has
strengths in certain areas, and that's one of the Rangers' strengths . . . But
it's not the story of the series.''
Counting Monday night, the Blueshirts have won by two goals or more just
three times in the playoffs. And guess what? All three times have been the
series openers. After that, opponents have outscored the Rangers 23-22.
The Devils had better hope not, given that they lost, 3-0, in Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference finals, in large part because of the Rangers'
maddening ability to stop pucks before they reach Henrik Lundqvist.
Center Brian Boyle, who beat Braden Holtby early in the third period in
Game 2 against the Senators to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead that they
relinquished, said he had forgotten the specifics of that contest and Game 2
in Washington.
One trick will be to prevent the shot-blocking from getting into their heads.
Another will be better execution. Not that DeBoer was willing to share
specifics. "It's a bunch of different things,'' he said. "It's finding lanes,
moving the puck quickly, being in the right places. We've got a plan.''
"I don't even remember those games," he said. "But you don't want to do
the back-and-forth thing if we can help it. And I'm sure they [the Devils]
really want to even it up."
In the conference semis the Capitals often faked shots to get the Rangers
to commit too early, then skated around them. The Devils seem more
inclined to find paths directly through the maze in front of Lundqvist.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 05.16.2012
"If you have an opportunity to shoot and have a lane you have to take it, so
it's got to be either a quick shot or a quick pass across or tips," center
Travis Zajac said. "There are places everywhere we can get it into the net.''
631248
New York Rangers
Staal's injury accelerated McDonagh's development
by STEVE ZIPAY
Playing with Dan Girardi because longtime defensive partner Marc Staal
was sidelined with post-concussion issues at the start of the season sped
up Ryan McDonagh's development as a top-pair defenseman, coach John
Tortorella said Tuesday.
"[McDonagh] got so quickly into key situations because that injury
accelerated his process," Tortorella said. "That may be a year down the
road if we didn't have an injury. It certainly was out of necessity."
McDonagh, 22, who had played just 40 games in 2010-11, said losing Staal
was unfortunate, but was "really ecstatic and knew how important it was for
me and Danny to play well having Marc out."
Starting the season in Europe, the 28-year-old Girardi said, allowed no
grace period and that immediate trust was critical. "It was kind of read off
each other and talking on and off the ice about different things we could
do," he said. "He's such a good skater, he makes my job easy. I'm more
stay-at-home and get the puck up to the forwards, and he likes to get in the
rush."
McDonagh's adjustment wasn't seamless. "I make mistakes and Danny's
great at recovering and blocking a shot or disrupting an odd-man rush," he
said. "I've learned a lot, how mentally tough he is, the hits he takes, the way
he blocks shots."
Derek Stepan, who blocked Ilya Kovalchuk's power-play slapper at 12:29 of
the first period Monday with his foot, didn't skate but will play Wednesday
night. The big toe on was bandaged . . . Tortorella on why he doesn't
always discuss individual players: "This isn't golf . . . You push every
individual to be the best they can be. But you have to combine that within a
team concept."
Said center Adam Henrique: "We just have to keep putting pressure, getting
pucks to the net, keep getting shots from the point and crashing the net,
getting traffic out front, getting tips. It's going to be an ugly one that beats
him.''
Ilya Kovalchuk had a couple of the Devils' relatively few chances in Game
1. The left wing rejected the notion the Rangers' shot-blocking has or will
affect the Devils psychologically. "No, that's part of the game,'' he said.
"That's how they played all season long, so it's nothing new for us. They did
their job better than we did in the first game and got the win and it's not a
big deal.''
Not a big deal? Earlier, Kovalchuk had called Game 2 a "must win.''
So extreme is the use of shot-blocking by the Rangers that a reporter asked
DeBoer whether it might be time to consider rules changes to counter it.
The coach said he was too busy trying to win playoff games to ponder big
issues such as that. "Shot blocking has been around for 30 years,'' he said.
"Some teams do it better than others.''
Does Brodeur think it's bad for the sport?
"You have the wrong guy to ask that question,'' he said, laughing. "We were
blamed for the [neutral zone] trap, but we were successful at it so I guess
whatever breeds success is what you need to do.
"I know it's probably not the most exciting brand of hockey, but it's really
effective. They have gotten in people's heads by doing what they're doing
and they're tough to play against because of that.''
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New York Rangers
Rangers defensemen have been front and center
ARTHUR STAPLE
631249
New York Rangers
John Tortorella reminded everyone Tuesday that there is only one sort of
success in the NHL, and it's not the individual kind.
"This isn't golf," he said. "This is a team sport."
Devils say they have a blockbusting plan
by NEIL BEST
And the team concept extends beyond the ice, beyond even the Rangers.
The accolades have poured in for Tortorella's group of homegrown
defensemen, all of whom were front and center in the Rangers' 3-0 Game 1
win Monday.
Dan Girardi scored the key goal to break a 0-0 tie, plus he played his usual
25-plus minutes. Ryan McDonagh broke up two breakaway chances in the
first period, by the Devils' two most dangerous players, Zach Parise and Ilya
Kovalchuk.
Michael Del Zotto had an assist and did some work. Even Stu Bickel did his
part in his small parcel of playing time.
The unifying factor for those four, along with Marc Staal, is that they all
spent at least a little time in Hartford, learning under the guidance of a
former Stanley Cup-winning defenseman who has been as important to the
development of the Rangers' defense as anyone.
"We're in the teaching business, but we're also in the winning business,"
J.J. Daigneault told me Tuesday afternoon. "Seeing the young guys you
coached do well is satisfying. But it's satisfying to see the Rangers do well.
We all try to do our part."
Daigneault's part is crucial, along with that of fellow Connecticut Whale
assistant Pat Boller, coach Ken Gernander and on up to assistant GM Jim
Schoenfeld, who coached Daigneault with the Coyotes in 1999 along with
Tortorella, who was Schoenfeld's assistant back then.
So there was Coyotes captain Shane Doan, earning a major penalty for
boarding the Kings’ Trevor Lewis at the same time as teammate Daymond
Langkow was being ticketed for slashing Brown. Seconds later, a rattledlooking Mike Smith took a lumberjack chop at Brown who, for going down in
a heap, earned a diving penalty on the play. Diving? Bizarre.
And then in the third period, the most egregious infraction of all: Coyotes
centre Martin Hanzal, lining up Brown from the faceoff circle in, ramming
him into the boards head-first.
NHL disciplinary chief Brendan Shanahan has had a couple of tame playoff
rounds to catch his breath, after dinging the Coyotes’ Raffi Torres with a 25game ban for his first-round hit on the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa,
but he’s going to have a busy docket to review Wednesday.
“I’ve probably been involved in dirtier games,” Brown said. “There were
some hits out there that weren’t good, but it’s one of those things where
guys are playing hard, and we capitalized on the opportunities we had.”
Of the two hits, Hanzal’s was by far the most dangerous, catching a
vulnerable Brown a couple of feet away from the boards. Players have been
unilaterally instructed to pull up on those hits. Hanzal inexplicably didn’t get
the memo.
Schoenfeld brought Daigneault in as an assistant with the Rangers' AHL
team in 2006-07; among the defensemen there was an undrafted 22-yearold named Dan Girardi.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter wasn’t overly upset with the Doan hit on Lewis,
because he thought Lewis turned his back to the play.
"He was disciplined, a hard worker, he practiced hard and did the drills
right," Daigneault said. "When you do all that, you have a good chance to
get at least a look at the next level."
“It’s probably more of a hockey play,” Sutter said. “I didn’t have a big
problem with that. But the one on Brownie. It’s hard to say from the bench,
but I didn’t think the puck was even close, was it?”
The next level for Girardi has been logging more minutes than all but a
handful of NHL defensemen and one of the unlikelier All-Star selections this
season. Plus, Girardi now has two game-winning goals in this postseason,
and is tied with Del Zotto for the NHL lead among defensemen with nine
points.
No, not close.
So, naturally, his old position coach saw it all coming six years ago.
The Kings tied an NHL record by winning their seventh consecutive road
game in these playoffs and their ninth in a row dating back to last season.
Quick also won his ninth in a row on the road, only the second goalie in
history, after the New York Islanders’ Billy Smith, to do so.
"Absolutely not," Daigneault said. "He's worked incredibly hard. I try to tell
these guys when they're here that I can help them, but it's going to take a
lot of work and sweat. And they're the ones doing the work and the
sweating. I stopped sweating it out a long time ago."
The Rangers are three wins from a Stanley Cup Finals, and they have
shown in each of their two previous playoff rounds that they are only as
good as their entire team effort.
It's a lesson that has been instilled in all of them by Tortorella, the one
running this team. But it started -- or, in the case of Del Zotto during his lost
2010-11 season, was reinforced by -- a coaching staff in the AHL that has
provided a seamless transition for as heralded a group of young
defensemen as any.
And we haven't even discussed Michael Sauer, Daigneault's most prized
pupil, who went from three seasons in the AHL to a promising, second-pair
defenseman before losing almost this entire season to a concussion. Or
Tim Erixon, acquired last summer and benefiting from a nearly full season
with the Whale under Daigneault's tutelage.
"That's the fun part of coaching these kids -- the sky's the limit," Daigneault
said. "They're making me very proud."
631251
NHL
Kings of the road
ERIC DUHATSCHEK
It was already 2-0 for the visiting Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night when
the Phoenix Coyotes decided it was time to throw the game away. Well,
why not? It’s only the Stanley Cup semi-finals. Why not completely go goofy
and let Kings captain Dustin Brown get so deeply under their collective
skins that they couldn’t function any more?
With the Kings up 2-0 in the series, Hanzal may not be around to play
Thursday night’s third game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where
L.A. can put a stranglehold on the series.
All that extended time with the two-man advantage provided the impetus for
the Kings to snap out of a playoff-long power-play drought. Jeff Carter
scored three times, twice with the man advantage, while Dwight King’s firstperiod goal stood up as the winner.
“That’s how you make them pay, by capitalizing on the power play - and
tonight, we did,” said centre Anze Kopitar. “It was huge. Getting the third
goal and getting a little more insurance for the third period was good.”
Carter sightings have been few and far between in these playoffs. His only
other goal came in the rout of the St. Louis Blues in the second round.
Carter had one of those right-place, right-time kind of games, and his
scoring outburst had a lot to do with the spade work variously down by
Dustin Penner, Kopitar and Brown on his goals.
“He’s been getting good opportunities, so it’s good to see him cash in,”
Sutter said. “You knew it was coming. You know with guys like that, it’s
percentages, right?
“We tried to give everybody minutes and he probably had big minutes. We
used him more killing penalties and obviously, on the power play, he’s out
there. We need something out of everybody.”
On the day of the game, Phoenix coach Dave Tippett spoke bravely of his
team’s resilience, and how so little collectively fazes his group. Defenceman
Derek Morris talked about competing better and smarter. It all sounded
good in theory, and reflected the kind of season the Coyotes have had, one
in which they won two previous rounds against more flashy opponents. But
the Kings are on a different level at the moment, clicking on all these
disparate cylinders throughout the line-up; and the Coyotes didn’t help their
cause by allowing their composure to slip so badly.
“We played hard,” said Coyotes’ defenceman Keith Yandle. “We just found
our way into the penalty box too much.”
The best news of all, according to Kings defenceman Rob Scuderi, was
that: “For all the guys who were on the receiving end of those hits, they’re
all fine and we can move on and go back to Los Angeles.”
Brown was asked if the Coyotes looked like a frustrated squad.
“If that’s the case, we’ve got to keep going and keep finishing our checks,”
Brown said. “When you have everybody finishing checks, it can get
frustrating. The intensity’s high out there. It’s important for us to understand
if they are frustrated out there, we’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing.”
What they’ve done is won 10 of 11 games in these playoffs, after starting as
the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. Everything is falling
into place at precisely the right moment - the goaltending, the timely
scoring, relentless defence. At this stage, it would take a major reversal of
fortunes for the Coyotes to find a way back into the series, or for the Kings
to fritter it away.
They are the better team and Tuesday night, they were also the smarter
team. A lethal combination, at the moment.
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“I think at the beginning of the year, if you looked at our roster, you’d say
you didn’t know about the D, as far as experience,” winger Mike Rupp said.
“They’ve been the strongest part of our season. And [Game 1] was a good
example of that. They’re getting the experience now.”
Tortorella added: “With Mac, the amount of time he got so quickly in key
situations because of that injury [to Staal] has accelerated his
[development] process. That may [have come] a year down the road if we
didn’t have an injury.”
At the centre of that process has been Girardi, who grew up idolizing Mark
Messier only to now follow in his footsteps in trying to lead the Rangers past
the Devils in the Eastern Conference final.
For a team that has been winning in the least flashy way possible –
standing and lying down in front of pucks – he is a fitting frontman.
Even if the job comes with a lot of stitches.
Makeshift defence pair turns into gem for Rangers
“I think that’s just part of being a hockey player,” Girardi said. “Having cuts
and bruises and different kinds of injuries.”
JAMES MIRTLE
“I’ve obviously learned a lot from him,” McDonagh said, “how mentally
tough he is. The grind that he goes through, the hits that he takes and the
way he blocks shots. He’s such a leader.”
It’s right there in his scouting report, listed under assets.
“He plays through injuries.”
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One look at Dan Girardi’s face, 15 games into these playoffs, will tell you
the same.
The heart and soul of the New York Rangers’ blueline, Girardi has a
latticework of scars, scabs and cuts from the bridge of his nose, up between
his eyebrows and dangerously close to his left eye.
NHL
Injuries in short supply so far in NHL playoffs
JAMES MIRTLE
Hockey night on the Hudson
Which, by the way, appears to be turning purple.
Much of that damage came courtesy of Henrik Lundqvist’s goal stick, which
caught his teammate in the head in the second round.
Here’s a curious observation on the four teams remaining in these playoffs:
Five weeks in, they’re all remarkably healthy.
So much for a war of attrition -- so far anyway.
So the man who has averaged the most ice time in these playoffs – 27
minutes 29 seconds a night heading into Wednesday’s Game 2 against the
New Jersey Devils – fits the part, and all he has to show for it is a crumpled
black fedora the team passes around from win to win to its MVP.
In terms of significant absences due to recent injuries, there’s really only
one: New York Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky, who has traded
crutches for a walking boot lately but hasn’t played due to a likely broken
foot suffered in Game 7 of the first round.
“It doesn’t fit many of our heads,” netminder Marty Biron explained.
The only other players hurt during the playoffs that remain out for the
Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Phoenix Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are
Kyle Clifford (concussion) and Adrian Aucoin (questionable for Game 2 with
undisclosed injury).
Still, as a symbol, hanging in Girardi’s locker on Tuesday after practice, it’s
a good one. So, too, are his equally weathered shin pads, which are beefier
than usual given all the abuse he takes getting in front of 100-mile-an-hour
shots.
What had already been a dream season – with an appearance in the allstar game – for the undrafted 28-year-old from Welland, Ont., has hit a new
level in these playoffs.
Monday’s 3-0 win was his first night wearing the so-called Broadway Hat,
with his winning goal and an assist putting him into a share of the NHL
scoring lead among defencemen with nine points in 15 games.
Girardi’s rise likely wouldn’t have even happened had his former defence
partner, Marc Staal, not suffered a concussion and missed the first half of
the season, leaving the Rangers in a bind in September.
Looking for a fit, Rangers coach John Tortorella shifted youngster Ryan
McDonagh alongside Girardi and the pairing seemed to click from Day 1.
“You never know how this works out,” Tortorella said of creating line
combinations. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever split those two guys up.”
Playing big minutes, against top lines every night and often starting in their
own zone, the duo emerged as one of the top shut-down units in the league
this season, something even their teammates admit was a surprise.
Missing Staal for any length of time was supposed to hurt more than this,
especially when McDonagh – acquired from Montreal in the trade for Scott
Gomez that grows more lopsided by the day – had all of 45 games NHL
experience coming into training camp.
Fast-forward to Monday and the relatively unheralded 22-year-old
Minnesotan was chasing down and nullifying two of the top talents in the
game in Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk.
It appeared that the Devils may lose a key player early on in Game 1 when
Patrik Elias took a puck right to the face, but he had what’s believed to be a
broken nose repaired on the bench and didn’t miss a shift.
All this good health is quite a departure from previous years, when major
injuries significantly hindered teams by this point in the postseason.
Then there’s the Vancouver Canucks, who by Game 7 of the finals last year
had three defencemen with major injuries, Ryan Kesler needing surgery
and Mason Raymond out for months with a fractured vertebrae.
It’s not as if these playoffs have been particularly tame either. And with all
of the shotblocking going on (nearly 35 a game, on average) one would
think there’d be more broken bones for teams like the Rangers.
(New York can ill afford to lose a defenceman given they rely so heavily on
their top four or five and rarely play their sixth.)
That said, there’s still plenty of time left. As several Rangers noted after
Monday night’s win, they’re really only halfway to the end here, and the
winning team has another 11 or 12 hard fought games to go.
At some point, injuries are going to be a factor. They always are.
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NHL labour strife looms this summer
By Pat Hickey, The Gazette May 15, 2012
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says he expects a quick and easy
negotiation with the NHL Players’ Association when the collective
agreement between the National Hockey League and its players expires in
less than four months, but so far the two sides haven’t started talking about
a new deal.
At least not to each other.
There have been internal discussions on both sides. Donald Fehr, the
rookie executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, has been
canvassing his membership about the players’ concerns. And you can be
sure that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has heard from the owners
about what they want in a new deal and you can be sure that there is a
wide range of opinion among the league haves and have-nots.
We got an inkling of what the players don’t want from Steve Fehr, the
NHLPA special counsel. He was filling in for his brother during the
conference of the Sports Lawyers Association in San Diego and he
appeared to draw a line in the sand when he told Sports Business Daily’s
Liz McMullen that the players would fight any attempt to cut their share of
hockey related revenue.
Most of the speculation has centred around a roll back of the players’ share
that is currently 56-57 per cent. National Football League players accepted
48-49.5 per cent of revenues after a lockout last summer, while NBA
players lost nearly half a season before agreeing to a 50-50 split.
“I think it is fair to say that if the approach is what many are predicting, that
the owners come in and say we have to shave 5, 10, 15, 25, 30 – pick a
number – points off the percentage of revenues in the cap that players
receive, there may be a lot of players who say: ‘Wait a minute, we already
gave at the office,’ ” Fehr said.
“We made massive concessions last time that were designed to fix your socalled problems,” he continued. “If it has not fixed your so-called problems,
we need to have a long, hard discussion about what those problems are
and what we should do about it.”
Fehr said there were two possible routes for the negotiations to take. He
noted that the NBA and NFL both experienced lockouts after the leagues
asked the players for economic concessions, but Major League Baseball
did not seek major concessions and reached a deal without a work
stoppage.
“If there is more of an approach that was taken by MLB, it may be a quick
and easy negotiation,” Fehr said of the coming talks. “That is actually what
Gary Bettman has said, that he expects a quick and easy negotiation and
he probably knows more about it than I do, so perhaps that is the direction it
will take.”
Perhaps, but we won’t know until they start talking and the clock is ticking in
case there isn’t a quick resolution.
No hurry for coach: For some fans, the clock is ticking on the Canadiens’
search for a new head coach, but the New Jersey Devils back up general
manager Marc Bergevin’s belief that there is no reason to rush the decision.
Peter DeBoer, who has guided the Devils to the Eastern Conference final
this season, wasn’t hired until July 19 last year.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Carter had two weird goals among his three, while little-known Dwight King
— with his third goal of the series — opened the scoring for the Kings.
Carter scored one off his knee, a rare power-play goal for the Kings, and
another while fanning on his shot. His third was off a rebound with 7:04
remaining in the third.
King, the 109th overall pick in the 2007 draft who started out in the ECHL,
has made himself at home in the NHL playoffs. He had five goals and 14
points in 27 games during the regular season. He has four goals in the
post-season.
Despite being the eighth seed, the Kings may well be the best team in the
playoffs. They come with speed in waves, line after line, with scoring
throughout the lineup.
Drew Doughty had two assists.
Justin Williams’ assist was his fifth point in five games.
Anze Kopitar has points in five straight games after two assists in Game 2.
And don’t forget the goaltending of Jonathan Quick, who tied Felix Potvin
for the Kings record with his third playoff shutout.
The Kings are 10-1 in the playoffs and have not trailed in a game since
midway through the first period in St. Louis, the first game of the second
round. They haven’t lost since April 18.
The Coyotes lost not just the game, but their composure. Being outshot and
outplayed at home, things got Coyote ugly with captain Shane Doan and
forward Martin Hanzal both ejected for boarding, while goalie Mike Smith
gave a wicked slash to Kings captain Dustin Brown.
Down 2-0, Doan took a run at Kings forward Trevor Lewis, who had his
head down along the boards, digging for the puck. Lewis’ face smashed
awkwardly into the boards, his nose cut. On the same play, Daymond
Langkow was sent off for slashing, giving the Kings a 5-on-3 power play.
Then Smith slashed Brown. Both got minors — Brown inexplicably for
diving — and the 5-on-3 continued. Finally, Kopitar’s shot deflected off
Carter’s knee to beat Smith for a 3-0 lead after two periods. The Kings
power play had scored just once in its last eight games before then.
Brown turned into a favourite target, boarded by Hanzal in the third. Hanzal,
too was ejected and got a five-minute major with less than nine minutes to
go in the game.
Phoenix had not lost two straight games this post-season and hadn’t lost
two in a row in regulation since March 5 and 6. After losses, Phoenix had
been 3-0 — two of them shutouts by Smith.
So, when the Coyotes had talked for the better part of two days about
getting off to a better start in Game 2, there was reason to believe them. In
fact, the Coyotes were talking as if this was almost — but not quite — a
must-win situation after they’d surrendered home-ice advantage by losing
the opener.
“It’s a huge game,” Morris said at the morning skate. “We definitely have to
play better. You can say it’s a must-win. . . . If we go out there and play the
way we can, the outcome will be a lot better.”
The Coyotes did come out stronger. They managed nine shots on Quick in
the first period. But the Kings got 15 on Smith and the first 20 minutes
ended with Los Angeles predictably up 1-0.
The Kings shoot from everywhere, and Doughty fired one from the point
through traffic that was deflected by King.
Los Angeles Kings beat Phoenix Coyotes 4-0, lead series 2-0
Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker said the key for the Coyotes the rest of the
way is to make life tough on Quick.
Kevin McGran
“He’s a good goaltender,” said Boedker. “If he can’t see the puck, he can’t
stop it. That’s the same with every goalie.”
GLENDALE, ARIZ.—The Phoenix Coyotes talked a good game.
The Los Angeles Kings, led by Jeff Carter’s hat trick, played a better one.
The Kings beat the Coyotes 4-0 Tuesday night and head home with a 2-0
lead in their best-of -seven NHL Western Conference final. Game 3 is
Thursday in Los Angeles.
They did that in the second period, swarming Quick on a couple of shifts
early in the frame. But after being stopped on a few scoring attempts, the
play went the other way. Penner fought off a few checks in the corner.
Richards made a pass that went off Penner’s foot to Carter, who was
fighting off Antoine Vermette. Carter whiffed, but still got enough on it for an
opportunistic 2-0 lead.
Then things got messy for Phoenix, with Doan and Smith going over the
edge.
The Coyotes had been 7-3 this post-season when outshot, a fact not lost on
the Kings.
“That’s kind of what they’ve been doing,” said Williams. “They’ve been able
to hang around in games and get goals from big players. They have the
capability of doing that. We need to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward,
not get frustrated because we can’t get a puck in the net.”
So Glendale has subsidized the Coyotes, paying the NHL a further $25
million a year to keep the team here. It will pay Jamison about $14 million a
year in “arena management fees” to do the same. Coyotes-related revenue
generates only about $14.2 million for the city, which dips into its property
tax base to pay the difference.
Kings centre Colin Fraser missed the game for a family matter
Some people don’t mind that at all. Raul Garcia, who helps run his family’s
Mexican bakery, said letting the team leave would be a bigger waste of
taxpayer money.
Kyle Clifford saw his first action since getting concussed by Byron Bitz vs.
Vancouver in the first round.
And Belinda Jackson, a supervisor at Value Village, said the Coyotes are
good for business.
Coyotes defenceman Adrian Aucoin (undisclosed) remained sidelined.
“Most people think that way,” said Jackson. “It will help Arizona and our city
and our economy.”
Coyotes forward Ray Whitney played in his 100th career post-season
game.
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Fans divided over Phoenix Coyotes in city gone to the dogs
Kevin McGran
Still, it’s not as if Coyotes Fever has gripped Glendale, with some secondhand playoff tickets being advertised for as little as $50 a pair.
Downtown Glendale is lined with antique stores, second-hand shops and
cheque-cashing outlets. The streetscape shows no evidence that the
Coyotes are even in the playoffs. The surrounding area is one of “For Rent”
signs, mobile home parks, a few gated communities and plenty of vacant
lots and abandoned building projects.
At Glendale High School, one of the 1,700 students is asked if there are
any hockey fans among the student body.
“Oh yes, but he’s in band right now,” the student said.
GLENDALE, ARIZ.—Abel Arriaga used to work for the Phoenix Coyotes.
The 27-year-old was a diehard Coyotes fan who’d landed a dream job:
selling luxury suites at hockey games to businesses. But selling pricey
boxes for a team that might not be around the next season was about as
tough a job as there could be.
So when Arriaga got another job offer, he quit. Even he wasn’t sure the
team would stay.
“Now, seeing this, I wish I was a part of it,” Arriaga said outside Jobing.com
arena as it filled for Game 1 of the Coyotes’ playoff series against the Los
Angeles Kings. “I still support the team. I think it’s really going to work now.”
After three years of turmoil, there finally appears to be a glimmer of hope for
Coyotes fans. Not just on the ice, where the team has emerged as a
Stanley Cup contender, but also in the front office, where former San Jose
Sharks president Greg Jamison is poised to lead a purchase of the team
from the NHL and keep it in Glendale, with the controversial help of local
taxpayers.
“For selfish reasons, I want to keep the Coyotes here because I love
watching them,” said fan Kelly McKenzie. “Fans don’t want to commit to
having a team that may not be here next season. It’s frustrating and
disappointing.
“You keep hearing rumours and now that they’ve actually announced
something, it seems more real. I’m really excited.”
So excited that Kelly and her husband, Sean, who live in Glendale, have
purchased season tickets for next year for the first time.
“Hockey doesn’t seem to be a hot topic around here,” said another student,
Daniel Castillo. “There’s no ice. It’s not cold. Why the hell is there a hockey
team in a hot-ass state?”
Julie Patton, assistant principal at the school, sees it differently.
“It’s really great for our community to have a professional team close,” she
said. “It allows for the community to get out and get used to a new sport.”
Patton is a Coyotes fan and says there are more fans in the school than
that one kid in band although hockey does take a back seat to soccer,
football and baseball at the school.
“We’re a 100-year-old school and we have five generations that have gone
through,” said Patton. “This would be its first generation of hockey fans.”
The Jamison-led purchase is not guaranteed. There is mystery involved.
His investors are of the silent and anonymous variety.
The Goldwater Institute, a taxpayer watchdog group, will likely weigh in on
the issue. The institute says it is against Arizona law for a city government
to subsidize business. Its threat of a lawsuit was enough to scare off wouldbe investors in the past.
That’s why long-time season ticket holder Rich Phillips isn’t getting carried
away.
“I was very pleased to hear of the latest agreement, but it still has to go
through the NHL’s final approval and Glendale’s final approval,” said
Phillips. “I’m reserved on my excitement but it’s a lot more positive than in
the past.”
It’s perhaps not too surprising to hear that Coyotes fans want the team to
stay. But walking the impoverished streets of downtown Glendale, just a
couple of kilometres away, is a different matter.
Phillips, a transplanted New Yorker who used to have Rangers season
tickets, lives in Scottsdale, which is essentially the centre of metropolitan
Phoenix and its 4.2 million people. He says the team would have been
more successful had its arena been built in Scottsdale.
“I think they should all get the hell out of town,” said Mike Barnes, walking
between the 99-cent discount store and the local Value Village. “The city is
going broke because of them. Why should I fund that? I pay enough in
property taxes.”
“I play hockey two days a week. All my hockey buddies, it would take an act
of God for them to get out of the east side of the valley to go all the way to
the west side to see the game,” he said.
Barnes says he’s not against paying taxes or against spending public
money on worthy causes.
“I like hockey, but I don’t think we should fund that,” he said. “My kid goes to
deaf school. Why don’t we fund that?”
Glendale, population about 220,000, is in a bind. It spent $180 million to
build Jobing.com Arena in 2003 as part of the Westgate entertainment
district. The place is packed on game day, empty the rest of the time.
If the Coyotes leave, the arena and its surrounding district would be a white
elephant because it costs Glendale $12.6 million a year to pay the debt on
arena costs.
The Coyotes have never made money since their move here. At their worst,
they bled $30 million a year. The new economics of the game haven’t
helped. And the fact they’ve been without an owner for three years and in a
constant state of flux has hurt the fan base. They were last in the league in
attendance. Fans won’t get involved without a long-term commitment. The
Coyotes haven’t been able to commit.
Businesses buy suites and sponsors sign on around the league on multiyear contracts. The Coyotes couldn’t offer that kind of stability.
Now, perhaps, they can.
“That’s why the team should stay,” said Arriaga. “I was a young kid, I came
out and now I’m a season ticket holder. That’s how sports is. It’s cyclical.
“Now all my friends around my age, guess what? We’re buying tickets.
That’s how we build a fan base. That’s why we can’t leave because now’s
our time.”
Toronto Star LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Rangers’ Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh more than just shot blockers
Bruce Arthur May 15, 2012 – 6:49 PM ET | Last Updated: May 15, 2012
6:51 PM ET
NEW YORK — “‘I feel like everyone is obsessed with this shot-blocking
because that’s what they’re doing,” said Zach Parise, hunched at his locker
after New Jersey’s 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference final, his brow knotted up. “A lot of teams block shots.
We have to get around it.”
Blocked shots have become a much-discussed topic in this post-season,
and the Rangers are the main reason why. New York has blocked 293
shots in 15 games, second only to the departed Washington Capitals; there
are four Rangers in the top 10, and their top defensive pair, Dan Girardi and
Ryan McDonagh, lead the league with 52 and 42, respectively. In Game 1,
New York blocked five more shots than they allowed to reach Henrik
Lundqvist.
Now, the 2009-10 Montreal Canadiens actually blocked two more shots per
game in the playoffs, and three other teams blocked more shots than New
York in the regular season, and the recent spike in blocked shots has been
going on for the past three years. And for the Rangers it is not everything,
because that would be crazy.
But it is a central tenet of this series, to the point that the Devils are already
trying not to think too hard on it.
“We were blamed for the trap, when we were successful at it, so what
brings success is what you need to do,” Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.
says “And I know it’s probably not the most exciting brand of hockey. But
it’s really effective. And again, they got in people’s heads by doing what
they’re doing, and they’re tough to play against.”
“It’s definitely not the story of the series,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer says.
“They’re a good shot-blocking team. Every team you play has strengths in
certain areas. And that’s one of the Rangers’ strengths. One of the
strengths of the New Jersey Devils is our penalty kill. It’s something you
have to deal with. It’s not the story of the series.”
It is a part of it, and the Devils have seen what shot-blocking can do. When
Washington had New York pinned in the Rangers zone for what felt like
forever in the second period of Game 7, Capitals defenceman Mike Green
got the puck at the point over and over again, raised his stick, and faced
with a Rangers player in front of him, brought the stick back down and
passed instead. It was like he was waiting for the best chance, and that
chance never quite came.
Of course, there is more to the Rangers, just as there is more to McDonagh
and Girardi, who were never supposed to be a defensive pair in the first
place. They were put together at the beginning of the year when Marc Staal
was sidelined by post-concussion symptoms; Girardi was the system guy
who first learned to block shots with the team’s AHL affiliate in Hartford,
while McDonagh was part of the deal that dumped Scott Gomez on the
Montreal Canadiens. McDonagh had only played his first 40 NHL games
the previous year; it was far from clear how it would work.
“I think if you looked at this roster at the beginning of the year, you’d say
you weren’t sure about the defence,” Rangers forward Mike Rupp says.
Now, they are at the core of this team’s identity, and were central to Game
1. It wasn’t just blocked shots; McDonagh, 27, delivered a pair of chasedown plays on early Devils breakaways, on Zach Parise and then on Ilya
Kovalchuk. Girardi, 28, blocked five shots, including a painful-looking one
from Kovalchuk, and scored the goal that broke the game open, 53 seconds
into the third period. Once again, they played long minutes, and difficult
minutes. Girardi is averaging 27:29 per game, tops among players still
playing; McDonagh is at 27:09, one spot behind.
“It’s funny how it works out when you end up with injuries,” Rangers coach
John Tortorella says. “We always talk about when there’s injuries, another
guy gets an opportunity. You never know where it’s going to lead you … I’m
not sure if I’ll ever split those two guys up.”
But right now, all anybody is talking about is the blocked shots. Rupp talks
about how the nerves in your feet can be deadened over time; he talks
about how you don’t want to ramp your stick, and how you want to take it in
the shinpad, and how the Rangers coaches basically just tell everybody to
make themselves big, and how if you do go to block a shot, you’d better get
it, because you’re screening the goalie.
And he cautions that, for all that, blocked shots aren’t everything.
“There’s more to it,” Rupp says. “Our whole game’s about playing with
pressure, but calculated pressure, not just running around and trying to hit
guys and all that. But I think that’s why we get our blocked shots. Because
we pressure, but we’re in tight and supporting each other, and in this league
there are some teams that can alleviate that pressure, and you’ve got to
block a shot. You’ve got to give up something sometimes, and we find the
shot we’re willing to give up is a point shot. So they rifle it off to the point,
and then it’s our responsibility to block it. We’re not just backing up and
hoping for the best.”
McDonagh, for his part, talks about blocking shots like he is in church. “It’s
such a unique feeling when you block a good shot,” he says. “I mean,
especially when you see other people do it, you want to make sure that
you’re doing your part, too. That’s what’s great about our team. Everybody’s
trying to do that. When you see somebody make a block, you want to make
sure that when your opportunity is there you come through and help the
team in that aspect. So when everybody’s doing it, it just becomes natural.
It becomes part of your identity on the team.”
And the Devils sit across the river, trying to keep it out of their minds, trying
to consider it a problem to be solved, ready to shoot again, and better, and
more. And the Rangers sit on this side of the Hudson, ice packs at the
ready, prepared to stand in front.
National Post LOADED: 05.16.2012
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NHL
Rangers fans are legendary for their antics
Dave Stubbs May 15, 2012 – 4:09 PM ET | Last Updated: May 15, 2012
4:15 PM ET
The Garden faithful were in fine voice during the Rangers’ Eastern semifinal victory over Washington, celebrating Capitals captain Alexander
Ovechkin.
On its website, for the benefit and/or amusement of its customers, New
York’s Madison Square Garden posts a 13-point Code of Conduct.
It’s pretty funny reading, the best thigh-slapper being this beauty —
Regulation No. 5: Guests shall refrain from using foul/offensive language,
fighting, obscene gestures, throwing objects and engaging in other
behaviour detrimental to the experience of other guests.
Some would suggest that these are not forbidden acts at the Garden, but
rather prerequisites for being granted admission to New York Rangers
games.
Full disclosure: I’ve never attended a hockey game at MSG, my only visit to
the historic building having been on March 20, 1994, as a guest of thenWWE tag-team wrestling champions Jacques Rougeau and Pierre-Carl
Ouellet, aka The Quebecers, to watch them defend their title belts against
Men On A Mission in WrestleMania X. (The heel Quebecers lost via
countout to their baby face opponent to keep their belts; the highlight of the
match came when Rougeau and Ouellet suplexed the 487 advertised
pounds of Mabel, the ring nearly vaporizing when the latter hit the canvas.)
The lunatics — the fans, that is — packed the Garden for the show that
included a victory by Calgary’s Bret Hart and the disqualification loss of
former Alouettes offensive lineman Larry Pfohl, also known as Lex Luger.
On a sidewalk out the Garden post-event, two wing nuts in Rangers jerseys
were trying to re-enact the ladder match they’d just witnessed inside
between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. It didn’t end well.
But by all accounts, the rowdiness of pro wrestling, boxing and basketball
crowds pale next to those who are loopy for their Rangers, the Blueshirts up
1-0 on the New Jersey Devils heading into Wednesday’s second game of
the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.
But there were no complaints at the Forum from the Canadiens, more than
one player leaving their rink with new galoshes or a fedora.
The Garden’s human circus animals are legendary for their antics, which
begin with vocal abuse of the opponent — no matter the sensitivities of the
man, woman or child in the seat next to you. If you don’t want to hear it,
stay home. And if you stay home, mute the television.
631259
The Garden faithful were in fine voice during the Rangers’ Eastern semifinal victory over Washington, celebrating Capitals captain Alexander
Ovechkin. Creatively counting down to eight minutes remaining in a period,
to the stroke of the second that was Ovechkin’s jersey number, fans would
bellow “Ovi sucks!” in an impressive single, deafening voice.
On Monday, in Game 1 against New Jersey, they were all over Devils
goaltender Martin Brodeur, their “Mar-ty! Mar-ty!” heckling done in a superb
fortissimo that belonged not so much in a hockey rink as under a maestro’s
baton up the street at Carnegie Hall.
The late goaltender Gump Worsley could, and often did, relate stories about
his days both with the Rangers and later the Montreal Canadiens, feeling
the love and the wrath of Garden fans depending on the sweater he’d
pulled on. From 1952-63, Gumper appeared in 582 NHL games for the
sometimes God-awful Rangers, compiling a record of 204-271-101.
In three seasons, he led the NHL in losses; three times, he yielded the most
goals. But the win-loss column is unfair to Worsley’s brilliance with the sadsack Rangers. Six years ago, Goalies’ World magazine crunched statistics
that weren’t officially kept by the NHL in Gumper’s early days and from
1954-63 ranked him the league’s best netminder twice and eight times in
the top five.
In 1962-63, with a 22-34-10 record in his last season before being shipped
to the Canadiens, facing a stunning, career-high average of 38.2 shots per
game, Worsley had a marvellous save percentage of .914. Famously, he
once said that his own Rangers were the team that gave him the most
trouble.
To say nothing of their fans, one fireballer on March 12, 1967, drilling the
unmasked Gumper, by then with the Canadiens, in the head with a raw
egg. The force of impact concussed the goaltender and knocked him out of
the game.
It was injury to insult, the Rangers’ Jean Ratelle having intercepted a pass
by Canadiens centre Henri Richard to beat Worsley with an unassisted
wrist shot for the game’s first goal at 2:45 of the first period. Gump was still
steaming in his crease about the goal when he felt the sharp sting, then the
yolk dripping down the side of his face.
“The doctor said it was a mild concussion and I still feel a bit dizzy,” he said
later, having been replaced for the rest of the 2-2 tie by rookie Rogie
Vachon with press-box spectator Charlie Hodge hustling downstairs to
dress as backup.
“It hit me flush on the temple just after the goal was scored. I didn’t know it
was an egg until I felt the gook.”
It was the first time in his NHL career that Gumper was struck by an object
thrown from the stands, though he could have opened a junkyard or retired
early from the rubbish and coins tossed in his direction. The 25-year-old
ticket-buying pitcher, to whom modern-day Rangers fans would build a
shrine, was nabbed by Garden security.
His bag of eggs confiscated, he was brought in front of Worsley after the
game. The goalie declined to press charges after he got an apology.
“What will it get me?” Worsley asked. “Nothing. The kid might wind up in
jail, which won’t do him any good. I think he learned his lesson about
throwing things and maybe he won’t get back into the rink again.”
Two days after the incident, NHL president Clarence Campbell said he
would meet with Rangers officials to discuss crowd control. The missile
aimed at Worsley wasn’t the first hurled by Garden fans, who regularly
rained beer cans, coins, bolts and keys at the opposition.
Rangers general manager Emile Francis laughed the whole thing off.
“The crowd control here is as good or better than any place in the league,”
Francis said. “How about the (toe) rubbers and hats thrown on the ice in
Montreal?”
NHL
Some mighty fine early Conn Smythe candidates
Michael Traikos May 15, 2012 – 8:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 15, 2012
10:28 AM ET
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has not been perfect during these NHL
playoffs. But he has been close.
It is far too early to name a Conn Smythe Trophy winner — hello, Claude
Giroux — but it is not too early to narrow the field. With only four teams
remaining, it is clear which players have played a standout role in leading
their teams halfway to the Stanley Cup. Here are eight early favourites:
Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles
The Kings goaltender has not been perfect during these playoffs. But he
has been close.
In the first round, he allowed eight goals in a five-game upset against the
top-seeded Canucks. He then allowed just six goals in a four-game sweep
against the Blues. After a 4-2 win against the Coyotes on Sunday night, he
now has a 9-1 record with a 1.60 goals-against average, .947 save
percentage.
Quick, who has not lost a game since April 18, looked human when a
bouncing shot from centre ice by the Coyotes’ Derek Morris beat him for a
goal. But he shrugged it off.
“Quicker, he doesn’t really talk a lot,” Dustin Brown told reporters. “He
makes 25 big saves a game, and he don’t say anything after those. He lets
one in that he probably wants back, he just put his head down and got back
to work.”
On a team consisting mostly of faceless nobodies, Smith has emerged as a
household name. Not bad for a goaltender that was dumped by Tampa Bay
after losing the starting job last season.
The 30-year-old has two shutouts, a 1.87 goals-against average and a .946
save percentage in these playoffs. If the Coyotes get past Quick and the
Kings, it probably will not be hard to find the reason. Despite allowing three
goals in Sunday night’s loss, he was asked to make 44 saves, 19 more than
Quick had to make.
“You always knew he had the athletic ability, that ability to be an awesome
goalie,” Coyotes backup goaltender Jason LaBarbera told The Arizona
Republic. “He had a tough time in Tampa, I think, and he’s come here and
man, it’s been awesome to watch. He’s just taken the ball and ran with it.”
Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey
The playoffs were supposed to expose Kovalchuk, who previously had just
one career post-season victory, as an overpaid loafer. Instead, they have
brought out the best in the sniper, who had five goals and 12 points in the
first two rounds.
A back injury kept him out of the lineup for one game against Philadelphia,
but Kovalchuk recorded at least a point in each of the four games that he
played. In a first round series against Florida, he scored three goals and set
up the overtime winner to force a Game 7.
“For the first time in nine years I’m not going to the world championship,”
Kovalchuk told reporters during the second round. “It’s fun. Everything is
happening for the first time.”
Brad Richards, New York
Richards is no stranger to the Conn Smythe conversation, having been
named playoff MVP in 2003-04, when he scored 12 goals and 26 points to
help the Lightning win the Stanley Cup.
His point totals (six goals and 11 points) have not been as impressive this
year, but on an offensively deprived team, Richards has been a key
offensive cog. Against the Capitals, Richards set up the triple-overtime
winner in Game 3, scored to force overtime with 7.6 seconds remaining in
Game 5, and scored the opening goal in Game 7.
which has led to facial trauma from all the people who keep pinching his
cheeks and telling him he’s being just adorable.
“I was brought here to help, and I’m just trying to keep doing what I have
been doing my whole career,” Richards said after advancing to the East
final.
Ryan Kesler, Canucks Will be out for six months after surgery to repair an
injured labrum. The injury has confounded local experts, in the sense that
they haven’t been able to figure out how to blame it on Roberto Luongo.
Antoine Vermette, Phoenix
Sidney Crosby, Penguins Was not only hurt but also has terrible cellphone
reception since every time you ask him what his injury is he yells, “Uh,
you’re breaking up on me” and hangs up, according to the people who put
together Canada’s roster for the world championship.
When the Coyotes acquired Vermette from the Blue Jackets at the trade
deadline, they thought they were getting a depth centre to win faceoffs and
kill penalties. They got all that — and so much more. Vermette, who has a
team-leading five goals and nine points, has formed a great one-two punch
with winger Mikkel Boedker (four goals and eight points) and easily been
the best trade-deadline addition.
Henrik Lundqvist, New York
Lundqvist’s numbers (1.68 goals-against average and .937 save
percentage) are the equal of Quick and Smith, and he had done it in more
games. Lundqvist, who went to triple-overtime in a Game 3 against the
Capitals, has played 14 games and spent nearly spent 15 hours in net.
Zach Parise, New Jersey
Parise has four goals and eight points in the playoffs — numbers that do
not necessarily scream Conn Smythe candidate. But if you have been
watching New Jersey at all, you have to be impressed with the Devils
captain. Parise plays a game not unlike Sidney Crosby’s. It is all based on
puck pursuit and relentless forechecking and never taking a shift off.
Dustin Brown, Los Angeles
During a somewhat disappointing regular season, there was talk of trading
Brown and giving his captaincy to Mike Richards. But Brown has carried his
strong March into April and May. He has seven goals and 13 points, has
scored three game-winners and is delivering a league-best 4.5 hits per
game. “Right now he’s a playoff-type player,” coach Darryl Sutter said.
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NHL
The NHL injuries nobody told you about
Brad Marchand, Bruins Was battling through an upper-body injury that team
doctors described as unusual, since it’s rare to see so many knee-capshaped bruises on somebody’s shoulder like that.
Erik Karlsson, Senators Looked pretty darn tired towards the end and
should probably just take half of next season off, according to this petition
from other NHL blueliners who’d like to have a chance at winning the
scoring title for defencemen.
Claude Giroux, Flyers Some time between the first and second rounds,
apparently had whatever that type of injury that turns you from the
consensus best player in the world to an overrated bum that everyone
hates.
Nicklas Listrom, Red Wings Has been spotted walking around with this
weird growth on his back that looks kind of like Mike Babcock crying and
screaming, “Please don’t retire!”
Patrick Marleau, Sharks Embarrassed team doctors recently admitted that it
turns out that they didn’t need to list him on every injury report after all,
since technically “eyebrows that make you look super-surprised in every
photo” aren’t actually considered an upper body injury.
Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals He told everyone he has been dealing with a
severely broken heart ever since he heard that coach Dale Hunter won’t
return next year although, come to think of it, considering all the
Champagne and balloons, there’s a chance he may have been being
sarcastic.
Patrick Kane, Blackhawks Obviously suffered some sort of serious injury to
his knees or legs, since every story about him on gossip blogs these days
ends with all his friends having to carry him.
Sean McIndoe May 15, 2012 – 7:30 AM ET | Last Updated: May 15, 2012
10:10 AM ET
Alex Ovechkin told everyone he has been dealing with a severely broken
heart ever since he heard that coach Dale Hunter won’t return next year
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Ottawa Senators
Clouston gets sacked by the Brandon Wheat Kings
It’s the time of year when hockey fans see something they’re not used to on
NHL injury reports: honesty.
by Allen Panzeri
By now fans have become used to teams being as vague as possible when
it comes to health issues. Many injuries to key players are never
acknowledged at all, and those that are mentioned are cryptically referred
to as upper or lower body injuries and nothing more.
Brandon Wheat Kings’ general manager Kelly McCrimmon has announced
that Cory Clouston will not be returning to the Western Hockey League club
for the 2012-13 season.
But that all changes once a team has been eliminated. There’s no point in
keeping up the charade once the season is over, so teams finally let the
public know what sort of medical challenges the players were dealing with.
Sometimes the news confirms fans’ suspicions, and sometimes we’re all
caught completely off-guard.
A former coach of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators,
Clouston signed a two year contract with the Wheat Kings last August.
Here are some of the hidden injuries that teams have recently revealed
after being eliminated from Stanley Cup contention.
“I do not want uncertainty with this important position and as a result have
decided we will not have Cory return next season. He will perhaps have
opportunities to coach professionally. Failing that, we will honour the
second year of his contract.”
Ryan Suter, Predators His teammates say he was obviously dealing with
some sort of major injury that will require him to meet with a specialist in
Detroit, since he spent the past few months constantly whispering into his
cellphone about some sort of appointment there at 12:01 on July 1.
David Backes, Blues Along with several teammates, he suffered abdominal
injuries from laughing at that moronic advance scout who kept insisting that
the best way to score on Jonathan Quick was to take slapshots from centre
ice.
Ed Jovanovski, Panthers Keeps saying that he thinks this year’s first-round
loss will help the Panthers when they’re back in the playoffs next year,
“I have given a great deal of thought to our coaching situation for the
upcoming season,” said McCrimmon in a statement.
After leading the team to a sixth-place finish in the WHL’s Eastern
Conference this past season, Clouston’s Wheat Kings knocked off Calgary
in the opening round of post-season play before losing four straight games
to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Eastern semi-finals.
A native of Viking, Alberta, Clouston spent more than two years with the
Senators before being let go at the end of the 2010-11 campaign. A former
head coach of the Kootenay Ice, he had a 95-83-20 overall record with the
Senators.
No decision has been made on his replacement.
“Erik has that potential to be a superstar, there’s no question.
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 05.16.2012
“I also think he might almost change the way you want the defencemen to
play, too, a little bit. You want that guy that skates all the time, that joins the
rush all the time.
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Ottawa Senators
“I don’t think a lot of people thought he would be able to play this well at the
size he is. But he’s got balance and speed to make up for lack of strength
and size.”
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 05.16.2012
by Allen Panzeri
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Ottawa Senators
WHL's Wheat Kings can Clouston
When Daniel Alfredsson decides to retire from the National Hockey League,
he’ll hang up his skates for good. He won’t return to Sweden to continue his
career there.
By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun
But in a hint that he may stick around for another season, the 39-year-old
captain of the Ottawa Senators said on Monday he doesn’t see himself
beginning a coaching career any time soon.
Cory Clouston has been sent packing by the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Alfredsson made these comments in a wide-ranging interview with
IIHF.com, which caught up to him after a practice in Stockholm to ask
questions submitted by fans from all around the world.
The captain of Sweden, Alfredsson is competing in his seventh world
championship.
It was in his first world championship in 1995 that he first made a name for
himself, scoring the overtime goal that beat Canada in the semi-final.
Sweden lost to Finland in the final.
In some corners, it was thought that Alfredsson, a product of the Frolunda
organization in Gothenburg, where he won the Swedish championship
during the lockout year of 2004-05, might return home to play after retiring
from the NHL.
But Alfredsson said he won’t do that. He’ll retire as a Senator and will stay
retired.
“I won’t play in the Swedish league again,” he said.
“Once I feel like I’m done in the NHL, (I’ll be) done because mentally and
physically I don’t feel like I can contribute as much as I would like or (be
able to)motivate myself.
“You know, if you go back to the Swedish league and try to play when
you’re not motivated, it’s even worse, because it’s more skating and it’s
even harder. So I will retire as an Ottawa Senator.”
After signing a two-year deal with the Western Hockey League club last
season, the former Senators bench boss was fired Tuesday by Brandon
GM Kelly McCrimmon. Clouston was fired by the Senators at the end of the
2010-2011 season.
“I have given a great deal of thought to our coaching situation for the
upcoming season,” said McCrimmon in a statement posted on the club’s
website.
“I do not want uncertainty with this and as a result have decided we will not
have Cory return. He will perhaps have opportunities to coach
professionally, failing that, we will honour the second year of his contract.”
The Wheat Kings went 39-28-1-4 last season, but were knocked out in the
second round of the WHL playoffs by the eventual league champion
Edmonton Oil Kings.
Clouston could land behind an NHL bench as an assistant. He interviewed
for the post Todd Richards received with the Columbus Blue Jackets last
summer. The club is now looking for a replacement for Richards after he
had the interim tag removed.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.16.2012
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Ottawa Senators
Alfie sees coaching in his future
But Alfredsson suggested that might not be soon, which could be good
news for the many fans who want to see him play another season.
While it’s assumed Alfredsson will have a place with the Senators, even
eventually as an assistant coach, Alfredsson said he’s not ready to trade his
seat on the bench for one behind it.
“I don’t see myself coaching too soon,” he said.
“I think it takes even more time at the rink than it does as a player to
prepare.
“Right now, I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
Alfredsson was also asked a question he’s been asked a lot over the last
three years: How good can teammate Erik Karlsson be?
Does he have a chance to be the equal of Detroit defenceman Nicklas
Lindstrom, who, like Alfredsson, is also pondering retirement?
“You know, it’s tough to compare someone to Lidström, one of the best
defencemen in the modern era,” said Alfredsson.
“They are different players, too, in the ways they play.
“I think Nicklas is more of a solid guy that plays in every situation. Erik might
get there, but he’s more of an offensive guy. He’s definitely improved his
defensive play, but he’s more of an explosive guy that joins the rush all the
time.
“I think Nicklas picks his spots more, and he never makes a mistake. He’s
just solid, night in and night out.
By Bruce Garrioch ,Ottawa Sun
Daniel Alfredsson hasn’t ruled out wearing a whistle when his NHL playing
career is officially over.
The Senators captain didn’t shed any light on whether he’ll play again next
season during a question-and-answer session with fans on the IIHF’s
website, but he did talk about what he wants to do after he stops playing.
Asked by one fan if he’d like to be a head coach or an assistant, Alfredsson,
39, answered he could see himself in both roles once his career is over at
some point.
But Alfredsson seemed to suggest his playing career has some life left
because he’s not planning to start calling the shots as a coach in the near
future.
“I think I’d be both. I don’t see myself coaching too soon,” said Alfredsson. “I
think it takes even more time at the rink than it does as a player to prepare
(chuckles). Right now, I don’t think I’m ready for that.
“But I like the strategic aspect of the game. I think I read the game really
well. I try to talk to our coaches about things I’d like to see at times. I’m
interested in how the coaches think. I like that part of it. So I think I’d be a
bit of both types. I think I can also challenge guys and motivate them in
different ways.”
Those comments come on the heels of Senators coach Paul MacLean
saying last month that even if Alfredsson doesn’t return as a player, he’ll
either be back in the front office or behind the bench as an assistant.
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If Alfredsson does retire next month, he’ll likely accept a role in the Ottawa
front office similar to the VP/senior advisor role Steve Yzerman had with the
Detroit Red Wings before accepting the GM’s job in Tampa.
Will Schenn play center or wing next season?
Alfredsson did rule out finishing his career in Europe.
“I will retire as a Senator. I won’t play in the Swedish league again,” he said.
“There are a few reasons. Once I feel like I’m done in the NHL, I think I’m
done because mentally and physically I don’t feel like I can contribute as
much as I would like or motivate myself.
Philadelphia Flyers
TIM RIDAY
FOLLOW TIM RIDAY ON Brayden Schenn had a difficult start to his career
in orange and black.
“You know, if you go back to the Swedish league and try to play when
you’re not motivated, it’s even worse, because it’s more skating and it’s
even harder. So I will retire as an Ottawa Senator.”
After coming to Philly, along with Wayne Simmonds and a 2012 secondround pick, in a trade for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson, Schenn suffered
a shoulder injury in the Flyers' 2011-12 training camp and started the
season in the AHL for conditioning and salary cap purposes.
Alfredsson said returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2010 made
last season enjoyable.
The 20-year-old made his debut with the Flyers on Oct. 20, but would break
a bone in his foot six days later against the Canadians.
“Going into the season with the team we had, it was the first time I could
remember that we didn’t have high expectations on ourselves,” said
Alfredsson. “Being able to almost overachieve, I think everybody bought
into what the coaching staff was selling. We worked extremely hard, but we
also had a lot of fun doing it.
After struggling with injuries in the first three months of the season, Schenn
started to find his stride after recording his first NHL point -- a goal -- in the
2012 Winter Classic on Jan. 2. He finished his first regular season with the
Flyers with 12 goals and six assists in 54 games.
One of the most interesting queries came from a fan who wanted
Alfredsson to compare teammate Erik Karlsson to Wings great Nicklas
Lidstrom.
“You know, it’s tough to compare someone to Lidstrom, one of the best
defencemen in the modern era. They are different players, too, in the ways
they play,” said Alfredsson. “Nicklas is more of a solid guy that plays in
every situation. Erik might get there, but he’s more of an offensive guy. He’s
definitely improved his defensive play, but he’s more of an explosive guy
that joins the rush all the time. I think Nicklas picks his spots more, and he
never makes a mistake. He’s just solid, night in and night out. Erik has that
potential to be a superstar, there’s no question. I also think he might almost
change the way you want the defencemen to play, too, a little bit.”
Spoken like a coach in waiting.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 05.16.2012
Schenn also had a strong postseason on both ends of the ice. He was
mostly on the left wing of Danny Briere's line and registered three goals and
six assists in 11 games.
Bill Meltzer of HockeyBuzz.com pointed out that Schenn, a natural center,
spent more than half of the season (55 percent) on the left wing.
Moving forward, Meltzer raises the question: should Schenn play center or
wing next year?
The Flyers already have a top-line center in Claude Giroux, that's a gimme.
They also have third-line youngster Sean Couturier, a gifted defensive
specialist.
Where things can get interesting is with Briere. The second-line center has
spent time playing the wing occasionally over the past few seasons. It's a
less demanding position for the smaller-sized Briere, but No. 48 has been
more effective while playing in the middle.
It's highly unlikely that the Flyers will decide to use Giroux, Briere, Couturier
and Schenn as their four centers heading into next season. There are a few
scenarios in which the team can go, especially with winger Jaromir Jagr's
future uncertain.
The Flyers currently have a logjam up the middle, that's for certain. It should
be interesting to see what happens this off-season, especially with the team
needing help on the blueline.
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Philadelphia Flyers
Former Flyer Gagne cleared for contact
But remember, Schenn is just 20 years old and Couturier is only 19. They
both have a lot of potential and plenty of time to grow into solid two-way
players for the orange and black.
Sound off
Where do you think Schenn will be more productive? Center or wing?
staff.
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 05.16.2012
631267
While the Flyers’ playoff run came to an end last week in the Eastern
Conference Semifinals, a former member of their team is now one step
closer to extending his season.
Kings left winger and former Flyer Simon Gagne, who has not played since
suffering a concussion against the Coyotes on Dec. 26, has been cleared
for contact by team doctors, according to Sporting News.
As the Kings are in the middle of the Western Conference Finals against
Coyotes, Gagne is not with the team.
Kings general manager Dean Lombardi told LAKingsInsider.com there are
no plans in place yet for Gagne’s return to the lineup.
Gagne recorded 10 assists and seven goals in 34 regular season games
prior to his concussion.
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 05.16.2012
Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Wrap: Carter's hat trick lands Kings 2-0 lead
staff.
It was a boom-or-bust type of year for Flyers youngster Brayden Schenn,
who suffered through myriad injuries, but proved clutch some playoff time.
When healthy, Schenn, considered a natural center, spent much of the year
at the wing position. Is he better suited at center or wing? It's a question we
delved into Tuesday (see story).
Elsewhere, a former Flyer turned in a big playoff performance. Let's take a
look ...
Kings rule
While the Flyers sit at home, players they dealt away last summer continue
to play for a Cup.
On Tuesday, former Flyer Jeff Carter brought his team on game closer.
Carter turned in a hat trick as the L.A. Kings took a 2-0 series lead over the
Phoenix Coyotes with a 4-0 win on Tuesday.
Jonathan Quick stopped 24 shots in goal for the Kings, who stole home-ice
advantage and continue to roll through the playoffs as the eight seed.
With the win Tuesday, the Kings matched an NHL record with their seventh
straight road playoff victory. The Kings have won nine straight road playoff
games in two seasons, matching the NHL record set by the New York
Islanders from 1982-83.
Dwight King provided L.A.'s fourth goal
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Philadelphia Flyers
Former Flyer, now King, Gagne cleared for contact
The Coyotes need to win one in Los Angeles. They need to come back to
the Valley and remind fans why so many fell in love with them this season,
that under all the equipment beats the heart of a gritty, blue-collar team.
Cries of thuggery, goonery and dirty play made the rounds on social media
after Tuesday's loss. It wasn't that as much as a team trying to make things
happen. And failing.
Doan's game misconduct and five-minute boarding penalty for ramming
Trevor Lewis from behind will be the subject of much debate, especially
because Lewis turned away.
"A player can't put himself in that position, either," Tippett said. "Anybody
who has played the game, you're in that position and a guy turns his back
to you, it's hard to stop."
The "trying to make things happen" mentality led to a poor choice by
Coyotes goalie Mike Smith, who slashed Dustin Brown.
"It's that time of the season when everyone's compete level and everyone's
battle level has to go up," Smith said. "I'm in the heat of the moment also,
and (Brown), he's probably the best player in the playoffs so far. He goes to
the tough area to score goals."
Even the Kings came to the Coyotes defense after the game.
"They may not be the norm, but it's not as if they were the dirty team during
the season or any of those guys are dirty players throughout the history of
their careers," Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said. "Fortunately for all the
guys that were on the receiving ends of those hits, they're all fine and we
can move on and go to Los Angeles."
Staff
While the Flyers’ playoff run came to an end last week in the Eastern
Conference Semifinals, a former member of their team is now one step
closer to extending his season.
The Kings are impressive. It's easy to understand all the preseason hype
about them, as they have become what many predicted they would be early
in the season.
Kings left winger and former Flyer Simon Gagne, who has not played since
suffering a concussion against the Coyotes on Dec. 26, has been cleared
for contact by team doctors, according to Sporting News.
Those forwards, led by Brown and Anze Kopitar, are standout two-way
players who smother the neutral ice and forecheck and backcheck like
fiends. They are fast and strong and tough to handle.
As the Kings are in the middle of the Western Conference Finals against
Coyotes, Gagne is not with the team.
And Jeff Carter. A hat trick. 'Nuff said.
Kings general manager Dean Lombardi told LAKingsInsider.com there are
no plans in place yet for Gagne’s return to the lineup.
Gagne recorded 10 assists and seven goals in 34 regular season games
prior to his concussion.
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Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes need to return for fans
By Paola Boivin
Lost in the atmosphere of an arena that looked like it had been dipped in
Clorox was this bit of darkness:
A slim chance remains that this could have been the Coyotes' last game in
Arizona.
Let's hope not. These should not be our lasting memories of the Coyotes:
Fifty-six penalty minutes.
A solemn Shane Doan, quietly talking outside the locker room about
possibly facing a suspension for Game 3.
Inconsistent officiating that was best exemplified by simultaneous calls of
slashing and diving.
"It took us a while," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said, "to figure out the bar
goes up every round."
This wasn't how it was supposed to be, the Coyotes suffering an ugly 4-0
loss to the Kings on Tuesday night and heading to Los Angeles with their
tails between their pads and a 0-2 deficit in the series.
There was surely plenty of soul-searching Tuesday night. Keith Yandle is
right when he said the team was "playing a little on eggshells because you
don't know what you can do and get away with." But it's also true that
Yandle hasn't brought his "A" game to this series. And the Coyotes need
him.
This shouldn't be fans' lasting memory of this team, because this is far
removed from the group that was so gritty until now, the one that didn't let a
lack of discipline define them.
Odds look good for them to return next season. Insiders with the Coyotes
and the City of Glendale both sound encouraged by the progress made in
Greg Jamison's attempt to purchase the team.
When that takes shape, the Valley and its fan base finally can be judged
accurately as a hockey market. The condemnation from outside was never
fair. It was hard to get fans to commit when the potential of being jilted was
always there.
I spoke on the phone this week with Bruce McNall, the former owner of the
Kings. He was the chairman of the Board of Governors when the NHL was
looking at expansion.
"I came to Phoenix and immediately thought this would be a great city for a
hockey team," he said. "I knew it would take a while, I knew there would be
struggles, but with the potential here, both Wayne Gretzky and I thought it
could work.
"And it will. This city, with all its (winter visitors) from Canada, is the right
city to house a team."
It is. This indeed can be a hockey town. And with proper ownership and
more money to spend, it can be a gifted team.
One that can look like, well, the Kings.
Arizona Republic LOADED: 05.16.2012
631270
Phoenix Coyotes
Los Angeles Kings' gritty play leaves Coyotes frustrated
By Bob McManaman
"If we're making them frustrated," he said, "we've got to keep it going and
take it over the top."
The Los Angeles Kings can smell the blood now.
Brace yourself, Phoenix. It isn't likely to be pretty, not after a 4-0 Coyotes
loss Tuesday night that gave the Kings a commanding 2-0 series lead in the
Western Conference finals.
They can't wait to eliminate the Coyotes now, especially after the way
things got out of control in Game 2. The Coyotes, either recognizing they
can't keep up with the Kings or simply frustrated by being so outplayed, lost
their composure repeatedly and took far too many needless -- and
dangerous --penalties.
"We've had games like that that against us, where every little check is
getting finished on you and trust me, it can wear on you mentally and
physically," said Kings captain Dustin Brown, who was the target of multiple
hits by the Coyotes. "That's been part of our success. Our top-end guys and
our role players are all finishing their checks and over the course of a
series, it can be frustrating to play."
That was painfully evident late in the second period. The Kings' Jordan
Nolan crashed into Coyotes goalie Mike Smith and after the whistle kept
jabbing and jawing at an exasperated Smith.
A chain reaction of frustration quickly followed. Captain Shane Doan was
given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Trevor
Lewis. Then Smith, tired of Brown clogging the crease, unleashed a hard,
one-handed slash to the back of Brown's leg.
631271
Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes are going cold while losing their cool
By Dan Bickley
The difference between the outdoor temperature (106 degrees) and the rink
thermostat (53) might have been an NHL playoff record.
Unfortunately, the difference in the Coyotes wasn't so profound.
Technically, the series isn't over. But during the Kings' 4-0 victory in Game
2, the home team came unglued. They redefined Coyote Ugly. And when it
was over, so was our brief fling with hockey hysteria.
Great fun while it lasted.
"It's the first one to four (victories), not the first one to two," Coyotes goalie
Mike Smith said. "So there's no need to hit the panic button."
Mathematically, Smith has a point. But every other measurement points to a
mismatch, and civic belief is waning fast. Even the goalie conceded his
team might be feeling satisfied with just reaching the Western Conference
finals.
It was such a flagrant slash, a Coyotes assistant coach apologized to fellow
Los Angeles coaches between periods.
"We have a lot more to give in here," Smith said.
Brown brushed it off, saying, "When you're in front of the net, you're going
to get slashed all the time."
Even worse, the Coyotes will surely be shorthanded entering Game 3.
Shane Doan, their captain, earned a game misconduct for boarding an
opponent, drawing blood with a dangerous check. Expect a suspension?
But things got progressively more violent in the game, with Coyotes
defenseman Derek Morris seemingly purposefully kneeing one Kings player
and Phoenix center Martin Hanzal driving Brown into the boards, which
resulted in another five-minute boarding major and another game
misconduct.
Asked if he expects the Coyotes to be playing short-handed in Game 3
because of any possible suspensions, Brown said, "I have no comment on
that."
Brown, whose 14 points in the playoffs makes him a top contender to win
the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason Most Valuable Player, wouldn't
respond to questions about his own health, either.
The Kings, who tied an NHL record with their seventh consecutive playoff
road victory, embody the spirit and style of their gritty captain. Games1 and
2 of this series have more than proved that.
"Hey, if they're going to target me, great," Brown said of the Coyotes.
"That's part of my role and what I bring to the table. I'll just keep my head
down and keep going. If they're coming after me, I like our chanes with
'Kopi' (center Anze Kopitar) and (fellow linemate Justin) Williams. Those are
two pretty good players."
So is Brown, who is Los Angeles' version of a young Doan. And to think,
Brown was the subject of immense trade rumors not all that long ago. All he
did was step up his game immeasurably, put the Kings on his back, and
take them to the verge of the Stanley Cup finals.
"That's part of the business, part of being a professional athlete," Brown
said of the earlier trade rumors. "I'm still here and I'm pretty sure a lot of
people are happy about that. I'm definitely happy about that."
He was happy to see teammate Jeff Carter end up with a hat trick Tuesday
night, too.
"That was huge," Brown said. "That's what it's been for us the whole
playoffs. We have a lot of guys playing at a pretty high level. We have
different guys stepping up at different times. You can go all the way back to
the Vancouver series to see that."
Now, the Kings have the Coyotes on the edge of elimination. Brown aims to
see the mission gets completed.
"For what?" teammate Keith Yandle said with defiance.
A terse, tight-lipped Doan said the victim --Trevor Lewis -- turned his back
on the Coyotes' captain at the last second. Maybe the league gives Doan a
break, maybe not. But Martin Hanzal will surely be suspended for his
reckless boarding of Kings' captain Dustin Brown later in the game.
The frustration was everywhere. Smith snapped from the constant traffic
and took a penalty for slashing. And when the visitors converted a 5-on-3
power play in the middle of it all, putting the game and the series in a
headlock, color commentator Tyson Nash saw fit to blame the officials.
"You can credit the referees for this one," he said.
How embarrassing.
This has been tough skating for the Coyotes and tough viewing for
Arizonans. It's one thing to get eliminated by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
But getting manhandled by a hockey team from Los Angeles?
Those who don't live in California generally disdain LA for its celebrity
culture, its great weather and the abundance of fake people. But around
here, where "Beat LA" chants can be heard in almost every stadium, the
feeling is even worse.
For a few days, the Coyotes and a growing legion of fans felt tantalizingly
close to the Stanley Cup, the most beloved trophy in sports. They were four
victories removed from the championship round, with home-ice advantage
against the No. 8 seed.
In Winnipeg, two hockey fans were so jealous of our sudden fortune that
they made a public display of burning a Coyotes jersey.
And then we all witnessed the machine-like Kings team that took the ice in
Game 1, rattling off a sixth consecutive road victory. Now it's a playoffrecord-tying seven. The opponent has morphed into a postseason
juggernaut, featuring size, great goaltending, and a formidable offensive
attack.
The change has been remarkable. The acquisition of Jeff Carter, who
scored a hat trick Tuesday, at the trade deadline made a big difference. So
did the voice of Darryl Sutter, who took over as head coach last December.
Instead of retreating into defensive position when the other team had
possession, Sutter told his Kings to reclaim the lost puck with vengeance.
The Kings have clearly been the aggressors, their top performers far
superior to the Coyotes' best players.
Smith and Kings goalie Jonathan Quick have drawn comparisons for their
play during the playoffs, but they share another similarity.
The results have dampened the mood in Glendale. The Coyotes have been
so outclassed that it seems to have marginalized their entire postseason
performance. An astonished journalist did the math, and discovered
opponents had 105 more shots on goal than the Coyotes through the first
12 games of the current postseason. Suddenly, they seem lucky to be here.
Both have scored goals in their professional careers. Smith earned his
during a shutout in 2002 when he was in the East Coast Hockey League.
Quick also scored in the ECHL, in 2007 while also turning in a shutout.
It was almost as if the Cinderella narrative had changed overnight.
Early on, it appeared the Coyotes might have a chance to right that wrong.
Derek Morris fired another shot from just inside center ice, attempting to
duplicate his good fortune in Game 1. Head coach Dave Tippett said
stretches of Game 2 were a big improvement. And after a sustained charge
on Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick seven minutes into the game, the crowd in
Glendale cheered loudly with relief.
Alas, not much had changed between Games1 and 2. The summer heat is
here, but our hockey team has suddenly gone cold, frozen out by a superior
foe. The chill in the room is just harsh reality, and the first sign of rigor
mortis.
631272
Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes' discipline tested by rivalry
"That feeling of obviously scoring when you're a goaltender is like nothing
else," Smith said.
"But also can work against you, too. You're only thinking about it when their
goalie's out. The No. 1 job is to keep the puck out of my end. If it does go in
the other end, that's great, too."
Aucoin out again
Defenseman Adrian Aucoin missed his second consecutive game because
of an undisclosed injury.
Michael Stone, who played in only 13 regular-season games, replaced him.
David Schlemko played in place of Aucoin in Game 1.
�Winger Raffi Torres will meet with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on
Thursday for a hearing on his 25-game suspension., according to a
Sportsnet report.
Torres, who has been out since hitting the Chicago Blackhawks' Marian
Hossa in Game 3 of Round 1, is appealing the 25-game ruling -- not the
suspension itself.
By Sarah McLellan
631273
The division rivalry during the regular season between the Coyotes and
Kings has spilled over into the playoffs, and that increased physicality has
challenged the Coyotes' discipline.
Phoenix Coyotes routed by Los Angeles Kings in Game 2
Early in Game 1, goalie Mike Smith took a roughing penalty for going after
Justin Williams after Williams had knocked the net ajar.
"Obviously, emotions run high, and they got the better of me," Smith said.
"It won't happen again, let's just say that. I felt like he made more of an
effort not to get out of the way than to get in the way, but it's playoff hockey
and I should expect that.
"Obviously, they're going to do everything they can to get in my way and
make it hard on me to see pucks, and it's going to be a battle out there, so I
have to be prepared for that."
That discipline also carries over to the offensive side of the game. After a
Coyotes power play in the third period of Game 1, center Martin Hanzal
took a slashing call, forcing the Coyotes to focus on defense for the next
two minutes.
Phoenix Coyotes
By Sarah McLellan -
As soon as Coyotes captain Shane Doan left the ice in the second period,
his team's discipline -- and possibly the series -- left with him.
That discipline has been the cornerstone of the Coyotes' success, and it
was challenged the moment the stars of Hollywood arrived in town. The Los
Angeles Kings are big and skilled, imposing a physical threat the Coyotes
have yet to encounter in the playoffs.
That combination stymied the Coyotes in Game 1 and intimidated them in
Game 2. A string of penalties, which included a game misconduct to Doan,
unraveled the Coyotes as they fell 4-0 to the Kings on Tuesday night in
front of 17,149 at Jobing.com Arena. The visitors snatched a 2-0 series lead
in the Western Conference finals.
"Hanzal gets cross-checked just before that," coach Dave Tippett said. "He
gets up and slashed. You have to be able to grit your teeth and take that.
The retaliation is going to get called more times than not. That's the way the
referees control the game.
"If you're not willing to take those whacks and take a number, then you're
going to be in the penalty box and ultimately hurt our team."
"It's frustrating not winning, not being able to do the things you want to do,"
Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "It's frustrating."
Down and out
After that, the Coyotes' frustration peaked.
The faceoff circle seemed to have a swinging-door policy in Game 1, as
centers regularly were tossed out, forcing wingers to win the draw.
First, defenseman Keith Yandle was issued a roughing penalty for going
after Brad Richardson with about five minutes left in the second.
"I have some wingers on my team that were upset about that," Antoine
Vermette said.
"I don't know why I was the only one penalized," Yandle said. "It was a guy
hitting our goalie, and I got punched. I punched the guy back, and usually
they take two, but I guess they needed the power play."
With each possession so crucial, officials appear to be clamping down on
little advantages players are trying to use.
"It's kind of been here and there throughout the playoffs," Boyd Gordon
said. "It's one of those things sometimes they're a little more strict.
Sometimes they're not. So you just kind of have to read off it and adjust. It's
the same for both teams, obviously."
The Kings won 40 faceoffs with the Coyotes taking 30.
Goal to goal
Despite revamping their lineup, the Coyotes trailed 2-0 by the early part of
the second period with the Kings securing goals from Dwight King and Jeff
Carter.
While killing the penalty, Kings center Trevor Lewis had his back turned to
the ice as he fished for the puck along the boards.
Doan boarded Lewis, leveling his shoulder into Lewis' numbers, and Doan
was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
"He turns. He looks right at me. I didn't even look at him again," Doan said.
"I was looking at the puck, because I was trying to poke the puck free. He
turns away as I'm coming in."
Even though Lewis suffered only a cut on his nose, the play could be
reviewed by the NHL and result in a suspension for Doan. Already this
season, Doan has been suspended (three games for elbowing in March)
and fined.
The repeat-offender status could be the tipping factor.
"When you're in that position and a guy is beside you then he turns his back
to you, you can't stop," Tippett said. "You can't stop, and that's the way I
saw that hit."
Doan's absence gave the Kings' a 5-on-3 advantage, as Daymond
Langkow also was assessed a slashing call on the sequence. A minute and
a half later, goalie Mike Smith whacked Kings captain Dustin Brown on the
back of the legs with the paddle of his stick.
Brown crumbled to the ice but was called for diving, and Smith took a
slashing penalty.
On that ensuing Kings 5-on-3 power play, Carter tipped a wrist shot from
Anze Kopitar to make it 3-0 at 18:49.
team’s final gathering April 24 at Consol Energy Center, when players often
reveal injury news. He had two goals and 11 assists in 62 regular-season
games.
The surgery was performed Wednesday by Dr. Thomas Byrd of the
Nashville Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Michalek missed parts
of the 2011-12 season with a concussion and a broken finger.
Michalek, a penalty killing specialist who turns 30 in December, had an
even plus-minus rating in each of his first two seasons with the Penguins.
Fellow Penguins defenseman Kris Letang acknowledged in April that he
had been playing with a hip injury during the season.
Tribune Review LOADED: 05.16.2012
631275
Pittsburgh Penguins
To-do list for Penguins' Shero long, all decisions pending
The intermission did little to add composure back into the Coyotes' game.
Near the midway point of the third, Martin Hanzal boarded Brown and was
tossed from the game, Derek Morris was called for kneeing, and Antoine
Vermette was given a 10-minute misconduct for roughing.
Carter sealed the hat trick, burying a rebound at 12:56.
"They took the steam right out of us," Yandle said. "Just weren't able to get
back in the game."
The Kings still need two wins to reach the Stanley Cup finals.
If the Coyotes really do enjoy the adversity that comes with the underdog
role, here's their chance to prove it.
"It's the first one to four not the first one to two, so there's no need to hit the
panic button," Smith said. "But we do need to play better."
View from the press box
The Coyotes preached adjustments after their Game1 loss, but they had no
answer for the Kings' bruising physical presence. The Kings punished the
Coyotes, making them work during every puck battle, and when the
Coyotes couldn't solve that, they lost their cool. The minor scrums after
whistles are expected, but the retaliation by the Coyotes, from the boarding
calls to the kneeing, hinted at more than frustration. The Kings are in their
heads, and that might be enough to finish the series in Los Angeles.
Report
Key player
Kings center Jeff Carter was opportunistic in scoring a hat trick. Two of his
goals came on the power play.
Key moment
With the Coyotes on the penalty kill late in the second period, captain
Shane Doan boarded center Trevor Lewis, earning a game misconduct.
After that, the Coyotes committed a slew of penalties and lost control of the
game.
Key number
13 The Coyotes took 13 penalties, five of which came in the second period
when the Kings put the game out of reach.
631274
Pittsburgh Penguins
By Dave Molinari
The Penguins' season ended more than three weeks ago, but general
manager Ray Shero hasn't struggled to stay busy.
He put in a week or so in Scandinavia, watching the U.S. team he helped to
construct compete in the ongoing world championships.
He has overseen the amateur scouting meetings now going on at Consol
Energy Center, as the Penguins prepare for the NHL entry draft there June
22-23.
He's preparing for a postseason personnel evaluation with coach Dan
Bylsma and his staff next week, and he has begun planning for the pro
scouting meetings early next month, when the franchise's strategy for free
agency and the rest of the offseason will take shape.
And he has spent a lot of time reflecting on the Penguins' cameo
appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, when awful decision-making and
worse execution turned what could have been a championship run into a
six-game layover.
"It's basically, 'Take a few weeks to get over the first-round loss,' " Shero
said Tuesday. "And that hasn't happened yet."
Their past can't be changed, and the immediate future of the Penguins -like that of every NHL team -- is uncertain, because the league's collective
bargaining agreement is set to expire in mid-September.
Although the NHL's next labor deal will have a profound impact on how
clubs do business, especially when assembling their lineups, Shero is
proceeding as if the 2012-13 season will begin on time and without any
major changes.
"It's business as usual, for right now," Shero said. "We have to operate [as
if] there will be a new season [in the fall]."
Word has circulated that teams should proceed as if the salary-cap ceiling,
which was $64.3 million in 2011-12, will be around $69 million or $70 million
for next season, and a bump like that could be significant for the Penguins.
Not because they're in immediate peril of losing impact players to free
agency -- the list of their players who can test the market on July 1 isn't
terribly imposing -- but because Shero is not prepared to abandon the
three-center model that helped the Penguins to earn a Cup in 2009.
Penguins’ Michalek has hip surgery
Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal have one year left on their contracts, and
Evgeni Malkin has two. Negotiations with Crosby and Staal can't begin until
July 1, so there's no way of knowing precisely what they'll be asking for, but
Shero reiterated that his goal is to retain all three.
By Josh Yohe
"I'd like to do that, if possible," he said. "We're looking at hopefully getting
extensions with [Crosby and Staal]."
Penguins defenseman Zbynek Michalek had successful hip surgery, and
the team believes he will be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.
While it is conceivable that Staal, the team's No. 3 center, might want to
play elsewhere so he can fill a more offense-oriented role, he apparently
has not said anything of the sort to the Penguins. Asked if any of the top
three centers had expressed a desire to move, Shero responded,
"Absolutely not."
There was no indication from the Penguins that Michalek was playing with
an injury during the season. The defenseman — who signed a five-year,
$20 million contract in 2010 — did not speak with reporters following the
Personnel changes are part of every offseason, for every team; for the
Penguins, the issue is how significant they will be.
"I haven't decided, either way," Shero said.
He seems somewhat conflicted, and that's understandable. The Penguins
have met, or exceeded, expectations in each of the past three regular
seasons, but have lost three consecutive playoff series to lower-seeded
opponents.
"We have a good team," Shero said. "We have had a good team. ... That's
good, but certainly we need that to translate into playoff success."
Shero said that while the makeup of the coaching staff won't change,
adjusting duties and responsibilities hasn't been discussed yet. That could
come up next week, in conjunction with the talks to assess player
performance and potential.
Shero confirmed he has decided "in my mind" about some free agents-tobe he will not try to re-sign, but declined to identify them.
Nothing will be finalized, he said, until he meets with the coaches, which is
the next entry on what has turned out to be a pretty lengthy to-do list.
NOTE -- The Penguins signed Reid McNeill, their sixth-round draft choice in
'10, to a three-year, entry-level contract. He is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound
defensive defenseman who had three goals and nine assists in 51 games
for Barrie in the Ontario Hockey League.
Post Gazette LOADED: 05.16.2012
631276
San Jose Sharks
Sharks could add assistant coach
Staff
The review process is still ongoing for the Sharks’ coaching staff.
Head coach Todd McLellan’s job appears to be safe, but change could still
be coming in regards to the assistants. CBC’s Elliotte Freidman recently
reported that current Sharks scout and former defenseman Bryan
Marchment “could join the San Jose staff.”
Along with Marchment, the Sharks have several other internal candidates,
including development coach Mike Ricci, scout Dirk Graham, or a member
of the coaching staff at their AHL affiliate in Worcester, Mass.
San Jose has been idle for more than three weeks since its first round loss
to St. Louis, and general manager Doug Wilson has taken that time
thoroughly review the team’s personnel, both on and off the ice. That’s led
to speculation the Sharks could make a change to their head coach,
McLellan, who has not yet been publicly endorsed by the team, or
assistants Jay Woodcroft and Matt Shaw.
It’s become a virtual certainty McLellan will return, based on conversations
with people in and around the Sharks organization.
The Sharks are expected to philosophically alter the way they approach the
penalty kill, and also who handles that unit, which finished 29th in the NHL
this season and was just 12-for-18 in the playoffs. Woodcroft oversaw the
PK this season, but he could get reassigned to other duties within the
organization.
Many NHL teams employ three assistant coaches, one of which acts as an
“eye in the sky” during game play.
631277
Editor's note: Over the next month, CSNCalifornia.com Sharks Insider
Kevin Kurz and Postgame Live reporter Brodie Brazil will evaluate the
2011-12 performance of each player on the roster. One breakdown will
occur every weekday in numerical order.
Sharks spotlight -- the series
Sharks spotlight: Colin White
Age: 34 / D
Signed as a free agent to a one-year deal last summer, Colin White played
in 54 games with the Sharks on defense, scoring one goal and adding three
assists for four points and 21 penalty minutes. In three playoff games,
White had one goal. He's due to become an unrestricted free agent.
Kurz says: Colin White was a lightning rod for criticism in the past year, and
the question of why he was in the lineup rather than Jim Vandermeer was
probably the most frequent question I was asked on Twitter this season.
During the Sharks’ miserable February and early March, it seemed as if
White was on the ice for just about every goal against, and his -5 rating at
the end of the season was the worst among defensemen other than Jason
Demers’ -8. Still, White improved late in the year, prompting Doug Wilson to
remark that the club probably wouldn’t have made it into the postseason
without him. Much like Brent Burns, it was a difficult adjustment for White
after he spent the first 11 years of his career with the New Jersey Devils
before they bought him out. White’s lack of mobility didn’t help the Sharks’
penalty killing unit, which was one of its biggest downfalls this season.
[RELATED: White stats | splits | game logs]
Brodie says: White’s 54 games with the Sharks were his fewest in an NHL
campaign since joining the league with the Devils in 1999-2000. White has
never been known as an offensive-minded blue liner, and held to form this
regular season, credited with only 33 shots on goal. In comparison with a
similar-type player, Douglas Murray fired off 71, and played only six more
games than White.
But San Jose was never expecting offense out of White. Last summer the
Sharks pursued him for specific reasons: his defensive traits, and potential
on the penalty kill. White’s play in San Jose’s own end of the ice was
expected to be a strong suit; and while he endured significant challenges
there at the beginning of the season, he was noticeably consistent and
reliable when the Sharks played their most important games of the season
down the stretch.
[SLIDESHOW: Grading the Sharks]
2012-13 expectations
Kurz says: White’s return to San Jose is highly unlikely. The Sharks will try
and upgrade their blue line this offseason, and it already seems as if Brad
Stuart is there for the taking if they want him. Furthermore, White’s family
remains on the East Coast, so he’ll probably try and sign somewhere closer
to where they are -- if an offer from another club arises, that is.
Brodie says: It is not impossible but not a great chance that White will return
to the Sharks. Fortunate for him, that after 11 seasons as a professional,
White went through his very first team change this past season, which will
give him more experience, should that again be the case next year. He
reminds me a lot of Andreas Lilja of the Flyers, a veteran defenseman
whom the Sharks had in camp, but passed on two seasons ago. Both mid30s players have won a Stanley Cup (White has won two), and both have
leadership experience (White has been an alternate captain). White could
easily land with another franchise, as Lilja did with Philadelphia, and have
personal success.
Up next: Joe Pavelski
631278
Tampa Bay Lightning
San Jose Sharks
Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Wayne Fleming still fighting cancer
Sharks spotlight: Colin White /Colin White was a lightning rod for criticism
last season. (AP)
By Damian Cristodero,
Kevin Kurz and Brodie Brazil
When Dan Lacroix and Marty Raymond recently visited Wayne Fleming,
their ailing colleague, at his Calgary home, the three Lightning assistant
coaches spent the day watching and talking hockey.
"Hockey is what gets his eyes open wide," Lacroix recalled this week. "He
listened mostly but he was engaged. He talked to us and we laughed and
we had a really good day with him. It was nice to see his spirit."
Even so, Fleming "is not seeing a lot of improvement right now" in his 13month fight with brain cancer, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman
said.
Said Lacroix: "My heart goes out to the guy."
It is clear Fleming, 61, who had brain surgery in April 2011, will not return to
Tampa Bay. Even so, Yzerman said there is no plan to hire another full-time
assistant, though he might hire a consultant to be at least a sounding board
for Lacroix, Raymond and coach Guy Boucher.
A decision will be made when Yzerman and Boucher talk after the world
championship, which ends Sunday in Helsinki, Finland, where Boucher is
an assistant for Team Canada.
As for Fleming, Yzerman said, "He keeps plugging away and fighting but,
unfortunately, there's not much news I can report to you."
What Lacroix can report from Helsinki, where he and Raymond are
attending coaching conferences and watching the world tournament, is the
keen interest in Fleming's condition.
Not surprising as Fleming has close ties to Hockey Canada for which he
was vice president of hockey operations and won gold at the 2002 Salt
Lake City Olympics as an associate coach. He also has coached in Sweden
and Russia.
Well, thanks to CTV, we can all agree on one thing: CTV doesn’t know what
a blog is.
You may be asking, “What does that have to do with Booth shooting a bear
with a bow and arrow?” Well, CTV decided to do a story on the outrage that
has been kicked up over Booth’s actions, but instead of going to the trouble
of finding some people who were outraged and getting a quote from them
or finding another article written about the subject to cite – y’know,
journalism – they decided that random commenters on the Canucks.com
message boards were a trustworthy source.
Despite the intentions of the show’s producers, some fans have not taken
kindly to the footage.
“What a disgusting way to send [sic] the off season… David, work more on
your wrist shot rather than shooting innocent bears,” wrote one blogger.
Some chastised Booth, WILD TV, and hunting itself for unnecessary
brutality.
Other, however, were more forgiving.
“I bet 95% of the people complaining about Booth killing an innocent bear
would have zero hesitation in regards to calling animal control if they found
one in their neighbourhood who would likely put down the bear,” one
blogger wrote.
While it would be ludicrous enough to just quote “one blogger” without citing
the source, I understand why the writer of the article didn’t want to do so.
The first quote comes from TwinTelepathy, from the Canucks.com forum
thread, “[New Video] David Booth Bruin Hunting, Shoots Down Chara?” and
the second quote is from n00bxQb in the same thread.
"One thing she told me," Lacroix said of Fleming's wife Carolyn, with whom
he stays in touch, "is the hockey community has been unbelievable.
Using those names in a news article might make said article look a little
ridiculous. It might make it look like the person writing the article put
approximately zero effort into said article. It might call into question the
entire premise of said article.
"Even here, I've had so many people asking us, me and Marty, 'How's
Wayne?' They're going through a battle, but the support from the hockey
community has been tremendous. That's been something good that's
happened."
To make it look a little more official, CTV claimed that the quotes came from
one step up the internet reliability ladder – from “random message board
commenter” to “blogger” – instead of simply saying that they came from a
Canucks fan message board. As a blogger, I take offence.
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 05.16.2012
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 05.16.2012
631279
631281
Tampa Bay Lightning
Vancouver Canucks
Lightning takes close look at Swiss forward Damien Brunner
NHL Playoffs: The run for the Stanley Cup has become a crap shoot
By Damian Cristodero,
By Tony Gallagher,
Part of the Lightning's summer to-do list is to find a top-six forward. That is
why general manager Steve Yzerman, at the world championship in
Helsinki, Finland, is keeping a close eye on Swiss forward Damien Brunner.
As the NHL playoffs roll on this spring one is left scratching one's head over
what we are seeing.
"Highly skilled and fast," Yzerman wrote Tuesday night in a text message,
adding Tampa Bay isn't the only team interested in the 5-foot-11, 187pound right-handed shot.
Three months ago, LA Kings general manager Dean Lombardi was being
raked by most of the noted hockey experts around the continent for his
inept management of this team and most were speculating that not only
was his job in question, his firing was a virtual certainty if things continued
the way they were going.
Brunner, 26, has three goals, seven points and is plus-2 in seven games at
the world championship. He had 24 goals, 60 points and was plus-17 in 45
games for Zug.
St. Petersburg Times LOADED: 05.16.2012
631280
Vancouver Canucks
CTV quotes Canucks.com forum in “news” story about Booth hunting bear
Daniel Wagner,
David Booth created a lot of controversy when he first tweeted a picture of a
bear he killed on a hunting excursion then shared the video of the event as
well. Many people have strong opinions on the subject and it seems like no
one can agree on any aspect of the story.
When he traded for Jeff Carter it was thought to be another in a long line of
desperate moves designed to create offence but more importantly save
said job which he was rapidly losing. His hiring of Darryl Sutter as coach
was seen as a totally mystifying move by most everyone in the game
because this fellow hadn't coached in a while and his teams were never
known for filling the net offensively, even when he had the success he did in
'04, in particular in Calgary, and San Jose and Chicago as well to a lesser
degree. The last guy who was going to generate offence was Darryl, or at
least so it was thought. And we speak here not just of media types, but lots
of the alleged brighter minds within the game as well.
Now this very nice run in the playoffs comes along for these Kings. You
could disparage it if you wished, noting that Vancouver and St. Louis were
both teams on distinct downward trends entering the playoffs and that
Phoenix may have already shot its bolt having reached its utmost level by
virtue of being in the final. But let's be clear, the Kings have been very
thorough this post season. Defensively they've been as good or better than
they've ever been and their offence led by Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar
the most efficient of all playoff teams on balance.
So what does this run mean? Does it mean the Kings will be the team to
beat in the Western Conference next season when it's time to make
predictions, if there is to be a season that is? Or is this just a run that will
dissipate into thin air the way similar runs made by Calgary (under Sutter)
and the Oilers as eighth place teams in the west in previous years of the
dead puck era. We want to know here whether Lombardi is in fact a genius
whose brilliance was just a longer time in coming forward or whether he's
still the same doofus he was three months ago but happens to have caught
lightning in a bottle in the way that even the blind squirrel finds an acorn on
occasion.
And really, can anyone answer that question? Doesn't it seem that more
and more the game of hockey is more like a game of chance than it is one
of careful planning whereby an organization works through all the variables
and builds a solid team which competes for the big prize every year.
Seriously, all the so-called 'smart' general managers like Ken Holland in
Detroit with his much respected, consistent approach are on the sidelines.
Those who had been decreed to be the head of the class-type modern
thinking general managers with other training besides hockey like Boston's
Peter Chiarelli, Pittsburgh's Ray Shero and Vancouver's Mike Gillis are all
on the sidelines watching the likes of Lombardi, a budget-challenged Don
Maloney, Lou Lamoriello and a prehistoric cigar-chomping Glen Sather
compete for the Cup. Maloney and Lamoriello have been steady managers,
the latter for many, many years with three Cups to boot. But Lombardi and
Sather might well have been lynched by their own fan base over the past
two or three years were they ever to appear amongst said paying
customers in the two largest television markets in the U.S.
hockey and the CBC. There's always that interesting balance between
popularity and controversy. It depends on your perspective on what's good
for the game and what's good for the audience. We have to be more
responsive to the audience. They are supporting us so we've got to support
their interests."
But Cherry has been blasted for going over the line at times - such as when
he called former NHL enforcers Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson
"pukes" and "hypocrites" last fall (for which he later apologized).
"Ron and Don are hired to do what they do well, which is give their opinion,"
said Orridge. "They're not strangers to controversy and there will always be
a sliding scale of what's entertaining and exciting and thought-provoking
and what may be approaching the line."
Cherry is 78 but still going strong. But Orridge said CBC does have a
transition plan, which means when Cherry goes, so does Coach's Corner.
"You'll see in our broadcasts that we are showcasing new and different
voices," he said. "P.J. Stock and Andi Petrillo are just two examples of new
faces who are making an impact. You'll see other voices continue to
emerge. I don't think anybody can replace Don. Don is unique. You can't
replace either one of them. Ron is a bit younger but just as iconic as Don,
and the duo is incomparable."
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 05.16.2012
631283
Vancouver Canucks
Has the game reached a point now where a playoff series is just like two
people sitting down and rolling dice, with the first guy to roll the highest
number four times advancing to the next round of die rolls? If that isn't really
the case, it would certainly be nice for someone to explain what's going on.
Canucks' Raymond has the speed, but not the goals
By Gordon McIntyre
631282
Vancouver Canucks
VANCOUVER - He showed up at his first Canucks camp in September,
2007, and blew people away with his speed.
Hockey Night In Canada: Iconic program pushes 60
He quietly set a goal for himself of becoming a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.
By Jim Jamieson,
As the CBC's Hockey Night In Canada looks ahead to its mile-stone 60th
season broadcasting NHL hockey games next fall, the iconic program has
some formidable challenges to overcome.
And a couple of seasons ago his 25 goals hinted that Mason Raymond
would harness the skills he had that you couldn’t teach and become a
dangerous force opposing teams would have to reckon with.
But hint turned to tease, the winger regressing to 25 goals combined over
the past two seasons.
There are two issues here.
First and foremost is keeping those broadcast rights at a time when the cost
of those proper-ties are skyrocketing and Canada's public broadcaster
faces $115 million in cuts to its budget beginning in 2014.
The first is his broken back in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final a season
ago and the long, hard struggle Raymond has had rehabbing and getting
back to game shape, in body and mind.
Certainly, Bell and Rogers - who earlier this year partnered to spend $1.3
billion to purchase Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., owner of the
Maple Leafs and NBA Raptors - will be interested when CBC's deal with the
NHL expires in two years.
But the other issue is this: How much of that 25-goal season in 2009-10
was a mirage?
"There's always that balance the public broadcaster has to strike between
fiscal responsibility and being competitive in the market-place. Hockey is
still a priority for us but there's always a relationship between cost and
value, so we'll continue to analyze that," said Jeffrey Orridge, the CBC's
executive director of sports properties, who was in Vancouver on Monday to
be part of the public broadcaster's fall preview news conference.
"We're pretty good at what we do and I've been involved in legal
negotiations for over 25 years so I'm familiar with how to model things and
we've got a great partner in the NHL. Because we have a 60-year
relationship with them we know them very well. We feel very comfortable in
the relation-ship going forward."
When or how long the negotiating window will be open hasn't been
disclosed.
Coach's Corner - with the bombastic Don Cherry and sidekick Ron
MacLean - is always the epicentre of controversy for HNIC, and Orridge
said the feedback is overwhelming support for the segment.
"I think that Ron and Don have been doing what they do for a long time and
they are arguably the most popular duo in sports in Canada," said Orridge.
"There's an appeal there that's undisputed. It raises the awareness of
Put it this way, Raymond got most of his goals that year in the first half of
the season – he was on a 35-goal pace at Christmas.
Since then, consider these numbers: Counting playoffs, Raymond has 38
goals in his past 209 games.
That, folks, works out exactly to 15 goals per 82 games.
But it gets even worse.
In the past three postseasons, Raymond has scored just five goals in 41
games.
No one is bothered more by this than Raymond himself.
He’s heard of the drinking games (toss back a shot every time he falls), he’s
heard the snide criticisms about how he likes to go wide, the derision at his
wrap-around attempts, the slaps to the forehead for every one of his shots
that hits a goalie smack in the middle of the chest.
If it wasn’t for his blazing speed, it would be easy for the Canucks to let
Raymond walk when he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1.
Seriously, how does Raymond rate $550,000 a year more than Alex
Burrows gets paid?
As defensively responsible as he has attempted to become (he was minus3 in the playoffs), Raymond’s value is as a top-six forward, not playing on
the third or fourth lines.
the coach in place. Kept the scouting staff intact, and the player
development plan is the same one even if he hasn’t produced an impact
player from his four drafts.
Maybe a fresh start somewhere out of the limelight - Nashville, anyone? would help Raymond as it helped another former Canuck who had speed to
burn but couldn’t buy goals, Michael Grabner.
It’s methodical in its execution. Just keep trying to knock down the door with
the same team. Gillis even tried to retain the significant players who have
left, including Willie Mitchell, Christian Ehrhoff and Mattias Ohlund. But he
couldn’t compete with the offers they got elsewhere.
How 2011-12 went: Raymond missed the first 25 games of the season as
he rehabbed his back from the broken vertebrae he suffered on his first shift
of Game 6 in the Stanley Cup final.
Dealing with the injury had two effects on Raymond: It matured him, giving
him a different perspective on life; and it made him shy away from traffic
even more as hurting his back again was always on his mind.
Key stat: Over the course of the final six regular-season games and the five
games against Los Angeles in the playoffs, Raymond was minus-8, had two
assists, and no goals on 12 shots.
Raymond registered no shots in the Kings series.
What the future brings: Every once in awhile Raymond shows remarkable
patience and puck control and looks like a young Steve Yzerman circling in
the opponent's zone. The other 98 per cent of the time he brings to mind
Macbeth: "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Contract status: Raymond signed a two-year, $5.1-million deal in 2010.
He’s set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.
Team options: The Canucks could try to package Raymond in any deal they
might be contemplating for a blue-chip defenceman or a centre who could
fill in for Ryan Kesler during his rehab.
Grade: D
631284
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Mayday: A look at Mike Gillis
Jason Botchford
(Mayday! Throughout the month of May, we’re taking a look at the
Canucks’ roster and organization every weekday. Today’s subject: Mike
Gillis.)
Vancouver GM Mike Gillis began this offseason with his team at something
of a crossroads.
The organization had two critical decisions to make, one on the coach and
another on the goalies.
After some internal debate, which wasn’t insignificant, Gillis will bring back
Alain Vigneault. And once the head coach’s extension is finalized soon
here, it’s on to the biggest trade the Canucks have made since acquiring
Roberto Luongo in 2006. That will be trading Roberto Luongo.
Interestingly, it was Gillis who called Luongo “the best goaltender in the
world” and vowed in 2008 to build the team around his goalie. But
sometime this season, long before Cory Schneider started the last three
games of the Canucks postseason, the organization reached a conclusion
that it was in its best interest to keep Schneider, 26.
But something changed this year. Gillis pulled the trigger on his biggest
trade when he dealt Cody Hodgson. That shakeup was significant, and
changed the dynamic of the Canucks. Not in a good way.
The result didn’t help. The Canucks were quashed in the first round of the
playoffs, mostly because they couldn’t score. And for really the first time
since he got to Vancouver, Gillis faced widespread criticism in the Lower
Mainland.
It will be interesting to see how he copes with it moving forward, especially
after making a couple more moves that could be easy targets if they don’t
work out —re-signing Vigneault and the pending goalie deal.
The clock is ticking on Luongo.
Ideally, the Luongo trade will get done before or at the draft in Pittsburgh.
Gillis will have some time to ink an extension with Schneider to give the
team an understanding of where they sit financially on July 1. Will also
answer which holes they will still need to fill. One of the main ones will be
finding a backup to Schneider, something that could however come back in
a trade.
It’s a combination of deals and timing which won’t be easy. Will the
Canucks have to take a bad contract back? Will they get a player who can
help them now? How about a high draft pick?
Gillis could use some luck at the draft. Aside from Hodgson, Yann Sauve is
the only player he’s drafted who has played in the NHL and he’s played just
five games.
Certainly, that could change this fall as both Jordan Schroeder and Anton
Rodin are expected to get long looks in training camp. Gillis did get a hit by
finding and signing college free agent Chris Tanev. But there’s not a lot of
youth on the Canucks ready to wedge into the lineup.
He could get a home run if he’s able to sign superstar defensive prospect
Justin Schultz, who is just 21, from Kelowna and set to be the most coveted
NCAA free agent. But is he going to want to play under Vigneault, who is
the reason Hodgson is gone?
Gillis may not require that home run just a year after being named the
NHL’s general manager of the year. But he didn’t have a great season. He
signed Marco Sturm, then traded him. He let Raffi Torres walk and never
replaced him. He traded for David Booth, who has three more years with a
cap hit of $4.25 million, and Samme Pahlsson who failed to do much of
anything as the Canucks third line centre.
Despite those deals, the Canucks still need a top-six forward and they still
need a third line centre. They also need a top-four defenceman, something
Keith Ballard doesn’t appear he’ll ever be under Vigneault.
The Canucks do have some youth in winger Zack Kassian but he looked
light years away from being a 25-goal, top-six forward. Compounding the
issue is the question about whether Vigneault will give Kassian the big
minutes he’ll need to make mistakes and develop. The answer to that one
could lead to Kassian spending next year in the AHL.
Key stats
Signed Marco Sturm
If you’re looking for bold moves, it doesn’t get much riskier. Schneider may
have been the best backup in hockey last year, but he remains unproven,
and untested, and trading him would have guaranteed a more valuable net
return than Luongo.
The team also has to walk a public relations tight rope. It’s impossible to
say how players from around the league will perceive what’s happening, but
some have tried to frame it like the Canucks are chasing Luongo out,
turning the former franchise player out on his ear. That may not sit well with
some. And under Gillis, the Canucks have desperately tried to become a
destination spot for free agents, and a place where current players are
willing to play for less.
It has been a player-friendly, patient, stay-the-course regime since Gillis
took over despite his mandate for change. He’s kept the core together. Kept
Traded Sturm with Mikael Samuelsson, and both their expiring contracts,
for David Booth, who has three years remaining at $4.25 million
Traded for Samme Pahlsson
Traded Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani
The future
After Vigneault’s extension is announced, it’s time to move on to Luongo as
the next order of business
Gillis must also make the call on Mason Raymond. He’s a restricted free
agent who just made $2.5 m. They could qualify him, but it threatens to be a
waste of cap space.
There’s a big decision to be made on Manny Malhotra, too. He’s a faceoff
specialist but struggled to be much more than that.
Grade C
631285
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Mayday: A look at Mason Raymond
What the future brings: Every once in awhile Raymond shows remarkable
patience and puck control and looks like a young Steve Yzerman circling in
the opponent’s zone. The other 98 per cent of the time he brings to mind
Macbeth: “Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Contract status: Raymond signed a two-year, $5.1-million deal in 2010.
He’s set to become a restricted free agent on July 1.
Team options: The Canucks could try to package Raymond in any deal they
might be contemplating for a blue-chip defenceman or a centre who could
fill in for Ryan Kesler during his rehab.
Grade: D
Staff
VANCOUVER _ He showed up at his first Canucks camp in September,
2007, and blew people away with his speed.
631286
He quietly set a goal for himself of becoming a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.
And a couple of seasons ago his 25 goals hinted that Mason Raymond
would harness the skills he had that you couldn’t teach and become a
dangerous force opposing teams would have to reckon with.
Washington Capitals
Mike Knuble says he feels good, would like to continue playing
By Katie Carrera
But hint turned to tease, the winger regressing to 25 goals combined over
the past two seasons.
There are two issues here.
The first is his broken back in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final a season
ago and the long, hard struggle Raymond has had rehabbing and getting
back to game shape, in body and mind.
But the other issue is this: How much of that 25-goal season in 2009-10
was a mirage?
Put it this way, Raymond got most of his goals that year in the first half of
the season – he was on a 35-goal pace at Christmas.
Since then, consider these numbers: Counting playoffs, Raymond has 38
goals in his past 209 games.
That, folks, works out exactly to 15 goals per 82 games.
But it gets even worse.
In the past three postseasons, Raymond has scored just five goals in 41
games.
No one is bothered more by this than Raymond himself.
He’s heard of the drinking games (toss back a shot every time he falls), he’s
heard the snide criticisms about how he likes to go wide, the derision at his
wrap-around attempts, the slaps to the forehead for every one of his shots
that hits a goalie smack in the middle of the chest.
If it wasn’t for his blazing speed, it would be easy for the Canucks to let
Raymond walk when he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1.
Seriously, how does Raymond rate $550,000 a year more than Alex
Burrows gets paid?
This was not the easiest season for Mike Knuble. At 39, he saw his ice-time
dip dramatically and his roles vary widely from top-six forward to fourth-line
grinder. He was a healthy scratch for three different stretches between
February and March and found himself sitting once more when the playoffs
began.
This season was the first since 2001-02 that Knuble failed to record 20
goals and while he has lost a step, he proved in the postseason that he can
still fill a valuable role on a team.
Knuble is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and said
Monday that he would like to continue playing.
“I’m open to playing. I’d love to play,” said Knuble, who had a one-year, $2
million deal this season. “I feel good; my body feels good and I’ve got
nothing nagging me. No nagging injuries or anything like that and that can
be the case when you get into your upper 30s that you’ve got some chronic
things going on. Mentally too, I still enjoy playing the game and I still enjoy
coming out to the rink every day and I enjoy being around the other players
and I think that that’s half the battle -- wanting to be there -- as you get
older.”
Knuble was inserted into Washington’s postseason lineup in Game 4
against the Boston Bruins while Nicklas Backstrom served a one-game
suspension. He didn’t sit again in the playoffs.
In 11 playoff games, Knuble recorded two goals and an assist. The assist
came on Joel Ward’s series-winning goal in overtime of Game 7 against the
Bruins. Knuble had blocked a shot, retrieved the puck and raced up ice
before he barreled into the crease and tied up Tim Thomas as Ward scored
on the rebound.
As defensively responsible as he has attempted to become (he was minus3 in the playoffs), Raymond’s value is as a top-six forward, not playing on
the third or fourth lines.
Knuble was an alternate captain in Washington and held the respect of his
teammates in the dressing room and on the bench. At this stage of his
career, though, he and the Capitals may have come to a natural separation
point. When asked if he would return to the Capitals, Knuble was
noncommittal.
Maybe a fresh start somewhere out of the limelight – Nashville, anyone? –
would help Raymond as it helped another former Canuck who had speed to
burn but couldn’t buy goals, Michael Grabner.
“Well, there are a lot of people to be taken care of before me,” Knuble said.
“That stuff will shake itself out in the next week or two. But as a player, it’s a
great place to play.”
How 2011-12 went: Raymond missed the first 25 games of the season as
he rehabbed his back from the broken vertebrae he suffered on his first shift
of Game 6 in the Stanley Cup final.
Washington Post LOADED: 05.16.2012
Dealing with the injury had two effects on Raymond: It matured him, giving
him a different perspective on life; and it made him shy away from traffic
even more as hurting his back again was always on his mind.
Key stat: Over the course of the final six regular-season games and the five
games against Los Angeles in the playoffs, Raymond was minus-8, had two
assists, and no goals on 12 shots.
Raymond registered no shots in the Kings series.
631287
Washington Capitals
Tomas Vokoun: ‘I wasn’t planning on being back’ in Washington
By Katie Carrera
Long before he suffered a torn groin muscle in the regular season and
Braden Holtby stepped up as the Capitals’ starting goaltender in the
playoffs, Tomas Vokoun knew that he likely wouldn’t be returning to
Washington.
The veteran netminder signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the
Capitals last July when he faced a lack of interest in his services as a free
agent. At the time it seemed like a good fit and a steal for Washington, but
over the course of the season it was clear it wasn’t always an ideal
arrangement for both sides.
So it wasn’t surprising when Vokoun, who is set to become an unrestricted
free agent on July 1, said Monday that he didn’t see a future with the
Capitals.
“I wasn’t plan on being back here anyways,” said Vokoun, who added that
he was happy to see Holtby to play well. “For me, it was never intention to
be here more than a year. For me, it’s more disappointing about how it went
and obviously getting hurt and not having the chance to play in playoffs.
That’s what I regret more than worrying about what’s going to be next year.
I was looking at it as a one-year thing and I’m sure that’s how it’s gonna
be.”
Given that both Holtby and Michal Neuvirth are under contract through the
2012-13 season, it appears that the Capitals depth chart in net at the NHL
level is set, even if General Manager George McPhee isn’t divulging details
about his offseason plans.
“We’re pretty deep in that position in net,” McPhee said. “But we haven’t
talked to Tomas yet.
Vokoun, 35, said he has recovered completely from the groin injury that
sidelined him at the end of the regular season and through the playoffs. He
finished the season with a 25-17-2 record, .917 save percentage and 2.51
goals-against average.
“Healthy, it’s important regardless of hockey,” Vokoun said. “But it’s nice to
be, obviously, healthy and feel if whatever happens you can play and be
effective there and be able to play without pain.”
Recent reports out of the Czech Republic and Russia suggested that
Vokoun may join the rebuilding Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the KHL. His
best friend, Josef Vasicek, died in the Lokomitiv plane crash last September
that devastated the hockey community. However, Vokoun’s agent Allan
Walsh commented on Twitter that those reports were “premature” and that
the netminder “prefers to play in the NHL next season.”
631288
Washington Capitals
McPhee: Capitals don’t expect Kuznetsov to join them in 2012-13
By Katie Carrera
Earlier this month, multiple Russian news outlets reported that highly-touted
prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov planned to remain in the KHL for two more
years. On Monday, Capitals General Manager George McPhee confirmed
that the team does not expect the promising forward join them for the 201213 season.
“We’ve talked to the agent. It doesn’t appear that he’s going to make it over
for next season,” McPhee said. “He’s a young guy…We understand why he
might not want to leave yet. But at some point he’ll want to come to this
league. It’s the best league in the world. He’s a heck of a player so when
he’s ready to come we’ll be ready for him.”
McPhee said that the Capitals “don’t know” whether the reports of
Kuznetsov seeking to remain in Russia for two more years were accurate;
simply that he won’t be joining the Capitals next fall.
Kuznetsov, who will turn 20 this coming Sunday, told Sovietsky Sport on
May 1 that he is “not ready to go to the NHL right now” and that after
conversations with his family he opted to remain in Russia. It’s unclear
whether he has signed a contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk yet, but
Kuznetsov said then that he had agreed to terms with the KHL team.
It is certainly a disappointing development for the Capitals, especially
because it is believed Kuznetsov could step into the NHL immediately –
potentially adding offense to a club that could see its second-leading goal
scorer, Alexander Semin, depart via free agency.
McPhee had previously expressed concerns that Kuznetsov might develop
bad habits in a prolonged stay in the KHL. While McPhee said that is still a
worry, he backed off the earlier sentiment and said a late arrival could
possibly help Kuznetsov.
“We like him a lot as a player. We think he’s a terrific player, but at the right
time,” McPhee said. “As I said, he’s only 20. I think he can take the bad
habits out of the game. On the other hand, he’s usually bigger and stronger
if they come a little bit later.”
631289
Washington Capitals
Dale Hunter’s exit kicks off a challenging offseason for the Capitals
By Tarik El-Bashir,
For the second time in three days, the Washington Capitals are reeling from
a punch to the gut. Dale Hunter resigned as coach Monday after just six
months on the job, leaving the team searching for a replacement two days
after getting eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Hunter’s departure, while sudden, was not completely unexpected; the
contract he signed when he replaced Bruce Boudreau on Nov. 28 expired
at season’s end. However, it gives the Capitals one more question to
answer as they enter another offseason wondering why they haven’t
advanced beyond the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 1998,
despite spending to the salary cap limit in recent years and boasting some
of the NHL’s top talent.
The first challenge for General Manager George McPhee will be to
determine what he wants in his next coach, the fifth he will have hired in his
14 seasons with the Capitals.
Boudreau was an affable players’ coach who played an uptempo style that
helped a number of players set personal records for offense. Hunter was a
no-nonsense coach who played a trapping style and hoped to grind out
one-goal victories. Both systems had periods of success — in some cases,
sustained ones — but neither coach was able to end the team’s postseason
frustrations.
“I haven’t processed that enough to give you a good answer,” said McPhee,
who found out at 10 a.m. Monday that Hunter was not returning. “Coaches
have different systems, and there are different ways to play the game. But
the most important thing is to have a team buy into whatever system you're
playing.”
Although McPhee did not say so explicitly, McPhee gave some indications
he wants the next coach to build upon the foundation Hunter laid. Although
Hunter’s record wasn’t remarkable — he had as many wins as losses (37)
in the regular season and playoffs — players credited him with teaching
them how to play the game the right way.
They blocked opponents’ shots with their bodies. They became more
conscious defensively. They appeared to handle success and
disappointment with more stability.
Hunter’s harshest edict was that playing time had to be earned, regardless
of a player’s status or salary. That applied most prominently to Alex
Ovechkin, the face of the franchise since he entered the league in 2005.
Ovechkin, who was once one of the game’s elite goal-scorers, finished with
a career-low 65 points, the second consecutive season his point total
plummeted. In the playoffs, he led the Capitals with five goals and nine
points, but his playing time also declined from more than 23 minutes per
game in the 2011 to fewer than 20 this spring. In Game 2 of the secondround series against the New York Rangers, Ovechkin skated 13 minutes
36 seconds, the lowest total of his playoff career and more than six fewer
than checking line center Jay Beagle.
Although Hunter never publicly explained the reason for reducing
Ovechkin’s ice time, his actions were indicative of a coach who did not trust
Ovechkin to play sound defense in a closely contested playoff game. “For
me personally, it was pretty hard to be honest with you,” Ovechkin, 26, said
of the transition to Hunter’s defense-first system. “But I have to do it
because I have to do it for the team.
Ontario Hockey League franchise about 57 miles from the Hunters'
hometown.
“It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, because he’s my coach and I have to
listen. How he said, you have to be a plumber, so I was a plumber.”
"It was a tough decision to make but it's still the right thing for me and my
family," Hunter said Monday. "It's a family business, and I'll do anything
that's best for the business."
Personal Post
Late Monday, Ovechkin left Washington for the world championships,
where he will represent Russia. McPhee declined to get specific when
asked about Hunter’s impact on Ovechkin, who is owed an average of $9.5
million per season through 2020-21.
“I don’t know if I want to get into talking about how he affected certain
individuals,” McPhee said. “The most important thing is he made it a team
and got them to play the right way. And Ovi changed some things in his
game that made him a more well-rounded player, actually, but I don’t want
to get into his impact on individuals, because since he’s been here, it's
been all about ‘team,’ which is the way it should be.”
Ovechkin’s teammates gushed over Hunter’s contributions. Nicklas
Backstrom and Karl Alzner sounded disappointed about Hunter’s
resignation. Brooks Laich joked that he hoped to talk Hunter into changing
his mind.
“It’s a stupid saying, but it’s perfect: You have to crack a couple of eggs to
make an omelet,” Alzner said. “He kind of broke things down, and he slowly
started to build it up. He morphed this team into a very respectable team.
Other teams give us a little bit more credit than they had in the last few
years. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said.”
Laich said the ending to this season feels different than last season, even
though both concluded in the conference semifinals.
“Look at the identity of the teams left,” Laich said. “I mean, L.A., they were
29th in goals-for in the regular season. They don’t give anything up. The
Rangers don’t give anything up. Jersey doesn’t give anything up. Phoenix,
the same way. That’s the identity of winning hockey teams. Teams that
succeed, you have to play that way to win Stanley Cups. We learned a lot
about what it takes to win. I believe we took a step in the right direction.”
Early Monday afternoon, Hunter met with the players as a group. A man of
few words, he didn’t speak long. But Laich recalled the coach leaving them
with a message that will resonate throughout this offseason of uncertainty:
“It’s in your hands now.”
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SNYDER: Family business suits Dale Hunter best
The Washington Times
Washington Capitals head coach Dale Hunter comes stands in the bench
area before the start of the first period as the Washington Capitals take on
the New York Rangers in game six of the NHL eastern conference playoffs
semifinals at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 9,
2012 (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)
Enlarge Washington Capitals head coach Dale Hunter comes stands in the
bench area before the start of the first period as the Washington Capitals
take on the New York Rangers in game six of the NHL eastern conference
playoffs semifinals at the Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., Wednesday,
May 9, 2012 (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)
Coaches who walk away before they're pushed out often cite "spending
more time with the family" as a reason. Though seemingly half of them
eventually return to coaching, it's a noble impulse when a man decides that
family is more important than another season.
With the Knights, Hunter has a rare opportunity to intertwine hockey with his
relatives. His brother, Mark, is the Knights' co-owner, general manager and
vice president. Their father, Dick, still scouts for the team at 76 years old.
Hunter's son Dylan is an assistant coach. Hunter explained that
"everybody's part of the team there.
"The farm's there. My dad and my other brothers all go to the games," he
said. "My sisters go to the games. My other sons live two or three doors
down and go to the university there. My daughter's there. Pretty much
everybody is there."
It's hard to blame Hunter for his decision. As my colleague Stephen Whyno
detailed in a fantastic, four-part series in March, Knights hockey is to
London what Kentucky basketball is to Lexington. The Hunters' family affair
has grown into a community passion. Alumni with no prior connection to the
town make London their home.
Sports figures don't always resign or retire for family reasons, but they skip
games far more frequently than in the past. Slowly, over the past couple of
decades, they've refused to miss out on life events and relationships that
normal folks take for granted.
When former Detroit Tigers manager Phil Garner took off in 2001 to attend
his daughter's college graduation, he said it was the first time in his 30-year
career that he missed a game for personal reasons. That same season,
former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams missed 10 games to be with his
ailing 73-year-old father.
Nowadays, it's normal for coaches and players to miss games for a child's
birth. But we'd look at those guys like they were crazy in an earlier era.
Back then, "real men" didn't miss action for anything other than injury or
death (their own).
Your first child is due? Send your wife flowers. Your kids are graduating?
Send them a card. Your father is gravely ill? Send him our best wishes. For
the most part, players played and coaches coached, period, no matter what
was happening in their family.
Some coaches might maim to land the Caps' job, but Hunter acknowledges
that there's more to life than the NHL lifestyle. We tend to envy pro coaches
and athletes for their fortune and fame. But anyone who works nights and
weekends, or spends as much time on the road as they do at home, knows
the great cost to personal life.
"Family is always in the first position," captain Alex Ovechkin said about
Hunter's decision. We often hear such sentiments, that other things are
more important than the games. Unfortunately, it's usually after instances of
tragedy, illness or misfortune.
As much as I wanted Hunter to return for a full season as the Caps' coach,
I'm happy for him and his family. It's kind of refreshing to see him choose
personal gain over the NHL game.
Losing the series against New York was painful. So was losing the coach to
London, though much more understandable.
Washington Times LOADED: 05.16.2012
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The fans who wildly cheer the team wanted Dale Hunter back. So did the
players, firmly convinced that his way is the right way. Officials in the
organization wanted Hunter back, too, enamored with his firm hand and nononsense approach.
And all of those folks were overjoyed Monday because Hunter decided to
return ... to London, Ontario.
More than the London Knights' fans, players and employees, Hunter thrilled
his closest loved ones as well. Ultimately, the Washington Capitals'
coaching gig was no match for Hunter's connection to his family, farm and
WHYNO: Is Ovechkin still the man for Capitals?
By Stephen Whyno
Alex Ovechkin isn’t a playoff choker. Lack of production isn’t the reason
why his Washington Capitals haven’t made it past the second round since
his arrival, and he’s averaging more than a point a game in his postseason
career.
But while the Capitals transformed their game under Dale Hunter and
seemed to figure out a way to win without glitz and glamour, Ovechkin
never seemed happy with being a $9 million role player, put on the ice in
offensive situations and not when a lead needed protecting.
“It doesn’t matter if I like it or not, because he’s my coach and I have to
listen,” Ovechkin said. “I know my role, and I know exactly when I’m going
to be on the ice and when I’m not going to be on the ice. There was bad
feelings but nothing you can do; everybody tries, everybody does their
best.”
That there were even bad feelings speaks to what players called a culture
change around the locker room in the past few months. Given that Hunter
treated Jay Beagle and Matt Hendricks the same as Ovechkin and
Alexander Semin and used ice time to reward and punish performance, it’s
not hard to make the leap that culture change had a lot to do with changing
how stars were managed.
The next step in the transformation of the Caps could be to trade Ovechkin,
something they should seriously consider depending, of course, on who
becomes the next coach. It may seem crazy given that Ovechkin, 26, was
the centerpiece of this team’s rise to fame, and he has nine years and $86
million left on his contract.
His point totals, however, have declined each of the past five seasons, from
a career-best 112 in 2008-09 to 65 this season.
Term and money matter, but those are not the only factors.
Staff
“First, it has to be about hockey,” Gandler said. “If it’s not going to be
satisfying to play, there’s no reason to sign.”
Semin won’t consider going to the KHL, Gandler said.
The 28-year-old who has refused to do interviews in English in his seventh
NHL season spoke with the popular Caps blog Russian Machine Never
Breaks on Monday but didn’t have much to say about free agency.
“There is nothing to say on that, and even if there were, I wouldn’t tell you,”
he told Igor Kleyner in a Russian interview. “For now, I just don’t know.”
Teammate and friend Alex Ovechkin said he’d like Semin to return.
“Of course. I want to see everybody back next year, but again I hope he’s
going to stay here, I don’t want to leave him,” Ovechkin said Monday. “It’s
George’s decision, it’s Sasha’s decision, it’s Sasha’s agent decision.”
According to Semin’s agent, that’s a decision for the Caps’ front office.
Several players talked about this being a tight-knit group that got closer in
the playoffs thanks to winning and playing a brand of hockey built on
sacrificing and preventing chances being more important than getting them.
That’s not Ovechkin.
Asked about what the Caps needed moving forward, the captain alluded to
dissension in the locker room.
“I don’t know who’s going to be the coach next year, but the leaders in this
group have to be together and don’t look, you know. … I don’t know how to
explain better, but sometimes you don’t have to be jealous,” he said. “I don’t
want to say it was a jealous situation for us, but sometimes you just have to
be a group together.”
“If the Capitals would like Alex to continue to play for the Capitals, then they
need to tell us what direction the team will take because what it used to be
to what it is now, it’s a completely different direction,” Gandler said. “We’re
concerned the role that Alex plays in that scheme of things. Obviously, if
they continue the same path, they’ll choose a coach that subscribes to that
philosophy. Whoever the coach is going to be is not as important as what
the management decides on the direction of the team for the next number
of years.”
If the direction remains the same, it’s likely the next number of years will be
spent elsewhere.
Ovechkin acknowledged it was “pretty hard” for him to buy into Hunter’s
system; he said the right things after playing a playoff-career-low 13:36 in
Game 2 against the New York Rangers in the second round but wasn’t
thrilled about it.
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Meanwhile, teammates praised Hunter for equal treatment.
“I think you, as a coach, you get more respect that way,” defenseman Karl
Alzner said recently. “Sometimes the guys that are working extremely hard
and aren’t getting the minutes that they hope they’re getting, they would get
frustrated. I think when you reward whoever’s going at that time or keeping
it more even, collectively, everybody’s a little bit more happy.”
Would everyone be happy if Ovechkin was gone? It’s hard to say. He
scores lots of goals, but the Caps showed in long stretches that they could
play well and win without Ovechkin being a major contributor.
ESPN / Accidental pairing pays big dividends
By Scott Burnside
NEW YORK -- Fate or just dumb luck?
Read between the lines on Brooks Laich’s comments about Hunter and a
“culture change,” and it sounds like the Caps, or most of them at least, want
a coach who will continue what he built.
If the New York Rangers end up celebrating their first Stanley Cup
championship since 1994 next month, they will look back on the moment
that defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi began playing together
last fall and wonder if that was indeed the defining moment.
“There were some things culture-wise that had to be adjusted a little bit in
order for our team to succeed, and I thought he did a great job doing that,”
Laich said. “He put it in a step in the right direction.”
Whether they came together via happenstance or not, you could hardly find
two more inexorably linked yet unique pieces of the New York Rangers'
Stanley Cup puzzle.
If the new coach brings a run-and-gun philosophy, it makes little sense to
trade Ovechkin, who likely would enjoy playing without the shackles of
defensive responsibility. But that’s counterintuitive to this playoff run, when
Washington learned to play “the right way,” according to general manager
George McPhee.
Taken as singular elements, they represent an impressive range of assets
including speed, grittiness and high hockey IQ, but as a two-man unit
coming from wildly disparate backgrounds, the two have come to represent
something altogether impressive, something far more significant to a team
now seven wins away from a Stanley Cup championship.
“The right way” could be successful without Ovechkin, especially if the Caps
can turn him into a few pieces, including a young star, an established roster
player, a draft pick and a prospect. It’s a bonus if they have some more cap
room to play with.
"Everything's impressive to me, to be honest," Hall of Fame defenseman
Brian Leetch, a member of the last Rangers team to win a Cup, told
ESPN.com Tuesday.
Ovechkin likely will have success, at least statistically, elsewhere. Rocking
the red and selling out Verizon Center are not the same thing as winning a
Stanley Cup.
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McDonagh and Girardi have quickly become the foundation of a very good
Rangers defense. Usually young defensemen reveal their potential before
they reveal their actual capabilities. Not with McDonagh, 22, and Girardi,
28, who seem to have accelerated their maturation process exponentially.
"These guys were both thrust into those roles," Leetch said. "That's pretty
impressive to see their consistency at this age."
Here's the thing: For something that has turned out so well, no one -- not
even the man who decided to pair the two, head coach John Tortorella -had any idea how this would turn out.
Marc Staal, arguably the Rangers most important defenseman coming into
the season, was still recovering from a concussion and Tortorella didn't
think Michael Del Zotto was ready to take on such responsibilities at the
NHL level. This pretty much left McDonagh to move into a top pair role with
Girardi.
"You never know," Tortorella said Tuesday. "It's funny how it works out
when you end up with injuries. We always talk about when there's injuries
another guy gets an opportunity. You never know where it's going to lead
you. I'm not sure if I'll ever split those two guys up. That's just the way it
works.
"If any coach tells you that he knows this will work, he's lying. Because we
don't. You try it and you make a judgment and hopefully your judgment is
the correct one."
This spring has been dominated by strong defensive play, and McDonagh
and Girardi were significant factors again on Monday as the Rangers took
the opening game against the New Jersey Devils by a 3-0 count.
Girardi, who endured a rare off night defensively, scored the winning goal
53 seconds into the third period, breaking a scoreless tie. It was his second
goal of the postseason. He logged 25:11 in ice time, more than any other
player in the game -- which isn't surprising given that he has spent more
time on the ice this spring than any other NHL player.
McDonagh, meanwhile, served up another impeccable defensive
performance, tracking down speedy New Jersey captain Zach Parise in the
first period to negate a great scoring chance and then knifing in to cut the
angle on New Jersey sniper Ilya Kovalchuk as he broke in down the left
side.
He was on the ice for 24:27 and ranks second among all players in ice time
this spring.
"Leaps and bounds" is how Schoenfeld describes McDonagh's evolution
this season.
Now, Schoenfeld expects McDonagh to start taking his game in a more
offensive direction.
Eaves shares Schoenfeld's view of McDonagh's upside: "His confidence
and patience with the puck has taken a quantum leap this year. His
decision-making with the puck is as good as it's ever been."
McDonagh and Girardi spend a lot of time together away from the rink,
especially when the team is on the road.
"Especially this year, he's coming over to my house a little bit more, playing
with my son and stuff like that," Girardi said. "And I think that's kind of part
of why we're doing well. We're good friends off the ice, and it makes our job
easier on the ice.
"I think sometimes it works between guys and sometimes it doesn't. And it
just seemed to jell. I really couldn't tell you why. I think it's just kind of read
off each other from the beginning and talking on and off the ice about
different things we could do, and it's been good so far."
It's clear Girardi's maturity and work ethic have had a significant impact on
McDonagh.
"It's been great. I mean, I make some mistakes, and Danny's great at
recovering and blocking a shot or disrupting an odd-man rush," McDonagh
said. "And he just gives you that much more confidence to join the rush and
create and make your plays that way.
"And obviously learned a lot from him, how mentally tough he is. The grind
that he goes through, the hits that he takes, and the way he blocks shots.
He's such a leader in that aspect, and it's something that I'm trying to get
involved in in my game."
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Two peas in a pod? Not exactly.
Girardi, the more physical of the two, enjoyed a successful junior career in
Ontario, winning a Memorial Cup with a powerful London Knights team in
2005. Undrafted, Girardi signed a two-way deal with the Rangers and
began the 2005-06 season in the ECHL with Charlotte.
Every time Jim Schoenfeld, the GM of the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford,
Conn., heard from the coaching staff in Charlotte there were rave reviews
about Girardi. Girardi was eventually called up to the AHL that season.
Then he was called up by the Rangers in January 2007 and stayed with the
big club for good, missing only two games since.
"I don't think at that time we knew he could attain these heights," said
Schoenfeld, who is also the Rangers' assistant GM and an assistant coach.
"The thing that caught our eye at the time was that he didn't make very
many mistakes."
Schoenfeld added that Girardi does so much without fanfare that it's
sometimes easy to miss how effective he is.
"He's just continued his development," the former NHL player and coach
said. "But he had it. He has real good hockey IQ. He learned how to work
real hard. So now you have the complete package."
McDonagh, on the other hand, is the quintessential American prospect.
Hailing from St. Paul, Minn., McDonagh helped his high school to its firstever state hockey championship -- about as big as it gets in the State of
Hockey.
He was named the top senior high school player in the state the following
year and the Montreal Canadiens made him the 12th overall pick in the
2007 draft.
During his three years at the University of Wisconsin, players and coaches
would often watch McDonagh speed down the ice and say, 'Oh, there goes
McDonagh shot from a cannon again,' head coach Mike Eaves recalled on
Tuesday.
Two years after they drafted him, the Canadiens inexplicably included
McDonagh's rights in a deal that sent Scott Gomez to Montreal.
It took some time for McDonagh to make the adjustment from college
hockey to pro hockey, Schoenfeld said, but his speed and strength have
allowed him to blossom very quickly.
ESPN / West finals turn nasty in Game 2
By Pierre LeBrun
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Game 2 of the Western Conference finals turned a little
nasty Tuesday night with a pair of boarding majors that luckily didn’t result
in serious injury.
Coyotes captain Shane Doan got five minutes and the game for his hit from
behind on Kings forward Trevor Lewis in the second period, while Coyotes
center Martin Hanzal got a five-minute boarding major and was tossed for
his hit on Kings winger Dustin Brown.
Of the two, Hanzal’s appears worse, at least in my eyes, and I wouldn’t be
surprised if NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan gave it a serious look.
Rostislav Klesla of the Coyotes got a one-game suspension in the previous
round for a hit from behind on Nashville’s Matt Halischuk.
Hanzal didn’t speak after the game but Brown certainly did.
"I chip it by [Derek] Morris; I see [Keith] Yandle coming for the puck,” the
Kings captain said. "I know there’s a guy behind me, but I didn’t think he
was going to hit me. Because he probably saw my numbers [on the back of
his uniform] from the top of the faceoff circle. He was behind me the whole
way. It wasn’t like I turned or anything. I was going to get the puck. I thought
Yandle and I were going to have a puck battle, and then ... I mean, Hanzal’s
a big boy."
Doan’s hit also looked dangerous, although you can at least argue that
Lewis turned at the last moment.
"He turns ... he looks right at me,” Doan said. "I didn’t even look at him
again; I was looking at the puck. I was trying to poke the puck free, and he
turns away as I’m coming in."
Kings coach Darryl Sutter had more of an issue with Hanzal’s hit than
Doan’s.
“Think Doan’s hit on Lewy, Lewy is turning back,” the coach said. “It’s
probably more of a hockey play, eh? It’s a tough one. I didn’t really have a
big problem with that.
“But the one on Browny, it’s hard to say from the bench. I didn’t look at it.
But I don’t think the puck was even close, was it? That’s about it."
The game also featured a slash from Coyotes goalie Mike Smith to the back
of Brown’s leg. And there was the kneeing penalty to Coyotes blueliner
Derek Morris on Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi.
Pacific Division rivals, right?
“I’ve probably been involved in dirtier games, but I think the intensity out
there and the fact that we’re in the Western Conference finals, there were
some hits out there that weren’t good, but it’s one of those things where
guys are playing hard, and like I said, we capitalized on opportunities we
had," Brown said.
from its first trip to the Cup finals since Wayne Gretzky's Kings lost to
Montreal in 1993 -- the franchise's one and only trip to the big dance.
The Kings are completely in control of a Coyotes squad that seems to have
hit a wall and is wholeheartedly overwhelmed in every facet by its Pacific
Division rival.
It's no surprise frustration bubbled to the surface for a Coyotes team that
hadn't trailed before in a series this spring, let alone now by two games.
Shane Doan and Martin Hanzal each got five-minute boarding majors and
were tossed out of the game. Doan nailed Lewis from behind in the second
period, Hanzal pushed Brown into the boards midway through the third
period. You could argue on Doan's behalf that Lewis turned his back at the
last moment, but there's no excuse for Hanzal's hit on Brown. It was
dangerous and you can bet Brendan Shanahan will mull that one over.
This is about a team losing its composure, perhaps from the realization that
this series is getting away from them.
The two boarding majors were dangerous, but Scuderi didn’t see that as
anything more than it was.
The Coyotes have that "Uh-oh" look after dropping the first two games at
home, just like the Canucks and Blues before them.
“They may not be the norm, but it’s not as if they were a dirty team during
the season or any of those guys are dirty players throughout the history of
their careers,” Scuderi said. "So, we’re not here to worry about it, we came
to get the game, we got it. Fortunately, for all the guys that were on the
receiving end of those hits, they’re all fine, and we can move on and go to
Los Angeles.”
"We haven't played near the way we're capable of playing," said Coyotes
goalie Mike Smith. "It's the first one to four (wins), not the first to two.
There's no need to hit the panic button, but we do need to play much better.
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ESPN / Kings find new ways to dominate
"We have a lot more to give in here," Smith added. "When you get beat and
you play well, you can tip your hat to the other team. When you get beat the
way we are getting beat right now, that's a lot more frustrating."
You never want to count out such a resilient, blue-collar squad like this
year's Coyotes, but this series belongs to Los Angeles short of a
monumental collapse.
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By Pierre LeBrun
FOXSports.com / Carter's big game keeps Kings rolling
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Oh, they can beat you in so many ways.
The Los Angeles Kings gave another example Tuesday night why they're
the NHL's most dominant playoff team of 2012, able to shut out the Phoenix
Coyotes 4-0 without a big night from their top line.
A regular-season squad that couldn't buy a goal for most of the year is now
an offensive juggernaut that comes at you wave after wave and leaves the
opposition gasping for air.
Want proof? Try a whopping 88-51 shot advantage for Los Angeles through
two games in the Western Conference finals. The Kings are now averaging
3.18 goals per game in the playoffs, tops among the four clubs still alive in
the postseason.
In Game 1, it was Anze Kopitar's unit with Dustin Brown and Justin Williams
that did the five-on-five damage. Game 2 saw Jarret Stoll's third line with
Dwight King and Trevor Lewis, and Mike Richards' second unit with Jeff
Carter and Dustin Penner score the two opening goals at even strength to
put the Kings in control. Carter capped his hat trick with a pair of power-play
goals to make it academic.
So while the Coyotes this time were able to mute the Kopitar line, it was far
from enough.
"The whole playoffs we've found different ways of winning," said Stoll. "It's
great to see that, because everyone is contributing on a game-to-game
basis. Everyone has been consistent in their play. We can roll four lines, we
can really count on four lines, and that's pretty special."
With three reliable defense pairs that balance a puck-moving blueliner with
a rugged, shutdown type, the Kings have the makings of a championship
team.
"You have to have depth during playoffs," said Kopitar. "We have four lines
that can score any give night. Tonight again was a full team effort. And
having Quickie back there is not such a bad idea either."
Did we forget the goalie? Yes, that dude Jonathan Quick was rock solid
again in recording his second shutout of the postseason, stopping 24 shots.
Add it all up and you get a sensational 10-1 record in the playoffs -- a
franchise-record 7-0 on the road -- and Los Angeles is just two wins away
Jon Rosen
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Until Tuesday night, Jeff Carter’s most important
contributions as a Los Angeles King involved his presence creating difficult
matchups for the opposition, thus opening up space for teammates on other
lines. While he wasn’t playing poorly, he wasn’t exactly giving off the
impression of the player who scored 115 goals over his previous three
seasons.
That all came to an abrupt halt in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals,
as Carter recorded a natural hat trick and displayed outstanding efforts in all
three zones of the ice while leading L.A. to a 4-0 shutout of the Phoenix
Coyotes. In recording the club’s first postseason hat trick since Wayne
Gretzky’s unforgettable performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs in
Game 7 of the 1993 Campbell Conference Finals, his efforts lifted the Kings
to their third consecutive 2-0 series lead in advance of heading back to
Staples Center for Game 3.
“I was happy with my game tonight,” Carter said. “We played all situations
and I thought we did a fairly good job of limiting their chances. They had a
few at the end there, but I thought our line and our penalty killing units and
whatnot did a good job.”
Carter’s three goals also were good for his confidence, and for the notion
that he’s a big-game player who can be expected to contribute. Entering
Tuesday’s action, he had averaged .73 points per game over 516 regular
season games and only .44 points per game over 57 playoff contests.
“I'd love to be scoring every game,” Carter said. “They haven't come that
easily for me the last little while here. It's something that I've been working
on in practice, trying to get to the net during the game, get a couple greasy
ones. I was lucky enough tonight.”
Carter’s effectiveness wasn’t limited to his scoring. He got ample special
teams time Tuesday, helping a Los Angeles team that hasn’t allowed a
power play goal since the first round to its 26th consecutive penalty kill.
Effective on the forecheck and quick on the backcheck, frequently serving
as the first forward back into the defensive zone, his 200-foot play slowed
Phoenix in the neutral zone and contributed heavily towards another
spotless defensive effort.
"Top players" is a key tenet of Sutter's Law, coach Darryl Sutter's pithy fivepoint blueprint for winning playoff games. Goaltenders, special teams,
unsung heroes and discipline also occupy the list.
While he’s not inclined to single out individual performances, instead relying
on lines or the team effort, Sutter spoke on the effectiveness of his 27-yearold sniper.
“He’s certainly getting good opportunities, so it's good to see him cash in,"
Sutter said. "He had a couple the other night, really good ones, and then
tonight early, he had one, too, where he was cutting in on the power play.
With that kind of uncertainty, Tarasenko ditching out on his spot in the KHL
wouldn’t make a lot of sense. That’s to say nothing of having to get into St.
Louis and fight for a spot on a very competitive roster coached by Ken
Hitchcock.
NBCSports.com / LOADED: 05.16.2012
631298
Websites
NBCSports. Daniel Alfredsson wants to be a coach… Someday
“You know it’s coming. Guys like that, it’s percentages, right?”
Though it took most of the season to finally realize it, this is an awfully multidimensional Kings team. Considering what the Dustin Brown-Anze KopitarJustin Williams line has meant to this team in the postseason, and the
unsung performances they've received from players like Dwight King and
Jordan Nolan — the latter of whom recorded another six hits in just more
than 9 1/2 minutes of ice time — Los Angeles clearly is playing the most
elevated hockey of the remaining playoff teams.
Joe Yerdon
We’ve gotten more than used to seeing Daniel Alfredsson sporting the
captain’s “C” on the ice for the Ottawa Senators over the years. Might we
have to start adjusting to seeing him in a suit behind the bench though? If
Alfredsson gets his way, it’ll happen someday.
There also are several similarities between this Kings run and the one
experienced by Carter, Mike Richards and the Flyers two years ago, though
Los Angeles is hoping for a much different result; Philadelphia lost to
Chicago in six games.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun hears from Alfredsson who says being a
head coach in the future is something he’s hoping to do, just not any time
soon.
“Oh, it's real similar,” Carter said. “Same thing when we were in Philly there.
Basically had to battle right down to the last game. Shootout there to make
it.”
“I don’t see myself coaching too soon,” said Alfredsson. “I think it takes
even more time at the rink than it does as a player to prepare! (He
chuckles) Right now, I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
“When you're in that kind of position, (it) just kind of rolls over into the
playoffs. Whereas, if we were locked in there a little while in the season,
you might sit back a bit, get a little complacent.”
Alfredsson says he’s always picking coaches brains about what they’re
doing and why they made the adjustments they did and he says he also
likes the thought of being able to challenge and motivate guys. Considering
the respect Alfredsson commands in the room as it is, a move to coaching
is a natural fit. As for that whole retirement thing he’s mulling over, he’s still
yet to make a decision there.com /
Complacent doesn’t seem to be in the vocabulary of a team that tied NHL
records by winning its seventh consecutive road playoff game — and ninth
consecutive road game spread over two postseasons. The 2010
Blackhawks and 1982 and ’83 Islanders were the most recent teams to
accomplish such feats.
“That’s what we came here to do, was to win two games,” Carter said. “I
thought we did a fairly good job both games. I still think we have some room
for improvement, which is obviously a good thing being up 2-0.”
“We were a confident group coming in. We had to battle hard the last month
of the season just to get in, pretty much playing playoff hockey all the way
through there. I think that’s helped us carry over playing into the playoffs.
We just kept rolling.”
FOXSports.com LOADED: 05.16.2012
631297
Websites
NBCSports.com / Blues waiting on Russian rookie to decide if he wants to
come over
Joe Yerdon
Part of the fun when drafting a player from overseas is wondering when
you’ll get to see him in person and have him compete for a job with the big
club. That’s the position the St. Louis Blues are in with 2010 first-round pick
Vladimir Tarasenko.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong tells Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis PostDispatch the team is eager to have him come over and try out for a spot
with the big club, but they’re not going to force him into making a decision.
“We’d like him to come over because we think he can push for a roster spot
on our team,” Armstrong said. “We think that he has the pedigree. He’s got
the experience now. We would not sign him to come over and play in our
minor-league system. But all that being said, whenever training camp
opens, he has to prove it not to me … he has to prove it to the guys that
he’s sitting beside in the room that he’s ready to play.”
Getting him signed and committed is one issue but the other is the lack of
certainty about whether or not the NHL and the players association will
have a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ironed out.
631299
Websites
NBCSports.com / Report: Raffi Torres’ appeal to be heard Thursday
Joe Yerdon
Raffi Torres has been sitting quietly in the press box since delivering his
brutal shot to Marian Hossa in the first round, but there’s a very outside
chance his days of waiting may come to an end soon.
According to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, Torres’ appeal of his 25-game
suspension will be heard on Thursday. The catch with an appeal, however,
is he won’t be sitting down with Brendan Shanahan to discuss it but with
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman instead. The chances of seeing Bettman
go against his guy Shanahan and reduce Torres’ suspension would appear
to be minimal.
Torres’ suspension for his late, head-targeting hit is one of the longest in
NHL history and one that was deemed to have three separate penalties
occur on the same play. No penalty was called during the game.
631300
Websites
NBCSports.com / Report: Madison police “had contact” with Kane, but no
charges filed
Jason Brough
As CSNChicago.com reported yesterday, no charges were filed against
Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane despite anonymous allegations published
on Deadspin that he choked a woman while partying in Madison,
Wisconsin, on May 5.
According to the Madison Police Department, a sergeant did have contact
with Kane, “but whatever his behavior was it did not rise to the level of an
arrest.”
The Chicago Sun-Times also followed up with Madison police and got a
similar story, though with a few more details:
Joel DeSpain, the public information officer for the Madison Police
Department, said one of its sergeants “had contact” with Kane on May 5,
but that the actions of the Hawks’ star did not warrant a citation or arrest.
The female sergeant, who was not aware of who the Hawks’ star winger
was, told Kane and another man to breakup an argument and sent both in
opposite directions, DeSpain said.
DeSpain said his department is aware of the Deadspin article that included
allegations the winger choked a woman at frat party early that day.
However, he said he was not aware of any complaints or any pending legal
action against Kane.
So on the bright side, Kane wasn’t arrested for fighting or choking a woman.
On the other hand, newspapers are having to report he wasn’t arrested for
fighting or choking a woman.
631301
Websites
NBCSports.com / It’s even cheaper to get Coyotes tickets today
Jason Brough
Coyotes shirts
Sunday we noted that tickets to Game 2 of the Coyotes-Kings series at
Jobing.com Arena were going for as little as $39 on StubHub.com.
Turns out that was highway robbery.
Today the price for the cheapest ticket is $23. That’s for a single, but there
are pairs going for around $25.
If you don’t want to sit in the upper deck, there’s a pair of lowers for $70
each.
There are also seats available at ticketmaster, but the StubHub ones are a
better deal.
Um…yikes.
631302
Websites
Sportsnet.ca / Brophy on Semin: Any takers?
that I am not going to sign with the Capitals for sure. I have not talked to
them about leaving."
If Semin does decide to leave (or if the Caps don’t want him back), the
question becomes, who will roll the dice on a player some consider to be
enigmatic?
Semin scored just 21 goals and 54 points in 77 games this season, a far cry
from the 40 goals and 84 points he put up in 2009-10 when he appeared to
be emerging as one of the most proficient scorers in the NHL. He is now
working on back-to-back 54-point seasons and there seems to be some
question as to his ability and desire to be an elite player.
Sportsnet.ca spoke with a couple of NHL GMs who requested anonymity
about the 6-foot-3, 209-pound left winger. While both agreed Semin is a
wonderfully talented individual, they said they would be reluctant to enter
into a long-term deal with the player. Semin, Zach Parise of the New Jersey
Devils and Ryan Suter of the Nashville Predators are slated be three of the
most skilled players available to the highest bidders this summer.
"You can paint over a player’s spots, but eventually it’s going to rain and the
paint will disappear," one GM said. "Look, maybe if you’re a team that
needs goals just to get to the playoffs you’d be interested in him. The other
thing is, he’s not a kid. He’s 28. What you see is pretty much what you’ll
get. I doubt very much anybody is going to be able to change him at this
point in his career."
To be fair to Semin, one could make the case he was not exactly set up to
succeed this season. Start with the fact he was granted just a one-year
contract for $6.7 million from the Capitals who failed to commit to him for
the long term. That, in itself, suggested he would eventually get to
unrestricted free agency this summer.
Also, neither of his coaches – Bruce Boudreau at the start of the year and
Hunter down the stretch – seemed to trust him. It has been that way the
past couple of years as his ice time trended downward from 19:14 in 200809 to 16:47 this season. In the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs
against the New York Rangers, there were three games in which Semin
played fewer than 14 minutes. He managed just three goals and four points
in 14 playoff games and was minus-4. Of course he wasn’t alone.
Teammate Alexander Ovechkin also had his playing time reduced
considerably some games under Hunter and his offensive output suffered,
too.
The funny thing is, Semin’s plus-9 was among the best on the team in the
regular season. In fact, after being minus-25 his first two years in the NHL,
Semin is plus-92 in his past four seasons. The problem for some is the fact
he is no longer the dynamic scoring threat he was before. He is paid to
score goals, after all.
Could Semin re-emerge as a top scoring machine with another team? He
certainly has the God-given talent to do so. There always seems to be one
or two GMs willing to take a chance on a player regardless of his past.
"You obviously like his skill level," said an NHL GM. "He can score goals
and he could be a high-end player for your organization, but you just don’t
know what you’re going to get from him night to night. Will he come to play?
Talented players like him expect to play a lot, but as a coach, can you
afford to have him on the ice in a close game if he’s not engaged?"
That is the multi-million dollar question.
Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 05.16.2012
Mike Brophy
The makeover in Washington is underway.
631303
Websites
Wall Street Journal / Lundsanity's No Passing Fad
Gone is Capitals coach Dale 'We Hardly Knew Ya' Hunter. Next out the
door could be impending unrestricted free agent Alexander Semin.
His agent, Mark Gandler, suggested as much this week.
"It was good while it lasted," Gandler told ESPN The Magazine. "Alex
doesn’t fit into the system, obviously. It just doesn’t make any sense to him.
He plays, he did the best he could under the circumstances and he earned
the right to be a free agent."
That he did. Then again, the player isn’t convinced his playing days are
over in Washington.
"This is all just talk," he told members of the media covering the IIHF World
Championship in Finland. "Words can get twisted. There was no talk at all
By JASON GAY
"LINQVIST!" may have been the nadir.
It was an innocent gesture—a mid-February advertisement by the MSG
Network, promoting a Rangers hockey game and spoofing the breathless
mania over Henrik Lundqvist's Madison Square Garden neighbor, Knicks
point guard and underdog sensation Jeremy Lin.
Cute, right? But also a little desperate.
Because what Henrik Lundqvist built in New York was the exact opposite of
a wild overnight craze. He is 30 now. He has played here for seven
seasons, developing a reputation for consistency and unfussy brilliance.
Even when the Rangers staggered and underachieved, there was always
Henrik. Confident, steady, reliable.
He was not "Lundsanity." He was utterly sane.
He is in his moment now. It's not as if Lundqvist has been deprived of
accolades—a breakout star as a rookie, he's been a premier NHL
goaltender for some time, a three-time All-Star who won an Olympic gold
medal with Sweden in 2006. He has an eight-figure contract. The fashion
magazines have celebrated his rugged handsomeness. He is not unknown.
The 2011-12 regular season may have been Lundqvist's finest. Through 62
starts he finished with a goals-against average of 1.97. He has won at least
30 games in his first seven seasons, a record to start a career. Once more
he is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie, and a Hart
Trophy MVP candidate, as well. The Journal's Mike Sielski argued
persuasively this winter that Lundqvist—not Eli Manning, not Darrelle Revis,
not any Yankee—may be the best athlete in New York.
But nothing shapes and sharpens a pro athlete's career like the
postseason, and Lundqvist is thriving. He has already steered the Rangers
through consecutive Game 7 wins over Ottawa and Washington, the
deepest playoff run of his career. On Monday night, in a loud reprise of the
famous Rangers-Devils 1994 conference final, he shut out New Jersey 3-0
in Game 1.
It was the fifth shutout of Lundqvist's playoff life, a sweet start to a delicious
conflict. Even better, Lundqvist has a legendary foil across the ice: Martin
Brodeur, the 40-year-old certain Hall of Famer and another unpretentious
hockey star whose greatness has been swamped in a distracted sports
metropolis.
The Rangers have a grip on New York now. It was a little bizarre this winter
and spring, as they soared toward the best record in the conference, only to
watch the ragged and volatile Knicks take all the headlines with their
various, overdramatic ascensions and implosions. What did the Rangers
have to do? Have a coach run screaming out of town? Punch a fire
extinguisher?
All they needed was to keep winning. The Knicks are gone now, leaving a
trail of broken glass in Miami. The Yankees and Mets are still in their
nascent stages. Not even Tebow can eclipse Rangers-Devils.
But attention is not what these Rangers are about. After repeated failures
with fancy, boldface signings, this is a low-profile team purposefully
constructed to be a team. Lundqvist is as close as the roster gets to a
celebrity. But he is not a heat-seeker. This is not 1994, with the magnetic
Mark Messier driving the blue shirts toward the Stanley Cup.
Linsanity, meanwhile, is a foggy memory. The thrilling point guard was hurt
in late March and missed the end of the season and the playoffs. Lin's
future in New York is murky. The number 17 T-shirts, so stylish in midwinter, are remaindered at half-price.
"Lundsanity" survives, but there's nothing trendy about it. New York may be
just waking up, but Henrik Lundqvist is doing what Henrik Lundqvist does.
This is not a short-lived phenomenon. The 15th minute has come and gone.
The number 30 jersey is full price. This feels here to stay.
Wall Street Journal LOADED: 05.16.2012

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