sport-scan daily brief - Winnipeg Jets

Transcription

SPORT-SCAN
DAILY BRIEF
NHL 12/4/2014
Anaheim Ducks 741049
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Ducks beat Philadelphia shootout, 5-4, after late lead gets
away Former Ducks goalie Ilya Bryzgalov back for tryout as
backup Ducks finally take down Flyers in a shootout Ducks goalie Andersen is not looking back Injured and ill Anaheim Ducks defeat Philadelphia Flyers Arizona Coyotes 741054
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Arizona Coyotes return home looking to convert 'positive
signs' into victories Consistency, clarity and a cleanse among NHL teams' wish
lists Coyotes try to snap home losing skid vs. Kings Boston Bruins 741057
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Peter Chiarelli Making the Scouting Rounds Struggling Bruins looking for net gains Bruins’ scoring woes continue in loss to Kings For now, Bruins’ Joe Morrow is focusing on defense Bruins hope to salvage West trip Bruins stuck in goal-scoring drought Julien: Pastrnak 'understands what a heavy game is' What we learned from B's 2-0 loss to Kings Rask 'didn't flinch' on puck that caused six stitch gash Cunningham sent back to Providence Julien mourns loss of 'unbelievable man' in Beliveau Another nothing night for Bruins against Kings Svedberg a bright spot in Bruins' loss to Kings Blackhawks Continued
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Sabres’ Hodgson gets a shot of confidence Sabres notebook: Gionta, Gorges pay tribute to Beliveau Hockey player's coat drive warms heart, others Buffalo Sabres top Tampa Bay Calgary Flames 741074
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Game Day: Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames Surprising Flames rookie Jooris making a statement Beliveau 'epitomized the meaning of grace' — Al MacNeil Arena debate: Why it matters that the Flames owners are
billionaires, and why it doesn't Calgary Flames' Josh Jooris still living out of suitcase 0 Grey Cup championship adds fuel to Calgary Flames fire 2 Calgary Flames' Bob Hartley on cusp of 400 NHL wins as
head coach 0 Carolina Hurricanes 741081
Sekera, Ward held out of practice Chicago Blackhawks 741082
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Laudably, Blackhawks put Corey Crawford out front to
explain injury Goalie Corey Crawford's misstep gives Antti Raanta chance
to step up Wednesday's recap: Blackhawks 4, Blues 1 Martin Brodeur happy to be back in NHL with Blues Blackhawks' Corey Crawford to miss 2-3 weeks after foot
injury at concert Kane, Richards, Versteeg line blow open Blackhawks’ win Twitter reacts to Corey Crawford’s concert injury Toews compares Blues rivalry to old relationship with
Canucks Still passionate for hockey, Brodeur ready to help Blues Anthony Davis rocks a Blackhawks hat on ESPN SEMYON VARLAMOV LOOKS TO BOOST AVS'
STRUGGLING GOALTENDING AVALANCHE MOVES NICK HOLDEN TO FORWARD,
TRIES TO FIX DEFENSE Columbus Blue Jackets 741106
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Buffalo Sabres 741070
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Corey Crawford out 2-3 weeks after injury suffered at
concert Spellman: Blackhawks home -- and still red-hot Versteeg, Kane help Hawks beat St. Louis 4-1 With Crawford sidelined, Raanta looks to step up Crawford's off-ice injury: tripped up at concert Blackhawks recall Klas Dahlbeck, send Adam Clendening to
Rockford Big night for Raanta: Five Things we learned from
Blackhawks-Blues Strong penalty kill gives Blackhawks a confidence boost Blackhawks' Kris Versteeg, Patrick Kane leave Blues seeing
red Not finished yet: Brodeur ready for opportunity with Blues Blackhawks turn to Antti Raanta with Corey Crawford
sidelined Blackhawks: Corey Crawford out 2-3 weeks with left leg
injury Blue Jackets: Once rivals, Jenner, Rychel on same line Blue Jackets notebook: Dubinsky tired of waiting, hopes it’s
worthwhile Crashing the Net: How to skin a cat, part deux Dallas Stars 741109
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Stars' Fiddler one of the best at drawing penalties in NHL Heika: How Stars plan on improving NHL's worst
goals-against average Stars-Red Wings scouting report: Zetterberg, Daley matchup
is key Heika: Toronto the latest hockey hotbed left stunned at
Stars' slump Lindy Ruff discusses the biggest negative from the Stars'
loss to Toronto Stars place Patrick Eaves on IR, recall Curtis McKenzie and
Jussi Rynnas Detroit Red Wings 741115
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Mike Babcock gives weary Red Wings a day of rest Gordie Howe having difficulties, but may leave hospital Red Wings not happy with number of goals allowed Howe might be released from hospital Wednesday night Gordie Howe expected to be released from hospital today;
Red Wings legend was suffering from dehydration Red Wings' faith in Tomas Jurco paying off as young forward
starts producing offensively NHL Power Rankings roundup: Eight top-10 showings propel
Detroit Red Wings to No. 8 Red Wings take Wednesday off after turnovers catch up with
them in Florida loss Gustav Nyquist not suffering from sophomore jinx Howe family says Gordie should be home tonight Howard on the rebound following rough season Edmonton Oilers 741126
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‘Bring it on. It will not break me,’ Eakins says just before
another Oilers' loss Oilers personnel recalls powerful aura of Jean Beliveau John MacKinnon: Jean Beliveau was embodiment of
Canadiens’ class, greatness Tyler Pitlick gets a look with Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall
vs Jets Snapshots: Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets Members of the Oilers talk about their impressions of hockey
legend Jean Beliveau on his passing Oilers lose to Jets 17 seconds into extra time The Edmonton Oilers are brutal. What should they do? Florida Panthers 741134
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New attitude for more competitive Florida Panthers TIME TO GET SERIOUS: If Panthers want to be a playoff
team, they need to act like it ... Columbus/Buffalo home BANNER NIGHT: Ekblad faces boyhood idols, nets
game-winner in Panthers 4-3 win over Red Wings Preview: Panthers vs. Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m., Thursday Trocheck, Hayes a lethal pair for Panthers Los Angeles Kings 741139
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Kings' Alec Martinez has no ill effects in return, gets deal
extension Alec Martinez signs six-year contract extension with Kings What we learned from the Kings' 2-0 victory over the Boston
Bruins Gaborik practices, but isn't ready to play Martinez signs six-year extension with Kings Bob Miller documentary opens Friday in L.A. L.A. Kings sign Stanley Cup hero Alec Martinez to new
six-year contract Jonathan Quick, L.A. Kings hit the road to face Arizona
Coyotes Martinez, Sutter speak highly of Regehr’s guidance Gaborik hoping to play “pretty soon” Report: Martinez signs for six years, $24 million December 3 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter December 3 practice notes Waking up with the Kings: December 3 Minnesota Wild 741153
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Despite Wild's victory over Montreal, fans voice frustration
over team's poor power play Game Recap: Wild 2, Canadiens 1 Suter sits out for first time as a Wild player Unlikely goals by Zucker, Pominville lift Wild to 2-1 win over
Canadiens Wild beats Montreal 2-1, but power play remains big issue Jean Beliveau honored with moment of silence before
Canadiens-Wild game Heartbroken Guy Lapointe on Jean Beliveau: “It's almost like
the Montreal Canadiens lost their dad.” Wild defenseman Ryan Suter out tonight against Montreal,
team hoping it's not the mumps Tom Powers: As Zucker breaks even, Wild win Fortunate bounce helps Wild beat Canadiens 2-1 Wild think Christian Folin found his game in Iowa Wild fear Ryan Suter is next mumps case Montreal Canadiens 741165
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Wild dominate Habs for two periods, hang on in third for win Jean Béliveau to be mourned in a funeral befitting the
gentleman he was Jean Béliveau should be remembered for his class on and
off the ice Canadiens legend Béliveau to ‘lie in state’ at Bell Centre About last night … Nashville Predators 741170
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Predators to face Martin Brodeur on Thursday Predators' Pekka Rinne: Team play key to his success New Jersey Devils 741172
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How hard did NHL come down on Robert Bortuzzo for hit on
Jaromir Jagr? No retaliation for Jaromir Jagr head hit? Are Devils gutless?
(WITH VIDEO) Will Devils have enough healthy bodies for clash with Maple
Leafs? Flyers react to Devils great Martin Brodeur signing with St.
Louis Blues Is this season Devils forward Patrik Elias' worst nightmare? Coaching change not in Lamoriello's plans; "He’s here
because you believe in what he’s doing" Bortuzzo suspended two games for "late, violent hit"; Jagr
"not expected to miss any more time" Jagr, Elias, Gionta with Devils in Toronto, but availability for
Thursday's game still unknown New York Islanders 741180
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Disgraced ex-Islanders owner gets 10 years in jail Michael Grabner activated, will make season debut
Thursday in Ottawa Paul Greenwood, former Islanders co-owner, sentenced to
10 years for investment fraud New York Rangers 741183
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Mumps a concern for NY Rangers, Knicks Ryan McDonagh holds key to Rangers, as Alain Vigneault
wants to see defensemen get involved in attack Mumps really hurting Rangers’ salary cap situation Time is coming for Rangers to make decision on rookie
Duclair Ryan McDonagh gets the Rangers scapegoat treatment Rangers: Coach relying on the captain NHL 741189
Coach Helped Hockey Flourish Beyond Asphalt Ottawa Senators 741190
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Daniel Alfredsson: The Day Karlsson shares the joy of Alfredsson's return (with video) Praise mono! The virus that delivered Alfie to the Sens The Meaning of Alfie Alfredsson by the numbers Remembering the Captain: Voices Memories of Alfie: A winter's tale Daniel Alfredsson: The skate caper, and other excellent
adventures Daniel Alfredsson: The Ottawa years Senators lose in overtime on Islanders' wraparound goal off
Ceci's skate Senators, Islanders and Spezza weigh in on Alfredsson's
career Alfredsson will skate with the Senators Thursday evening Melnyk puts MacLean back on the hot seat Alfie: By the numbers A look back at the life and career of Daniel Alfredsson Ryan's glass half full Ottawa Senators could use Alfie Methot appears ready to go for Ottawa Senators Alfie a champion for mental health Modano has been there, done that Brotherly love ... and pride Ex-teammates laud Alfie's ability to find ways to win City eyeing ways to honour Alfie Welcome home, Alfie Alfredsson retirement ceremony will be a night to remember Senators Continued 741220
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Former Maple Leaf forward Darcy Tucker on Alfie: 'I respect
him' War stories from Hogtown Alfie took a piece of Ottawa's heart with him Alfie is back where he belongs Is Alfie Hall of Fame worthy? Long-time Sens bench boss Jacques Martin thinks Alfie is
one of the greats 11 great moments from Daniel Alfredsson Philadelphia Flyers 741227
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Flyers lose in shootout to the Ducks Ducks outlast Flyers in shootout Holmgren proud of trail he blazed for U.S. hockey players Flyers' Read trying to get back on point P.K. Subban tells a pretty entertaining story about Chris
Pronger Lecavalier fondly recalls Beliveau Bryzgalov joins Ducks on tryout Flyers' Lecavalier still believes he can score 20-plus goals Simmonds’ goal saves point, but Flyers fall to Ducks in
shootout Flyers' slide continues with shootout loss to Ducks NHL Wrap: Blackhawks blow past Blues in 3rd Instant Replay: Ducks 5, Flyers 4 (SO) NHL Notes: Ducks sign Ilya Bryzgalov to tryout For Lecavalier, Beliveau was 'a great example to follow' A healthy scratch, Del Zotto 'disappointed, frustrated' Flyers-Ducks: 5 things you need to know 11.5 seconds and a brutal turnover cost the Flyers in Cali Flyers Notes: Bitter taste despite strong start to trip Flyers steal a point, lose in shootout to Ducks Lecavalier trying to keep his cool as he mourns the loss of
legend Jean Béliveau 5 things to watch in Game 25: Flyers at Anaheim Ducks Flyers continue to clean up one mess, make another in 5-4
shootout loss to Anaheim Ducks Flyers rally late, but lose to Anaheim Ducks in shootout |
Rapid reaction Flyers vs. Ducks: LIVE analysis and fan chat during the
game Greetings from the press box: Flyers in major funk, but
Claude Giroux sees positives in latest loss What channel is the Flyers-Anaheim Ducks game on? Flyers react to Devils great Martin Brodeur signing with St.
Louis Blues Does Flyers coach Craig Berube need a big week to keep
Dan Bylsma from taking his job? Pittsburgh Penguins 741255
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Starkey: No defending hit by Penguins' Bortuzzo Penguins GM waiting for right time to acquire top-six winger
help Penguins notebook: Coaching search worked out for all in
end NHL suspends Penguins' Bortuzzo 2 games Chapter 8 -- The evolution of Mario Lemieux: It's for them Penguins' Ironman record about to fall Penguins notebook: Injuries open door for young winger Penguins defenseman pays price for hit on Jaromir Jagr Pens' Bortuzzo faces disciplinary hearing on Jagr hit San Jose Sharks 741264
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Niemi remains a steady presence in net for Sharks Sharks' Couture feels better, still questionable for Thursday's
game vs. Bruins Knee injury behind him, Hertl again helping Sharks attack Couture's status unclear for Sharks-Bruins game Sharks fourth line helps turn the tide vs. Flyers St Louis Blues 741269
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Bluenotes: Bouwmeester still sidelined with groin injury Chicago erupts, buries Blues Blackhawks bury Blues in third period Bouwmeester to miss more games with groin injury Tampa Bay Lightning 741273
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Lightning thriving under Yzerman’s watch Lightning assign Namestnikov to AHL Syracuse Lightning sends Vladislav Namestnikov to AHL Lightning-Sabres Thursday night preview Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat form strong Lightning bond Toronto Maple Leafs 741278
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Mirtle: The case for – and against – Tyler Bozak Mirtle: Leafs bargain bets paying off nicely Maple Leafs’ bad habits covered up by recent wins Maple Leafs-Devils: Thursday game preview Maple Leafs shuffle colours at practice Game Day: Devils at Maple Leafs The French connection between Maple Leafs and Beliveau Maple Leafs in danger of slipping into old habits Leafs legend Johnny Bower recalls classy 'Mr.' Beliveau Former Maple Leaf forward Darcy Tucker on Alfie: 'I respect
him' 'A class act': Leafs reflect on Beliveau Toronto Maple Leafs’ Korbinian Holzer comfortable with the
big club this time around Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mike Santorelli emerges as surprising
source of offence Vancouver Canucks 741303
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Desjardins pondered Penguins offer before joining Canucks Botchford: Sorry, Team Canada — Canucks need Horvat Canucks Hat Trick: Gallagher on ‘jaw-dropping Sedins,’
priceless Tanev, and Order of Canada candidate Santorel Washington Capitals 741292
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Mike Green traveling on road trip but will miss fifth straight
game Washington D.C.-hosted NHL All-Star game could ‘be in line
soon’ John Carlson, Brooks Laich look strong in second straight
loss Trotz: 'We're not as good as we think we are' Websites 741306
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ESPN / Kings re-sign Alec Martinez ESPN / Rumblings: Brodeur's future foggy, league ticked at
Kings, Drouin likely to stay put ESPN / Ilya Bryzgalov to work out for Ducks FOXSports.com / Injury-riddled Ducks get job done in
shootout win over Flyers Sportsnet.ca / Hitchcock: Brodeur to start Thursday for Blues Sportsnet.ca / Bortuzzo suspended two games for hit on
Jagr Sportsnet.ca / Howe’s condition improving, hopes to return
home USA TODAY / Red-hot Blackhawks, Blues collide without
usual No. 1 goalies USA TODAY / With Jean Béliveau's passing, NHL has lost
member of its royal family Winnipeg Jets 741296
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MacT should follow Chevy's lead Jets' perseverance pays off Steady Pavelec sets stage for Winnipeg's late rally, OT win Winnipeg Jets extend Oilers losing streak with late
comeback, overtime win Chiarot to make season debut for Jets tonight SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129
741049
Anaheim Ducks
Ducks beat Philadelphia shootout, 5-4, after late lead gets away
By LANCE PUGMIRE contact the reporter Anaheim DucksSportsIce
HockeyPhiladelphia FlyersCorey PerryPatrick MaroonBruce Boudreau
Ducks defeat Flyers in a shootout, 5-4, after giving up tying goal with 2.6
seconds left
Corey Perry gets the winner in shootout as Ducks prevail over Philadelphia
Flyers
Corey Perry's scoring touch, hidden throughout a game that threatened to
slip away Wednesday, emerged when it mattered most.
Perry's shootout goal to the left of Flyers goalie Steve Mason was followed by
Anaheim goalie Frederik Andersen's stopping a shot by Philadelphia's
Claude Giroux, giving the Ducks a 5-4 shootout victory over the Flyers at
Honda Center.
"We battled hard," Perry said after his team overcame the Flyers' tying goal in
the final seconds of regulation and a 3-1 deficit. His team also halted a
power-play rut.
The Ducks (16-6-5) felt sick that the game went to overtime.
With the Ducks up 4-3 in the final minute and Philadelphia's net empty,
Anaheim's Nate Thompson scooted a pass in front of the net that center
Devante Smith-Pelly couldn't find.
The missed opportunity haunted the Ducks when the Flyers took the puck
and pressured Andersen, with forward Wayne Simmonds following his own
shot with a tying goal.
Just 2.6 seconds remained.
"They're a desperate team and they got a big goal for themselves," Ducks
forward Andrew Cogliano said of the Flyers (8-13-4). "That was probably as
big as it gets for them, to push it into [overtime].
"We have a keep-on-pushing mentality."
The Ducks' 4-3 lead came in the third period on a goal by forward Patrick
Maroon, who stomped in a mad celebration and pounded the glass.
Besides its being a late go-ahead score, there was reason.
The Ducks' gifted power-play unit had ended a stunning 0-for-19 slump when
Maroon followed an up-close Ducks shot with 5 minutes 2 seconds left in the
third.
"It was in Perry's feet," Maroon said. "I tried to find it there and I hit it between
his feet and got a lucky bounce there. It got in."
Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said, "The best power plays in the world shoot
the puck … then they go to the net and they get ugly goals. And nobody ends
up noticing it at the end, but they look at the numbers and the power play is
usually a good one."
The teams answered a hard-hitting first period by opening up with five goals
in a second-period span of 5:29.
Philadelphia had a 3-1 lead.
"We never thought we were out of it," Boudreau said.
Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf closed the blitz of goals by blasting in a shot, and
Anaheim tied the score when defenseman Sami Vatanen scored his seventh
goal with 53.2 seconds remaining in the second.
Vatanen pushed the puck to the net, then saw Maroon send him a sudden
pass from behind the net.
Boudreau said Vatanen is playing like a fourth forward.
"And every team now has a guy that comes up with the play," Boudreau said.
"Sami's been doing it quite well."
Each team tallied 15 hits in the first, as the Ducks missed nine shots and had
six others blocked.
Before Andersen allowed three goals on 10 shots in the second, the Ducks
looked to provide him some backup by signing their former draft pick and
2006 and 2007 playoff standout Ilya Bryzgalov to a tryout contract.
Bryzgalov, in contract talks with the team, will probably replace Jason
LaBarbera, who suffered a broken hand in Saturday's loss at San Jose and
will miss two to three weeks.
LA Times: LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Anaheim Ducks
Former Ducks goalie Ilya Bryzgalov back for tryout as backup
By LANCE PUGMIRE contact the reporter Ice HockeyAnaheim DucksIlya
BryzgalovMark FistricBruce BoudreauNHLFrederik Andersen
The Ducks signed their former goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a tryout contract
Wednesday after learning that backup Jason LaBarbera suffered a broken
hand Saturday in San Jose and will be out for two to three weeks.
In addition to LaBarbera's injury, the Ducks learned that defenseman Eric
Brewer, who blocked three shots in Monday’s 3-2 victory over Boston,
suffered a broken bone in his foot and will miss four to six weeks.
As Anaheim waits on injured goalie John Gibson to recover from a groin
injury, with a return date targeted by mid-to-late December, Ducks
goaltender Frederik Andersen is expected to play in his 13th consecutive
game Wednesday against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.
The current backup is Igor Bobkov, who has struggled at minor-league
Norfolk.
So bringing in Bryzgalov, 34, provides insurance that could allow Gibson time
to reach full health without rushing back.
Bryzgalov and the Ducks have already begun talking contract terms, and his
first return appearance on Anaheim ice since being waived in 2007 could
come Thursday, when injured players practice at Honda Center.
He will not accompany the Ducks on their two-game trip to Minnesota and
Winnipeg, a team spokesman said.
The tryout contract is akin to a mini-training camp session for Bryzgalov to
show the Ducks what he can do.
Bryzgalov was a second-round pick of the Ducks in 2000, playing 69 games
with a goals-against average of 2.48.
He won three playoff games in the Stanley Cup-winning season of 2006-07,
and posted six victories while tying an NHL record with three consecutive
shutouts (including a Game 7 Western Conference first-round victory in
Calgary) in the 2005-06 postseason.
He later played for Phoenix, Edmonton, Philadelphia and Minnesota, going
7-1 for the Wild last season.
“Anytime you can add depth, it’ll be good for us,” Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf
said. “Bryz was great when he was here. He enjoys the game. Always a fun
guy.
“Hopefully, he realizes he has an opportunity to play in the NHL again. He’s
proven he can do it, step in and help a team.”
Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said he’s begun to limit Andersen’s practice
time to ensure he’s as fresh as possible for games. As the team has been
racked by defensive injuries, the Ducks have allowed at least 34 shots on
goal in the last four games.
“Freddie’s a big, strong guy … we’ll keep going until we see where everything
ends up,” Boudreau said.
Of Bryzgalov, he said, “The one thing I do know about him is that he stops the
puck .… If he’s still in shape, he’s a really good goaltender.”
Blue-line update: After playing just two games with the Ducks since his
Friday trade from Tampa Bay, Brewer, 35, has joined defensemen Ben
Lovejoy and Francois Beauchemin (broken fingers) on the sideline.
“Seems like a new guy every day,” Boudreau said of the defensive injuries.
“But when you block 28 shots [Monday] and pay the price, you usually win.
That’s what good, character guys do. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the sport.”
Meanwhile, previously sidelined defensemen Clayton Stoner (mumps) and
Mark Fistric (back) skated Wednesday, and Stoner said he would play
Wednesday night.
Rookies Josh Manson and Mat Clark are expected to remain in the lineup as
Fistric takes another game off. He will accompany the Ducks on the trip to
Minnesota and Winnipeg.
“Bigger guy, out for a while [since Oct. 30], takes a little bit to get back up to
speed,” Fistric said. “Tough to throw everyone back into the fire, but I feel
good.”
741051
Anaheim Ducks
Ducks finally take down Flyers in a shootout
BY ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER
ANAHEIM – It took more tries than they wanted to put away the Philadelphia
Flyers, but the Ducks still got the job done Wednesday night.
Frederik Andersen stopped two of three shots in the shootout, and Jakob
Silfverberg and Corey Perry scored on their tries as the Ducks pulled out a
5-4 win before 15,691 at Honda Center.
The Ducks (16-6-5) regained sole possession of first place in the Pacific
Division over idle Vancouver. Andersen, who made 31 saves, preserved the
victory with a save on Philadelphia's Claude Giroux.
Steve Mason stopped 29 shots in defeat as the Flyers (8-13-4) couldn’t hold
a 3-1 lead during a wild second period. Andersen also picked up his first
assist of the season on Cam Fowler's goal early in that frame.
The Ducks appeared to have the game won in regulation when Patrick
Maroon knocked the puck past Mason for a 4-3 lead with 5:02 left. It was the
first power-play goal by the Ducks in seven games and it snapped an 0-for-19
drought.
And Devante Smith-Pelly had an empty net in front of him to seal the win, but
the newly created center couldn’t handle Nate Thompson’s pass in the final
seconds. Philadelphia got its final chance and made it count as Wayne
Simmonds scored with 2.6 seconds left.
The two teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum in the NHL standings.
The Ducks entered the game looking to regain the Pacific Division lead while
the Flyers, in the depths of the Metropolitan, were looking to stop a five-game
losing streak.
After producing some uneventful action in the first period with just four shots
each, the teams flipped the script and turned in a wild 20 minutes in the
second as they combined for six goals on 29 shots.
Five of those goals came in a span of 5 minutes, 29 seconds. Michael Raffl
finished a two-on-one break with Giroux to put Philadelphia up, but Fowler
responded with a one-timer off a drop pass from Silfverberg to tie it during
four-on-four play.
Simmonds exited the Flyers’ penalty box as soon as his roughing minor
ended and busted down the right side of the ice to beat Andersen with a shot
for a 2-1 lead. R.J. Umberger gave the Flyers a two-goal edge, but the Ducks
didn’t take long to respond.
Hampus Lindholm led a three-on-one rush up ice and gave the puck to Ryan
Getzlaf, who fired a hard wrist shot past Mason just 28 seconds later. Sami
Vatanen would tie it at 3-3 when he put a backhand shot past Mason with just
54 seconds left in the period.
Normalcy returned as both teams settled down to play more
defensive-minded hockey. That is, until the final minutes of regulation.
PLAYERS IN, OUT
The Ducks are still thriving even as their defense corps continues to be
besieged by injuries. X-rays showed that Eric Brewer has a broken bone in
his foot, which occurred when he blocked a shot in the final minutes of their
win Monday over Boston.
Brewer was acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay last Friday because
Francois Beauchemin went back on the injured list because of a broken
finger. Ben Lovejoy has been out since Oct. 26 after breaking a finger on his
right hand during a fight with San Jose’s Joe Pavelski.
The Ducks entered Wednesday with 162 man-games lost to injury and
they’re becoming immune to the casualties, preferring to plow through and
trying to stay near the top of the Western Conference with the changing
group they have.
Getzlaf said “it’s almost laughter now” he’s never been on a Ducks team
that’s been injury-prone as this one has to date.
“I’d hate to have Murph’s job right now,” Getzlaf said, referring to Ducks
general manager Bob Murray. “He’s earning his money this month and he’s
got a lot of work to do. All we can do is keep playing.
“We’ve got a lot of depth in our organization. We’ve proven it over the years.
Whatever group we put on the ice, we feel pretty comfortable going out there
with a chance to win.”
The Ducks did get some help back on their battered back end when Clayton
Stoner returned to the lineup after a five-game absence because of the
mumps virus. Defenseman Mark Fistric was also taken off injured reserve
and could see his first action since Oct. 30 on their upcoming road trip.
BRYZGALOV AUDITIONS
The Ducks brought in Ilya Bryzgalov on a tryout contract and if all goes well,
they will likely sign the veteran netminder as a response to current backup
Jason LaBarbera breaking a bone in his hand Saturday night against San
Jose.
The club had been talking to Bryzgalov's camp but the diagnosis of
LaBarbera's injury expedited the decision to bring in the netminder, who
started his career with the Ducks.
A Ducks spokesman said Bryzgalov met with the team’s medical staff and
worked out at the arena on Wednesday. Bryzgalov won’t travel with the team
but is expected to skate at Honda Center on Thursday and practice with the
Ducks next week.
“He’s a great goalie,” Getzlaf said. “When he’s on, he plays so well. He was
sitting at home and he's going to have an opportunity to be back in the NHL
again.”
The Ducks also called up center Chris Wagner from Norfolk (AHL) after
sending down forward Rickard Rakell and defenseman Jesse Blacker on
Tuesday. Wagner has played in two games during earlier recalls.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741052
Anaheim Ducks
Ducks goalie Andersen is not looking back
BY JEFF MILLER
It was another former goalie, Gilles Gratton, very much a non-Hall of Famer,
who perhaps summed up the position best when he said, “Quit while there is
still time – at about 12 or 13 years of age.”
“We play so many games that you’re forced to throw the bad ones away
quick,” Andersen says. “That’s how this league is. You can’t look back at the
last game. You have to look forward to the next one.”
So Andersen has moved past the Bruins and on to the Flyers, who visit
Honda Center on Wednesday.
ANAHEIM – It is one of the ultimate indignities in all of sports, the player so
shamed he can’t hide, not even behind a mask.
Still only 48 games into his NHL career, Andersen has an eye-widening
record of 31-9 with four overtime losses.
Everyone who goes to a baseball game expects to see pitching changes. No
one attends a hockey game expecting to see a goalie, like just another
situational lefty, get yanked.
Yet, as successful as he and the Ducks have been, Andersen remains rather
faceless and nameless nationally.
So when it happens during a period, when that goalie, suddenly stripped of a
sense of purpose and stamped with a sense of failure, has to return to the
bench – ironically being put on ice by being pulled off ice – he typically skates
past his replacement in a ceremonial act of substituting that, fittingly enough,
is similar to and as subtle as a solar eclipse.
“You can sort of feel it coming,” Frederik Andersen says. “You don’t want to
think about it, but you know. Everyone who knows hockey knows when the
time is coming.”
The Ducks began Tuesday leading the Western Conference in points,
Andersen being one of the main reasons.
Yet, in the span of 21/2 weeks last month, he was pulled from three starts,
only to bounce back from his most recent benching to be named No. 1 star in
the Ducks’ 3-2 victory Monday over Boston.
“You can’t take it for more than it is,” Andersen says. “Goalies get pulled for
different reasons. The good thing about this league is usually, two days later,
you get another shot at it.”
Coach Bruce Boudreau says he has pulled Andersen only once this season
in an act of “mercy.” He actually reinserted the goalie for the third period in a
loss to Florida. Against the Kings, the Ducks rallied behind Andersen’s
replacement, Jason LaBarbera, to win dramatically in a shootout.
As good as the Ducks have been the past couple seasons, their goalie
situation has been notably varied, in part because of performance but more
so because of injury.
Remember, a month ago, they were forced to suit up 45-year-old assistant
coach Dwayne Roloson in an emergency situation that included everything
but a call to 911.
Because two other goalies are hurt, Andersen’s backup is Igor Bobkov,
whose next NHL game will be his first.
The rumors – believed to be unfounded – about the Ducks being interested in
Martin Brodeur ended Tuesday when he signed with St. Louis. The rumors
about the Ducks being interested in Ilya Bryzgalov, however, remain intact.
In the past 18 months alone, Andersen, John Gibson, Jonas Hiller and Viktor
Fasth each have, at different times and for a variety of reasons, appeared to
be the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie.
And yet, the team keeps winning on many nights and accumulating points on
even more nights, and maybe this is the reason former NHL coach Kevin
Constantine once called goaltending “a suffering position.”
“I don’t want to ever be known as a guy who pulls goalies,” Boudreau says.
“You’d like to see them battle through it more than anything.”
Say what you want about the Ducks coach – some said he possessed a
quick hook when he was in Washington – Boudreau is no Mike Keenan, who
sometimes treated goaltenders like they were Kleenex, only more
disposable.
In the late 1980s, when he was in Chicago, Keenan used five goalies during
one season. One of the five, Darren Pang, later said, “Keenan was trying to
convince the hockey world that none of us could stop the puck.”
During the 1987 playoffs, then coaching Philadelphia, Keenan pulled Ron
Hextall and Glenn Resch five times – in a single game.
There are few positions in sports where an athlete can be more frequently or
quickly exposed, Hall of Famer Jacques Plante once explaining, “Playing
goal is like being shot at.”
“If he was making those saves and saving the games in Toronto or Boston or
Philly they would think quite highly of him,” Boudreau says. “You need a
goalie to steal a game for you every once in a while, and he’s done that.”
Andersen certainly has as he attempts to establish himself around here as an
ace, even if, lately, he has more saves than complete games.
741053
Anaheim Ducks
Injured and ill Anaheim Ducks defeat Philadelphia Flyers
By Elliott Teaford, Daily Breeze
The Ducks announced defenseman Eric Brewer suffered a broken bone in
his foot and would be sidelined for up to six weeks, goaltender Jason
LaBarbera had a broken bone in his hand and would be out up to three
weeks and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov would join the team for a tryout.
Or as it’s known in Duckdom, Wednesday.
Never a dull moment.
There also was a game to be played, one the Ducks would win 5-4 in a
shootout over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Honda Center. With all the
injuries and illnesses that have turned the Ducks into the skating wounded,
it’s important to recognize they’re tied for the NHL’s overall lead.
Jakob Silfverberg and Corey Perry scored in the shootout for the Ducks, and
goalie Frederik Andersen stopped Claude Giroux after Sean Couturier
scored. Patrick Maroon’s power-play goal gave the Ducks a 4-3 lead late in
the third period, but the Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds tied it 4-all at 19:57.
These Ducks are nothing if not resilient, however.
“We’ve been battling since training camp, with everyone being hurt,” Maroon
said. “We’ve been going hard through it. This is a good group of guys. That’s
what bring us together as a team. It’s good that we have a good call-up
system, too. We’ve got guys who can fill in.”
No question, the Ducks have their fair share of shortcomings and they were
on display again during an up-and-down performance against the struggling
but desperate Flyers (8-13-4). Take the second period, for instance, a
20-minute display of all that is good and bad about the Ducks (16-6-5).
The Ducks gave up goals off the rush, something they don’t do very often.
They fell behind by two goals, another thing they don’t do regularly. They also
roared back to tie the score in the closing seconds of the period, something
they have done now and again.
Their power play was powerless. Their penalty-killing unit conceded a goal.
Yet, they were in striking distance of their 16th victory in their 27th game
entering the third period. They put themselves in a position to win their
second in a row with a determined rally.
After a scoreless first period, the Ducks and Flyers each scored three goals
in the second. Simmonds, Michael Raffl and R.J. Umberger (power play)
scored for Philadelphia. Cam Fowler, Ryan Getzlaf and Sami Vatanen
countered for the Ducks.
The Flyers led by scores of 1-0 and 3-1 before Getzlaf and Vatanen rallied
the Ducks. Getzlaf sent a laser over the shoulder of Philadelphia goalie Steve
Mason at 11:15 of the second and Vatanen hustled after a loose puck and
shoveled it into the back of the net at 19:06.
“We have a keep-pushing mentality,” Ducks winger Andrew Cogliano said. “I
think guys know that winning is the mandate here, and in order to be
successful you have to keep pushing forward and I think we’ve done that
pretty well.”
LA Daily News: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741054
Arizona Coyotes
Arizona Coyotes return home looking to convert 'positive signs' into victories
Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 6:58 p.m. MST December 3, 2014
They left their scoreless streak buried in the Alberta snow, watched personal
scoring droughts evaporate and had their rookie etch himself into the NHL
record books.
But when all of that adds up to only two points out of a possible four, it's hard
to feel completely satisfied with the Coyotes' performance on a recent
two-game tour of Edmonton and Calgary.
"There's some positive signs," coach Dave Tippett said. "But that being said,
you gotta turn them into wins."
One of the more encouraging takeaways from the team's road trip was the
resurfacing of their offense. They went 132:59 without scoring until winger
Tobias Rieder uncorked two shorthanded goals in the span of 58 seconds —
an NHL record for a rookie — in the second period of Monday's game against
the Oilers.
That led to a five-goal outbreak that saw Mikkel Boedker and Martin Erat both
snap goalless streaks — six games for Boedker and 12 for Erat.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also contributed to the 5-2 win over the
Oilers and had another goal Tuesday against the Flames, his first two
following a five-game skid, but it wasn't enough to overcome a few miscues
by the Coyotes in their own end that resulted in a 5-2 loss — their third this
season to the Flames.
"We competed," Tippett said. "Some of the execution just wasn't as good as it
needed to be. We gave up a couple goals off the rush that coverage should
have been a little tighter. We ended up chasing the game a little bit."
December homebodies
Tonight's game against the Kings kicks off a five-game homestand for the
Coyotes and while that's welcome news for a team challenged by a
road-heavy schedule to start the season, home ice hasn't exactly been an
advantage for the Coyotes.
Their last win at Gila River Arena came exactly one month ago when they
preserved a 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs. Since then, they've gone winless
in five straight.
"With being home, no back-to-backs here for a while, I feel like our team
should play with the utmost energy and hopefully that turns into good
results," Tippett said.
Roster move
The Coyotes assigned forward Brendan Shinnimin to the American Hockey
League Wednesday after a two-game stint that included his NHL debut.
With only six games in the next 17 days, the Coyotes thought Shinnimin
would benefit from regular ice time with the Portland Pirates.
"Shinny came up and played a couple games, and he played well in those
two games," Tippett said. "Lots of energy, but he's a young player. He needs
to keep playing, so he'll use this experience to hopefully better his game
down there and continue to develop."
Injury update
Shinnimin's demotion leaves the Coyotes roster at 22, meaning a spot is
open for either winger Dave Moss or Brandon Gormley to come off injured
reserve, but neither is currently ready to resume playing.
Moss, sidelined since Oct. 23 with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot
with his hand, accompanied the Coyotes on their recent road trip and is
considered day-to-day by Tippett.
"He probably needs another two or three days of practice before he becomes
available," Tippett said.
Gormley (lower-body injury) remained in the Valley during the trip and
recently starting skating on his own.
"I'm hoping by the weekend he might start getting integrated with the team,"
Tippett said.
Defenseman Connor Murphy missed Tuesday's game and almost all of
Monday's game in Edmonton after getting crunched into the boards on his
first shift and leaving with an upper-body injury. He's questionable to play
tonight against the Kings, Tippett said.
Arizona Republic LOADED: 12.04.2014
741055
Arizona Coyotes
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Gila River Arena.
Consistency, clarity and a cleanse among NHL teams' wish lists
Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 6:18 p.m. MST December 3, 2014
Superstition, puck luck and hockey gods are all concepts that still roam NHL
rinks, so we at The Heat Index haven't ruled out the possibility that teams still
craft wish lists and ship them north as the Christmas holiday approaches.
Since we had our own letter done weeks ago, we took a crack at what some
NHL teams might be wanting in light of their recent headlines.
•Coyotes: The recipe for consistency. After capping off a two-game road trip
Tuesday with yet another defeat at the hands of the Flames, the Coyotes
have won two in a row only three times this season.
They sat only five points off the playoff pace following that loss to Calgary,
which isn't a whole lot in early December, but that gap will only widen if the
Coyotes aren't able to find a way to string wins together.
•Kings: Some clarity as to the conditions of Slava Voynov's indefinite
suspension. Voynov was suspended by the NHL Oct. 20 in response to his
arrest on suspicion of domestic violence. The league stated that while
Voynov would be paid during his absence, he is not allowed to participate in
team-related activities but could use club facilities and work with team
personnel.
On Tuesday, Voynov was on the ice with teammates during what the Kings
dubbed an optional practice. The league caught wind of the appearance and
quickly levied a $100,000 fine against the club.
Voynov, meanwhile, is facing a felony of corporal injury to a spouse with
great bodily harm but pleaded not guilty.
•Oilers: A full-body makeover. The Oilers were skidding along on a 10-game
losing streak entering Wednesday night. And when a team is facing the
prospect of a ninth consecutive non-playoff finish (10 is the longest in NHL
history) despite carrying three first overall picks on the roster, responsibility
falls on all levels of the organization.
Trades, a coaching change and some type of front-office shakeup wouldn't
be surprising moving forward.
•Jets: A ban on Instagram. Winger Evander Kane caused a stir earlier this
week when he posted a snapshot of himself doing pushups with blocks of
money on his back. The Jets and Kane shrugged off the picture, and this
wasn't the first time Kane has taken to social media to pose with stacks of
bills.
But the public perception in Winnipeg can't be favorable, especially since
Kane had four goals and nine points at the time.
•Blackhawks: No more concert tours through Chicago, at least until the
season ends. Goalie Corey Crawford is out two to three weeks after suffering
a foot injury walking out of a recent concert. This probably won't signal a
freefall in the standings for the Hawks, but Crawford had been a vital piece
with a 12-5-1 record, 1.87 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
We're guessing the music act Crawford saw won't be receiving an invite to
perform the national anthem at United Center anytime soon.
But, in all seriousness, this list wouldn't be complete without asking for good
health. Already this season the game has lost coaching gurus such as Viktor
Tikhonov and Pat Quinn. And late Tuesday night the Canadiens announced
the death of the iconic Jean Beliveau.
The sport takes on a hollow feeling amid these hardships, but it never would
have become so great without these men.
And actually, having teams mimic their passion might be the most important
wish of all.
Reach The Heat Index at [email protected] or
602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.
Thursday night's game
Kings at Coyotes
TV/radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM (620).
Kings update: The Kings have won only two out of their past five games but
are coming off a 2-0 victory over the Bruins at home on Tuesday. Goalie
Jonathan Quick was in net for the 31-save performance, improving his save
percentage to the second-best clip in the NHL at .933. The Kings are 2-4-4
on the road this season. They're also 10-0-3 when they score first. Center
Tyler Toffoli leads the team with 20 points. He and winger Tanner Pearson
both have a team-high 10 goals.
Arizona Republic LOADED: 12.04.2014
741056
Arizona Coyotes
Coyotes try to snap home losing skid vs. Kings
Craig Morgan
Oct 11, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes left wing Mikkel Boedker
(89) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the second period
against the Los Angeles Kings at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt
Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Kartozian / USA Today Sports
Mikkel Boedker contributed a goal in the Coyotes' 3-2 victory over the Kings
on Oct. 11 at Gila River Arena.
The Coyotes will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles
Kings for the second time this season at Gila River Arena on Thursday.
Arizona defeated Los Angeles 3-2 on Oliver Ekman-Larsson's overtime goal
on Oct. 11.
Here are three things to watch in Thursday's game.
1. Puck possession: The Kings have been one of the league's best (if not the
best) teams the past few years in this area, but Los Angeles is in the lower
middle of the pack this season. Arizona is in the bottom third of possession
teams this season even though coach Dave Tippett continually harps on
making better decisions with the puck and sustaining a better forecheck
through proper positioning and better work ethic. L.A.'s withering forecheck is
a major reason it has won two of the past three Stanley Cups. Which team
will have the edge in this area?
KINGS (13-7-5) at COYOTES (10-13-3)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale
TV: FOX Sports Arizona
Season series: Coyotes lead 1-0. Arizona defeated Los Angeles, 3-2, in
overtime on Oct. 11.
Injuries: Coyotes F David Moss (upper body) and D Brandon Gormley (lower
body) are not expected to play. D Connor Murphy (upper body) is day to day
and could play.
2. The goaltending matchup: In 17 career games against the Kings, Coyotes
goalie Mike Smith is 11-4-1 all-time with two shutouts, a 2.16 goals against
average and a .928 save percentage. In 31 games against the Coyotes,
Jonathan Quick is 14-13-4 with a 2.60 goals against average and a .907 save
percentage. He's also just 1-3-3 on the road this season with 3.35 GAA.
Overall, Quick is second in the NHL with a .933 save percentage, while Smith
is 41st at .891.
3. The streak: The Coyotes have lost five in a row at home and are in danger
of matching their longest home losing streak since dropping six straight from
Jan. 27-Feb. 16, 2009, when Wane Gretzky was still the coach. That's a dark
period in the team's history that these Coyotes would rather not repeat.
Quick facts: The NHL fined the Kings $100,000 for allowing D Slava Voynov
to practice with the club Tuesday while still under suspension. On Monday,
Voynov pleaded not guilty to a felony domestic violence charge during an
arraignment hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Torrance. The
felony charge is in connection to an alleged incident in October involving
Voynov's wife, Marta Varlamova, at their Redondo Beach home. Voynov is
under indefinite suspension by the league. ... The Kings signed D Alec
Martinez to a six-year, $24 million extension on Wednesday that runs
through the 2020-21 season. ... The Coyotes re-assigned F Brendan
Shinnimin to Portland of the AHL.
foxsportsarizona.com LOADED: 12.04.2014
741057
Boston Bruins
Peter Chiarelli Making the Scouting Rounds
Jeff Pini
Jeff Pini has been a sports correspondent for Boston.com since 2013. A
graduate of Roger Williams University, Jeff covers everything from the Red
Sox and Bruins to B.A.A. running events and high school sports.
One night after being seen at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, Bruins GM
Peter Chiarelli is making another scouting trip around the NHL, this time to
the Windy City.
Chiarelli had a seat saved for him at the United Center in Chicago for
Wednesday’s Blackhawks-Blues game, as noted by the Chicago Tribune’s
Chris Kuc.
There is a seat reserved in the United Center press box for Bruins general
manager Peter Chiarelli. #Blackhawks
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) December 4, 2014
While the Bruins complete their west coast swing, it appears that their GM is
making the rounds in looking for players that the Bruins could use to shore up
their depleted and inconsistent lineup.
Trips to Buffalo and Chicago make sense, with Sabres forward Chris Stewart
reportedly on the trading block, while salary cap constraints could force the
Blackhawks to make forwards Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell and
defenseman Brent Seabrook available in exchange for prospects and draft
picks, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus.
The Bruins continue their road trip in San Jose on Thursday, while they
complete the four-game swing on Saturday, when they take on the Arizona
Coyotes.
Boston Globe LOADED: 12.04.2014
741058
Boston Bruins
Struggling Bruins looking for net gains
By Amalie BenjaminGLOBE STAFF DECEMBER 04, 2014
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The number keeps dropping: from 21st to 22d to 23d.
Over the last three days, through games against Anaheim and Los Angeles,
the Bruins have continued their downward slide in goals per game in the
NHL. Now sitting at 2.35 — squarely between also-rans Arizona and Carolina
— the team knows there is a problem.
There just isn’t an easy fix. It’s not like the Bruins aren’t trying to score. They
just aren’t succeeding frequently, and that makes every mistake that goes in
the other direction loom even larger.
“It is difficult,” Milan Lucic said. “It’s difficult to not get frustrated. It’s difficult to
stay cool and not cheat and stuff like that. But I think if you look at how things
go, if you start cheating and you start trying to find ways by not playing the
system to try to get results, it usually doesn’t work out for you.
“It’s like quicksand, the harder you try, the more you fall in.”
The Bruins have scored just twice in two games on their West Coast trip, with
both goals coming against the Ducks Monday before being shut out against
the Kings Tuesday. They have put themselves in position to score — notably
with Torey Krug’s dead-on shot in the third period that required a post-to-post
slide from Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick against LA.
They just haven’t converted.
Coach Claude Julien has tried to mix up his lines, trying to find rhythm and
goal scoring in familiarity. He reunited the Brad Marchand-Patrice
Bergeron-Reilly Smith line Tuesday night, moving David Pastrnak to a more
solidly built trio, with Lucic and Carl Soderberg. He moved him, again, to be
with Chris Kelly.
“I was trying to find something, get something going here and our team and
score some goals,” Julien said. “I’m trying as much as they’re trying and
somehow, like I said, we’ve just got to stick with it. I really feel that eventually
things will turn around.”
Part of the issue is that the Bruins are without David Krejci. Not only does that
mean they’re missing a player with 10 points in 11 games this season, a
player with vision and creativity who solidifies their top line, it also has a
trickle-down effect on the lineup.
“I think with the number of injuries that we’ve had, with the number of line
changes and personnel, it’s been really hard to get chemistry on lines,” Julien
said. “Sometimes we don’t have a choice, we’ve got to make those changes,
and when you’re not scoring, you try and find that spark that’s going to help
you score some goals, so there’s no doubt it would help if we had a more
stable lineup.
“But having said that, we don’t, so we’ve got to find a way.”
Julien has also opted to scratch Seth Griffith for the last two games, despite
his standing as one of the team’s second-leading scorers. Griffith is tied with
four other Bruins with five goals this season. (Brad Marchand leads the team
with six.)
But it’s not all bad news.
Though this hasn’t always been the case during the scoring drought — with
the Bruins having scored more than twice just once in their last 10 games —
right now the team believes it’s playing well, moving in the right direction.
“We’ve got to keep competing and keep playing at a high level and at a high
pace,” Lucic said. “Eventually we’re going to get rewarded for it. But I think
the effort’s been there, which has been a positive, but you’ve got to find a way
to score goals and get to the front of the net, get those second, third
chances.”
Against tough, heavy teams such as the Ducks and Kings, the Bruins were
pleased with their efforts, the level of fight that they showed and the chances
that they got. They just could have used some better finish around the net.
Said Julien, “We have to find a way to score some goals here and, as
coaches, you look at different things. We encourage our guys to go to the
front of the net. We encourage our Ds to get their shot through and get our
nose dirty and all that stuff.
“You look at the game, we’re there. We’re battling in front of the net. The
Torey Krug situation is probably the best example: It’s what would normally
be almost a sure goal. It hits the middle of the net, the pad, the post, so we’re
looking for that break. There’s no doubt. Sometimes you need a little bit of a
break to turn things around, so we’re going to keep working hard to get that
break.”
.
.
.
Tuukka Rask said he needed six stitches Tuesday night after being hit in the
head by a puck while sitting on the bench at the Staples Center. “Toughest
goalie in the league,” he said, as he walked by reporters after the game . . .
The Bruins sent Craig Cunningham back to Providence on Wednesday.
Julien said the main reason they had brought him to California for the first
part of the trip was as insurance in case a center got hurt with the
back-to-back games in Anaheim and Los Angeles on Monday and Tuesday.
741059
Boston Bruins
Bruins’ scoring woes continue in loss to Kings
There was other frustration, too, for the Bruins. They were put on the penalty
kill three times, but did not get a single power play chance in the game.
“We’re not getting any calls at all going our way,” Julien said. “It’s frustrating
right now to see the amount of times we could have had a power play.
Somehow they’re choosing not to call those. Everybody has to be
accountable in this league.”
Brad Marchand was all alone as he maneuvered behind the net in the third
period in Los Angeles Tuesday night.
LOS ANGELES – Perhaps the Bruins’ offensive futility could best be
summed up by one play in the third period. With Milan Lucic bearing down on
Jonathan Quick, the Kings goaltender was all the way on the right side of the
net.
And the Bruins are holding themselves accountable, too. They know that
despite the excellent effort, the chances that they’re getting, they’re not
scoring enough. They’re not doing what it takes to win, especially against
some of the best teams in the league.
The puck went to Torey Krug, coming on fast in the left circle. Krug shot for
the vacated side of the net, but somehow Quick managed knock the puck
away. It hit the post, and was stopped by Quick on the bounce at 8:13.
The Kings, who got an empty-netter from Tyler Toffoli with 49.6 seconds left,
certainly fall in that category.
As Krug said, after the game, “Hell of a save.”
“Torey did everything right,” coach Claude Julien said. “It’s not like we’re not
trying.
“The difference in the shot totals is them having three power plays and us
having none. Otherwise it’s a pretty even game.”
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
2200
Box score: Kings 2, Bruins 0
View Box Score
It wasn’t the only time that Quick (31 saves) robbed the Bruins, but it did
seem fitting for a team that has been able to score only infrequently of late.
Boston has scored more than two goals in a game just once in its last 10
games, and was shut out Tuesday night in a 2-0 loss to Los Angeles at the
Staples Center.
It was the Bruins’ second consecutive loss to start their four-game road trip.
“We’ve just got to find ways to score some goals here,” Julien said. “It’s hard
to get mad at these guys when you see the effort being put in and the
commitment and everything else. Just at the end of the night, you don’t get
rewarded with a single point.
“We’ve got to stick with it here because we know it’s just a matter of time
before things start turning around.”
Dec 2, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec
Martinez (27) covers up the puck during third period action against the
Boston Bruins at Staples Center. The Kings won 2-0. At right is Los Angeles
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32). Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA
TODAY Sports
USA TODAY SPORTS
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick made 31 saves vs. the Bruins Tuesday.
Julien resorted to shuffling his lines in the second period, reuniting Reilly
Smith with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and separating Carl
Soderberg and Loui Eriksson. And though they had some jump in the third
period, in the second game of a back-to-back, they weren’t able to break
through on the Kings.
Defensively, the Bruins were able to withstand a 1:25 5-on-3 in the first
period – courtesy of a tripping penalty to Kevan Miller and a questionable
delay of game to Bergeron – but they weren’t able to hold off the Kings all
period.
Niklas Svedberg had been standing on his head in the early going, turning
back a flurry of Kings shots. But he was beaten at 16:20 of the period by
Tanner Pearson, who converted off a feed from Anze Kopitar after a Brayden
McNabb shot.
“We got caught cheating on that goal,” Julien said. “And that’s the only goal
that they needed.”
It started, again, with a turnover. The Bruins were then hemmed in their zone,
eventually ending in the Pearson score.
Svedberg was nearly beaten by Pearson again, with the Kings winger ringing
the puck off the post with 1:36 to go before the break in the first.
“You never want to be in a position where you say, ‘Don’t worry about it, it’ll
go your way eventually,’ ” Krug said. “You’ve just got to work through it,
maintain that positive attitude and work through it. We have a group in here
that’s not satisfied with the way things are going. A lot of teams might say that
we came into LA and Anaheim, played two solid games, and they’re content
with that. But we’re not.”
741060
Boston Bruins
For now, Bruins’ Joe Morrow is focusing on defense
LOS ANGELES — On a team on which offense is at a premium, Joe Morrow
is tamping his down.
Scoring has been a struggle for the Bruins, who rank near the bottom of the
NHL in goals per game at 2.44. Boston has scored more than two goals just
once in its last nine games, a 4-3 shootout win over Columbus.
Morrow, at his core, is an offensive defenseman who collected 17 goals and
64 points in 62 games in the WHL just three years ago. He was a first-round
draft choice, a player with the tools to be more of a force on both ends of the
ice. But that’s not his plan right now.
“I’m still fairly simple, I haven’t really opened it up at all,” Morrow said before
he was scratched to make room for the return of Kevan Miller to the lineup for
Tuesday night’s game against the Kings at Staples Center. “There definitely
is a ceiling to my game that hasn’t been reached yet. But I think the simplicity
and me not complicating things is what’s kept me in the lineup and kept me
here.
“So I think I’m just going to stick to that for now, but there is definitely a whole
new level of productivity that I can reach with this team, given the right
opportunities.’’
It is a very specific strategy. Morrow said he hasn’t been directed by the team
to curtail his offense. He said his approach is working as he continues to try
to prove his defensive abilities to his third NHL organization.
“There definitely is a strategy to everything that you have to do,’’ he said. “In
an organization you have to be a good character person as well as being a
good hockey player.
“So everything is a strategy, and everything is so precisely looked at — they
pay so much attention to all the little details that you do with your life and your
game that it’s always in the back of your mind that you have to think about
your next move before you do it.”
And the move, at the moment, is to play it safe. He needs to earn the
coaches’ trust and prove he can be consistent on the ice and not a liability.
Because that hasn’t always been the perception of his game.
It’s not his place to save the Bruins from their offensive struggles, but that
doesn’t mean he doesn’t have offensive skills.
“Everybody’s waiting for it,” said Morrow, who had played 14 straight games
since replacing Matt Bartkowski Oct. 30. “You have to kind of impress the
coaches before you impress the fans and be a dazzling, exciting hockey
player to watch. So I’m just trying to keep it consistent in this organization and
make a good name for myself on the whole defensive side of things, and the
offense will come eventually.”
A fine mess
The Kings had a morning skate at their practice facility in El Segundo. But
there was something different about Tuesday’s practice. Suspended
defenseman Slava Voynov participated in the “optional” skate. — which is a
no-no. The NHL came down hard on the team, fining the Kings $100,000 for
violating the terms of Voynov’s suspension. From the NHL’s press release:
“Voynov skated with teammates today during a Club practice. Such activity is
in direct contravention of the terms of the suspension levied Oct. 20, which
permit Mr. Voynov to use club facilities and work with team personnel but
prohibit his participation in any team-related functions or activities.” Voynov
pleaded not guilty to the felony domestic violence charge in court on Monday,
the charge of corporal injury to a spouse with great bodily injury stemming
from an alleged incident involving his wife, Marta Varlamova.
Fourth and goal
On Sunday, Julien talked about the improvements the fourth line was making
in practice. On Monday he got to see it in a game.
Julien called the fourth line one of the top two lines in the 3-2 loss to
Anaheim, with the trio taking on some defensive responsibility on Ryan
Getzlaf’s line and generating multiple chances, including one that ended in
Simon Gagne’s second goal of the season.
Daniel Paille also hit a post against the Ducks.
“Dan’s been much better than he was at the beginning, but that whole line
too, I just think they’re starting to find their groove,” Julien said. “I thought
[Monday] night they had a real solid game. They’re at the point now where
I’m not as hesitant to throw them against the other team’s top lines. They
seem to understand who they’re up against and they’re responding well, like
I’ve seen them do in the past. So that’s encouraging for us.”
Paille agreed.
“That puts the confidence up a lot when you get to play against top lines for
the most part of the game,” he said.
“I think for the most part of the season our line, we have been playing strong,
just for some reason it’s been snake-bitten.
“In the media and everything it was always kind of scrutinized like, oh, he
can’t play defense or oh, he can’t do this,” Morrow said. “Sure he can
generate offense, but the defensive side of things wasn’t there.
“I’ve hit a bunch of posts already this year that could easily have gone in.”
“So I think I kind of took that upon myself to erase that from everyone’s
mind-set, to come in here and show them that I can play defense, I can be the
guy to be out there in the last minute and not get scored on and compete hard
and play defensively.”
Miller was scratched on Monday night in Anaheim. Julien called it a “coach’s
decision.” It appeared that Miller getting banged up during Friday’s game
played into the decision. As Julien said, “It’s something I can’t really explain
to you, but if need be maybe we could have [used him]. But probably prudent
what we did.”
There’s a reputation to build.
“You don’t need to come out of the gates flying and make a bad name for
yourself,” Morrow said. “Sure, he had 10 points but was a minus-10 too and
was a liability out there.”
Fourteen games into his Bruins career, Morrow is earning the trust he craves.
“He’s a young player that is really developing into a decent player for us,”
coach Claude Julien said of Morrow, who didn’t play the final 6:11 of
Monday’s 3-2 loss in Anaheim. “There’s still some things he needs to work
on, but every player goes through those kind of things and I can’t say I’m
disappointed in him so far because he’s been a real pleasant addition to our
banged up squad.”
And though there have been glimpses of that offensive spark — including on
a breakaway chance out of the penalty box Monday when he flipped
forehand-to-backhand before Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen got a pad on
the puck — that part of Morrow’s game remains mostly tucked away.
He knows it will emerge when the time is right. For now, though, he’s out to
prove his reliability.
Miller makes return
741061
Boston Bruins
Bruins hope to salvage West trip
Center Craig Cunningham, who came on the trip as an extra player if
needed, and perhaps to give him a few days of NHL pay as a reward for
playing well at Providence, was returned to the AHL team yesterday. The B’s
have one extra forward, Seth Griffith, who sat out the trip’s first two games.
Boston Herald LOADED: 12.04.2014
Stephen Harris
SAN JOSE, Calif. — There’s no crying in hockey, either.
Halfway through their West Coast trip, the undermanned Bruins have played
two strong games that at other times would yield three or even four points.
Instead, the B’s have nothing to show for their efforts in Anaheim and Los
Angeles.
“The main thing is we can’t get frustrated,” winger Milan Lucic said yesterday
on the eve of the team’s game against Joe Thornton and the Sharks. “We’ve
got to keep competing, keep playing at a high level and pace. Eventually
we’re going to get rewarded for it.”
Despite the disappointment of the narrow losses to the Ducks and Kings,
nobody was feeling sorry or making excuses because of the absences of
injured Zdeno Chara and David Krejci.
“It’s definitely not an excuse that we can really use,” center Patrice Bergeron
said after Tuesday’s 2-0 loss in Los Angeles. “We’ve never done that in the
past, and we can’t do it now. We’ve got to do the job with the guys who are in
the lineup.”
Brad Marchand expressed frustration after practice about playing well and
not scoring. The B’s have 16 goals in their past 10 games.
“You’ve got to look at the positive: We were getting the opportunities,” he
said. “We only have to tweak a couple of little things in our game and we will
get goals.
“We’re still a little too spread-out, and the goalies can see the puck. We have
to get more bodies in front of the net. The opportunities are there, pucks are
laying around. If the bodies are there, we’ll get them in.”
Coach Claude Julien continues to experiment with line combinations. Late in
Tuesday’s game, he had Reilly Smith back with Bergeron and Marchand,
and he shuffled rookie David Pastrnak between two lines. It’s all about trying
to find a line that will put pucks in the net.
“I think with the number of injuries we’ve had, with the number of line
changes and personnel, it’s been really hard to get chemistry on the lines,”
Julien said. “Sometimes we don’t have a choice. We have to make those
changes.
“When you’re not scoring, you try and find that spark that will help you score.
There’s no doubt it would help if we had a more stable lineup. That would be
a good start. But having said that, we don’t, so it’s not an excuse. We just
have to find ways to score.”
It’s not too late to make this a successful trip. Beating the Sharks and Arizona
Coyotes on Saturday would mean four points out of a possible eight and
some good vibes as the team heads home.
“As coaches you look at different things,” said Julien. “We encourage our
guys to go to the front of the net, we encourage our (defensemen) to get their
shots through, get your noses dirty and all that stuff. You look at the game,
and we’re there. We’re battling in front of the net.
“We’re looking for that break, there’s no doubt. Sometimes you need a little
bit of a break to turn things around. We’re going to keep working hard to get
that break. We’ve got to stick with it. I really feel this will turn around.”
Bruins notes
Tuukka Rask didn’t play Tuesday against the Kings, but he became part of
the story when he was hit on the head by a puck shot into the B’s bench and
suffered a gash that needed six stitches.
It was a source of some laughs in the locker room yesterday, as Lucic said
Rask “got some stitches (and) found out what it’s like to be a real hockey
player.”
Said Rask: “A puck got deflected. I saw it coming, but it came high and
deflected down and hit me on top of the head. I don’t know if you saw the
replay, but I don’t think I flinched.” . . .
741062
Boston Bruins
Bruins stuck in goal-scoring drought
Stephen Harris
SAN JOSE -- The Bruins have scored only 16 goals in their last 10 games.
Even if Tuukka Rask and understudy Niklas Svedberg provide stellar
goaltending -- and they have -- such paltry offensive output leaves little
margin for error in trying to win games. The B's are having an optional
practice today at the Sharks' very nice practice facility and hope to
re-discover some scoring touch tomorrow night vs. the Sharks. The B's are
0-2-0 thus far on this four-game western trip, with a pair of frustrating losses
in Anaheim and Los Angeles in which they played hard and well, but couldn't
score much.
The B's, of course, are without stars Zdeno Chara and David Krejci, among
others.
"There's no doubt it would help if we had a more stable lineup," said coach
Claude Julien. "That would be a good start. But having said that, we don't. So
it's not an excuse, we have to find a way to score some goals here.
"As coaches you look at different things. We encourage our guys to go to the
front of the net, we encourage ours Ds to get their shots through, get your
noses dirty and all that stuff. You look at the games, and we're there. We're
battling in front of the net.
"We're looking for that break, there's no doubt. Sometimes you need a little
bit of break to turn things around. We're going to keep working hard to get
that break. We've got to stick with it. I really feel this will turn around."
The Bruins sent center Craig Cunningham back to Providence (AHL).
Boston Herald LOADED: 12.04.2014
741063
Boston Bruins
Julien: Pastrnak 'understands what a heavy game is'
SAN JOSE – If 18-year-old David Pastrnak didn’t know how strong, heavy
and punishing NHL opponents can be prior to his stint with the Bruins,
chances are he knows now after getting knocked around a little bit in
back-to-back losses to the Ducks and Kings. Pastrnak picked up his first
career NHL point against Anaheim in a losing effort, and generated nine shot
attempts against the Kings in Tuesday night’s loss that will have the fancy
stats crowd raving.
But the Bruins rookie also took a physical beating against a physically
imposing Kings group that doesn’t shy away from inflicting punishment.
The Kings seemed to see a green light when he was skating with Patrice
Bergeron and Brad Marchand, and he went flying off the puck more than
once. To his credit, he also didn’t shy away when he knew hits were coming
from bigger, stronger players.
Claude Julien began moving Pastrnak around to different lines while
installing Reilly Smith back into his old spot on the PBR Line. For a brief time,
Julien even placed Pastrnak with big bodies in Milan Lucic and Carl
Soderberg while perhaps looking for some protection for the 176-pound
teenage phenom.
Pastrnak generated some action in the offensive end as he’s done in each of
the last three games with skilled players, but Julien also admitted the rookie
probably had his “Welcome to the NHL” moment when he woke up with an
aching body on Wednesday.
“We’re not scoring, and when you’re not scoring you try different things,” said
Claude Julien. “Maybe it’s bringing Reilly back [with Bergeron and
Marchand], or putting Pastrnak on another line. That was a heavy team we
played yesterday.
“I’m not saying David didn’t have a good game, but I think he understands
now what a heavy game is in this league. So you make moves. At one point I
had [Pastrnak] with two big guys in Lucic and Carl, and then I moved him with
Kelly. It wasn’t anything more than I was trying to find something to score us
some goals. I’m trying just as much as they’re trying.”
Pastrnak will get another look at NHL heavy when the Bruins drop the puck
against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night in the finale to the California
portion of the road trip.
Joe Haggerty
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 12.04.2014
741064
Boston Bruins
What we learned from B's 2-0 loss to Kings
*Patrice Bergeron wasn’t much of a factor in this game either, finished a
minus-1, had two giveaways and was 14-of-26 in the face off circle. Players
like Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Brad Marchand need
to step up offensively against these good teams, and they’re not breaking
through with enough frequency right now.
Joe Haggerty
SAN JOSE – Here are three things that we learned from Tuesday night’s 2-0
loss to the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
1) The Bruins are not the hockey team that they used to be. The big, strong,
heavy Los Angeles Kings put a beating down on the B’s physically, and
chronically targeted smaller players like Torey Krug, Brad Marchand David
Pastrnak among others for hard hits all over the ice. At one point Claude
Julien moved Pastrnak onto a line with Carl Soderberg and Milan Lucic to
perhaps give him a little bit more space to operate and protection if players
really starting to take runs at him. But to Pastrnak’s credit, he didn’t back
down from the licks and still generated four shots on net, and nine total shot
attempts. But there was little physical response aside from Milan Lucic
getting into a few shoving matches with Jordan Nolan, and very little answer
if the Bruins wanted the Kings to cease the physical punishment. It was very
unlike many Bruins games we’ve come to get used to over the last few years.
2) A number of key B’s offensive performers are deep in funks right now.
Torey Krug is a dynamic offensive performer, and he fired a puck dead into
the center of the net with the entire short side open to him for the tying goal.
Krug has one point in his last 11 games, and Loui Eriksson has just one goal
in his last 20 games for the Bruins while continuing to play a very quiet,
pleasant game that doesn’t make much of a consistent impact. After a hot
start to the season, Chris Kelly has just one point in his last 15 games. Brad
Marchand leads the Bruins with six goals on the season, the lowest total of
any team’s goal leader among all 30 NHL teams. The Bruins just don’t have
enough offense right now to beat good teams, and their good offensive
players aren’t executing when they get the puck in the scoring areas right
now.
3) Niklas Svedberg is an interesting prospect as either a backup
goaltender, or a possible trade chip to a team looking for goalie help. The
33-save effort in a loss to the Kings might have been his best game of the
season, but the Swedish netminder has been pretty good through this
season learning how to be a backup at the NHL level. He’s posted an
excellent season at the AHL level as well, and might begin to look like
possible No. 1 material to teams that are starved for goaltending help on the
trade market. He’s still young enough to develop into that kind of player, and
competitive enough to want it for himself. Just watch the way he battled to
make nine saves during that 5-on-3 PP for the Kings in the first period. That
was impressive amid a Kings shooting gallery.
Plus
* Anze Kopitar had been in a scoring slump, but finished the win for the Kings
with assists on each of the two LA goals and a solid night throughout. He also
finished plus-2 in 17:57 of ice time with two shot attempts and 8-of-13 in the
face off circle. He wasn’t dominant, but he smart, efficient and very, very
good.
* Jonathan Quick was at his best in the third period when he stopped 12
shots, and shuffled post-to-post to rob Torey Krug on what appeared to be a
wide open net. It pushed Quick to 10-1-1 in his last 12 games at the Staples
Center, where he can’t be beaten.
*Niklas Svedberg stopped 15 shots in the first period, and was a Black and
Gold brick wall in the first period during a 90 second 5-on-3 power play for the
Kings. He finished with 33 saves against a Kings team that had good traffic
and decent chances against him, and kept the Bruins in the game into the
final minute.
Minus
* Torey Krug credited Jonathan Quick for the save following the game, but he
shot the puck directly into the middle of the net with the entire short side to
shot at. If he can get that puck 6 inches to the left it’s a game-tying goal, and
he hasn’t been the same kind of explosive player for the Bruins this season.
You have to wonder if that finger is still bothering him.
* One shot on net for Carl Soderberg, who has been pretty unremarkable in
back-to-back games against heavy Western Conference teams in Anaheim
and Los Angeles. The night before he lost a defensive zone face off on the
game-winning goal and was similarly ineffective offensively. I just don’t see
him as good enough to be a top six center on the Bruins, and he’s proving me
right with the way he’s struggled with consistency during David Krejci’s
absence.
741065
Boston Bruins
Rask 'didn't flinch' on puck that caused six stitch gash
SAN JOSE – Tuukka Rask was walking around the dressing room at the
Sharks Ice practice facility in San Jose with his chest puffed out a bit more
than normal, and with good reason. The Bruins goaltender joined his walking
wounded B’s teammates when he was struck in the top of his head by an
errant puck in Tuesday night’s 2-0 loss to the LA Kings, and had to leave the
bench area for six stitches to sew up the bloody gash.
It was early in the first period when a Jeff Carter dump attempt deflected off a
stick near the Bruins bench, and caught the idle B’s goaltender in the
forehead/hairline area. The Bruins training staff tried to repair the cut on the
bench, but he exited the bench for much of the remainder of the period to get
it stitched up.
“It didn’t hurt. It was like a pressure thing, you know? I don’t know if you could
see it on the replays, but I don’t think I flinched,” said a smiling Rask. “I just
got a couple of stitches. There aren’t too many chances when I’m going to get
a chance to [brag to his teammates about his stitches. It was a tough
bounce.”
Rask also made an adjustment when he did return to the bench, and moved
is chair halfway down the runway toward the dressing room to keep his
stitched up wound away from the treacherous bench area.
“I just made sure I wasn’t going to get hit again in the same game. I almost
put my helmet on,” said Rask. “[Moving way back from the bench] was my
idea.”
The good news for the Bruins: Rask is 100 percent fine, practiced on
Wednesday during an optional skate for Boston and should be good to go
against the San Jose Sharks in their California road trip finale on Thursday
night.
Joe Haggerty
741066
Boston Bruins
Cunningham sent back to Providence
SAN JOSE – It’s an optional practice for the Boston Bruins on Wednesday
afternoon at the Sharks Ice practice facility for San Jose while readying for
Thursday night’s showdown with the Sharks in their California trip finale. A
large number of B’s and both goaltenders took the ice to work out, but one
name missing as Craig Cunningham as the Bruins sent him back to
Providence during the middle of the four game West Coast trip.
The timing seemed to be peculiar given that call-ups usually stick with the
team for the duration of such a lengthy road trip, and that Cunningham
merely served as a healthy scratch for each of the first two losses to the
Ducks and Kings. But Julien said he was more concerned with any centers
potentially going down with injuries during the back-to-back sequence of the
trip, and felt they were in good enough shape health-wise at the center spot
to send the gritty forward back to the AHL.
“We only had four centers, and with back-to-backs in California if something
happened we would have been scrambling,” said Julien. “So now our centers
our healthy, and if something happens we now have a day between games.
So that’s probably the main reason why we sent him back.”
Milan Lucic, Matt Fraser, Reilly Smith, Seth Griffith, Brad Marchand, David
Pastrnak, Simon Gagne, Tuukka Rask, Niklas Svedberg, Matt Bartkowksi,
Kevan Miller, Zach Trotman and Joe Morrow all took part in a fairly
well-attended optional skate.
Joe Haggerty
741067
Boston Bruins
Julien mourns loss of 'unbelievable man' in Beliveau
SAN JOSE – Count Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien among those
mourning the loss of Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau, who passed
away late Tuesday night at the age of 83 years old. A very young Claude
Julien obviously watched and respected the game of Beliveau when he was
winning early and often as a member of a Montreal Canadiens machine in
the 1950’s and 1960’s with Stanley Cup championships over his 20 years in
Montreal.
But Julien got to personally know Beliveau as the classy gentlemen and
ultimate professional during his time coaching the Habs from 2003-06, and
said the personal moments with Beliveau and his wife is something he’ll
always cherish.
“I am actually shocked to hear that,” said Julien following Boston’s 2-0 loss to
the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. “He was an unbelievable man.
When you talk about class it has Jean Beliveau written all over it. He spent a
lot of time chatting with me.
“I grew up idolizing a guy like him, and to see him spending the time for chats,
and his wife [Elise] as well…I thought he and his wife were tremendous
people. My sympathies go out to his whole family. What a class act he’s
been, and I feel privileged just knowing him.”
What’s the moment that Julien remembers most about Beliveau from Julien’s
time with the Habs organization?
“In Montreal he was the top notch ambassador in that organization for years,”
said Julien. “I still recall at one point being in Montreal when all that stuff
happened in Iraq, and they started booing the American national anthem. He
came on the jumbotron in the very next game, and told people to support,
and not disrespect, the American flag and the anthem. They listened to him.
He’s probably the only guy that could have done that.”
Beliveau had been in poor health for years after a battle with cancer in 2000,
and suffered strokes in 2010 and 2012, but he was always a figure of
reverence when he showed up for important Habs games at the Bell Centre
even in recent years.
Joe Haggerty
741068
Boston Bruins
Another nothing night for Bruins against Kings
LOS ANGELES -- It’s the same old story for the David Krejci- and Zdeno
Chara-less Bruins.
Defensively they’ve been able to band together and, in tandem with some hot
goaltending, hold the opposition in check. But without the unique offensive
contributions of Krejci and Chara, they remain toothless on the attack.
The latest example was a 2-0 shutout loss to the Los Angeles Kings at the
Staples Center on Tuesday night, a defeat that leaves the Bruins with 15
goals scored in their last 10 games. During those 10 games, the Bruins have
scored more than two goals just once. That’s not enough offense to beat
most teams and certainly nowhere close enough to beat the Anaheim Ducks
or the Kings, whom they've lost to in the last two nights.
“We’ve done a lot of good things, but at the same time when we’re not
scoring then any small mistakes turn into big ones,” said Patrice Bergeron.
“We don’t make up for it on the offense. We’re playing a pretty stingy game
when it’s 1-0, so defense isn’t a problem. We just have to find a way to score
more goals.”
The lack of production also puts a large emphasis on capitalizing on scoring
chances, and that’s something the Bruins failed to do against the Kings. They
were only trailing 1-0 in the third period when they started to seize
momentum with flurries of pressure. But one play in particular symbolized
their frustration.
Milan Lucic, camped in front. managed to redirect a puck that was shot at the
net from the right wing, pushing it over to the left side where Torey Krug was
crashing down from the point. Krug was able to step into the shot with the
short-side half of the net open.
But he pushed the puck just a little too much back toward the middle, and
didn’t get it as high under the bar as he might have preferred. That left the
door open for Jonathan Quick to make an amazing save, speeding from the
other side of the net and deflecting the shot with his chest off the post.
It’s been that kind of run lately for the 23-year-old Krug, who has just one
point in his last 11 games at a time when the B’s are starving for goals.
“That was a hell of a save," said Krug. "I knew he was going to be there
quick."
The Bruins will get another chance to break out offensively -- and perhaps
even score a power-play goal or two -- when they travel to San Jose for a
Thursday night showdown with the Sharks. But it appears Boston is going to
scraping for goals until some of the missing bodies return, or until some of
their slumping players, like Krug and Loui Eriksson, start to pick it up a bit.
That's what Krug's aiming for.
“You’ve just got to work through it, and maintain that positive attitude," he
said. "We’ve got a group that’s not satisfied with the way things are going."
Joe Haggerty
741069
Boston Bruins
Svedberg a bright spot in Bruins' loss to Kings
LOS ANGELES -- One area that hasn't been an issue for the Bruins during
their recent struggles is the goaltending.
Tuukka Rask has been stellar over the last two weeks, and Niklas Svedberg
played arguably his best NHL game Tuesday night in the Bruins' 2-0 loss to
the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
“Our goaltenders in both these games have been good,” coach Claude Julien
said of the back-to-back, California losses to the Ducks and the Kings.
“They’ve given us a chance to win hockey games. We just have to find ways
to score goals.”
Svedberg made 33 saves in the defeat, which dropped him to 3-4-0 for the
season, and he absolutely stood on his head in the first period when the
Kings -- who at one point had a nearly 90-second, 5-on-3 advantage -- fired
16 shots at the Boston net. Svedberg stopped all but one of them, and made
nine frenetic saves during the 5-on-3. During that stretch, he was more of a
one-man penalty killing unit than a mortal goaltender.
“He did a great job,” said teammate Gregory Campbell. “They have a lot of
shooters on that team that make things happen quickly. If you noticed early
on in those power plays, they were just pounding pucks on the net and he did
a good job. The one goal was a backdoor goal. There wasn’t much that could
be done about that.”
The Kings outshot the Bruins by a 29-19 margin through the first two periods,
and Los Angeles had the lion’s share of scoring chances to that point. So it
was Svedberg and the defense -- with a little help from Los Angeles' Tanner
Pearson snapping a shot off the post in the first period -- who kept Boston in
the game until the closing minutes.
“It was a tight game,” said Svedberg. “We played pretty well, and they played
pretty well. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a goal, so it ends up being a loss.
As a goalie you’re always trying to keep it to as fewest goals as possible.
We’re doing a good job defensively. Obviously we want to score goals, but
we can’t let go of what we’re doing well defensively right now.”
Svedberg now has a 2.28 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage
for the season, solid numbers for him in his rookie season and even better
than Rask's.
Julien is 100 percent correct. The Bruins may have their problems, but
goaltending isn't one of them.
Joe Haggerty
741070
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres’ Hodgson gets a shot of confidence
“You want to have a fresh start each night and just go play,” he said. “And as
a team we can’t look back. Those are nice wins but you can’t look at those,
just like you couldn’t do that when we were losing. We just have to bring
another top game against Tampa.”
Buffalo News LOADED: 12.04.2014
By Mike Harrington | News Sports Reporter | @BNHarrington | Google+
When you look at the numbers, it’s hard not to think of Cody Hodgson as this
year’s version of Ville Leino.
There’s often been nothing happening when Hodgson has been on the ice for
the Buffalo Sabres, just like when Leino went without a goal in 58 games last
season. So it was a surprising hunch coach Ted Nolan played Tuesday,
putting Hodgson out as the Sabres’ first participant in a shootout against
Tampa Bay. Hodgson burned Evgeni Nabokov on a neat backhand, getting
credit for the game-winning goal in Buffalo’s 2-1 win.
When the Sabres and Lightning meet again tonight in Amalie Arena,
Hodgson is hoping he can get a tiny boost from that moment to do something
with his season.
Hodgson has two points all year. There’s an assist Oct. 14 at Carolina and a
goal Oct. 25 at San Jose. He has no points for 16 straight games even
though he has pretty much played a regular shift in all of them.
“You can drive yourself nuts if you just stare at the stat sheet every day,”
Hodgson said after practice Wednesday in First Niagara Center. “At the end
of the day, what will help your stats is playing well. That’s helped me recently.
I’m feeling better out there with a little more confidence carrying it through.”
Hodgson, who is minus-10 for the season, has been better of late. He has
seven shots on goal and an even rating the last five games while averaging
nearly 15½ minutes per contest. That came after he narrowly averted being a
healthy scratch a couple of times, especially after he played a season-low
7:53 in the Nov. 13 loss at Minnesota.
Nolan has stuck with him.
“You have to be optimistic at all times,” Nolan said. “He scored 20 goals for
us last year. What’s the difference this year? Those areas goal scorers have
to go into. … Cody is getting closer to going into those areas and he’s getting
some chances. Hopefully that goal last night will give him a good taste of
what it’s like to score goals again.”
Hodgson, remember, had 20 goals and 44 points for the Sabres just last
year. He’s averaged 18 goals and 40 points over the last three seasons with
Vancouver and Buffalo.
When he was a standout for Team Canada at the World Championships last
spring in Belarus (six goals and eight points in seven games), it stood to
reason Hodgson would carry that momentum into this season.
It hasn’t happened, as year two of his six-year, $25.5 million contract stands
as a major bust to date. There have been switches between wing and center,
shifts in lines, lax play in the defensive zone and limited touch on the
offensive end. Maybe some bad luck too as he’s scored on just 1 of 33 shots
this season, a shooting percentage of 3 percent, far below his career average
of 11.4.
Nolan was initially going with Matt Moulson to start the shootout but Moulson
said he felt sluggish during the game and Nolan went in another direction.
Hodgson said the quick conversation on the bench went like this:
“He said, ‘I thought you were going to score tonight’ and I said, ‘Yeah, so did
I,’ ” Hodgson said. “And he goes, ‘Well, you’re first in the shootout.’ It was
great. It’s nice to help the team contribute to a win.”
Hodgson burned Nabokov with a series of dekes capped by a neat
backhand.
“I tried to change the angle a few times on him just to see how he would
move,” Hodgson said. “And when I was able to pull it to my backhand, I had a
lot of net to shoot at.”
Hodgson said early in the year he would fret about missed chances. Now
he’s trying to take each game on its own and is hoping to see some results.
He said the Sabres are doing the same thing, not fretting or reveling over the
previous result. Buffalo has won six of its last seven heading into tonight’s
game, including three straight over Montreal and Tampa Bay.
741071
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres notebook: Gionta, Gorges pay tribute to Beliveau
By Mike Harrington | News Sports Reporter | @BNHarrington | Google+
Josh Gorges said one reason he picked the No. 4 to wear in Buffalo was
because of Jean Beliveau. Brian Gionta cherishes the meetings he had with
the Montreal legend, discussing the legacy of being the Canadiens’ captain.
Gionta and Gorges, ex-Habs who joined the Sabres this year, spoke
glowingly after practice Wednesday of Beliveau, who died Tuesday at age
83. Both players have also tweeted messages of support for Beliveau’s
legacy.
“The talks that I’ve had with him, the private one-on-ones, he’s just the nicest
guy ever,” Gionta said. “He’d sit down with you, really engage with you. I
really enjoyed my time learning from him, talking to him and just being around
him.
“He had that presence about him. But at the same time, he was the biggest
gentleman. Down to earth, knew your name, took time for you. Engaged with
you. Didn’t blow you off. He was really connected when you talked to him.
The times we spent with him and his wife behind the scenes were pretty
special.”
Gorges wore No. 26 in Montreal but said he felt it was time to go to a
single-digit number here and went with No. 4 because of Beliveau.
“He is what every hockey player should strive to be,” Gorges said. “Top-end
talented hockey player, a winner, champion. But he did it all with class and
respect. I think that’s why he’s such a role model and such an icon not just in
that city and province, but in all the hockey world.
“He was a good man. Everything he did was the right way. I was lucky
enough to be there, watch him and see how he holds himself. It’s a sad day in
hockey.”
Gorges said he was talking with some Sabres about Beliveau on Wednesday
morning and recounted how a chat with him was interrupted by a fan seeking
an autograph and picture.
“He opened up his suit jacket, pulled out a Sharpie, signed the autograph and
told me, ‘When you play in Montreal, make sure you never leave home
without a Sharpie.’ ” Gorges said. “I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’
and he said, ‘People always want to have autographs and you need to be
able to sign their autographs because they might not have a pen.’
“Here’s a guy that didn’t have to do that, take his time out of his day to do that
for people but he made the extra effort to make sure he was always prepared
to give back to the city.”
...
Zemgus Girgensons’ runaway lead in the NHL All-Star Game balloting,
clearly created from fanatical voting in his native Latvia, is likely to draw
criticism from media on both sides of the border if it continues. NBC Sports
Network analyst Mike Milbury snickered about it heading to a commercial on
the pregame show for the Sabres game Tuesday night.
Coach Ted Nolan said that is unfair to the 20-year-old.
“His play supports it enough that he probably doesn’t necessarily need his
country for the support,” Nolan said. “He’s got seven goals, he’s our No. 1
center, he plays the power play, he plays penalty kill. You show me another
20-year-old that has that much responsibility on their team in this league.
“I don’t think there should be any kind of criticism whatsoever. I think it should
be, ‘Who is this kid? Let’s watch him. Let’s see him.’ He’s the type of kid that
brings people to our game.”
Nolan, who coached Latvia in the Sochi Olympics, said it’s no surprise to him
to see how much backing is coming to Girgensons.
“They’re really supportive of their athletes, especially hockey players,” he
said. “To see that support that Zemgus is getting from his homeland is not
surprising at all. They’re very supportive and passionate people and I’m quite
sure this thing has taken a life of its own over there.”
...
Nolan said Cody McCormick has been cleared from his concussion protocol
and should play tonight in Tampa Bay. The Sabres are hopeful Drew Stafford
will be available for Saturday’s game in Florida. With McCormick ready, Tim
Schaller has been returned to Rochester.
Nolan said red-hot Jhonas Enroth will make his sixth straight start tonight in
goal and there’s no concern about him wearing out at this point. “That will
show itself. Right now he feels good,” Nolan said. “When you feel good,
nobody gets tired.”
Enroth could have the net to himself for a while. The Sabres don’t have
another back-to-back until Dec. 15-16, when they host Ottawa and then
travel to Winnipeg.
...
In Rochester, Amerks winger Joel Armia is expected to continue to be out of
the lineup this weekend due to an upper-body injury. Armia, 21, has already
missed two games and is likely to be out for Friday night’s home game
against Binghamton in Blue Cross Arena as well as Saturday’s contest at
Syracuse and Sunday’s game in Toronto.
Armia, Buffalo’s No. 1 draft pick in 2011, is tied for fourth on the Amerks in
scoring with 15 points (six goals, nine assists). Also at 15 are Mikhail
Grigorenko (7-8) and Schaller (6-9).
Phil Varone leads the Amerks with 22 points (6-16) while Grigorenko and
Luke Adam are tied for the team lead in goals. Rochester enters the weekend
9-11-1 and in 11th place in the AHL’s Western Conference, currently three
points out of a playoff spot.
Buffalo News LOADED: 12.04.2014
741072
Buffalo Sabres
Hockey player's coat drive warms heart, others
"Colin's a neat kid," his mom said. "He doesn't judge people. He's an
innocent kid who just wants to help. That's what makes me so proud."
At the rink, it seems everyone knows Colin, the "coat kid." Is all the attention
overwhelming, I asked?
"No, I usually get it by the girls," he said.
Leo Roth, Sports columnist 10:13 p.m. EST December 3, 2014
Spoken like a true hockey player. Warmed my heart.
Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 12.04.2014
Hockey goaltenders are known for blocking shots. But what about blocking
the cold on a gray winter's day? What about stacking the pads and making a
glove save for those less fortunate in the world?
Colin Kosmicki, an 8-year-old goalie in the Rochester Youth Hockey
Association, was doing one good volunteer deed — ringing a Salvation Army
bell — during this special time of the year when the idea for another popped
into his head. After spotting a child entering the mall and not wearing a coat,
Colin turned to his mom, Maureen, and said, "I want to donate my favorite
coat to a kid who doesn't have one."
Thus began "Warm Hearts Warm Bodies by Colin," a clothing drive that has
taken on a life of its own and made a celebrity out of its mighty Mite founder.
Colin is one of five national finalists in the Kindest Kid Contest sponsored by
Sprout, a 24-hour children's television network. NBC-TV and Sprout
producers were in Rochester to tape segments for use on television and their
websites (today.com/kindestkid and sproutonline.com). Colin and the other
four contest finalists will appear live in New York City on the Today show on
Monday, Dec. 8, when the winner is announced.
The winner receives $5,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. Colin's
charity is Rochester's Open Door Mission, where he and his mom have been
delivering bags of gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, sweaters and
sweatshirts for going on three winters. Maureen Kosmicki heard of the Sprout
contest through a friend and thought, "What the heck?"
"The kids don't get anything out of it, other than recognition for their charity,"
she said. "He's tripled the amount of coats he's collected and inspired other
hockey teams to do the same thing in their organizations. That's been the
coolest thing. We've put the spin on the youth hockey thing that's taken a life
of its own."
Yes, teams that see the Warm Hearts Warm Bodies logo created by Cory
Brabant and a new wooden donation box in the lobby of Bill Gray's Iceplex
built by facilities manager Richard Koch have returned the next practice or
game with bags of clothing. Suddenly everyone's in the spirit to help those in
need. Funny how one person — one kid — can make a difference.
"Hockey being a winter sport, a coat makes sense right? It became a team
building thing with many," said RYH president Greg Zaremski, who has
proudly promoted Colin's work.
Other public drop boxes are located at Pittsford Recreation Department, The
Arc of Monroe, where Maureen works, and there are several businesses
collecting coats internally on Colin's behalf.
Meanwhile, Rochester Americans defenseman Nick Petrecki, inspired by
Colin's story, has helped organize a winter clothing drive at Amerks home
games in December to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. The Allen Creek
Elementary second grader got to meet Petrecki and tour the Amerks' locker
room. Last weekend, Colin was introduced at center ice of an Elmira Jackals
game and given a standing ovation as clothing was collected to support a
homeless shelter in that city.
With more than 80 bags collected and winter just underway, Colin will smash
his goal of 100 bags this season. His favorite part? Hearing people say
"Thank you."
"We put the coats on hangers at the Open Door Mission and kids who live
there, and even adults, they can come down and get coats for free," Colin
said. "This is already the fifth time it (the Bill Gray's box) has been filled."
Open Door spokesman Chris Scribani told NBC that Colin "blew the doors off
all of us" with his idea to donate clothing. "He's an awesome kid.''
As are the other contest finalists: Sierra, a cancer survivor from Madison,
Conn., who raises money for Make-A-Wish Foundation; Kayden, of Meriden,
Kans., who heads a card writing project for troops serving overseas; Jayla, of
Virginia Beach, Va., who delivers care packages to the homeless; and Tavin,
of Alexander, Ark., who helps tornado victims in his hometown.
Collectively they remind us that an act of kindness can cost virtually nothing.
741073
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres top Tampa Bay
John Wawrow 12:35 a.m. EST December 3, 2014
BUFFALO All of a sudden, goalie Jhonas Enroth and the Buffalo Sabres
aren't the pushovers they were to start the season.
After sweeping a two-game series against the then-NHL leading Montreal
Canadiens last weekend, the Sabres put the clamps on the high-scoring
Tampa Bay Lightning.
Enroth stopped 26 shots through overtime and then two more in the shootout
in securing a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.
"Obviously, the confidence is a little bit higher now," Enroth said. "We beat a
couple of great teams the last couple of games, so we know we can beat
every team in the league."
Enroth improved to 5-1 in his past six starts, a stretch in which he's allowed
just nine goals.
Zemgus Girgensons forced overtime by chipping in a rebound with 3:54
remaining, a little more than six minutes after Tampa Bay's Ondrej Palat
opened the scoring. And then Buffalo's Cody Hodgson — with a backhander
— and Tyler Ennis — with a snap shot just inside the left post — scored on
their shootout chances.
Buffalo (9-14-2) improved to 6-1 in its last seven, a stretch that began after
the team opened the season 3-13-2.
"Part of getting better is that resiliency, to keep going and keep going," coach
Ted Nolan said.
The Lightning (17-6-3), coming off a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers on
Monday night, entered the game leading the NHL with 90 goals and tied for
the league lead with 36 points.
They instead started flat by mustering just two shots in the first period. And
they lacked finish in the shootout in having a four-game winning streak
snapped.
Palat was stopped on Tampa Bay's first attempt, when he attempted to slip
the puck through Enroth's legs. Greece's Ryan Callahan had his snap shot
turned aside by Enroth's blocker.
"I thought we played well enough to win the hockey game and we didn't,"
Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "They score that goal with, what, 4 minutes
left? That probably doesn't happen, either."
The teams meet again at Tampa Bay on Thursday.
This one turned with a pair of momentum shifts in the final 10 minutes of the
third period.
Palat's goal came on a nifty passing play that began with Nikita Kucherov's
no-look pass to Tyler Johnson streaking up the right wing. Driving deep into
the corner, Johnson fed the puck into the middle, where Palat stuffed it in.
The Sabres finally cashed in following a pair of chances.
Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 12.04.2014
741074
Calgary Flames
Game Day: Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames rookie Josh Jooris is coming off a hat trick vs. Arizona on
Tuesday.
Calgary Flames rookie Josh Jooris is coming off a hat trick vs. Arizona on
Tuesday.
Christina Ryan / Calgary Herald
SCOTT CRUICKSHANK, CALGARY HERALD
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. CATCHING UP WITH NO. 12
RW Jarome Iginla, after spending 1996-2013 in a Flames smock, is back …
Thursday, he jumps into his 1,336th game, one behind C Adam Oates for
49th most in NHL history … Iginla’s 564 goals — including 169 on the power
play, 92 game-winners — have him deadlocked with C Mats Sundin for 21st
on the league charts … With 1,182 points, he is two shy of C Rod
Brind’Amour for 47th all-time … Iginla will perform in his 610th contest on
Saddledome ice — the stage for 268 goals and 570 points … On the Flames’
franchise list, he is tops in games (1,219), goals (524), points (1,095) …
Currently in the first season of a three-year deal (at $5.33 million per) with the
Avs, the 37-year-old has produced 15 points, including four goals, in 25
matches … Against his former employers, Iginla has two helpers in two
appearances … Everyone remembers his Dec. 10, 2013, visit with Boston.
Need a hint? A star turn, plus a couple of giddy spins around the ice in front of
an adoring audience … Iginla’s trade to Pittsburgh, March 2013, netted
Calgary a first-round pick (LW Morgan Klimchuk), LW Kenny Agostino, RW
Ben Hanowski.
2. 399 AND COUNTING
Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley is one win away from 400 in his
NHL coaching career.
Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley is one win away from 400 in his
NHL coaching career.
Ted Rhodes / Calgary Herald
Flames skipper Bob Hartley is sitting one win away from 400. Soon he will
become the 33rd coach to reach that milestone and the 12th active coach.
“The only thing wins in the regular season mean, for a coach or a player, is it
allows you to have a chance to be in the playoffs,” said Hartley, in the final
year of his contract with the Flames. “That’s my entire mindset.” … Ahead of
him on the NHL’s active list – Joel Quenneville (721), Ken Hitchcock (673),
Lindy Ruff (620), Barry Trotz (567), Darryl Sutter (520), Mike Babcock (498),
Paul Maurice (490), Alain Vigneault (478), Dave Tippett (474), Claude Julien
(443), Peter Laviolette (405). “I always say coaching is like the person who’s
holding the projector in a concert,” said Hartley. “You have to put the spotlight
on the performers. We are not the performers — the players are. I believe the
only person who comes to the Saddledome to watch me is my wife.”
3. GREEN LIGHT FOR STAJAN
Calgary Flames centre Matt Stajan will return to the lineup on Thursday for
the first time since Oct. 28.
Calgary Flames centre Matt Stajan will return to the lineup on Thursday for
the first time since Oct. 28.
David Moll David Moll / Calgary Herald
C Matt Stajan, who’s missed 15 games after hurting his knee Oct. 28 against
Montreal, is ready to go. The decision, as Hartley puts it, “is on our desk.” …
Stajan, no surprise, is eager to go. “Anxious to get back,” he said. “There’s a
lot of hockey left to be played this season. I want to try to jump in and enjoy
the fun ride that’s been going on here. We’ll see if I get the call (Wednesday).
We’ll need everybody.” Easy to appreciate, according to Stajan, is the team’s
season-long run of success. “One day at a time, if every guy takes that
approach we’ll keep surprising people.” … Still sidelined is LW Mason
Raymond (shoulder), who skated hard — and with a variety of linemates —
during Wednesday’s session. “He’s not there yet,” said Hartley. “We worked
(in practice) on bodychecking drills, battle drills … to help him regain his
confidence in confrontations and feel good about his game. His conditioning
is good, but he is definitely not playing against Colorado.” … Not surprisingly,
C Corban Knight has been re-assigned to AHL Adirondack … Not skating
with the group currently are C Mikael Backlund (abdomen) and C Joe
Colborne (wrist).
4. ABOUT THOSE GREENHORNS
This is getting to be old hat for the Flames’ newbies … The locals’ latest
victory featured six scoring points from first- or second-year forwards —
including, of course, that hat trick from C Josh Jooris. “Jooris and Johnny
Hockey and the other young guys have stepped in,” said D Dennis Wideman,
31. “They’re contributing this year. We’re still working hard, like we did last
year, but we’re getting the goals from these guys. They’ve added a second
scoring punch and made us a little more dangerous. They’re doing it all.
We’re getting really good efforts from the young guys. They’re playing great.
They don’t seem like rookies, that’s for sure.” … Gaudreau, after two helpers
Tuesday, has 19 points, putting him four behind Nashville C Filip Forsberg,
the rookie-class frontrunner. Jooris, with 12 points, is sixth among freshmen,
while C Markus Granlund sits 12th … In AHL Adirondack, LW Devin
Setoguchi made his debut, picking up a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s 5-3
loss to G Joey MacDonald and the Hamilton Bulldogs.
5. C-NOTES
Calgary Flames rookie Johnny Gaudreau is only four points behind Calder
Trophy darling Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators in the freshman
scoring race.
Calgary Flames rookie Johnny Gaudreau is only four points behind Calder
Trophy darling Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators in the freshman
scoring race.
Ted Rhodes Ted Rhodes / Calgary Herald
Calgary, winner of seven of its last nine, is moving up in the world. According
to Bodog.ca, the team is now 33-1 to win the Stanley Cup, better odds than
13 other outfits. For the Calder Trophy, LW Johnny Gaudreau is 7-2.
Nashville C Filip Forsberg, the favourite, is 2-3. D Mark Giordano didn’t
appear in the website’s top 12 candidates for the Hart Trophy … The Flames
are tough when holding a lead — 4-0-0 (as one of four perfect teams) when
leading after 20 minutes, 8-0-0 (as one of five perfect teams) when leading
after 40 minutes … The Flames, averaging 3.08 goals per game, are tied for
fourth in the league with Vancouver … Defensively, they sit 11th … Winner of
his last five starts, G Karri Ramo’s updated numbers – 7-2-1, 2.25 GAA, .921
… Calgary’s power play is ranked ninth. Penalty killing is 26th … The Flames
are 7-3-2 on home ice … Tuesday’s interesting ice time from the blue line —
T.J. Brodie (23:28), Dennis Wideman (23:25), Mark Giordano (23:22), Kris
Russell (23:04).
GAME DAY
Colorado Avalanche (9-11-5) at Calgary Flames (16-8-2)
7 p.m., Scotiabank Saddledome
Flames player to watch
T.J. Brodie – Throws a plus-three on the board Tuesday, pushing his season
rating to plus-19. Only one NHL player can boast a better mark. And on the
road, no one has a better number than Brodie’s plus-12.
Lines
* C.Glencross-S.Monahan-D.Jones
* J.Gaudreau-J.Jooris-J.Hudler
* M.Ferland-M.Granlund-P.Byron
* B.Bollig-M.Stajan-L.Bouma
Pairings
* M.Giordano-T.J.Brodie
* K.Russell-D.Wideman
* L.Smid-D.Engelland
Goalies
* K.Ramo
* J.Hiller
Injuries
* C Joe Colborne (wrist), C Mikael Backlund (abdomen), LW Mason
Raymond (shoulder)
Avs player to watch
Tyson Barrie – With a glittering assortment of forwards at their disposal,
guess who’s leading the Avs in scoring? That’s right, this 23-year-old
defenceman from Victoria, who’s collected 19 points in 25 outings.
Lines
* A.Tanguay-M.Duchene-R.O’Reilly
* G.Landeskog-N.MacKinnon-J.Iginla
* M.Talbot-M.Sgarbossa-D.Briere
* C.McLeod-C.Smith-T.Vincour
Pairings
* J.Hejda-E.Johnson
* N.Guenin-T.Barrie
* N.Holden-Z.Redmond
Goalies
* S.Varlamov
* R.Berra
Injuries
* D Brad Stuart (hamstring), D Ryan Wilson (shoulder), C John Mitchell (leg),
C Jesse Winchester (concussion), LW Jamie McGinn (back), RW Dennis
Everberg (shoulder), RW Marc-Andre Cliche (oblique)
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741075
Calgary Flames
Surprising Flames rookie Jooris making a statement
Coaches need workable numbers. They need a plan.
Because some players deserve long looks during autumn’s auditions.
Others? Well, not so much.
So, early in Calgary Flames camp, Bob Hartley and his chums huddled and
sketched out rough rosters for the upcoming pre-season slate.
Beside No. 86? They pencilled in one game.
Which amounts to a courtesy peek. Nothing more.
Josh Jooris, equal parts moxie and motion, made that appearance — then
another five.
“When you’re slotted in to play one exhibition,” Hartley says now, “you need
to do real well to open eyes. That’s what he did. The credit goes to him.”
Then and now.
That Jooris’s name is being bandied about well into the National Hockey
League’s second quarter is not happenstance.
Against the Arizona Coyotes the night before, the speedy rookie, operating
with Jiri Hudler and Johnny Gaudreau, scored three times in a 5-2 victory.
“He’s been unbelievable,” says Hartley. “So much fun to work with. He brings
passion. Everyday he wants to work.”
But not necessarily stand in the spotlight.
Jooris, once again engulfed by reporters, seemed a tad sheepish. Especially
when Hartley’s story about those (low-level) pre-season expectations is
relayed to him.
“I try not to think about outside factors,” says Jooris, 24. “I don’t try to defy
odds or whatever. I just try to do my thing out there. Just be myself. Details
are important on this team. If I can manage to do those little things right, the
overall game, it comes.
“So I try not to think too far ahead … but, yeah, things have been going well.”
After starting the campaign in Adirondack – he’d been the final cut in Calgary
– Jooris has collected 12 points, including eight goals, for the Flames.
Not exactly tiptoeing onto the scene, he’s taken a first-star bow in Montreal.
And another one Tuesday at the Saddledome.
“It’s a dream – I’m loving it,” says the likeable (and undrafted) native of
Burlington, Ont. “It’s been unbelievable. It’s been even better that this team is
where we’re at today. It’s a fun time.
“Each day I get more comfortable here.”
Which isn’t to say that he’s putting his feet up.
“As soon as you start thinking, ‘Wow, I’m doing a good job,’ you slip a bit.”
Slippage, so far, has been minimal.
Hartley was recently raving about the kid’s low-maintenance nature.
“We don’t even have to go to him to show him some video — he comes to
us,” the coach was saying last month. “(Nov. 4 at Washington), there was a
four-on-four where he got mixed up. He came to me and said, ‘Can you show
me this shift?’ When you’re a player and you make a mistake and you
recognize it right away? It speaks a lot about your hockey sense.”
Including on-ice scenarios, Jooris is getting accustomed to all facets of NHL
life.
Stuck in a high-traffic zone — closest stall to the dressing-room door — he is
used to seeing reporters trundle past. Now microphones and television
cameras are stopping in front of him for peppering sessions.
Wednesday, he got asked about his stick pattern (“Pretty standard, generic
… you can get it in stores, nothing special at all”), his belongings in
Adirondack (“I didn’t bring much, so I’ve had to do some shopping”), father
Mark’s playing career (“Sixteen years of pro, so he knows what it’s like”),
texts from well-meaning but oh-so inquisitive friends (“It’s hard to block that
out”), having eight goals already after netting only 11 in a full season in the
AHL (“I’m not too sure, I don’t really have an answer”).
All of this, kind of new.
“I’ve never really experienced this much attention,” says Jooris. “That part of
it is pretty cool. It’s what you dream about.”
As much as that dream appears to have been fulfilled overnight, the
unheralded centre been solid more than a year ago, at the 2013 camp.
“I’ve been really pleased,” John Weisbrod, then assistant general manager,
had said. “He didn’t come in like a wide-eyed rookie. He doesn’t take a back
seat to anybody. He came into camp like, ‘Here I am. Deal with me.’ You
don’t normally see that with younger guys. He’s relentless. He just keeps
coming.”
Giving Weisbrod the heads-up had been Mike Addesa, who had coached
Jooris’s dad at R.P.I. in the mid-1980s: “He said, ‘John, you need to go to
Union (College). The son of one of my former players is there. His name is
Josh Jooris. I think you’re going to like him.’ ”
Weisbrod, then with Boston, did like Jooris and invited him to the Bruins’
summer camp.
When Weisbrod joined the Flames, he convinced Jooris to come here.
“We felt like he was a guy that was under the radar,” Weisbrod said then,
“because he was at a school that played a real defensive style, a real
conservative system, and I knew he was an offensive player.”
741076
Calgary Flames
Beliveau 'epitomized the meaning of grace' — Al MacNeil
Few vantage points, for Al MacNeil, were left unexplored.
After all, he lined up against Jean Beliveau. Played alongside Beliveau. And
coached Beliveau in the legend’s final season in the National Hockey
League.
So consider MacNeil’s eloquent — and educated — take on the man.
“He epitomized the meaning of grace,” MacNeil said at the Saddledome on
Wednesday, the morning after Beliveau, at age 83, died. “He really was a
fluid guy on the ice. He looked the part … if you were going to draw up a
picture of what a hockey player should be, Beliveau would fit that role
perfectly.
“He had an aura about him that made you look at him and say, ‘It’s nice to be
around him.’ The way he presented himself to the public is exactly the way he
was. You always say the way you are at home is the way you are. He was like
that.
“(But) he was someone you were always leery of when you played against
him because he was so good, had such big range.”
But when Beliveau was on your side, like he was for MacNeil in 1970-71, you
loved him.
With MacNeil at the helm, with Beliveau as the team’s leading scorer, the
Montreal Canadiens captured the Stanley Cup.
“Geez, he was totally a team-oriented type of individual,” said MacNeil. “He
never worried about himself, but he was always worried about the younger
guys on the club. He’d always come to you to make sure they all got their
meal money.
“Beliveau was a hell of a captain. A great captain. I really enjoyed my time
working with him.”
The Trois-Rivieres, Que., native, at age 39, finished his storied career with
1,219 points in 1,125 games — and another 176 points in 162 post-season
appearances.
“If you’re playing a pro sport, the big thing is your longevity,” said MacNeil, a
part of the Flames family since grabbing the coaching reins in 1979. “I always
had a rule — if you could play 10, 11 years, you’re a good player. When these
guys (like Beliveau) go 11, 15, 17, 18 years, they’re really special individuals,
you know. And he was top of the class.
“Just an unbelievable individual. And he made the game better … with all the
changes in the players’ association and all that stuff, just a solid rock to
protect the players. He was a good guy.”
A good guy, sure.
But for others? Royalty.
In recent years, Bob Hartley had the privilege of spending quality time with
“Mr. Beliveau,” as peers in the world of professional hockey.
But mention that name and the face of the Flames’ coach lights up.
“I remember I was 11 years old and my dad told me that we were doing the
drive from Hawkesbury (Ont.) to Montreal to go and see the Canadiens,”
started Hartley. “It was only my second or third visit to the Forum … and I was
lucky enough to see Jean Beliveau score his 500th goal.”
Later, as bench boss of the Colorado Avalanche, he got to witness Joe
Sakic’s 500th.
No disrespect to Sakic, added Hartley, “but I can’t remember his goal. And I
could replay Jean Beliveau’s goal on Gilles Gilbert, faking him and sliding
that puck on the backhand. That goal is engraved in my head. For me, that’s
the most memorable goal as a kid.”
Now Beliveau is gone.
As are Pat Quinn, Viktor Tikhonov, Murray Oliver.
“It’s a very sad time,” said Hartley. “We’ve lost quite a few big names in our
game in the last few days.”
741077
Calgary Flames
Arena debate: Why it matters that the Flames owners are billionaires, and
why it doesn't
“It’s not like these billionaires and millionaires don’t have the money!” one
wrote.
“If the owners who are billionaires feel a new structure is needed, they can
afford to foot the costs themselves,” another Calgarian wrote.
The richest Calgary Flames owners
JASON MARKUSOFF, CALGARY HERALD
This came up within Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s office, though not by the mayor
himself.
There’s a problem with any attempt by the Calgary Flames to get public
assistance to build their new arena, and it’s a problem with nine zeroes at the
end of it.
“It’s also important to note that at least two of the six Flames owners are
billionaires (and three are among the wealthiest 100 individuals on Canada),”
wrote Josh White, a mayor’s policy analyst, to his boss and colleagues, in
January 2013.
It’s not that an arena will run $1,000,000,000 — unless Flames CEO Ken
King has something cooked up that’s twice as big as Edmonton’s next
hockey palace.
It’s the billion-dollar net worth of some team owners, and how the billionaire
factor can influence the conversation — and already has, in Calgary’s
nascent arena debate, from petition drives to the mayor’s office.
“We should support the Flames voluntarily by buying tickets, not by forcing
taxpayers to subsidize billionaires who pay dozens of millionaires,” stated a
Canadian Taxpayers Federation letter to supporters in June, after Flames
executive Brian Burke spoke about the need to replace the 31-year-old
Scotiabank Saddledome.
That message prompted many of the 199 emails city councillors received
about the arena — 198 of them opposed to public subsidy for an arena,
according to documents the Herald obtained under Freedom of Information
rules.
He listed owner Edwards and Riddell, along with estimates of their worth,
along with Allan Markin’s (under $1 billion).
“I’m sure the other 3 aren’t that far off. They need taxpayer help,” White
added, according to city hall correspondence the Herald obtained.
This line of argument was rehashed this past June, after Burke mused
publicly about the “embarrassing” old Saddledome.
“No reason why the Flames can’t build one themselves,” wrote Chima
Nkemdirim, Nenshi’s chief of staff.
White replied, copying the mayor and all fellow aides: “Agreed – Clay
Riddell’s increase in net worth from 2012-2013 ($400m) alone could pay for a
new arena. That’s just the increase in his $3b+ in wealth!! – let alone the
other 5 owners.”
Alvin Libin, Jeffrey McCaig and Byron Seaman round out the ownership
group.
Here’s the thing, though. To the taxpayer federation’s own thinking, a
for-profit sports franchise shouldn’t get public aid, regardless of how wealthy
an owner is, vice-president Scott Hennig acknowledges. But it understands
the public’s emotional response to someone who can afford to buy a
professional hockey team asking for government help.
White’s numbers correspond with Canadian Business magazine’s rankings
from its Rich 100 list.
“Being able to say he’s a billionaire and he wants your money — and you’re
not a billionaire — is powerful for us to use, regardless of whether it matters,”
Hennig said.
In another email exchange last year, Nkemdirim showed how frustration can
flare, even for somebody who’s an experienced corporate lawyer. Aides
shared “inevitable” news that the Katz Group was pressuring Edmonton city
council into adding money into the arena deal. The mayor’s senior aide
expressed some sympathy for his Edmonton counterparts.
The conservative advocate watched with disappointment as Edmonton city
council, after years of wrangling, agreed last year to borrow $480 million for
the downtown Rogers Place, and approve a plan to repay it with $279 million
of future tax proceeds, parking revenue and other civic sources.
The cost-sharing deal would have wrapped sooner if the previous group of
more than 30 community investors had still owned the Oilers, Hennig
reckons. Pharmacy mogul Daryl Katz became the Oilers owner in 2008 and
was leading the arena bid. In the many media accounts of the arena, the term
“billionaire” was never far from Katz’s name, as though it was an honorific. Or
like an epithet, in online news comments, letters to the editor, and
occasionally from the mouths of politicians relaying their constituents’ beefs.
On both occasions, White’s remarks drew no written reply, according to
documents the Herald received.
“Yikes. I hate rich people…” Nkemdirim quipped in a one-line reply. This
email chain did not refer to the Flames ownership group, and ended there.
There’s a danger in getting into an analysis of personal wealth, said David
Taras, an expert in political communication.
“As soon as you’re pointing fingers, saying this guy’s a rich guy and he
doesn’t give enough to this, I think that’s bad politics,” the Mount Royal
University professor said. “Any time you’re at that level, it’s really
counterproductive.”
“They tell me this is too much corporate welfare going to a billionaire. I cannot
in good conscience support this deal,” now-former Edmonton councillor
Kerry Diotte said last year, before launching an unsuccessful campaign for
mayor.
It probably matters more what the Flames club is worth, Taras added. Forbes
Magazine’s annual NHL team valuations, released last week, pegged the
Flames value at $451 million — 13th-highest in the league, and up seven per
cent since last year. The magazine’s team profile focused on the aging
Saddledome.
Few other councillors used that rhetoric about a project they saw value in,
said Dan Mason, a University of Alberta sport management professor who
advised the city on arena financing options.
Asked about the wealthy owner factor, Flames CEO Ken King pointed out the
business accomplishments and Calgary philanthropy of his sextet of bosses.
“With the City of Edmonton, they always approached that as what is the
amount we’re willing to pay to get what we want in return,” Mason said. “How
much money the Katz Group was making was less important.”
The Detroit Red Wings’ $450-million US arena, to open in 2017, is being built
mainly with downtown property taxes. The deal with the billionaire owner of
the team and Little Caesars Pizza occurred the same year the city plunged
into bankruptcy. It wasn’t just critics who pointed out this contrast; business
outlets such as Bloomberg noted it in headlines.
In Calgary, six men co-own the Flames and most other pro sports teams in
town. Of them, Clayton Riddell and partnership chairman Murray Edwards
reportedly have net worths above $2 billion, according to a recent Forbes
report. The owners’ wealth, and the lesser fortunes of the Flames players,
often played a role in residents’ strident letters to councillors about potential
taxpayer support.
“Last time I looked, being successful was a virtue,” King said in an interview.
Calgary Flames President Ken King sits and watches the Flames play from
behind the net on November 20, 2014.
Calgary Flames President Ken King (lower left) watches the Flames play on
November 20, 2014.
Colleen De Neve / Calgary Herald
He told the Herald an arena project will be proposed as a “public-private”
venture of a blend he’ll announce at a time of the Flames’ choosing. But he
suggested the owners group will ante up, and “everyone will be very satisfied
that all interests are represented financially.”
It’s politically difficult to be seen giving money to someone the public feels
does not deserve it, Mason said. But public frustration with the wealthy
owners and players is a uniquely Canadian phenomenon, he observed.
“In the U.S., people don’t begrudge athletes for making money,” Mason said.
“If a hockey player has a bad game, people are leaving the arena
complaining about the fact he’s making six million dollars a year. Whereas if
you go to a movie, and Cameron Diaz is in a bad movie, you don’t say ‘I can’t
believe she got $20 million for that.'”
741078
Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames' Josh Jooris still living out of suitcase 0
BY WES GILBERTSON, CALGARY SUN
Turns out, it’s not just the newshounds who want to know.
Josh Jooris’ pals have also been wondering whether the Calgary Flames’
higher-ups have instructed the 24-year-old centre to find a permanent place
in Cowtown.
The answer is ‘No.’
Not yet, anyway.
Jooris, who had a hat-trick in Tuesday’s 5-2 triumph over the Arizona
Coyotes at the Saddledome, is still crashing at a downtown hotel.
“You get all these texts — all of your friends and buddies are like, ‘Are you
getting a place? Are you staying there?’ ” Jooris said after Monday’s practice.
“It’s just hard to kind of block that out. I don’t like to think about that stuff, with
karma or just jinxing …
“As soon as you let up and start thinking, ‘Wow, I’m doing a good job,’ you
slip a bit.”
Without a doubt, Jooris is doing a good job.
In 19 NHL outings since his early-season summons from the AHL’s
Adirondack Flames, the speedy forward has eight goals and four assists.
Thing is he’s trying not to think about that, either.
“I haven’t been focused on points or scoring or anything, and I think that’s
what has helped me,” Jooris said. “I just want to go out there and get the
coaches trusting me and just be reliable. Things have been working out
offensively, so I’ll take it.”
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741079
Calgary Flames
Grey Cup championship adds fuel to Calgary Flames fire 2
eric-francis BY ERIC FRANCIS, CALGARY SUN
Bo Levi Mitchell, to absolutely no one’s surprise, was right on the mark
Tuesday night when handed the mic as part of the Calgary Flames pre-game
salute to the Grey Cup-winning Calgary Stampeders.
“How does it feel to be a sports fan in Calgary?” the Stamps quarterback
asked rhetorically, drawing one in a lengthy string of roars from the Cowtown
crowd.
Pointing out his adopted hometown was now home to the Grey Cup champs
and perhaps the most exciting young team in the NHL, Mitchell and his
appreciative teammates then retreated to the stands where they too got a
taste of the type of excitement they had provided the locals all season long.
These are heady times in Calgary.
Throw in the Hitmen, who are off to a typically solid 15-11-1-2 start, and it’s
evident Mitchell’s point is bang on — it’s good being a fan of the boys in red
these days.
The football team just had thousands out to celebrate the perfect ending to
the Year of the Horse, and the Flames have become must-watch TV every
time they play as they just don’t give up.
People are so jacked up about this group few bothered to notice or mention
the former face of the franchise, Jarome Iginla, is returning to the Dome
Thursday for just the second time since his emotional departure in March
2013.
Since then, the town’s come a long way from wondering just how many years
it would be post-Iggy/Miikka Kiprusoff before the Flames would get back on
the road to respectability.
With all the youngsters playing such inspiring hockey under the leadership of
Bob Hartley and Mark Giordano, it appears the Flames skipped that road
altogether and are merging onto the freeway of good fortune.
While the debate rages on as to whether these young guns can translate this
early euphoria into a playoff spot, the focus for locals should revolve entirely
around enjoying the ride.
After all, as Flames president Ken King always likes to remind people, “all
this was ever meant to be was for fun.”
The Flames and the Stamps are in the entertainment industry, and, dammit,
they’re both pretty darn good at that right now.
Few teams are more fun to watch than Bob’s Bunch.
Case in point, the Flames lead the NHL’s Western Conference in goals
scored.
Yes, you read that right.
Even management wondered aloud two months back just how they’d
manage to replace the likes of Iginla and Mike Cammalleri. No worries —
they’ve hired a young committee of 18 to do that nightly, focusing intently on
posting most of those goals in the all-important third period, to boot.
So far this year, the Flames have already produced five third-period
comeback wins of which several came at the Dome, producing dramatic
pinch-me moments few fans in attendance will ever forget.
In a sports world in which every team and every athlete is pegged inextricably
to expectations, the city is jacked about a team many understood would need
time to rebuild. And while even the players would admit they never fathomed
being a win away from top spot in the west standings, one used to wonder if
the players were having much fun in all this.
That is until they saw the smile Josh Jooris’ face after potting his first career
NHL hat-trick Tuesday.
“It’s magic for us, too,” confirmed Hartley.
“For sure, I’m having a blast. I catch myself three or four times a week, with
you guys, telling you I love this bunch.
The guys practise, they’re loose, they’re having fun …
It’s fun — on the roller-coaster, we’re just at the top of the first hill. There’s
lots of curves ahead, but the kids are yelling in that room and having fun.
That’s how this game should be.”
Asked if this was the most rewarding bunch he’s ever coached, Hartley cited
the comeback win over the mighty Anaheim Ducks two weeks back.
“We got in to the room, and I said, ‘It was like back in the days in Colorado
when we were winning big playoff games,’” said Hartley who guided
Thursday’s visitors, the Avs, to the 2001 Stanley Cup.
“I know we can count on our fans, too. Against Anaheim, down 2-0, I said if
we get one goal, this building will be on fire. And suddenly the ball started to
roll.”
Oh, it’s rolling alright.
Enjoy it Calgary while the bounces keep going your way.
741080
Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames' Bob Hartley on cusp of 400 NHL wins as head coach 0
just crazy. So I said to her, ‘This is my last game. We’ll probably get beat, and
it’s over.’ ”
It didn’t quite turn out that way.
That’s why Hartley also owes thanks to former Hawks rearguard Robert
Haddock.
BY WES GILBERTSON, CALGARY SUN
Bob Hartley’s buddies thought he was bonkers.
And, when you hear the Calgary Flames head coach recount the details, you
can hardly blame them.
It was June of 1988, and a 27-year-old Hartley — with a mortgage and two
young mouths to feed — informed his co-workers at a windshield plant in his
hometown of Hawkesbury, Ont., that he’d just submitted his resignation to
become the head coach of the local Junior A hockey squad.
“(Haddock) scored with about a minute-and-a-half to go, and we won the
game,” Hartley said. “And that game, it was just like someone gave me a
needle of coaching adrenaline. I said, ‘Wow, this job is fun. That’s what I want
to do.’
“We went to Pembroke, and they beat us in Game 5, but that win really
hooked me. A week later, I called Jacques, and I said, ‘I’d like to do a
year-end meeting with you.’ I gave him the report, and I said, ‘I don’t know
where you’re at in your coaching search, but I’d like to put my name in ...’
“He started to laugh. He said, ‘What coaching search? I never talked to
nobody.’ ”
“They couldn’t believe it,” Hartley recalled. “The Hawks had missed the
playoffs for I don’t know how many years. We were a bottom-feeder.
The job was his. Hundreds of wins later, including 399 of ’em at the NHL
level, he is still at it.
“My partners knew that I didn’t drink or didn’t do any drugs, but one of my
good friends, the next morning, went to see my wife to say, ‘Is there anything
wrong with Bob? Did he start to drink? He’s going to quit this job to go
coach?!?’
Under Hartley’s watch, the Flames have earned a reputation as one of the
NHL’s hardest working squads.
“I said, ‘I’m quitting because I’m coaching the Hawks, but I’ll bring back the
Stanley Cup to the plant.’ That’s the line that threw them off-guard. They
thought that I was crazy.”
Turns out, they were wrong.
In 2001, after leading the star-studded Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup
crown, Hartley returned to that PPG Industries plant to show off the shiny
silverware to his pals.
On Thursday, when the Flames welcome Jarome Iginla and the Avs to the
Saddledome (7 p.m., Sportsnet One/Sportsnet 960 The Fan), Hartley has an
opportunity to become just the 33rd member of the NHL’s 400-win club, a
tally that only includes regular-season victories.
Of those, he’ll probably be the only guy who had to be tricked into his first
head-coaching gig.
Back in ’87, Hartley was serving as the Hawks’ volunteer goalie coach, a post
he insisted should be unpaid because he was scheduled for evening shifts at
the plant every third week and, as a result, would miss practices on those
nights.
After the team dropped four straight games to open the ’87-88 Central Junior
A Hockey League season, Hawks president Jacques Tranchemontagne
asked Hartley to take charge.
“He came to me and said, ‘Hey, the kids want you to coach.’ I said ‘Are you
crazy?’ ” Hartley recalled. “I had two babies, I was working at the plant ... I
had zero interest.”
Tranchemontagne, though, was persistent.
After the Hawks’ losing slide reached eight games, he approached Hartley
again. This time, with news he had just fired the current skipper.
That’s fitting, since their 54-year-old bench boss realized early on that if he
wanted to achieve his far-fetched goal, he would have to outwork everybody
along the way.
“I told my wife, ‘Is it OK if I quit the factory? Because I want to coach, and I
want to coach in the NHL,’ ” Hartley said. “It was maybe more a dream or
maybe a stupid phrase I never should have said. But in the back of my mind,
I knew it would not make sense to quit the factory to go coach Junior A.
“For my decision to make sense, I needed to make other steps. I had to go all
in.”
Since his post as head coach of the Hawks wouldn’t cover the bills, Hartley
worked side jobs as a landscaper, a car salesman, an assistant GM of a radio
station and even sold tractor parts.
After guiding the Hawks to a pair of CJHL titles, he was hired by the QMJHL’s
Laval Titan. He didn’t want to relocate his family — the Titan had, after all,
been through seven coaches in the two previous seasons — so he made the
75-minute drive from Hawkesbury and sometimes would sleep in his office.
He kept winning, though.
He claimed a QMJHL championship in his second campaign in Laval, led the
AHL’s Hershey Bears to a Calder Cup in 1997 and, after stints with the Avs
and Atlanta Thrashers, added a Swiss League title to his resume.
Despite his insistence that “the only person who comes to the Saddledome to
watch me is my wife,” Hartley certainly deserves some of the credit for the
Flames’ impressive start this season, which sees them hanging around the
top of the NHL’s Western Conference standings with a 16-8-2 record.
It’s believed he will soon be rewarded with a contract extension.
“Coaching is not work. Coaching is fun,” Hartley said. “Maybe it’s because of
my days in the plant. I have the utmost respect for those people because I
know about working in heat or working in cold, the long hours and everything.
“He said, ‘I have a coach — a guy from Montreal — but he can’t be here for
two or three weeks,’ ” Hartley said. “He said, ‘You’re my buddy. You have to
coach.’ I didn’t even have a 2-on-1 drill, but I told him, ‘OK, I’ll help you for two
or three weeks.’ Long story short, two or three weeks, the coach is not there
... It lasted the entire year.
“All of my buddies that tried to convince me of not going to coach because the
plant was safe ... well ... that plant shut down.”
“I had fun,” Hartley added. “But it’s tough to say I had fun because I didn’t
know what I was doing and I knew I wasn’t helping the kids. I was trying, but
I had no experience. I had no tools.”
The Flames have reassigned C Corban Knight to AHL Adirondack, and it’s
possible C Matt Stajan (knee) could return to the lineup for Thursday’s tilt
with the Avalanche.
The Hawks earned a playoff spot despite winning just nine times that winter,
but their season seemed likely to end with a first-round sweep.
Hartley, who had admittedly been “counting the games,” was ready to hand
over his whistle.
“Before Game 4, we were down 3-0, and I told my wife, (Micheline), in the
morning, ‘I am coaching my last game,’ ” Hartley said. “I helped my friend all
year and I kept working shift work, changing shifts and everything ... It was
And Hartley is still winning hockey games.
Ice chips
741081
Carolina Hurricanes
Sekera, Ward held out of practice
Posted by Chip Alexander on December 3, 2014 Updated 12 hours ago
There were two noticeable absences Wednesday at the Canes' practice at
PNC Arena: Andrej Sekera and Cam Ward.
Sekera blocked a shot by the Nashville Predators' James Neal in the final
seconds of the Canes' 2-1 victory Tuesday. Ward started in net and had 32
saves.
Canes coach Bill Peters said he expected Sekera would be able to play
Thursday against the Washington Capitals, but said the defenseman would
have further medical evaluation before a final decision was made.
On Ward, Peters said, "He's a little sore, so we thought it was the perfect
opportunity to give him a little rest. He'll try tomorrow, too, and if he's good to
go he'll play. If not we'll go the other way."
That would mean going with Anton Khudobin in net. Khudobin started against
the Caps in the Nov. 8 game in Washington, stopping 35 shots in a 4-3
overtime loss.
The Canes have won two of their last three, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins
4-2 on the road and then topping the Preds in a tight game. The two victories
were sandwiched around a 3-2 loss to the Pens on Saturday at PNC Arena.
After a review of the game video from Tuesday, Peters said, "I thought it was
a real good game, to be honest with you. It was real fast. I think everybody
felt they played real well. They were gapped up. There wasn't a lot of room for
the forwards.
"The one thing we'll go over a little bit here tomorrow is the neutral zone.
There was a couple of breakdowns in the neutral zone. We can clean that up,
but other than that I thought we played well."
The Caps (10-10-4) have lost their last two games and four of the last five
(1-3-1). Vancouver topped the Caps 4-3 Tuesday in Washington, as the
Caps allowed three power-play goals for the second consecutive game.
"They gave us a hard time in their building," Peters said. "We've got to get off
to a good start. They're a big, heavy team and they've got some skill. They've
got some guys who can finish.
"We need to play similar to the way we did last night and generate a little
more offense consistently throughout the game."
The Canes' lines remained the same from the Preds game: Eric Staal
centering Jiri Tlusty and Elias Lindholm, Riley Nash with Nathan Gerbe and
Alex Semin, Victor Rask with Jeff Skinner and Andrej Nestrasil and Jay
McClement centering Zach Boychuk and Pat Dwyer, with Brad Malone
rotating in.
News Observer LOADED: 12.04.2014
741082
Chicago Blackhawks
Laudably, Blackhawks put Corey Crawford out front to explain injury
David Haugh
Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane celebrates after his goal against the
Blues during the third period of their game at United Center,
Corey Crawford's absence due to off-ice incident unwelcome but unlikely to
deter Hawks.
Blackhawks goalie was playing better than ever but team playing well
enough to overcome his loss.
Of all the teams in town likely to hurt themselves by skipping a step on the
way to a championship, the Blackhawks would be at the bottom of the list.
Yet there the Hawks were Wednesday night at the United Center, in front of a
home crowd for the first time 17 days, beating the Blues 4-1 without goalie
Corey Crawford after he tripped on some stairs Monday night at a concert.
Despite the rousing victory, Crawford in a walking boot complicates matters
more than the time he put his foot in his mouth on a Grant Park stage in June
2013. That was funny. But nobody at 1901 W. Madison was laughing after an
off-ice injury left the Hawks without their No. 1 goalie for up to three weeks.
Wednesday's recap: Blackhawks 4, Blues 1
Chris Kuc
If the Hawks considered Crawford's mishap the type of accident that could
have happened to anybody, wouldn't coach Joel Quenneville have been the
lone voice heard? Chances are the team's public explanation would have
been limited to the words "lower-body injury." That's how the Hawks, like
most NHL teams, typically describe sprains and strains and twists and
breaks. Medically speaking, they routinely stay as vague as the puck is cold
and would rather talk about their feelings than injuries.
Instead, the Hawks compelled Crawford to face reporters to share the tale,
leaving his face almost as red as his No. 50 sweater. There was no hiding
Crawford in the training room or sneaking him out the back door hidden from
the cameras and microphones. A team with championship standards that
preaches accountability decided to practice it with one of its stars. How
refreshing that the Hawks concluded Crawford had some explaining to do.
"I was at a concert the other day and was on the way out and missed a step,''
Crawford said. "I didn't think it was that bad. I got up the next day and it was
worse than I thought. I'm pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated.''
This is how a professional team sends a message about the professionalism
it expects without a coach or executive saying a word. This is how a franchise
gets in front of a story in today's 24/7 social-media age, by having the player
involved tell his version, even if it raises more questions. This is part of what
helps make the Blackhawks an organization others in the NHL, and our city,
envy.
Reports claimed Crawford went to the House of Blues to see Rise Against,
which sounds like a band full of Canucks and Predators formed to induce
Blackhawks injuries. Asked if alcohol was involved in the injury to his left foot
— a natural question and assumption – Crawford guarded information like he
was defending the blue paint. That was telling.
"I'm not going to talk about the details,'' Crawford said. "I just want to get
better, man.''
Welp... I've certainly tripped on a flight of stairs. Both with and without a beer
assist.
That's the worst thing about the timing of Crawford's ill-fated night on the
town: It would be hard to find a stretch in his career when the Hawks goalie
has played any better. He had started 14 straight games and was 12-5-1 on
the season with a 1.87 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. He
was the impenetrable Corey Crawford.
Through one quarter of the season, in fact, no aspect of the Hawks' game
has been stronger than their goaltending. Goalie coach Jimmy Waite is the
assistant with the smile from blue line-to-blue line.
Antti Raanta took advantage of his first Crawford-less opportunity by winning
his first game since Oct. 21 and shaking off a rusty start against the rival
Blues, "the new Vancouver Canucks,'' according to Jonathan Toews.
Raanta's enthusiasm — and inexperience — showed during one
second-period sequence that found him chasing a puck at the blue line. He
persevered.
But then Raanta must perform well with Scott Darling looming large on the
bench — very large. Darling, an intriguing 6-foot-6, 232-pound wall, earned
Quenneville's trust by winning two of three starts during his October call-up.
He gives Coach Q another potential answer.
The Hawks continue to find them, no matter who's missing. They went 8-3
without forward Patrick Sharp, who likely returns Friday from a lower-body
injury that didn't require first-person elaboration. How an All-Star like Sharp
fits on a Stanley Cup-caliber team successfully rolling all four lines
represents the pleasant problems that often confront Quenneville.
"We like tough decisions,'' Quenneville said afterward.
Remember when fans would have applauded sitting Kris Versteeg? Not now
with Versteeg, the Hawks' hottest player, victimizing opponents on a sizzling
second line that includes vintage Patrick Kane and a revived Brad Richards.
Richards recalibrated his game to Western Conference speed after a slow
start.
Suddenly, The Great Scoring Drought of November seems more like a year
ago than a month. The Blackhawks look poised to make as strong of a
statement to the rest of the West as they did on and off the ice Wednesday.
Provided they watch their step.
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 12.04.2014
741083
Chicago Blackhawks
Goalie Corey Crawford's misstep gives Antti Raanta chance to step up
By Chris Kuc,
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford sidelined two-to-three weeks with
foot injury.
Antti Raanta and Scott Darling will fill in for injured Blackhawks goaltender
Corey Crawford.
On a day he should have been facing the Blues in an effort to keep the
Blackhawks rolling, goaltender Corey Crawford instead faced the media to
explain why he was wearing a walking boot.
Crawford will be sidelined two to three weeks with a left foot injury he said
was suffered when he missed a step leaving a concert recently.
"I didn't think it was that bad, but I woke up the next day and it was worse than
I thought," Crawford said..
Patrick Kane speaks after Blackhawks' 4-1 victory
"I'm pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated. Things were going really well.
Right now, I'm just thinking about trying to get back as quickly as possible
and make sure I'm right back where I was (when) I left off."
Crawford likely would have faced the Blues on Wednesday night at the
United Center in his 15th consecutive start but backup Antti Raanta instead
got the call and backstopped the Hawks to a 4-1 victory. Raanta made 40
saves to improve to 2-2-0 on the season.
"I was ready to play," Raanta said. "The first couple of (Blues) shots were two
posts. Our guys were helping me a lot. There were a couple of rebounds
straight to the middle and they battled and took the puck away."
Scott Darling was recalled from Rockford on Tuesday and served as
Raanta's backup.
"It's a tough bounce for me," said Crawford, who has a 12-5-1 record, 1.87
goals-against average and .929 save percentage this season. "I feel pretty
bad about it, especially (because) we have some tough games coming up
against some division rivals. It's pretty tough to swallow right now."
It is a significant blow for a Hawks team that had hit its stride with eight
victories in 10 games entering Wednesday with much of the success credited
to Crawford's strong play. With winger Patrick Sharp's return from a right
knee injury imminent, the Hawks were nearly injury-free.
"That's the nature of the season and the business — I know that there are
always good and bad times," coach Joel Quenneville said. "There are always
some things you can't predict, but that's all part of it. I think having the depth
organizationally and guys pushing one another for more ice time is a healthy
situation to be in, and then when you go through periods like that, hopefully
you don't miss a beat."
To do so, the Hawks will rely on Raanta and Darling to get the job done. The
former had not played in an NHL game since Oct. 25 before facing the Blues
but says he's prepared to take the reins until Crawford's return.
"That's why I'm here," Raanta said. "You always try to get your chances, and
when you get your chance you try to be the best guy."
Raanta said he is better-equipped mentally to play a larger role than as a
rookie last season.
"Last year … you went to different places and it was the first time on the road
so you were always thinking a little bit too much," Raanta said. "You always
want to play the perfect game and every time when somebody scores it felt
like the world was ending. Now it's a little bit different. You learn something
different about yourself."
Darling is entering his second stint with the Hawks after playing three games
when Crawford was sidelined with an upper-body injury in late October.
"It's a little bit less nerve-wracking than the first time," Darling said. "I'm
excited and happy to be here."
Crawford's teammates said they have confidence in whichever goalie mans
the crease.
"We've had three goaltenders play some good hockey for us," captain
Jonathan Toews said. "Injuries happen. Whether it's your goaltenders or key
players on your team, you find ways to play without those guys, and we'll do
the same in this situation."
741084
Chicago Blackhawks
Wednesday's recap: Blackhawks 4, Blues 1
By Chris Kuc,
Patrick Kane had two goals, Kris Versteeg added a goal and two assists and
Marcus Kruger also scored as the Blackhawks thumped the Blues 4-1 on
Wednesday night at the United Center. Antti Raanta earned the victory in
goal as the Hawks won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. Jake Allen
suffered the loss in goal for the Blues, getting only an Ian Cole goal for
offensive support.
Helping hand
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford on how he suffered his left foot
injury.
Kruger opened the scoring for the Hawks with his fourth goal of the season
and it came off a terrific individual effort from teammate Brandon Saad. Saad
won a puck battle with Cole in the neutral zone to create a two-on-one and
Kruger finished it.
Killing time
The Hawks killed all six Blues power plays and have allowed only six goals
while down a man in 75 opponents' chances (92 percent).
Tribune's three stars
1. Versteeg: Was flying all game and now has four goals and 10 assists in
last eight games.
2. Kane: After two scores, he leads team with 12.
3. Kruger: In addition to a goal, he helped man the penalty kill unit that shut
down Blues.
The quote
"You have to commend our penalty killers and Antti as well. They kept us in
the game and at the end of the night it was kind of the way we played for most
of the (recent road) trip." — Hawks coach Joel Quenneville
Big number
40: Saves by Raanta as he improved to 2-2-0 on the season.
Roster report
Healthy scratches for the Hawks included winger Jeremy Morin and
defenseman Adam Clendening. Winger Patrick Sharp missed his 12th
consecutive game with a right knee injury. Sitting for the Blues were Jay
Bouwmeester (groin), Joakim Lindstrom and Magnus Paajarvi.
Up next
Vs. Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. Friday at the United Center.
741085
Chicago Blackhawks
Martin Brodeur happy to be back in NHL with Blues
By Chris Kuc
Even as he was putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career, Martin
Brodeur realized he might not end it with the Devils.
So while the 42-year-old goaltender acknowledged "it feels weird to put on a
different uniform," the fact Brodeur is continuing his career with the Blues isn't
a complete shock.
"It's something I could see coming the last few years in New Jersey — that it
could have been a possibility," said Brodeur, who served as Jake Allen's
backup Wednesday night against the Hawks at the United Center.
"I'm just glad I'm coming into a great organization with a really good hockey
club in front of me."
After 20-plus seasons in New Jersey during which Brodeur compiled 688
victories — the most in league history — the four-time Vezina Trophy winner
parted ways with the Devils after last season and waited by his phone for
another opportunity. When Brian Elliott went down indefinitely with a knee
injury, the Blues came calling. Brodeur signed a one-year deal with them
Tuesday.
But why not spend his days on the golf course and banquet circuit?
"I love the game," Brodeur said. "I still have the passion to hang out with the
guys and live some experiences. It's hard when it's taken away from you and
you can't compete. That adrenaline is something that's pretty cool. Hopefully,
I'll find that."
What Brodeur craved most was the opportunity to leave on his terms.
"I want to leave this game and wash my hands and say, 'I did it all,'" Brodeur
said. "We built something great in New Jersey and I'm going to see another
organization for a year or two or whatever. This is what I wanted. In my prime
that was not the way I was thinking (but) the older I got I was intrigued about
seeing other things. I want to stay in hockey after I'm done and seeing
another organization and … different conference, I think it's going to be good
for me."
741086
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks' Corey Crawford to miss 2-3 weeks after foot injury at concert
By Chris Kuc
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford will be sidelined from two to three
weeks because of a foot injury.
Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford will miss the next
two-to-three weeks because of a left foot injury suffered at a concert.
Crawford, who is wearing a walking boot, said he sustained the injury after
leaving a recent concert.
“I was at a concert the other day and was on the way out and missed a step
and I didn't think it was that bad,” Crawford said. “I woke up the next day and
it was worse than I thought.
Antti Raanta on starting in goal tonight for the Blackhawks vs. the Blues.
"I'm pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated. Things were going really well.
Right now I'm just thinking about trying to get back as quickly as possible and
make sure I'm right back where I was (where) I left off.”
Crawford declined to give any more details about the incident, including
whether alcohol was involved.
Crawford had been scheduled to start against the St. Louis Blues on
Wednesday night at the United Center, but backup Antti Raanta instead will
get the call. Scott Darling was recalled from Rockford of the AHL to serve as
Raanta’s backup.
Always baffles me that us "normal people" injury ourselves working out while
the professional athlete injures himself walking stairs.
Crawford had started the Hawks’ last 14 games and for the season had
compiled a 12-5-1 record, 1.87 goals-against average and .929 save
percentage.
“I'm just focused on getting back, it's a tough bounce for me,” Crawford said.
“I feel pretty bad about it and I just want to be out there playing hockey,
especially (since) we’ve got some tough games coming up against some
division rivals -- some games that I want to be on the ice for. It's pretty tough
to swallow right now. I'm just going to work hard to get better.”
Crawford said he was confident that Raanta and Darling could get the job
done during his absence.
“Really confident,” Crawford said. “Our team has been really good as of late
and I think we've been playing our best hockey so far this year. So those two
guys have shown what they can do and everyone has confidence in them in
the room. So that's definitely not a question. We're playing really well so I
think our team is just going to roll with it.”
When pressed for further details on how he suffered the injury, Crawford
refused to provide them.
“I'm not going to talk about the details,” he said. “I just want to get better,
man.”
741087
Chicago Blackhawks
Kane, Richards, Versteeg line blow open Blackhawks’ win
Mark Lazerus
The Blackhawks are home, and they’re still cooking.
The Hawks – led once again by the PB&K line of Patrick Kane, Brad Richards
and Kris Versteeg — scored three goals in a five-minute span early in the
third period to blow open a tight game and beat the rival St. Louis Blues 4-1
on Wednesday night at the United Center.
The Hawks, who just wrapped up a 5-1-0 circus trip on Saturday, have won
seven of eight games to move within one point of the Blues and Nashville
Predators for first place in the Central Division.
“Great third period for us,” Joel Quenneville said. “That line scored some big
goals on the trip, and some big ones there tonight, as well.”
Versteeg broke a 1-1 tie 59 seconds into the third period just after a power
play expired, taking a Jonathan Toews feed in the slot and one-timing it past
Jake Allen. Versteeg then floated a beautiful saucer pass to Kane for a goal
and a 3-1 lead less than two minutes later. Versteeg then sprung Kane for
another goal less than three minutes after that to seal it.
“We try to stress not to play that way, try to play a simple game,” Kane said.
“[But] with the instincts and skill on this team, sometimes those plays happen.
Couple nice goals again. Seems to be kind of a trend the past few games.”
Indeed, in the eight games the Versteeg-Richards-Kane line has been
together, Kane has seven goals and seven assists, Versteeg has four goals
and 10 assists, and Richards has three goals and five assists.
“When you can come out and play with arguably two Hall of Famers,”
Versteeg said, ‘it’s nice to come out and play my game and help out as much
as I can.”
For 40 sluggish minutes, though, that line was as quiet as everybody else
was. The Hawks didn’t make it easy on Antti Raanta (39 saves) in the early
going as he made his first start since Oct. 25 in the wake of Corey Crawford’s
fateful misstep, which left him in a walking boot and will sideline him two or
three weeks.
The Hawks took penalty after penalty. But once they put Raanta at a
disadvantage, they did a heck of a job helping him out, as the league’s top
penalty-killing unit was 6-for-6 against the Blues’ fifth-ranked power play, led
by Marcus Kruger, who also scored the first goal.
NOTE: Following the game, the Hawks sent defenseman Adam Clendening
to Rockford of the AHL and recalled defenseman Klas Dahlbeck.
Clendening, who scored his first goal on his first shot in his first game in
Calgary to open the circus trip, was a healthy scratch each of the last three
games. Dahlbeck has two goals and four assists in 22 games with Rockford
this season. The Swedish blue-liner was a third-round pick of the Hawks in
2011.
Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 12.04.2014
741088
Chicago Blackhawks
Twitter reacts to Corey Crawford’s concert injury
Dan Cahill
Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford told reporters on Wednesday the “off-ice”
injury to his left foot that will keep him out two to three weeks happened at a
concert.
Instantly, social media wondered in unison—which concert? A source tells
ESPN, Crawford went to see Rise Against at the House of Blues on Monday.
The Twitter reviews of Crawford’s concert appearance:
The most unfortunate part of the Corey Crawford injury is that someone went
to a Rise Against show in 2014.
— Fear The Fin (@fearthefin) December 3, 2014
Over/under on rival NHL arenas who start playing Rise Against songs when
Crawford lets up a goal: 1.5
— Alex Quigley (@alexquigley) December 3, 2014
If we're going to mock Crawford for his music choices, please remember that
Hjalmarsson also likes Rise Against http://t.co/8W2p5vWrgZ
— ChrismahanukwanziKat (@RunsOnDuncan) December 3, 2014
Corey Crawford out 3 weeks after injuring foot at Rise Against concert?
Embarrassing. At least it wasn't Coldplay. No coming back from that.
— Derek Letellier (@dletell) December 3, 2014
741089
Chicago Blackhawks
Toews compares Blues rivalry to old relationship with Canucks
Brian Sandalow
There will never be another rivalry like the one shared by the Blackhawks and
Detroit Red Wings. That one goes back to the 1920s and bonds (or divides)
two sets of passionate fans from rival cities.
But with the Red Wings in the East, there seems to be a never-ending quest
by some people to find a foe to replace Detroit. The St. Louis Blues won’t
replace the Wings, but their rivalry with the Hawks might be more similar to
another of more recent vintage.
“You might say they’re the new Vancouver Canucks, if anything, not the new
Detroit Red Wings. I’ve always said that the rivalry between us and the Red
Wings is mostly between the fans,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “Between
the players there was always some hatred elsewhere.”
That intensity is now directed to the Blues, whom the Hawks dumped out of
the playoffs last season.
“It kind of goes both ways. I don’t think they like us very much, either,” Toews
said. “Every game you know something’s going to happen and it gets
personal more and more as you go along.”
MOURNING A LEGEND
The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday that legend Jean Beliveau
died. Beliveau, 83, was on 10 Stanley Cup winners and was regarded as
both one of the game’s greatest players and people.
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Beliveau “epitomized the word class
every which way.”
“I wasn’t fortunate (enough) to play against the man but you only heard
everybody raves about what kind of a person he was,” Quenneville said. “A
great ambassador for the sport.”
SHARP SOON?
Patrick Sharp, out since suffering a lower-body injury Nov. 4 in Montreal,
skated again Wednesday. Quenneville said “we’ll see” when asked if it’s
possible Sharp would play Friday against the Canadiens.
741090
Chicago Blackhawks
Still passionate for hockey, Brodeur ready to help Blues
Brian Sandalow
Martin Brodeur is with the St. Louis Blues. Let’s repeat that again: Martin
Brodeur is with the St. Louis Blues.
It’s understandable if that sounds bizarre to you, because Brodeur is still
getting used to the idea himself.
“It feels weird, definitely, to put on a different uniform but it’s something that I
could see coming the last few years in New Jersey that it could have been a
possibility,” Brodeur said. “I’m just glad that I’m coming into a great
organization with a really good hockey club in front of me.”
Brodeur officially signed a one-year deal with the Blues on Tuesday after
joining the team on a professional tryout last week. St. Louis needed a goalie
to pair with Jake Allen after starter Brian Elliott went down with a lower-body
injury.
Enter Brodeur, who wasn’t re-signed this summer by the New Jersey Devils
after winning 688 games, the Vezina Trophy four times, and three Stanley
Cup titles. With that resume and his place in the sport’s history secure
Brodeur didn’t need to play again, but his love of the game brought him to the
Blues where he’ll get his share of time alongside Wednesday’s starter Allen.
“I still have that passion to go and hang out with the guys and live some
experiences as far as hockey and being competitive,” Brodeur said. “It’s hard
when it’s taken away from you and you can’t compete. That adrenaline rush
is something that’s pretty cool, so hopefully I’ll find that and have fun with it
this year.”
At 42 and with declining numbers, it’s fair to wonder whether Brodeur has
anything left to give, especially for a top team like the Blues. When asked
about that, Brodeur quipped that he’s “well rested” and also feels good.
“I can’t wait to get games and then see how it’s going to go,” Brodeur said.
“It’s a great situation here. They have two great goalies that are doing real
well as we speak right now, and I’m just glad that I can come in here and
complement the team.”
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville’s sentiments probably reflect what a lot of
hockey fans are thinking about Brodeur in St. Louis.
“It will be unusual to see him in that uniform there, for sure,” Quenneville said.
“He’s had an amazing career and I’m sure that his experience is going to help
the organization and their team. So, we’ll see how it all plays out but certainly
I’m sure they’re excited about him coming to their team.”
741091
Chicago Blackhawks
Anthony Davis rocks a Blackhawks hat on ESPN
Dan Cahill
It’s been a big week, big year for Anthony Davis. The Pelicans forward has
quietly put together some numbers that should place his name in any
intelligent MVP discussion.
The Chicago native had another one of those games on Tuesday when he
posted 25 points, 10 rebounds, six steals, four assists and four blocks in
leading the Pelicans past the Thunder 114-106 on a night when reigning
MVP Kevin Durant returned for Oklahoma.
The country is beginning to take notice, as Davis’ emerging stardom landed
him on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week.
The best part of all this: AD hasn’t forgotten his roots. (The same can’t be
said for ESPN’s Steve Levy. Read on.) Check out the reaction on Twitter as
Davis rocks a Blackhawks lid on Tuesday night’s SportsCenter:
— Vineet (@vkumar2) December 3, 2014
Anthony Davis holding it down in New Orleans #Blackhawks
pic.twitter.com/cQUpW8zbtq
— . . W.O.R.D® (@TheRealDMOB) December 3, 2014
@espnSteveLevy you just asked Anthony Davis, who is from Chicago, why
he's wearing a CHICAGO Blackhawks hat. 1st time interview or somethin?
— chris sanderson (@csanderson5) December 3, 2014
741092
Chicago Blackhawks
Corey Crawford out 2-3 weeks after injury suffered at concert
Brian Sandalow
As Corey Crawford approached a waiting media throng just outside the
Blackhawks’ dressing room at the United Center, the most noticeable part of
his attire was on his left leg. Instead of the usual bare feet, flip-flops or other
casual post-practice footwear, Crawford’s left foot and lower left leg were
covered by a gray walking boot.
After being ushered past a couple members of the press, Crawford explained
why he’d miss two-three weeks with what was termed Tuesday an off-ice
lower-body injury.
“I was at a concert the other day and was on the way out and I missed a step
and I didn’t think it was that bad,” Crawford said after the Hawks’ morning
skate Wednesday before their game against the St. Louis Blues. “I got up the
next day and it was worse than I thought. I’m pretty embarrassed about it,
frustrated.
“Things were going really well, so right now I’m just thinking about trying to
get back as quickly as possible and make sure I’m right back where I was
when I left off.”
Beyond that, Crawford didn’t volunteer many details about the injury. He
didn’t answer when it occurred, whether anything was broken, if alcohol was
involved or if he felt he needed to meet with his teammates to explain what
happened.
Coach Joel Quenneville didn’t volunteer too much, either. Speaking a few
minutes before Crawford revealed what happened at the concert,
Quenneville gave the “probably a couple, three weeks” prognosis.
Quenneville was then asked whether the injury required surgery but referred
questions to Crawford.
“He’s going to talk to you guys right after I’m done here,” Quenneville said.
“Corey will talk about it.”
Crawford did, and he talked about how his focus was on getting back as
quickly as possible from his absence, something that will look more glaring
thanks to the Hawks’ tough upcoming schedule. After Wednesday, they host
the Montreal Canadiens on Friday before going back on the road for four
games, games Crawford will likely miss because of the concert.
“It’s a tough bounce for me and, like I said, I feel pretty bad about it,”
Crawford said. “I just want to be out there playing hockey, especially … we’ve
got some tough games coming up against some division rivals, some games
I want to be on the ice for and it’s pretty tough to swallow right now. Just
going to work hard to get better.”
Between this and the upper-body injury that kept him out in late October,
Crawford has become one of the NHL’s top workhorses. He had started 14
straight and was on pace for maybe his best season in the league, entering
Wednesday with a 12-5-1 record and 1.87 goals-against average.
Those numbers will stay the same for a while, with Antti Raanta and Scott
Darling replacing Crawford in the Hawks’ net. Though neither had played in
an NHL game for a while before Wednesday, they and coach Joel
Quenneville sounded confident they could keep the Hawks going without
Crawford.
Save for Crawford’s mishap, the Blackhawks should be feeling confident.
They were coming off a 5-1 circus trip that re-established them as one of the
best teams in the Western Conference, while winger Patrick Sharp is coming
close to returning to the lineup.
But if that added any frustration for Quenneville about Crawford’s injury, he
didn’t say it.
“That’s the nature of the season and the business. I know that there’s always
good and bad times. There are always some things you can’t predict, but
that’s all part of it,” Quenneville said. “I think having the depth
organizationally and guys pushing one another for more ice time I think is a
healthy situation to be in and then when you go through periods like that,
hopefully you don’t miss a beat.”
741093
Chicago Blackhawks
Spellman: Blackhawks home -- and still red-hot
Mike Spellman
With the way things have been going lately, you knew it was only a matter of
time before the usual suspects kicked it in for the Blackhawks on Wednesday
night at the United Center.
And when they did, a 1-1 tie with St. Louis turned into a 4-1 laugher during a
six-minute span opening the third period.
It was the Hawks' fourth straight victory, their seventh in eight games, and it
moved them within 1 point of Central Division leaders Nashville and St.
Louis.
"It was a great third period for us," coach Joel Quenneville said. "That line
scored some big goals over that trip and a couple big ones here tonight as
well."
The Hawks' usual suspects Wednesday were none other than the red-hot
Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane.
Kane scored twice and Versteeg had a season-high 3 points to up his totals
to 21 points in 21 games. Oh, and center Brad Richards added an assist for a
line that has simply been unstoppable of late.
"We've played with each other seven or eight games now, and every game is
a new chance to get some more chemistry and figure out some more about
our linemates," Kane said.
"I think there are still things that we don't know about each other that can
maybe develop, but right now it's clicking well and we want to make sure it
continues like that."
Versteeg, who was named the game's No. 1 star, put the Hawks ahead for
good when he took a feed between the circles from Jonathan Toews and
blasted one past Jake Allen for his eighth goal of the season just 59 seconds
into the third.
Less than two minutes later, it was Versteeg connecting with Kane, who beat
Allen from the right circle to make it 3-1.
"He's playing the way we've envisioned him playing," Quenneville said of
Versteeg, who struggled last season after returning from a knee injury.
Kane closed out the show with an unassisted goal -- his 12th of the season -a beauty in which he somehow found an opening and beat a sprawling Allen
to put things out of reach.
"It's big when you go in tied up and you can score real early like that," said
Kane, who leads the team with 12 goals and 25 points. "Then, all of a sudden
they're pressing and maybe things open up a little bit more to create some
more offense."
That turned out to be exactly the case for the Blues, who liked where they
were entering the final 20 minutes.
"The game is 1-1, you're in perfect position on the road, and we just gave it to
them," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We just gave them the hockey
game. Bottom line."
Antti Raanta, starting for the first time since Oct. 25, stopped 40 of the 41
shots he faced to pick up his second win of the season.
"It was a tough battle even though we got 3 goals in the third, they were still
coming," Raanta said. "It was a really good feeling out there for me."
Daily Herald Times LOADED: 12.04.2014
741094
Chicago Blackhawks
Versteeg, Kane help Hawks beat St. Louis 4-1
Mike Spellman
With the way things have been going lately, you knew it was only a matter of
time before the usual suspects kicked it in for the Blackhawks on Wednesday
at the United Center.
And when they did, a 1-1 tie with St. Louis turned into a laugher within a
six-minute span to begin the third period, as the Hawks rolled to a 4-1 victory.
Those suspects were none other than the red-hot Kris Versteeg and Patrick
Kane.
"It's probably our biggest rivalry right now," Kane said before the game. "It
seems like the fans, the players and everyone gets excited about this
matchup. Should be rockin' tonight."
It was.
Versteeg, who was named the game's No. 1 star, put the Hawks ahead for
good when he took a feed between the circles from Jonathan Toews and
blasted one past Jake Allen for his eighth goal of the season 59 seconds into
the third.
Less than two minutes later it was Versteeg connecting with Kane, who beat
Allen from the right circle to make it 3-1.
Kane closed out the show with an unassisted goal -- his 12th of the season -in which he somehow found a an opening and beat a sprawling Allen to put
things out of reach.
Antti Raanta, starting for the first time since Oct. 25, picked up his second
victory of the season.
741095
Chicago Blackhawks
With Crawford sidelined, Raanta looks to step up
Mike Spellman
Corey Crawford looked like a kid preparing to fess up to his parents for a
misdeed as he slowly made his way toward a gaggle of reporters and
cameras eagerly awaiting to hear from him Wednesday morning at the
United Center.
Crawford's trek from the locker room to the microphones was made even
slower courtesy of a walking boot on his left leg.
But after a day of intrigue in which the only clue was coach Joel Quenneville
saying on Tuesday that the Blackhawks goalie had suffered an "off-ice, lower
body" injury, the suspense finally came to an end with word that Crawford will
be out of the lineup for 2 to 3 weeks.
Here's why:
"I was at a concert the other day and was on the way out, and I missed a step,
and I didn't think it was that bad," Crawford said. "I got up the next day, and it
was worse than I thought.
"I'm pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated."
Crawford had been on a roll of late, starting 14 consecutive games, and
getting better and better as the season progressed. By the time the circus trip
wrapped up, he was sporting a 12-5-1 record and a 1.87 goals-against
average.
Now he has to watch from the sidelines for a few weeks.
"That's the nature of the season and the business; I know that there's always
good and bad times," Quenneville said. "There are always some things you
can't predict, but that's all part of it."
Now it's Antti Raanta who likely will be the main man in net. And it'll be a trial
by fire for him in a week featuring games against the Blues, Montreal and
Nashville.
But Raanta, who prior to Wednesday's game against St. Louis hadn't played
since Oct. 25, is savoring this opportunity.
"Oh, of course," he said. "That's why I'm here. You always try to get your
chances, and when you get your chance you try to be the best guy there."
Eye on the standings:
Yeah, fans aren't the only ones checking out the standings lately.
Players do it, too.
"I think you keep an eye on it once in a while just to see how things are
going," Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. "Especially when things are
going well, you'll maybe look at it a little more often."
Getting closer:
Though he's improving by leaps and bounds, Patrick Sharp's return to the
lineup probably won't happen until Saturday at the earliest.
"We'll see," coach Joel Quenneville said when asked if No. 10 might be back
in the lineup Friday against Montreal. "First real skate today, first contact.
(Friday) might be pressing it."
He said it:
"I would say they're the new Vancouver Canucks, if anything. It goes both
ways. I don't think they like us very much, either."
-- Jonathan Toews on the Hawks-Blues rivalry
741096
Chicago Blackhawks
Crawford's off-ice injury: tripped up at concert
Mike Spellman
Sporting a walking boot on his left foot, Blackhawks goaltender Corey
Crawford met the media Wednesday morning to discuss the injury that will
keep him out of the lineup for about three weeks.
"I was at a concert the other day and I was on the way out and I missed a
step," Crawford said. "I didn't think it was that bad but I got up the next day
and it was worse than I thought ... Pretty embarrassed by it, frustrated."
Crawford wouldn't get into details, but said he hopes to return before the
three-week estimate.
"I'm going to work really hard to get back," he said. "It's a tough bounce for
me. I feel pretty bad about it."
Antti Raanta will start tonight against the Blues and Lemont native Scott
Darling has been recalled from Rockford.
"Really confident in them," Crawford said. "Those two guys have shown what
they could do. Everyone has confidence in them."
741097
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks recall Klas Dahlbeck, send Adam Clendening to Rockford
December 4, 2014, 12:00 am
Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks swapped defensemen with the Rockford IceHogs late
Wednesday night, recalling Klas Dahlbeck and reassigning Adam
Clendening.
The 23-year-old Dahlbeck has six points (two goals, four assists) and is a
plus-4 in 22 games with the IceHogs this season.
Clendening was called up to the Blackhawks right before the Circus Trip. The
team had just lost defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk for three to four months
to a patella injury/surgery. Clendening scored his first NHL goal on his first
shot in the Blackhawks' 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Nov. 20. He
was a healthy scratch the past three games, however, including Wednesday
against the St. Louis Blues.
741098
Chicago Blackhawks
Big night for Raanta: Five Things we learned from Blackhawks-Blues
December 3, 2014, 11:15 pm
Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks gained the momentum they were looking for on the Circus
Trip, which was an ultra-successful jaunt through Western Canada, Colorado
and Southern California.
Coming home, they wanted to keep it going. On Wednesday, they did.
A close game became anything but when the Blackhawks exploded for three
early third-period goals en route to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues. It
was a tough test coming back to the United Center after a two-week vacancy,
and the Blackhawks were up to it. So before we head home and get an early
start on the eggnog, let’s look at Five Things to take from tonight’s
Blackhawks victory.
1. The penalty kill is still great. The Blackhawks were on it more than they
would normally like, but their kill, ranked No. 1 in the NHL, earned its keep
again on Wednesday. The Blackhawks snuffed out six St. Louis
opportunities, keeping the Blues from getting an early lead or any breathing
room once it became a 1-1 game. Coach Joel Quenneville commended this
group after the game and rightfully so.
2. The second line does it again. It’s the broken record the Blackhawks hope
never stops playing, as Kris Versteeg, Brad Richards and Patrick Kane led
the point parade again on Wednesday. Versteeg had the game-winning goal
and two assists. Kane had the final two goals of the game and Richards
added an assist. They found their chemistry on the road. It continued tonight
at the United Center.
3. Raanta is confident. The Blackhawks’ backup goaltender said he was
more secure with his game entering this season. He looked it on Wednesday
night. A lot of the nervousness has gone away. Outside of some early rust —
it was his first start since Oct. 25 — Raanta looked the confident part. He, as
well as the penalty kill, was big through the first two periods before the
Blackhawks’ offense sparked the third. Raanta stopped 40 of 41 shots. He
didn’t mind being busy. Obviously not.
4. Third periods are stellar. The Blackhawks were outscoring opponents,
26-12, in third periods entering Wednesday night’s game. They tacked three
more goals onto that total against the Blues. No one really knows why the
Blackhawks have been so good in the third periods, but whatever it is, it’s
working.
5. There’s no love lost between these two. It took, what, about 20 seconds for
the Blackhawks and Blues to start smacking each other around? You figured
it wouldn’t take long when the starting lineup included Steve Ott, David
Backes, Daniel Carcillo and Andrew Shaw. Words were exchanged. So were
punches. The Blackhawks called the Blues “our new Vancouver Canucks,”
and it showed on Wednesday. It’ll probably be evident again come the
postseason.
741099
Chicago Blackhawks
Strong penalty kill gives Blackhawks a confidence boost
December 3, 2014, 11:00 pm
NINA FALCONE
The Blackhawks' first penalty of the night came just over three minutes into
Wednesday's contest against the St. Louis Blues, starting what would be a
total of eight trips to the sin bin against their biggest rival.
The Blackhawks entered the game with the top penalty kill in the NHL, and
those units were put to the test as they faced off against a Blues power play
that ranks third in the league while on the road.
With a total of 14 trips to the box between both teams, both squad's special
teams units had a tough task ahead. And it was the Blackhawks' kill that held
on and gave them the momentum they needed en route to their 4-1 victory
over St. Louis.
"They've been great for us all season," Kris Versteeg said after the win.
"Those guys lay their bodies on the line for us every night and really give the
team so much momentum. Again tonight against some really skilled players
on the other side, they were able to stifle them and it obviously played a huge
part in the win."
[NBC SHOP: Buy a Duncan Keith jersey right here]
Through 25 games this season, the Blackhawks have allowed the opposition
just six power play goals, good for a nearly 92 percent success rate on the
penalty kill.
And while the Blackhawks weren't happy about the number of penalties they
took on Wednesday, they said that the reliability of the penalty kill continues
to give them the the boost in confidence they need moving forward after
being down a man.
"When there's a penalty kill like that, it's giving you confidence and
momentum throughout a game, especially when you take a few penalties in
the first and second period," Patrick Kane said. "It was nice to get those kills,
great job by our killers."
[MORE -- Big night for Raanta: Five things we learned]
One guy who especially appreciated the strong performance of the penalty
kill on Wednesday was Antti Raanta, who made his first appearance in net
since Oct. 25.
Raanta allowed just one goal on 41 shots, and he credited much of that to the
defensive performance his teammates put on in front of him when the Blues
were left with the man-advantage.
"Guys are blocking the shots when the shots come through and I make the
save. If there's a rebound there's always two guys, maybe three or four guys
getting the rebounds and taking the sticks away," he said. "So it's a really,
really comfortable feeling even though we don't want to take so many
penalties.
"But we knew we can kill those and just go with that so it was great to get the
PK like that."
741100
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks' Kris Versteeg, Patrick Kane leave Blues seeing red
December 3, 2014, 9:45 pm
Tracey Myers
The Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues were in their usual tussle heading into
the third period. It was feisty and, on the scoreboard, it was tight.
But when the third period began, the Blackhawks quickly ended the Blues’
night.
Patrick Kane scored twice and Kris Versteeg had the game-winning goal and
an assist as the Blackhawks beat the Blues, 4-1, Wednesday night at the
United Center. The Blackhawks, who went 5-1-0 on the Circus Trip that
wrapped up over the weekend, have now won seven of their last eight.
With Corey Crawford out two to three weeks with a left-leg injury, Antti
Raanta made his first start since Oct. 25. He shook off initial rust and stopped
40 of 41 shots. Marcus Kruger scored his fourth goal of the season.
The Blackhawks gained plenty on that trip. They got cohesiveness among
their lines. They got goals. They got victories. They got momentum.
Sometimes those things can disappear when a team returns home, but that
didn’t happen on Wednesday. The penalty kill paced them early, and their
offense, fueled by the Versteeg-Brad-Richards-Kane trio, finished it off. The
Blackhawks scored three times in the opening five minutes and 19 seconds
of the third.
“That was a great third period for us,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “That line
scored some big goals over that trip and a couple big ones tonight as well.
We had some penalty issues tonight, so commend our penalty killers and
Antti as well. They kept us in the game. Tonight, we kind of played the way
we did for most of the trip.”
Indeed it was the penalty kill early. The Blues had six power plays, including
five through the first two periods. The Blackhawks, sporting the NHL’s No. 1
kill, shut down a Blues power play that was fifth in the league entering
Wednesday night.
Raanta was strong, especially in the second when the Blues outshot the
Blackhawks, 13-7. He didn’t mind the plethora of shots, either.
“That kind of game I like,” he said. “Usually you stay inside the game all the
time when you get a good amount of shots. It was nice to play that kind of
game and, of course, we knew before the game it would be (close). It was a
tough battle, even though we got three (goals) in the third.”
Yes, the Blackhawks couldn’t have asked for a much better third period,
especially the start. Versteeg got it going, scoring from the slot to give the
Blackhawks a 2-1 lead just 59 seconds into the period. Fewer than two
minutes later, Versteeg sent a saucer pass to Kane, who scored his 11th of
the season for a 3-1 edge. Kane added a breakaway for his 12th of the
season and a 4-1 edge.
“We had some chances, then scored a quick goal right after (a third-period
power play) and got two a couple shifts in a row after that,” Kane said. “It was
big to start the third off that way. Just wait for them to press and make
mistakes and capitalize off that. So it was nice to see.”
Watching that line has been fun even for the guy at the other end of the ice.
“Richie’s been good the last few games, Steeger’s been scoring goals and
Kaner is Kaner,” Raanta said. “We’re lucky to have that line.”
The Blackhawks are picking up where they left off on their trip. They ripped
open a close divisional game in the third period. December is starting as well
as November ended.
“We have way more pace, more directness, consistency, a better thought
process and everyone’s excited right now,” Quenneville said of the
Blackhawks’ recent play. “We got some momentum, and the guys are having
fun with it. We came together on that trip and got it going.”
741101
Chicago Blackhawks
Not finished yet: Brodeur ready for opportunity with Blues
Tracey Myers
Martin Brodeur finished up the St. Louis Blues’ morning skate on
Wednesday. After skating for eight months, he liked how he was responding
to organized practices again.
“The body’s feeling pretty good for an old guy,” the 42-year-old Brodeur said
to laughs.
It’s been a whirlwind of a week for Brodeur, who waited and waited to see if
another NHL team would pick him up after the New Jersey Devils parted
ways with him after 21 seasons. That finally happened on Friday when the
Blues, missing goaltender Brian Elliott indefinitely with a lower-body injury,
was brought in for a tryout. On Tuesday, Brodeur signed with the Blues.
Brodeur could play either Thursday against the Nashville Predators or
Saturday against the New York Islanders, but he’ll back up Jake Allen tonight
when the Blackhawks host the Blues at the United Center. For Brodeur, it’s
certainly strange putting on another team’s sweater. He’ll always be
synonymous with the Devils, with whom he set NHL records in victories (688)
and shutouts (124) and won three Stanley Cups. But he felt he still had
something left, still had something to give.
So, welcome to St. Louis.
“I still love the game, still have the passion to go hang out with the guys and
live the experiences,” Brodeur said. “It’s hard when it’s taken away from you.
That adrenaline rush is something that’s pretty cool. Hopefully I’ll find that
and have fun with it.”
Brodeur said several teams inquired about him over the last month. St. Louis
was one of those teams; so when Elliott sustained his injury against the
Ottawa Senators on Nov. 25, Brodeur was brought in a few days later.
“It’s unusual to see him in that uniform, for sure,” coach Joel Quenneville
said. “He had an amazing career and I’m sure his experience will help the
organization and team. We’ll see how it plays out. I’m sure they’re excited
about him coming to their lineup.”
Indeed, Brodeur is. He still thinks he can help an NHL team and this is his
opportunity. A few years ago he never saw himself playing with anyone other
than the Devils, and he knows the question will be, "What if this changes your
legacy?" Brodeur isn’t worried about that. He just wants to play.
“It’s hard when it happens but looking back, it’s my career, not the fans’
career or [anyone else’s]. When I leave I want to wash my hands and say, ‘I
did it all,’” Brodeur said. “This is what I wanted. At my prime, that’s not how I
was thinking. The older I got I was more intrigued in seeing other things.
Seeing a different organization, conference, will be good for me.”
741102
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks turn to Antti Raanta with Corey Crawford sidelined
Tracey Myers
Antti Raanta joked that he wasn’t doing anything that may cause him to get
sick again heading into Wednesday night’s start, not after an illness cost him
his last chance.
“I was just staying at home. I didn’t move anywhere,” Raanta said. “Now it’s a
good feeling. I’m healthy again so it’s nice to go.”
Raanta, who hasn’t played in an NHL game in more than a month, will get the
nod in net when the Blackhawks host the St. Louis Blues. It’s the
Blackhawks’ first game back at the United Center since Nov. 16. The
Blackhawks will also be without Patrick Sharp, who is getting closer.
[MORE HAWKS: Corey Crawford out 2-3 weeks with left leg injury]
Asked if Sharp would be ready for Friday against the Montreal Canadiens,
coach Joel Quenneville said, “he had his first real contact today, so that might
be pressing it.”
Adam Clendening and Jeremy Morin look to be the Blackhawks’ healthy
scratches.
It’s been a long wait for Raanta – he was originally supposed to start against
Edmonton on Nov. 22 but fell ill. He said he finally started feeling better on
Saturday, the Blackhawks’ last day of the Circus Trip. Now Raanta is ready to
go, and he’ll have to be. Corey Crawford is out 2-3 weeks with a left-leg/foot
injury sustained at a recent concert.
So much like in late October, when Crawford was out with an upper-body
injury, it falls on Raanta and Scott Darling, recalled from Rockford on
Tuesday, to buoy the Blackhawks in goal. Raanta went 1-2-0 in his three
October starts – both losses were by one goal – and Darling went 2-1-0 in his
outings. During Crawford’s first injury the Blackhawks were still struggling for
consistency, regular lines and scoring. They haven’t had those issues lately,
winning six of their last seven games including five of six on the Circus Trip.
How Quenneville doles out the duties between the two goaltenders remains
to be seen. The Blackhawks have a back-to-back this weekend, hosting
Montreal on Friday and then traveling to Nashville on Saturday. Quenneville
is confident in both.
“Both guys were pressed into big games early,” he said. “We were looking for
Antti to get into the road trip; [it was] a bit delayed. One thing about being the
backup, you always have to be ready. Now it’s your responsibility to take
advantage of it. It’s a good opportunity here and Scott’s waiting, as well. Both
have proven they can play and want the net.”
Crawford has no doubt Raanta and Darling would be fine.
“Our team’s been good as of late and I think we’ve been playing our best
hockey this year. Those two guys have shown what they can do,” Crawford
said. “Everyone has confidence in them in the room, so that’s not a question.
We’re playing really well, so our team will roll with it.”
Darling admitted he was nervous and full of butterflies when the Blackhawks
recalled him back in October. Those feelings are a little more settled now, but
he’s still ready for the opportunity.
“It’s still definitely exciting to be here,” he said. “It’s less nerve-wracking than
the last time, so it’s an exciting feeling. I’m hoping to contribute any way I
can.”
The Blackhawks have benefitted from more depth at goaltender. They’ll have
to tap into that again now, starting with Raanta.
“We have been practicing good, so that’s always a big thing,” Raanta said.
“I’ve been watching those tapes over and over, what [I’ve] done right and
wrong. There’s so much going on inside your head, so you just want to do
what you’ve practiced. I’m really prepared and ready to go.”
741103
Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks: Corey Crawford out 2-3 weeks with left leg injury
December 3, 2014, 12:00 pm
Tracey Myers
Corey Crawford suffered a left-foot injury the other day and will be out 2-3
weeks, Crawford told the media on Wednesday morning.
The Blackhawks goaltender, who was wearing a walking boot on his left foot,
said he was leaving a concert the other night and “missed a step.” Crawford
said he didn’t think the injury was that bad when it happened but said it was
worse the following day.
“I’m pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated,” said Crawford. “Things were
going really well. Right now I’m just thinking about trying to get back as
quickly as possible, make sure I’m right back where I was when I left off.”
[RELATED - Nearing a return, where does Sharp fit in on Blackhawks?]
Crawford was playing very well this season. He started 14 consecutive
games, including all six on the Blackhawks’ Circus Trip. Crawford is 12-5-1
with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. Asked for
more details – what day he was hurt, if the injury is something broken or if
there was alcohol involved the night he was hurt – Crawford wouldn’t
elaborate.
“I’m not getting into the details. I’m just focused on getting back,” Crawford
said. “It’s a tough bounce for me and like I said, I feel pretty bad about it. I just
want to be out there playing hockey.”
Antti Raanta will start tonight against the St. Louis Blues and Scott Darling
was recalled to be the backup. The Blackhawks relied on those two when
Crawford suffered an upper-body injury in mid-October. Now the Blackhawks
will do that again.
“He’s a big part of the success on the trip. He’s been rock solid. Our
goaltending each and every night has been really good, gives us a chance to
win every night,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “You have to commend our
goalies. When Crow went down last time, both goalies came in and did a
good job for us. We’re going to need them both now. Corey, in the meantime,
get back out there as soon as possible and continue what he was doing.”
Crawford was frustrated on Wednesday. He’d been playing well, as have the
Blackhawks. He came back from his upper-body injury well in late
October/early November. He’ll look to do the same off this injury.
“We have some tough games coming up against division rivals and some
games I wanted to be on the ice for. It’s pretty tough to swallow right now,”
Crawford said. “I’ll work hard to get better.”
741104
Colorado Avalanche
Nick Groke: [email protected] or twitter.com/nickgroke
COLORADO AT CALGARY 7 p.m. Thursday, ALT; 950 AM
SEMYON VARLAMOV LOOKS TO BOOST AVS' STRUGGLING
GOALTENDING
By Nick Groke
POSTED:
UPDATED:
12/03/2014 06:45:57 PM MST
12/03/2014 09:27:31 PM MST
Patrick Roy thinks he's found the fix for what afflicts the Avalanche. And that
fix is hiding at the top of the roster.
It's Colorado's No. 1 goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, who hasn't played since
Nov. 15 because of a groin injury.
"Looking at our situation, we've only played 50 percent with our No. 1 goalie,"
Roy said Wednesday after Varlamov practiced with the team for the first time
since his 23 saves led the Avs to a 3-2 victory over New Jersey more than
two weeks ago.
After 25 games, the Avs are 4-5-4 over 13 games with Varlamov starting in
goal. But they have just one more victory combined between backups Reto
Berra and Calvin Pickard.
"At the same time, you look at where we are in the standings, we believe that
if he was there for more than that, we'd be in the playoffs right now," Roy said.
The Avs (9-11-5) are in last place in the Central Division, tied with Dallas at
23 points. But while Varlamov has nearly the same number of goals against
as his backups, his save percentage (.918) is markedly better (.904).
With Varlamov in net, the Avs push forward more aggressively.
"He's one of the best goaltenders in the league. He obviously gives us a
boost," Avs center Matt Duchene said.
In seven of their past eight games, the Avs have won or lost by one goal,
going 5-3.
"We've got to win those one-goal games," Duchene said. "But also, we're a
team that can score five a game. We just haven't consistently this year. We
want to get back to that. We averaged more than three goals a game last
year. If we can get back to that, we'll be in good shape."
Roy sees getting Varlamov back as a step toward allowing the Avs to score
more. They have nine games scheduled before Christmas, including six on
the road — and five total against Winnipeg and St. Louis in crucial division
games.
And with Varlamov back, the Avs can push their No. 1 over most, if not all, of
that stretch. It's one reason they sent Pickard back to the minors.
"It's not just saying we're going to push Varly," Roy said. "The schedule is
playing in our favor... It's a good situation for Varly to play a lot of games."
Varlamov, Roy said, will likely start both games of a back-to-back, starting
Thursday at Calgary, then Friday at Winnipeg.
"I feel good. I'm 100 percent," Varlamov said. "I'm ready to play. I've been
working hard the last 10 days on the ice."
The Avs made up ground against a division team they're chasing with a 5-2
blowout victory over Dallas last week. But Max Pacioretty's late goal Monday
against Pickard gave Montreal a 4-3 victory at Colorado — and the Avs
missed out on a shot to reach .500.
But Roy said he was content with showing patience in letting Varlamov heal,
prepping him for a December run.
"What I'm very happy about is, we took our time," Roy said. "We didn't push
him and say, 'Hey, we need you against Montreal.' This is where Pickard
played a big role for us, because he played very well in the time when Reto
(Berra) was struggling."
Varlamov, though, was eager to return.
"I can say I want to win every game, even if I'm not playing," Varlamov said.
"Every point, every game right now is important. We want to get a playoff
spot, we need to get a playoff spot."
Spotlight on Johnny Gaudreau: The undersized forward, at 5-foot-9 and 150
pounds, is having little trouble adapting to the NHL as a 21-year-old rookie.
Gaudreau — they call him "Johnny Hockey" — has four goals and 15 assists
this season. His 19 points rank fourth on the Flames' roster. Last season's
Hobey Baker winner as college hockey's MVP with Boston College,
Gaudreau had a hat trick and three assists to lead the Eagles to a 6-2 victory
over the Denver Pioneers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche: Defenseman Nick Holden will shift to a forward's role against the
Flames — in part out of necessity and in part as punishment. The Avs, rattled
by injuries in recent games, have only 11 true forwards on their roster, with
an extra, seventh defenseman. So Patrick Roy told Holden to switch his
position. "I'll play as hard as I can. But, obviously, I'm being put on forward
just because my game is not where it needs to be on D," Holden said. On
Wednesday, he skated in practice on a fourth line with Michael Sgarbossa
and Cody McLeod. Holden, who's played in each of the Avs' 25 games this
season, has a team-worst minus-16 mark. "It's kind of an injury thing, but I
know I need to be much, much better on defense," Holden said. "I'll work hard
and try to get back in the lineup at D."
Flames: Jiri Hudler, Calgary's 30-year-old center, is excelling on a line with
much younger wings. He plays between Gaudreau and 24-year-old Josh
Jooris. Hudler's 25 points rank second among the Flames. "They make me
feel like I'm 18 years old, and they're fun, fun to be around," Hudler told the
Calgary Sun this week. "When we have conversations about hockey, we're
all equal." Nick Groke, The Denver Post
Denver Post: LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Colorado Avalanche
AVALANCHE MOVES NICK HOLDEN TO FORWARD, TRIES TO FIX
DEFENSE
By Nick Groke
POSTED:
UPDATED:
12/03/2014 01:02:37 PM MST
12/03/2014 01:06:45 PM MST
Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden will shift to a forward's role Thursday for
a game at Calgary against the Flames — in part out of necessity and in part
as punishment.
The Avs, rattled by injuries in recent games, have only 11 proper forwards on
their roster, with an extra, seventh defenseman.
So Colorado coach Patrick Roy told Holden — who's struggled on the Avs'
third defensive unit this season — to switch his position.
"I'll play as hard as a I can. But obviously I'm being put on forward just
because my game is not where it needs to be on D," Holden said Wednesday
after skating in practice on a fourth line with Michael Sgarbossa and Cody
McLeod.
Holden, who's played in each of the Avs' 25 games this season, has a
team-worst minus-16 mark.
"It's kind of an injury thing. But I know I need to be much, much better on
defense," Holden said. "I'll work hard and try to get back in the lineup at D."
The Avs have two defensemen, Brad Stuart and Ryan Wilson, on injured
reserve. So they recently recalled defenseman Karl Stollery from the
minor-league Lake Erie Monsters and have turned Zach Redmond, often a
healthy scratch early in the season, into a regular.
The move left Holden on the outs.
"It's not an easy stretch for him right now. He did not have the start we were
expecting," Roy said. "And with the situation with our forwards, we think it will
be good for Nick to play as a forward. We'll see how it goes."
Roy said he is considering a third line of Tomas Vincour, Max Talbot and
Daniel Briere against Calgary, with a Holden-Sgarbossa-McLeod fourth line.
"It'll be good because I can just focus on simple plays and basic stuff,"
Holden said. "Get in, hit some guys, play hard and forget about everything
else."
Denver Post: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741106
Columbus Blue Jackets
Blue Jackets: Once rivals, Jenner, Rychel on same line
Once fierce rivals, Jenner and Rychel figure to be Blue Jackets fixtures for
years to come. In a 2-1 win on Monday over the Panthers, Rychel earned his
first NHL point by assisting on Jenner’s winning goal. And Jenner handed
Rychel the keepsake puck after the game.
“That’s was pretty cool, coming from Boone,” Rychel said.
By Aaron Portzline
The Columbus Dispatch • THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014 5:02 AM
Boone Jenner, a likely future captain of the Blue Jackets, is a diplomat.
When asked about his rivalry with Kerby Rychel dating to their early teens in
Ontario, Jenner smiled and said, “I’ve always respected the way Kerby plays
the game.”
Rychel, however, does not have Jenner’s filter.
Asked to remember his feelings toward Jenner across the 20-plus games
they went toe-to-toe from bantam through the major junior ranks, Rychel
smirked.
“I’ll be honest you, I hated him,” Rychel said. “I can say I respected him —
he’s obviously a really good player — but we were always out (on the ice)
against each other, our lines. We were always going at it. He wasn’t my friend
on the ice; that’s for sure.”
It’s all good now, of course.
Jenner and Rychel are teammates, now that Rychel has been called up from
minor-league Springfield. They’re also linemates on the Blue Jackets, with
Jenner centering the No. 2 line and Rychel on his left heading into a game
tonight at the Florida Panthers.
And they sit one seat apart in the dressing room, with veteran Nick Foligno
between them.
“It was always fun competing against him,” Jenner said. “It seemed like we
played against each other a lot growing up, and you never imagine you’re
going to end up together on a team. It’s pretty cool being on the same team
and the same line with him now.”
Jenner was 14 and playing for the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs of the Pavilion
League in the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario when Rychel arrived on the
scene. He was 16 months younger than Jenner, but two draft years behind
because of his birthdate. But Rychel was good enough to play with kids two
draft years ahead, and he played for the Sun County Panthers in the same
league.
“I’d point out Boone Jenner to him; I’d say his name over and over as we
pulled up to the rink,” said Rychel’s father, Warren, a former NHL player. “I’d
say, ‘That kid right there — you have to try and match his intensity, his work
ethic.’
“Kerby was younger, so he always had to prove he belonged. Boone was the
class of the league. Kerby had to match his intensity, and Boone didn’t like
younger guys trying to keep up with him.”
The rivalry carried into the major-junior ranks in the Ontario Hockey League,
where Jenner was the best player on the Oshawa Generals and Rychel was
the top scorer on the Windsor Spitfires.
“I was on both sides of it,” said former NHL player D.J. Smith, who was an
associate coach for Windsor (2010-11) with Rychel and later head coach in
Oshawa (2012-13) with Jenner. “Both of these kids are team-first guys, and
so that dictated everything they did,” Smith said. “But there was absolutely a
personal rivalry there.”
It never got ugly. The two never fought.
“Boone is an honest player, and he’s going to finish you against the wall
every time,” Smith said. “Kerby is a north-south kind of guy. If you’re in his
way, you’re in his way. The feeling with those guys was, if I’m the better
player, my team has a better chance to win. So it was great hockey to watch.”
Rychel said he has tried to start a couple of conversations with Jenner about
their long history together, but it never goes far.
“When I got drafted, Boone was one of the first guys who texted me to say
welcome to the organization,” Rychel said. “He has shown me around the city
and really done a lot for me since my first development camp.”
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Blue Jackets notebook: Dubinsky tired of waiting, hopes it’s worthwhile
By Shawn Mitchell
The Columbus Dispatch • THURSDAY DECEMBER 4, 2014 5:02 AM
Yesterday marked eight weeks since Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky
underwent abdominal surgery.
After a brisk practice at Nationwide Arena, the look on his face indicated that
it might as well have been eight years.
“It’s frustrating for me now because of where I’m at,” Dubinsky said.
“Everyone wants to ask every day how I’m feeling and when I’m going to
play. Your guess is as good as mine. It’s got to feel good enough that I can
come out and perform and help the team. I’m itching to do it; there’s no doubt
about that. It’s just a tough situation.”
Dubinsky originally was projected to miss six weeks. General manager
Jarmo Kekalainen said on Tuesday that Dubinsky’s longer recovery time
prompted Dubinsky to have second thoughts about his decision to have
surgery to repair damage to both sides of his abdomen.
But the news that fellow center Mark Letestu would miss an additional six
weeks after a failed attempt to delay his surgery by playing through similar
groin and abdominal issues made Dubinsky feel even worse.
“I could have done what Mark did and maybe ended up with the same result,”
Dubinsky said. “He worked his (butt) off trying to rehab it, and it just didn’t get
any better. Now, he’s going to be out six more weeks. I feel for him.”
Dubinsky returned to practice last week and will travel with the Blue
Jackets for games tonight at Florida and on Saturday at Tampa Bay, though
it is unclear if he will play.
“What I hope happens next is that I get back to playing and feeling good,”
Dubinsky said. “When I do, with the money and the years this team has
invested in me, maybe it’s looked at like an oil change at the halfway point of
my career, and for the rest of it, I won’t have any issues with my groins or abs.
“Once this thing passes — and it will — we’ll hopefully take comfort in the fact
that everything is good and repaired, and we won’t have to worry about it.”
Foligno talks begin
Right wing Nick Foligno said Kekalainen this week reached out to his agent,
Pat Morris, to begin discussing a contract extension. Foligno’s three-year,
$9.25 million contract expires after the season, when he would become an
unrestricted free agent.
“I’m happy they’re talking,” Foligno said. “Hopefully, they can get something
done in a timely manner.”
Side dish
Kekalainen, president of hockey operations John Davidson and assistant
general managers Bill Zito and Chris MacFarland have been in Florida the
past two days for meetings with the pro scouting staff.
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 12.04.2014
741108
Crashing the Net: How to skin a cat, part deux
Both Brandon Dubinsky and Cody Goloubef will make the trip with the team
to Florida for their games against the Florida Panthers (Thursday) and the
Tampa Bay Lightning (Saturday). Todd Richards said that Dubinsky is still
day-to-day and, based on the line rushes during practice it appears that he
will not make his season debut tomorrow. Goloubef is on the verge of
beginning to practice with the team.
Rick Gethin
Blue Jackets lines from practice
DEC 03, 2014 1:57p ET SHARE 0 TWEET 0 0
Forwards: Hartnell / Johansen / Foligno
Atkinson / Jenner / Rychel
The Blue Jackets are starting to believe that they can play the right way and
dig themselves out of the deep hole they are in.
Columbus, Ohio - Two days removed from their first win in seven games, the
Blue Jackets had a full practice on the main ice this morning. They travel to
south Florida this afternoon in advance of Thursday night's game against the
Panthers, having won 2-1 on Monday versus the same team.
"Trying to prepare our guys," said head coach Todd Richards, "it makes it a
little bit easier. It should be fresh in their minds about how they play and who
the players are."
Having that familiarity with a recent opponent makes everything easier in
terms of preparation for the entire team, including coaches.
"It makes our video coach's job easier and it makes the coaches jobs easier.
It's like playing in the playoffs. Obviously the first meeting is the important
one. After that, it's generally pretty easy. When you're playing a team
back-to-back, your players should know what to expect. It does make it a little
bit easier."
While it's too early to tell if the team has turned the corner on their season,
the way they have played the last two games are something that serves to
remind them that good things come from playing to their identity and sticking
with the systems. Having fun and loosening their grips while on the ice help,
too.
"It's a great sign," said defenseman Jordan Leopold of the way they played
Saturday and Monday. "We focused the last couple of games on playing a
complete 60. The games that we were losing, we'd have 5, 7, 10 minutes of
lackluster hockey and that cost us the games."
"Those are things that we can control. We can control our effort, our attention
to detail and how we play. We've emphasized and stressed in the locker
room, from within the room and not from the coaching staff, we owe it to each
other to be accountable and predictable out there, and to find a way to be
consistent."
The players have become more determined with each other in the hopes of
turning their season around. It's not an atmosphere of accusations, but one of
getting everyone to rise to the occasion and believe that they can play 'Blue
Jackets hockey' on a consistent basis. There is a quiet desperation
surrounding the team that at the same time is a familiar feeling.
"It's funny how you talk about experience and older players," said forward
Nick Foligno, "but also, with our team and what we've experienced in the past
20 games with the ups and downs, we learned. We finally learned from our
mistakes. In that game (Monday), we came back and started to play the right
way."
"Before, we may have gone in one direction, but now let's try this way. Let's
keep going at this kind of pace and at this level. That's the level we have to be
at. It wasn't a perfect game, but sometimes you need a game like that to
catapult you to start playing better and better. We used our experience in that
situation to help us play the right way."
They seem to be regaining some of their lost confidence as they get set to
play the next two games on the road in Florida. Beaten and battered though
they are, they have not thrown in the towel on the season and still firmly
believe that they can salvage the season.
The Force is strong within this group, despite every hurdle that has been put
in place since September. There is a relaxed feeling among the players that
wasn't there a few games ago. They know they haven't accomplished
anything yet. But having a bit of joy within them has done wonders to lighten
the mood.
Former Blue Jackets interim head coach Claude Noel would be proud.
Dubinsky and Goloubef
Calvert / Chaput / Skille
Boll / Cracknell / Gibbons
Defense: Johnson / Prout
Leopold / Savard
Wisniewski / Connauton
Goal: Bobrovrovsky backed-up by McElhinney
It appears as if Tropp and Erixon will be the healthy scratches again versus
Florida.
foxsportsohio.com LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Dallas Stars
Stars' Fiddler one of the best at drawing penalties in NHL
SportsDayDFW.com
Published: 03 December 2014 09:02 PM
Updated: 03 December 2014 09:02 PM
When Vernon Fiddler resigned with the Dallas Stars, fans and experts liked
the acquisition. The Stars were getting a pesky, team-first forward who isn't
afraid to do the dirty work.
This season, Fiddler has spent most of his time on the fourth line this season
behind NHL-lading scorer Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Cody Eakin.
Fiddler has a unique skill, according to Adam Gretz of CBS Sports. He's great
at drawing penalties.
He's tied for seventh in the NHL in having a positive penalty differential.
Basically, they took the number of penalties drawn and subtracted the
number of times that he himself dished out a penalty. Fiddler has a plus-8
differential taking 11 penalties and committing three.
If you take into acount his average time on the ice (ATOI), his plus-8
differential is impressive. He tends to average just under 13 minutes on the
ice. Other guys on the list, like LA Kings forward Dustin Brown or New York
Islanders forward Kyle Okposo, average upwards of 20 minutes per game.
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Dallas Stars
Heika: How Stars plan on improving NHL's worst goals-against average
BY MIKE HEIKA
DETROIT — The Stars’ goaltending plan was shaped last summer with the
thought that all of the bases would be covered.
Kari Lehtonen was returning after a solid season. Anders Lindback was
brought in as a free agent on a one-year contract. And Jussi Rynnas was
signed as an additional backup on a two-year deal.
It seemed Dallas had the net pretty well covered.
Yet, 25 games into the season, the Stars have the worst goals-against
average in the league (3.52) and the second-worst save percentage (.893).
“Obviously, it needs to be better,” goaltending coach Mike Valley said.
“There’s been too many soft goals. There’s been too many leads that have
been lost in games. What we have to do is acknowledge it’s happened, and
we have to leave it in the past and move forward and concentrate on what we
can do better.”
The Stars on Wednesday placed Lindback on waivers with the intent to send
him to the AHL to get playing time. He is 0-5-0 with a 4.63 GAA and .861 save
percentage.
Rynnas (pronounced ROO-nuhs) gets his chance to serve as backup. The
26-year-old played in Finland last season and had a 28-7-5 record with
Karpat while registering a 1.51 GAA and .939 save percentage. He is 5-1-4 in
the AHL this season with a 2.58 GAA and .913 save percentage.
Stars coach Lindy Ruff does not typically reveal his starting goalie until game
day, so there’s no telling how quickly Rynnas will play, but he said he’s
worked hard for this opportunity.
“It’s a tough competition, and you just have to keep pushing all of the time,”
he said. “You get your chance sooner or later if you work hard.”
In the meantime, the Stars need to get Lehtonen back on his game. The
31-year-old in his sixth season in Dallas had a 33-20-10 record last year with
a 2.41 GAA and .919 save percentage. This season, he’s 9-6-5 with a 3.13
GAA and .903 save percentage. He’s allowed five goals in each of his last
two outings.
“When guys are fighting it, it seems you plug one hole and another pops up,”
Valley said. “He knows what he did wrong, and he cares so much about fixing
that. The big thing for him is when something goes bad, he has to let it go as
quick as he can. Our focus is to simply think about the next shot, and that’s
the key right now.”
Asked if he had lost confidence in his game, Lehtonen responded: “No, I’ve
been playing in this league, and I’ve had some bad stretches. I can’t get
worried. Keep believing in this locker room and keep believing in my skill, and
good things will happen.”
And that seems to be the overriding philosophy of the organization right now.
“They have to take ownership of those numbers, but I also think the entire
team has to take ownership,” general manager Jim Nill said. “We have some
defensive problems right now, and we all have to work together to fix them.
When we do that, the numbers will improve.”
Eaves out with broken bone: Right wing Patrick Eaves is out for a minimum of
four weeks with a fractured bone in his foot after being hit with a shot
Tuesday.
“It’s definitely broken,” Ruff said. “Now, it’s how it has to be dealt with. The
best case is 4 to 6 [weeks]. The worst case is three months. It’s somewhere
in that range, depending on what our doctors say.”
The Stars called up left wing Curtis McKenzie as a replacement.
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Dallas Stars
Stars-Red Wings scouting report: Zetterberg, Daley matchup is key
MIKE HEIKA
Storyline Dallas has allowed 15 goals in the last three games and has fallen
to last in the NHL in goals-against average. It needs to make a stand and get
its defensive game in line - and that's from the goaltender through the
forwards.
Key match-up Henrik Zetterberg vs. Trevor Daley
Zetterberg in 37 games against the Stars has 44 points (11 goals, 33 assists)
and is an astounding plus-25. Daley is struggling and ranked 738th in the
NHL at minus-15
Key number: 101 Power-play attempts for the Red Wings, most in the NHL.
The Stars, meanwhile, have handed out the third-most power-play
opportunities, 91.
Injuries Stars: RW Patrick Eaves (lower body) and RW Valeri Nichushkin
(hip/groin) are out.
Red Wings: LW Justin Abdelkader (upper body) and G Jonas Gustavsson
(shoulder) are out.
Notable Curtis McKenzie was recalled from the AHL by the Stars on
Wednesday to replace the injured Patrick Eaves but could be a healthy
scratch against the Red Wings. … Dallas (9-11-4) lost a 5-3 game Tuesday
in Toronto and is 3-2-1 in its last six games. … Detroit (14-6-5) lost a 4-3
game Tuesday to Florida and is 4-1-0 in its last five games. … The Stars are
2-6-1 in their last nine meetings with the Red Wings. … Pavel Datsyuk has 42
points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 38 career games against the Stars. … Detroit
goalie Jimmy Howard is 7-5-2 against Dallas with a 2.20 GAA and .923 save
percentage.
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Dallas Stars
Heika: Toronto the latest hockey hotbed left stunned at Stars' slump
MIKE HEIKA
Published: 03 December 2014 08:22 AM
DETROIT _ I was born in Detroit and grew up in Traverse City, Mich.
I tell you that, because every time I come to the state, I get memories of my
childhood, and I do feel like I'm home. Whether that's Vernors Ginger Ale or
Better Made Potato chips or simply seeing the Tigers, Lions and Red Wings,
I get a tad bit nostalgic.
But as I laid in bed staring at the ceiling after the Stars' 5-3 loss in Toronto, I
started to remember, my sports memories aren't that great.
The Tigers won the World Series in 1968, but I was only seven, so I learned
more about that series watching film reels. They went to the AL
Championship series in 1972, and I have fond memories of that, but then
they went into a tailspin.
The lost 90 games in '74 and 102 in '75. The won the World Series in '84, but
I had moved to Texas by then.
The Lions, well, they might be the worst franchise in the history of
professional sports, so sit on that one for a while.
And the Red Wings, they missed the playoffs 15 out of 17 seasons in my
youth. Do you know how hard it was to miss the NHL playoffs back then?
I moved away in 1983, and they had little to no coverage of the NHL in Texas
back then. When the team finally got good, I wasn't a huge fan because I was
chasing other goals.
As for the Lions, they keep trying to fix things and keep coming up short.
Every year is a different solution, every year it doesn't quite work.
I tell you that, because I think Stars fans are feeling that emptiness. You
missed the playoffs for five years and were promised a rebuild. You made the
playoffs last season and then watched as Dallas became the darlings of the
media in the pre-season. This was a team that would be a hard-charger in the
very tough West. This was a team that would be fun to watch. This was a
team that would do things the right way.
And as they walked out of the Center of the Hockey Universe Tuesday night,
you could see actual disbelief in the eyes of the Toronto media. They had no
idea the Stars were this disjointed. They had no idea they were this loose
with the puck. They had no idea it was this bad.
They were quite literally stunned at the performance they just watched.
You knew, because you have watched them. You knew, because you have
suffered.
And those memories came flooding back about my own youth in Michigan.
See, I grew up with teams that constantly let me down, so I know how you
feel. In some cases, they were fixed. Pizza baron Mike Illitch bought the Red
Wings and turned them around. He bought the Tigers and turned them
around. He put the right people in place, and he let them do their jobs.
That's a big part of any fix, and it's worth noting that Stars owner Tom
Gaglardi was at the game Tuesday. He wasn't happy, but he is trusting the
leadership to get this fixed. Like you, he really doesn't have much choice. GM
Jim Nill is in the second year of a five-year deal and head coach Lindy Ruff is
in the second year of a four-year deal. There is a plan in place, and the
principles believe in the plan, so you have to be patient, too.
While you scour the interweb and look for trades or free agents, remember
that Jason Spezza just signed a four-year contract extension for $7 million,
Tyler Seguin has four more years left on his deal at $5.75 million, Jamie Benn
has two more years at $5.25, and Kari Lehtonen has three more years at
$5.9 million. Those contracts don't include this season, by the way.
That is the core of this team, and the guess is it isn't changing. The guess is
the people in charge feel that's one of the biggest strengths of the rebuild.
On a shorter-term look, Trevor Daley has two more years at $3.3 million, Alex
Goligoski one more year at $4.6 million and Ales Hemsky has two more
years at $4 million.
Those names could get talked about, but there has already been a lot of
change this season. You only move those players if you know you are getting
an upgrade or are at least paving the way to an upgrade. Sergei Gonchar
was traded so John Klingberg could get playing time. That trade made sense.
Now, Klingberg and Jason Demers and Jyrki Jokipakka and Jamie Oleksiak
are trying to reshape the defense.
Nill is working the phones every day, and he's getting a little homecoming of
his own today. This is pretty much his second hometown, and he came back
with a lot more positivity and fanfare last season. Right now, the NHL is
wondering if he is the GM wunderkind everyone imagined he would be when
he left Detroit. Nobody is doubting his intelligence or his ability to form a plan,
but sports is a results-based business, and the results aren't there right now.
That's all part of the vibe this team has to embrace. That's all part of the
challenge. If they need a bunker mentality, then a 9-11-5 record (23rd in
points percentage) and a 3.52 goals against average (30th) should provide
that.
On the good side, the entire leadership group was in Toronto and seemed to
emerge on the same page, despite the loss. On the good side, Jamie Benn
spent a lot of time after the game talking with players and trying to find out
what's going wrong. He takes the captaincy seriously, and he wants to find a
solution.
On the good side, they care as much as you do, and they are maybe even
more frustrated than you…if that's even possible.
I've been away from this state for 30 years now, and the Tigers and Red
Wings have righted themselves and become traditional powers. The Lions?
Well, they're still the Lions.
I say that, because you just don't know how these sports teams will turn out.
You throw your time and passion behind them and there are times you are
rewarded for that.
And then, there are other times you are left staring at the ceiling while you
can't sleep.
And that's the only answer you have.
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Dallas Stars
always bad. It took me a couple of shots to kind of get going again. It seemed
like every time I made some good saves, a couple minutes later, they scored
and fighting again to try to feel comfortable there. Just a disappointing night."
Lindy Ruff discusses the biggest negative from the Stars' loss to Toronto
On if he's lost his confidence
MIKE HEIKA
"No, I've been playing in this league and I've had some bad
stretches. I can't get worried. Keep believing in this locker room and keep
believing in my skill, and good things will happen."
STARS COACH LINDY RUFF
On the first goal
"Tough turnover on the wall and that's probably a goal that our goalie could
have had for us, but it's been a little bit of our story of late."
On if they generated enough chances
"I thought we didn't generate any in Colorado. I thought we
had enough chances to win the game tonight. I know we gave up too many,
but you get down and you got to push. Effort wise, the effort was there. I
thought we made some tough decisions, even offensively. Even Jamie Benn
on the 2-on-1 to not shoot that himself was a little bit of a tough decision. We
had some Grade-A opportunities that we didn't convert. I thought their guy
didn't make many mistakes. Our 5-on-3 was awful. It was probably the
biggest negative in the game."
On the Leafs' top two lines
"I thought they got a couple soft goals, which obviously
helps."
STARS CAPTAIN JAMIE BENN
On the turnovers
"I think when you start the game with a turnover and it's in the back of your
net. When I turned the puck over, it's not a good way to start."
On if their defensemen are out of their league
"No, I think our D are capable of playing in this league,
whoever it is. It's not 5-on-2 out there, it's 5-on-5. They found a way to take
advantage of our turnovers."
On why this team has been so inconsistent
"We've got to get it in our heads that it's got to go straight up
the ice. It's got to be direct. That's the way we're going to win hockey games."
On heading to Detroit
"Yeah, we got to go in there. We know they're a good team.
They're playing good hockey right now. We got to simplify our game and just
play an easy road game, keep it simple out there and just find a way to win."
On why the Leafs had success
"I think they skate pretty well, obviously. They're playing
good hockey in here and like I said, they took advantage of the things that we
gave up tonight."
STARS GOALIE KARI LEHTONENOn the game
"It's definitely not the way we want to start the game. The same thing
happened in the second period too. First minute, they score and that takes
the life out of us. We were in it for a little while and we keep battling back. The
Leafs were able to always answer on our goals, so just a rough night for
everybody."
On what's wrong with the team
"It's tough to say. They forechecked really well. From my
point of view, I just follow the puck. It's easier for someone else to say what
really happened there. They had some good opportunities. Their forwards,
they had some goals, so that's disappointing. I can't let five goals in."
On the first goal
"Yeah, just an awkward shot. I don't know if it hit something.
You're trying to get going in the game and when the first one goes in, that's
741114
Dallas Stars
Stars place Patrick Eaves on IR, recall Curtis McKenzie and Jussi Rynnas
MIKE HEIKA
Eaves took a hard shot to the right ankle Tuesday and was on crutches after
the game. We'll get an update on how long he'll be out today.
Curtis McKenzie is playing great and deserves the call-up.
Rynnas was signed to a two-year, one-way contract in the summer as part of
a goaltending competition with Anders Lindback, and with Lindback 0-5-0, it
is time to see if Rynnas is a better option.
The guess is Lindback will be on waivers today, and will get sent to the AHL if
he clears.
Here is the press release:
FRISCO, Texas - Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today
that the club has recalled left wing Curtis McKenzie and goaltender Jussi
Rynnas from the Texas Stars, Dallas' development affiliate in the American
Hockey League (AHL).
McKenzie, 23, has appeared in nine games for Dallas in 2014-15, scoring his
first-career NHL goal on Nov. 16, 2014 against the Chicago Blackhawks. He
also played in his first-career NHL game on Oct. 18 against the Philadelphia
Flyers. McKenzie has skated in seven games with Texas, registering six
points (3-3=6) and one game-winning goal. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound native of
Golden, British Columbia was selected by Dallas in the sixth round (159th
overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Rynnas (ROO-nuhs, YOO-see), 26, has posted a 5-1-4 record with a 2.58
goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 10 appearances with
Texas this season. The goaltender logged a 28-7-5 record in 40
regular-season contests with Karpat of the Finnish Elite League in 2013-14,
posting a 1.51 GAA and a .939 SV%. Rynnas has appeared in three career
NHL games, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting an 0-1-0 record with a
3.85 GAA and an .848 SV%. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound native of Pori, Finland
was signed by Dallas as a free agent on July 7, 2014.
The Stars have also placed right wing Patrick Eaves on injured reserve. The
native of Calgary, Alta. has tallied five assists and eight points (3-5=8) in 19
games with Dallas in the 2014-15 campaign. Eaves has registered 154
career points (77-77=154) in 463 NHL contests with the Ottawa Senators,
Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators and Dallas
Stars. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound forward was originally selected by Ottawa in
the first round (29th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft, and signed with Dallas as
a free agent on July 1, 2014.
741115
Detroit Red Wings
Mike Babcock gives weary Red Wings a day of rest
By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 2:54 a.m. EST December 4, 2014
The Detroit Red Wings had an off day Wednesday, as their coach thought it
would leave players with sharper faculties.
The Wings seek the start of a new winning streak when they host the Dallas
Stars tonight. They'll have to do so without top-six forward and power play
net-front presence Justin Abdelkader, who remains sidelined by a shoulder
injury suffered during Sunday's game.
General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press on Wednesday that
Abdelkader "is doubtful for the weekend. We'll see how he feels Saturday
morning for final decision. Realistically, we're hoping he's ready to play some
time next week."
The Wings host the New York Rangers on Saturday and play at Carolina on
Sunday.
They had strung together a nice four-game winning streak before a 4-3 loss
to Florida on Tuesday that caused players to think of new words for awful.
Coach Mike Babcock pinned some of the blame on the coaching staff and
figured a day off would help.
"We're going to have an off day so that we're fresh mentally, and so there's
no excuse mentally or physically," Babcock said after Tuesday's game. "We'll
get back at it."
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 12.04.2014
741116
Detroit Red Wings
Gordie Howe having difficulties, but may leave hospital
By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 5:34 p.m. EST December 3, 2014
Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe remains hospitalized as his
dementia affects his ability to rest.
Son Mark Howe told the Free Press that Gordie Howe has had a hard time
sleeping since being hospitalized Monday. "Anxiety from dementia does that
to him," Mark Howe wrote via text. "Change of surrounding makes his
dementia worse as well."
The family released a statement this afternoon casting further light on the
health of the man known as "Mr. Hockey."
"During the afternoon of Monday, December 1, our father appeared to have
suffered another severe stroke as he displayed diminished consciousness to
his attending caregivers and physical therapy personnel for more than 30
minutes. EMS was called and he was immediately transported to UMC
Hospital. An MRI was performed Tuesday afternoon which revealed the
great news that he did not in fact have a second severe stoke. It was
determined that he was suffering from dehydration and is currently being
treated accordingly. He is having difficulty eating solid foods at this time, has
slurred speech and has been unable to walk for more than three weeks now.
All of these factors are contributing to his overall decline in health. His mental
awareness has improved enough in the past 24 hours to where we expect
him to be out of the hospital and in his own bed at home before the night is
over."
Mark Howe, a pro scout for the Wings and like his father, a member of
Hockey's Hall of Fame, left Detroit late Monday after hearing from his sister,
Cathy, that their father had suffered an episode they believed at the time to
be a major stroke. Gordie Howe has been in Lubbock, Texas, since last
summer, staying with Cathy and her family.
Mark Howe originally told the Free Press his dad was in ICU, but Murray
Howe, another son, later clarified Gordie Howe was in hospital, but not
intensive care. He also clarified that an MRI revealed it was not, in fact, a
stroke.
Gordie Howe, 86, suffers from dementia and has had a series of mini strokes
since summer.
Mark Howe told the Free Press the events of Monday night were scary. "Dad
was unresponsive for about 30 minutes and it was very similar to when he
had his big stroke." That occurred on Oct. 26, when Gordie Howe lost
function in most of his right side. He remains unable to speak clearly or move
on his own.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 12.04.2014
741117
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings not happy with number of goals allowed
Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 8:58 p.m. EST December 3, 2014
Detroit — There were signs the last few weeks.
Goals were being scored in bunches, but the Red Wings were allowing quite
a few, too.
"The thing I don't like about what's gone on lately is we're giving up too many
goals," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said in the midst of that stretch. "I
don't mind if we score goals, but I'm not interested in giving them up."
Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Florida was an example of Babcock's words.
The Red Wings have allowed three or more goals in 11 of the last 15 games.
During that stretch, they are 7-3-1.
"If we let in three or four goals a night, it's not easy to win games," Red Wings
center Henrik Zetterberg said. "You have to score a lot of them (goals)
yourself. Even (Tuesday) some of the goals shouldn't have happened but
(did), and it's something that has to change."
A lack of execution and sloppy defensive play have been the issues, leading
to many of the goals allowed.
By the coaching staff's count, the Red Wings had 20 turnovers against the
Panthers.
"All throughout the (Florida) game, we didn't take care of the puck well
enough," Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist said. "If you don't do that, you'll
lose. We have to be better."
Babcock jackpot
TSN national analyst Darren Dreger reported the Red Wings are "willing to
make Babcock the highest paid coach" in the league, with a four- or five-year
contract.
For that to happen, Babcock would have to make a minimum of $3 million per
season (Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is the league's highest paid at
$2.75 million per season).
Babcock and general manager Ken Holland have been mum about
negotiations.
Ice chips
Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar, on Tuesday's loss: "It's an advantage to
play in our home and it's a big month for us (10 of 14 at Joe Louis Arena)."
... The Red Wings had Wednesday off, so there's a chance Justin
Abdelkader (shoulder) could return for the morning skate Thursday. He also
was fighting the flu Tuesday.
... The Red Wings have scored power-play goals in five straight games and
eight of the last nine. The power play ranks seventh in the NHL at 22.8
percent.
... After going pointless in four games, Zetterberg has points (seven, one
goal) in five consecutive games.
Detroit News LOADED: 12.04.2014
741118
Detroit Red Wings
Howe might be released from hospital Wednesday night
By Gregg Krupa, The Detroit News 5:08 p.m. EST December 3, 2014
Detroit – Gordie Howe's mental awareness improved Wednesday, according
to his family. But his health remains in decline.
The Red Wings released a statement confirming media reports that rather
than suffering a severe stroke on Monday, as feared by his family, Gordie
Howe suffered from dehydration.
The Howe family also expressed sympathies after the death of one of Howe's
greatest rivals, the elegant, high-scoring Canadiens center and captain, Jean
Beliveau, who died Tuesday at 83.
Howe continued to recover Wednesday, in Lubbock, Texas, where he has
stayed with his daughter Cathy Purnell, and also attended by his sons, Mark,
Marty and Murray.
minutes," the family said, in the statement. "EMS was called and he was
immediately transported to UMC Hospital (in Lubbock).
"An MRI was performed Tuesday afternoon which revealed the great news
that he did not in fact have a second severe stoke. It was determined that he
was suffering from dehydration and is currently being treated accordingly.
"He is having difficulty eating solid foods at this time, has slurred speech and
has been unable to walk for more than three weeks now," the family said.
"All of these factors are contributing to his overall decline in health. His
mental awareness has improved enough in the past 24 hours to where we
expect him to be out of the hospital and in his own bed at home before the
night is over."
As Howe endured the health trials, his old rival throughout the 1950s and
1960s, finally succumbed after some years of health problems.
In the 11 seasons from 1950 to 1960, the Canadiens won six Stanley Cups
and the Red Wings four, while Howe and Beliveau played critical roles.
"The Howe family is also deeply saddened to hear of the passing of hockey
legend Jean Beliveau," the Howes said, according to a release from the Red
Wings. "
"The hockey world has lost a man who epitomized professionalism, dignity
and class. We extend our condolences and prayers to his family and friends."
Detroit News LOADED: 12.04.2014
741119
Detroit Red Wings
Gordie Howe expected to be released from hospital today; Red Wings
legend was suffering from dehydration
Ansar Khan
on December 03, 2014 at 4:54 PM, updated December 03, 2014 at 5:05 PM
Gordie Howe is expected to be released from a hospital in Lubbock, Texas,
today after tests on Tuesday revealed he did not suffer another stroke.
The Detroit Red Wings issued this release from the Howe family:
minutes. EMS was called and he was immediately transported to UMC
Hospital. An MRI was performed Tuesday afternoon which revealed the
great news that he did not in fact have a second severe stoke. It was
determined that he was suffering from dehydration and is currently being
treated accordingly.
"He is having difficulty eating solid foods at this time, has slurred speech and
has been unable to walk for more than three weeks now. All of these factors
are contributing to his overall decline in health. His mental awareness has
improved enough in the past 24 hours to where we expect him to be out of
the hospital and in his own bed at home before the night is over."
The family also stated the following regarding the passing of Montreal
Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau:
legend Jean Beliveau. The hockey world has lost a man who epitomized
professionalism, dignity and class. We extend our condolences and prayers
to his family and friends."
Michigan Live LOADED: 12.04.2014
741120
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings' faith in Tomas Jurco paying off as young forward starts
producing offensively
Brendan Savage | on December 03, 2014 at 3:33 PM, updated December 03,
2014 at 3:34 PM
DETROIT - Patience is paying off for Tomas Jurco and the Detroit Red
Wings.
Jurco didn't let an early season slump discourage him and the Red Wings
showed faith in the young forward by keeping him in the NHL rather than
sending him down when he was the only player on the team with
minor-league options.
After recording just two assists in his first 14 games, Jurco has seven points
in the last eight to help the Red Wings post a 6-2 record in that span.
'I think it's just getting a little more luck than I used to at first," Jurco said. "The
first few games, there was no way for me to get the puck in. It was bouncing
everywhere out of the net. I'm just trying to play a little harder with the puck,
be stronger and skate hard.
"It's working well for me right now."
So well that coach Mike Babcock promoted the second-year forward to the
Red Wings' top forward line alongside Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk
late in the second period of Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Florida.
When Johan Franzen wasn't going to the net as the Red Wings had hoped,
Jurco took his place on the top line next to Detroit's top two players.
Jurco wasn't able to capitalize by figuring in the scoring, marking the first time
in six games he didn't get a point.
"The season is long," he said. "There is always a time you're struggling a little
bit. Sports are like this. You cannot always be the best or at high levels. I
think I went through my struggles this year and hopefully it's only going to get
better.
"For sure it's not a good thing for confidence but right now, I'm really high with
my confidence where it used to be. So it helped me the last few games and
it's good for me."
Jurco, the Red Wings' youngest player at age 21, is 11th on the team's
scoring chart with two goals and seven assists. He also leads the Red Wings
with a plus-7 rating.
His surge started with a goal and an assist Nov. 18 in a 5-0 victory at
Columbus.
Jurco isn't the only Red Wings' youngster who struggled to produce at the
start of the season.
Tomas Tatar, who turned 24 Monday, had one goal in the Red Wings' first
nine games but is among Detroit's top scorers with 10 goals and five assists.
And Riley Sheahan, 22, has five goals and seven assists after getting one
goal and one assist in his first nine games.
"Jurcs, to me, is an important guy for us," Babcock said. "Tats struggled at
the start. Sheahan struggled at the start. I don't know the reason for it. The
schedule is 82 games long and it's a grind and they've been able to find their
way out of it.
"They're good young players. They really can skate, got good offensive skill
so over time you'd like to think they can score."
A native of Slovakia, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Jurco was the Red Wings'
second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2011 NHL draft after playing two
seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.
He spent a third season with Saint John before beginning his pro career in
2012-13, when he helped the Grand Rapids Griffins win the AHL
championship.
In three seasons with Saint John, where his coach was former Red Wings
forward Gerard Gallant, Jurco had 87 goals and 88 assists in 172 games.
"Tomas Jurco is a real good hockey player," Gallant said. "I really liked him in
the three years that I had him in Saint John and to watch him develop into the
player that he is today is really satisfying because he came over here as a
young kid from Europe and he had no idea of the work ethic that it takes to be
a professional player.
"His skill level was unbelievable so it's good to see Tomas play that way he's
playing because he's competing every day, every shift, and he's a true
professional NHL hockey player and he's doing real well for the Red Wings."
741121
Detroit Red Wings
NHL Power Rankings roundup: Eight top-10 showings propel Detroit Red
Wings to No. 8
Brendan Savage | on December 03, 2014 at 11:11 AM, updated December
03, 2014 at 6:14 PM
Nobody likes the Red Wings more this week than Ken Campbell of The
Hockey News.
The Red Wings moved up in virtually all of the NHL Power Rankings but they
took a huge jump over at THN, where Campbell - who had them 14th a week
ago - bumped them all the way up to No. 3 behind only the Nashville
Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning.
NHL.com has the Red Wings 10th and says they can win the Eastern
Conference if they add an impact defenseman at some point.
THN and NHL.com were two of eight top-10 rankings for the Red Wings, who
check in no lower than 11th this week. Add it all up and they're No. 8 this
week in MLive's NHL Power Rankings roundup.
That's up three spots since MLive's last NHL Power Rankings roundup.
(This week's rankings were compiled before Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Florida.)
The top three teams this week are Nashville, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.
Here's how the Red Wings stack up:
• ESPN.com: Seventh, up from 13th last week. What they're saying: "Can't
get over how impressive the Red Wings are. A big win over the Canucks on
Sunday was their fourth in a row and sixth in seven games as they nip at the
heels of the Lightning and Canadiens at the top of the Atlantic."
• NJ.com: Eighth. What they're saying: "Gustav Nyquist had a team-high 11
goals through Sunday for the Red Wings, who were 6-1 in their last seven
games."
• SB Nation: 11th, What they're saying: "It's starting to look like the Red
Wings playoff streak will continue. Detroit's defense has been especially
good: only Tampa is allowing less unblocked shot attempts per game at even
strength."
• NHL.com: 10th. What they're saying: "Mike Babcock is doing a masterful
job of putting his skilled young players in situations to succeed. He's leaning
on the fourth line to eat up a lot of the defensive-zone faceoffs (they're not the
only team trying to emulate what has been a staple in Chicago) and the kids
are turning offensive-zone faceoffs into great possession numbers. If this
team adds a high-level defenseman, Detroit could win the East."
• Metro.us: 11th. What they're saying: " It has been rather sneaky but the Red
Wings are on a roll, having won their last four games, including a 5-3 victory
over Vancouver on Sunday. Detroit is 9-2-2 this season at Joe Louis Arena
with three more home games beckoning this week: Panthers, Stars and
Rangers. Detroit is only one point behind Tampa Bay and Montreal with a
goal-differential of plus-13."
• Comcast Sports New England: 10th, up from 12th. What they're saying:
"Tomas Tatar is on fire for the Red Wings, who have won (four) in a row as
they protect their third place spot in the Atlantic Division. "
• Buffalo News: 11th, up from 12th. What they're saying: "Prospects
blooming: Nyquist and Tatar have combined for 19 goals."
• TSN.ca: Seventh, up from ninth. What they're saying: "Six wins in seven
games, with a relatively healthy roster, and even getting production (3 G, 2 A
in 5 GP) from Stephen Weiss, puts the Wings within a point of first place in
the league."
• USA Today: Sixth, up from 12th. What they're saying: "Captain Henrik
Zetterberg has six points during his team's four-game winning streak."
• Toronto Sun: Seventh, down from sixth. What they're saying: "Howard
having bounce back season."
• The Hockey News: Third, up from 14th. What they're saying: "Yes, we
picked the Red Wings to miss the playoffs this season and, yes, it looks as
though we're going to be wrong. Coming up: Florida, Dallas and Rangers at
home, where they're 9-2-2 this season."
741122
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings take Wednesday off after turnovers catch up with them in Florida
loss
Aaron McMann | on December 03, 2014 at 7:00 AM, updated December 03,
2014 at 6:39 PM
DETROIT -- Sooner or later the goals against were going to catch up with
them, and Tuesday night the Detroit Red Wings learned that the hard way.
Searching for its first five-game win streak in two seasons, Detroit instead
looked slow and uninterested at times during its 4-3 loss to the Florida
Panthers at Joe Louis Arena. It was the seventh time this season the Red
Wings (14-6-5-) have allowed at least four goals, and the second in the last
three games.
Far from the team's 2.74 goals-against average.
"If we let in three goals a night it's not easy to win games," forward Henrik
Zetterberg said. "You've got to score a lot of them yourself. Even tonight
some of the goals shouldn't have happened. But it does, and it's something
we've got to change."
Detroit outshot Florida 41-31 but finished minus-8 in giveaways, turning the
puck over eight times in the first period. They scored first on a Tomas Tatar
power play goal but gave up the lead later in the period on a goal from Jimmy
Hayes.
The lackluster effort poured over into the second period, and while the
turnovers were cleaned up for the most part (Detroit was minus-11 in its 5-3
win Sunday over Vancouver) Florida had trouble getting shots off near the
net.
"We had our count around 20 turnovers," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
"You have no chance. Mentally we weren't engaged. Whatever we did today
wasn't the right thing."
Henrik Zetterberg The captain says "You snooze, you lose."
Said Johan Franzen: "You get comfortable and let your guard down a little bit.
We have to keep telling ourselves it's going to be a war out there and to come
prepared every night."
Everyone agreed Tuesday night that Detroit was outplayed physically and
mentally, downplaying any talk that the canceled morning skate had anything
to do with the team's play.
Detroit hosts Dallas on Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena.
"It's bad mistakes, bad giveaways and not many shots on net," Tomas Tatar
said. "We just have to flush this out of our heads and get ready for the next
game."
Said Babcock: "We have to regroup and get back at 'er. We're going to have
an off-day tomorrow. So we'll get refreshed mentally so there's no excuse
mentally or physically, and we'll get back at it."
741123
Detroit Red Wings
Gustav Nyquist not suffering from sophomore jinx
By Chuck Pleiness, The Macomb Daily
Posted: 12/03/14, 4:51 PM EST |
DETROIT >> Sophomore slump?
Gustav Nyquist wants to hear none of that. The second-year NHL player
scored his team-leading 12th goal on Tuesday in the Wings’ 4-3 loss to the
Florida Panthers.
“It’s been going in,” Nyquist said. “I’ve been getting some good opportunities
to play with great players in a lot of good situations, a lot of power-play time,
so that helps. It’s nice to see the puck go in.”
Nyquist had a team-high 28 goals as a rookie last season despite playing in
just 57 games.
“I think he’s just so good at getting the puck back and being in an open spot,”
said Riley Sheahan, who’s centered the line Nyquist has been on the last few
games. “He finds those open areas and then obviously he’s got a great shot.
When the puck is on his stick, you kind of know that something good is going
to happen.”
His 12 goals this year ranks him tied for sixth in the league heading into play
Wednesday.
“He’s a good player and he creates space,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.
“He’s got good quickness, good intelligence. He plays hard.”
Seven of Nyquist’s goals this season have come on the power play, which
ties him for the league lead with Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin. He’s ahead of
the likes of these snipers – Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, Washington’s
Alex Ovechkin and New York Islanders’ John Tavares ¬¬-- who all have six
power play goals heading into play Wednesday.
“I think he finds places on the power play where he gets lost and players can’t
get him,” Brendan Smith said. “And (Henrik) Zetterberg’s been able to find
him several times. He’s got that knack for finding back doors and finding
pucks. It’s like he’s in the right place at the right time. That’s what goal
scorers do.
“I think even strength has become a little bit harder because teams have
figured out hey, he’s a player, we’ve got to be watching for him. Everybody
has that but something that Nyquist has is that he’s got that will and that
competitive nature. When you have that, you’ll find a way to out-battle
somebody and score goals.”
Zetterberg is on the first power play unit with Nyquist.
“I’ve been playing with Z a lot and he plays against good players most of the
night,” Nyquist said. “It’s been fun. It’s a challenge to play against the best
players and makes you become a better player. You learn a lot from that and
it’s only a positive thing.”
Nyquist has 40 goals in 83 games since the start of last season.
“I’m in that spot in the middle where a lot of pucks come out, so if I’m in the
right spot a lot of pucks are going to find me,” Nyquist said.
Nyquist credits the leadership of Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall and Pavel
Datsyuk that helps him keep his drive.
“They bring it every day,” Nyquist said. “It’s a challenge in this league and us
young guys we have to find a way to be able to do the same thing and bring it
every day.”
Macomb Daily LOADED: 12.04.2014
741124
Detroit Red Wings
Howe family says Gordie should be home tonight
DANA WAKIJI
DEC 03, 2014 5:18p ET
Gordie Howe could be home in his own bed by later tonight.
Howe's family provided an update on his condition Wednesday.
Howe originally suffered a major stroke on Oct. 26 and has had several
smaller strokes since then.
On Monday afternoon, it appeared Howe had suffered another severe stroke
because he was displaying diminished consciousness to his caregivers and
physical therapists for more than 30 minutes.
Emergency personnel immediately took Howe to the hospital where an MRI
showed that Howe did not have another stroke.
Instead, doctors determined that Howe was dehydrated, so they are treating
him for that.
Howe's family said he is currently having trouble eating solid foods, has
slurred speech and has not been able to walk for more than three weeks.
However, because Howe's mental awareness has improved enough in the
last 24 hours, his family expects him to be able to leave the hospital and
return home sometime later tonight.
Howe's family also wanted to express their condolences to the family and
friends of hockey great Jean Beliveau, who passed away yesterday.
legend Jean Beliveau," the statement said. "The hockey world has lost a man
who epitomized professionalism, dignity and class. We extend our
condolences and prayers to his family and friends."
foxsports.com LOADED: 12.04.2014
741125
Detroit Red Wings
Howard on the rebound following rough season
Vanessa Taylor/Detroit Fan Favorites
DEC 03, 2014 11:24a ET
Over the first 20 games he's started this season, Jimmy Howard is 11-5-4.
Jimmy Howard was in bad need of a rebound as the Red Wings began the
2014-15 season.
The Red Wings' starting goaltender had a rough go of it last year. There was
a rash of injuries that he struggled to shake (hand, knee, and hip), and he
missed the team's final two playoff games with a case of the flu.
The health issues were accompanied by exasperating inconsistencies, which
were arguably what frustrated Howard -- and fans -- the most.
These issues caused Howard to shoulder a lot of the blame for the Red
Wings' regular season struggles and early exit from the playoffs, as
goaltenders so often do.
Then the offseason arrived early in Detroit, and Howard spent the summer
with his wife, Rachel, and two young sons. He appeared to have gotten a
second wind as Detroit prepared to kick-off the new season, with Howard
saying in training camp he felt "the best he had in two to three years."
The result has been flashes of the 30-year-old looking better than he has in a
few years. Over the first 20 games he's started this season, Howard is 11-5-4
and has a solid 2.23 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
So far in this young season, Howard has been dependable when the Wings
have needed him to be. He's managed some brilliant, game-changing saves.
His performances have been notable, regardless of a game's outcome.
One of those performances came on Nov. 18, when Howard was
instrumental in the Red Wings' shutout of the Blue Jackets. He stopped all 28
shot attempts from Columbus and collected the 19th shutout of his career.
Two weeks later on Nov. 30, Howard managed 30 saves to achieve his 163rd
career win during a 5-3 victory over the Canucks. With the win, he tied Harry
Lumley for third place on the franchise's all-time goalie wins list, behind
legends Terry Sawchuk (351) and Chris Osgood (317).
He currently stands in 16th place among active players on the all-time career
wins list, which is topped by Martin Brodeur (688) and Roberto Luongo (381).
He was in goal for three contests of the Red Wings' four-game winning streak
which began Nov. 24, and came to an end with a 4-3 loss to the Florida
Panthers on Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena.
During the game, Howard faced heavy pressure from an energetic Panthers
offense and stopped 27 shots, yet defensive errors and a high number of
turnovers proved to be too damaging for the team to recover.
Had the game resulted in a win for Detroit, it would have been their longest
winning streak since they swept six straight in February 2012.
Despite Tuesday's loss, Howard is quietly managing a much-needed
rebound at the quarter mark of the season.
Provided he can stay healthy, this season could have a very different
outcome for Detroit's number one goaltender.
foxsports.com LOADED: 12.04.2014
741126
Edmonton Oilers
‘Bring it on. It will not break me,’ Eakins says just before another Oilers' loss
By Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal December 3, 2014 11:55 PM
WINNIPEG — Just when it appeared there might be a tub of Gatorade
poured over coach Dallas Eakins’ head in celebration, the Winnipeg Jets
rained on the party Wednesday to run the Edmonton Oilers winless streak to
11 numbing games.
Mathieu Perreault tipped Jake Trouba’s point shot past goalie Ben Scrivens
17 seconds into overtime for a 3-2 victory after Dustin Byfuglien had sent the
game to extra time with a deflection of defenceman Mark Stuart’s shot with
three minutes remaining in the third.
It was the fourth OT loss during the 11-game streak for the Oilers. They fell to
Ottawa, Nashville, St. Louis and now the Jets after regulation time.
The Oilers, who hadn’t won since Nov. 9 in New York (3-1 over the Rangers),
got the 2-1 goal 91 seconds into the third when David Perron muscled past
Adam Pardy and his 10-footer glanced off a defender’s stick and flipped over
Ondrej Pavelec.
The Oilers futility against the Western Conference continued to 0-12-4.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the other Oiler goal in the opening period after
Trouba had given the Jets the lead with a goal on Scrivens.
Eakins has been under severe heat through the winless streak, which is
approaching 3-1/2 weeks, but Wednesday morning he sounded like he
hadn’t been living on a ledge.
“This bends you but I’ve had some terribly tragic things happen to me in my
life and when I compare this to that, this is nothing,” he said. “Bring it on. It will
not break me, and we’ve encouraged our players to think that too ... there are
far worse things in this world.”
Nevertheless, the streak was wearing on everybody.
“I’m not going to stand around and say it’s all roses and butterflies ... there’s
frustration, but if there wasn’t with the players, boy, do we have a problem,”
he said.
Scrivens got the Oilers to the third tied at one with three excellent stops in the
middle period, the first two on Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler after a Justin
Schultz giveaway, then seconds later when Taylor Hall broke his stick and
was caught in no man’s land.
Shortly after that, Scrivens flashed the leather to rob Dustin Byfuglien as he
sashayed into the Oiler end.
The Jets scored first when Oscar Klefbom pinched at the Winnipeg blueline
and Perron didn’t cover for him as Byfuglien fed to Perreault, who fed the
hard-charging defenceman Trouba for a 15-footer on Scrivens’ glove side.
Trouba has scored 14 goals in his 91 NHL games, four against the Oilers in
four games.
The Oilers tied it when Justin Schultz hit Nugent-Hopkins just inside the
Winnipeg blueline and his screened 45-footer sailed past Pavelec, his first
goal since Nov. 9 in New York, a drought of 10 games.
The Oilers went with five defencemen the final 40 minutes when Nikita Nikitin
was hurt in the first period after being rocked by Evander Kane.
He appeared to wrench his back. He finished the period, playing 11 shifts and
7:45.
Oilers winger Jesse Joensuu, who cleared waivers Monday, still hasn’t been
assigned to Oklahoma City. He made the trip here and skated with the team
Wednesday morning. He’s technically still on the 23-man roster as one of two
extra forwards. Matt Hendricks (bruised knee) is the other forward. The
Oilers can keep him for 30 days before he has to go back on waivers.
Joensuu may also be looking at playing in Europe rather than go to the AHL.
This ‘n that: Hendricks (bruised kneecap) didn’t come to Winnipeg with the
team but has skated on his own at home. He’s not on injured reserve ... Oiler
winger Luke Gazdic had his second fight in as many games (B.J. Crombeen
vs. Arizona), going toe-to-toe with Anthony Peluso.
A few bombs there with both guys taking punches ... Jets’ defenceman Zach
Bogosian took a shot off his right foot by Klefbom midway through the third
and hobbled off but sucked it up and kept playing.
Edmonton Journal hockey writers Jim Matheson and Joanne Ireland, and
sports columnist John MacKinnon, talk about the Edmonton Oilers'
10-game losing skid, comments about 'moping' teammates made by captain
Andrew Ference following that 10th loss, and about what the struggling team
should do now and in the near future.
Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Edmonton Oilers
He was a man of the people.
Oilers personnel recalls powerful aura of Jean Beliveau
By Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal December 3, 2014
WINNIPEG — Edmonton Oilers associate coach Keith Acton always knew
he was in the presence of greatness when the regal Jean Beliveau was
around the Montreal Forum.
“I had one interaction with him, before my first playoff game and I was outside
the dressing room in my hockey underwear, cutting a stick off in the old
Forum,” said Acton, who played three years with the Montreal Canadiens
until traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Bobby Smith in the early 1980s,
“I looked up and Mr. Beliveau was walking toward me in the hallway, dressed
as he always was, in a suit and tie ... and I got more nervous him walking by
me than the game.”
“He said to me ‘Keith, this is your first playoff game (against the Oilers in
1981).’ I said ‘yes, sir.’ He said ‘you ready?’ I said ‘I think so, sir.’’’
“He lifted up my armpit and I was soaked in sweat. He looked way down at
me and said ‘that’s good, you’re ready,’ He could put you at ease,” said
Acton, who would play 1,023 National Hockey League games but still laughs
at the scared kid memory.
“You always called him Mr. Beliveau. Not that he expected that, but that’s
how you respected him,” said Acton, who remembers being in Montreal in his
early days and craving an audience or at least a few words with Le Gros Bill
over an on-ice struggle. “I couldn’t win a faceoff for my life, and I used to say
to (broadcaster) Dick Irvin, ‘Can you please tell Mr. Beliveau to come down
from his office and teach me how to win a faceoff?’ Never came, and I was
too shy to ask him personally.”
“He had an aura ... a bit like Pat Quinn. He was intimidating to the opposition,
and when you were on his team or organization, you would draw strength
from him. Everyone looked up to him and respected him and that doesn’t
happen without you being a great man.”
Oilers winger David Perron never met Beliveau but felt he knew him better
than most.
“My grandfather grew up playing against him ... it was always special to hear
him talking about Mr. Beliveau,” said Perron, who was born in Sherbrooke,
Que. “He was his favourite player of all-time. When my grandfather would
talk about him, I’ve never heard that passion.”
“Whenever you’d see him (Beliveau) at the Bell Centre and they would show
him on the Jumbotron, everyone would get up for him. I heard the reporters
would have his home phone number and would call him directly. He had a
problem saying no to a lot of people. You are allowed to say no once in a
while and everyone understands it, but he wasn’t that type of person.”
Beliveau signed hundreds of thousands of autographs over the years, and
always said he wanted them legible.
“Maybe we have a thing or two to learn from that. You look at some of the
autographs we do, and they aren’t the best,” said Perron.
Broadcaster Dave Randorf, then working for TSN and charged with doing
interviews of the storied Canadiens’ players at the 100th anniversary of the
franchise a few years ago, fondly recalls how Beliveau treated him before a
game. Randorf was having difficulty getting any of the old Habs greats to stop
for an on-camera chat, until the classy Beliveau happened by. He asked if
Beliveau would have a few minutes, and Beliveau quickly agreed.
“Sure, Dave, absolutely,” recalled Randorf, now working for SportsNet and
doing the Oilers-Jets’ play-by-play Wednesday. “I looked to see if I had a
name tag on. I didn’t. How would he know me?’ ”
“I said ‘Mr. Beliveau, we don’t have a camera right now, would you mind if I
go and get one?’ He said ‘Dave, I’ll be right here waiting.’ ”
Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins was dumbstruck when he’d see Beliveau.
“If I would run into him in Montreal, I would always call him Mister. My
interactions were brief but if I did see him he would stop me in my tracks. I’d
be jumping in an elevator with him at the rink there and I didn’t know what to
do. I’d politely say, ‘hello Mister Beliveau.’
741128
Edmonton Oilers
John MacKinnon: Jean Beliveau was embodiment of Canadiens’ class,
greatness
By John MacKinnon, Edmonton Journal December 3, 2014
EDMONTON — Awestruck boys and star-struck grown men sometimes
weren’t sure how to act or what to say when first encountering Montreal
Canadiens great Jean Beliveau.
Women didn’t necessarily have those problems. Upon being introduced to
Beliveau at a promotional meet-and-greet during his playing days, the wife of
a colleague of my father’s flung her arms around Beliveau’s neck, leaned in
and nibbled his earlobe.
About a month after Beliveau retired, the Canadiens drafted Guy Lafleur first
overall. The 20-year-old sniper, who had worn No. 4 for the Quebec
Remparts, famously visited Beliveau at his home in the Montreal suburb of
Longueuil to discuss the jersey number issue.
Beliveau, who had made No. 4 part of his brand, before people talked about
personal brands, didn’t tell Lafleur NOT to wear that number for the
Canadiens. He did suggest if Lafleur chose another number, one unfettered
by the baggage No. 4 would carry, Lafleur could make that one special. So
Lafleur chose No. 10.
Beliveau’s stature as a Canadiens icon and a national treasure grew in the
decades following his retirement. In November 1994, then a columnist with
the Citizen, I spent much of a day with Beliveau as he made the rounds of
radio and TV stations. He caused a commotion everywhere he went as soon
as people recognized him, which was instantaneously.
These were supposedly cynical journalists, remember, people trained to
control their emotions, people loathe to fawn over anyone.
Beliveau, who died Tuesday at 83, was the embodiment of the class and
style that is the Montreal Canadiens.
That day, Beliveau was in Ottawa on a book tour not long after he had
graciously declined then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s offer to appoint him
Canada’s next Governor General.
For more than 40 years following his 1971 retirement, Beliveau, with his regal
bearing and quiet charisma, remained a living icon of that NHL franchise.
Latterly, he was a figurehead, unmistakable with his silver hair, seated in his
seat near the Canadiens players’ bench at the Bell Centre.
He turned the extraordinary opportunity down to be with his wife, Elise, his
widowed daughter, Helene, and his two granddaughters, Mylene and
Magalie, in Montreal.
Some have compared his presence to that of Joe DiMaggio, the New York
Yankees great of the 1930s and ‘40s. But there was nothing aloof, distant or
mysterious about Jean Beliveau.
Cary Grant-handsome, never a hair out of place, impeccably dressed,
Beliveau carried himself like the crossover superstar he was while staying
humble, approachable and, as they would say in Quebec, sympathique.
He made time for many, many people on a daily basis.
If all that sounds too good to be true for a hockey player, you begin to
understand the essence of Jean Beliveau.
My first close encounter came in the spring of 1966 when me and tens of
thousands of my closest friends choked the streets around the Montreal
Forum, the team’s legendary former home arena, to celebrate a second
straight championship as yet another Canadiens Stanley Cup parade began
to wend its way along the usual route through downtown Montreal.
Beliveau, the team’s captain, rode in the first convertible in the procession,
alongside Bobby Rousseau, a 30-goal man that year and the club’s top
scorer with 78 points, one more than Beliveau.
Aficionados of possession stats would have loved Beliveau, a masterly
stickhandler, passer and scorer. He scored 507 goals and 712 assists in
1,125 regular-season games, added 79 goals and 97 assists in 162
post-season games.
Nobody ever entered the offensive zone with more élan, the puck on a string
attached to his stick. A centrepiece player on some of the most skilled teams
in NHL history, Beliveau’s game was decidedly not about chip-and-chase.
An adolescent boy didn’t know it at the time, but as that parade unfolded,
Beliveau was in the final third of his Hall of Fame career, beginning a
graceful, triumphant exit from the game, at least as a player.
Of the 10 Stanley Cups Beliveau helped the Canadiens win as a player, five
came in the final seven seasons of his 18-year career. As he would, Beliveau
went out a champion, helping Montreal win the Stanley Cup in 1971.
Ken Dryden, a raw rookie goaltender, and Frank Mahovlich, then at the peak
of his powers as a scorer, led Montreal to the Cup that spring. But Beliveau’s
contribution was crucial, particularly in the first round, when the Canadiens
upset Bobby Orr’s Boston Bruins, far and away the NHL’s dominant team
that season.
In Game 2, the Canadiens overcame a 5-1 Boston lead to win 7-5, stunning
the Bruins. Beliveau scored two third-period goals to narrow Boston’s lead to
5-4. He had set up linemate Yvan Cournoyer for the game’s first goal. And he
fed tough guy John Ferguson for what proved to be the game-winner as
Montreal evened the series 1-1 on Boston ice. A four-point tour-de-force for a
supposedly aging superstar.
His team was not going to lie down for the Big, Bad Bruins. That night,
Beliveau showed his teammates they could defeat that great Boston club.
“You have to be consistent in your decisions,” Beliveau explained. “I couldn’t
see myself leaving my daughter and my two granddaughters.
“Some people told me, ‘You could see them on weekends.’ But how many
weekends do you think I would have been (in Ottawa)?”
Beliveau was obviously at peace with his decision.
The interview unfolded that day as Beliveau shook hands with strangers,
posed for photos, as he worked the room, as it were, in his characteristically
warm, gracious fashion.
At one point, Beliveau folded his 6-foot-3 frame into a comfortable chair in the
lobby of the Chateau Laurier for a breather.
A woman of a certain age, walking with the aid of a cane, saw her chance and
approached him, beaming.
“I just want to thank you,” she said. “Thank you for giving us so many years of
happy hockey.”
He gave Canadians sublime, happy hockey all right. He gave us so much
more than that.
741129
Edmonton Oilers
Tyler Pitlick gets a look with Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall vs Jets
1 008 Oilers 1b by Jim Matheson
Tyler Pitlick will be wearing his Big Boy pants against the Winnipeg Jets,
elevated to the No. 1 line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall. For the
farm call-up winger Pitlick, he’s hoping it’s a good time and a long time but if
the Edmonton Oilers, winless in 10, fall behind early to the Jets, who knows
how long it’ll take coach Dallas Eakins to revert to his comfort zone with RNH,
Hall and Eberle.
Eberle will skate with Leon Draisaitl and Nail Yakupov, with Boyd Gordon, off
the morning skate lines, getting rewarded for all the heavy lifting defensively
and in the face-off circle, centering David Perron and Teddy Purcell. Mark
Arcobello will drop down to skate with Luke Gazdic and Steve Pinizzoto on a
fourth line.
“Tyler on our second goal (Arizona Monday), went in, was physical, helped
win a puck that went back to the point, and went to the net-front immediately,”
said Eakins. “He counter-hit a guy and bang (Jeff Petry shot), the puck was in
the net. That’s what we need from everyone.”
Pitlick did play with the big guns in exhibition and was on the top line in OKC
with Anton Lander and Iiro Pakarinen, but this is a major opportunity for him,
now.”We’re looking for different looks and sometimes you’ll default back, but
against Winnipeg I like the look of these lines,” said Eakins.
Eakins is under major heat with the 10-game winless run (seven losses,
three in OT to Ottawa, Nashville and St. Louis) but doesn’t look like a guy on
a ledge.
“This bends you but I’ve had some terribly tragic things happen to me in my
life and when I compare them to this, this is nothing. Bring it on. It will not
break me. We’ve encouraged our players to think the same There are far
worse things going on in this world,” said Eakins.
“I can’t remember ever going through a streak like this, certainly not as a
coach, not as a player either. When you’re in it (as a team), you’re wondering
‘is this going to bend you or break through?’ It’s certainly not going to break
us,” he said. “We’re hoping this adversity pays off down the road.” For now,
though, the Oilers are tied with Columbus for last-place at 16 pointsd, with
Buffalo (winners of six of the last seven) now at 20 points. Carolina and
Philadelphia have 19 points.
Keeping morale up is obviously a major task for the coach, though. “I’m not
going to stand around and say it’s all roses and butterflies,” said Eakins.
“There’s frustration that comes and goes, but if your players aren’t frustrated
then, boy, you have big problems.”
Jesse Joensuu cleared waivers Monday but is still on the Oilers’ roster. He
hasn’t been assigned to OKC because they aren’t over the 23-maximum. He
skated with the team at the MTS Centre Wednesday morning, staying out
after practice to take shots at Viktor Fasth, the backup to Ben Scrivens for the
Jets’ game. The Oilers have to pay Joensuu his $950,000 wage whether he’s
in the NHL or the AHL, so it doesn’t matter where he is for now. If they were to
pick somebody else off waivers, he would be going down to the farm. One
player to watch for on waivers if he goes on: Nashville’s winger Gabriel
Bourque, who’s only played 12 games. He’s smaller than Joensuu obviously,
but more offensive-minded, although not this year (no points). If they, say,
were to make a trade, maybe the Finn is part of it.
This ‘n that: Scrivens (.888 save percentage, 3.38 average) will get the start
in net for the Oilers. He hasn’t won a game since Oct. 27 against Montreal.
He’s had eight starts since then…Matt Hendricks (bruised kneecap, Shea
Weber shot) didn’t make the trip to Winnipeg but he has skated on his own at
home…Keith Aulie will be the extra Oilers’ defenceman…The Jets (much
better on the road, 8-4-3, than at home, 4-5-1) won’t have their best offensive
D man Toby Enstrom for the Oiler game…Evander Kane, in a bit of hot water
again because he posted a photo to Instagram Monday when showed him
doing pushups shirtless with six stacks of cash on his back. “That’s why
people follow you on Instagram, social media, to see what you’ve done or
what you’re up to. It’s all in good fun,” said Kane. Kane isn’t doing a whole lot
for that cash the Jets are paying him. He has four goals in 17 games.
741130
Edmonton Oilers
Snapshots: Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets
By Derek Van Diest, Edmonton Sun
First posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 09:08 PM MST | Updated:
Wednesday, December 03, 2014 09:13 PM MST
WINNIPEG - It took Tyler Pitlick one game to work his way up to the
Edmonton Oilers first line.
The Oilers winger started Wednesday’s contest against the Winnipeg Jets
skating alongside Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as head coach
Dallas Eakins was looking to add some grit to his top unit.
“It’s definitely a good opportunity for me to play with some top guys,” said
Pitlick. “For me, I have to play my same game, I just have to stick to what I did
(Monday) night.”
Pitlick was recalled from the Oklahoma City Barons following the Oilers
recent road trip and was in the lineup Monday in a 5-2 loss, at home, to the
Arizona Coyotes.
“I felt good (Monday),” Pitlick said. “I got in on the forecheck, I felt I was
getting pucks for my teammates, making some checks and I thought it was
pretty good for the first game.”
Selected in the second round – 31 overall – of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft,
Pitlick, 23, was the second player chosen at the start of the Oilers latest
rebuild.
However, while Taylor Hall is in his fifth year with the Oilers as the first overall
pick that year, Pitlick has yet to become an NHL regular.
“I think it’s time for me to make the step, I think I’m ready and I think it’s time,”
Pitlick said. “I just have to keep building on my last game, be physical, get in
on the forecheck, get the puck to my teammates and get in front of the net.”
Pitlick had three goals and six assists in 14 games for the Barons before
being called up by the Oilers. He had a brief call-up last year, which was cut
short by injuries.
“I’ve been here, before, I’ve played 10 games last year been to four training
camps, I’m kind of getting a sense of what’s going on, so it’s not as new,”
Pitlick said. “Although I’m not a veteran by any means, I do have a sense of
what I need to do.”
Still around
Despite being waived by the Oilers earlier in the week, winger Jesse Joensuu
is still with the club.
Joensuu took part in the morning skate Wednesday and is still listed on the
roster.
Joensuu was put on waivers for the purpose of being assigned to the
Oklahoma City, but was never sent to the AHL after clearing.
The Oilers have 10 games or 30 days, to send Joensuu to the minors without
making him clear waivers again.
Looking for help
As a player with the Montreal Canadiens, Oilers assistant coach Keith Acton
was hoping to get a little help from icon Jean Beliveau.
“I can remember when I first started in Montreal, I couldn’t win a face-off to
save my life,” Acton said. “I used to say to (broadcaster) Dick Irving all the
time, ‘Could you just please tell Mr. Beliveau to come down from that office
and please teach me how to win a face-off,’ He never came, but I was too shy
to ask him myself.”
Beliveau died Tuesday. The Jets paid tribute to the 17-time Stanley Cup
winner – 10 as a player – prior to Wednesday's contest.
Tough stretch
Losing 10 straight and 14 of 16 heading into their game against the Jets is
taking its toll on the psyche of the Oilers.
But without any imminent changes coming, the team has to find a way to
work through it.
“It’s certainly a challenge. When you’re in it, you’re wondering what is this
going to do to you? Is it going to bend you or break you? It’s certainly going to
bend you,” Eakins said. “And you’re hopeful, and hopefully it’s not blind hope,
that this adversity pays off way down the road. That we looked back and go,
‘Boy did we go through some things those first couple of years' and it make
us extremely resilient, extremely strong, able to get through anything and
maybe all of this is going to enable us to win some very crucial games in the
future.”
Eakins himself is feeling the heat, with calls for his job from an exasperated
fan base. The Oilers coach may only been in his second season, but the
team is working on a nine-year playoff drought.
“It bends you, but the thing I go back to is, I’ve had some terribly tragic things
happen to me in my life,” Eakins said. “When I compare them to this, this is
nothing. Bring it on. It will not break me. We’ve encouraged our players to
look at it that way too.”
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741131
Edmonton Oilers
Members of the Oilers talk about their impressions of hockey legend Jean
Beliveau on his passing
WINNIPEG - The passing of icon Jean Beliveau reverberated throughout the
hockey world on Wednesday.
The death of the Montreal Canadiens legend had many reflecting on
Beliveau’s stature in the game, even to those who never saw him play.
“He was someone that when I would run into him, I would always call Mr.,”
said Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins. “My interactions with him were always
brief, but he was one of those people that would always stop me in my tracks.
I would jump into an elevator with him in Montreal at the rink there and you
didn’t know what to do.
“I would just say, ‘Hello Mr. Beliveau.’ I always found him to be just such a
regal gentleman. It’s such a great loss for our sport and the Montreal
Canadiens.”
Oilers assistant coach Keith Acton began his career in Montreal when
Beliveau was part of the Canadiens management group.
Acton knows first-hand the aura Beliveau exuded around those fortunate
enough to meet him.
“I had one interaction with him, just him and I,” Acton said. “It was just before
my first playoff game, I was outside the dressing room in my hockey
underwear, cutting a stick off in the old Forum. He comes down the hallway,
he was dressed like he always was in a suit and tie, and I got more nervous
from him coming towards me than I was for the game, not that he was going
to do anything to you, just how you respected him.
“He said to me, ‘Keith, it’s your first playoff game?’ And I said ‘Yes sir.’ He
said, ‘Are you ready?’ And I said ‘I think so,’ and he lifted up my arm and
looked at my armpit and I was soaked in sweat. And he just looked way down
at me and said, ‘That’s good, you’re ready.’ ”
Along with being considered one of the best to play the game, Beliveau was
revered for being a true gentleman and the most humble of superstars.
Beliveau played for the Canadiens from 1952 to 1971, winning 10 Stanley
Cups as a player. Following his retirement, Beliveau joined the Canadiens
front office and won another seven as an executive.
“He was certainly a man who had a real presence, a little bit like Pat Quinn,”
Acton said. “I’m sure he was always intimidating to the opposition and when
you were part of his team and his organization, you always looked at him, you
would draw strength from him. He had that kind of presence and stature, he
was a very classy man. Everyone looked up to him and respected him and
that doesn’t happen without him being a great man.”
Oilers winger David Perron never met Beliveau, but knew all about the
six-foot-three, 205-pound centre with a smooth skating stride and soft hands.
“My grandfather played against him in a town called Kingsey Falls, and it was
always really special to hear my grandfather talk about him,” Perron said. “It
was a pretty sad day for me (Tuesday) to hear that he had died and probably
even more for him.
“He was my grandfather’s favourite player of all time. He still knows a lot
about hockey and he still watches my games and when he talks about a
player, I’d never heard him talk with that kind of passion. The way he talked
about him was really special.”
Beliveau touched the lives of many hockey fans and will be sorely missed by
the hockey community.
“It’s just those little thing that can impact your life,” Jets coach Paul Maurice
said. “My dad said if Jean Beliveau can take the time to sign his signature so
everybody can read it, you can, too. Now when I sign my name on rosters or
anything, I always think of that.
“That’s what’s great about hockey. Hockey isn’t just for the guys necessarily
that put the skates on or the guys that stand behind the bench. It’s the
families that their lives are so impacted by. We watched every Saturday night
the same way, a big bowl of popcorn, occasionally a half a glass of coke and
my dad would start swearing when the puck dropped until the game ended.
Your heroes are your dad’s heroes. It’s a sad day, but certainly he was a man
who left an impact on a lot of people.”
741132
Edmonton Oilers
Oilers lose to Jets 17 seconds into extra time
Nail Yakupov should have extended it midway through the period, but was
unable to convert on a two-on-one rush on a pass from Leon Draisaitl, hitting
the side of the post with his shot. Less than two minutes later
Nugent-Hopkins also hit the post.
Jordan Eberle then had an outstanding chance to put the Oilers up by two
goals, left unattended in the slot, but his shot was turned away by Pavelec
with a quick pad save.
WINNIPEG — The Edmonton Oilers appeared as though they would finally
be able to stop the bleeding, but were unable to cauterize their growing
wound.
After taking a third-period lead with a strong individual effort from David
Perron, the Oilers gave up a late goal, then fell 3-2 in overtime to the
Winnipeg Jets, extending their losing skid to 11 games.
Mathieu Perreault scored 17 seconds into overtime to give the Jets the win
on a deflection in front, keeping the Oilers winless (0-12-4) against Western
Conference opponents.
“I thought we played a textbook road game,” said Oilers head coach Dallas
Eakins. “We settled in, into a building that is extremely loud and volatile. We
settled into the game and I thought we played a mature road game. I thought
we showed some growth from how we’ve played as of late and I believe if we
can play that game every night, we’re going to win a lot of hockey games.”
It was the third time in four games the Oilers have lost in overtime.
Teddy Purcell gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead in the third period, tipping a Perron
shot up and over Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. Perron fended
defenceman Adam Pardy on his way to the net and had his shot bounce off
Purcell and into the net.
What should the Oilers do? You tell us.
The Oilers had chances to extend the lead, but were unable to finish off a
number of golden opportunities, which came back to bite them.
“We were playing the game the right way and that was probably the period
we got the most Grade A chances,” Perron said. “But we didn’t bury them and
they came back and a couple of tips for them and they win the game. If we
keep playing that way, we’re going to be a lot more successful than we have
been this year.”
Dustin Byfuglien tied the game with 3:04 left in the third period before
Perreault won the game on the first shift of overtime.
Byfuglien was able to fend off defencemen Andrew Ference in front and
tipped a Mark Stuart shot between his legs through Scrivens.
“He’s a big man, he’s a great player,” Scrivens said. “Obviously he’s very
dangerous in front and he’s got a good set of hands on him too. It was very
nice tip.”
Jacob Trouba opened the scoring for the Jets on an odd-man rush after
Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom was caught in the offensive zone and
Perron failed to cover for him.
Trouba tipped the puck past Perron at centre to Perreault, who led the
odd-man rush. Perreault held up and slid the puck to a trailing Trouba, who
snapped a shot past Ben Scrivens.
“We played the game the way we wanted,” Perron said. “We made a couple
of mistakes, one is on me, the first goal. I kind of got caught in a bad position,
but it’s a mistake that we can’t have. I’m not going to sleep well on that one
obviously.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied the game for the Oilers off an odd-man of their
own, bouncing a shot of Trouba’s stick past Pavelec.
In the second, the Jets had a number of chances to take the lead, but were
unable to beat Scrivens. His best save came off the stick of Andrew Ladd on
a one-timer from the face-off circle.
Later in the period, Dustin Byfuglien was left unattended in the slot, but
Scrivens was able to glove a shot heading towards the top corner.
Purcell’s goal gave the Oilers the lead 91 seconds into the third period.
“That game was a lot closer in terms of what we should be expecting out of
ourselves, but there is no longer any solace in that,” said Oilers goaltender
Ben Scrivens, who finished with 23 saves. “We have to find a way to close
that out. We’re up 2-1 late and the team needs a save there and it’s
unfortunate I wasn’t able to give it to them.”
741133
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are brutal. What should they do?
results find accountability issues, address those, like any other business
would. If we do something with players now we will giving up more then what
we get. This isn’t your fantasy hockey league. GM's aren't stupid, they hope
you are.
- Get a no nonsense type coach like Daryl Sutter. I think Eakins is too soft.
Also Lowe must go.
Edmonton Sun
First posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 10:24 AM MST | Updated:
It shouldn't be sugarcoated: The Oilers suck. What to do? Tell us at the
bottom of this article.
The team's current 10-game losing streak suggests this edition of the Oilers
may be the worst ever. That's after team talk, almost two years ago, that the
team was heading in the right direction. Fans are upset, tired of misplaced
hope, and owner Daryl Katz's apparent unwillingness to hold accountable the
“Old Boys Club” of former Oilers heading the team.
Social media is humming with disappointment, frustration and anger. People
have thrown Oilers jerseys on the ice at Rexall Place. The seats there aren't
as full as they once were, and our Terry Jones is musing about firing Katz.
People have been calling for the head of Kevin Lowe – former Oiler and
current organization president of hockey operations. He infamously told
media to back off on criticizing him, April, 2013, saying “there’s one other guy
in hockey today that is still working in the game that has won more Stanley
Cups than me. So I think I know a little bit about winning, if there’s ever a
concern.”
Yet, not much seems to have changed.
Most recently, team captain Andrew Ference called the team's effort in their
loss to Phoenix Monday a “joke.”
“We start a period with a power play, you’re looking for some jump,” said
Ference. “Floating around expecting another team to lie down because
you’re so great? It doesn’t happen. You allow two on the same power play?
It’s a joke.”
So, you tell us. What should the Oilers do? Tell us in the box below. We'll post
some of the best responses. Here's a direct link.
Do you hope the Oilers set a team record for futility, with a 15 game winless
streak? Is that the only way the right changes will be made? Is it time to clean
house, from the top down? The franchise record winless streak is 14, from
Oct. 11 to Nov. 7, 1993.
The longest losing streak is 11 games, Oct. 16, 1993 to Nov. 7.
Or is this season just another of a long series of growing pains? General
Manager Craig MacTavish said the team was "trending in the right direction,"
back in February, 2013. He was still VP of hockey operations at the time.
The Oilers (6-15-4) visit a pretty good Winnipeg Jets (12-9-4) team tonight.
The puck drops at 7 p.m.
Here are some of the responses, so far:
To wrap up a few things, there's been many, MANY calls to fire Kevin Lowe,
fire Craig MacTavish, fire Dallas Eakins, and fire EVERYONE. We've tried to
gather suggestions including other options.
- Bag skate them, discipline when stupid, put the C on Hall, dump K Lowe
and Mac T, bring in some hockey brains, apologize to the fans for the crappy
play
- Quit the NHL, play in the ECHL to (hopefully) gain some confidence.
- Force Katz to sell the Oilers to an owner who actually cares about the team
and not the money.
- FIRE EVERYBODY except the medical and equipment team.
- Get HBO to do a piece on the Oilers so we know what is going on.
- Sell the team back to the former group of owners and they can run it like a
business and hold people accountable for a failure. Fans are there for
entertainment value not a Shakesperean tragedy.
- Do nothing, it is too late now. Don't blow up the team. If we get this next draft
pick it will be worth it. At the end of the year hire consultants to audit the entire
organization. The person in charge of the audit is Bob Nicholson. When the
- Book the Mazankowski wing of the University of Alberta and plan for 21
heart transplants.
-Have fun, quit thinking, it's just a game.
- I went to the last game, absolutely no value for my money. I won't pretend to
know how to run a hockey team, but what I do know is when you run a
business and your customers are not happy with your product or service you
either change or you disappear (go broke). I think the owner should start
looking at it in this way. Katz, you made Rexall successful but you have been
ignoring the Oilers. Until the team is giving me full value for my money, I will
no longer go to games.
- I think it is pretty simple really. The Eskimos were able to turn their team
around from last year without changing many players. What was the
difference? The difference was that the team needed a change of culture and
look at the results. The Oilers need a culture change and I believe that it
needs to start at the top. And this to KLowe, do you really think the Oilers or
Rangers wouldn't have won their Stanley Cups without you? You need a
reality check man!
- The problems with this hockey club very deep, and have for quite some
time. Drafting and player development have both been horrible. This
organization has become used to losing and there is no confidence in this
team from the coaches, the fans and the players themselves. KL and CM
have bred a "losing tradition" into this once proud organization. How do you
fix that? At this point, the current players have given up on the team and the
organization. Start over, from management down.
- Fire Lowe, Howson, MacTavish and Eakins immediately. Then trade
Schultz to whoever wants him the most, preferably for a big center, if
necessary throw in Yakupov. Make Hall the captain and put Perron up to the
first or second line. Send Draisaitl back to junior. He is not quite ready. Why
ruin him here now?
- Katz is a great businessman. I wonder what he would do if the team in
charge of building his entertainment district showed as much futility as the
team running the OIlers did? Pretty sure he would replace the management
team! So what is he waiting for?
- Blow everything up and start over like Bobby Clarke did with the Flyers. It's
almost impossible to change an entitled, losing attitude that is almost team
wide, especially when it starts from the top down. Katz, Lowe, MacTavish
and Howson have done nothing to earn their keep as team management.
The players have followed suit.
- Oiler fans need to stay away until changes are made, top to bottom.
- Before you said it above, I was hoping for a new record for losses, at least
it's a record and the only one they have a chance (at getting), kinda hoping
the break the Jets record of 30 losses in a row. I would love to see the fans all
get up and leave after the first period of the next few games!!!!!!
- Find a way to get rid of the loser mentality that has crept in to the teams
play. These are good players who don’t truly believe in themselves right now.
- Accountability has to start from the top down. It's ridiculous that the architect
of this mess for the last decade continues to hold a position in upper
management while everyone from the training staff to the goalie coach are let
go. The scouting staff are the worst in hockey, and Kevin Lowe is responsible
for assembling this confederacy of dunces. Tambellini was a horrible GM,
hand picked by Kevin Lowe. 5 coaches have come and gone, yet Kevin Lowe
remains.
- The fans should collectively sing Foreigner's "You're as cold as ice, you're
WILLING to sacrifice our love, you NEVER take advice, but someday you'll
pay the price I know.... we've seen this before, it happens all the time"!!
Follow up with mass jersey toss !!
- So many gaping holes in the organization, where can they start? Get real
hockey minds in upper management. Go outside of the alumni and find real
hockey people to run this club. Then allow them to burn this down to the
ground and start over entirely. Only Joey should be safe!
- 1. Lowe needs to retire.
- Mac T should be coaching to find out the bad eggs, and trades will be made.
- Tank for McDavid or Eichel.
- Sell the team, who cares. I gave up 4 seasons ago
- They are doing just fine. Keep up the good work. By the way I am a Flames
fan, Lol
741134
Florida Panthers
New attitude for more competitive Florida Panthers
By George Richards
12/03/2014 6:27 PM
12/03/2014 7:13 PM
“It was pretty cool looking up at all the banners. This is a pretty storied
building,” said Ekblad, who grew up across the Detroit River in Windsor,
Ontario.
“Then you look across the ice and see [Pavel] Datsyuk, [Henrik] Zetterberg
and [Johan] Franzen and I’m playing against them. That’s pretty cool. I
thought we handled it well.”
Ekblad, the first pick of the 2014 draft, rewarded the dozens of friends and
family members at Joe Louis Arena by scoring his second goal in two games
to give Florida a 4-1 lead in the third period.
Detroit scored twice in the final 10 minutes Tuesday, cutting Florida’s lead to
one. Ekblad’s insurance goal turned into the game winner.
With road victories over teams such as Anaheim, San Jose and Detroit,
people around the NHL have taken notice of the Panthers this season.
After the game, he handed over the stick he scored with to his parents for
safekeeping.
Florida came into Wednesday three points in back of Boston and Toronto for
the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers were ranked
eighth overall in the conference with 26 points in a league-low 23 games.
During a timeout, Ekblad even saw one of his buddies pictured on the
scoreboard dancing. That brought one of many smiles to his face that night.
If the Panthers want to continue their ascent in the standings, they need to
take care of the teams below them.
“That was hilarious. I had a good chuckle sitting there on the bench,” said
Ekblad, who will have plenty of time to visit friends next week when the
Panthers spend four days in the Motor City.
Yes, a team that finished at or near the bottom of the NHL standings the past
two seasons now believes it had better get all four points from its current
two-game homestand against Columbus and Buffalo.
Thursday: Blue Jackets at Panthers
It won’t come easy.
TV/radio: FSFL; WQAM 560.
Florida, which beat Detroit 4-3 on Tuesday night, already is 0-1 against the
Blue Jackets after losing to the last-place team in a forgettable game
Monday.
The series: Columbus leads 13-4-0.
“We felt like we let two points slip away [Monday],” goalie Roberto Luongo
said after making 38 saves Tuesday.
“We didn’t want to go home empty-handed because that’s not acceptable for
this team. … You don’t want to let things creep into the team. It was important
to have a bounce-back.”
Columbus was struggling mightily when it survived a slow start of its own and
beat Florida 2-1 thanks in part to Boone Jenner’s third-period goal and more
strong goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Jackets, who haven’t played since, have now won just one of their
previous seven games and have lost 15 of 18.
“We have to come back and be ready for a good Columbus team we know is
going to battle,” Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. “They just beat us the
other night, so we have to be ready to play and get those two points.”
The team’s next opponent, Buffalo, looked destined for one of the top picks in
the draft lottery before getting hot.
The Sabres were a horrid 3-13-2 before winning six of their past seven going
into Thursday’s game at Tampa Bay.
Goalie Al Montoya said Monday’s loss was a lesson for a Panthers team that
might struggle with even a moderate amount of success because of its lack
of maturity.
Florida needs to handle the expectations of a playoff-caliber team while also
realizing there is no easy win in the NHL.
With some of the upsets they have pulled over the past two seasons, the
Panthers should know that better than most.
“Sometimes you’re flat and don’t know why,” Willie Mitchell said. “We were
definitely flat in Columbus but skated well [in Detroit] from the drop of the
puck.”
THE ‘D’ MAN
Aaron Ekblad stood at center ice during the national anthem Tuesday night
soaking in the sights of an arena he grew up in yet was on its ice for the first
time.
Ekblad, 18, saw the many banners and the retired numbers of Hall of Famers
he already knew by heart. Across the ice from him were some of his heroes
from his youth wearing that iconic red kit.
If Ekblad was overwhelmed by it all, he didn’t let on.
When/where: 7:30 p.m.; BB&T Center.
Of note: The Blue Jackets continued their dominance of the Panthers with
Monday’s 2-1 win in Columbus, Ohio. The Jackets have now won nine in a
row against Florida; the Panthers haven’t won a game in this series since
2007.
Miami Herald LOADED: 12.04.2014
741135
Florida Panthers
TIME TO GET SERIOUS: If Panthers want to be a playoff team, they need to
act like it ... Columbus/Buffalo homestand starts Thursday
Posted by George Richards
DETROIT -- With road victories over teams such as Anaheim, San Jose and
Detroit, people around the league have taken notice of the Panthers this
season.
Florida came into Wednesday three points back of Boston and Toronto for
the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers were ranked
eighth overall in the conference with 26 points in a league-low 23 games.
If the Panthers want to continue their ascent up the standings, they need to
take care of the teams below them.
Yes, a team that finished at or near the bottom of the NHL standings the past
two seasons now feels as if it definitely better get all four points when its
two-game homestand against Columbus and Buffalo opens Thursday.
It won't come easy.
Florida, which beat Detroit 4-3 on Tuesday night, are already 0-1 against the
Blue Jackets after losing to the last place team in a forgettable affair on
Monday.
"We felt like we let two points slip away [Monday],'' goalie Roberto Luongo
said after making 38 saves on Tuesday.
"We didn't want to go home empty handed because that's not acceptable for
this team. .-.-. You don't want to let things creep into the team. It was
important to have a bounce back.''
Columbus was struggling mightily when it survived a slow start of its own and
beat Florida 2-1 thanks in part to Boone Jenner's third period goal and more
strong goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Jackets, who haven't played since, have now won just one in their
previous seven and have lost lost 15 of 18.
"We have to come back and be ready for a good Columbus team we know is
going to battle,'' coach Gerard Gallant said. "They just beat us the other night
so we have to be ready to play and get those two points.''
Buffalo, meanwhile, looked destined for the one of the top picks in the draft
lottery before getting hot.
The Sabres were a horrid 3-13-2 before winning six of their past seven going
into Thursday's game at Tampa Bay.
After Monday's loss, goalie Al Montoya talked of it being a learning lesson for
a Panthers team whose maturity may leave them struggling with even a
moderate amount of success.
Florida needs to handle the expectations of a playoff-caliber team while also
realizing there is no gimme game in the NHL.
With some of the upsets they've pulled over the past two seasons, the
Panthers should know that better than most.
"Sometimes you're flat and don't know why,'' Willie Mitchell said. "We were
definitely flat in Columbus but skated well [in Detroit] from the drop of the
puck.''
Thursday: Blue Jackets at Panthers
When, Where: 7:30 p.m.; BB&T Center, Sunrise
TV/Radio: FSFL; WQAM 560
The series: Columbus leads 13-4-0
Of note: The Blue Jackets continued their dominance of the Panthers with
Monday's 2-1 win in Columbus. The Jackets have now won nine straight
against Florida as the Panthers haven't won a game in this series since 2007.
741136
Florida Panthers
BANNER NIGHT: Ekblad faces boyhood idols, nets game-winner in
Panthers 4-3 win over Red Wings
Posted by George Richards
DETROIT -- Aaron Ekblad stood at center ice during the national anthem
Tuesday night soaking in the sights of an arena he grew up in yet was on its
ice for the first time.
Ekblad, 18, saw the many banners, the retired numbers of Hall of Famers he
already knew by heart. Across the ice from him were some of his heroes from
his childhood days wearing that iconic red kit.
If Ekblad was overwhelmed by it all, he didn't let on.
"It was pretty cool looking up at all the banners. This is a pretty storied
building,'' said Ekblad, who grew up across the Detroit River in Windsor,
Ontario.
"Then you look across the ice and see Datsyuk, Zetterburg and Franzen and
I'm playing against them. That's pretty cool. I thought we handled it well.''
Ekblad, the first pick of the 2014 draft, rewarded the dozens of friends and
family at Joe Louis Arena by scoring his second goal in as many games to
give Florida a 4-1 lead in the third period.
Detroit scored twice in the final 10 minutes Tuesday cutting Florida's lead to
one. Ekblad's insurance goal turned into the game-winner as the Panthers
left town with a 4-3 win.
After the game, he handed over the stick he scored with to his parents for
safekeeping.
During a timeout, Ekblad even saw one of his buddies up on the scoreboard
dancing. That brought one of many smiles to his face this night.
"That was hilarious. I had a good chuckle sitting there on the bench,'' said
Ekblad, who will have plenty of time to visit friends next week when the
Panthers spend four days in the Motor City.
741137
Florida Panthers
Preview: Panthers vs. Blue Jackets, 7:30 p.m., Thursday
By Craig Davis,
The Florida Panthers aim for turnabout after loss to Blue Jackets in
Columbus.
Panthers vs. Blue Jackets
When/where: 7:30 p.m., BB&T Center, Sunrise
TV: FSF; Radio: 560-AM; Spanish, 1210-AM, 760-AM
Scouting report: The Panthers didn't have long to wait for a chance to atone
for one of their most dismal performances. The Blue Jackets have been
decimated by injuries and were on a six-game losing streak when they
outskated and outplayed the Panthers in a 2-1 win Monday at Columbus. The
Jackets have been off since then, while the Panthers had to regroup the next
night at Detroit and responded with a spirited effort in a 4-3 win against a Red
Wings team that had won six of its previous seven. Go figure. Even with
Monday's win, the Blue Jackets have lost 15 of 18 and also lost 161
man-games to injuries this season. G Sergei Bobrovsky, 7-1 in his career vs.
Florida, stopped 24 shots Monday. The Panthers have won their past two at
home. C Aleksander Barkov (hand) is questionable; LW Scottie Upshall
(ankle) is out. Dave Bolland (groin) could be activated any day.
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 12.04.2014
741138
Florida Panthers
Trocheck, Hayes a lethal pair for Panthers
By Craig Davis
had played in this building," said Ekblad, who wears No. 5 in tribute to former
Red Wings great Nicklas Lidstrom. "Playing against them for the first time is
pretty cool. I thought we handled them well, and it's nice to get this win."
The goal was Ekblad's second in two nights, both coming on long slap-shots
that he gets off quick and laser-sharp. The first overall pick in the 2014 draft is
tied for the Panthers lead with 13 points.
"Nobody thinks he's 18. He acts like a 25-year-old out there," Gallant said.
"It's been like that all year. He's really mature."
Trocheck and Hayes find winning chemistry for Florida Panthers.
Steadying influence
Aaron Ekblad makes impression with winning goal in first visit to Detroit with
Panthers.
The kids provided the scoring thrust against the Red Wings, but credit some
of the veterans with getting the Panthers back on track after a lackluster effort
at Columbus the night before.
Vincent Trocheck resides in that uncomfortable realm in the NHL where
tomorrow is a constant uncertainty.
One of the Florida Panthers' brightest prospects, Trocheck started the
season in the minors due to a crowded house of forwards before injuries
created opportunity.
He has proved a vital cog in the Panthers' past two victories, working in
concert with linemate Jimmy Hayes, who spent several years looking over
his shoulder before earning his first one-way contract this season.
The pair combined on two goals in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Red Wings.
Hayes scored the first off a rebound of Trocheck's shot on goal. Later, Hayes
stole the puck in front of the Detroit goal and fed Trocheck, who made a slick
move around goalie Jimmy Howard to score.
On Friday, Trocheck charged in on a breakaway and put a pretty pass on
Hayes' stick for the winning goal against Ottawa.
"Hes a big unit out there and he drives to the net hard and works hard,"
Trocheck said of Hayes. He battles. For a guy like me, I'm smaller size, he
opens a lot up a lot of space. So that definitely helps me out."
Teaming up with Brandon Pirri, who like Hayes came up with Chicago and is
in his first full season in the NHL, the youthful trio is serving the Panthers well.
Trocheck was a team-best plus-3 against Detroit and was voted first star in
each of those latest wins.
But veteran Dave Bolland is close to returning from a lingering groin strain
and Scottie Upshall should be back within a week from an ankle sprain.
Barring additional injuries, the Panthers will again be overloaded at forward.
Trocheck is well aware that his youth and contract status make him
vulnerable. The Panthers reportedly are exploring trade possibilities, but
underachieving veterans with hefty contracts are difficult to move.
"It's as simple as that. You don't really know, so you just have to go out there
every night and work your hardest," he said. "That's what you've got to do as
a call-up, you've got to come up and prove that you belong here."
The Panthers have taken notice of Trocheck's 11 points in 14 games. He has
focused on improving in the defensive zone, and is plus-8, tops on the team.
"We really like the way he handles the puck and goes hard to the net,"
Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "He's played real well. We can only
keep 23 players, and we'll see what happens. He's played well and he's got a
lot of points for us, and we're real happy with his progress. When the time
comes, we'll have to make tough decisions, but he's definitely proving he can
play in the NHL."
Happy homecoming
Rookie Aaron Ekblad had a storybook debut at Joe Louis Arena, where he
was a frequent spectator while growing up across the river in Windsor,
Ontario. Numerous friends and family members were present as he scored
what proved to be the winning goal.
"One of my buddies was dancing on the Jumbotron. It was prettry hilarious. I
had a good chuckle to myself when I was sitting there on the bench," Ekblad
said. "Everyone was here — a lot of my aunts, uncles and cousins, my
parents."
The 18-year-old acknowledged being star-struck by Red Wings leaders he
recently cheered from the stands. But he clearly wasn't in awe or flustered.
He provided solid defense, as usual, and scored his fourth goal on a sizzling
slap-shot from the left point.
"To look around and see all the banners in the rafters there, it's a pretty
historic building, and it's pretty cool that one of my favorite players of all time
"Some of the leadership group chatted about that a little bit in the last couple
days," said Panthers captain Willie Mitchell, who was outspoken in criticizing
the poor performance in losing to the injury-riddled Blue Jackets on Monday.
"We want to have an identity. You get that by how you play — by playing hard
against good teams. Good teams do that."
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 12.04.2014
741139
Los Angeles Kings
When: 6.
On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 790
Kings' Alec Martinez has no ill effects in return, gets deal extension
By Lisa Dillman
A good day turned into an excellent one for Kings defenseman Alec Martinez
on Wednesday.
First, he suffered no ill effects from his return to the lineup Tuesday night
against Boston after being sidelined because of an injured finger. Then he
practiced Wednesday without any issues and several hours later signed a
six-year, $24-million contract extension.
Related story: Kings have a fine day before beating Boston Bruins, 2-0
Related story: Kings have a fine day before beating Boston Bruins, 2-0
Lisa Dillman
The deal carries an annual average value of $4 million, and he became the
second Kings defenseman to sign a long-term deal since the season started,
joining Jake Muzzin. He signed a five-year, $20-million contract extension in
October.
Next, Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi presumably will turn his
attention to his talented young forwards, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson,
because both would become restricted free agents after this season.
Taking care of Martinez was an important early priority. Of late, his absence
was keenly felt as more minutes were piled on defenseman Drew Doughty's
already heavy workload. The Kings defense has been stretched thin because
of Slava Voynov's indefinite NHL suspension.
Martinez, 27, scored a career-high 11 goals and 22 points last season and
followed that with six playoff goals, two of which were franchise highlights. He
had the overtime winner in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final against
Chicago and the Stanley Cup clinching goal against the New York Rangers in
Game 5.
The finger injury, which required surgery, forced Martinez to miss seven
games. He played 19 minutes against the Bruins and said the early signs
were mostly positive.
"I thought I did some good things and there were some other things that I
need to tighten up," Martinez said after practice. "Sometimes there is no
other way to replicate a game situation than just to play in a game. I've got
some areas to improve on. But that will come."
Said Kings Coach Darryl Sutter: "We've seen that lots where the first game
back from some time off … that first game is usually that adrenaline-push
game and then you've got to be careful you don't take a step back."
Martinez has formed a successful partnership with Robyn Regehr, who has
an intense edge and an often penetrating stare. Martinez joked about that
and passed along a funny story about playing against him when Regehr was
in Calgary.
"He's a little bit different with us, a little less scary you would say, around us,"
Martinez said. "I know what you're talking about. My second game in the
league and he suckered me right in the jaw in Calgary.
"I was just some young kid and I had to punch him back. I was like, 'Holy crap,
that's Robyn Regehr and did I just really punch him?' "
Gaborik update
Injured Marian Gaborik practiced Wednesday but Sutter indicated the right
wing was unlikely to play or travel to Arizona with the team for Thursday's
game.
Gaborik said he suffered an upper-body injury late in last week's game at
Nashville and has missed two games. He said it was similar to a previous
injury but on "the other side" of his body.
"I just try to get it to a point where I can go out there and play," Gaborik said.
"So, it should be pretty soon."
THURSDAY
AT ARIZONA
Etc.: Goaltender Mike Smith is scheduled to start for the Coyotes. Smith, who
won 38 games in the 2011-12 season, has struggled so far, going 5-12-2.
741140
Los Angeles Kings
Alec Martinez signs six-year contract extension with Kings
By Austin Knoblauch
Kings defenseman Alec Martinez is the latest player to be signed to a
long-term contract extension by General Manager Dean Lombardi, inking a
six-year, $24-million deal Wednesday.
Martinez, 27, has played an important role in each of the Kings' Stanley Cup
wins, and has appeared in 221 career games with the franchise. He has
tallied 25 goals and 62 points since making his Kings debut during the
2009-10 season.
Martinez, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has
two goals and seven points through 18 games this season.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL draft, Martinez's most notable
moment with the Kings came when he scored the series-clinching goal
against the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in June.
He also scored the winning goal in Game 7 of the 2014 Western Conference
finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Martinez isn't the only player who will be under contract with the Kings for a
while. Drew Doughty is signed through 2018-19 and Jake Muzzin, who
signed a five-year extension last month, is under contract through 2019-20.
Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik each are
under deals that stretch beyond 2020.
741141
Los Angeles Kings
What we learned from the Kings' 2-0 victory over the Boston Bruins
By Lisa Dillman
The up-and-down day and night for the Kings ended on a decidedly high note
as goalie Jonathan Quick recorded his 34th career shutout. It was the second
time he has shut out the Bruins. Quick's performance is among the
takeaways from Tuesday night’s win at Staples Center.
Quick is, well, Quick
Quick’s flexibility and athleticism are widely known, and he moved smartly
from post to post, making a highlight reel save on the Bruins’ Torey Krug.
He usually downplays those big moments, but Quick revealed that he
thought he heard a whistle and didn’t move at first as the play unfolded in the
third period. He then more than made up for that brief hesitation, sliding over
to deny Krug.
“The one save he made in the third period was Quickie-like, and the one that
we probably needed to get the two points,” said Kings center Anze Kopitar. “It
was a great performance, obviously, by him.”
Kopitar sparked by new line-mates
Kings Coach Darryl Sutter has been tinkering with the lines and may have hit
on a useful combination, putting Kopitar with wingers Tanner Pearson and
Jeff Carter.
At the very least, it could be a temporary solution until right wing Marian
Gaborik returns to the lineup. Gaborik has missed the last two games
because of an upper-body injury and has had an injury-marred season
already.
Kopitar ended a five-game pointless streak, recording two assists in the win
against the Bruins. It was his first multi-point performance since Nov. 18
against Florida, in which he also had two assists. Pearson also broke out of a
scoring slump, recording his first goal in four games.
“I thought we had some good offensive zone time,” Kopitar said. “The one
thing I think we can still clean up is maybe coming out of our zone, and some
play in the neutral zone.
“But I think we’re on the right path, so we’ve got to keep working at it.”
Importance of Martinez underscored
Surely you have not forgotten how entrenched the defenseman Alec
Martinez was in Sutter’s doghouse last season. He was scratched frequently
in October and didn’t hold a regular spot in the lineup until February.
Those were trying times for Martinez, tough days and nights before his big
series-clinching goals in the playoffs, against Chicago in the Western
Conference final and the Rangers in the Stanley Cup final.
This season, he missed seven games because of an injured finger and
returned to action against the Bruins, logging 19 minutes of action.
Afterward, Sutter fielded questions about the game and then wondered why
no one was asking him about Martinez.
“Whenever guys come back from injuries they have a lot of energy, and he
and Robyn [Regehr] were really good tonight,” Sutter said.
741142
Los Angeles Kings
Gaborik practices, but isn't ready to play
December 3rd, 2014, 4:38 pm ·
posted by RICH HAMMOND
Marian Gaborik fully participated in Wednesday’s full-team practice but is not
expected to play Thursday in Arizona. Gaborik has missed the last two
games with an undisclosed injury.
"It’s frustrating," Gaborik said. "I’m just trying to stay positive and make sure I
get this resolved to the point where I can play."
Gaborik, who missed most of training camp and eight games in October, said
the latest injury happened during the third period of the Kings’ Nov. 25 game
at Nashville. Gaborik played the next night in Minnesota, then practiced two
days later but was a surprise absence from the lineup on Saturday.
"I was trying to play, but it just got worse," said Gaborik, who has four goals
and four assists in 15 games.
741143
Los Angeles Kings
Martinez signs six-year extension with Kings
December 3rd, 2014, 4:02 pm ·
Only in hindsight did Alec Martinez realize exactly what he had done.
Martinez, age 22 and in his third NHL game in 2009, took what he recalls as
an on-ice "sucker punch" in the jaw from burly Calgary defenseman Robyn
Regehr, so Martinez acted instinctively and jabbed in return.
"I was like, 'Holy (cow), that’s Robyn Regehr. Did I just really punch him?'"
Martinez said.
Five years later, Martinez and Regehr are defensive partners with the Kings,
and Martinez is a big part of the team’s present and future. Martinez agreed
to a six-year, $24 million contract extension Wednesday, one that further
solidifies the Kings’ defense for the rest of this decade.
Martinez, a member of both of the Kings’ Stanley Cup championship teams,
has had a slow, steady development path since the Kings drafted him in the
fifth round in 2007.
The Kings have now locked up their top four under-30 defensemen to
long-term contracts. Martinez, who will make an average of $4 million
through 2020-21, joins Drew Doughty ($7 million annually through 2018-19,
Jake Muzzin ($4 million annually through 2019-20) and Slava Voynov ($4.17
annually through 2018-19).
Martinez recently missed seven games with a finger injury, but he leads all
Kings defensemen this season with a plus-9 rating. Martinez also has two
goals and five assists in 18 games this season.
Martinez scored the double-overtime goal that won the Stanley Cup for the
Kings last June, as well as the overtime goal against Chicago in Game 7 of
the Western Conference final.
It took time for Martinez to develop the trust of Coach Darryl Sutter, but now
Martinez is one of the team’s most-valued players, a big-minutes,
all-situations defenseman who contributes offensively.
Martinez returned to the lineup in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Boston and
didn’t show much rust, as he played 19 minutes, 1 second (including
power-play time) and recorded two shots on goal and one blocked shot.
Martinez had been recovering from skin and nail-bed damage to his left
pinkie finger.
"I thought I did some good things, and there’s some other things that I need to
tighten up," said Martinez, who talked to reporters Wednesday before his
new contract was announced. "There’s sometimes no other way to replicate
a game situation than just to play in a game. I’ve got some areas to improve
on, but that will come."
Martinez and Regehr have formed a solid pairing for the Kings this season. In
nine games with Regehr, Martinez has scored both of his goals and has a
plus-3 rating.
"We talk constantly, both on and off the ice," Martinez said, "about what our
strengths are and how we can work with each other to be successful. I think it
comes down to making quick decisions in our own end and getting the puck
in the forwards' hands. We have different talents but I think we complement
each other well."
741144
Los Angeles Kings
Bob Miller documentary opens Friday in L.A.
December 3rd, 2014, 9:19 am ·
A documentary about the life of Kings Hall of Fame announcer Bob Miller will
open Friday afternoon at Regal L.A. Live -- near Staples Center, with a
minimum one-week run.
Tickets for the film, titled ''Voice of the King,'' are available now by clicking
here.
On Saturday, after the Kings play Philadelphia, Miller will host events
involving two screenings.
Those who buy tickets for the 5 p.m. screening will have access to an
autograph session with Miller (4 p.m. start), as well as as post-screening
question-and-answer session.
Those who buy tickets for the 7:30 p.m. screening will have access to an
autograph session that begins at 7 p.m.
More information about the film can be round at
www.voiceofthekingfilm.com.
741145
Los Angeles Kings
L.A. Kings sign Stanley Cup hero Alec Martinez to new six-year contract
By Elliott Teaford, Daily Breeze
Posted: 12/03/14, 5:44 PM PST |
Defenseman Alec Martinez came through for the Kings with two enormous
goals to help them hoist the Stanley Cup last spring. The Kings then came
through for Martinez in a big way with a six-season, $24-million contract
extension Wednesday.
The deal had been rumored for some time, but was completed and formally
announced as the team left for a game Thursday in Glendale, Ariz., against
the Coyotes.
It’s another in a series of long-term deals given by Kings general manager
Dean Lombardi, who also has locked up forward Marian Gaborik (seven
years, $34 million) and defenseman Matt Greene (four years, $10 million)
with new extended contracts since last season ended.
In addition, Martinez becomes the fifth Kings player to be signed through at
least the 2020-21 season, joining Gaborik, team captain Dustin Brown,
forward Jeff Carter and goaltender Jonathan Quick. Two others, defenseman
Jake Muzzin and forward Mike Richards, are signed through 2019-20.
Martinez, 27, has played in 221 regular-season games for the Kings and 59
more in the playoffs. He scored series-winning goals in overtime in Game 5
of the Stanley Cup Final against New York Rangers and in Game 7 of the
Western Conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Overall, the Rochester Hill, Mich., native has 25 goals and 62 points in his
career.
741146
Los Angeles Kings
Jonathan Quick, L.A. Kings hit the road to face Arizona Coyotes
By TODAY’S NHL GAME
Posted: 12/03/14, 4:14 PM PST |
Elliott Teaford
KINGS at COYOTES
Faceoff: 6 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSW / 790-AM
Update: The Kings played more to their liking during a 2-0 victory Tuesday
over the Boston Bruins, only their second victory in their last five games.
They got a lead, played strong defense and took advantage of exceptional
goaltending from Jonathan Quick to improve to 13-7-5 overall and 11-3-1 at
home. Quick’s 2.15 GAA was the ninth-best in the NHL entering Wednesday.
His .933 save percentage was the league’s second-best and his three
shutouts ranked him in a tie for third. Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson lead
the Kings with 10 goals apiece. Toffoli also has 10 assists for a team-leading
20 points. Anze Kopitar assisted on both Kings goals Tuesday and has five
goals and 12 points. He was the Kings’ leading scorer last season with 70
points, including 29 goals. The Coyotes are 10-13-3 are a 5-2 loss Tuesday
to the Calgary Flames.
741147
Los Angeles Kings
Martinez, Sutter speak highly of Regehr’s guidance
Posted by JonRosen
Before the team left for Arizona earlier today, reporters spoke to Alec
Martinez about his return from a little finger injury that required surgery. As it
turned out, it was the second most important Martinez topic of the day.
But in addition to Martinez’s comments on his return, I also asked him about
the impact Robyn Regehr – his defensive partner and the team’s elder
statesman – has on the room and a relatively young blue line.
“I think that Reg, he’s obviously been around for a while, and I think he’s good
at recognizing when things need to be a little bit more serious, when we need
a kick in the rear, and then he’s really cognizant of when it’s OK to play a
practical joke or just crack a regular joke to get the guys laughing, get the
guys in a good mood,” Martinez said. “He’s been around for a long time. He
can recognize those situations. That kind of guy, they’re a very, very valuable
asset in the room. You need people like that.”
It was a similar evaluation to the one provided by Darryl Sutter.
“I think Robyn has always had an ability to have a really good handle on the
room. Either in pressure or light or heavy, whatever it is, he’s always had a
good handle on it, and as he’s gotten older and farther into his career, guys
like that who’ve been there and done it all are basically an extension of the
coaching staff, and they’re really a part of the glue and the fabric of the team.”
“…I mean, so much in today’s game is measured by the fan and the media of
what they see on the ice, but so much of it is in the locker room on good
teams.”
The left-shooting Martinez skated to the right of left-shooting Willie Mitchell
for the plurality of his shifts last season and once again is skating on his
off-side in 2014-15.
The Regehr-Martinez pairing was praised by Sutter after last night’s game.
“We talk constantly both on and off the ice about kind of what our strengths
are and how we can work with each other to be successful. I think it comes
down to making quick decisions in our own end and getting the puck in the
forwards’ hands. We have different talents, but I think that we complement
each other well.”
Similar to an on-ice Ontario Hockey League incident that never derailed the
friendship between Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, origins of the
Martinez-Regehr camaraderie began ominously.
“It was like my second game in the league and he suckered me right in the
jaw,” Martinez said. “It was in Calgary. I was just some young kid and I had to
punch him back. I was like ‘Holy crap, that’s Robyn Regehr. Did I just really
punch him?’ I know what that’s like. We have a constant dialogue as partners
or as D-corps with John or Darryl. We’re always talking.”
Alec Martinez, on what he focuses on coming back from injury:
First off, I think preparation. For me individually, I just want to make quick
decisions and get my feet going. I think that’s probably my biggest asset, my
feet. If I’m moving my feet, I’m more likely to be making plays than when I’m
not. For me, I think it’s just quick decisions and getting my feet going and I
want it especially in my own end. I want to take care of my own end first.
Martinez, on whether playing in the defensive end is difficult when returning:
Yeah, I think so because you have to make plays under pressure. It’s
essentially what D-men do. You’ve got to go back and get the puck when a
guy is barreling down on you. So I think just getting back into it that way and
being clean and quick in your decision making and play making in your own
end is the thing that I’d focus on.
Martinez, on whether opponents try to take advantage of a player’s injury:
I don’t really know. I guess you know when going into a game that a guy
hasn’t played in a while. But I don’t’ think that if you know a guy has a bad
wrist or something that you’re going out there trying to hack his wrist. I guess
maybe some guys do that. I don’t really have an answer for you.
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741148
Los Angeles Kings
Gaborik hoping to play “pretty soon”
Posted by JonRosen
Good afternoon from Interstate 10, where there’s heavy traffic heading west
from the Phoenix airport towards Glendale.
Darryl Sutter informed reporters that Marian Gaborik was unlikely to travel to
Arizona with the team for tomorrow’s game against the Coyotes. “Didn’t
practice full today,” Sutter said. “He practiced but not where he’s pushing
through it.”
Gaborik is improving in his attempt to return from an upper-body injury
suffered late in the third period during last Tuesday’s game against Nashville.
Gaborik played the following night in Minnesota but did not participate in the
Kings’ two-game homestand against Chicago and Boston.
The injury – the third to cause the skilled forward to miss time since the start
of training camp – is similar to the upper-body injury that caused him to miss
eight games in October.
“Yeah, it’s pretty much the same thing but the other side,” he said. “I don’t
know what the reason can be behind it. It’s just the way it is. It’s pretty much
the same thing as the other side, two injuries on pretty much the same thing
but both sides. I’m just trying to get it to a point where I can go out there and
play. It should be pretty soon that I can go out there and play.”
Marian Gaborik, on whether he is frustrated by the injury:
Yeah, it’s frustrating. I just try to stay positive and get this resolved to the
point where I can play and then just focus to keep going.
Gaborik, on when he suffered his injury:
It was in Nashville. [Reporter: You tried to push for it for a little bit.] It was late
in the game at the end of the third period. Then I tried to play and just
couldn’t.
741149
Los Angeles Kings
Report: Martinez signs for six years, $24 million
Posted by JonRosen
As first reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Alec Martinez has signed
a six-year, $24 million extension with the Los Angeles Kings. Martinez, who
signed a two-year, $2.2 million dollar contract during the summer of 2013,
was bound for unrestricted free agency on July 1.
Martinez, who received significant term that will keep him under contract
through the 2020-21 season, would have made more money had he hit the
open market, given the expected dearth of available prime-aged defensemen
come July 1.
The Kings now have $60.2 million allotted to 14 players for next season,
according to CapGeek.com, and will need to negotiate new contracts with a
pool of restricted free agents to be in Tanner Pearson, Tyler Toffoli, Kyle
Clifford, Jordan Nolan, Andy Andreoff, Martin Jones and Nick Shore,
amongst others currently in Manchester. Players bound for unrestricted free
agency include Jarret Stoll, Justin Williams and Robyn Regehr.
The priority on getting Martinez re-signed was high. Because Drew Doughty,
Jake Muzzin, Slava Voynov, Brayden McNabb, Matt Greene and Jeff Schultz
are signed through next season – a group that includes a waiver-eligble
player in Manchester and another suspended indefinitely by the NHL – and
Derek Forbort developing but not at the moment able to make a leap to a
regular NHL role, locking up Martinez long term was a necessity.
Martinez’s usage has jumped up by nearly four full minutes per game this
season. Having recorded a career-high 11 goals and 22 points over an
average of 15:41 ice time per game in 2013-14, Martinez has inherited a
wider responsibility given Willie Mitchell’s departure and Voynov’s
suspension, and will enter Thursday’s game at Arizona averaging 19:40 per
game.
While his shooting percentage predictably dropped from an anomalously
high 13.9% last season to 4.7% this season, he’s still on pace for 8.3 goals.
Considering he hasn’t yet scored on the power play and should see a
production uptick on the man advantage, it wouldn’t be a major surprise to
see him near a double-digit goal tally.
His underlying numbers, however, represent a drop in possession. His
Corsi-for percentage is in the red for the first time in his career, a curious
development after the adept puck-mover maintained a Corsi rate of at least
55% in each of his first four seasons in the league.
The left-shooting defenseman has been playing on his off-side – as he did for
much of last season – alongside Robyn Regehr and has been praised for his
versatility by Darryl Sutter. He returned to the lineup last night and
contributed 19:01 of ice time following a seven-game absence due to an
injury to a little finger that required surgery.
The 27-year-old was selected in the fourth round in the 2007 NHL Draft and
has totaled 62 points (25-37=62) over 221 career games. He played in all
playoff games during the team’s 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup runs and
memorably scored the Cup-clinching double overtime goal on Henrik
Lundqvist in Game 5 of the 2014 series against the New York Rangers.
741150
Los Angeles Kings
December 3 practice quotes: Darryl Sutter
Posted by JonRosen
On whether Marian Gaborik will travel to Arizona:
Probably not. Didn’t practice full today. He practiced but not where he’s
pushing through it.
On Martinez having “jump” and “adrenaline” in his first game back:
We’ve seen that lots where the first game back from some time off – even
though he was only, I think, 16 or 17 days – but these guys, when they’re out
for those set times where it’s two weeks or four weeks, that first game is
usually that adrenaline push game, and then you’ve got to be careful you
don’t take a step back.
On what “start point” indicates the team is playing with structure and detail:
Every team that’s a good team in the NHL checks really well. I know the star
part of it and the goal part of it and the great night part of it, but the checking
part of it – checking isn’t the defending part, checking is being in a six-man
unit all the time – that part of it, the structure part of it, those teams are all
teams that are hard to play against and that’s how you can always get
through – not the result part of the game, the ‘what you’re doing’ part of the
game. And even last night, if we’d have lost last night, I wouldn’t have been
unhappy with our game, and that’s what you have to stick to, because if you
start singling out or just addressing it by one player who’s playing great or not
playing great, then you’re always going to have trouble. The game is still
above the whole game, even moreso. I think it’s moreso now in the salary
cap and the more games era. It’s even moreso, the importance of everybody.
On the Kings not having to kill any penalties on Tuesday:
I think that it’s always the change, less is more. If you only have to kill two or
three, and with where everybody is in the league – that three-to-four range, if
you start pushing four, then you’re pushing trouble.
On teaching the players proper stick checking techniques and avoiding
penalties:
So much of your checking, it’s another part of your game that – people talk
about size of teams, well everybody’s within two or three pounds. And you
see that, and you know that now. But so much of the checking part of it is
being under sticks and your angles on your checking part of it, and if you look
at stick fouls that guys take, hey, you’re talking about not being over. Being
under. Because if you’re over, there’s a good chance you’re being called, or
the two-handed checking with both hands in the corner, where in the old days
that’s what everybody did. They drilled you in the back and pushed you and
all that. Now you can’t do it. Guys are too good, and they just put you on your
back and you end up taking a penalty because of it. Checking is so much
about being under it and being quick to it and being out of it than it used to be.
We see it with our guys. You have to teach your young players how to play
like that. You have to do it. But if their stick’s on the ice and being under it, it’s
the way the game is. If you don’t play it like that, then you’re going to spend a
lot of time in your zone, you’re going to give up a lot more goals against. The
goal of your team still has to be in that two-or-less over a season, and that’s a
number that probably won’t happen ever, when you do 82 times two. When
you think about what we’d done, even last year, if you can do that again,
that’s really good. That’s what you have to try and do, because then you start
pushing having to score four or five goals, and you’re not going to win many.
It’s going to look nice some nights and it’s going to be exciting, but you’re not
going to win consistently and you’re not going to be there at the end.
741151
Los Angeles Kings
December 3 practice notes
Posted by JonRosen
Previous: The View from Boston
The Kings held a full-team practice late on Wednesday morning in advance
of the team’s travel to Arizona.
Players were grouped together in color-coded lines:
White: Pearson-Kopitar-Carter
Yellow: King-Richards-Toffoli
Green: Gaborik-Brown-Stoll-Williams
Purple: Andreoff-Clifford-Lewis-Nolan
-Marian Gaborik told reporters that his return will be “soon,” though it won’t
happen tomorrow night against the Coyotes. He’s not traveling with the team
today, Darryl Sutter said after practice. More to come on Gaborik, who
suffered his injury late in the Nashville game and attempted to play through it
against Minnesota. More to come on Gabby.
-No, Slava Voynov did not take the ice with the team. He did, however, skate
with an instructor after the Kings left the ice.
-There are no issues with Alec Martinez on the morning after he returned to
the lineup. I’ll have a story on Martinez – tied in with quotes on Robyn
Regehr’s presence – later today.
-The team will be leaving for Arizona shortly; I’ll have a lot more today from
the desert.
741152
Los Angeles Kings
Waking up with the Kings: December 3
Posted by JonRosen
There was a lot to like about the Kings’ exciting and tense 2-0 victory over the
Bruins on Tuesday. They jumped out to a first period lead and surrendered
fewer than two goals. They used an extended though unsuccessful
five-on-three power play as a momentum conduit. They dominated puck
possession against one of the league’s top possession teams for the first 32
minutes of the game. They didn’t allow a power play. They received a superb
performance in net by Jonathan Quick. They weathered Boston’s inevitable
late-game push and defeated a very good team. The positives far
outweighed the negatives (not enough bodies to the net on the power play,
the third period), and the crisp performance earned the club a win in an
appropriate response to the sloppy performance against Chicago on
Saturday.
Boston Bruins v Los Angeles Kings
The advanced stats won’t necessarily show it because a good percentage of
their shot attempts were taken while on the power play, but the
Pearson-Kopitar-Carter line was the most dominant line on the ice Tuesday
night. Considering the repeated call for the Kings’ top players to emerge as
top players, this is a welcome development while Marian Gaborik is on the
mend. Tanner Pearson was the team’s best forward; he was dangerous and
operating at a high speed for much of the game. Los Angeles drew the front
end penalty of their five-on-three advantage during extended zone time when
Pearson moved his feet and out-hustled Kevan Miller to a loose puck. The
penalty came during a period of heavy Los Angeles pressure – they took nine
shots on the two-man advantage and 12 out of 13 total shots in the middle
part of the period – and Pearson eventually cashed in by finding available ice
and slamming a deft Anze Kopitar feed through an open seam past an
otherwise excellent Niklas Svedberg.
Boston Bruins v Los Angeles Kings
Don’t overlook the Kings’ ability to keep their opponents off the power play.
The Bruins are struggling to find offense – Tuesday’s game was the ninth
time in 10 games they failed to score more than twice – and giving a scuffling
offensive unit additional opportunities on the man advantage in a one-goal
game would have raised the Shootout Probability Meter significantly. Los
Angeles didn’t have to raise its streak of eight consecutive successful kills,
and given that the team has dealt with inflated penalty minute totals over the
last two seasons, Monday’s performance (and the four total power plays
allowed over the last three games) is clearly an encouraging trend. A stick
tap once again goes out to Dustin Brown, who has taken one minor penalty in
the last 15 games and has a Kopitar-like four penalty minutes on the season.
741153
Minnesota Wild
Despite Wild's victory over Montreal, fans voice frustration over team's poor
power play
Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild game coverage Updated: December 3,
2014 - 10:41 PM
Good win for the Wild tonight … in spite of the power play that has taken on a
life of its own.
I don’t know how the Wild’s going to break out of the power-play doldrums
because it’s clear it’s in the collective head of players and it’s clear the
hometown fans are fed up and ready to pounce. They proved that tonight by
booing virtually every second of a five-minute major in the third period with
the team up 2-0 and having had the puck virtually every moment of the first
two periods against a fast, good-skating Eastern Conference finalist a year
ago.
The boos with the team leading created an intense Twitter debate on my feed
at least between fans watching as to whether that was appropriate or not. I’ll
wimp out and not offer an opinion because I don’t have to pay for tickets and
the people in the building do.
But I will say, as ineffective as the Wild power play has been this season, the
hisses and whistles and angry boos seemed to help cripple that one because
it was as bad as it has been all year. Just look at the replay if you don’t
believe me. The puck was like a hot potato. Nobody wanted it. Player after
player just kept throwing it away like, ‘Here, it’s your problem.’
Hey, these guys may be professionals, but thousands of people booing your
every move, it’s not exactly simple to ignore it and make a play.
Not surprisingly, the Wild barely entered the zone and didn’t manage a shot
just like a second-period, 58-second 5-on-3. But the fan frustration with the
power play actually began on the first one. Fans up below me were booing
with the first cleared puck.
This is a byproduct though of a quarter’s season’s worth of bad power plays
that have absolutely cost the Wild games and is largely the reason why the
team is once again clawing around the seventh, eighth, ninth spot in the
West.
The power play went 0 for 5 and is now 7 for 78, which is 29th in the NHL.
Jason Pominville actually made the point that I joked about on Twitter. At
least the Wild ate up another five minutes of the third and “didn’t give up
much,” Pominville said. “Didn’t get much,” but bottom line, the Wild won
thanks to Pominville’s second-period winning goal, his first goal in 11 games
and second in 17 – both against Montreal.
On the power play, assistant coach Andrew Brunette’s thoughts on the
frustrating power play were in Tuesday’s paper. If you didn’t read it, take a
look on startribune.com/wild.
Coach Mike Yeo said, “It’s up to me to figure out how to deal with it, it’s up to
me to correct it. This is not easy for our players to deal with right now.
“The fact of the matter is we win a big game against a good team without Suts
(Ryan Suter) and we did a lot of good things, and you almost kind of leave the
game not feeling great about it. I would say the last 10 games is somewhat
similar. We’re 7-2-1 in our last 10 games and a lot of times you’re leaving the
rink and you win the game” and don’t have a good feeling.
“Building momentum is a little tough right now.
“I’m not going to deny it, it’s the one thing that’s keeping us from being an
elite team. But we’ve got the group to do it. We’ll figure it out. I definitely
commend them for keeping their focus and winning games in spite of the way
it’s gone.”
Yeo is right. The PK has been outstanding. The 5-on-5 play has been real
good, although it’s take a little turn in the past 10 games despite the win. If the
Wild could just get the power play to click, it’ll go on a run. On the other hand,
if the Wild doesn’t figure out this power play problem, it will go nowhere and
be in danger of missing the playoffs.
“Everyone’s frustrated. Fans are frustrated,” Yeo said. “But trust me, I’d be
willing to bet they’re not as frustrated as we are. It would be very beneficial to
everybody on our side, whether it’s points, whether it’s wins, we know this is
something that has to get better. It will get better. It’s not going to come
easily. But the fact of the matter is it’s about winning hockey games. Again, I
give our guys credit. We found a way to win. We didn’t score on a 5-on-3, we
didn’t score on a five-minute major and we still won a hockey game. To me
there’s character involved in that.”
Zach Parise, who assisted on Pominville’s goal and now has nine points in
the past eight games since returning from a concussion, on the fans booing
the power play: “We won the game. It doesn’t matter. We won the game. I
mean, you want us to score four power-play goals and lose? We won the
game. We beat arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference, and that’s
the most important thing.”
Pominville’s goal was his first since Nov. 8, and as Parise said, it’s funny the
way it goes. Pominville has been snakebit bigtime and yet “he’s able to get
one not even shooting, not even looking at the puck. That’s the way it goes
sometimes.”
Parise also praised the job the defensemen did in Suter’s absence. I thought
Jonas Brodin was outstanding tonight. Same with Marco Scandella.
Christian Folin, fresh up from Iowa, assisted on Pominville’s goal, was plus-2,
had two shots and survived the hit from behind from Eric Tangradi. He drew
the major with a cut above his left eyelid.
Pominville laughed about his goal. Luckily it was called good goal on the ice
because Toronto didn’t find conclusive evidence that the puck didn’t deflect
off Pominville’s stick below the crossbar. So if it was waved off, it would have
been no goal like the Parise one in St. Louis last year.
Pominville even mimicked how he scored to his teammates at the bench
during the long review. He could be seen laughing showing how he ducked
and the puck hit the shaft of his stick that he held vertically.
“It’s weird the way it goes sometimes,” he said. “You’re going through a tough
stretch and you get some good looks and can’t find a way, but then you get
one of those. Hopefully I can build off that.”
Star Tribune LOADED: 12.04.2014
741154
Minnesota Wild
Game Recap: Wild 2, Canadiens 1
Updated: December 3, 2014 - 11:25 PM
MICHAEL RUSSO
Game Recap
Star Tribune’s Three Stars
1. Jonas Brodin, Wild: Taking much of Ryan Suter’s role, he was solid
throughout; plus-2, three shots.
2. Christian Folin, Wild: Paired with Brodin in his first game since his recall,
plus-2, two shots, an assist and drawn major.
3. Jason Zucker, Wild: Scored his 10th goal 19 seconds in and had a
game-high five shots; he has five goals in the past seven games.
By the numbers
12 Goals, along with 34 points, in 53 games for Jason Pominville vs. his
hometown Canadiens. He scored one goal Wednesday.
9 Points in eight games since Zach Parise returned from a concussion. He
had one assist Wednesday.
796-612 The Wild’s shot advantage this season. The team has been outshot
only twice in 24 games.
741155
Minnesota Wild
the Wild held a moment of silence to honor both before Wednesday’s game.
All Canadiens players donned Beliveau’s No. 4 on their helmets Wednesday.
Suter sits out for first time as a Wild player
“It’s almost like the Montreal Canadiens lost their dad,” Guy Lapointe, the
Wild’s chief amateur scout and a Hall of Fame defenseman, said of the death
of his idol.
Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune
For the first time since the July 4, 2012, signings of Zach Parise and Ryan
Suter, the Wild played a game without Suter in the lineup.
Suter couldn’t dress against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday
because he was ill.
“We’re hoping it’s just illness,” said coach Mike Yeo, alluding that the team
fears Suter could be the latest defenseman to be stricken by the mumps. Yeo
said Suter, as of Wednesday morning at least, had not developed the classic
mumps symptom of swollen facial glands, but “there’s a couple symptoms
that he has that would make us concerned that it could be it.”
The Wild was awaiting results of blood work. Defensemen Marco Scandella,
Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard and Christian Folin have had the mumps this
season, a virus that also has affected players on the St. Louis Blues,
Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers.
All Wild players, coaches and staff were offered mumps boosters Nov. 13-16
because childhood vaccines become less effective over time.
“It’s a tough one because we’re losing key guys and we’re losing them for
more than a couple days,” Yeo said. “I’ve never seen anything like this where
it’s contagious and you’re kind of worried it’s going to be passed on to
somebody else.”
Suter, who leads Wild defensemen with 13 points and the team with a
plus-10 rating, logged more minutes than any NHLer the past two seasons
and is leading again in ice time per game this season (29 minutes, 19
seconds).
“That’s half the game,” Yeo said. “It’s a big void.”
Suter had played in 171 consecutive regular-season and playoff games with
the Wild, leading the team in ice time in 163 (95.3 percent).
The Wild leaned heavily on Jared Spurgeon, Scandella and Brodin against
the Canadiens. Brodin, Suter’s normal partner, moved to the left side and
was paired with Folin, who was recalled from AHL Iowa. Defenseman Justin
Falk was sent back to Iowa before the game.
Earlier this season, Spurgeon missed five games because of a shoulder
injury. Scandella missed two because of the mumps and Brodin nine
because of the mumps and injury.
“We’ve really been missing at least one of our top-four [defensemen] for a
good chunk of the year,” Yeo said. “These guys eat up a lot of minutes, play
special teams, but they’re also a huge part of our execution, a huge part of
getting the puck to our forwards and creating offense.”
Stepping up
Since being assigned to Iowa on Nov. 14, Folin had four points and was
plus-1 in eight games.
“I wasn’t feeling too good about my game after coming back from mumps
there,” Folin said. “It was tough coming back. I think I lost a few steps.”
Folin said it was fun playing 30 minutes a night for Iowa and even scoring a
couple of goals.
“I like to shoot the puck, and it was fun when the puck went in finally and to
get my first professional goal out of the way,” said Folin, adding that the AHL
is “not as controlled, so there’s guys coming from everywhere. It was like
going back to college that way. But it was fun. I just liked being on the ice
more.”
Folin had an assist, drew a major power play and was plus-2 Wednesday.
Memorial night
With the death of Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau on Tuesday night and the
funeral of former North Stars coach and player Murray Oliver on Wednesday,
741156
Minnesota Wild
Unlikely goals by Zucker, Pominville lift Wild to 2-1 win over Canadiens
by: Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — With their top defenseman out and a power play that is
misfiring, a couple of fortuitous bounces were enough for the Minnesota Wild.
Jason Zucker and Jason Pominville scored improbable goals to lift the Wild
to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 18 shots after allowing four goals in each of his last
two starts. Minnesota has won seven of 10.
"We won the game," Minnesota forward Zach Parise said. "We beat arguably
the best team in the Eastern Conference, and that's the most important
thing."
Alex Galchenyuk scored in the final minute after Montreal pulled goalie Carey
Price, who made 33 saves. The Canadiens are 1-3-1 in their past five games.
"The only good hockey we played was in the third period there, and there's
no excuse with everything that's happened in the past day to not show up and
give our best right from the puck drop," left wing Max Pacioretty said.
Playing with heavy hearts one day after the death of Hall of Famer Jean
Beliveau, the Canadiens dedicated the game to the longtime captain who
won 10 Stanley Cup titles as a player and seven more as an executive. All
Montreal players wore No. 4 on their helmets.
Other than getting the first six shots of the third period, the Canadiens
provided little offense against a team missing its top defenseman, Ryan
Suter.
Suter sat out due to illness, marking the first time the NHL leader in ice time
has missed a game since joining the Wild on July 4, 2012. He had played in
153 consecutive regular-season games and 18 more in the postseason.
Wild coach Mike Yeo said Suter had "a couple symptoms" that indicate the
mumps. The team is awaiting results of blood work done Tuesday.
The mumps has caused, or is believed to have caused, four defensemen —
Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Keith Ballard and Christian Folin — to miss
time earlier this season. Their absences ranged from two to eight games.
"One thing we said this morning is that this was not going to be a
picture-perfect game," Yeo said. "For one, we're playing a very good team
and, for two, the absence of (Suter), we knew that was going to be felt."
Zucker gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead 19 seconds into the game when his shot
from below the left circle hit Price in the right shoulder and popped up before
bouncing in off Price's backside. It was Zucker's fourth goal in five games.
"That's not exactly the one you want to give up in the first minute of the
game," Price said.
A second fluky goal made it 2-0 midway through the second period.
Pominville was stationed behind P.K. Subban and in front of Price when a
high wrist shot from Folin neared. As Pominville ducked, the puck deflected
off his stick and into the net.
Video replays were inconclusive if Pominville's stick was at or below the
crossbar height when he deflected the puck.
Pominville has two goals in 17 games. The other was scored on Nov. 8 at
Montreal.
"I've had some great looks and haven't been able to score," he said. "Then
you get one of those and you're kind of shaking your head wondering why
you get that, and you're not getting the other ones. I'll keep digging."
Minnesota had a 58-second 5-on-3 power play less than two minutes later,
but garnered zero shots to the dismay of the crowd. The negativity got louder
in the third when Minnesota had a 5-minute power play and again had zero
shots.
Minnesota's 9 percent success rate on the power play is 29th in the NHL.
"There's too many positives for our team to focus on right now," Yeo said.
"I'm not going to deny it, it's the one thing that's keeping us from being an elite
team, but that said, we've got the group to do it. We'll figure it out."
NOTES: A pregame moment of silence was held in Beliveau's memory. ..
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, in town for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
induction ceremony on Thursday, attended the game. ... Montreal has been
outscored 23-8 in the first period this season. ... The Wild has outshot
opponents in 21 of 24 games, totaling a 796-612 advantage. ... Minnesota
assigned D Justin Falk to AHL Iowa. ... Montreal's four-game trip concludes
with games in Chicago on Friday and Dallas on Saturday. The Canadiens
won 4-3 in Colorado on Monday.
741157
Minnesota Wild
Wild beats Montreal 2-1, but power play remains big issue
Article by: MICHAEL RUSSO , Star Tribune
Updated: December 4, 2014 - 1:02 AM
Beating the Habs was good, but, oh, that power play.
For two periods against one of the best skating teams in the NHL and without
No. 1 defenseman Ryan Suter, the Wild had the puck virtually every second.
The Wild’s 30-10 shot margin against the Montreal Canadiens, an Eastern
Conference finalist a season ago, was proof positive of that fact.
Yet midway through the third period Wednesday night, boos rained onto the
ice from angry Wild fans as they watched the Wild bungle through another
power play, this one a five-minute major in which the Wild barely got into the
offensive zone, let alone managed a shot on goal.
The score at the time? Wild 2, Canadiens 0.
Yep, the Wild was winning a game of which it controlled virtually every facet,
yet that 29th-ranked power play caused so much angst, the sound in the
arena would have made you think the Wild was getting annihilated.
Regardless, despite the ineffective power play, the Wild snatched two points
in a 2-1 victory.
“The fact of the matter is we win a big game against a good team without Suts
[due to illness] and we did a lot of good things, and you almost kind of leave
the game not feeling great about it,” said coach Mike Yeo, whose team is
7-2-1 in the past 10. “I would say the last 10 games is somewhat similar.
“I’m not going to deny it, [the power play’s] the one thing that’s keeping us
from being an elite team.”
The Wild jumped to a 1-0 lead on Jason Zucker’s 10th goal 19 seconds into
the game. It outshot the Canadiens 16-6 in the first, 14-4 in the second and
got a key two-goal cushion on Jason Pominville’s first goal in 11 games.
Yet the Wild’s 0-for-5 power play, including a shotless major and 58-second
two-man advantage, kept the Wild from blowing the Canadiens out of St.
Paul. The Wild’s power play is 7-for-78 this season (9 percent).
“It’s up to me to figure out how to deal with it, it’s up to me to correct it,” Yeo
said. “Everyone’s frustrated. Fans are frustrated. But trust me, I’d be willing to
bet they’re not as frustrated as we are. It will get better.”
The Wild heard the jeers loud and clear throughout the crippled major.
“It was tough. It wasn’t easy,” Pominville said. “Obviously we have to be
better. It’s on us. At the same time, five minutes came off the clock. … But
won a game. That’s all the counts.”
Zach Parise echoed that sentiment.
“I mean, you want us to score four power-play goals and lose?” Parise said.
“We won the game. We beat arguably the best team in the Eastern
Conference, and that’s the most important thing.”
Darcy Kuemper made 18 saves, his shutout though snuffed with 57.6
seconds left by Alex Galchenyuk. Luckily, Pominville’s first goal since Nov. 8
gave the Wild a 2-0 lead. For a snakebit player who has been fanning on
shots for a month and firing pucks wide, it was almost fitting how he scored.
Christian Folin (plus-2), fresh off the Iowa farm team to play in place of Suter,
fired a rising shot heading for Pominville’s head. Pominville ducked, but with
his stick held vertically, the puck deflected in off the shaft.
Referee Mark Lemelin ruled good goal. Good thing because the NHL
Situation Room found inconclusive video evidence for a high-stick, so the
ref’s call stood.
“He didn’t think it was going to count,” Parise said of Pominville. “Luckily they
called it a goal on the ice. I think if they hadn’t, probably wouldn’t have
counted.”
Pominville, laughing during the review, replicated how he scored for
teammates. He was just relieved to score his second goal in 17 games —
both against Montreal.
“It’s weird the way it goes sometimes,” he said. “You’re going through a tough
stretch and you get some good looks and can’t find a way, but then you get
one of those. Hopefully I can build off that.”
741158
Minnesota Wild
Jean Beliveau honored with moment of silence before Canadiens-Wild game
Article by: Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau was honored with a
moment of silence before the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild
played Wednesday night.
Beliveau died Tuesday at age 83.
The longtime Montreal captain won 10 Stanley Cups in his 20-season playing
career and seven more as an executive. After he retired in 1971, Beliveau
remained active in the Canadiens' organization.
All Montreal players wore a No. 4 sticker on their helmets, and general
manager Marc Bergevin said he wants the Canadiens to play the game for
Beliveau.
The team announced that a bronze statue of Beliveau will be on display
across from the Bell Centre's main entrance through Saturday. Beliveau's
body will lie in state at the Bell Centre on Sunday and Monday. His funeral is
scheduled for Wednesday.
741159
Minnesota Wild
Heartbroken Guy Lapointe on Jean Beliveau: “It's almost like the Montreal
Canadiens lost their dad.”
Posted by: Michael Russo under Wild news Updated: December 3, 2014 3:18 PM
Guy Lapointe, the Hall of Fame defenseman who had his No. 5 retired by the
Montreal Canadiens last month, is heartbroken today along with the rest of
the hockey community at the death of Jean Beliveau, the Canadiens’ legend
who died at 83 years old last night.
“It’s a pretty sad day,” Lapointe said earlier today during a phone interview
from his home in Montreal. “It's almost like the Montreal Canadiens lost their
dad.”
At the request of Beliveau, Lapointe, the Wild’s chief amateur scout, was
invited to Beliveau’s home last month by his wife, Elise. It was the day after
Lapointe’s No. 5 raised to the Bell Centre rafters.
“He was still lucid but pretty weak,” Lapointe said. “He couldn’t walk, he
couldn’t stand up anymore. He had lost a lot of weight with the cancer and
had a care service. But when I walked in, I know he recognized me. I saw a
smile on his face. I came close to him and touched his hand. He wasn’t
moving very much, but he touched my hand. And with slow words, he told me
what I accomplished and how well deserved it was that the Canadiens retired
my number.
“Thank God I didn’t cry. I held it in. He was classy to the end, a gentleman to
the end. He found the energy and wanted to see me. It was pretty touching. I
walked out the door and saw his wife and daughter [Helene] and we cried like
babies. Wow. I mean, wow.”
As I wrote last month when we were in Montreal for the incredible
banner-raising of Lapointe’s number and the reunion of the Big Three (Larry
Robinson and Serge Savard), Lapointe wanted to be a cop as a kid. He had
to be convinced to even attend the Canadiens’ training camp by his dad.
“As a kid growing up, he was my idol,” Lapointe said of Beliveau. “The No. 4,
playing hockey in the street, we had his jersey. As I’ve told you before, my
dad convinced me to go to the Montreal camp because my dad knew how
much I loved Jean Beliveau. My dad told me, ‘Just think, even if you don’t
make the team, you’ll be able to say one day you skated with your idol, Mr.
Jean Beliveau.
“I had a chance to play one year with him and I’m telling you he was a
gentleman, a classy guy, a good captain, a leader that any team in hockey
dreamed to have. His last year was my first year, and I won a Cup with him.
That was pretty special. I won other Cups, and for me and my teammates, he
was still part of it. We were a family, we were a team, everything was about
being a hockey team, to be a teammate, not about your individual stats
whatsoever. Somebody need help, you help him, enjoy somebody else’s
success even if you’re not having it. Be a family. That’s what Mr. Jean
Beliveau taught all of us.”
Lapointe, like everybody in hockey, remembered Beliveau for his class and
his grace.
“He’d shake your hand, and it was always, ‘How’s your family? How you
doing? How’s your health?’” Lapointe said. “He always cared about you. He
was just not a great hockey player, he was a great person to be around. If
somebody wrote him fan mail, he answered it back. Every one. It was
unbelievable, I’m telling you.
“Respect your fans, have time for them, he’d tell us. Respect the media, he’d
tell us. They’re going to be good with you. At times, they’re going to be
critical. Accept that. Be a man. They’ve got as much a job to do as you guys
on the ice.
“Life is so unfair at times. Mr. Jean Beliveau was such a great man. What he
did for hockey, not just Montreal, for the fans and the media, he was all about
respect. Great man like him, the way he conducted himself, he deserved a
better finish than the way he went.”
Lapointe talked about his banner-raising last month and how emotional he
got when he saw his banner rise. He thought to himself how for the history of
the Habs, of the Bell Centre, of his family going on generation after
generation long after he's gone, how that banner will be there.
And he thought about his dad.
“It was very emotional, especially when that banner went up,” Lapointe said.
“My dad made me go to camp because of Mr. Jean Beliveau, and my career
became magic. My career was about work ethic and passion, and when you
want to be a player, if you find that work ethic and passion, more times than
not you’ll work yourself to a good career. I learned that my first year with Mr.
Jean Beliveau.”
With the passing of Mr. Beliveau last night and the funeral of former North
Stars coach and player Murray Oliver today, the Wild will hold a moment of
silence before the Anthems prior to tonight’s game against the Habs.
All Canadiens players will don the # 4 on their helmets to honor the legendary
captain tonight, too.
741160
Minnesota Wild
As for Folin, he's glad to be back after playing eight games earlier this
season. He felt his game was coming together at Iowa, where he scored two
goals and two assists and was plus-1 in eight games.
Wild defenseman Ryan Suter out tonight against Montreal, team hoping it's
not the mumps
The Wild wanted him to get his game back to being aggressive and assertive.
Yeo felt the looming roster decision before he was sent down was in the back
of his mind and he was playing too safe.
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: December 3, 2014 - 12:31 PM
Folin said the recall was a nice surprise and that he had fun playing in Iowa
just because he got to be on the ice more, playing three games in three
nights at times and 30 minutes a night.
UPDATED
He said it was nice picking up some points: "It’s not like I’m a defenseman
that will get a lot of points, but I like to shoot the puck and it was fun when the
puck went in finally and get my first professional goal out of the way."
The Wild will have to figure out a way to effectively eat up the league-leading
29 minutes, 19 seconds per game that defenseman Ryan Suter logs tonight
against the Montreal Canadiens and potentially in the foreseeable future.
One day after Mike Yeo said he didn’t think the Wild’s No. 1 defenseman had
the mumps, the Wild coach ruled out Suter for tonight’s game and said the
team is concerned he may have the virus that has infiltrated (strangely only)
the Wild’s blue-line corps this season and a few other teams like the St. Louis
Blues, Anaheim Ducks and the latest, the New York Rangers.
Suter had played 153 consecutive games with the Wild since signing in 2012.
Suter went for bloodwork yesterday and the team is awaiting the results, Yeo
said. Yeo said Suter doesn’t have swollen glands but a few other symptoms
unique to the mumps that makes the Wild concerned.
"We're hoping it's just illness," Yeo said. "There's a couple symptoms that he
has that would make us concerned that it could be [the mumps]."
Defensemen Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard and Christian
Folin have all had the mumps this season, although sometimes it takes a few
tests to actually test positive for some reason. For instance, Folin says he
was never officially diagnosed with the mumps, but he had the same exact
symptoms Ballard had. Ballard tested positive for the mumps, but it took a
few tests to actually get the positive result.
Suter, who leads Wild defensemen with 13 points and leads the team with a
plus-10, logged 32:30 in Saturday’s shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues,
turned the puck over for the game-tying goal late in the third period and
definitely didn’t look himself after the game. He also said the night before in
Dallas (a game he finished minus-1 that he was actually minus-3 in until the
game-tying and winning goals with 1:52 left in the third and overtime,
respectively) that he never felt comfortable or was able to get into the game.
That actually was the pattern for Scandella and Brodin. Both had some tough
moments in games at Montreal and New Jersey before being forced out of
the Wild lineup with the illness. Scandella only missed two games, but Brodin
missed seven games and 17 days.
Ballard missed eight games and Folin five.
Another pattern was feverish/exhaustion/body aches, then feeling a little
better, then getting sick again with the swollen glands. The Wild was
confident Suter was going to be able to play tonight because yesterday he
told the Wild he was feeling much better. But obviously something changed
in the afternoon because the Wild recalled Folin for insurance.
Folin will play tonight and in today’s skate was paired on the right side of
Brodin, who normally plays the right with Suter but will move to his natural left
side tonight. Assistant coach Rick Wilson said he didn’t know exactly how
he’d throw out the D tonight, but they’ll start with Scandella-Jared Spurgeon,
Brodin-Folin, Ballard-Nate Prosser.
Yeo said, "We’ve really been missing at least one of our top four for a good
chunk of the year and these guys are very valuable to the defensive part of
our game. These guys eat up a lot of minutes, play special teams, but they're
also a huge part of our execiution, a huge part of getting the puck to our
forwards and creating offense."
He said the Wild will be missing a guy who plays half the game tonight, so a
it's a big void that will need to be filled by Scandella, Spurgeon and Brodin.
So far, no forwards or goalies have been struck with the mumps and, if Suter
ends up having it, only Prosser, Spurgeon and Matt Dumba have avoided it
on the back end. Once Scandella and Brodin were diagnosed in early
November, all Wild players, staff members and broadcasters were offered
mumps boosters.
Childhood vaccines do wear off over time.
On the difference between the NHL and AHL, Folin said, "I don’t think it’s
more time and space at all. It’s really fast. It’s not as controlled, so there’s
guys coming from everywhere. It was like going back to college that way. But
it was fun. I just liked being on the ice more."
He said the Wild's message when he was reassigned was, "Just get back
down and work on the defense of my game. I wasn’t feeling too good about
my game after coming back from mumps there. It was tough coming back. I
think I lost a few steps. I was out five games, and that's tough."
I talked to Jason Pominville this morning about his struggles. He has one
goal in the past 16 games, coming at Montreal on Nov. 8.
"It's tough. It's really tough. It hasn't been in easy," Pominville said. "I like the
way I'm playing. That's what's been really weird. I feel good. We've been
making plays, just haven't been able to put one in. I mean, if you look at my
shots, my attempts, I think I've got to find a way to get my percentage a little
higher. I'd be out of this pretty quick. I like everything else. I just got to try to
find a way to put one in. Obviously getting our power play going would help
me in that sense as well."
I asked him about fanning on so many shots: "If there's a wobbly puck, I'll try
to shoot it no matter what, whether it's a good pass, a flat pass, or whatever,
I just try to get it there as quick as I can. I think it's the best way to beat a
goalie. If you asked Heater (Dany Heatley), he said he scored probably 200
goals on fanned one-timers (laughs). Usually if goalies have time to square
up, they're tough to beat. Sometimes it gets there, sometimes it doesn't. But I
like to get it off as quick as I can."
On Yeo meeting with line in Dallas and the line playing two good games
since: "I don't think we were that far off, but to sit down with him and to see
things that he sees and that he wants us to do a little bit differently really
helped us. That was in Dallas, and the goal we scored in Dallas (Parise to
Pominville to Granlund third goal) was typical of what he was talking about.
He kind of felt that me and Zach were pushing the pace a little too much and
getting a little too far ahead of the play and in Dallas we were able to come up
as a unit of three forwards with our defensemen joining and we created a
2-on-1 and I was able to hit Granny. It was nice to be able to see it."
Lastly, Justin Falk was reassigned after the skate.
741161
Minnesota Wild
Tom Powers: As Zucker breaks even, Wild win
By Tom Powers
Posted:
Updated:
12/03/2014 12:01:00 AM CST
12/03/2014 11:16:15 PM CST
In the end, Jason Zucker broke even.
That's all a guy can ask for, really. It's tough out there on NHL ice and coming
away even-Steven is a solid accomplishment.
"That's the way it goes," Zucker agreed after the Wild's 2-1 victory over the
Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
After a faceoff in the offensive zone, just seconds into play, Zucker found
himself with the puck along the goal line maybe 15 feet to the right of
goaltender Carey Price. He had no pass, no angle, no nothin'. So he flicked it
toward the net.
From there, I'm not really sure what happened.
"I'm not either," Zucker said. "I didn't feel I had a pass anywhere. I just tried
getting it on net. It was a lucky bounce that happened to go in for me.
Replays showed that the puck sort of squirted through a couple of players,
rolled up Price's arm, down his back and -- plop -- into the net. The Wild led
1-0 after 19 seconds.
Zucker said he didn't even see a sliver a daylight as he launched the puck.
"No, there was nothing there," he said. "He played that very well. That was a
pure lucky bounce."
It was the 10th goal of the season for the red-hot Zucker, and it got the Wild
off to a quick start. That was the yin. The yang occurred in the third period.
Zucker took a nifty flip pass from Mikko Koivu and broke in cleanly on Price.
He made a nice move, got Price to come out of his crease, then fired toward
the open net ... only to have Price somehow get a piece of it.
At that point, Zucker was even-Steven.
"I guess. But I don't know," he said. "I don't think anyone knows how it works.
Price made a great save on the breakaway. I thought I had him opening up a
little bit, but he made a good save."
So one goes in that shouldn't and one doesn't go in that should. There a
moral or a message there somewhere. I just don't know what it is.
"The moral and the message is that every puck has to get to the net," Mike
Yeo explained.
And it will all even out.
"He's hot right now," Zach Parise said of Zucker. "Throw the puck on the net
and you go through streaks when it goes in. It's going in for him."
Zucker's goal clearly was the biggest of the game on what was an emotional
evening for the Canadiens organization. The great Jean Beliveau had
passed away Tuesday. Beliveau, simply elegant on the ice, is a storied figure
in Montreal hockey history.
The current Canadiens don't have nearly as much ability as the great
Montreal teams of the past. Their key players are long in the tooth, and the
talent level of the roster is so-so at best. Yet they are an excellent example of
the whole being greater than the collective parts.
They play a disciplined, frustrating defensive system that keeps them in
every game. And they have a presence, an aura, like no other, regardless of
which players are currently wearing the sweater.
"You can compare them to the Packers, the Yankees, all the big teams," said
Jason Pominville, who grew up in Montreal. "They're up there. They're
definitely a high-end, prestigious team."
"There's just something special about playing the Canadiens," Parise noted.
Overall, the Wild played true to form: good defense, zero power play and just
enough firepower to get by. Yeo said later that even though his team has
been winning lately he hasn't always felt great about it when leaving the rink.
The inept power play has him down. The Wild were so bad on a five-minute
power play in the third period that the fans were booing as if Ryan Kessler
had just skated onto the ice.
Yet the flip side is that they won the game anyway. See, there's the ebb and
flow, the yin and yang of it all once again. If you just keep at it, something
good could happen.
"Exactly," Zucker said.
He should know.
Pioneer Press LOADED: 12.04.2014
741162
Minnesota Wild
Fortunate bounce helps Wild beat Canadiens 2-1
By Chad Graff
Posted:
Updated:
12/03/2014 12:01:00 AM CST
12/03/2014 11:03:34 PM CST
Along the bench, Jason Pominville laughed when teammates gave him a
hard time in the moments after Pominville scored a second-period goal. They
chided Pominville for the fashion he snapped out of his scoring slump, by
merely ducking away from the puck.
In front of the net, Pominville did all he could to avoid a puck fired directly at
him from the point. He turned away and hid his head.
And yet, without much intention, Pominville's stick caught enough of
Christian Folin's shot from the blue line to deflect the puck into the back of the
net for Pominville's first goal in 10 games.
"It was coming for my head, so I ducked," Pominville said. "It's funny the way
it goes sometimes. Hopefully I can build off that.
Sometimes it just takes a bit of luck to snap out of a slump.
Wednesday night, Pominville's slump-buster may not have been pretty, but it
was enough for a crucial goal in the Wild's 2-1 victory over the Montreal
Canadiens, a reeling team that has lost four of its past five games.
The game certainly wasn't always pretty for the Wild. On another night the
power play went 0-for-everything (this time 0 for 5), the defense bottled up a
Montreal team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
In the third period, as the Wild were in the midst of another failed power play,
this one a five-minute advantage that yielded zero shots, the testy home fans
voiced their displeasure.
"It doesn't matter," Zach Parise said of the fans booing.
"We won the game. You want us to score four power-play goals and lose?
We beat arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference."
The Wild outshot the Habs 30-10 over the first two periods and controlled
play for much of the night, another successful night in St. Paul where the Wild
improved to 8-2-1 this season.
Pominville's tally gave the Wild breathing room in a game they could have led
by a much bigger margin.
After leading the Wild in goals last season with 30, Pominville had only one in
his previous 16 games and entered Wednesday with four goals on the
season. Because of that, it didn't matter that Pominville's goal came on a play
where he was avoiding the puck. It didn't matter that he didn't see it go in; all
that mattered was that the puck went in the net.
The Canadiens were outplayed for much of the night and trailed for all but 19
seconds.
On the first shift of the game, Wild winger Jason Zucker continued his strong
start to the season, netting the game's first goal from a bad angle.
He was nearly behind the goal line when he shot it. His wrister clanked off the
cross bar and rebounded off Montreal goalie Carey Price's back and into the
net.
That put a quick end to the scoreless game and the Canadiens never really
got close from there. They had just six shots in the first period and four in the
second.
Montreal got within a goal with 58 seconds remaining, snapping goalie Darcy
Kuemper's shutout bid.
The Canadiens were the better team at the start of the third period, but that
was negated when Eric Tangradi was whistled for a game misconduct
boarding penalty, giving the Wild five minutes of power-play time. The Wild,
as they've done far too often this season, did little with the power play.
They didn't record a shot during the power play, which only built on
frustrations that started when the Wild failed to fire a shot on goal during a
long 5-on-3 in the second period.
On a night where they controlled even-strength play, the fruitless power play
was forgiven -- in part because a soaring puck luckily hit off the stick of a
slumping player.
741163
Minnesota Wild
Wild think Christian Folin found his game in Iowa
By Chad Graff
Posted:
Updated:
12/03/2014 12:01:00 AM CST
12/03/2014 12:50:08 PM CST
Christian Folin was enjoying lunch at a restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa, when
he got a phone call telling him he was needed in Minnesota.
"It was a nice surprise," Folin said.
After struggling to recover from a bout with the mumps earlier this season,
Folin was sent to the minor league AHL for the first time in his young career -and regained the game the Wild were hoping to see.
"We wanted to make sure he was very aggressive and assertive in how he
played the game," coach Mike Yeo said. "I felt that at the time, when we sent
him down (his game had slipped). It happens. There was a roster decision
that was looming, and I think that was in the back of his mind."
Folin was slated to play with fellow Swede Jonas Brodin in Wednesday's
game against the Montreal Canadiens at Xcel Energy Center.
"I think with that he got a little on the safe side, and there's no question that he
has to be reliable and defensively responsible," Yeo said. "But that said, we
also have to be aggressive and assertive as far as taking away time and
space (for opponents), being tight with our gap, moving the puck quickly and
being physical. These are the things that we know he's been doing with
Iowa."
Folin is playing his first professional season after signing last spring as a
highly-touted college free agent from UMass-Lowell. He scored his first pro
goal in the AHL and racked up four points in eight games after zero points in
eight NHL games.
"It was nice just being on the ice more," he said. "When you do good things
from the back end, I think the points just come naturally. It's not like I'm a
defenseman that's going to get a lot of points, but I like to shoot the puck, and
it was fun when the puck went in finally."
741164
Minnesota Wild
Wild fear Ryan Suter is next mumps case
By Chad Graff
Posted:
Updated:
12/03/2014 12:01:00 AM CST
12/03/2014 12:39:53 PM CST
For the first time since signing with Minnesota in the summer of 2012, Ryan
Suter will miss a Wild game when they play host to Montreal at Xcel Energy
Center.
The chief concern is that Suter may be the latest Wild player to come down
with the mumps, which already has sidelined four other defensemen on the
team at various points this season.
Suter doesn't have the most obvious symptom, swollen glands, coach Mike
Yeo said, adding, "but there are a couple symptoms that he has that would
make us concerned that it could be."
Suter had a blood test, but the results weren't known when Yeo met with the
media Wednesday morning.
A positive diagnosis would hardly come as a surprise, though. The Wild are
one of three NHL teams -- the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks are the
others -- to have players miss time because of the mumps.
Wild blue liners Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard, Christian Folin and Marco
Scandella have all missed multiple games because of the illness. Players
and staff were vaccinated Nov. 14.
"It's a tough one because we're losing key guys and we're losing them for
more than a couple days," Yeo said. "It's something we've tried to deal with.
It's like any injury, I guess, or anything where your team goes through a spell.
But certainly I've never seen anything like this, where it's contagious and
you're kind of worried it's going to be passed on."
The Wild have had some success even without regulars Brodin and
Scandella, but Suter is the key cog -- arguably the team's most valuable
player.
He has skated in all 171 Wild games, including the playoffs, since signing
with the team before the 2012-13 season.
Suter entered Wednesday's game tied with Thomas Vanek for the team lead
in assists (12) and was a team-high plus-10. He averages 29 minutes,19
seconds of ice time, most in the NHL.
"We're missing a guy who plays 30 minutes a night -- that's half the game,"
Yeo said. "So there's no question it's a big void. But that void is going to have
to filled by guys like Marco and (Jared) Spurgeon and Brodin.."
741165
Montreal Canadiens
Wild dominate Habs for two periods, hang on in third for win
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, Dec. 03 2014, 10:32 PM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Dec. 03 2014, 10:39 PM EST
Jason Zucker and Jason Pominville scored improbable goals to lift the
Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday
night.
New Jersey Devils' Dainius Zubrus crashes into Edmonton Oilers goalie
Viktor Fasth during third period NHL hockey action in Edmonton, on Friday
November 21, 2014.
Podcast
The Oilers are on an endless search for answers
The NHL is mourning the loss of one of its greats. Jean Beliveau, who played
18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, has passed away at age 83.
HOCKEY
Roch Carrier says he mistakenly thought the Montreal Canadiens were
always winning when he wrote "The Hockey Sweater." The illustrated version
of the beloved Canadian story marks its 30th anniversary this year.
provided little offence against a team missing its top defenceman, Ryan
Suter.
Suter sat out due to illness, marking the first time the NHL leader in ice time
has missed a game since joining the Wild on July 4, 2012. He had played in
153 consecutive regular-season games and 18 more in the post-season.
Wild coach Mike Yeo said Suter had “a couple symptoms” that indicate the
mumps. The team is awaiting results of blood work done Tuesday.
The mumps has caused, or is believed to have caused, four defencemen —
Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Keith Ballard and Christian Folin — to miss
time earlier this season. Their absences ranged from two to eight games.
Zucker gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead 19 seconds into the game when his shot
from below the left circle hit Price in the right shoulder and popped up before
bouncing in off Price’s backside. It was Zucker’s fourth goal in five games.
A second fluky goal made it 2-0 midway through the second period.
Pominville was stationed behind P.K. Subban and in front of Price when a
high wrist shot from Folin neared. As Pominville ducked, the puck deflected
off his stick and into the net.
Video replays were inconclusive if Pominville’s stick was at or below the
crossbar height when he deflected the puck.
Pominville has two goals in 17 games. The other was scored on Nov. 8 at
Montreal.
NOTES: A pregame moment of silence was held in Beliveau’s memory. ..
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, in town for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame
induction ceremony on Thursday, attended the game. ... Montreal has been
outscored 23-8 in the first period this season. ... The Wild has outshot
opponents in 21 of 24 games, totalling a 796-612 advantage. ... Minnesota
assigned D Justin Falk to AHL Iowa. ... Montreal’s four-game trip concludes
with games in Chicago on Friday and Dallas on Saturday. The Canadiens
won 4-3 in Colorado on Monday.
Globe And Mail LOADED: 12.04.2014
741166
Montreal Canadiens
Jean Béliveau to be mourned in a funeral befitting the gentleman he was
SEAN GORDON
The seat – in section 102, row EE, directly behind the home bench at the Bell
Centre – is important not for its location, but because of the man who used to
occupy it most every game.
Of course Jean Béliveau was in the rink the night it opened in 1996 – just as
he had been present a few days earlier when the team bid adieu to the old
Forum – and if failing health prevented him from being a permanent fixture in
recent seasons, he will return one final time Sunday to lie in state.
The man known as le Gros Bill was comfortable in momentous occasions –
many of which he directly created – and after serving as a pall-bearer when
his friend and old teammate Maurice (Rocket) Richard died in 2000, he too
will be mourned in a state funeral by the province of Quebec.
It’s a comparably rare honour for athletes, but one this hockey-mad province
has bestowed on at least a couple of Montreal Canadiens; the service will be
held on Dec. 10 at Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, just a couple of
blocks east of the Bell Centre.
Before that, fans will have the opportunity to pay a final homage to Béliveau,
who epitomized class more fully than anyone in hockey history, in a building
where they ringed the block by the thousands for the Rocket’s visitation and
will surely do so again Sunday and Monday.
The flow of tributes is just beginning: The Habs wore stickers on their helmets
with Béliveau’s iconic No. 4 for Wednesday’s game in Minnesota (there was
a moment of silence before the game) and other plans are in the works.
They will almost certainly include a commemoration of some sort involving
Béliveau’s seat, which club president and majority owner Geoff Molson
called “unique.”
“There have been so many great moments with him there – we have every
intention of making sure it is remembered for a very long time,” said Molson,
who fought back tears at a news conference on Wednesday –
unsuccessfully.
His emotion was understandable. The ties between Molson’s family and
Béliveau span three generations. When Béliveau joined the Habs from the
semi-pro Quebec Aces in 1953, he negotiated an off-season job with the
Molson brewery as part of the deal (he would remain affiliated with the
company for decades).
Molson’s heartfelt reminiscences of Béliveau, whom he visited for the last
time last Friday, included a sentence that perfectly summarized how the
long-time Habs captain was viewed: “Whenever I bump into people outside
of Montreal his name comes up – ‘I don’t like the Montreal Canadiens, but I
like Jean Béliveau.’ That says a lot.”
The death of the Habs’ 83-year-old icon reverberated among the players,
who were effusive in their praise of a man who retired before they were born.
Defenceman P.K. Subban first met Béliveau at the age of 10 when he
dropped by to meet Subban’s minor hockey team. Subban told reporters in
Minnesota Béliveau was “the ultimate gentleman, champion and leader.”
“What he means to hockey and the Montreal Canadiens organization – I
don’t know if words can describe it,” said Subban, who had an appointment to
visit with Béliveau this coming Sunday.
Goaltender Carey Price called the man who led the Habs to 10 Stanley Cups
in his 18-year career “the benchmark,” because “he set the standard for
everyone else to follow.”
Coach Michel Therrien is old enough to have seen big No. 4 at work – he was
on hand for his 500th goal, a hat-trick goal against the Minnesota North Stars
– and said “you don’t get greater than Jean Béliveau.”
Dignified, dapper and flinty when he needed to be, Béliveau was more than
just a leader: He was a dominant, silky scoring centre the likes of which the
Habs haven’t seen since.
In addition to winning all those Cups – his last came in 1971, the year he
retired, and his name appeared on the trophy seven more times as a club
executive – Béliveau scored 507 goals and 1,219 points in 1,125 regular
season games (he added another 79 playoff goals and 97 assists in 162
playoff games).
His gentlemanly bearing conveyed authority – at his recent jersey retirement,
former teammate Guy Lapointe, an inveterate prankster, said the captain
was off-limits (Lapointe received an unexpected text message that day from
Béliveau, the sort of thing he was famous for).
Myriad politicians, current players and NHL luminaries, from commissioner
Gary Bettman to Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux, issued
statements of sympathy.
The novelist John Updike once wrote in a celebrated profile of baseball great
Ted Williams that “Gods do not answer letters.”
Well, at least one did.
For six decades Béliveau answered every scrap of fan mail sent his way,
always in longhand. He signed autographs legibly, so fans could read them.
If the Rocket provided an incandescent, raging intensity, Béliveau brought
the opposite: a cool, understated elegance to the game and to life away from
it.
Lemieux described the man who served as a role model to several
generations of Québécois hockey players as “class personified.”
He’ll get no argument.
741167
Montreal Canadiens
Jean Béliveau should be remembered for his class on and off the ice
ROY MacGREGOR
First, a confession: I once made an intemperate remark to a journalism class
in which I defined a newspaper columnist as “one who wakes up each
morning hoping someone important has died.”
Not these days. Not today, for sure, with No. 4 dead in Montreal and No. 9 in
and out of a Texas hospital.
Such sad irony that Jean Béliveau, 83, and Gordie Howe, 86, would fall so
alarmingly ill in the same season. In their time, and for a long, long time after,
they were the face of Canada’s national game: both dominant players in the
same era, one French, one English, one East, one West, one winning
Stanley Cups with a U.S. team, the Detroit Red Wings, the other with a
Canadian team, the Montreal Canadiens.
But there is so much more than that. Mr. Béliveau, with his inspiring elegance
both on and off the ice, and Mr. Howe with his enormous strength and
mischievous nature, were seen by generations of Canadians as the face this
sprawling northern country would like the world to see: strong, silent, skilled,
trustworthy, team-minded, tenacious, in the end triumphant and beyond that
… humble in victory. Humility perhaps the most treasured of all qualities,
though of course it counts for less without the winning.
Jean Béliveau played the national game as it is played in the dreams of
young boys and now young girls: flowing, graceful, magical. But it is off the
ice, where he played the personal game, that he became as much admired –
and in so many ways deserves to be as much remembered.
Yes, it was statistics that put him in the Hall of Fame instantly, the three-year
waiting period waived: 10 Stanley Cups as a player, seven more as an
executive with the Canadiens; 1,219 points in 1,125 regular-season games,
176 points in 162 playoff games; two Hart Trophies as the league’s most
valuable player, the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer, and the inaugural
Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
Most glorified hockey tales end with such numbers, but not the remarkable
story that is Jean Béliveau. Following his retirement in 1971, he became a
mentor to young stars such as Guy Lafleur. Lafleur the child had idolized Mr.
Béliveau to the point where he, too, wore No. 4 and hoped to inherit that
number when he joined the Canadiens in 1971, the same year Mr. Béliveau
retired. A few years later, Mr. Béliveau told me that he told the youngster, “If
you want it, take it – but don’t you think you already have enough on you?
Why don’t you pick another number and make it famous yourself?”
Mr. Béliveau’s impact on Mr. Lafleur was enormous. When things went badly
at first, Mr. Lafleur would often come to Mr. Béliveau’s office in the old
Montreal Forum and sit, head in hands and weeping, on Mr. Béliveau’s
bleu-blanc-rouge couch. When Mr. Lafleur found success and seemed to
grow lackadaisical, it was Mr. Béliveau who told him to “smarten up.”
“I may never be able to play like him,” Mr. Lafleur said of Mr. Béliveau, “but I’d
like to be the man he is.”
So very many felt the same. When word came Wednesday morning that the
rangy player once known as “Le Gros Bill” had died, Guy Lapointe, who
himself recently had his Canadiens’ number retired, said, “We have lost our
father.”
And it is for being a father, and grandfather, that Jean Béliveau deserves to
be remembered as much as for being a superb hockey player.
He had a special connection with children from his days as a youngster
playing junior hockey in Quebec City. He landed a summer job as the Laval
Ice Cream Man, was given the keys to a 1951 Nash and paid $60 a week to
drive about handing out treats to kids from a refrigerated cooler. The girl he
was dating at the time, Elise Couture, had to drive the car for him until he got
his licence. In later years, long after they had celebrated a half century of
marriage, Elise was still driving him around, the two of them a familiar and
always-cheered sight at Canadiens games as they took their regular seats
among the people, refusing the comfort they could easily have commanded
in a corporate box.
When the Canadiens gave Jean and Elise Béliveau a special retirement night
in 1971, he asked that they forgo the usual television set or car and, instead,
raise money for a foundation the couple was starting to support a camp for
disabled children near Joliette, Que. “If there’s money involved,” he told
them, “I don’t want a penny of it for myself.”
That first cheque for $155,855 began the Jean Béliveau Foundation, and
every penny he made thereafter for special appearances has gone into that
charity. When the Montreal Canadiens celebrated his 75th birthday in 2006,
a special dinner attended by the likes of Mr. Lafleur and Gordie Howe – as
well as former prime minister Jean Chrétien and Prime Minister Stephen
Harper – raised more than $1-million for children’s hospitals around the
province.
Post-hockey honours came easily to Jean Béliveau. The highest ranking in
the Ordre national du Québec, highest ranking in the Order of Canada. Twice
former prime minister Brian Mulroney tried to appoint him to the Senate,
twice he said no.
In 1993, then-prime minister Chrétien asked Jean and Elise Béliveau to
come to Ottawa for a very special meeting. Here Mr. Béliveau was offered
the chance to become governor-general of Canada. If central casting had to
design the perfect GG – silver-haired, royal bearing, perfectly bilingual, funny
and attractive spouse, not a stone to turn in his past – they could not have
done better. Again he said no.
The reasons were again about children – his grandchildren.
The reasons the Béliveaus kept mostly private, but eventually they told their
story. Five years before the offer to become governor-general, Montreal
police officer Serge Roy, the husband of their daughter, Hélène, had taken
his own life at the nearby police station. No one had seen it coming. More
than 20 years later, Elise could still barely speak of it, and not at all in the
presence of her husband. Serge, she said, had such “a beautiful smile” –
what had taken it away? And why?
She told Jean he could take the job if he wished – “a great honour” – and he
had stayed up all through the following night before finally saying he could
not. There were two grandchildren, Mylène and Magalie, and they needed
him more than the country did.
“You don’t replace a father or a mother,” Mr. Béliveau reasoned. “But there
are a lot of things grandparents can do. I couldn’t leave them behind.”
The Béliveaus made sure they lived close by the granddaughters, there to
pick them up and take them wherever they needed to go. They were there for
the sports and the school events, were there for the tough times of teenage
years, never missed a birthday.
“He’s always been there for us,” Mylène told me when she had herself
become an adult. “He’s always the same with us, no matter if we were six or
seven or 21, 22. Always the same.
“He’s not so much of a talker. He’s always there, but more in a silent way.
The way people see him in public is just the way he is with his family. It’s
more of a … a presence …”
A presence so special its absence is a shock to an entire country, even to
those who surely saw it coming.
No one, anywhere, could possibly have hoped for such morning news.
741168
Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens legend Béliveau to ‘lie in state’ at Bell Centre
MONTREAL — The Canadian Press
Montreal Canadiens fans will have an opportunity to pay their respects to
Jean Béliveau before his funeral.
The club says Béliveau will “lie in state” at the Bell Centre on Sunday and
Monday before his funeral on Wednesday afternoon.
A bronze statue of the legendary team captain will be on display across from
the Bell Centre’s main entrance until Saturday.
Jean Beliveau was chosen as Montreal Canadiens captain by his teammates
when he was 30 years old. Today, NHL captains are much younger, and
chosen by management.
Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau holds a torch during a pregame
ceremony before the NHL hockey season opener between the Montreal
Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Montreal, Jan. 19, 2013.
The NHL is mourning the loss of one of its greats. Jean Beliveau, who played
18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, has passed away at age 83.
In addition, all Canadiens players were to wear Béliveau’s No. 4 on their
helmets Wednesday night when they faced the Wild in Minnesota.
Béliveau died last night at age 83.
He won 10 Stanley Cups with the Canadiens between 1950 and 1971.
Fans will be able to express their condolences between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Sunday and Monday at the Bell Centre.
The funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Mary Queen of the
World Cathedral in downtown Montreal.
Fellow Habs great Maurice (Rocket) Richard was given a similar send-off
when he died in 2000.
741169
Montreal Canadiens
Also credit the Minnesota organization with a nice pre-game: A tribute to
Jean Béliveau on the scoreboard video screen, followed by a bilingual
rendering of O Canada.
About last night …
Very classy.
by Mike Boone
It should have pumped up the team to which le Gros Bill gave 60 years of
dedicated service, on and off the ice.
It’s fitting that a team plays its heart out in memory of the classiest gentleman
in the history of hockey.
Sadly, that team was the Minnesota Wild.
As the city of Montreal, the province of Quebec and hockey fans all over the
world mourned the passing of the great Jean Béliveau, your Montreal
Canadiens – HIS Montreal Canadiens – came up with one of their most
craptastic efforts of the season.
The Canadiens trailed after 19 seconds.
After 40 minutes, they were down 2-0 and had been outshot 30-10.
On RDS’s game telecast, Mario Tremblay categorized the Canadiens’
performance through the first two periods as “unforgiveable”. The former
player and Canadiens coach described the no-show as “tout un hommage” to
Jean Béliveau.
I think he was being sarcastic.
In his postgame media scrum, Michel Therrien was asked whether the
outpouring of emotion occasioned by the death of a Canadiens legend had a
negative, rather than positive effect, on the morale of the team.
Therrien said pre-game distractions pertaining to Béliveau might explain yet
another bad start by his team.
“But that’s not an excuse,” the coach hastened to add. “It should have been a
motivation, not a distraction.
“You can’t fail to compete for two periods and expect to win,” Therrien said.
“The focus was not there. The compete level was not there.”
Of the 10 shots the unfocused non-competitors directed at Darcy Kuemper
through 40 minutes, three were off the stick of Dale Weise.
Hey, I love Weise. He’s a good, honest hockey player who gives his all on
every shift. Weise skates, hits and will drop the gloves if the situation calls for
it.
But if Dale Weise accounts for 30 per cent of your offence, you have issues.
Other Canadiens shooters, through two periods, were Tom Gilbert, Brandon
Prust, Eric Tangradi and Sergei Gonchar.
Here’s who played 40 minutes without registering a SoG: Brendan Gallagher,
Thomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, P.A. Parenteau, Andrei Markov and
P.K. Subban.
By the end of the first period, Therrien started shuffling his forward lines.
Jiri Sekac, one of the very few Canadiens who played well from opening puck
drop to final siren, found himself on a line with David Desharnais and Max
Pacioretty.
Weise took Sekac’s spot with Lars Eller (who was also good against the Wild)
and Prust.
Parenteau had some fourth line shifts with Manny Malhotra and Tangradi.
Then he played with Eller and Sekac when Weise got some shifts on the DD
line.
Nothing worked until the third period, when there were flickering embers of a
comeback doused by Tangradi’s major penalty.
Both Wild goals were flukes. Minnesota failed to score during a 5-0n-3 power
play, took 13 minutes to get their first SoG of the third period and didn’t
register a single shot while Tangradi was off for five minutes.
Your Canadiens did not lose to an offensive juggernaut – like the team they’ll
face in Chicago Friday night.
But for all their attacking ineptitude, the Wild had 35 shots on Price. And their
defence – minus Ryan Suter – threw up an impenetrable wall in front of
Kuemper.
My friend and former Gazette colleague Peggy Curran – whose late father,
Pat, covered the Canadiens in the glory years – had a terrific tweet
contextualizing the Canadiens’ pathetic performance:
Maybe it’s like being far from home playing for strangers the day your
grandfather dies.
How slow is the Canadiens’ D?
HIO has obtained an internal memo stating SportsCentre will no longer
feature video highlights of Alexei Emelin, Sergei Gonchar, Tom Gilbert, Mike
Weaver and Bryan Allen.
Instead, they’ll use oil paintings.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 12.04.2014
741170
Nashville Predators
Predators to face Martin Brodeur on Thursday
By Maren Angus, 10:42 p.m. CST December 3, 2014
The Predators will face goalie Martin Brodeur in Thursday's game against St.
Louis at Bridgestone Arena.
The 10-time NHL All-Star signed a one-year deal with the Blues on Tuesday.
After the Blues and rookie goaltender Jake Allen lost 4-1 to the Blackhawks
on Wednesday, coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters that Brodeur would get
the start against the Predators.
Earlier Wednesday, the Predators knew it was a possibility.
"I had a couple guys I tried to idolize, and Martin Brodeur was definitely one
of them," Predators goalie Carter Hutton said. "I like to handle the puck a lot,
and he's a guy that I kind of thought he was such a good puck handler, that
set him apart from everybody."
Brodeur made his debut with New Jersey in 1991 and played with the Devils
until opting for free agency over the summer.
Hutton thought it was interesting that St. Louis took a chance on the
42-year-old Brodeur, who holds the NHL records for wins (688) and shutouts
(124). He has won the Vezina Trophy four times and has three Stanley Cup
championships.
"St. Louis plays a pretty tight system similar to the one they play in Jersey.
They don't usually give up a ton of scoring chances, so I think it will be good
for him," Hutton said. "He says he still has a lot of hockey left in him. For us,
hopefully we face him and we can give it to him."
Predators coach Peter Laviolette, who spent his head-coaching career in the
Eastern Conference before taking over the Predators, has plenty of
experience coaching against Brodeur teams.
"He's been such a good goalie for such a long time. He's been sitting a long
time. He's fresh, he's hungry to play and I'm sure he is going to do his best to
give St. Louis a chance to win whenever he gets in there," Laviolette said.
"Usually when you're going up against Marty you have to be sharp because
he is a world-class goaltender."
Tennessean LOADED: 12.04.2014
741171
Nashville Predators
Predators' Pekka Rinne: Team play key to his success
Eric Stromgren, [email protected] 7:27 p.m. CST December 3,
2014
The offense has slowed down some since that nine-goal outburst in Toronto
on Nov. 18.
Yet the Predators are 4-2 in the six games since, and a big reason is goalie
Pekka Rinne. He's 4-1 in that stretch with a pair of shootout victories.
"I'm happy with the way I've been playing, and feeling like I've been
consistent and feeling like I'm playing good hockey all of the time," Rinne said
earlier this week. "But at the same time, you need your team to be at their
best if you want the goalie to be successful. It goes hand in hand."
Tuesday's game at Carolina showed what can happen when there is a lapse
in team effort: a 2-0 deficit that turned into a 2-1 loss and ended a four-game
winning streak.
The Predators' goal differential is even at 11-11 over the last six games and
heading into Thursday's Central Division clash against St. Louis at
Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m., Fox TN, 102.5-FM).
"The team play is always the key," Rinne said. "Obviously the goalie can
steal points here and there, but the bottom line is you need your team."
The numbers show Rinne's value. His 16 wins are tied with Vancouver's
Ryan Miller for most in the NHL, his .932 save percentage is second and the
Predators' goals against average of 1.96 is first.
Rinne also gives the Predators something beyond statistics.
"It's one of the most important positions in all of sports — not just hockey,"
coach Peter Laviolette said. "When your goaltender is playing well and the
puck is not going in your net, it creates confidence on your team, and
confidence to create a style and an identity that's aggressive."
Rinne is breaking in a set of new goalie pads at practice this week, something
he said he does two to three times a year. It is at practice where Rinne's work
ethic makes him the player he is on game day.
"He's always competing and he's never out of a save," captain Shea Weber
said. "He makes it fun in practice because it's a challenge. He's one of the
best guys in the league at practice, because he really forces you to pick your
spots and make your shots when you get them."
Rinne and the Predators were eager to move on after the loss to Carolina.
After St. Louis, they face another big test on Saturday when Chicago visits
Bridgestone Arena.
"We can't be happy," Rinne said. "You have to show up the next game and
it's going to be another battle."
Tennessean LOADED: 12.04.2014
741172
New Jersey Devils
How hard did NHL come down on Robert Bortuzzo for hit on Jaromir Jagr?
Rich Chere | December 03, 2014 at 5:39 PM, updated December 03, 2014 at
6:03 PM
TORONTO — Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has been
suspended for two games without pay for his "predatory" hit to the head on
Devils right winger Jaromir Jagr Tuesday night.
The NHL's department of player safety said Bortuzzo's hit was "interference"
because the contact was "well after Jagr has released the puck and at a point
at which a body check is no longer legal."
Interestingly, the NHL claims Jagr will not miss any further time because of
injury.
The report says Bortuzzo "drives through Jagr's chest and chin with his right
shoulder" and called the high hit of a "predatory nature with significant head
contact."
The incident occurred at 17:57 of the second period of the Devils' 1-0 loss to
the Penguins. Jagr did not play at all in the third period of the game.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on
his average annual salary, Bortuzzo will forfeit $6,451.62. The money goes
to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Star Ledger LOADED: 12.04.2014
741173
New Jersey Devils
What, then, should we have expected from the Devils?
No retaliation for Jaromir Jagr head hit? Are Devils gutless? (WITH VIDEO)
Rich Chere on December 03, 2014 at 3:52 PM, updated December 03, 2014
at 4:11 PM
TORONTO — Their best player was lying on the ice, clearly dazed and
injured. It was a sight no one connected with the Devils had ever seen before.
Jaromir Jagr never seems to get hurt, so that was shocking in itself. But the
fact that the big winger was cut down by a late hit to the head from Pittsburgh
Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo Tuesday night left everyone doubly
stunned.
So why did the Devils do nothing about it?
Why didn't they make sure Bortuzzo paid dearly for a hit they all felt was
dirty? Why didn't they go after Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins'
two star forwards?
In the eyes of some, it was because the Devils are soft. They saw their best
player hit in the head and did absolutely nothing about it.
Some old timers might call their lack of a response gutless, an invitation to
the rest of the NHL that they can go after the Devils' top players without fear
of any consequences.
“Your initial reaction is you’re (ticked) off that somebody took a liberty on a
guy like that," Devils coach Pete DeBoer told NJ Advance Media. "Then
you're concerned. This is a guy who is not a 25-year-old. But he’s a big,
strong man. And he’s a tough guy. It was good to see him get up.
“Speaking to him today I think he’s heading in the right direction.”
But there is still concern about a blow to the head.
“Yes," DeBoer admitted.
In the not-too-distant past, we would be criticizing the Devils for not seeking
immediate payback. If this were still the era of the Flyers' Broad Street
Bullies, with bench-clearing brawls and fights outside dressing rooms, we'd
be screaming about it.
But in retrospect, they did the right thing for several reasons:
1. When the incident occurred with 2:03 left in the second period, it was still a
0-0 game. The Devils still had a legitimate chance to win, or get one point by
forcing overtime.
2. They certainly could not afford to lose a fourth forward with a major penalty
or game misconduct. They were already down to nine healthy forwards.
3. And Jordin Tootoo repeatedly asked Bortuzzo to fight. The Penguins'
defenseman refused every time. So who should be called timid?
"I think Toots tried to challenge the guy," Dainius Zubrus said. "And guys tried
to get involved more physically. Saying that, there were still two points up for
grabs and we know how important that is."
4. Had DeBoer sent someone out to get Crosby, he correctly pointed out that
World War IV would've occurred. And the NHL would have come down hard
on the Devils and their coach.
"We tried to be more physical with Crosby and Malkin and some other guys. I
think we did that," Zubrus said. "But even a borderline thing will get more
attention in that situation. You try to stay within the rules because you know
how they are magnified with a team like Pittsburgh."
Any reasonable person would also have to ask: Why would Crosby, who has
a history of concussions, deserve to be attacked when he had nothing to do
with Bortuzzo's indiscretion?
Still, the Devils are wondering if they did the right thing. Tootoo pointed out
that it is a long season and he has a good memory.
The image of Jagr lying on the ice will stick with them, as will their view of the
hit.
"I think it was a little late with the motion going up right to his head," Patrik
Elias said. "You don’t expect that, obviously.”
741174
New Jersey Devils
Will Devils have enough healthy bodies for clash with Maple Leafs?
Rich Chere | on December 03, 2014 at 2:48 PM, updated December 03,
2014 at 5:28 PM
ETOBICOKE, Ont. — Patrik Elias arrived at the Lake Shore Arena
MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke ahead of his Devils teammates so that he
could get treatment for what he says is a groin injury suffered in the first
period of Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was not, Elias stressed, a previous injury that he aggravated. But he isn’t
certain he will be able to play in Thursday night’s game against the Toronto
Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.
“I have a little groin issue. It just happened yesterday. It’s nothing major,”
Elias told NJ Advance Media. “I went to skate and it tightened up on me. It’s a
little bit better today, but I haven’t skated.”
For the Devils, who also lost Jaromir Jagr (head) and Stephen Gionta (foot),
every injury is major at this point. They did not call anyone up from Albany
(AHL), but Elias is questionable at best.
“I met with Lou (Lamoriello) this morning. Based on some of the reports and
the people we have here, I think we’re going to be fine (for the Leafs game),”
coach Pete DeBoer said. “But I’m concerned about all the guys we didn’t
have yesterday. There are questions with all of them.”
Only seven players skated Wednesday. They were Michael Ryder, Eric
Gelinas, Jordin Tootoo, Adam Larsson, Seth Helgeson, Jon Merrill and
goalie Scott Clemmensen.
Ryder2.JPGDevils winger Michael Ryder practices at Toronto Maple Leafs'
practice facility in Etobicoke, Ont. (Rich Chere/NJ Advance Media)Rich
Chere | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Gionta, hit with a shot in the foot, took treatment at the Leafs’ practice facility
but Jagr did not go to the rink. That is a rarity for Jagr, who rarely misses a
day at the rink.
The Devils face a Leafs squad that has overcome some of its own problems.
“They’re playing with confidence, a lot of speed, a lot of depth. I think they’ve
won four or five in a row,” DeBoer noted. “But it wasn’t that long ago that they
were sitting where we are, lacking some wins and second-guessing
themselves.
“I think they’re a good example of how quickly this can turn around once you
get it going the other way.”
The Devils are 0-3-2 in their last five, but DeBoer has faith things will
improve.
“I am confident. We need to get some people back and get healthy,” he said.
“If we keep our game in the same place it’s been the last four or five games, I
have no doubt that’s going to lead to some wins.”
Will we see Jagr, Gionta or Elias Thursday night?
“I don’t know,” Elias said. “We’ll see tomorrow morning.”
741175
New Jersey Devils
Flyers react to Devils great Martin Brodeur signing with St. Louis Blues
Randy Miller | on December 03, 2014 at 11:00 AM, updated December 03,
2014 at 1:26 PM
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Martin Brodeur's greatness in goal came out a lot during
Devils-Flyers games for two decades.
Of his NHL record 124 shutouts, he has 12 in 92 games against the Flyers,
his most against any team.
Of his record 688 wins, 50 came against Flyers, his second most versus one
team behind the 51 he has against the Islanders.
The Flyers heard the big news Tuesday that Brodeur, after playing 21
seasons and winning three Stanley Cups with the Devils, won't be spending
his entire career with one club.
The Devils won't get to face Brodeur this season because they've already
played their two games against St. Louis, but the Flyers play the Blues twice
late in the season - March 5 in Philadelphia and March 12 in St. Louis.
Here is what Flyers players had to say about Brodeur signing a one-year
contract with the St. Louis Blues just a few days after he'd reported to the
team on a tryout.
R.J. UMBERGER
Left wing
"It's funny, when I grew up as a kid in Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux was my
favorite player and Martin Brodeur was the second-favorite player. So half of
my bedroom was Mario and Penguins and the other half was posters of
Brodeur. I had no reason for liking him. I was never a goalie. Never told him
that. I only scored one goal in my career against him in a lot of games. I threw
a puck from the corner that banged off a guy's skate and in. It'll take it. It will
be weird to see Marty in a different uniform. I think that was a pretty cool thing
to see nowadays, a guy playing his whole career in one organization. He had
a Hall of Fame career there and he's one of the greatest of all-time, but you
can understand why a guy like him doesn't want to quit playing. The
competitive in him wants to keep going as long as he can. He wants to win
another Stanley Cup and it's his decision."
CLAUDE GIROUX
Center
"He wants to play and St. Louis is a good team, so that's good for him. He's
going to bring a lot of good things for St. Louis, too. It'll be really awkward
(seeing Brodeur in a Blues jersey)."
BRAYDON COBURN
Defenseman
"Devils fans can be bummed about Brodeur signing with St. Louis or happy to
have had him for 20 years. It's his life and some guys just love the game. I'm
sure he's one of those guys who just loves the game and he isn't so wrapped
up in how the fairy tale is supposed to be pieced together at the end of the
day. He's got an unbelievable amount of accomplishments and everything
that he can hang his hat on, but I think what it comes down to is this is a great
job and it's a passion of a lot of guys. Him being 42, he still feels like he has
something to give to the team. Obviously, he's been playing at a very high
level for a very long time, even though his 40s, so I'm sure he'll be all right."
MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO
Defenseman
"It's interesting. Growing up, you see him. Then you're playing against him.
He'd been the face of the Devils organization for so many years, so it's weird
to see him go to another team. But obviously he still has the desire and the
will to play and he wants another chance. We had lots of battles when I
played with the Rangers. Big rivalry. He's one of the best goaltenders of
all-time. Seeing him with St. Louis, you realize it's a nature of the business.
It's tough to stay in one spot for a whole career. We're all dealing with that."
741176
New Jersey Devils
Is this season Devils forward Patrik Elias' worst nightmare?
Rich Chere
on December 03, 2014 at 6:00 AM, updated December 03, 2014 at 7:27 AM
TORONTO — Patrik Elias has been through nightmares before.
He missed the first half of the 2005-06 season because of hepatitis A. And he
was stripped of the captaincy while having his ice time cut by former Devils
coach Brent Sutter two years later.
So there isn’t a teammate who does not believe Elias will emerge from his
latest woes, which includes a season-long scoring slump and now an
undisclosed injury suffered during the first period of Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss
in Pittsburgh.
Exactly what happened has yet to be revealed. Elias took seven shifts in the
opening period and did not play again.
“Obviously something happened because Patty will play through anything,”
linemate Scott Gomez said.
Gomez, playing his first game since signing with the Devils on Monday, lost
both of his wingers. Jaromir Jagr suffered a head injury on a hit from
Pittsburgh’s Robert Bortuzzo in the second period.
Although Gomez hit Elias with a shot in the first period, he doesn’t think that
did any damage.
“That’s what I initially thought, but I think it was his elbow or something like
that,” Gomez said. “I think I got him in the chest. And it was more of a tip.”
The injury just adds to Elias’s frustration. In 25 games this season he has 11
points. He’s gone six games without scoring a goal and has just one goal in
his last 24 games.
“You go through tough times. Better players go through this. You just work
through it,” Elias told NJ Advance Media before the game in Pittsburgh.
“Listen. I’ve had plenty of chances in plenty of games where I could score
goals and put up points, but it just hasn’t happened. I just have to keep going.
If it would’ve happened, all of a sudden I’ve got 20 points instead of 11 points
and nobody is talking about it.”
Instead, they are talking. Some have suggested that Elias is finished at 38.
“Everybody can think whatever they want. Everybody is entitled to their
opinion,” Elias said. “I know how I feel physically. When you struggle it
doesn’t matter if it’s your first season or 17th or 18th season. It still frustrates
you and still bothers you.”
Is this the most frustrating season of his NHL career?
“Probably not, because I had slumps and I didn’t get the opportunity to play
as much,” he said, referring to the two seasons Sutter was coach.
“I’m still playing 17, 18, sometimes 19 minutes a game. I’m still getting the
chance. Pete (DeBoer) gives me the opportunity to play on the PK and power
play. I had times when I didn’t get that.”
Now comes an injury. The severity of it might just determine whether this
season turns into one Elias will be anxious to forget.
741177
New Jersey Devils
Coaching change not in Lamoriello's plans; "He’s here because you believe
in what he’s doing"
Posted by Tom Gulitti
Dealing with a slew of injuries and struggling to win games, the Devils are in
the middle of a pivotal moment in their season.
They have lost five in a row (two in shootouts) and have just three wins in
their last 14 games (3-9-2) to fall to a season-worst 9-12-4. This is the kind of
slide that can take down an entire season if it goes on much longer.
The statuses of Jaromir Jagr (head), Patrik Elias (groin) and Stephen Gionta
(foot) for Thursday night’s game in Toronto remain unclear (though the
Robert Bortuzzo suspension video indicated Jagr is not expected to miss any
more time). Still, the Devils desperately need to defeat the Maple Leafs
regardless of which 20 players they have in uniform.
If there was any question about Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello’s
belief that Pete DeBoer can turn things around, however, he stated pretty
clearly today that a coaching change is not in his plans right now.
“The coach is coaching.” Lamoriello said. “He’s here because you believe in
what he’s doing. If you didn’t do that, he wouldn’t be here. So, I think that
answers the question.”
With the Devils sitting four points out of a playoff spot, however, the
standings are starting to become a serious concern. That most of the
Metropolitan Division, other than the Islanders and the Penguins, has also
struggled is the main reason the Devils aren’t farther out of the postseason
picture -- and still have a chance to get back in it.
“That’s something that’s always behind your mind, but it can’t be in the
forefront,” Lamoriello said of the standings. “Right now, you have to do
everything necessary to get the points. You can’t worry about the points.
Those take care of themselves. We’ve got to get our total game together to
have success. To this point, we haven’t had that.”
Even when fully healthy, putting together a complete game on a consistent
basis has been one of the Devils’ biggest problems. Lamoriello has been
encouraged, however, by the efforts they put forth in their last two games,
beginning with a dominant third period in a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on
Saturday and continuing through three solid periods in a 1-0 loss in
Pittsburgh Tuesday.
The big negatives, of course, from those games were that the Devils
struggled again to score and didn’t win.
“I’ve seen four periods consistently of the best hockey as far as on a
consistent basis,” Lamoriello said. “Our inconsistency for two periods or one
period and not for three periods, competing is the most important word I’ve
always used. And we competed last night and in the third period on the Island
and that is what we have to sustain and the end result will take care of itself.”
DeBoer talked earlier this week about it taking longer this season than he
expected for this team to find its identity and play to it consistently. When I
asked Lamoriello if it has also taken longer than he expected, he said didn’t
want to talk about “hypotheticals.”
“Right now it is what it is and we have to get on track,” Lamoriello said.
“There’s no question about that. We’ve seen it. We’ve seen it in spurts, but
not a consistent basis.”
Only seven players skated for the Devils this afternoon in Toronto: Backup
goaltender Scott Clemmensen, forwards Michael Ryder and Jordin Tootoo
and defensemen Jon Merrill, Seth Helgeson, Adam Larsson and Eric
Gelinas.
The Devils are scheduled to have a full morning skate at 11:30 a.m.
Thursday at Air Canada Centre. I should know more about Jagr, Elias and
Gionta along with the rest of the potential lineup then.
Bergen Record LOADED: 12.04.2014
741178
New Jersey Devils
Bortuzzo suspended two games for "late, violent hit"; Jagr "not expected to
miss any more time"
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that Pittsburgh
Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has been suspended for two games
for his “late, violent hit” on Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr with 2:03 left in the
second period of Tuesday night’s game.
The official description for Bortuzzo’s unpenalized hit was “interference.” The
video explaining Bortuzzu’s suspension detailed how “well after Jagr has
released the puck and at a point after which a body check is no longer legal,
Bortuzzo drives through Jagr’s chest and chin with his right shoulder.”
Although video notes that Bortuzzo “neither launches into Jagr nor hits with
his elbow”, it explains that the hit is worthy of supplemental discipline
because of “it’s extreme lateness, it’s predatory nature and the significant
head contact that results from the way it is delivered.”
“Since Jagr should have no reason to expect to be hit this late, he is
defenseless at the moment of contact,” the video says. “Since this play is
entirely in front of Bortuzzo and he can see that Jagr has passed the puck the
onus is entirely on Bortuzzo to avoid contact completely and he has ample
time to do so. Instead, he drives forcefully through this dangerous hit.”
Bortuzzo, who had an afternoon telephone hearing with Player Safety today,
has not been suspended previously. The Department of Player Safety also
took into account that though “Jagr required medical attention and did not
return, he is not expected to miss any more time.”
Before making these decisisons, the Department of Player Safety consults
with the team if a player is potentially injured due to the incident, so that
sounds like good news for the Devils, particularly if that means Jagr will be
available to play Thursday night in Toronto.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and based on his
average annual salary, Bortuzzo will forfeit $6,451.62. The money goes to
the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
741179
New Jersey Devils
Jagr, Elias, Gionta with Devils in Toronto, but availability for Thursday's game
still unknown
Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias and Stephen Gionta accompanied the Devils to
Toronto after all three were injured in Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss in Pittsburgh,
but it remains unknown whether any of them will be available for Thursday
night’s game against the Maple Leafs.
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said today that all three were still being evaluated.
“We won’t know anything until this evening,” he said. “There’s nothing to
report.”
Jagr was injured on a late hit to the head from Pittsburgh defenseman Robert
Bortuzzo with 2:03 left in the second period. Bortuzzo faces a disciplinary
hearing this afternoon with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Lamoriello believes Bortuzzo's hit was worthy of a suspension.
“Everybody saw it,” he said. “It’s causing a hearing, so it’s obvious there’s
some intent there that was out of the ordinary and I’m sure there will be a
decision on this and I’ll be shocked if there’s not a suspension.”
Gionta blocked a Paul Martin shot off his foot in the first period and Elias left
with a groin injury.
It is possible that the Devils will need to call up a forward or two from Albany
for Thursday’s game. They have only one extra forward on the trip with the
team (Michael Ryder was a healthy scratch Tuesday).
The decision on that hasn’t been made yet, though.
“We’ve got a full day here,” Lamoriello said. “It’s an easy flight if we need
somebody. All those decisions will be made tonight.”
Only a handful of players are expected to skate today in Toronto.
Defenseman Jon Merrill is still working his way back from a sore right hand.
He has been cleared medically to play, so now it just depends on how he
feels and looks in practice and the coach’s decision.
Lamoriello said there is no change in status on any of the injured players that
didn’t make the trip – Travis Zajac (lower body), Martin Havlat (lower body),
Bryce Salvador (lower body) and Ryane Clowe (suspected concussion).
Jordin Tootoo tried unsuccessfully to get Bortuzzo to fight before and after
his hit on Jagr. (Bortuzzo had also hit Jagr hard in the first period and had
jostled with him earlier in the second period).
The Devils were focused on trying to win the game, so there were no other
attempts at direct retribution. Lamoriello had no problem with that.
“First of all, I don’t worry about how our team responds to those type of
situations, but the focus was certainly on the game as far as trying to find
every way to win,” Lamoriello said. “But, I don’t worry about that.”
741180
New York Islanders
Disgraced ex-Islanders owner gets 10 years in jail
By Rich Calder
December 3, 2014 | 5:44pm
He got 10 years in the penalty box.
A federal judge on Wednesday threw the book at a former co-owner of the
Islanders, who helped run the once-proud franchise into the ground in the
early 1990s, sentencing him to 10 years in prison on securities fraud
charges.
Paul Greenwood, 67, had sought a five-year sentence considering his
testimony helped score a conviction for his hedge fund partner-in-crime,
Stephen Walsh.
But Manhattan federal Judge Miriam Cedarbaum said she believed
Greenwood’s decision to cooperate with feds since 2009 was more about
“self protection” than having remorse for victims.
Both Greenwood and Walsh, a 69-year-old money manager at WG Trading
Investors, were accused of cheating investors out of $554 million between
1996 and 2009. When copping a plea in 2010, Greenwood admitted taking
$80 million from clients to fuel a lavish lifestyle that included a horse farm and
spending $3 million on 1,350 collectible German teddy bears.
“I’ve lied, I’ve cheated and I’ve stolen,” Greenwood told Cedarbaum. “Words
cannot express my sorrow and remorse for what I’ve done.”
Cederbaum later ripped into Greenwood, saying “I don’t have to tell you
because you are an intelligent man how much damage you did before you
became sorry for it.”
Walsh, also a former Islanders co-owner, was sentenced last month by
Cederbaum to 20 years in prison – the maximum amount under his plea deal
with the feds.
Both swindling execs were part of the so-called “Gang of Four” owners,
which owned the NHL’s Islanders from 1992 to 1996. Many hardcore
Islander fans blame them for the team’s fall from its days as a 1980s dynasty.
The
group paid $10 million for the team and was only able to sell it for a profit
because of a favorable television contract.
They were also notoriously ripped after changing the team’s longtime “NY”
logo in 1995 to feature a dreaded fisherman. The team returned to its original
jerseys in 1997 after the club was sold.
New York Post LOADED: 12.04.2014
741181
New York Islanders
Michael Grabner activated, will make season debut Thursday in Ottawa
Updated December 3, 2014 8:24 PM
By ARTHUR STAPLE
OTTAWA - Michael Grabner will make his season debut here Thursday
night, the headliner among a flurry of moves the Islanders made prior to their
trip for the return date of a home-and-home with the Senators.
Grabner, who had hernia surgery on Oct. 8 and had been ready to come off
injured reserve for the past week, was activated Wednesday and skated on
the right side with Mikhail Grabovski and Frans Nielsen in practice. Cal
Clutterbuck (lower body, day-to-day) and Josh Bailey (maintenance day)
both missed practice and it's not clear if one or both forwards will miss
Thursday night's game.
On defense, there are more wounded. Johnny Boychuk, who missed the past
three games, and Lubomir Visnovsky, who missed the past two, both went on
IR Wednesday, retroactive to Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, respectively. Neither
player made the trip to Ottawa and, unless both are back on the ice by
Thursday, it's likely they are both out through the weekend with upper-body
injuries.
Travis Hamonic isn't on IR but he didn't practice Wednesday. He left
Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win twice, returning only for a couple third-period
shifts before departing for good. Ottawa's Chris Neil crunched Hamonic with
a legal hit that appeared to cause the Islanders defenseman serious
discomfort in his right shoulder/collarbone area.
With Hamonic iffy, the Islanders summoned Griffin Reinhart from Bridgeport.
The 20-year-old defenseman began the season with the Islanders.
IslandersMichael Grabner
He played the first three games before being sent down when Calvin de
Haan returned from injury. Reinhart has two goals and six assists in 15
games with the Sound Tigers.
Notes & quotes: The Islanders' visit is a bit overshadowed by Daniel
Alfredsson Night. The longtime Senators captain has announced his
retirement and will take the ice with the Sens during Thursday night's
warm-ups before a full ceremony prior to the puck drop.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741182
New York Islanders
Paul Greenwood, former Islanders co-owner, sentenced to 10 years for
investment fraud
Updated December 3, 2014 8:52 PM
By JOHN RILEY [email protected]
Former New York Islanders co-owner Paul Greenwood was sentenced to 10
years in prison in Manhattan federal court Wednesday for his role in a
massive investment fraud, despite cooperating with prosecutors and helping
recover money for five years.
Greenwood, 67, a resident of upstate North Salem until a recent move to
North Carolina, had asked for a 5-year sentence. U.S. District Judge Miriam
Cedarbaum last month sentenced his partner Stephen Walsh, a former
Islanders executive who did not cooperate, to 20 years.
The two were accused of soliciting $7.6 billion from investors, and issuing
bogus promissory notes to cover $554 million in losses and diverted money.
Greenwood allegedly spent $80 million on a lavish lifestyle that included a
horse farm, expensive stallions and collectible Teddy bears.
"I have lied. I have cheated. I have stolen," Greenwood told Cedarbaum.
"Words can't express my contrition. . . . I am truly sorry for the grief and the
heartache my actions have caused."
Prosecutors urged Cedarbaum to show leniency to Greenwood -- who faced
up to 85 years under sentencing guidelines because of the scope of the fraud
-- in return for his cooperation in recovering money and building the case
against Walsh.
But the judge noted that the cooperation "was in some part self-protection"
after Greenwood was caught, and said his contrition went only so far.
"I don't have to tell you because you are an intelligent man how much
damage you did before you became sorry about it," she said. " . . . You had
no difficulty for a period of time living much better than the people who had
invested with you."
Greenwood and Walsh were partners in an ownership group that controlled
the Islanders in the 1990s. They were charged in 2009 with bilking investors
in their WG Trading Co. Greenwood pleaded guilty in 2010, and Walsh
pleaded guilty early this year.
In addition to the prison term, Greenwood was ordered to forfeit $83.5 million,
and make restitution to victims. His lawyer said that about 90 percent of the
principal invested in the firm had been recovered since charges were filed in
2009.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Greenwood and Walsh got what
they deserved.
"They stole hundreds of millions of dollars of investors' funds . . . and lied to
conceal their theft," he said in a statement. "Now they are answering for their
massive fraud, and they will have to forfeit their ill-gotten gains and their
freedom."
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741183
New York Rangers
Mumps a concern for NY Rangers, Knicks
BY Pat Leonard
Thursday, December 4, 2014, 12:46 AM
Rangers forward Tanner Glass, diagnosed with the mumps last Friday, has
been kept away from the team ever since, and the Knicks, their Madison
Square Garden co-tenants, said Wednesday that they are also taking
precautions.
The Knicks’ concern for their own players is understandable. The Knicks and
Rangers not only share a training facility — as well as a cafeteria — in
Greenburgh, the Rangers also use the Knicks’ locker room as a changing
room after morning skates and games. A Knicks spokesperson told The
News on Wednesday that booster shots for Knick players are possible.
Said a Knicks spokesperson: “I can confirm that we are taking every
precaution. Boosters are a possibility. J.R. Smith did have flu-like symptoms,
but not symptoms associated with mumps. He is listed as probable for
tomorrow.”
Originally, the Rangers diagnosed Glass with “flu-like symptoms,” then
announced he had the mumps.
The Rangers initially believed Glass would be isolated away from his
teammates only through Monday night, but coach Alain Vigneault amended
the timetable to indefinite on Monday morning after Glass sent photos to
show the severe swelling in his neck (salivary glands) had not gone down.
A second Ranger, defenseman Dan Boyle, may also have the mumps, but
the Rangers are waiting on the results of blood work.
Like Glass, Boyle initially was diagnosed on Saturday morning with “flu-like
symptoms.” However, his symptoms did not improve on Sunday, so the
Rangers conducted blood tests to determine whether he had the mumps,
and not the flu.
As of Wednesday’s off-day, however, a Rangers spokesman still had no
update on the results of Boyle’s blood tests. The Rangers said at practice on
Tuesday that they were told the results wouldn’t come back for a few days.
Several players around the NHL have contracted the mumps this season,
primarily on the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.
New York Daily News LOADED: 12.04.2014
741184
New York Rangers
Ryan McDonagh holds key to Rangers, as Alain Vigneault wants to see
defensemen get involved in attack
BY Pat Leonard
Updated: Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 4:57 PM
Plenty of Rangers are underachieving individually, hence the
underachievement of the team.
Henrik Lundqvist has been shockingly pedestrian. Chris Kreider has no goals
in his last 10 games. In November, it was encouraging at least to think that
captain Ryan McDonagh would be back later in the month from a separated
shoulder to right the ship.
However, since McDonagh's return, New York's reigning team MVP has
struggled to find his top form, and the Rangers (11-9-4) therefore have lost
more games than they've won as December gets underway.
"I would say that he, and I, expect a lot more," coach Alain Vigneault said of
McDonagh after Tuesday's practice, before the team took Wednesday off.
"We've all seen Ryan play the type of hockey that he can play: assertive,
strong one-on-one, not casual going back for pucks, going back for pucks
quickly, being the first forechecker, getting in the hands of the forwards and
joining the rush when the opportunity is there."
Instead, in McDonagh's three games since returning from injury, his
decision-making and effectiveness have been inconsistent. McDonagh's
failed clear of the puck after a successful penalty kill on Monday led to Matt
Carle's back-breaking, game-tying goal in the second period of a 6-3
Rangers loss to the Lightning.
"It comes down to defensive execution, and I'm the biggest culprit,"
McDonagh said afterwards.
The Rangers have a 7-5-1 record this season in 13 games with McDonagh in
the lineup, and a 4-4-3 mark in the 11 matches he missed.
Something to consider is that righthanded defenseman Dan Boyle ("flu-like
symptoms") has been out the last two games, and the team on Wednesday
was still waiting on results of blood tests to determine if he has the mumps.
Boyle's absence led Vigneault to move McDonagh, typically a left side
defenseman, over to the right next to John Moore.
McDonagh played the right side for Team USA in last year's Winter Olympics
and is capable of the shift, but by the second half of Monday's loss, Vigneault
had moved him back to the left alongside Kevin Klein, perhaps trying to light
a spark.
"For whatever reason, it's taken a little while since the injury to find his rhythm
and I think it's safe to say he needs to play up to his potential," Vigneault said.
"If he does, we're gonna win, and if he doesn't, it's gonna be a little harder."
In missing both McDonagh and Boyle for long stretches this season,
Vigneault also lamented the Rangers are "one of the last teams in our
conference" among point production and shots by defenseman. Only Klein
has provided consistent offense.
Beginning with Saturday's visit to the Red Wings in Detroit, Vigneault wants
to see his defense more involved in the attack.
"You can't have half the team or a few guys playing well," McDonagh said.
"Right now we don't have everybody. It's going to be tough for us to win
games if we don't have everybody playing up to our expectations."
New York Daily News LOADED: 12.04.2014
741185
New York Rangers
Mumps really hurting Rangers’ salary cap situation
By Larry Brooks
St. Louis, Staal, Zuccarello … those are for later. For now, however, the
Rangers had best cross their fingers that no one else gets sick or hurt.
The Rangers are in a stretch where they play three games in 13 days
immediately preceding three games in four days in western Canada against
the Canucks, Oilers and Flames. Indeed, Rangers play only eight games the
first 26 days of this month (with the 24th, 25th and 26th mandated as a
league-wide holiday recess).
December 3, 2014 | 4:53pm
Stepan has won 17 of 54 faceoffs the last three games (31.4 pct) while Kevin
Hayes has won 5 of 20 (25 pct.) in that span. Blueshirts are 28th in the NHL
on draws at 46.7 pct., ahead of only Calgary (45.9) and Buffalo (41.6).
Mumps and “flu-like symptoms” are not just taking a toll on the Rangers’
lineup, but the illnesses affecting Tanner Glass and Dan Boyle, respectively,
are exacerbating the club’s salary cap issues.
Rangers, 4-2 in their last six and 11-9-4 overall, have won three straight once
this season, Oct. 16-21. Following Saturday’s game in Detroit and Monday’s
at home against the Penguins, Blueshirts will have played 17 of first 26 at the
Garden.
Down these two players, the Blueshirts are carrying the league maximum
23-man roster through these five days off between Monday’s Garden defeat
to the Lightning and Saturday’s match in Detroit. This includes seven
defensemen (six healthy) and 14 forwards (13 healthy).
This glut, combined with the previous use of long-term exemptions on both
Derek Stepan and Boyle, has created a situation in which the Rangers
currently have just over $65,500 in available cap space, according to
calculations by both The Post and capgeek.com.
The Blueshirts aren’t quite in the position where they’d have to play short
against the Red Wings if a defenseman falls ill or is injured over the next two
days of practice — Glass would be placed on IR, and J.T. Miller would have
to be sent, even if temporarily, to the AHL Wolf Pack in order to create just
enough space for a recall of, say, Mike Kostka — but this is becoming a dicey
situation.
More importantly, however, the string of injuries and illnesses has created
the scenario under which the Rangers are projected to have a mere
$211,650 available at the trade deadline. This doesn’t exactly leave much in
the way of maneuverability for general manager Glen Sather, who essentially
will have to to go dollar-for-dollar to improve his team.
If, as expected, the Rangers loan Anthony Duclair to Team Canada for the
upcoming World Junior Tournament, the freshman pro’s $772,500 cap hit
would be erased from the books on a pro-rated basis for the 18 days (Dec. 19
through Jan. 5) he’d be off the NHL roster. But that would provide only about
$75,000 of relief.
The cap squeeze isn’t going to abate over the summer, either. The Blueshirts
have committed approximately $46M to 12 players (goaltender Henrik
Lundqvist; defensemen McDonagh, Boyle, Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein;
forwards Glass, Duclair, Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider, Dominic
Moore and Kevin Hayes), thus leaving an anticipated $25-to-$28M of space
to complete the 2015-16 roster depending upon both the cap and how much
of this year’s bonus cushion is kicked into next season.
The Rangers currently have five pending restricted free agents. Derek
Stepan is sure to get at least $6M per, given his superior numbers to
Colorado’s $6M Man, Ryan O’Reilly. Carl Hagelin is likely to come in for at
least $3.5M. John Moore won’t get less than $1.5M in arbitration. Miller and
Jesper Fast are each likely looking at $750,000-to-$1M.
Getting those five players under contract would thus account for
approximately $12M. That would leave $13-to-$16M available for pending
unrestricted free agents Marc Staal, Martin St. Louis, Mats Zuccarello, Cam
Talbot, Lee Stempniak, Matt Hunwick—or suitable replacements.
If the Rangers know they won’t be able to sign Staal and/or Zuccarello,
Sather will investigate trades as the deadline approaches, as he did last
season under similar circumstances regarding Girardi and Ryan Callahan.
Presumably if either or both are traded, Sather won’t be yielding first-round
draft choices as he did a year ago in the swap with Tampa Bay for St. Louis.
Trading Staal — in advance of perhaps not re-signing this essential
Blueblood defenseman — would not only create a hole on the top four for
next year, but for the remainder of this season, as well.
If the Rangers move Staal in a rental deal, they’re done this year as a realistic
contender.
There is little doubt that the Rangers will want to re-up St. Louis. The issue is
whether St. Louis will be amenable to signing a one-year, over-35
bonus-laded contract that the Rangers likely will have to offer No. 26 in order
to maintain some flexibility under the cap next summer.
741186
New York Rangers
Time is coming for Rangers to make decision on rookie Duclair
By Brett Cyrgalis
December 3, 2014 | 4:53am
Anthony Duclair is young, but he sure knows how to play the role of diplomat.
The Rangers’ 19-year-old winger is in the midst of a big organizational
decision — he could be sent to the World Junior Championships this month,
or he could stay with the Blueshirts, with whom he has been in and out of the
lineup since making the big club out of training camp.
Duclair grew up in Montreal, which, along with Toronto, is hosting the
tournament from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. That would make the event even more
special for Duclair, who would have to report to Team Canada’s tryout in
Toronto by Dec. 11.
“If I do go, it’s going to be a great experience,” Duclair said after Tuesday’s
practice. “It’s a tradition in my household to watch those games. Since I was
a kid, I dreamed of playing that tournament.
“Obviously, here I’m happy. It’s a decision we’ll have to make in a couple
weeks here.”
Coach Alain Vigneault said before Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Lightning at the
Garden he has already begun discussing the situation with assistant general
manager Jeff Gorton, but it needs to be addressed further.
Vigneault has been a coach for Team Canada at the World Juniors before,
and said it is a great experience.
Yet Duclair played 18 of the Rangers’ first 24 games, and that’s rather good
experience, as well.
“It’s something I have to discuss with AV [Vigneault],” Duclair said. “He
knows much more than me. I’m just learning every day and coming to work
hard. He’s been through this situation in the past, so I’m just going to listen to
what he has to say.”
Defenseman Dan Boyle missed Tuesday’s practice with his continuing case
of “flu-like symptoms” that are not the mumps. The Rangers are still awaiting
the results of his blood work, which could take a couple of days.
“It’s been three days now,” Vigneault said of Boyle’s illness, which kept him
out the past two games. “So they’re going to investigate a little more if he
doesn’t perk up.”
There was no update on Tanner Glass, still the only one on the team
diagnosed with the mumps. … Fourth-line center Dominic Moore missed
practice only for what the team called a “maintenance day.”
Vigneault said the biggest thing he has missed in the extended absences of
talented defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Boyle is not on the power play,
but on getting offensive production from his back end.
“Our defense right now, stats-wise in our conference, I think we’re 15th in
goals, assists, point production, shots — we’re one of the last teams in our
conference,” Vigneault said. “And a lot of offensive in the past has come from
Mac. Once Mac finds his game, Dan comes back, I think we’ll have some real
good looks there.”
741187
New York Rangers
Ryan McDonagh gets the Rangers scapegoat treatment
By Brett Cyrgalis
December 3, 2014 | 3:31am
There was no pulling punches by player or coach on this day, with the
Rangers’ spotlight of disappointment shifting from their best player to
arguably their second best.
Following Monday’s disheartening 6-3 loss to the Lightning, most of the
blame lay at the feet of franchise netminder Henrik Lundqvist. Then on
Tuesday, it couldn’t be avoided that stalwart defenseman and captain Ryan
McDonagh was not far behind on the list of scorn.
“It really just came down to some defensive execution, me being the biggest
culprit,” McDonagh said after the game, and he did not back down from
shouldering the blame after Tuesday’s exhaustive practice, the team not
playing again until Saturday in Detroit.
“I expect a lot of myself, this team expects a lot, these coaches, my
teammates,” McDonagh said. “I play a lot of different roles, and a lot of
minutes. So there’s no excuse for me to not perform the way I should for
these guys to give ourselves the best chance to win. For sure, I’ve got to step
up.”
Monday was just the third game back for McDonagh, who missed 11 straight
with a separated shoulder suffered Nov. 1. Yet during that time, it seemed as
if the Rangers were just weathering the storm, going 4-4-3 before his return
the lineup Friday in Philadelphia. That was the start of a back-to-back,
home-and-home the Rangers swept from the lifeless Flyers, about as easy a
comeback as could have been imagined.
But against some old pals on the conference-leading Lightning, McDonagh’s
struggles were highlighted.
“I would say that he and I expect a lot more,” coach Alain Vigneault said.
“We’ve all seen Ryan play the type of hockey that he can play.
Assertive, strong one-on-one, not casual going back for pucks, beating the
first forechecker, getting it in the hands of the forwards and joining the rush
when the opportunity is there.
“For whatever reason right now, it’s taking him a little while since returning
from the injury to find his rhythm.”
There is no denying how integral McDonagh is to this team, and a look back
to their run to the Stanley Cup final last season is Exhibit A. But with him now
in the lineup and struggling, it has only magnified the inconsistency Vigneault
and his team has dealt with over the first two months of this season.
“I think it’s safe to say that we need him to play up to his potential,” Vigneault
said. “Like all teams, we need our top players to play up to their strength and
up to their games. And if he does, we’re going to win. If he doesn’t, then it’s
going to be a little hard.”
And winning is exactly what the 11-9-4 Rangers have to do if they want to get
themselves into playoff position. Following the game against the Red Wings,
the Blueshirts play host to the Penguins on Monday, then set off for a
four-game road trip through Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, before
going to Carolina for the start of a home-and-home.
Before New Year’s Day, there are a lot of games the Rangers will be
expected to win. And a lot of games for McDonagh to find his form before it’s
too late.
“When you miss games, it’s one of those things when you have to find your
game as fast as you can,” McDonagh said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s playoffs or
right now when we’re trying to get up in the standings. It’s similar in that
aspect. I’ve got to not dwell so much on trying to find my game. I’ve got to
relax, play my game, use my legs, play to my strengths. Just go out and have
a little fun, too.”
741188
New York Rangers
Rangers: Coach relying on the captain
December 3, 2014
AM
Last updated: Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 1:21
By ANDREW GROSS
GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Ryan McDonagh has played just three games since
returning from a separated left shoulder. And just like the start of last
season’s playoffs, when the Rangers’ top defenseman returned from a
similar injury, his play has been sluggish.
After an intensive, hour-long practice Tuesday that included a hard
conditioning skate at the end, coach Alain Vigneault said the Rangers are not
likely to find the consistency they seek without better efforts from their
captain.
"He and I expect a lot more," Vigneault said. "We’ve all seen Ryan play and
the type of hockey that he can play – assertive, strong one-on-one, not
casual going back for the pucks, but going back for the pucks quickly.
"It’s taken him a little while since his return from the injury to find his rhythm
and I think it’s safe to say we need him to play up to his potential," Vigneault
added. "If he does, we’re going to win. If he doesn’t, it’s going to be a little
hard."
McDonagh has an assist in each of his three games back but has not looked
as comfortable jumping into the attack or on the power play. In Monday’s 6-3
loss to the Lightning, his turnover on a failed clear led to Matt Carle’s
equalizer, which completely shifted the momentum in the game.
NO UPDATE: Vigneault said there was no update on Tanner Glass (mumps),
who remains isolated from the team. Meanwhile, the Rangers are still
awaiting the results of blood work on defenseman Dan Boyle (flu-like
symptoms), who has missed two straight games and was unable to practice
Tuesday.
"Again, today, he wasn’t feeling well," Vigneault said. "It’s been three days
now. Obviously, they’re going to investigate it more if he doesn’t perk up
today."
DUCLAIR DEBATE: The Rangers are having on-going internal discussions
on whether to loan rookie right wing Anthony Duclair, 19, to Team Canada for
the 2015 World Junior Championships, Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Toronto and
Duclair’s hometown of Montreal. The Rangers have until the NHL Christmas
roster freeze on Dec. 19 at 11:59 p.m. to decide.
Duclair said he hasn’t talked to Vigneault about it yet and he’d defer to what
his coach believes would be best.
"If I do go, it would be a good experience," Duclair said. "It’s a tradition in our
household to watch it and since I was a kid I’ve dreamed of playing in it. But
I’m happy here [in the NHL]. Anytime you get to put the Canadian leaf on your
chest, it’s something special. We’ll see how it goes."
741189
NHL
Coach Helped Hockey Flourish Beyond Asphalt
By JEFF Z. KLEINDEC. 3, 2014
Lou Vairo has traveled far and wide in hockey. When he is inducted into the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday in Minneapolis, he will be
recognized for coaching the United States at the 1984 Olympics and for
being on the staff of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team and the 2002
silver-medal-winning Olympic team. Vairo also coached the United States at
five junior world tournaments and five senior world tournaments, and served
as an assistant for the Devils in the 1980s. He introduced European training
methods to American hockey and helped develop grass-roots programs in
this country and across Europe and Asia.
But his journey started in an unlikely place, at an unlikely time: the Bay View
housing project in Canarsie, in a vanished world of stickball and roller
hockey, the street games of 1950s New York. N.H.L. hockey will come to
Brooklyn next season, when the Islanders move to the Barclays Center, but it
will be nothing like the sport Vairo grew up playing behind a supermarket on
Rockaway Parkway or in the schoolyard at Public School 272.
“We used to play on roller skates,” Vairo, 69, said, his Brooklyn accent still
thick as a schmear. “Stick cost a buck. For a puck we used a roll of friction
tape — it didn’t slide real good. We built our own nets out of wood and
fishnet.
’60s: Harry Howell, Gump Worsley, Andy Bathgate, Jean Ratelle and Rod
Gilbert.
At 20, after two years in the Army, Vairo went to work at an air-conditioning
business run by Bart Grillo, who organized the hockey leagues Vairo played
in.
“One day Bart said, ‘I need you to do me a favor — I need you to coach a
midget team tonight,’ ” Vairo remembered. “I didn’t even know what that
meant. I actually thought I was going to coach these little guys — you know,
midgets. I said, ‘What do you mean, a midget team?’ He said, ‘That’s the age
class, they’re 15 years old.’ I said, ‘Bart, I don’t know how to coach. I want to
play; I don’t want to coach. He said, ‘That doesn’t matter — you go on the
bench and organize them.’ It was the first time I even knew about coaching.”
The next day Vairo went to the public library and checked out a copy of “The
Hockey Handbook,” the seminal analytical work by Lloyd Percival now
recognized as the wellspring of modern thinking about the game. His
coaching career had begun.
When the city converted an old pavilion at the World’s Fair grounds in
Queens into a year-round skating facility in the mid-1960s, Grillo and Vairo
put their league there. It expanded to other new indoor rinks in Coney Island,
Riverdale and Manhattan and outdoor rinks throughout the city.
Vairo’s coaching career may have started on a whim, but he did not take it
lightly. One day Vairo was watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports on his
grandparents’ television when he saw part of a game between Sweden and
the Soviet Union.
“I was just fascinated,” Vairo said. “I’d never seen that kind of hockey — I
loved it.”
“We thought we were the New York Rangers, you know, the way kids do
when they’re 8, 9 years old. We did that every day in the winter. In spring it
was baseball, autumn it was football, year-round basketball; we played
stickball, punch ball. And we played roller hockey because there were no ice
rinks.”
He took down the name of the Soviet coach, Anatoly Tarasov, and a few
weeks later wrote him a letter asking how he could learn that swirling,
creative style of hockey. “I didn’t know who to address it to, so I put
U.S.S.R. National Hockey Team. Moscow, Russia. Anatoly Tarasov,” Vairo
said.
Hockey in New York, like a persistent weed growing in a crack in the
sidewalk, has flourished in some odd ways. St. Nicholas Rink on the West
Side was home to some of the country’s best amateur teams in the early 20th
century. In the 1930s and ’40s, the Rangers’ farm team, the New York
Rovers, nurtured local talent. And when Vairo was young, roller hockey was
played all over town, skaters clattering over the asphalt on bare wheels in the
days before polyurethane coating cushioned the glide.
Months later, Tarasov wrote back in broken English and invited Vairo to
come to Moscow. In 1972, Vairo took out a $3,500 bank loan and went. He
stayed with Tarasov’s family and learned the methods that a few months later
would astonish the hockey world in the Summit Series.
But in those days there were no proper ice hockey rinks besides the old
Madison Square Garden, so Vairo and his friends improvised.
“We had a swamp in Canarsie not too far from where we lived, and it would
freeze over in the cold months,” Vairo said. “We would play there all the time
till we were so frozen we had to give up and come home, or it got dark.”
They used to go to the dump near Jamaica Bay and wade, knee-deep,
through the muck to find couch cushions to make into goalie pads and tire
tubing to make into straps. They played without coaches and referees,
offside on the honor system, and if you were tripped or hooked, you got to
take a penalty shot.
“His passion for New York, for his roots in Brooklyn, for the game — he
wears it on his sleeve,” said Pat LaFontaine, who played for Vairo on the
1984 Olympic team.
One day in the mid-’50s, Vairo and his friends were playing behind the
supermarket when a beat-up old car drove up with “A-1 Pest Control” painted
on the side. A man named Eddie Eskanzi got out and said he could teach
them how to play hockey.
“Eddie was one of the greatest hockey players I’ve ever seen, even if it was
roller hockey,” Vairo said. “If he was born in Toronto or Minneapolis, he
would’ve been an N.H.L. star. He taught us, and he helped us form a team,
and we got into a league. We were the Canarsie Rangers. We were around
10, 12 years old. We started to play against teams from other neighborhoods
— roller hockey mostly, sometimes in Kelly Park by Sheepshead Bay. But
when it got cold enough we could flood an area and make ice. We weren’t
any good, but we thought we were the Rangers.”
Vairo would walk four miles to a store on Pitkin Avenue to buy secondhand
ice skates for a dollar, and would take a bus and two subway lines to watch
the Rangers — “80 cents for carfare and a ticket to watch the best hockey in
the world,” he said. He grew up idolizing the Rangers stars of the ’50s and
Vairo played in roller hockey leagues when he was growing up. “We weren’t
any good, but we thought we were the Rangers,” he said.
“Lou wanted to do things bigger and better,” said Grillo, now 85 and living in
Florida. “He really put his heart into what he wanted to do.”
Employing Tarasov’s training methods to produce the fittest team in the city
league, and one that shunned fighting, Vairo’s boys won the New York State
junior championship in 1975.
His system and success got him noticed in Minnesota, one of the country’s
hockey centers, and he left New York to coach there.
“He totally broke our hearts, but we understood,” said Bill Beggi, who played
on Vairo’s state championship team.
In Austin, Minn., Vairo won the national junior championship in 1976, and the
European style he taught caught the attention of Herb Brooks, who invited
him to join the staff of the team that would win the 1980 Olympics.
That started his career with the national program, setting him on the path that
has taken him to Thursday’s ceremony in Minneapolis. As an innovative and
widely admired figure in international hockey, Vairo was carried farther and
farther away from his Brooklyn hockey roots. But he never forgot them.
“I never made a lot of money at this, but I’m rich, with knowledge and
satisfaction,” Vairo said. “I’m telling you, it was a good, clean way to grow up.”
New York Times LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Daniel Alfredsson: The Day
Ottawa Citizen
Published on: December 3, 2014Last Updated: December 3, 2014 5:45 PM
EST
The Ottawa Senators hold a press conference at the Canadian Tire Centre at
9:30 a.m., Dec. 4. In attendance will be Daniel Alfredsson, Eugene Melnyk
and Bryan Murray.
It is expected that Alfredsson will announce his retirement from the National
Hockey League. The former captain will be signed to a contract allowing him
to retire as a Senators’ player. The Senators will announce further details
about the celebration planned for before Thursday’s game against the New
York Islanders. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m..
The Senators may also announce a future role for Alfredsson with the team
and the organization may also announce that his No. 11 will be retired.
About 20 minutes before the game starts, Alfredsson is expected to lead the
team onto the ice wearing his familiar captain’s jersey. The Senators will be
in their classic red uniform.
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Karlsson shares the joy of Alfredsson's return (with video)
“I’m not sure where things will take him, but he’s a competitive guy, it’s just in
his blood,” Phillips said. “I don’t think he’ll just be doing nothing, he’ll be in
some kind of venture — business, hockey — where there’s winners and
losers.”
MAINTENANCE MEN
EST
A few players missed Wednesday’s skate with minor ailments, including
goaltender Robin Lehner. Head coach Paul MacLean said he hoped Lehner
would be available Thursday against the New York Islanders to back up
Craig Anderson, who starts. Defencemen Patrick Wiercioch and Erik
Karlsson also sat out. Winger Bobby Ryan skated, but won’t know until
Thursday if he can test his broken finger in a game.
The pain of a difficult road trip gets brushed aside today for all things Daniel
Alfredsson.
METHOT CLOSE
Wayne Scanlan
The former captain returns home to Ottawa Thursday, and the newest
Senators captain, Erik Karlsson, said his great friend and Swedish
compatriot is going to be emotional when he makes his triumphant farewell.
Alfredsson’s retirement media conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.
Thursday at the ‘House that Alfie built,’ the Canadian Tire Centre.
Defenceman Marc Methot continues to draw closer to making his season
debut, which could be Thursday.
“He pushed himself to be one of the best players on the practice sheet,”
MacLean said Wednesday. “He’s getting very close. If he comes in here
(Thursday) and says, ‘yeah, I’m ready to go,’ we’ll make a decision then.”
“He’s come to terms with the decision he made about retiring,” Karlsson said
on Wednesday. “I think it might be a little bit harder (emotionally), when he
comes in the rink again and sees all the people. It’s going to be packed, it’s
going to be loud. There are going to be ovations.
“He’s closer now to playing than he’s ever been.”
“There’s going to be a lot of things for him to take in, on the spot, and it’s
probably going to take him a while to realize what really happened,” Karlsson
said.
REMEMBERING BIG JEAN
Ever briefly, No. 11 will be a Senator again. He will sign a symbolic contract
that will allow him to retire as a member of the Senators, after nearly 18 years
in Ottawa, from 1995-2013, and one as a Detroit Red Wing. Ottawa players
anticipate Alfredsson getting dressed in the room as a player, and taking part
in the pre-game warmup. That is sure to send fans into a frenzy.
Karlsson and assistant captain Chris Phillips expect Alfredsson will join them
in the pre-game leadership stretching group they once formed, although
minus Jason Spezza.
Just like old times.
“I don’t know what he’ll do out there, but I think it’s going to feel like normal,”
Karlsson said. “Obviously it’s special, but it’s not going to feel any different.
“I don’t know what he’ll take part in, but hopefully he’ll get to shoot some
shots.”
“Talking about it right now,” said veteran winger Chris Neil, about
Alfredsson’s venture onto the ice, “is sending shivers up my back.”
Phillips, who joined the club in 1997, two years after Alfredsson, has played
more seasons alongside Alfredsson than anyone. Yet, he’s going to feel a bit
like a fan watching the ceremonies, he said.
“I’m excited to see what’s going to take place, and his reaction,” Phillips said.
“As a player, you hope that event will bring a lot of energy to the team as
well.”
Ah, yes, the team, which happens to be on a three-game losing streak, after
picking up just three of a possible 10 points on the road.
Head coach Paul MacLean said he hopes Alfredsson, in his farewell salute,
can provide “one last burst” for his group. There is little doubt No. 11 will
ignite an arena. Phillips tried to put that bond between Alfredsson and the
region in perspective.
“You look at the importance of a team to its community and for almost as long
as he was here, he was the face of that team,” Phillips said. “From his first
year, winning the Calder Trophy, everyone kind of fell in love with him.
From left to right are Bibi, Fenix, Hugo, Daniel Alfredsson and Loui - having a
walk in the woody side of the house in March of 2010.
From left to right are Bibi, Fenix, Hugo, Daniel Alfredsson and Loui – having a
walk in the woody side of the house in March of 2010.
“He’s a very likeable guy, and he turned into a great leader and captain, really
putting the team on his shoulders.”
If he wishes, Alfredsson can have a future place in the organization. Phillips
knows this much, his great friend won’t spend the rest of his days lying on a
beach somewhere.
Methot was injured during training camp and has been working on
rehabilitating a hip/back injury ever since.
Former Montreal Canadiens winger Murray Wilson, a regular on the TSN
1200 pre-game and post-game shows, was drafted by Montreal in 1971,
along with Guy Lafleur, just as the great Jean Beliveau retired. Beliveau, an
iconic presence in Canadiens lore, passed away on Tuesday. He was 83.
“That was the day I met Jean Beliveau for the first time, because he was
there to present the sweater to Guy Lafleur,” Wilson said. “I idolized
(Beliveau) for the way he played the game, but over the years I spent a lot of
time with Jean and his family. He transcended the game of hockey. He was
bigger than hockey, but it was always about the person he was talking to. It
was never about him.
“And you never had to ask Jean Beliveau for an autograph. He was the first to
have a marker come out of his jacket . . . and always a very legible
autograph, because he always felt it was special for someone to be asking
him for an autograph.”
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Praise mono! The virus that delivered Alfie to the Sens
Andrew Duffy Published on: December 3, 2014Last Updated: December 3,
2014 3:58 PM EST
If not for a timely bout of mononucleosis, Daniel Alfredsson might never have
worn an Ottawa Senators jersey.
It was the spring of 1994 and the Ottawa Senators were keen on a little
known forward playing for the Frölunda Indians in the Swedish Elite League.
Daniel Alfredsson’s talent had first been identified by the late John Ferguson
Sr., then Ottawa’s director of player personnel. Ferguson had come back
from a scouting trip in late 1993, singing the praises of the 22-year-old.
Ferguson was so enthused that he convinced then general manager Randy
Sexton to travel to Sweden to see Alfredsson for himself. Sexton made a
scouting trip just before Christmas.
“He was playing well, very well,” Sexton remembers. “But at the time, he was
a little undersized. Alfie was a typical European kid at the time: they tended to
develop a little later.”
Ferguson returned to Sweden to watch Alfredsson in early 1994 and Sexton
followed that February. They worried Alfredsson was playing so well that he
might make the Swedish national team sent to the World Ice Hockey
Championships in April.
Luckily for the Senators, however, Alfredsson developed mononucleosis that
spring, which put him on the shelf during the heavily scouted world
championship tournament.
Remembers Sexton: “John (Ferguson) called me and said, ‘There’s good
news for us: Alfie has mono. No one else will see him play.'”
The well-timed virus meant Alfie would remain the Senators tightly guarded
secret heading into the June 1994 NHL draft.
The Senators brain trust waited five full draft rounds before tapping
Alfredsson early in the sixth with the 133rd overall pick. It was a calculated
gamble that Alfie would still be available.
“If we knew he was going to be as good as he turned out to be, we probably
should have drafted him sooner to make sure no one else got him,” admits
Sexton. “But we felt a sixth round pick, at that point in time, was the right
investment to make.”
The Senators quickly came to understand how fortunate they had been. At
his first rookie camp, Alfredsson dominated.
“Not only was he the best player on the ice, but I remember Fergie and I
saying, ‘This guy could be the best player we have, never mind the best
rookie,'” says Sexton. “You could see his hockey sense, his willingness to
compete, his vision, so you knew it was just a matter of time — once he got
physically strong, NHL strong — that the sky was the limit. We were
obviously thrilled.”
Now director of amateur scouting for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sexton is
convinced Alfredsson belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. “His unyielding
competitiveness, his strength of character, his desire to be the best was what
fuelled him to be as great as he was.”
He’s also delighted that Alfredsson has returned to Ottawa to retire: “I’m so
happy for the fans, for the Senators organization, that this is able to happen
in Ottawa as a Senator because, to me, that’s where he rightfully belongs.”
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same shift. He was industrious and creative. It meant that any fan could find
something to admire in his game.
Andrew Duffy
His hairstyles, too, were entertaining. There was the pageboy, the mullet, the
close-crop, and the Krusty, which hinted at the clown within. It was this inner
clown that forever villainized him in Toronto when he pretended to throw his
broken stick into the stands — a move that had cost Leafs captain Mats
Sundin, Alfie’s friend and Tre Kronor teammate, a one-game suspension.
EST
“I was trying to make a joke,” Alfie would later explain. “But it was bad timing.”
Humourless Toronto fans booed him at every turn.
When he takes to the ice Thursday night at The Canadian Tire Centre, one
week shy of his 42nd birthday, Daniel Alfredsson will bring down the curtain
on an improbable NHL career.
In 17 seasons with the Senators, Alfie suffered all kinds of injuries:
concussions, torn knee ligaments, abdominal injuries, hip flexors. He had
recurring trouble with his shoulders and back. That he played at such a high
level for so long is a marvel — and a testament to his dedication in the weight
room.
As a draft-eligible junior in Sweden, he was so little regarded that he was
passed over by every team in the NHL. It wasn’t until he was 22 years old and
a forward in the Swedish Elite League that the Ottawa Senators plucked him
out of the sixth round, 133rd overall. He was — like everyone else chosen so
late in the 1994 draft — a gamble, a long shot, a hunch.
“His work ethic was beyond belief,” says Sexton, now a member of the
Pittsburgh Penguins organization. “The only players that I’ve been around
who have a work ethic like Daniel Alfredsson are Sidney Crosby and Marian
Hossa. His commitment to being as good as he was capable of being was in
another stratosphere.”
“We liked what we saw, but he was a little undersized,” remembers then
Senators GM Randy Sexton. “It was no slam dunk that he was going to play
in the NHL.”
Alfie captained the team through 13 years of turbulence: the team
bankruptcy, the Ray Emery circus, the Dany Heatley trade. He played for
nine coaches, including three in one season.
Alfredsson will retire Thursday with more NHL goals (444) and more points
(1,157) than anyone else selected in that year’s draft.
Although a soft-spoken leader, he could be bracingly honest. Asked to
respond to then coach Cory Clouston’s pronouncement that the team
needed to work harder, Aflie demurred. “I don’t agree with that at all, to be
honest,” he said. “In some games, I can understand it looks that way, but to
say that about us, especially lately, I can’t agree with that at all.”
The Meaning of Alfie
He was everything that was good and right with hockey.
Even more improbably, this quiet, private man from Gothenburg, Sweden will
retire as the most beloved hockey player in the modern history of the Ottawa
Senators: an icon in a city still coming to terms with its Alfie obsession.
What was it that made him the repository of so much emotion — so much
pride, adulation and heartbreak — in a city known for its polite reserve? Why
do we still choke up at the sight of him? Just what does Alfie really mean?
Everyone has a theory.
“He was everything that was good and right with hockey,” says Sue Priddle,
one of the fans who weighed in on the meaning of Alfie on the Citizen’s
Facebook page this week.
Alfie possessed qualities to which we all aspire: he was humble,
hard-working, and sometimes, heroic. When the Senators needed an
overtime goal in May 2007 to send them to the Stanley Cup final, it was
Alfredsson who snaked his way into the Buffalo Sabres’ zone, and threaded
a puck past goalie Ryan Miller.
“He was the guy who could always get it done when we needed him most,”
says Tina Dubé, another longtime Sens fan.
That’s not just hagiography: Alfredsson owns more than twice as many
game-winning goals (69) as any other Senator.
Even when he was not part of the deciding drama, Alfredsson invested
games with effort and intelligence. How else does a player of such middling
size and speed — a 5’11,” 200-pound winger — own every meaningful
record in Senators history: most goals, assists, points, power-play goals,
short-handed goals, game winners. His career plus-minus is second only to
Wade Redden (honest, look it up).
Ottawa has had other star players: Redden, Alexei Yashin, Marian Hossa,
Zdeno Chara, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Alexei Kovalev, Dominik Hasek.
Some will be fondly remembered; some will be reviled. None of them will ever
hold a candle to Alfie.
Alfie was the city’s first bona fide hockey hero. His arrival coincided with the
team’s emergence as a playoff contender — success that made us forget the
disappointment of Alexandre Daigle and the petulance of Yashin, whom
Alfredsson displaced as captain.
Alfie was the anti-Yashin — steady, collegial, committed. Yes, there were
disappointments along the way, particularly in the post-season when the
Leafs were involved. But Alfie didn’t demand a trade to a city where hockey
mattered less: he faced the failures, answered his critics, and re-dedicated
himself to a Stanley Cup run.
Alfredsson’s style of play endeared him both to the cognoscenti and the
casual fan. Responsible in both ends of the ice, he could deliver a check,
make a slick cross-ice pass, and one-time a perfect slapshot — all on the
In the 2013 playoffs, with the Pittsburgh Penguins holding a 3-1 series lead
over a young Sens squad, Alfie was asked if his team could win three
straight. “Probably not,” he admitted. “I mean with their depth and power play
right now it doesn’t look too good for us.”
It was Alfie being Alfie. He was never a cardboard cut-out. “What you see is
what you get,” he once explained. “I’m an honest guy; I mean the best for the
team.”
On his Twitter feed, Alfie describes himself as “an athlete and family man”
and there can be no doubt that these twin passions define him.
He grew up the intensely competitive son of Hasse Alfredsson, a carpenter
who served as his coach for the first 10 years of his hockey life. At seven,
young Alfie announced in a school essay that he wanted to be a pro hockey
player; few people, least of all his father, thought it a realistic goal. But there
was no doubting the boy’s drive, the fire that burned behind those deep-set
blue eyes. It was there to see in every game he played: hockey, soccer, golf,
tennis, ping pong.
His mother, Margareta, suffered from multiple sclerosis and Alfie was
inspired by her determination. “Daniel can be very stubborn and he gets that
from his mother,” his father once said in explaining his son’s NHL success.
His family also inspired him off the ice. Alfie’s sister, Cecelia, lives with an
anxiety disorder and it’s in her honour that he agreed to lead a public
awareness campaign launched by the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental
Health in 2008. It was an uncommonly public-minded act for an athlete.
“He showed real courage when he lent his name to the ‘You Know Who I Am’
campaign,” says Senators’ public address announcer, “Stuntman” Stu
Schwartz.
Ottawa radio host Katherine Dines says Alfie’s involvement with the
campaign inspired her to speak out about her own challenges with mental
illness. “He helped many of us feel hope during some of our darkest days,”
she says. “When I was cheering for him during a Sens game, it was about a
lot more than hockey.”
A married father of four boys, Alfie lived year-round in Ottawa and became
part of the community. Many encountered him at local hockey rinks, or on
family outings to The Home Depot or Ikea. A gentleman superstar, he was
unfailingly polite even if a little mystified by the ardour of his fans.
During the 2012 playoffs, former Carleton Place resident Neil Duffy travelled
with another decked-out Sens fan to New York to watch what turned out to be
a Game 7 loss to the Rangers. After the game, they applauded as the
Senators boarded a team bus. Some players waved. Alfie was the only one
who walked over to greet them, thank them for their support, and pose for
photos.
“In defeat, you see the true character,” Duffy says.
Alfie never let us down until he did.
His departure for Detroit, at the end of a contract dispute, made everyone in
the city come to terms with the inequity of hero worship. No professional
hockey player, it turns out, has to bear the burden of our hopes and dreams
and adulation at a discount.
The sad hangover from that event makes it hard to imagine how anyone else
will forge such an unalloyed connection with Senators fans. Today’s team
captain Erik Karlsson — another undersized Swede — has star power and
Hall of Fame skill, but does anyone think he’ll finish his career here? If Alfie
can leave, why not Karlsson? Aflie’s exit ensures no one will suspend
disbelief again.
So what then is the meaning of Alfie?
Ultimately, Alfie is a journey, an affair of the heart. Alfie allowed us into his life
as he staged the drama of his career. An unpretentious leading man, he was
honest and open and accessible. We applauded his work ethic, rejoiced at
his scoring touch, and fell in love with his decency.
That he found a way to return to Ottawa to retire from the NHL only reinforces
what we always knew about him, deep down. It means the journey that Alfie
shared with us will be celebrated Thursday night in all of its imperfect glory.
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Alfredsson by the numbers
Ottawa Citizen
EST
Here’s a numerical look at Daniel Alfredsson’s impressive career as an
Ottawa Senator.
REGULAR SEASON
Goals: 426
Assists: 682
Points: 1,108
Power-play goals: 131
Short-handed goals: 25
Game-winning goals: 69
Shots: 3,320
Games: 1,178
PLAYOFFS
Games played: 121
Goals: 51
Assists: 49
Points: 100
Power-play goals: 25
Game-winning goals: 11
Shots: 367
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Remembering the Captain: Voices
Peter Robb
EST
“He was the best player in rookie camp, by a country mile. And then it took
only two or three days to realize this guy isn’t going anywhere.”
— Rick Bowness, Ottawa Senators head coach in 1995
“You really have to admire his approach to the game. He enjoyed coming to
the rink. He enjoyed working hard. The reason I made him captain was I felt
he represented what coaches want. He had a great work ethic, he was
committed to the team game, team-first as opposed to individual. You could
see he cared for his teammates.”
— Jacques Martin, former Ottawa Senators head coach
“On the ice, it seemed like every time there was a big moment, he was
somehow involved with it. (But) it’s what he did in the community. When you
talk about a leader, he got other guys involved and out there and doing
things.”
Chris Phillips, longtime teammate
“You don’t see that too often, when your most skilled player is your hardest
working player. That was Alfie, game in, game out. It says a lot about his
make up.”
— Chris Neil, longtime teammate
“I cheered for the Leafs and those (Battle of Ontario) series were epic. It will
be pretty cool to be part of something like that. I grew up watching him play
quite a bit. He was such a good player for such a long time. I played with him
in the All-Star Game in Ottawa and I got to know him a little bit. He’s a
tremendous person.”
— John Tavares, New York Islanders
“Daniel was an exceptional teammate, leader and friend. There weren’t many
players who could control the pace of a game like he did.”
— Jason Spezza, former teammate
“After the (2004-05) lockout, the game opened up a bit and we all got to see
how truly great he was. … Not many guys can do that without cheating
offensively. He never did.”
— Chris Kelly, former teammate
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Memories of Alfie: A winter's tale
Wayne Scanlan
EST
The snow fell, the captain spoke, the people flocked.
It was mid-February, 2000 and the Ottawa Senators were suffering through
their latest in a series of financial crises.
In those years, winning games on the ice came easily enough – at least in the
regular season.
The previous spring, the Senators had posted their first 100-point season,
but a quick playoff exit followed, and now the franchise was staging a fan rally
on the Sparks Street pedestrian mall, hoping to sell enough season ticket
renewals to keep the franchise from moving.
Daniel Alfredsson was 27 at the time, and had been captain of the Senators
for a matter of months. As he stepped to the microphone urging fans to
support their hockey team, Alfredsson was the centre piece of a living,
breathing snow globe, big, fat snow flakes falling around him, as a crush of
people pressed closer to hear the man in his team’s hour of need.
He’d been overwhelmed, Alfredsson said, when he’d arrived here in the
cradle of hockey little more than four years earlier, only imagining he’d play in
the NHL for a year or so before returning to Sweden.
“It was the hugest thing you could imagine,” Alfredsson said of the move to
this country to play the game he loved. “Hockey and Canada are as one.”
The scene in downtown Ottawa might have been a classic bit of Canadiana,
a town rallying around its captain in a snowstorm, except that the players
beside Alfredsson in the snow globe reflected the global nature of Ottawa’s
team. The Swedish captain drew strength from an English Canadian (Mike
Fisher), a French Canadian (Patrick Lalime) and a Czech (Radek Bonk).
The sales pitch had the desired effect. Season ticket renewals grew,
modestly, and the threat of a franchise move subsided, although the hockey
club and arena remained reliant for several more years on the NHL’s
so-called Canadian Assistance Program to smooth out the issues caused by
a weak Canadian dollar.
Reflecting on the Alfredsson Era in Ottawa, it strikes us that he was called on
to lead in his dignified, graceful manner through one crisis to the next – on the
ice and off — almost throughout his 14 years as captain, from 1999-2013.
It was from the ashes of crisis – the 1999-2000 Alexei Yashin contract
holdout – that Alfredsson was named captain, to replace Yashin. Awkwardly,
Yashin was forced to play in Ottawa the next season under the terms of his
deal – hockey’s version of a dog’s nose being rubbed in the dirt – while
Alfredsson remained captain. Things might have gone more smoothly had
the Senators not lost the first round 2000 playoff series to the hated Toronto
Maple Leafs.
In the spring of 2001, Yashin played out his last days in Ottawa before being
traded to the New York Islanders, and the Senators again lost to the Leafs,
this time in a four-game sweep. Senators management, led by general
manager Marshall Johnston, was so irate over the loss, the negotiation of
Alfredsson’s new contract became a debate over his leadership, to the point
that a proud Alfredsson considered handing back the ‘C.’ In the end, Alfie, in
the prime of his playing career with two 40-goal seasons still to come, kept
the ‘C’ and signed a make-shift, one-year contract for $3 million. It was a
shoddy way to treat the captain, but he didn’t once complain.
The next spring, in 2002, the Senators finally won another playoff series, their
first since 1998, and a two-year Alfredsson contract followed. The 2002-03
team might have been Ottawa’s best, and it came within an inch of reaching
the Stanley Cup final.
Alfredsson was adored again, but only until the spring of 2006 when he was
victimized by a Jason Pominville goal as the Buffalo Sabres knocked Ottawa
out in the second playoff round, largely because of an injury suffered by
starting goaltender Dominik Hasek.
A year later, who could forget Alfredsson’s response, scoring the game
winner in overtime on the Sabres Ryan Miller to lift the Senators to their first
Eastern Conference title and a berth in the Stanley Cup final against
Anaheim. The line of Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley was one
of the NHL’s best, a line that only the Ducks could answer in a five-game
final.
Leading by example until his controversial departure in 2013, Alfredsson
became entrenched as Ottawa’s all-time Senators favourite, a man as
familiar in the halls of the Royal Ottawa Hospital as on the fairways of the
Royal Ottawa Golf Course.
Here in a Nation’s Capital that retains the qualities of an intimate village,
everyone has a personal favourite memory of Alfie.
I will remember Alfredsson speaking to a group of high school kids about the
issues of mental health.
And I will remember him standing on Sparks Street during the Senators hour
of need, in his personal snow globe, a scene out of White Christmas.
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Ottawa Senators
Daniel Alfredsson: The skate caper, and other excellent adventures
Ken Warren
EST
As we celebrate the greatest player in modern Ottawa Senators history
Thursday, it’s appropriate to ask a few questions.
• What if Daniel Alfredsson’s career had only been half as long?
• What if he had said goodbye to the NHL before leading the Senators to their
only Stanley Cup final appearance?
• What if Alfredsson and Chris Kelly didn’t share the same skate size?
Those skates saved my career.
In a story Alfredsson shared last season while playing for Detroit – on the
condition it wasn’t published until his retirement – he says he had one foot out
the door, one game away from quitting during a horrible slump early in the
2006-07 season. Kelly’s skates are the reason he kept going.
“Those skates,” Alfredsson said, “saved my career.”
Rewind the clock eight years and you might recall the slow start. After scoring
in the season-opening 4-1 victory over Toronto, Alfredsson’s game spiraled
downwards. He couldn’t find the net or his confidence. The trade winds were
blowing. The Senators fan base was decidedly mixed on whether to keep the
captain or to deal him away for a fresh start.
Winning goal by Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators as he celebrates
with Dany Heatley against the Buffalo Sabres during over time action of the
fifth game of the Eastern Conference Final in Buffalo, Saturday, May 19,
2007.
Alfredsson failed to score in his next 10 games. The team, in its second
season with Bryan Murray as coach, was a study in inconsistency, posting a
4-6 record during that span. In a 4-2 defeat to Montreal on Halloween, the
Senators captain sported a plus/minus of minus 4, the worst of his career.
Lost, and looking around the dressing room for answers, Alfredsson spotted
a pair of skates in Kelly’s locker stall and tried them on. The skates fit well
enough and he made a pledge to himself.
“If I didn’t score in that next game, I was going to walk directly into (then
general manager) John Muckler’s office and tell him I was retiring,”
Alfredsson said.
Alfredsson always was good under pressure.
He broke his scoring slump in that next game, a 3-2 loss to Carolina. He
followed that up with goals in his next three games. Kelly’s blades become
his magic ice slippers.
“Thank God for all of us that he took my skates,” Kelly, now with Boston, told
the Citizen, in a telephone interview before Tuesday’s game against the Los
Angeles Kings. “After that, we had a really good thing going. He would keep
ordering the same skates. I would break the skates in, wear them for a few
weeks and then hand them over. I certainly didn’t mind getting new skates all
the time.”
The rest is, well, history.
Wearing the Kelly skate model, Alfredsson and the Senators caught fire. He
finished the 2006-07 regular season with 29 goals and 58 assists.
Confidence and consistency returned to the team. The Senators stormed
through the first two rounds of the playoffs, defeating Pittsburgh and New
Jersey in five games.
Then came one of the signature moments in Senators history. The bad
memories from previous early playoff exits were forgotten when Alfredsson
scored the overtime, game-winning goal in Game 5 of the Eastern
Conference final against Buffalo, sending the Senators to their one and only
final appearance, against Anaheim.
For those counting, Alfredsson went on to play another 530 regular season
games after first donning Kelly’s skates, scoring 181 goals and 299 assists.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Kelly said, with a laugh. “If
you’ve never really played the game, if your skates don’t feel just right, it can
affect your whole game. It’s just another example of him being such a
perfectionist. He wants to be the best at everything.”
The story provides another glimpse into the career of a complex and
compelling character. There’s at least a touch of good fortune and
happenstance to go along with the countless examples on-ice
competitiveness and stubbornness (hello, Darcy Tucker and Scott
Niedermayer), off-ice humility, compassion (see Royal Ottawa, Boys and
Girls Club) and dry wit (Mats Sundin).
The story also illustrates that if Alfredsson didn’t believe he could do his job –
the follow-me leadership that all his former coaches, teammates and rivals
regularly raved about – he didn’t want to hang around and simply go through
the motions.
Alfredsson approached every sporting activity the same way. Before his
hockey career took off, his family and friends in Sweden believed that soccer
was his true calling, due to his mixture of talent and intensity. Even in
so-called ‘friendly’ competitions with teammates away from the ice, he never
gave an inch. Golf. Tennis. Ping-Pong. Hell, maybe even bowling and
curling.
His former coaches, from Rick Bowness to Jacques Martin to Bryan Murray
to Mike Babcock, have all raved about his attitude to never accept
second-best.
When you go back and consider the scene when he first arrived in Ottawa, a
different person might have quickly turned around, figuring life as a
professional player in Sweden looked pretty good in comparison.
Back in 1995, during his first training camp, Alfredsson was a stranger in a
new world, learning on the fly about Canada and the NHL. At the time, the
Senators were the NHL’s worst team, one of the worst in NHL history. Their
one star player, Alexei Yashin, was AWOL, in the midst of one of many
contract fights with the team.
When I asked him for an interview after the Senators returned home to the
airport following an exhibition game in his rookie season, he agreed. He
answered every question, not mentioning that his ride to his hotel had
disappeared.
When I offered him a ride, we continued our conversation. He acknowledged
having a limited knowledge of the city and the team.
“All I knew before coming here was from an article I read in The Hockey
News,” he said, then speaking in broken English. “The article said that with
Alexei Yashin, the Senators are terrible team. Without him, the Senators are
even worse.”
Enter the battle to prove everyone wrong.
That rookie season included three head coaches (Bowness, Dave Allison
and Martin), two general managers (Randy Sexton and Pierre Gauthier), two
arenas (the Senators moved to then-named Palladium from the Civic Centre)
and far too many losses (59).
He trusted the teammates around him who told him that he would never
experience another season with so much trouble and turmoil. Somehow, he
thrived, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Ultimately, Alfredsson become the one link from the worst era in Senators
history to the best. The team put an end to the endless regular season
losses. Then came the string of outstanding regular seasons, followed by
painful early playoff defeats.
Alfredsson took the Battle of Ontario post-season losses harder than anyone.
In 2006, when he felt like he wasn’t leading by example anymore, he came
oh-so-close to saying goodbye.
Then came the second career, of sorts, where he re-established himself as
one of the NHL’s best and most complete players.
how truly great he was,” said Kelly. “Not only did he play on both sides of the
puck, but he played on both sides of the puck extremely well. He had a few
huge offensive seasons playing with (Jason) Spezza and (Dany) Heatley.
Not many guys can do that without cheating offensively. He never did. It
really is a good thing he stole my skates.”
Alfredsson became much more than simply the captain of the team. He
became the city’s biggest ambassador.
Perhaps now, after the grand retirement party on Thursday, he will become
that again.
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Ottawa Senators
January 2007: Says he has no plans to finish his career anywhere else but
Ottawa.
Daniel Alfredsson: The Ottawa years
May 19, 2007: Scores the winning goal in overtime to defeat Buffalo and
send Ottawa to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in team’s modern
history.
Ottawa Citizen
June 3, 2007: At home, the Senators win their only game in the Stanley Cup
finals against the Anaheim Ducks.
EST
Dec. 11, 1972: Born in Göteborg, Sweden. Grows up playing whatever sports
were on offer. Does not make Sweden’s world junior team as a teenager;
plays in Swedish Elite League.
June 29, 1994: Selected in sixth round by the Ottawa Senators, 133rd in the
1994 NHL entry draft.
Oct. 7, 1995: Alfredsson scores his first goal. He earns $315,000 per year.
He plans to play for two or three years, then go back to Europe.
October 2007: Joins an Ottawa Hospital Foundation fundraising campaign in
support of mental health, citing a family member’s battle with mental illness.
January 2009: Fans vote him in as an Eastern conference starter for NHL
All-Star Game, receiving 224,483 votes. In the season, team fails to make
the playoffs; Alfredsson finishes with 24 goals and 74 points in 79 games.
July 8, 2009: Alfredsson becomes the longest-serving active captain in the
NHL, as former Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu signs with the
Anaheim Ducks and former Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic
announces his retirement.
Jan. 20, 1996: The only rookie and only Senator at the NHL All-Star Game.
April 6, 2010: Celebrates his 1,000th game with the Senators in a win over
the Florida Panthers, picking up his 615th career assist and 990th point in the
game.
June 13, 1996: Wins Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie during the
1995-96 season; Senators make the playoffs for the first time.
Oct. 22, 2010: Reaches 1,000 points with hat trick in a 4-2 victory over the
Buffalo Sabres.
Jan. 18, 1997: Ottawa’s only representative on the Eastern Conference team
for the All-Star-Game once again. He earns $320,000 per year.
June 14, 2011: He reports he is recovering well from back surgery.
Aug. 24, 1997: Demands a trade after his five-year contract offer is $1 million
less than that of Alexei Yashin per season. Signs a new deal on Oct. 12 worth
$14 million over four years. Misses the first five games of the season.
Finishes an injury-plagued season with 11 goals and 22 assists in 58 games,
all career lows. Team loses in second round of the playoffs to the
Washington Capitals. Alfredsson scores seven goals in 11 playoff games in
1998.
May 2012: Says he will retire as a Senator.
May 2012: It is announced that Alfredsson will captain the Swedish team at
the world championships. He has represented his country 14 times
internationally.
June 20, 2012: Wins King Clancy trophy for his work in the community.
Dec. 11, 2012: Turns 40, hoping for a “nice and quiet” birthday.
October 1, 1999: Named seventh captain of the Ottawa Senators. The
Hockey News ranks Alfredsson in top 50 players in the NHL.
June 14, 2013: Awarded the Mark Messier Award for leadership, beating out
Jonathan Toews and Dustin Brown.
October 2000: Alfredsson suffers a chronic hip injury. Earns $2.8 million per
year. Scores 24 goals and 46 assists in 68 games, missing 14 games with hip
and wrist injuries.
July 5, 2013: After contentious discussions with the Senators, Alfredsson
signs a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
September 2001: Signs a new one-year contract worth $3 million US, after
again asking for a trade in contract negotiations. Says he no longer wants to
be team captain, citing lack of support from Senators management. Scores
37 goals and 34 assists for 71 points in 71 regular season games. Adds 13
points in 12 playoff games.
July 2002: Ottawa Senators hand Alfredsson the biggest salary in team
history, a two-year contract netting $10 million US, after scoring career-high
78 points.
October 2003: Reaches 500 points for his career.
January 2004: Infuriates Toronto Maple Leafs fans by waving a hockey stick
he’d broken and fake-tossing it into the stands.
March 2004: Signs a five-year deal worth between $30 million and $35
million and three one-year options.
April 2004: Nominated for Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly conduct and a
high standard of playing ability. Finishes season with 80 points; plays in NHL
All-Star-Game.
July 31, 2004: Marries longtime girlfriend Birgitta (Bibi) Backman.
September 2004: Starts season with buzz cut, after shearing off his famous
long hair.
October 2004: As an executive on NHL Players’ Association, says players
will not accept a salary cap proposal to end NHL lockout. Plays for Frolunda
hockey club in Sweden, leads team to the Swedish championship, but says
he wants to win Stanley Cup.
November 2005: After 10 years and 641 games, Alfredsson finally named
NHL’s offensive player of the week. Finishes season with 103 points on line
with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza.
February 2006: Alfredsson is an alternate captain on a Swedish team that
wins the gold medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
Dec. 4, 2014: Alfredsson plans to announce his retirement in a ceremony in
Ottawa at the Canadian Tire Centre.
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Senators lose in overtime on Islanders' wraparound goal off Ceci's skate
Ken Warren
EST
EAST GARDEN CITY, New York –At least the Ottawa Senators made a
small point to conclude their dismal five-game road trip, but there was small
satisfaction inside the dressing room.
Thomas Hickey’s wraparound attempt bounced off the skate of Senators
defenceman Cody Ceci to give the New York Islanders a 3-2 victory in
overtime.
The result left the Senators with a disappointing record of 1-3-1 on a
seemingly endless 10-day National Hockey League road trip. The Senators
flew home immediately after the game on a three-game losing streak, with
only one victory in their past six games and a 3-6-3 record in their past 12
games.
“We’ve been playing better for the past two games, but in the end, it’s not
good enough,” said captain Erik Karlsson. “We’ve got to stay a little more
detailed throughout.”
It was a rough break for Ceci, who also had a puck deflect off his skate
leading directly to the first goal by the Islanders.
Ottawa Senators right wing Alex Chiasson (90) controls the puck against
New York Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan (44) as goalie Jaroslav
Halak (41) defends the net in the first period.
The New York Islanders hosted the Ottawa Senators at the Nassau Veterans
Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. on Tuesday, December 2, 2014. The
Islanders defeated the Senators 3-2 in overtime.
At least there’s one bright light for fans of the Senators: Daniel Alfredsson’s
retirement party is Thursday at the Canadian Tire Centre when the Islanders
and Senators conclude their home and away series.
Too bad Alfredsson’s career is over. The Senators could sure use a big goal
or two right now.
Clarke MacArthur tied the game 2-2 with 8:45 remaining, beating Islanders
defenceman Travis Hamonic to the net and converting a pass from Mark
Stone, who won a puck battle behind the net. It was MacArthur’s first goal in
seven games and only his second in 12 games.
“Got a point,” said MacArthur. “We’ve got to build off something here. One
point is better than nothing. We’ve got to do a little better puck management
throughout the game. The legs get tired and the brain kind of shuts down a
little bit and we’ve got to be smarter. It’s tough at the end, there. They get a
wraparound and it goes off a skate. That’s just the way it goes when you’re
not (winning).”
In a rare twist from this season, it was a case of the scorers bailing out the
Senators’ goaltender.
Only 1:07 into the period, Anderson allowed a weak goal. Hickey’s shot from
a terrible angle slipped through the goaltender’s pads and along the goal-line
where Ryan Strome tapped the puck into the open net.
Anderson and the Senators caught a huge break at the end the second
period.
With time ticking down and the sides playing four aside, Casey Cizikas took a
slapshot from just inside the blue-line. The shot deflected off Anderson’s
glove and into the net, just as the buzzer sounded.
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum crowd erupted, believing the
Islanders had taken a 2-1 lead.
Upon further review, however, the puck crossed the line 0.1 seconds after
the horn.
Call it the Senators’ Escape From New York.
The Islanders pushed hard to close the period and, with 1:34 left in the
period, Brock Nelson finally solved Anderson.
In the neutral zone, Jared Cowen cleared the puck along the boards directly
to Kyle Okposo. Okposo’s pass to Nelson deflected off Ceci’s skate, allowing
Nelson to break in alone and beat Anderson high to the stick side.
Up to that point, the Senators had nursed their 1-0 lead courtesy of Mike
Hoffman’s eighth of the season midway through the first period. It was
Hoffman’s first goal in eight games.
The goal came from 35 feet out after a feed from Mika Zibanejad. Halak
wasn’t screened on the play and he shook his head and slammed his stick
following the goal. He didn’t win player of the week by allowing long-range
goals.
Anderson made a big early save off Nelson following a turnover deep in the
Senators’ zone and stopped Cal Clutterbuck on a deflection. His best stops
of the period, however, came off Ryan Strome. Anderson stopped one shot
from Strome and, after his defence failed to clear the rebound, the Senators’
goaltender sprawled to stop him again when he attempted to score from the
side of the net.
All things considered, the nine shots he faced in the period was relatively light
duty. Anderson had faced a combined 89 shots in his previous two games,
including 46 in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Florida.
GAME FILE
WHY THEY LOST: The Islanders have been fantastic in extra time this
season and they finished off yet another game against the struggling
Senators.
CHEERS: Mark Stone, Senators: Stone, playing on the top line with Kyle
Turris and Clarke MacArthur, had a strong game, setting up MacArthur for
the tying goal in the third period.
JEERS: Jared Cowen, Senators: His giveaway late in the second period led
directly to Brock Nelson’s breakaway goal that got the Islanders on the
board.
BOROWIECKI RETURNS: After missing the Florida games with a painful
groin injury, defenceman Mark Borowiecki was back in the Senators’ lineup
Tuesday. His return meant that Patrick Wiercioch was a healthy scratch.
Marc Methot’s return to the blueline is imminent.
STOCKING STUFFER?: Injured Islanders defenceman and former Senator
Matt Carkner was promoting ‘Hero’s Ho Ho Ho Hockey Dream’ on the big
screen before the game. The children’s book was co-written by Carkner’s
wife, Kary, and Pam Helmer, wife of Bryan Helmer, the long-time pro player,
also from Ottawa.
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Ottawa Senators
Leafs-Senators series, with some of the antics that went on were pretty
funny.
Senators, Islanders and Spezza weigh in on Alfredsson's career
“He’s a great leader and good for the community. I’ve talked to him a few
times over the years and he’s just a great down to earth person.”
Ken Warren
De Haan also says the fact Alfredsson will be part of the warm-up is “pretty
cool” and “good for the league.”
EST
Phillips, taking one last good-natured shot at his long-time friend, wonders
what Alfredsson will look like when he takes the ice Thursday.
“The amount of hairstyles he has had over the years has been very
memorable,” he said.
EAST GARDEN CITY, New York – Ask Ottawa Senators defenceman and
alternate captain Chris Phillips what stands out most about Daniel
Alfredsson’s career and he pauses for several seconds.
“That’s kind of a tough question because of everything he brought,” Phillips
said before Tuesday’s game here against the New York Islanders. “Not only
to the team, but to the organization and the city.
“On the ice, it seemed like every time there was a big moment in the history of
when he was playing, he was somehow involved with it. He scored some
huge goals.”
Alfredsson, who has received a special exemption from the NHL and the
players’ association to take part in the warm-up with the Senators during
Thursday’s retirement ceremony, made contributions that went well beyond
the rink, Phillips said.
“It’s what he did in the community,” said Phillips. “He was able to raise a lot of
money and awareness for great charities. When you talk about a leader, he
got other guys involved and out there and doing things. He did a lot of stuff
that can sometimes be hard to measure, but he did a ton.”
Phillips says the biggest goal of Alfredsson’s career was the overtime winner
against Buffalo’s Ryan Miller in Game 5 of the Eastern final, sending the
Senators to the Stanley Cup final in 2007.
Fellow alternate captain Chris Neil agrees.
“That was definitely quite the moment,” said Neil. “Coming off that airplane
when we got back to Ottawa and all the fans at the airport chanting ‘Alfie,
Alfie’. That’s pretty remarkable.”
Neil says it was Alfredsson’s determination that set him apart from so many
players.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “The hardest working guy every night. And he’s
skilled on top of that. You don’t see that too often, when your most skilled
player is your hardest working player. That was Alfie, game in, game out. It
just says a lot about his make up.”
The respect for Alfredsson goes well beyond the Senators dressing room.
Former Senators captain Jason Spezza, now with the Dallas Stars, called
Alfredsson a “special guy to be around,” adding he was lucky to enjoy his
company for so long.
“Daniel was an exceptional teammate, leader and friend,” Spezza said.
“There weren’t many players who could control the pace of a game like he
did.”
Islanders captain John Tavares couldn’t help but notice the Senators captain
while growing up as a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan engrossed in The
Battle of Ontario.
“I cheered for the Leafs and those series were epic,” Tavares said. “It will be
pretty cool to be part of something like that. I grew up watching him play quite
a bit. He was such a good player for such a long time. I played with him in the
All-Star Game in Ottawa and I got to know him a little bit. He’s a tremendous
person and a lot of guys I know who used to play in Ottawa have always said
good things about Alfie.”
While Tavares says that while his mind will be on the game Thursday, “I’m
sure everyone will take a moment to pause on what a great career he had.”
Islanders defenceman Calvin de Haan, a native of Carp who grew up in the
shadow of Canadian Tire Centre, has the utmost respect for Alfredsson.
“He’s the best Senator to ever put on a jersey, he was one of my favourite
players growing up,” said de Haan. “I enjoyed watching him. He was so smart
on the ice. He competed. He was entertaining, too, especially in those
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Ottawa Senators
Alfredsson will skate with the Senators Thursday evening
Peter Robb
EST
Daniel Alfredsson’s homecoming Thursday will include a pre-game skate
with his old teammates in the classic red jersey. The spin around the ice
required a special exemption that was brokered in a deal reached between
the NHL and NHLPA.
The longtime former Senators captain will be on the ice during the warm-up
that occurs before every NHL game. Speculation continues to build about
whether Alfredsson will be signed to a one-day contract with the team and
whether there is a job for him with the Senators.
Thursday will feature a morning news conference at the Canadian Tire
Centre. The time of the event is still being worked out. It will also feature a
ceremony before the game against the New York Islanders that will include
an appearance by Alfredsson, his wife, Bibi, and their four sons.
Excitement is building about the Thursday celebration with Sens owner
Eugene Melnyk the latest to get in on the act. On Monday Melnyk tweeted
that he had spoken to Alfredsson and on Toronto radio Monday afternoon he
said that he had been talking to Alfredsson during the past summer.
“I talked with Alfie through the summer – at least two or three times. We
talked about how he was going to look at this coming year and what it’s going
to take for him to continue on. … We’ve been talking about this – not about
the retirement – we’ve been talking about hopefully playing for us after he
became a UFA and it wasn’t a question about who he was going to play with.
It was more, can he play and does he want to play?”
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Ottawa Senators
Melnyk puts MacLean back on the hot seat
Peter Robb
EST
As the Senators suffer through a lengthy road trip in which they have but one
victory, the team’s owner has, wittingly or not, reignited debate about the
future of head coach Paul MacLean.
Eugene Melnyk, while being interviewed on Toronto radio on Monday, said:
“As of right now, we have not specifically talked about anything to do with the
head coach and I’ll wait. It’s almost a wait and see attitude. We’re hoping to
see an improvement in the team and that’s really all there is to it.”
For MacLean, that’s hardly a ringing endorsement but questions about his
tenure with the Senators should not be a surprise.
He has essentially been under the gun since last spring when General
Manager Bryan Murray called him out for his handling of the team in the
2013-14 season.
The team’s surprisingly good start to the current season had put those
concerns to the side but the recent slide in the standings to where the team
now stands 11th in the Eastern Conference may resurrect them again.
In the same session on Toronto radio, Melnyk indicated that the team is
developing a succession plan for when Murray is no longer general manager.
As is well known Murray is battling a cancer that is being called terminal.
“We’re succession planning and it’s tough, but it’s the way he wants it and
that’s the way we have to deal with it,” Melnyk said after heaping praise on
his general manager for his courage.
Melnyk also said in the same interview that he had been talking to Alfredsson
during the past summer.
“I talked with Alfie through the summer – at least two or three times. We
talked about how he was going to look at this coming year and what it’s going
to take for him to continue on. … We’ve been talking about this – not about
the retirement – we’ve been talking about hopefully playing for us after he
became a UFA and it wasn’t a question about who he was going to play with.
It was more, can he play and does he want to play?”
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Ottawa Senators
Daniel Alfredsson: The Day
Ottawa Citizen
EST
The Ottawa Senators hold a press conference at the Canadian Tire Centre at
9:30 a.m., Dec. 4. In attendance will be Daniel Alfredsson, Eugene Melnyk
and Bryan Murray.
It is expected that Alfredsson will announce his retirement from the National
Hockey League. The former captain will be signed to a contract allowing him
to retire as a Senators’ player. The Senators will announce further details
about the celebration planned for before Thursday’s game against the New
York Islanders. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m..
The Senators may also announce a future role for Alfredsson with the team
and the organization may also announce that his No. 11 will be retired.
About 20 minutes before the game starts, Alfredsson is expected to lead the
team onto the ice wearing his familiar captain’s jersey. The Senators will be
in their classic red uniform.
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Ottawa Senators
same shift. He was industrious and creative. It meant that any fan could find
something to admire in his game.
Andrew Duffy
His hairstyles, too, were entertaining. There was the pageboy, the mullet, the
close-crop, and the Krusty, which hinted at the clown within. It was this inner
clown that forever villainized him in Toronto when he pretended to throw his
broken stick into the stands — a move that had cost Leafs captain Mats
Sundin, Alfie’s friend and Tre Kronor teammate, a one-game suspension.
EST
“I was trying to make a joke,” Alfie would later explain. “But it was bad timing.”
Humourless Toronto fans booed him at every turn.
The Meaning of Alfie
When he takes to the ice Thursday night at The Canadian Tire Centre, one
week shy of his 42nd birthday, Daniel Alfredsson will bring down the curtain
on an improbable NHL career.
Daniel Alfredsson is introduced to the crowd as the Ottawa Senators take on
the Florida Panthers in NHL action at Scotiabank Place.
Daniel Alfredsson is introduced to the crowd as the Ottawa Senators take on
the Florida Panthers in NHL action at Scotiabank Place.
As a draft-eligible junior in Sweden, he was so little regarded that he was
passed over by every team in the NHL. It wasn’t until he was 22 years old and
a forward in the Swedish Elite League that the Ottawa Senators plucked him
out of the sixth round, 133rd overall. He was — like everyone else chosen so
late in the 1994 draft — a gamble, a long shot, a hunch.
In 17 seasons with the Senators, Alfie suffered all kinds of injuries:
concussions, torn knee ligaments, abdominal injuries, hip flexors. He had
recurring trouble with his shoulders and back. That he played at such a high
level for so long is a marvel — and a testament to his dedication in the weight
room.
“We liked what we saw, but he was a little undersized,” remembers then
Senators GM Randy Sexton. “It was no slam dunk that he was going to play
in the NHL.”
“His work ethic was beyond belief,” says Sexton, now a member of the
Pittsburgh Penguins organization. “The only players that I’ve been around
who have a work ethic like Daniel Alfredsson are Sidney Crosby and Marian
Hossa. His commitment to being as good as he was capable of being was in
another stratosphere.”
Alfredsson will retire Thursday with more NHL goals (444) and more points
(1,157) than anyone else selected in that year’s draft.
He was everything that was good and right with hockey.
Even more improbably, this quiet, private man from Gothenburg, Sweden will
retire as the most beloved hockey player in the modern history of the Ottawa
Senators: an icon in a city still coming to terms with its Alfie obsession.
What was it that made him the repository of so much emotion — so much
pride, adulation and heartbreak — in a city known for its polite reserve? Why
do we still choke up at the sight of him? Just what does Alfie really mean?
Everyone has a theory.
“He was everything that was good and right with hockey,” says Sue Priddle,
one of the fans who weighed in on the meaning of Alfie on the Citizen’s
Facebook page this week.
Alfie possessed qualities to which we all aspire: he was humble,
hard-working, and sometimes, heroic. When the Senators needed an
overtime goal in May 2007 to send them to the Stanley Cup final, it was
Alfredsson who snaked his way into the Buffalo Sabres’ zone, and threaded
a puck past goalie Ryan Miller.
“He was the guy who could always get it done when we needed him most,”
says Tina Dubé, another longtime Sens fan.
That’s not just hagiography: Alfredsson owns more than twice as many
game-winning goals (69) as any other Senator.
Even when he was not part of the deciding drama, Alfredsson invested
games with effort and intelligence. How else does a player of such middling
size and speed — a 5’11,” 200-pound winger — own every meaningful
record in Senators history: most goals, assists, points, power-play goals,
short-handed goals, game winners. His career plus-minus is second only to
Wade Redden (honest, look it up).
Ottawa has had other star players: Redden, Alexei Yashin, Marian Hossa,
Zdeno Chara, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Alexei Kovalev, Dominik Hasek.
Some will be fondly remembered; some will be reviled. None of them will ever
hold a candle to Alfie.
Alfie was the city’s first bona fide hockey hero. His arrival coincided with the
team’s emergence as a playoff contender — success that made us forget the
disappointment of Alexandre Daigle and the petulance of Yashin, whom
Alfredsson displaced as captain.
Alfie was the anti-Yashin — steady, collegial, committed. Yes, there were
disappointments along the way, particularly in the post-season when the
Leafs were involved. But Alfie didn’t demand a trade to a city where hockey
mattered less: he faced the failures, answered his critics, and re-dedicated
himself to a Stanley Cup run.
Alfredsson’s style of play endeared him both to the cognoscenti and the
casual fan. Responsible in both ends of the ice, he could deliver a check,
make a slick cross-ice pass, and one-time a perfect slapshot — all on the
Alfie captained the team through 13 years of turbulence: the team
bankruptcy, the Ray Emery circus, the Dany Heatley trade. He played for
nine coaches, including three in one season.
Although a soft-spoken leader, he could be bracingly honest. Asked to
respond to then coach Cory Clouston’s pronouncement that the team
needed to work harder, Aflie demurred. “I don’t agree with that at all, to be
honest,” he said. “In some games, I can understand it looks that way, but to
say that about us, especially lately, I can’t agree with that at all.”
In the 2013 playoffs, with the Pittsburgh Penguins holding a 3-1 series lead
over a young Sens squad, Alfie was asked if his team could win three
straight. “Probably not,” he admitted. “I mean with their depth and power play
right now it doesn’t look too good for us.”
It was Alfie being Alfie. He was never a cardboard cut-out. “What you see is
what you get,” he once explained. “I’m an honest guy; I mean the best for the
team.”
On his Twitter feed, Alfie describes himself as “an athlete and family man”
and there can be no doubt that these twin passions define him.
He grew up the intensely competitive son of Hasse Alfredsson, a carpenter
who served as his coach for the first 10 years of his hockey life. At seven,
young Alfie announced in a school essay that he wanted to be a pro hockey
player; few people, least of all his father, thought it a realistic goal. But there
was no doubting the boy’s drive, the fire that burned behind those deep-set
blue eyes. It was there to see in every game he played: hockey, soccer, golf,
tennis, ping pong.
His mother, Margareta, suffered from multiple sclerosis and Alfie was
inspired by her determination. “Daniel can be very stubborn and he gets that
from his mother,” his father once said in explaining his son’s NHL success.
His family also inspired him off the ice. Alfie’s sister, Cecelia, lives with an
anxiety disorder and it’s in her honour that he agreed to lead a public
awareness campaign launched by the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental
Health in 2008. It was an uncommonly public-minded act for an athlete.
“He showed real courage when he lent his name to the ‘You Know Who I Am’
campaign,” says Senators’ public address announcer, “Stuntman” Stu
Schwartz.
Ottawa radio host Katherine Dines says Alfie’s involvement with the
campaign inspired her to speak out about her own challenges with mental
illness. “He helped many of us feel hope during some of our darkest days,”
she says. “When I was cheering for him during a Sens game, it was about a
lot more than hockey.”
A married father of four boys, Alfie lived year-round in Ottawa and became
part of the community. Many encountered him at local hockey rinks, or on
family outings to The Home Depot or Ikea. A gentleman superstar, he was
unfailingly polite even if a little mystified by the ardour of his fans.
During the 2012 playoffs, former Carleton Place resident Neil Duffy travelled
with another decked-out Sens fan to New York to watch what turned out to be
a Game 7 loss to the Rangers. After the game, they applauded as the
Senators boarded a team bus. Some players waved. Alfie was the only one
who walked over to greet them, thank them for their support, and pose for
photos.
“In defeat, you see the true character,” Duffy says.
Alfie never let us down until he did.
His departure for Detroit, at the end of a contract dispute, made everyone in
the city come to terms with the inequity of hero worship. No professional
hockey player, it turns out, has to bear the burden of our hopes and dreams
and adulation at a discount.
The sad hangover from that event makes it hard to imagine how anyone else
will forge such an unalloyed connection with Senators fans. Today’s team
captain Erik Karlsson — another undersized Swede — has star power and
Hall of Fame skill, but does anyone think he’ll finish his career here? If Alfie
can leave, why not Karlsson? Aflie’s exit ensures no one will suspend
disbelief again.
So what then is the meaning of Alfie?
Ultimately, Alfie is a journey, an affair of the heart. Alfie allowed us into his life
as he staged the drama of his career. An unpretentious leading man, he was
honest and open and accessible. We applauded his work ethic, rejoiced at
his scoring touch, and fell in love with his decency.
That he found a way to return to Ottawa to retire from the NHL only reinforces
what we always knew about him, deep down. It means the journey that Alfie
shared with us will be celebrated Thursday night in all of its imperfect glory.
741205
Ottawa Senators
Remembering the Captain: Voices
Peter Robb
EST
“He was the best player in rookie camp, by a country mile. And then it took
only two or three days to realize this guy isn’t going anywhere.”
— Rick Bowness, Ottawa Senators head coach in 1995
“You really have to admire his approach to the game. He enjoyed coming to
the rink. He enjoyed working hard. The reason I made him captain was I felt
he represented what coaches want. He had a great work ethic, he was
committed to the team game, team-first as opposed to individual. You could
see he cared for his teammates.”
— Jacques Martin, former Ottawa Senators head coach
“On the ice, it seemed like every time there was a big moment, he was
somehow involved with it. (But) it’s what he did in the community. When you
talk about a leader, he got other guys involved and out there and doing
things.”
Chris Phillips, longtime teammate
“You don’t see that too often, when your most skilled player is your hardest
working player. That was Alfie, game in, game out. It says a lot about his
make up.”
— Chris Neil, longtime teammate
“I cheered for the Leafs and those (Battle of Ontario) series were epic. It will
be pretty cool to be part of something like that. I grew up watching him play
quite a bit. He was such a good player for such a long time. I played with him
in the All-Star Game in Ottawa and I got to know him a little bit. He’s a
tremendous person.”
— John Tavares, New York Islanders
“Daniel was an exceptional teammate, leader and friend. There weren’t many
players who could control the pace of a game like he did.”
— Jason Spezza, former teammate
how truly great he was. … Not many guys can do that without cheating
offensively. He never did.”
— Chris Kelly, former teammate
741206
Ottawa Senators
Memories of Alfie: A winter's tale
Wayne Scanlan
EST
The snow fell, the captain spoke, the people flocked.
It was mid-February, 2000 and the Ottawa Senators were suffering through
their latest in a series of financial crises.
In those years, winning games on the ice came easily enough – at least in the
regular season.
The previous spring, the Senators had posted their first 100-point season,
but a quick playoff exit followed, and now the franchise was staging a fan rally
on the Sparks Street pedestrian mall, hoping to sell enough season ticket
renewals to keep the franchise from moving.
Daniel Alfredsson was 27 at the time, and had been captain of the Senators
for a matter of months. As he stepped to the microphone urging fans to
support their hockey team, Alfredsson was the centre piece of a living,
breathing snow globe, big, fat snow flakes falling around him, as a crush of
people pressed closer to hear the man in his team’s hour of need.
He’d been overwhelmed, Alfredsson said, when he’d arrived here in the
cradle of hockey little more than four years earlier, only imagining he’d play in
the NHL for a year or so before returning to Sweden.
“It was the hugest thing you could imagine,” Alfredsson said of the move to
this country to play the game he loved. “Hockey and Canada are as one.”
The scene in downtown Ottawa might have been a classic bit of Canadiana,
a town rallying around its captain in a snowstorm, except that the players
beside Alfredsson in the snow globe reflected the global nature of Ottawa’s
team. The Swedish captain drew strength from an English Canadian (Mike
Fisher), a French Canadian (Patrick Lalime) and a Czech (Radek Bonk).
The sales pitch had the desired effect. Season ticket renewals grew,
modestly, and the threat of a franchise move subsided, although the hockey
club and arena remained reliant for several more years on the NHL’s
so-called Canadian Assistance Program to smooth out the issues caused by
a weak Canadian dollar.
Reflecting on the Alfredsson Era in Ottawa, it strikes us that he was called on
to lead in his dignified, graceful manner through one crisis to the next – on the
ice and off — almost throughout his 14 years as captain, from 1999-2013.
It was from the ashes of crisis – the 1999-2000 Alexei Yashin contract
holdout – that Alfredsson was named captain, to replace Yashin. Awkwardly,
Yashin was forced to play in Ottawa the next season under the terms of his
deal – hockey’s version of a dog’s nose being rubbed in the dirt – while
Alfredsson remained captain. Things might have gone more smoothly had
the Senators not lost the first round 2000 playoff series to the hated Toronto
Maple Leafs.
In the spring of 2001, Yashin played out his last days in Ottawa before being
traded to the New York Islanders, and the Senators again lost to the Leafs,
this time in a four-game sweep. Senators management, led by general
manager Marshall Johnston, was so irate over the loss, the negotiation of
Alfredsson’s new contract became a debate over his leadership, to the point
that a proud Alfredsson considered handing back the ‘C.’ In the end, Alfie, in
the prime of his playing career with two 40-goal seasons still to come, kept
the ‘C’ and signed a make-shift, one-year contract for $3 million. It was a
shoddy way to treat the captain, but he didn’t once complain.
The next spring, in 2002, the Senators finally won another playoff series, their
first since 1998, and a two-year Alfredsson contract followed. The 2002-03
team might have been Ottawa’s best, and it came within an inch of reaching
the Stanley Cup final.
Alfredsson was adored again, but only until the spring of 2006 when he was
victimized by a Jason Pominville goal as the Buffalo Sabres knocked Ottawa
out in the second playoff round, largely because of an injury suffered by
starting goaltender Dominik Hasek.
A year later, who could forget Alfredsson’s response, scoring the game
winner in overtime on the Sabres Ryan Miller to lift the Senators to their first
Eastern Conference title and a berth in the Stanley Cup final against
Anaheim. The line of Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley was one
of the NHL’s best, a line that only the Ducks could answer in a five-game
final.
Leading by example until his controversial departure in 2013, Alfredsson
became entrenched as Ottawa’s all-time Senators favourite, a man as
familiar in the halls of the Royal Ottawa Hospital as on the fairways of the
Royal Ottawa Golf Course.
Here in a Nation’s Capital that retains the qualities of an intimate village,
everyone has a personal favourite memory of Alfie.
I will remember Alfredsson speaking to a group of high school kids about the
issues of mental health.
And I will remember him standing on Sparks Street during the Senators hour
of need, in his personal snow globe, a scene out of White Christmas.
741207
Ottawa Senators
Daniel Alfredsson: The skate caper, and other excellent adventures
Ken Warren
EST
As we celebrate the greatest player in modern Ottawa Senators history
Thursday, it’s appropriate to ask a few questions.
• What if Daniel Alfredsson’s career had only been half as long?
• What if he had said goodbye to the NHL before leading the Senators to their
only Stanley Cup final appearance?
• What if Alfredsson and Chris Kelly didn’t share the same skate size?
Those skates saved my career.
In a story Alfredsson shared last season while playing for Detroit – on the
condition it wasn’t published until his retirement – he says he had one foot out
the door, one game away from quitting during a horrible slump early in the
2006-07 season. Kelly’s skates are the reason he kept going.
“Those skates,” Alfredsson said, “saved my career.”
Rewind the clock eight years and you might recall the slow start. After scoring
in the season-opening 4-1 victory over Toronto, Alfredsson’s game spiraled
downwards. He couldn’t find the net or his confidence. The trade winds were
blowing. The Senators fan base was decidedly mixed on whether to keep the
captain or to deal him away for a fresh start.
Winning goal by Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators as he celebrates
with Dany Heatley against the Buffalo Sabres during over time action of the
fifth game of the Eastern Conference Final in Buffalo, Saturday, May 19,
2007.
Alfredsson failed to score in his next 10 games. The team, in its second
season with Bryan Murray as coach, was a study in inconsistency, posting a
4-6 record during that span. In a 4-2 defeat to Montreal on Halloween, the
Senators captain sported a plus/minus of minus 4, the worst of his career.
Lost, and looking around the dressing room for answers, Alfredsson spotted
a pair of skates in Kelly’s locker stall and tried them on. The skates fit well
enough and he made a pledge to himself.
“If I didn’t score in that next game, I was going to walk directly into (then
general manager) John Muckler’s office and tell him I was retiring,”
Alfredsson said.
Alfredsson always was good under pressure.
He broke his scoring slump in that next game, a 3-2 loss to Carolina. He
followed that up with goals in his next three games. Kelly’s blades become
his magic ice slippers.
“Thank God for all of us that he took my skates,” Kelly, now with Boston, told
the Citizen, in a telephone interview before Tuesday’s game against the Los
Angeles Kings. “After that, we had a really good thing going. He would keep
ordering the same skates. I would break the skates in, wear them for a few
weeks and then hand them over. I certainly didn’t mind getting new skates all
the time.”
The rest is, well, history.
Wearing the Kelly skate model, Alfredsson and the Senators caught fire. He
finished the 2006-07 regular season with 29 goals and 58 assists.
Confidence and consistency returned to the team. The Senators stormed
through the first two rounds of the playoffs, defeating Pittsburgh and New
Jersey in five games.
Then came one of the signature moments in Senators history. The bad
memories from previous early playoff exits were forgotten when Alfredsson
scored the overtime, game-winning goal in Game 5 of the Eastern
Conference final against Buffalo, sending the Senators to their one and only
final appearance, against Anaheim.
For those counting, Alfredsson went on to play another 530 regular season
games after first donning Kelly’s skates, scoring 181 goals and 299 assists.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Kelly said, with a laugh. “If
you’ve never really played the game, if your skates don’t feel just right, it can
affect your whole game. It’s just another example of him being such a
perfectionist. He wants to be the best at everything.”
The story provides another glimpse into the career of a complex and
compelling character. There’s at least a touch of good fortune and
happenstance to go along with the countless examples on-ice
competitiveness and stubbornness (hello, Darcy Tucker and Scott
Niedermayer), off-ice humility, compassion (see Royal Ottawa, Boys and
Girls Club) and dry wit (Mats Sundin).
The story also illustrates that if Alfredsson didn’t believe he could do his job –
the follow-me leadership that all his former coaches, teammates and rivals
regularly raved about – he didn’t want to hang around and simply go through
the motions.
Alfredsson approached every sporting activity the same way. Before his
hockey career took off, his family and friends in Sweden believed that soccer
was his true calling, due to his mixture of talent and intensity. Even in
so-called ‘friendly’ competitions with teammates away from the ice, he never
gave an inch. Golf. Tennis. Ping-Pong. Hell, maybe even bowling and
curling.
His former coaches, from Rick Bowness to Jacques Martin to Bryan Murray
to Mike Babcock, have all raved about his attitude to never accept
second-best.
When you go back and consider the scene when he first arrived in Ottawa, a
different person might have quickly turned around, figuring life as a
professional player in Sweden looked pretty good in comparison.
Back in 1995, during his first training camp, Alfredsson was a stranger in a
new world, learning on the fly about Canada and the NHL. At the time, the
Senators were the NHL’s worst team, one of the worst in NHL history. Their
one star player, Alexei Yashin, was AWOL, in the midst of one of many
contract fights with the team.
When I asked him for an interview after the Senators returned home to the
airport following an exhibition game in his rookie season, he agreed. He
answered every question, not mentioning that his ride to his hotel had
disappeared.
When I offered him a ride, we continued our conversation. He acknowledged
having a limited knowledge of the city and the team.
“All I knew before coming here was from an article I read in The Hockey
News,” he said, then speaking in broken English. “The article said that with
Alexei Yashin, the Senators are terrible team. Without him, the Senators are
even worse.”
Enter the battle to prove everyone wrong.
That rookie season included three head coaches (Bowness, Dave Allison
and Martin), two general managers (Randy Sexton and Pierre Gauthier), two
arenas (the Senators moved to then-named Palladium from the Civic Centre)
and far too many losses (59).
He trusted the teammates around him who told him that he would never
experience another season with so much trouble and turmoil. Somehow, he
thrived, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Ultimately, Alfredsson become the one link from the worst era in Senators
history to the best. The team put an end to the endless regular season
losses. Then came the string of outstanding regular seasons, followed by
painful early playoff defeats.
Alfredsson took the Battle of Ontario post-season losses harder than anyone.
In 2006, when he felt like he wasn’t leading by example anymore, he came
oh-so-close to saying goodbye.
Then came the second career, of sorts, where he re-established himself as
one of the NHL’s best and most complete players.
how truly great he was,” said Kelly. “Not only did he play on both sides of the
puck, but he played on both sides of the puck extremely well. He had a few
huge offensive seasons playing with (Jason) Spezza and (Dany) Heatley.
Not many guys can do that without cheating offensively. He never did. It
really is a good thing he stole my skates.”
Alfredsson became much more than simply the captain of the team. He
became the city’s biggest ambassador.
Perhaps now, after the grand retirement party on Thursday, he will become
that again.
741208
Ottawa Senators
Alfie: By the numbers
By Tim Baines, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 09:36 PM EST | Updated:
Wednesday, December 03, 2014 09:39 PM EST
Tim Baines crunches the numbers on the great Daniel Alfredsson’s splendid
18-year career
0: Number of Stanley Cups won.
4: No. of career NHL fights, well, at least fights where punches were
thrown — in his best one, Alfie dropped Doug Gilmour with a left.
4: Number of children he and his wife Bibi have (Hugo, Loui, William and
Fenix).
5.5: Millions of dollars he got when he agreed to leave Ottawa and join
the Detroit Red Wings on July 5, 2013.
6: Round of the NHL draft he was selected in 1994 (133rd overall). Also
the number of all-star games he’s played in.
7: Number of points he had against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 24,
2008.
10: Penalty minutes he accumulated in his final NHL season, 2013-14
with the Wings.
11: Number Alfredsson wore for his entire NHL career, also the day he
was born on in December.
14: Number of playoff goals he had in 2006-07 season and number of
years he was Senators captain.
17: Number of years he played for the Senators.
19: The day in May of 2007 when his overtime goal advanced the
Senators to the Stanley Cup final versus Anaheim.
25: Number of shorthanded goals he had during his NHL career.
41: Age. But he always played like he was younger.
42: As in plus-42, which he was in the 2006-07 season.
43: Goals he scored in the 2005-06 season. It was a career high.
315: Thousands of dollars he got paid during his first season, 2005-06.
444: Number of career regular-season goals.
1,246: Number of games he played in his NHL career.
2006: Year he won a gold medal with Sweden at Olympics, skating on a
line alongside Mats Sundin and Henrik Zetterberg
67,880,504: Millions of dollars he was paid during his career.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 12.04.2014
741209
Ottawa Senators
A look back at the life and career of Daniel Alfredsson
By Chris Hofley, Ottawa Sun
June 29, 1994: Daniel Alfredsson is selected by the Ottawa Senators in
the sixth round (133rd overall), of the 1994 NHL entry draft.
Oct. 13, 1995: Alfredsson scores his first career goal in his second game
-- a 6-2 loss in Florida tothe Panthers.
Nov. 2, 1995: Alfredsson records his first career hat trick in a 5-0 win in
Hartford against the Whalers.
Jan. 20, 1996: Alfredsson plays in his first NHL all-star game in Boston. "I
look around the dressing room and wonder: 'Do I fit in here?'" Alfredsson
said. "But the other guys have been very nice to me."
June 19, 1996: Alfredsson wins the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year,
the first major award for the Senators franchise. "When I went to the NHL, I
had a two-way contract," the NHL's rookie scoring leader recalled after an
18-59-5 season that featured three coaches. "I hoped I'd make the team.
When we got off to a pretty good start, it really helped (my confidence)."
April 12, 1997: The team takes a celebratory lap at the Corel Centre, at
the suggestion of Alfredsson, after Ottawa clinches a playoff berth for the first
time with a 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Aug. 24, 1997: Alfredsson says he wants a trade after the five-year deal
offered to him by the Senators is at least $1 million less per season than
Alexei Yashin's contract. He finally returns to the ice Oct. 14 after a holdout,
agreeing to a four-year, $10-million deal.
May 2, 1998: The Senators win their first playoff series, beating the New
Jersey Devils on home ice in Game 6.
Sept. 16, 1998: Alfredsson tears his left MCL after hitting a rut on the ice
during a scrimmage at the Corel Centre. He misses seven weeks.
Oct. 1, 1999: Alfredsson named captain of the Senators with Yashin
sitting out the season. "I lead by example, whether it's a practice or
game-to-game. I give 100%," said Alfredsson. He wears the 'C' for the rest of
his career with Ottawa.
Oct. 21, 2009: Injury woes hit again after Alfredsson sprains his right
MCL in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. He misses 20 games.
April 24, 2000: The Senators lose the first of four Battle of Ontario playoff
series against the Leafs in Alfie's tenure, this one in six games.
Sept. 21, 2001: Alfredsson signs a one-year, $3-million deal with the
club.
Nov . 13, 2001: Alfredsson records his second hat trick in a month -- no
Senator had posted two in a season prior to this -- as Ottawa wins its 11th in
a row with an 11-5 demolition of the Capitals in Washington.
Feb. 20, 2002: Sweden suffers a shocking 4-3 loss to Belarus in an
Olympic quarterfinal. One newspaper calls it Sweden's worst-ever Olympic
fiasco. "Our hockey is fine," Alfredsson said. "The system is great. We just
didn't get the breaks. (Belarus) wasn't trying to score, they were just trying to
keep it close and catch a break."
May 10, 2002: Alfredsson scores the winner after a controversial hit on
Darcy Tucker as the Senators beat the Leafs 4-2 to take a 3-2 lead in their
Eastern Conference semifinal. Leafs fans are raging mad. Alas, Ottawa loses
the next two games.
July 12, 2002: The Senators sign Alfredsson to a new two-year,
$9.5-million contract. "It feels really good to have it done," Alfredsson said.
Dec. 16, 2002: Alfredsson plays his 500th career game -- a 4-3 loss to
the Montreal Canadiens. He scores his 11th goal of the season and 171st of
his career.
April 5, 2003: The Senators clinch first overall in the NHL, winning the
Presidents' Trophy. "We've worked hard this year and it's nice for us,"
Alfredsson said.
May 5, 2003: Alfredsson scores a goal as the Senators beat the
Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference
final for the first time.
May 7, 2003: Alfredsson and longtime girlfriend Bibi have their first of four
sons, Hugo. He's born at Queensway-Carleton Hospital. "The best day of my
life so far, for sure," Alfredsson said.
May 23, 2003: The visiting New Jersey Devils beat the Senators 3-2 in
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final after Ottawa rallied from a 3-1 series
deficit. "We had a special group here and everybody in this room wanted to
get the Stanley Cup. We had guys playing hurt and guys who stepped up for
us. It's tough to take right now. When we look back on this, we'll see it as a
positive, but it just didn't happen for us," Alfredsson said.
Oct. 15, 2003: Alfredsson records his franchise-record 493rd point,
overtaking Yashin, in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Dec. 29, 2003: Alfredsson makes a strong statement in Boston. "I really
like the way the team has been built up, and I like the chemistry as well. Go
ahead and write it. I guarantee we'll win the Cup," he said.
March 28, 2004: Alfredsson signs a five-year, $32.5-million deal with the
Senators. "I couldn't see myself playing anywhere else," Alfredsson said.
April 20, 2004: The Senators fall well short of the Cup, losing to the Leafs
in Game 7 of the first round., prompting the firing of coach Jacques Martin.
July 31, 2004: Alfredsson gets married to Bibi in Sweden.
Jan. 18, 2005: With lockout still going on (it would eventually wipe out the
season), Alfredsson makes season debut with Frolunda in the Swedish
league.
Feb. 26, 2006: Alfredsson's Team Sweden wins Olympic gold in Turin,
Italy, beating Finland 3-2. "Look, Salt Lake City is always going to be there,"
said Alfredsson. "There's nothing you can do about it. I might even tell my
kids about it. You can't be embarrassed by it because it happened. But you
learn from it and you move on. Nobody can take this (pointing at his gold
medal) away from us either. It's always going to be there. This is something
we really wanted and we achieved our goal."
June 6, 2007: The Senators lose 6-2 in Anaheim against the Ducks in the
deciding Game 5 of the final.
Jan. 8, 2008: Alfredsson becomes the first Senator to be voted a starter
for the all-star game.
Jan. 24, 2008: Alfredsson notches three goals and four assists in Tampa
for a huge seven-point night in an 8-4 win over the Lightning. "It was a fun
night," said Alfredsson. "Our line played well, we moved the puck, created
chances and had them running around a bit. The way I look at it, you add
them up at the end of your career ... maybe it will be: 'Do you remember that
night in Tampa?' When they come, you take them. It doesn't happen that
often."
April 3, 2008: Leafs' Mark Bell nails Alfredsson with an elbow to the head.
Sens fans are bitter. "If they played like that all year, we could accept it, but
Mark Bell running a guy blindside. I didn't like the fact he blindsided
(Alfredsson) and he went for the head," coach/GM Bryan Murray said.
June 18, 2008: Alfredsson steps up as leader of Royal Ottawa Hospital
Foundation mental health campaign to raise awareness. He talked about
how his sister, Cecilia, has struggled with an anxiety disorder. "I don't get
nervous a whole lot, but I'm really nervous about being here today. I really
care about this and I want to do this right. I'm not ashamed to talk about it
because I know I'm not alone," said Alfredsson.
Oct. 2, 2008: Alfredsson's Senators beat the Frolunda Indians 4-1 in an
exhibition game in his hometown of Gothenburg. He notches a goal and an
assist, to the delight of the crowd. "It will be a day I always remember,"
Alfredsson said.
Oct. 30, 2008: Alfredsson signs a four-year, $21.6-million deal with the
Senators. "My heart is in Ottawa," he said. "Ottawa has really become my
hometown."
April 6, 2010: Alfredsson plays his 1,000th game as the Senators beat
the host Florida Panthers 5-2. He picks up one assist.
Oct, 22, 2010: Alfredsson records his 1,000th career point with a hat trick
in Buffalo in a 4-2 win over the Sabres. "You couldn't write a better script for
that," said coach Cory Clouston. "He was our best player. Obviously, when
you score three goals, it's very important. But for him to play that way when
we've got guys out and struggling, we needed him to step up like he did."
Jan. 29, 2012: Alfredsson scores twice in the all-star game at Scotiabank
Place. Sellout crowd chants his name after each goal. "From a selfish point of
view, it's going to rank really high. It's just a whole ego weekend, pretty
much," Alfredsson laughed.
June 20, 2012: Alfredsson receives King Clancy Trophy for leadership
and community work.
July 31, 2012: Alfredsson confirms he'll play out the final season of his
contract for $1 million.
Dec. 11, 2012: Alfredsson turns 40.
May 22, 2013: Alfredsson picks up the puck after the Senators lose 7-3 to
the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of their second-round series in Ottawa. It
turns out to be his last home game as a Senator.
May 24, 2013: The Penguins finis"‹h off the Senators with a 6-2 win in
Game 5, Alfie's last game as a Senator. "It was a great year with the team
that we had and the adversity we faced. We've become a tight group. We
stuck together throughout," Alfredsson said.
June 14, 2013: Alfredsson receives the Mark Messier Award for
leadership.
June 28, 2013: Alfredsson confirms he'll return to play in 2013-14.
July 5, 2013: Alfredsson signs a one-year, $5.5-million deal with the
Detroit Red Wings.
Aug. 15, 2013: Alfredsson officially bids farewell to Ottawa and sheds
some light on why he left during a press conference at The Royal. "In late
June this year, I decided I had it in me to play at least one more season," said
Alfredsson. "I told management I was willing to return and I reminded them of
our agreement from the year before and to my disappointment the
negotiations again quickly stalled."
Sept. 14, 2013: Jason Spezza is introduced as Ottawa's first captain of
the post-Alfie era. Spezza would serve in the role just one season before
being traded to Dallas.
Oct. 2, 2013: Alfredsson plays just more than 16 minutes in Detroit's
season-opener, the first time in is career he suited up for another NHL team.
Oct. 23, 2013: Alfredsson plays against his former team for the first time
since signing with the Red Wings when the Senators visit Detroit. Ottawa
won the game 6-1.
Dec. 1, 2013: The Senators welcome their former captain back to Ottawa
as a member of the Red Wings and Alfredsson scores into an empty net to
cap off a 4-2 Red Wings win. Alfredsson received a loud ovation but was also
jeered once the game started. " I feel I definitely respect this city, this team as
well, and I thought once the puck dropped the crowd also did the right thing
and cheered on their team," he said.
Nov. 21, 2014: It is first reported that Alfredsson has decided not to play
again this season. An announcement of his pending retirement soon follows.
Nov. 25, 2014: It is confirmed that Alfredsson will officially announce his
retirement during the Dec. 4 game between the Senators and Islanders in
Ottawa.
Nov. 28, 2014: Wayne Gretzky said he believes Alfredsson will one day
be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I always look at the criteria of how
a guy approached the game -- and he approached it with dignity and class.
How a guy played under pressure -- and he always seemed to play good
games well under pressure; and he made a difference in the sport."
Dec 4, 2014: Alfredsson officially calls it a career, in Ottawa, where it all
started.
741210
Ottawa Senators
Ryan's glass half full
through. I want to be a big part of this team and help us win." ... Yes, Lazar is
smart enough to say all the right things. "I feel I've graduated to the next step
and I can play pro hockey," he stated. "But if they want me to be in a different
role in the world juniors, that would be awesome to play in Toronto and
Montreal."
ICE CHIPS
By Don Brennan, Ottawa Sun
Despite his bad hand and struggling team, Bobby Ryan remains optimistic.
First question: Can you play with a broken finger Thursday?
"The swelling has gone down, the pain has been kept at bay a little better ...
today I was able to do a little more with the puck than the last few days, so
good signs hopefully," the Senators winger reported after Wednesday's
practice.
But can you play?
"That's an unfair question," Ryan said. "I have no idea. It's going to be so
many conversations until we make that decision. I was optimistic Tuesday
and I'll say the same thing. I'm optimistic again."
Nobody can think less of a guy whose bread and butter are his "soft mitts"
should he decides to take more time to mend a fractured digit. Would you
play hockey six days after breaking your finger? Not me.
"You look at the guys who have played with injury throughout the league,"
Ryan said. "It's a small part of what you need to do. You just lose a little feel
with the puck and every time you have to control it or go into a battle, you're
going to feel it.
"Guys have done it for years and I'm going to be no different."
Okay, Bob, next question: What can this team do to turn things around?
"Conversations, meetings ...," he said. "How many times can you ask (coach)
Paul (MacLean) to show us on video? Or how many times can you have him
call guys out individually, or whatever it may be. What was said (Wednesday)
was it's about buying into the team-first policy, and he feels like not
everybody has done that.
"That's what you've got to do. Everybody knows what they're assigned role is,
and guys have just got to buy in and accept those roles. That's got to be the
next step for us, to get it as a team."
Isn't it concerning that MacLean still needs to convince his players to have a
one-for-all mentality at this juncture, 24 games into his fourth season? I'd say
so, but maybe I'm pessimistic. I'm not Ryan.
"If you look at it, if we win (Thursday) and then you go into Pittsburgh, and
(Penguins) are not unbeatable, by any means, and although Vancouver is
playing well, there's an opportunity (Sunday) to get ourselves back in the fold,
with two home games," said Ryan. "Three games from now, if we win all
three, we could be saying 'we're back'.
"You have to be optimistic. If you're coming in every day and you're beating
the video up to death, and you're beating the system to death, we're all going
to get tired of each other and start going against each other. That's human
nature. So I think for us just to stay positive, build on what we did today, I
thought we had a good up-tempo practice, and just get ready for (Thursday's
game).
"Hopefully," he added, "I can play."
If the power of positive thinking translates into something tangible, he'll score
the game winner.
STARTS AND STOPS
Curtis Lazar also heard MacLean's message loud and clear. "We're fighting
hard, but just not hard enough," said the rookie. "It's the little details. Play
team-first hockey is what we're trying to focus on." ... If the choice is left for
Lazar to make the final decision, it sounds like he'll be watching the WJC's on
his TV. "I talked to (GM) Bryan (Murray) a little bit about it, we're just going
back and forth at this point," Lazar said of whether he'll be leaving the
Senators to represent his country in the teenager tournament again. "I'm just
focusing on the next day ahead of me, and right now that's with the Ottawa
Senators. I want to be here with the guys, going through what we're going
Want to know what Chris Phillips, Erik Karlsson and Chris Neil are discussing
when they stretch together during the warmup? "You'll have to wait until the
book comes out," quipped Phillips ... Former Hab and current Team1200
analyst Murray Wilson on the passing of Jean Beliveau: "You never had to
ask Jean for an autograph, because he was the first to have the marker come
out of his jacket. The other thing is he had a very legible autograph, because
he always thought it was special for somebody to ask him." ... With Robin
Lehner missing, the Senators had another goalie helping Craig Anderson
handle the practice workload. Reporters asked his identity, but nobody
seemed to know and, apparently following orders, the kid himself wouldn't
say. "Local guy they called in to stop some pucks," revealed MacLean. "Hope
he had a good day. I have no idea who it is." Hmmm ...
741211
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators could use Alfie
What the Senators really need right now is Daniel Alfredsson the player, the
leader who for so many years literally lifted the team out of the doldrums and
carried it, sometimes to mediocrity and sometimes above.
What they'll have to settle for is his mere presence at Canadian Tire Centre -first in a 9:30 a.m. retirement announcement, then in a pre-game warmup
during which he will fly around the ice in his familiar No. 11 jersey, and later in
what should be an emotionally-charged pre-game ceremony -- and that it will
serve as an inspiration to their team, which is certainly not playing like one.
The Senators have fumbled away a decent start to the season by winning
just three of their last dozen (3-6-3) and settling into seventh place in the
Atlantic Division. It was only a couple of weeks ago that coach Paul MacLean
reminded us of the historical trends that show a team out of the playoff
picture at U.S. Thanksgiving has a difficult time getting back into it by the end
of the season.
As of Wednesday afternoon, six days past the American turkey fest, the
Senators were 10th in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the
wildcard spots.
If they don't turn things around soon, all realistic hope for a post-season
tournament berth could be gone by Christmas.
Can Alfredsson's smiling face and words of wisdom provide the boost of
energy the Senators need to get them back on track?
"I think it's going to be great to have Alfie around with his sense of humour,
and he can add something to this, too," MacLean said after Wednesday's
practice. "I think he's going to be able to give us maybe one last burst, so to
speak, before the game. I'm looking forward to it, I think it's going to be a fun
night, and I hope the players will be responsive to it."
After making it through October with a respectable 5-2-3 record the Senators
had what can only be described as a horrible November. They were 2-2-1
during the first 10 days of the month before heading to western Canada,
where they were lucky to escape with a point in Vancouver, almost blew a
three-goal lead in Edmonton and were no-shows in Calgary. They returned
home to split a pair, then headed out again on a five-game roadie that saw
them pick up just one win -- a surprising third-period rally against the Blues
that led to a 3-2 high-fiver in a shootout.
Rather than use it as a springboard, they looked like they spent too much
time enjoying the Florida sun, losing in a couple of uninspired efforts to the
Panthers and Lightning. Some face was saved with the point they took out of
Long Island Tuesday, but even Bobby Ryan agreed it was more or less the
trip from hell.
"Yeah I think so," he said. "Even when you take away from the results side,
we got outplayed in all the games, just about. That's what is more
disheartening in the room, I think. There was no push back or anything like
that, and that's never been the case with this group of guys."
Said Chris Neil: "I thought we played a pretty decent game (in Long Island).
We just made little mistakes here and there and it ends up in the back of our
net. I think it's one of those things if we clean up the mistakes or limit them,
instead of doing them 15 times limit them to five times, there's a lot less
chance we won't be at the top of the scoresheet."
Neil, of course, doesn't spend too much time worrying about what the
standings looked like on Nov. 27. He doesn't yet feel the season slipping
away.
"You can't worry about what other teams are doing," said Neil, who feels the
Senators have to start eliminating all the neutral zone turnovers. "You've got
to worry about yourself. It's not like we're way out of the picture, it's still a rat
race. I think for us, we've just got to put a string of wins together here."
Perhaps the Alfredsson influence can help them get started, but it shouldn't
be relied upon either. The Senators can't get too caught up in the moments,
they can't be distracted at 11:11 of each period, when the crowd breaks into
chants of "Alfie." They have to focus on opponents. The Islanders might not
have a lot of "name" players, but they are a good team.
"Hopefully," captain Erik Karlsson said when asked if the Senators can win
one for Alfredsson. "I think everybody is excited for what's going to happen.
Just seeing him around again, it's been awhile since he's been here,
especially in this locker room, and he's definitely a guy I know everybody in
here really looks up to."
They'd still be better with Alfredsson in the lineup, 41 years-old, bad back and
all.
741212
Ottawa Senators
Methot appears ready to go for Ottawa Senators
It sounds like Marc Methot will play against the Islanders if Marc Methot says
he can.
The veteran Senators defenceman has passed all the requirements of the
coaching staff in his recovery from what's believed to be a back/hip injury that
has kept him out of the lineup this season. Judging by comments from Paul
MacLean following Wednesday's practice, Methot only needs to give the
thumbs up following the morning skate to make his 2014-15 season debut
later that night.
"I think he's getting closer," MacLean started when asked for the daily Methot
update. "He had a lot of good practices on the road trip, he had a lot of good
sessions in the pre-game skates, where he's feeling that he's getting up to
speed. I thought his practice in Tampa Bay was very competitive, that he was
involved in it, much like he was today.
"I thought he was very competitive today and he pushed himself to be one of
the best players on the practice sheet, and I thought he was one of the best
players. He was active, and he skated, he's getting very close. I think the
conversation, and we've had tons of them, whether or not he feels he's ready
to play, we'll see again how he feels (Thursday). If he comes in and says
'yeah, I'm ready to go' then we'll make a decision.
"I think he's getting closer to that point. I think he's closer now to playing than
he's ever been. Could he play (Thursday)? He could be available (Thursday),
he could be available on the weekend. And that's a positive thing for us."
Indeed. For those who have forgotten, Methot is the Senators best defensive
defenceman. He was pencilled in to start the season as Erik Karlsson's
partner on the top pairing, and in his absence MacLean has had to shuffle
Chris Phillips, Jared Cowen, Mark Borowiecki and even Patrick Wiercioch
into that spot.
The Senators, who seem to have sacrificed thoughts of offence to improve
their defensive play, currently rank 16th with a team goals against average of
2.67.
"For us, as far as (Methot's) conditioning and skate tests and things we do for
him, the competitive stuff we do, at some point in time you have to get in a
game and play," MacLean said. "We've tried to get it as real as we can for
him leading up to this point. Again, we're going to see how he's feeling
(Thursday) and if he's feeling confident about himself, we'll see how it is."
"We anticipate at some point coming into this weekend or early next week,
he'll be in the lineup," MacLean added, softening his original stance.
Bobby Ryan's participation Thursday will be a game-time decision. He has
missed the past two with a broken finger.
While Karlsson had a "maintenance day" Wednesday, Robin Lehner and
Wiercioch missed practice with minor injuries.
"We'll see if they're available to us (Thursday) or not," MacLean said.
Craig Anderson will start in goal against the Islanders.
741213
Ottawa Senators
Alfie a champion for mental health
By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Sun
Not all of Daniel Alfredsson's victories came within the confines of a hockey
arena.
While most fans in the capital will fondly recall the captain's exploits on the
ice, it was his dedication to the community that won the hearts and minds of
countless others.
Rachel Scott-Mignon will never forget Alfredsson's selfless dedication as a
champion for people suffering from mental health, lending his name and his
considerable cachet as the face of The Royal's 'You Know Who I Am'
campaign to eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
"He was so dedicated and passionate and interested in the cause," said
Scott-Mignon, 32.
"When I met him, he was so interested to hear my story, you could tell he
really cared. And people were instantly so much more receptive to the
message when he was there speaking."
Scott-Mignon was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a decade ago, and her
first reaction was one of "shock and grief."
But now, she delivers keynote speeches to youth about coping with her
struggles, and the inspiration she drew from Alfredsson has fuelled her own
passion and, in turn, the inspiration and hope she now offers to others.
"I had been suffering in silence. Mental illness just wasn't part of the social
dialogue, it was under such a shroud," said Scott-Mignon.
"I didn't have any role models to look to who could give me permission -- like,
this person is going through it so I can, too. Alfredsson gave a lot of people
permission to speak about mental illness in a way they hadn't before, and to
seek help for themselves or for friends or family members."
And the campaign has had an enormous impact.
Now, when Scott-Mignon tells people she suffers from a mental illness,
"people aren't shocked anymore," she said.
"People feel much more free to talk about it, and there's something in telling
my story that opens me up more than I thought possible, and I'm always
amazed by people's reactions."
Alfredsson first lent his celebrity to the campaign in 2008 in support of his
sister, who lives with a mental illness, and soon became a champion of the
cause.
"He really put an absolute face to the cause of mental illness and he inspired
people to reach out and get help," said Andree Steel, president of the Royal
Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health. "He validated that their illness was real
and deserved the same level of compassion (as a physical illness.) He
opened the barn doors wide."
741214
Ottawa Senators
Modano has been there, done that
was a great experience and I'm sure it was the same for Alfie especially with
all the Swedish buddies he had in Detroit.
"Obviously, your heart, your emotions and your feeling go back to where it all
started and where you've been for such a long time."
In the end, a return to Ottawa is the right move for Alfredsson.
By Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Sun
"You couldn't imagine any other finish than him going back there," Modano
said. "He'll be celebrating a great career, the success that organization had
when he was around and giving him that last ovation to recognize what he
was worth to that city and team.
Mike Modano has been in Daniel Alfredsson's skates.
"It's great for him and the fans to recognize what he's meant to them with a lot
of nights of entertainment. Rightfully so, that's a great way to finish.
The circumstances were nearly the same.
After spending 20 years with the Stars organization, the former Dallas
captain played his final NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings before
officially hanging up his skates on Sept. 23, 2011.
While he'd played his final game in Motown, Modano signed a symbolic
one-day deal with the Stars and announced his retirement in Dallas, the
place where he'd played most of his career.
Yes, it sounds familiar to what the Senators will do with Alfredsson Thursday,
and that's why Modano -- inducted into the Hall of Fame last month -- knows
this is the right move for both sides.
"You go back to where you started," Modano told the Sun last week from his
Dallas home. "Alfie and I were pretty lucky in that we played our whole career
with one team, except we both had a swan-song in Detroit.
"It was meaningful to go back. That's where the majority of our time was
spent. We had a lot of great times and memories with that organization. It
was neat (that Dallas) did that to just sign a one-day contract so I could
officially retire as a Star. That was pretty classy by the organization."
Modano left Dallas because he wanted to extend his career and wanted
another shot at winning a Stanley Cup. Alfredsson left partially because he
felt the Wings were better-positioned to win.
But Alfredsson's battle also had to do with money and the breakup wasn't
pretty. The decision to come back to Ottawa gives both sides the opportunity
to bury the hatchet and end it the right way.
"The finish there probably wasn't what he wanted," said Modano. "You have
to go with the other (17) years he was there and majority of them were great
years. You know what he meant to the city, the organization, being the
captain and the leader.
"How can you not wipe your hands and let him back to retire as a Senator?
That'll be just as meaningful to (Alfredsson) as it will be to the fans ... Fans
can be harsh and carry grudges. As far as this, there are exceptions, and I'm
sure this will be one of them."
Alfredsson has certainly tried to come back, which is why this announcement
is being made in December. His back just isn't co-operating and he can't
afford to miss a season to try next year.
The time is right for Alfredsson, however, that doesn't mean this will be easy
and Modano is convinced the super Swede is going through a wide range of
emotions preparing for this.
"That's the hard part. It was more mental for me (to accept retirement)," said
Modano. "I was more emotionally drained after the injury and coming back
and not being able to take part in most of the playoffs. It was more mental
because I felt great.
"In his case, it's got to be frustrating because if he still wants to play because
he still has the motivation and urge to play but the body won't let him, I can
see where that could frustrate you to no end."
Modano does see the irony in the fact he and Alfredsson finished their
careers the same way. They were both enticed by Detroit GM Ken Holland to
make one last stop before wrapping up their careers.
"That's kind of Kenny Holland's M.O.," said Modano. "He hopes he can grab
those old guys and maybe find a little bit of that fountain of youth in us.
"Alfie played pretty good in Detroit. I loved it there. My time there was great. I
wish I would have avoided that (wrist) injury I think I would have had two or
three more years and that would have been fantastic. As short as it was, it
741215
Ottawa Senators
Brotherly love ... and pride
Somebody who's known Daniel Alfredsson all his life says the former
Senators captain isn't one to make a fuss about big events.
So, predictably, the guy they simply called Alfie hasn't been over-the-top,
gushing about what should be a special celebration Thursday night at
Canadian Tire Centre.
Alfredsson will retire a Senator and it will be awesome and all that and it may
not be until it actually happens that the enormity and sentiment and emotion
of the event truly sink in. At least that's what the soon-to-be-42-year-old
Alfredsson's younger brother, Henric, thinks.
Says the 35-year-old Henric, who owns a construction company, CanSwede
Homes, in Ottawa: "I compare it to every year, before Christmas, our dad
(Hasse) always says: 'I don't want anything, no gifts.' So we'll buy him a
dozen golf balls with his name on them or a golf shirt or new gloves or golf
shoes. And once he gets (the gift), he's excited. That's where Danny's at with
hockey.
"He's a guy who could have just retired (without a big ceremony) and moved
on. He's a low-key guy, but it's good for him to be able to say thank you. He's
not just a guy who was here for four or five years. The organization and the
community meant so much to him. He was here when things were terrible
and also when things were really good. When things were bad, they were
really bad. And when they were good, they were really good. I know he's
always had respect for (GM) Bryan (Murray) and (owner) Eugene (Melnyk)."
Henric, his wife Jillian and 13-month-old daughter, Khloe, will be there
Thursday night, proud and happy that an illustrious career, 17 years with the
Senators, will come full circle, ending right back where it started in 1995.
"Two or three years ago, I didn't know if he'd play another year. He got to the
last year of his contract and he felt he had something left to give," says
Henric. "Up until July 1, we all thought he would be re-signing with Ottawa.
Then things went ugly. They were throwing pies at each other, acting like
kids. Now, both sides have realized they're bigger than that.
"It's the right move by both sides. The Senators are making this right. They
want this to finish the way everybody thought it would, with him retiring as a
Senator."
As a kid, Henric marvelled at the skill and the aura that belonged to Mario
Lemieux. A few years later, his brother would turn into someone who will get
Hockey Hall of Fame consideration.
"We knew (Daniel) had potential," says Henric. "But he was never that player
that came to the rink who everybody talked about. He didn't have the sick
hands. His shot developed, you have to have a great shot to play in the NHL.
He had the most important tool, though: He had that ingredient -- a work
ethic.
"When he left (Sweden for the first time) to come to training camp, I thought
he'd be gone for a couple of weeks, maybe a month. To sit here and think
about it, to think about the fact he played (1,370 NHL games) and so many
games in the same organization ... you'd have gotten pretty good odds in
Vegas if you'd bet on that."
Henric marvels at the well-rounded player and person his brother became.
"Obviously, I'm very proud of his accomplishments on the ice," says Henric.
"He's been in the NHL so long, he played great. Through everything, when
his captaincy was questioned, he stayed the same person. He's been so
strong in the community. He got involved with the Royal Ottawa (the 'You
Know Who I Am' mental health awareness campaign) because of our sister
(Cecilia, who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder). I'm more proud of
that than the game-winning goals and the stats. It's that community stuff,
that's what you look at and we're all so proud of."
741216
Ottawa Senators
Ex-teammates laud Alfie's ability to find ways to win
Tugnutt said the games missed were because Alfredsson was a lot like fellow
Swede (and recent Hall of Fame inductee) Peter Forsberg, a noted grinder
who was also loaded with skill.
"His injuries were because he played the game so hard," Tugnutt, who now
owns and coaches the CJHL's Kemptville 73s, said of Alfredsson. "At times,
we watched him come in and he was struggling (with pain), but he was like:
'Yeah, I'm playing'. He was, to me, somewhat of a warrior."
Other Senators also noticed the toughness and dedication to playing
whenever possible. They saw the determination and commitment to the
cause, and they started to ask themselves: Why is Alexei Yashin wearing the
'C' and not Alfredsson?
Watching one of the NHL's top prospects play recently, Shawn McEachern
was reminded of his days with the Ottawa Senators.
"It became evident during my time there that Alfie was the captain of the team
and Yashin had to go," said Tugnutt. "Not that the room was divided, but I
think they all realized he was the captain of our team.
And it also made him think of Daniel Alfredsson.
Not that Boston University's Jack Eichel plays the same style, or as a centre,
even the same position. And there's no physical similarities between the
former Senators captain and the 6-foot-2, 193-pounder who is battling
Connor McDavid for recognition as the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft.
But, most likely because McEachern himself is now the coach of The Rivers
School boys varsity team in Weston, Mass., watching Eichel made him think
of how he must be appreciated by BU coach David Quinn the way Jacques
Martin -- and then Bryan Murray, John Paddock, Craig Hartsburg, Cory
Clouston and Paul MacLean -- appreciated Alfredsson.
"Usually, whoever your best player is, everybody tries to play like him," said
McEachern, a teammate and often linemate of Alfredsson for six seasons. "I
was just watching Eichel and thinking, BU's team kind of plays off of him. And
we always kind of played off of Alfie in Ottawa.
"A lot of times, if your best player does all the right things, then you're going to
have a good team. That had a lot to do with why we had good teams in
Ottawa."
Over a career that spanned 911 games from 1991-2006, McEachern played
with several of hockey's all-time greats. He was teammates with Wayne
Gretzky in Los Angeles, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and Luc
Robitaille in Pittsburgh, Ray Bourque, Cam Neely and Adam Oates in
Boston.
And where does Alfredsson fit among that list of Hall of Famers in
McEachern's mind?
"I'm not just saying that because you're interviewing me "but he is one of the
best players I've ever played with," said McEachern. "He got the most out of
his ability.
"You guys (in Ottawa) are probably spoiled because you watched him all the
time. But he's a tremendous player, at both ends of the ice. It wasn't just all
talent. It was hard work, too.
"I played with Mario, and Mario worked as hard as he had to. He was the best
player in the world," said McEachern. "Alfie was more like a regular player
that had a lot of ability, and just a lot of hard work and a lot of determination."
Part of what drove Alfredsson, McEachern thinks, was his status upon arrival
in the NHL. He was hell bent on being more than just an average sixth-round
pick.
"It seemed like every year, he was always trying to prove to people that he
was one of the best players in the league," said McEachern. "He didn't sit on
the past year, he always worked hard every year.
"I don't have any 'for-instances' because he just did it all the time. He was in
great shape and did everything he needed to do to win."
Ron Tugnutt also liked the way Alfredsson "went about his business." A
Senators goalie from 1996 to 2000, Tugnutt recalled how Alfredsson was
obsessed with finding ways to win.
"He was always looking for an edge," said Tugnutt. "He'd bring eight sticks
out to the bench sometimes. Different curves, different grips "¦ he was always
trying to be creative.
"To me, he was a very ultra-competitive guy."
It was that competitiveness which led to Alfredsson's battle with the injury
bug early in his career. After playing all 82 games in his award-winning rookie
season, various ailments limited him to 76, 55, 58, 57 and 68 games over the
next five years.
"It's hard to take a 'C' off a guy and keep him on your team. I think it was
getting to the point with us where everybody just wanted to jump on Alfie's
shoulders.
"Yash is one of my good friends, but when the chips were down, he didn't
really get nasty and dig in, but Alfie did. That was the ultra-competitiveness in
him. He was going to try and will a way to make it happen."
Another former teammate, Jason York, says a big reason the Senators upset
the Devils in the 1998 playoffs was because Alfredsson "dominated Scott
Niedermayer," New Jersey's best defenceman and leader.
"We all knew that one way or another he was going to do something in a
positive way for us," said Tugnutt. "You know you're a valuable player when
you're used in all situations. I talk to young players and say you want to be on
the ice in the last minute when you're down by a goal or up by a goal. For my
examples of that, I use Daniel Alfredsson and Joe Sakic. They understand
the point of the game and what job needs to be done, and whatever it takes to
get it done."
Alfredsson maintained his ways -- the desire, class, commitment -throughout his years with the Senators, and on to the brief chapter of his
career with the Detroit Red Wings.
He also recognized the end had arrived when it did.
"Age catches up to you "¦ it happens to everybody," said McEachern. "He got
the most out of his body for as long as he could. It's funny watching some of
those games last year. He wasn't as fast as he had been, but he still had the
ability to make plays ... the game slowed down for him because he could see
open guys and still make plays.
"He's a guy that could be playing until he's 45 if his body didn't give out on
him."
741217
Ottawa Senators
City eyeing ways to honour Alfie
By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun
Mayor Jim Watson is on the hunt for ideas to recognize one of the greatest
athletes who has represented Ottawa.
Watson said the city wants to honour Daniel Alfredsson in some way, just not
this week, since Thursday is all about the star's return to the Sens.
"I would certainly be open to ideas from the public on how they feel we can
best honour Alfie. There's a number of things that are at our disposal,
whether it's naming something after him or key to the city or things of that
nature," Watson said in an interview with the Sun.
"If they want to contact my office and tweet me, we will do something
significant for Daniel because the city owes him a great deal and it's the least
we can do to thank him for his tremendous community efforts."
Watson is a big fan of Alfredsson, but not just for the Swede's performance
between the boards.
"I think a lot of people will remember him and appreciate him very much for
the work he did off the ice," Watson said. "Obviously, the work he did with the
Royal Ottawa Hospital stands out as the most important role he played,
bringing mental health and that stigma out into the open with the You Know
Who I Am campaign."
It's hard to imagine another pro athlete in Ottawa who has made such a large
impact on the community, the mayor said.
"I just think the number of events he attended, often without publicity or
making it a big deal, visiting kids at CHEO throughout the year, going to
different charity events over the course of the off-season," Watson said. "I
think he's been a role model for captains of other sporting organizations
where he gives back to the community and he does it for all the right
reasons."
Watson said Alfredsson is all class.
"He's a very personable individual. I got to know him over the years and saw
him at different events. No pretenses, very down to earth and his family have
really made Ottawa their new home town," Watson said, adding that it was
tough to see Alfredsson go last year.
"It was a sad day when he left Ottawa and went to Detroit, but it looks like he's
coming back and hopefully in some form with the team and I think he'll be a
strong asset for the team and the community," the mayor said.
Watson is looking forward to hearing what the future holds for Alfredsson,
especially when it comes to Ottawa.
"I'm hoping his announcement is he's moving back to Ottawa and I think he'll
be welcomed back very warmly by all the people he has touched through his
philanthropic work," Watson said."‹
741218
Ottawa Senators
Welcome home, Alfie
"I'm coming home/
I'm coming home/
Tell the world I'm coming home/
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday/
I know my kingdom awaits and they've forgiven my mistakes/
I'm coming home, I'm coming home/
Tell the world I'm coming."
While you're watching the Daniel Alfredsson tribute video tonight, when the
Ottawa Senators host the New York Islanders, pay close attention to those
words. Let them echo through your mind and try not to get a bit misty-eyed
when you get one last chance in unison to chant his name over and over:
"Alfie, Alfie, Alfie, Alfie, Alfie!"
One final opportunity to say thanks to the greatest player to wear a Senators
jersey.
741219
Ottawa Senators
Alfredsson retirement ceremony will be a night to remember
The players didn't just share special moments with Alfredsson at the rink,
there were plenty away from it, as well. Phillips' and Alfredsson's kids played
minor hockey together. During the 2012-13 lockout, they coached a team
together.
"We had a lot of fun," said Phillips. "A lot of memories, not just on the ice, but
off the ice as well."
Winger Clarke MacArthur may have to move out of his locker stall for a day.
He sits in the one Alfredsson occupied for several years before he left
Ottawa.
Alfredsson is returning to where it all started to hang up his skates.
No. 11 on charts, No. 1 in their hearts.
The Senators will welcome back Daniel Alfredsson with open arms Thursday
before their game against the New York Islanders at the Canadian Tire
Centre.
Joined by owner Eugene Melnyk and GM Bryan Murray, Alfredsson will sign
a symbolic one-day contract at 9:30 a.m., retire as a member of the Senators
and then take one final twirl in warmup.
By the time this is over, the fact Alfredsson played his final year with the
Detroit Red Wings will be but a distant memory because he will always be
remembered as a member of the Senators.
Yes, it should be quite a night for the Senators, their fans and Alfredsson,
who may wear the 'C' for one last time.
"As a player and as a fan (he's looking forward to it)," said alternate captain
Chris Phillips on Wednesday. "He was a huge part of the organization.
"I'm excited to see what's going to take place and what they're going to do for
him and his reaction. As a player, I'm hopeful this event will bring a lot of
energy to the team as well."
The 41-year-old Alfredsson actually arrived in town on Monday with his wife
Bibi and four children to prepare for the festivities. He has family and close
friends coming from Sweden, as well.
Alfredsson reached out to Bryan Murray to inform the Senators he planned to
announce his retirement on Nov. 24 when they were in Detroit. Both felt it
would be better to happen in Ottawa.
The Senators didn't just want this to be any other retirement ceremony with a
faceoff at centre ice. That's why they sold Alfredsson on the idea of taking
one last skate in the No. 11.
It's believed the Senators offered him an opportunity to sign and take one
shift, but Alfredsson is happy with doing it this way. It gives him the chance to
say a proper farewell to fans.
"It will be very emotional," Karlsson said. "He's come to terms with the
decision he should retire, but it might hit him a little bit harder when he comes
into the rink (Thursday).
"It's going to be packed, it's going to be loud and there are going to be a lot of
ovations. It's going to be a lot for him to take in and it's going to be a while
before he realizes what really happened."
This night will only confirm for Alfredsson that you can go home again.
FIVE GREAT NIGHTS
Daniel Alfredsson's retirement night will be one of the most historic in
Senators' history. Here's a look at a few others:
Oct. 8, 1992: Senators defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 in first NHL
regular season game played in Ottawa since 1934 at the Civic Centre.
June 2, 2007: Down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup final to the Anaheim Ducks,
the Senators score a 5-3 victory at home in the first Stanley Cup final game
here.
April 12, 1997: Steve Duchesne scores with 4:01 left in the third on
Dominik Hasek to secure Ottawa's first trip to the playoffs with a 1-0 win over
the Buffalo Sabres.
May 2, 1998: The Senators score a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey
Devils in Game 6 of the first round for the club's first ever playoff series win.
Jan. 29, 2012: Daniel Alfredsson, Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza and Milan
Michalek are in the starting lineup for the NHL all-star game played in
Ottawa.
A LOOK BACK AT ALFIE'S CAREER
June 29, 1994: Daniel Alfredsson is selected by the Ottawa Senators in
the sixth round (133rd overall), of the 1994 NHL entry draft.
Oct. 13, 1995: Alfredsson scores his first career goal in his second game
-- a 6-2 loss in Florida tothe Panthers.
"I don't know what he'll do out there," said captain Erik Karlsson with a smile.
"It's going to feel like normal, talking for myself because I played with him, but
it's also going to be a little bit special.
Nov. 2, 1995: Alfredsson records his first career hat trick in a 5-0 win in
Hartford against the Whalers.
"At the same time, it's not going to feel any different. I don't know what he'll
take part in but, hopefully, he'll get to shoot some shots."
Jan. 20, 1996: Alfredsson plays in his first NHL all-star game in Boston. "I
look around the dressing room and wonder: 'Do I fit in here?'" Alfredsson
said. "But the other guys have been very nice to me."
It's a unique way to say goodbye because it hasn't been done before. Not
only will the fans be able to see Alfredsson one last time, the players will have
memories that will last a lifetime.
"It's the right way," Karlsson said. "The organization made the right choice in
making this happen and it's the honourable and right way to finish a career,
especially a career where he played 99% for this organization, this team and
this city."
Yes, there are a lot of young players and new faces on the Senators' roster,
but many of these players grew up with Alfredsson. They knew what his
departure meant and how much it hurt the city.
The importance of this moment isn't lost on the players who have grown up
here and the ones in their early years. If absence makes the heart grow
fonder, you'll see an outpouring in Ottawa.
"Alfie is legendary in this city and always will be," said winger Chris Neil. "For
him, going out on a night like this is unbelievable. Talking about it right now is
sending shivers down my back.
"He's a guy who could still play and contribute, just based on his skill level
and work ethic alone. It's going to be exciting for him. It really is."
June 19, 1996: Alfredsson wins the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year,
the first major award for the Senators franchise. "When I went to the NHL, I
had a two-way contract," the NHL's rookie scoring leader recalled after an
18-59-5 season that featured three coaches. "I hoped I'd make the team.
When we got off to a pretty good start, it really helped (my confidence)."
April 12, 1997: The team takes a celebratory lap at the Corel Centre, at
the suggestion of Alfredsson, after Ottawa clinches a playoff berth for the first
time with a 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Aug. 24, 1997: Alfredsson says he wants a trade after the five-year deal
offered to him by the Senators is at least $1 million less per season than
Alexei Yashin's contract. He finally returns to the ice Oct. 14 after a holdout,
agreeing to a four-year, $10-million deal.
May 2, 1998: The Senators win their first playoff series, beating the New
Jersey Devils on home ice in Game 6.
Sept. 16, 1998: Alfredsson tears his left MCL after hitting a rut on the ice
during a scrimmage at the Corel Centre. He misses seven weeks.
Oct. 1, 1999: Alfredsson named captain of the Senators with Yashin
sitting out the season. "I lead by example, whether it's a practice or
game-to-game. I give 100%," said Alfredsson. He wears the 'C' for the rest of
his career with Ottawa.
Oct. 21, 2009: Injury woes hit again after Alfredsson sprains his right
MCL in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. He misses 20 games.
April 24, 2000: The Senators lose the first of four Battle of Ontario playoff
series against the Leafs in Alfie's tenure, this one in six games.
Sept. 21, 2001: Alfredsson signs a one-year, $3-million deal with the
club.
Nov . 13, 2001: Alfredsson records his second hat trick in a month -- no
Senator had posted two in a season prior to this -- as Ottawa wins its 11th in
a row with an 11-5 demolition of the Capitals in Washington.
Feb. 20, 2002: Sweden suffers a shocking 4-3 loss to Belarus in an
Olympic quarterfinal. One newspaper calls it Sweden's worst-ever Olympic
fiasco. "Our hockey is fine," Alfredsson said. "The system is great. We just
didn't get the breaks. (Belarus) wasn't trying to score, they were just trying to
keep it close and catch a break."
May 10, 2002: Alfredsson scores the winner after a controversial hit on
Darcy Tucker as the Senators beat the Leafs 4-2 to take a 3-2 lead in their
Eastern Conference semifinal. Leafs fans are raging mad. Alas, Ottawa loses
the next two games.
July 12, 2002: The Senators sign Alfredsson to a new two-year,
$9.5-million contract. "It feels really good to have it done," Alfredsson said.
Dec. 16, 2002: Alfredsson plays his 500th career game -- a 4-3 loss to
the Montreal Canadiens. He scores his 11th goal of the season and 171st of
his career.
April 5, 2003: The Senators clinch first overall in the NHL, winning the
Presidents' Trophy. "We've worked hard this year and it's nice for us,"
Alfredsson said.
May 5, 2003: Alfredsson scores a goal as the Senators beat the
Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference
final for the first time.
May 7, 2003: Alfredsson and longtime girlfriend Bibi have their first of four
sons, Hugo. He's born at Queensway-Carleton Hospital. "The best day of my
life so far, for sure," Alfredsson said.
May 23, 2003: The visiting New Jersey Devils beat the Senators 3-2 in
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final after Ottawa rallied from a 3-1 series
deficit. "We had a special group here and everybody in this room wanted to
get the Stanley Cup. We had guys playing hurt and guys who stepped up for
us. It's tough to take right now. When we look back on this, we'll see it as a
positive, but it just didn't happen for us," Alfredsson said.
Oct. 15, 2003: Alfredsson records his franchise-record 493rd point,
overtaking Yashin, in a loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Dec. 29, 2003: Alfredsson makes a strong statement in Boston. "I really
like the way the team has been built up, and I like the chemistry as well. Go
ahead and write it. I guarantee we'll win the Cup," he said.
March 28, 2004: Alfredsson signs a five-year, $32.5-million deal with the
Senators. "I couldn't see myself playing anywhere else," Alfredsson said.
April 20, 2004: The Senators fall well short of the Cup, losing to the Leafs
in Game 7 of the first round., prompting the firing of coach Jacques Martin.
July 31, 2004: Alfredsson gets married to Bibi in Sweden.
Jan. 18, 2005: With lockout still going on (it would eventually wipe out the
season), Alfredsson makes season debut with Frolunda in the Swedish
league.
Feb. 26, 2006: Alfredsson's Team Sweden wins Olympic gold in Turin,
Italy, beating Finland 3-2. "Look, Salt Lake City is always going to be there,"
said Alfredsson. "There's nothing you can do about it. I might even tell my
kids about it. You can't be embarrassed by it because it happened. But you
learn from it and you move on. Nobody can take this (pointing at his gold
medal) away from us either. It's always going to be there. This is something
we really wanted and we achieved our goal."
Jan. 24, 2008: Alfredsson notches three goals and four assists in Tampa
for a huge seven-point night in an 8-4 win over the Lightning. "It was a fun
night," said Alfredsson. "Our line played well, we moved the puck, created
chances and had them running around a bit. The way I look at it, you add
them up at the end of your career ... maybe it will be: 'Do you remember that
night in Tampa?' When they come, you take them. It doesn't happen that
often."
April 3, 2008: Leafs' Mark Bell nails Alfredsson with an elbow to the head.
Sens fans are bitter. "If they played like that all year, we could accept it, but
Mark Bell running a guy blindside. I didn't like the fact he blindsided
(Alfredsson) and he went for the head," coach/GM Bryan Murray said.
June 18, 2008: Alfredsson steps up as leader of Royal Ottawa Hospital
Foundation mental health campaign to raise awareness. He talked about
how his sister, Cecilia, has struggled with an anxiety disorder. "I don't get
nervous a whole lot, but I'm really nervous about being here today. I really
care about this and I want to do this right. I'm not ashamed to talk about it
because I know I'm not alone," said Alfredsson.
Oct. 2, 2008: Alfredsson's Senators beat the Frolunda Indians 4-1 in an
exhibition game in his hometown of Gothenburg. He notches a goal and an
assist, to the delight of the crowd. "It will be a day I always remember,"
Alfredsson said.
Oct. 30, 2008: Alfredsson signs a four-year, $21.6-million deal with the
Senators. "My heart is in Ottawa," he said. "Ottawa has really become my
hometown."
April 6, 2010: Alfredsson plays his 1,000th game as the Senators beat
the host Florida Panthers 5-2. He picks up one assist.
Oct, 22, 2010: Alfredsson records his 1,000th career point with a hat trick
in Buffalo in a 4-2 win over the Sabres. "You couldn't write a better script for
that," said coach Cory Clouston. "He was our best player. Obviously, when
you score three goals, it's very important. But for him to play that way when
we've got guys out and struggling, we needed him to step up like he did."
Jan. 29, 2012: Alfredsson scores twice in the all-star game at Scotiabank
Place. Sellout crowd chants his name after each goal. "From a selfish point of
view, it's going to rank really high. It's just a whole ego weekend, pretty
much," Alfredsson laughed.
June 20, 2012: Alfredsson receives King Clancy Trophy for leadership
and community work.
July 31, 2012: Alfredsson confirms he'll play out the final season of his
contract for $1 million.
Dec. 11, 2012: Alfredsson turns 40.
May 22, 2013: Alfredsson picks up the puck after the Senators lose 7-3 to
the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of their second-round series in Ottawa. It
turns out to be his last home game as a Senator.
May 24, 2013: The Penguins finis"‹h off the Senators with a 6-2 win in
Game 5, Alfie's last game as a Senator. "It was a great year with the team
that we had and the adversity we faced. We've become a tight group. We
stuck together throughout," Alfredsson said.
June 14, 2013: Alfredsson receives the Mark Messier Award for
leadership.
June 28, 2013: Alfredsson confirms he'll return to play in 2013-14.
July 5, 2013: Alfredsson signs a one-year, $5.5-million deal with the
Detroit Red Wings.
Aug. 15, 2013: Alfredsson officially bids farewell to Ottawa and sheds
some light on why he left during a press conference at The Royal. "In late
June this year, I decided I had it in me to play at least one more season," said
Alfredsson. "I told management I was willing to return and I reminded them of
our agreement from the year before and to my disappointment the
negotiations again quickly stalled."
Sept. 14, 2013: Jason Spezza is introduced as Ottawa's first captain of
the post-Alfie era. Spezza would serve in the role just one season before
being traded to Dallas.
June 6, 2007: The Senators lose 6-2 in Anaheim against the Ducks in the
deciding Game 5 of the final.
Oct. 2, 2013: Alfredsson plays just more than 16 minutes in Detroit's
season-opener, the first time in is career he suited up for another NHL team.
Jan. 8, 2008: Alfredsson becomes the first Senator to be voted a starter
for the all-star game.
Oct. 23, 2013: Alfredsson plays against his former team for the first time
since signing with the Red Wings when the Senators visit Detroit. Ottawa
won the game 6-1.
Dec. 1, 2013: The Senators welcome their former captain back to Ottawa
as a member of the Red Wings and Alfredsson scores into an empty net to
cap off a 4-2 Red Wings win. Alfredsson received a loud ovation but was also
jeered once the game started. " I feel I definitely respect this city, this team as
well, and I thought once the puck dropped the crowd also did the right thing
and cheered on their team," he said.
Nov. 21, 2014: It is first reported that Alfredsson has decided not to play
again this season. An announcement of his pending retirement soon follows.
Nov. 25, 2014: It is confirmed that Alfredsson will officially announce his
retirement during the Dec. 4 game between the Senators and Islanders in
Ottawa.
Nov. 28, 2014: Wayne Gretzky said he believes Alfredsson will one day
be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I always look at the criteria of how
a guy approached the game -- and he approached it with dignity and class.
How a guy played under pressure -- and he always seemed to play good
games well under pressure; and he made a difference in the sport."
Dec 4, 2014: Alfredsson officially calls it a career, in Ottawa, where it all
started.
741220
Ottawa Senators
Former Maple Leaf forward Darcy Tucker on Alfie: 'I respect him'
Well, you look at the years in Ottawa and all the time and service he put in for
that team and that city. He's in the Hall of Fame talk moving forward. He did a
lot of things there where other guys in those scenarios wouldn't have been
able to accomplish.
That's what made Daniel Alfredsson who he was: One of the top competitors
I ever faced in the game. And for that, I truly respect him.
Darcy Tucker,
After all the battles I had with Daniel Alfredsson over the years, I carry no
animosity toward him.
Although my shoulder does at times.
Back in Game 5 of the 2002 playoffs, Alfredsson slammed me into the boards
late in the third with the score tied 2-2. While I separated my shoulder on the
play and no penalty was called, Alfredsson kept going and, seconds later,
scored the game-winning goal.
There was criticism that it was a hit from behind, but I'll leave that for others to
debate.
Listen, at the end of the day, the bottom line was that Daniel is trying to help
his hockey club win the series and I'm trying to help my hockey club win the
series. I didn't have the best reputation with the referees. And, basically,
that's what it came down to. He made a hockey play, he finished his check -unfortunately, I was injured on the play -- and they scored the winning goal.
He was trying to do whatever he could to win the game. And he did just that.
You have to respect the competitiveness with which the guy played. That
was reflected in the play I just described.
And, as Alfredsson hangs up his blades on such an illustrious career and
retires from the NHL, that, more than anything else, stands out for me when
you mention his name: His competitiveness.
He was a competitor, that's for dang sure. He played hard every night and he
was a lot more greasy than people gave him credit for. He knew how to play
the game at a high level and he left it all out there at playoff time.
We had our skirmishes during all those memorable Battles of Ontario, sure,
but I have a lot of respect for the man. He did a lot of great things for the city
of Ottawa beyond just playing the game. Animosity is carried within the
context of playing in a number of series like that against each other, but at the
end of the day, you have to have a lot of respect for someone like that.
The sequence of events in that 2002 playoff game -- the hit and the
subsequent winning goal by the Sens -- put us in a pretty big hole. But the
guys rallied and won a big game in Ottawa. And then we came back and won
a huge game in Game 7. We were fortunate enough to have a lot of depth
and a great group of guys.
Still, even though we came out ahead in those playoff series against them,
playing against Alfredsson and his Sens really took its toll on us. We could
never go on to get the job done in subsequent series. We could never get
over the bumps and bruises we suffered against them.
In all those Battles of Ontario, during games in Ottawa, we could hear how
our fans would boo him whenever he touched the puck. In his own building,
no less! He became the enemy, the villain for Toronto supporters whenever
the Leafs and Sens clashed.
Hey, Leafs fans are a special group. They cheer for their team, no matter
what. And when you get into heated rivalries like we had, every team has
villains and personalities in the context of playing those games. And when
you're competitive, you'll do whatever you can, whatever it takes, to help your
team win. And he was that type of guy. He willed his team to win. You need
guys like that.
When you look at the history of Swedes in the game, many of them are very
similar. They're really well-spoken and smart. Mats Sundin and Daniel won a
gold medal together at the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006. That sure spoke
volumes about how competitive they were and the levels they could take their
games to when the chips were down, that's for sure.
Whenever someone of Alfredsson's stature retires, you always hear
questions like: "How will he be remembered? What kind of legacy is he
leaving behind?"
If Daniel Alfredsson was the top villain in the eyes of Leafs fans during those
famed Battle of Ontario clashes of a decade ago, then Darcy Tucker
definitely was Public Enemy No. 1 in Ottawa. Tucker now lives in the Toronto
area and coaches his sons' hockey teams.
741221
Ottawa Senators
War stories from Hogtown
Mike Zeisberger, QMI Agency
For his part, Tucker, to this day, figures no penalty was called on the play
because "I didn't really have a good reputation with the officials."
That's for sure.
Still, Tucker, who separated his shoulder on the play, holds no grudges. In
fact, he respects Alfredsson for finishing the check, then finishing off the
Leafs moments later.
If Alfredsson was loathed in The Big Smoke, then Tucker was viewed the
same way in the nation's capital. During one of those playoff series, there
was actually a song played on Ottawa radio that went: "Dar-cee Tuck-er ...
We hate that little (bleep)."
TORONTO - For once, Daniel Alfredsson wasn't jeered in Toronto.
Note: The censored "bleep" word rhymes with Tucker. Use your imagination.
Looking back, it might have been the only time in two decades.
As Tucker is quick to point out, every heated rivalry needs villains. And the
Battle of Ontario certainly had its share. None more than Alfredsson and
Tucker.
The date was March 5, 2013, and the Senators captain was out for dinner in
the GTA. We'd suggest he tried to do it in relative anonymity but, let's face it,
how low-key can you be when you are Public Enemy No. 1 in the town you
are dining in?
Two years after the hit on Tucker, Alfredsson enraged Leafs Nation once
again with "Stick-Gate." Remember?
Fortunately, there were no meatballs chucked at him, no bowls of soup
dumped over his noggin, no extra "surprise ingredients" in the Chef's
Surprise special.
In January of 2004, then-Leafs captain Mats Sundin, frustrated at constantly
having sticks break on him, chucked the shaft of one of his busted twigs into
the ACC stands, earning a one-game suspension for his actions.
Maybe the city realized that its favourite villain would be playing at the Air
Canada Centre 24 hours later for the final time in a Sens jersey. Or maybe
Leafs fans wanted him to enjoy this version of The Last Supper in peace,
given that the man they loved to hate for so many years in the Battle of
Ontario was about to close that particular chapter of his illustrious career.
Sundin was forced to sit out the team's next contest, which just happened to
be against the rival Sens. And when Alfredsson faked tossing his own broken
stick into the seats, the crowd, feeling the Sens forward was mocking Sundin,
was furious.
On the other hand, when you consider the venom spewed in Hogtown at
Alfredsson over the years, those reasons hardly seem likely, do they? Maybe
he went out in a disguise. Yeah, that could be it.
"Nope, no mask or anything," Alfredsson told the Sun the following day. "It
was good. They didn't boo when they saw me,"
Of course, when he stepped on to the ice that night, they reverted back to
their old ways. They heckled. They jeered, They booed. They mocked him.
Just as they always had.
"I actually don't mind the booing at all," Alfredsson said at the time. "People
here are hockey people. People here have a passion for their team, and
that's a good thing.
"And outside of the rink, people are very respectful toward me in this city."
Inside? Not so much.
As we all reflect on Alfredsson's impressive career in the wake of his
expected retirement announcement on Thursday, the memories of those
epic Battle of Ontario clashes are first and foremost. From 1995 to 2013, if he
was healthy enough to tie the laces on his blades, he pretty much was front
and centre when the Sens and Leafs locked horns.
In the process, Leafs Nation didn't just let him hear its disdain at the Air
Canada Centre. No, he received the same treatment from the several
thousand blue-and-white clad Toronto supporters who would be in the stands
whenever the two teams met in Ottawa.
Heckled in your own rink -- man, the pro-Leafs faction really despised this
guy, didn't they?
But why? And when did it actually start? We posed both of those questions to
the good-natured Alfredsson, who simply shrugged his shoulders in
response.
"I really don't know which one moment that would be," he said.
For those of us who live in Toronto, we have a couple of instances in mind.
The first came during the 2002 playoffs. Late in Game 5, with the series tied
2-2, Alfredsson flattened Darcy Tucker with a hit the Leafs angrily claimed
was from behind, then scored the game-winning goal just seconds later.
Many observers feel it was the angriest they ever have seen the normally
reserved ACC throng, even to this day.
"I've seen the replay and I feel it was a hit from the side," said Alfredsson, a
comment that is certain to rile up bitter Leafs fans 12 years after the incident.
"We were trying to keep the puck in and pressure them. I don't remember
much else other than I scored."
"I wasn't trying to make fun of Mats and he knows that," Alfredsson said. "He
was having problems with broken sticks and so was I. I don't know what was
going on with Easton at the time, but I only did that out of frustration."
Leafs Nation will never buy that argument. Never have. Never will.
But that's okay, Mr. Alfredsson. In this town, if an opponent feels the wrath of
the home fans over time, you must be doing something right.
Here, they've booed many of the greats. Bobby Orr. Phil Esposito. Bobby
Clarke. Nowadays, Montreal's P.K. Subban seems to be the rotten apple of
Leafs fans' collective eyes, although he has a long way to go to reach your
level on the Despised Meter.
But, as you get ready to hang up your blades, the Toronto fans should be
thanking you. Without your fine play, without your antics, without your
trademark grin that always made their blood boil, the Battle of Ontario would
have missed some of the spice and bitterness that made this such a special
rivalry.
Instead, as Public Enemy No. 1 here, you made it fun. And, for that, we
should all be grateful.
FROM ENEMY TO ALLY
To understand just how deeply Daniel Alfredsson was loathed in Leafs Land,
just ask Red Wings forward Stephen Weiss about it.
As a teenager in the Toronto-area town of Markham, young Stephen
watched Alfredsson assume the villain's role during those memorable
Leafs-Senators Battle of Ontario playoff series, which saw the teams clash
four times in five post-seasons starting in 2000.
Years later, Weiss came to the 2013 Red Wings training camp in Traverse
City to discover that he now would be Alfredsson's linemate with Detroit.
A little awkward, perhaps?
"I wouldn't say he was my favourite player growing up," Weiss said. "But I
definitely respected him and that's the main thing. I've played against him for
a while now and see how hard he works and what a great leader he is. All that
other stuff is out the window.
"But, certainly, when he was playing against the Leafs in those playoff series,
I might have thrown out a few boos, for sure."
He wasn't the only one.
741222
Ottawa Senators
Alfie took a piece of Ottawa's heart with him
When you talk about players who never take a shift off, Alfredsson is in that
category. He combined skill with a hard-nosed style, rarely lost a puck battle
and always had a team-first attitude.
“You knew what you were going to get shift-to-shift, game-to-game and
week-to-week,” said Chiarelli. “You knew he was going to be there, he was
going to be a threat and he was going to make other players better.
“When you say that, it means you’re both talented and unselfish, because
you know, if you make other players better that, collectively, you’re going to
be better. The consistency meant he was always there. A lot of guys look for
reasons not to play — and he was the opposite.”
The day Daniel Alfredsson walked out the door for Detroit, a city — a place
called Hockey Country — went through a wide range of emotions.
Because he toiled in Ottawa, people might not realize what a great player he
was for his whole career. Sometimes the Senators play in anonymity with the
Toronto Maple Leafs in the spotlight.
Disappointment.
Anger.
Frustration.
The biggest question: Why?
Perhaps nobody will ever know the real answer, but the lingering thought on
July 5, 2013, was that somehow, some way, the guy who had spent 17 years
in an Ottawa uniform had tarnished his legacy.
“It’s more impressive than what people would think,” said Potvin. “He’s got
more goals, more points, he’s not far from being a point-a-game guy in his
career.
“It’s pretty incredible in the era he played in to get 400 goals and the
situations that he played in with penalty-killing and everything else, he was
Mr. Everything in Ottawa.”
Agonizing departure
Many in the hockey world felt it wasn’t in the best interests of Alfredsson, the
face of the franchise, to pack his bags and play his final year with the Detroit
Red Wings and not with the Senators.
And, perhaps, that’s why people took his departure so hard. Alfredsson
became like part of the furniture in the Ottawa dressing room (a very big
piece mind you) but he was always there and could always be counted on to
produce.
But as Alfredsson prepares to wrap up his career Thursday morning with a
news conference at the Canadian Tire Centre, all is forgotten. Now, nobody
is worried about the past.
“You’re always thinking Alfie will take care of it and he’s there and you
become used to it,” Chiarelli said. “There was a backlash when he left, but
that’s peanuts for what he gave them for such a long time.”
Former New York Islanders defenceman Denis Potvin, a member of the NHL
Hall of Fame, an Ottawa native and a former Senators colour analyst, doesn’t
believe Alfredsson hurt his standing one bit.
The Senators did try to bring Alfredsson back last summer. He was
committed to playing in Detroit one more year if he were going to play. But his
bad back wouldn’t allow it, so now he has to face retirement.
He always has been, and always will be, thought of as a member of the
Senators, first and foremost. The stop in Detroit will be a distant memory.
The decision to hold his announcement here is the right one for both parties
involved. It represents a chance to close the book on what’s been a glorious
career with the Senators.
“Does anybody remember that Serge Savard ended his career in Winnipeg?
Does anybody remember that Darryl Sittler finished his career in Philly? I
don’t think so,” said Potvin, who is back on the Florida Panthers’ broadcasts.
“That’s why I think that whole Detroit thing is going to be forgotten real fast.
And, even if everybody says it was a mistake on his part or a mistake on the
team’s part, whatever you think of that argument, nobody is going to think
about it in a few years. Nobody.”
“His longevity in Ottawa speaks mountains about Alfie as a person, a loyal
employee and contributor,” said Chiarelli. “I know he loves the town of
Ottawa. It’s proper and appropriate. The people in Ottawa should know —
and I know they do know because they’re smart hockey people — that what
they got from Alfie in that period of time was unique and they’ll never get it
again. He loves the city and I know he loved playing there. It’s appropriate
and it will be a really good day.”
Ask somebody to describe Alfredsson and they usually use two words:
Consistency and class. He carried himself with both during his NHL career.
It’s the reason he is so highly regarded.
Chiarelli should know — he tried to sign Alfredsson as an unrestricted free
agent on July 5, 2013, because he knew he could use that kind of player in
Boston.
Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, a former Senators assistant, has seen
Alfredsson first-hand and has a tremendous amount of respect for the way he
plays and carries himself off the ice.
“He’s a clutch player, brings leadership, gritty, durable and strong,” Chiarelli
said. “All those things that you look for in players to win championships. To
me, it was a no-brainer to try and bring it.”
'Gritty nature'
Some people will question Alfredsson because he’s retiring without a Stanley
Cup ring. That doesn’t really matter because he had an excellent career that
will be remembered fondly.
“He’s been such a very good player for so long. That’s a given ... from the
time he came into the league,” Chiarelli said earlier this week from his office.
“What really impressed me about Daniel throughout his career is the gritty
nature of his play for a skilled guy and the ability to play through injuries.
“That was a common denominator every year because he played hard and
he played skilled. He’s a real solid guy. The way he played, he’d get hurt or
worn-down and he’d continue to play. That’s what impressed me the most.
“He was a terrific player, a clutch player with ... terrific leadership. The ability
to sustain that over time through injuries is what impressed me the most. The
elite factor for a grit player.”
Rick Bowness, the original coach of the Senators who was behind the bench
in Alfredsson’s rookie season in 1995-96, has admired what Alfredsson has
been able to accomplish in his career.
“His legacy in the league is one of the most consistent professional players
and a highly skilled guy,” said Bowness on the weekend. “He was just a true,
true competitor every game.
“The consistency with which that guy competed ... again, not the biggest guy
out there, but he had the biggest heart out there, and that will be his legacy.”
“It’s not sad. His career was terrific,” said Chiarelli. “I’ve followed it just
because he’s a genuine guy with the character on and off the ice that you
want to be part of your organization. There are a lot of players that don’t win
the Stanley Cup, but there are a lot of players who haven’t had careers like
Alfie. I don’t think it’s sad. I think it’s just time to look at his career because it
was so impressive.”
The reality is Alfredsson didn’t hurt his legacy or the way people will choose
to remember him one bit by bolting for Detroit for one season.
“It’s like Bryan Trottier. He won two Cups in Pittsburgh. Nobody remembers
Pittsburgh. You make your legacy because of the way you play the game and
the team that you are remembered with. The success the Senators had
getting to the final in 2007 all revolves around Alfredsson. Plus, he’s hated in
Toronto like I’m hated by the Rangers, so he must have done something
right.”
If anything, Alfredsson’s absence made the heart grow fonder. We’ll all
witness that during his goodbye on Thursday night.
741223
Ottawa Senators
Alfie is back where he belongs
The irony of it all, eh? Think the Senators would have qualified for last
spring’s post-season tournament, and been guaranteed at least two home
playoff dates, with Alfredsson on the team?
He was the Red Wings’ co-leader in points (49) and third on the team in goals
(18) in 2013-14. Would a similar output, along with his leadership, kept the
Senators from throwing away the five points in the standings that they fell
short?
No doubt. But that’s all water under the bridge, as they say. And so is the
Senators-Alfredsson divorce.
The two will be remarried in a ceremony at Canadian Tire Centre today.
Throughout his illustrious NHL career, red and white always were Daniel
Alfredsson’s true colours.
But the permanent tattoo over his heart should be that of a centurion without
even the barest of tracings of a winged wheel.
Alfredsson will announce his retirement on Thursday in Ottawa, temporarily
slotting him 84th in career games played with 1,246 — two behind Bill
Gadsby (1946-1966) and Sergei Fedorov (1990-2009), and two ahead of
Jason Arnott (1993-2012) and Alan Stanley (1948-1969).
Alfredsson, who suited up for all but 68 of his games in a Senators jersey,
never did look quite right wearing the Detroit Red Wings uniform. It was an
uncomfortable fit — if only to our eyes. He should have never had to pull one
over his head.
Only eight players above Alfredsson on the career list never changed their
business address: Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit), Alex Delvecchio (Detroit),
Steve Yzerman (Detroit), Stan Mikita (Chicago), Ken Daneyko (New Jersey),
Patrick Marleau (San Jose) and Henri Richard (Montreal).
Two others remained with one franchise while it relocated: Joe Sakic
(Quebec/Colorado) and Shane Doan (Winnipeg/Phoenix).
So, you see, it would have really been something special for Alfredsson to
spend his entire career with the Senators. And there is no acceptable reason
for why it didn’t happen.
We say now what we said the day Alfredsson announced at a Royal
Ottawa-hosted news conference: This divorce, like most others, can be
blamed on both sides.
The man who has the final say with the Senators — owner Eugene Melnyk —
should have stepped in and opened his wallet a little wider. Whether Bryan
Murray was caught bluffing in the game of poker GMs play with agents or not
is irrelevant. Murray said afterward he told agent J.P. Barry the Senators
would give his client $4.5 million for one year, while Alfredsson’s camp was
looking for either a single-season salary of $7 million or two years at $12
million.
Melnyk needed to take the lead, to understand that Alfredsson’s worth to the
business and the city went beyond a few extra dollars, and act accordingly.
He should have ruled that Alfredsson, who was paid $1 million in his final
season with Ottawa because of a front-loaded contract, deserved at least the
one-year option he requested. That would have been that.
Giving him $8 million over the span of two seasons — his last with the
Senators and what turned out to be his only with Detroit — would hardly be
excessive, no matter what Alfredsson’s other contracts had paid him.
And then there’s the blame that lies at the feet of the man himself. It probably
won’t be popular to bring this up, especially given all the deserved gushing
that is being done this week, but Alfredsson could, and should, have avoided
the breakup by swallowing his pride and taking the Senators’ offer, or
insisting on further negotiations.
It all goes back to the age- old question: How much money is enough?
According to capgeek.com, in his 16 seasons here, Alfredsson was paid
more than $60 million. As it turns out, Detroit’s carrot (including bonuses)
was only $1 million more than what Murray put on the table — and don’t think
the Senators wouldn’t have bent a little more, if they knew that was all it
would take to avoid losing their legendary player.
That’s right, unless he had a really strong desire to wear the wheel and work
in a dumpy downtown area, in the end, all that prevented Alfredsson from
playing every one of his NHL games in the city where it all started was a
million bucks — or about, what we’ve been led to believe, Melnyk used to pull
in for each playoff game.
And, this time, they are sure to live happily ever after.
741224
Ottawa Senators
Is Alfie Hall of Fame worthy?
Lance Hornby, QMI Agency
He'll ascend into Norse hockey's Valhalla the moment his retirement
becomes official on Thursday.
But the Hall of Fame down here? Get ready for at least three years of debate
on the worthiness of Daniel Alfredsson and probably a few more inductions
after that. Because it could be a while before he wedges between Jack
Adams and Glenn Anderson on the Hall's alphabetical list of players.
"I believe he'll get in, but not right away," said NBC television analyst Pierre
McGuire, an assistant coach with the Sens in Alfredsson's rookie year of
1995-96. "There's going to be a lot of competition, some phenomenal players
and the (Hall) classes are getting better and better every time."
Alfredsson has decent numbers in terms of longevity (18 seasons) and points
(1,157), won Olympic gold with Sweden in 2006 and at least one major
individual NHL award, the 1996 Calder Trophy. Of the five men who were
rookie of the year ahead of him, Peter Forsberg, Ed Belfour and Pavel Bure
used the Calder as their first stepping stone to the Hall, while Teemu Selanne
and Martin Brodeur will cruise in.
But personal achievements also weaken the 41-year-old Alfredsson's cause.
No other hardware is on his shelf except for community service (the King
Clancy Trophy) and broadly defined leadership honour (the Mark Messier
Award). He has no Stanley Cup (the Sens were finalists in 2007 to Anaheim),
no scoring title (he appeared with -- but never ahead of -- teammates Marian
Hossa and Dany Heatley in top-10 scoring), he didn't come close to 500
goals and had just one 100-point season.
In a comprehensive look at Alfredsson's chances, Sean McIndoe of the
sports/pop culture site Grantland.com went through the arguments the Hall
selection committee will hear in 2017 and beyond. Most encouraging for
Alfredsson's supporters are the many inductees who made it without a trunk
full of trophies or fingers dripping with championship rings.
But Alfredsson is also parked just beyond the top 50 scorers in league
history. Those ahead include Vincent Damphousse and Bernie Nicholls,
neither on the radar despite Damphousse's 1,205 points, while Nicholls
averaged 1.07 points a game. Further up the line is Jeremy Roenick, 40th
with 1,216 points, but still waiting his phone call. All of them have similar
backgrounds to Alfredsson.
None of this should cloud Alfredsson's inspiring story as an obscure
sixth-rounder in the 1994 draft. Before calling his name, the Sens had picked
Radek Bonk and Stanislav Neckar and then two American high-schoolers
who would never play in the NHL.
Alfredsson was an unknown at his first camp when he faced his future
nemeses, the Maple Leafs, on Sept. 19, 1995, in an exhibition game at the
old Ottawa Civic Centre. But within five years, he'd joined a trend of Swedish
captains in the NHL that would include Mats Sundin in Toronto, Markus
Naslund in Vancouver and, later, Nicklas Lidstrom in Detroit. Ten years later,
he was a second-team all-star.
"It was our head pro scout, the late John Ferguson Sr., who brought Daniel to
our attention," McGuire recalled. "He said: 'This guy is gonna to blow you
away'. John was a tough player, but had that refined eye for kids who were
undersized or a half step behind the others.
"Daniel made the quick transition from the big ice. He wasn't intimidated, he
dominated the puck and had impeccable work habits. He wasn't just a great
hockey player, he was a great athlete, in hockey, golf and tennis."
While there was no Cup for the Sens in Alfredsson's time before his late
move to Detroit, McGuire hopes his play in the 2004-05 Swedish Elite
League title is considered. With Sweden full of locked-out NHLers,
Alfredsson -- playing on a line with Sammy Pahlsson and P.J. Axelsson -overcame a Farjestad club that featured Zdeno Chara and Sheldon Souray
on defence.
"That's what also stands out to me, his level of international play," McGuire
said. "I hope that's considered."
But as McGuire mentioned, the traffic jam at the Hall will continue to grow.
Lidstrom and Chris Pronger are next in line for a Hall invite in June, and
perhaps Sergei Fedorov, too. That means names such as Dave Andreychuk
and Eric Lindros must wait.
How grey will Alfredsson's famous red locks get before -- or if -- he's
summoned?
741225
Ottawa Senators
Long-time Sens bench boss Jacques Martin thinks Alfie is one of the greats
Jacques Martin, Guest Columnist
Jacques Martin is a senior advisor of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh
Penguins. He spent 1995 to 2004 behind the Ottawa bench after taking over
from Dave Allison, midway through Daniel Alfredsson's rookie season. Martin
named Alfredsson captain in 1999 to replace Alexei Yashin.
Martin will be in the building tonight scouting for the Penguins. The timing
couldn't have been more perfect. He shared his thoughts in this column for
the Sun in a discussion with Bruce Garrioch.
Let's start this by saying I have the utmost respect for Daniel Alfredsson, not
only as a player, but as a person.
Since leaving Ottawa, he's a guy I've always kept in touch with, who has
made time for me when I see him and someone who gave everything he had
to the game because he loved it.
When you think about Alfie, he's a guy who has had a pretty special career
and, in my eight years with the Senators, it was a chance to work with
someone who was a pretty special athlete.
He has a lot of values. To me, one of his great assets was his mindset toward
the game. When he came to the rink, he came with a tremendous work ethic,
but also he enjoyed himself and had fun.
Alfie was dedicated, whether it was before or after practice by working on his
skills and at making himself a better player. It was the same in the off-season
-- he worked at getting quicker and stronger.
That was probably the reason he was able to play for 18 years, play at a high
level and make an impact. His game never really deteriorated. The last
couple of years, injuries have been a factor.
Some players get older and they may get slower. Not him. He was always a
top-notch player, an elite player who was able to contribute. That's because
he worked at his game and improved.
He was a tremendous leader for our team in Ottawa. A lot of that leadership
came from the way Alfie performed on the ice. He led by example, but as he
grew more comfortable as a leader, he really took care of the young players.
He was a great sounding board for me as a coach. As our relationship grew,
he became much more of a factor as far as getting the pulse of the team by
consulting with him on different issues.
There was trust and respect built up on both sides over the years. I always
felt he was a player that gave 100% because he was committed to playing
the game the right way and doing the right things.
As a skilled player, I respected his ability to be an impact player, but what I
really respected the most was that he always put the team ahead of himself.
The way he played -- he wasn't selfish. He distributed the puck, he really
thought of his teammates, he made plays for the team. He sacrificed himself
whether it was taking a hit, taking a hit to make a pass or committing himself
to do the right things for the team to win.
Alfredsson was the ultimate team player.
This was a guy who never took a shift off. Even the nights when things
weren't going for him because the puck wouldn't bounce his way or maybe he
was struggling with his hands, he'd still be a reliable player that would give
you 100% on the forecheck, backcheck, stopping in the right place and doing
the little things.
Alfie played with discipline and details in his game. That's what made him
such a great player. As a head coach, he was one of the greatest I had the
pleasure to coach and work with.
I've had some great ones as an assistant, with Mats Sundin and Peter
Forsberg or Joe Sakic. Definitely, as a head coach, Daniel Alfredsson was
the greatest I've ever coached, and I think Marian Hossa was a special, elite
player as well.
Alfie wasn't just a great player, he's also a special person. The way he
committed and cared for people. The impact he had on our community in
Ottawa. He was someone people admired and a great example to kids
growing up.
This is going to be a great night. I'm really looking forward to be there.
741226
Ottawa Senators
11 great moments from Daniel Alfredsson
Daniel Alfredsson provided plenty of magical memories for hockey fans over
his 18-year career. We've picked out the best:
HE HITS, HE SCORES
Daniel Alfredsson became a villain to Maple Leafs fans during Game 5 of a
second-round Battle of Ontario playoff series in 2002. With just more than
two minutes left in the third period and both the score and series knotted at
2-2, he drove Leafs pest Darcy Tucker from behind into the side boards.
Then, when no penalty was called, he strode to the front of the net, where he
took a pass from Juha Ylonen and snapped a shot behind goalie Curtis
Joseph. The goal stood as the winner in a 4-2 final, though the Leafs
bounced back to take the series.
THE 2006-07 SEASON
Alfredsson actually recorded personal highs in goals (43), assists (60), points
(103) and penalty minutes (50) during the 2005-06 season but, being a team
guy, it's likely he'll remember the following campaign more fondly. In '06-07,
he had 87 points, but also set a franchise record for best plus-minus
(plus-42), then scored 14 goals and eight assists in 20 playoff games to lead
the Senators to their one and only Cup final appearance. Somewhat
astonishingly, Alfredsson finished no higher than tied for 16th in Hart Trophy
voting with Nashville's Paul Kariya and Brendan Shanahan of the Rangers.
BIGGEST GOAL IN TEAM HISTORY
It wasn't Bobby Orr flying through the air after scoring to win the Stanley Cup,
but Alfredsson did pull the trigger on the goal that gave the Senators the 2007
Eastern Conference title. At 9:32 of overtime in Game 5 at Buffalo's HSBC
Arena, Alfredsson took a pass from Dany Heatley and, after breaking into the
Sabres zone on a 1-on-3, took a shot that tipped off defenceman Brian
Campbell's stick and beat goalie Ryan Miller just inside the right post. "What
else can you say about Alfie?" Jason Spezza asked. "He's been our leader
the whole time. It's only fitting he scores that winner."
THROWING SOME GAS (but no stick) ON THE FIRE
Alfredsson further incensed Leafs fans -- while amusing the Senators faithful
-- at the Air Canada Centre midway through the 2004 season. Leafs captain
Mats Sundin was serving a one-game suspension at the time for throwing a
broken stick into the crowd when Alfredsson playfully mocked the penalty
and his countrymate by pretending he was going to toss his own stick over
the glass when it snapped in two. The crowd went berserk (Alfredsson would
later call it an overreaction) and the Senators went on to a 7-1 victory.
A RECORD NIGHT
Alfredsson set the record for most points in a game by a Senator when he
racked up seven in an 8-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 24,
2008. The three-goal, four-assist performance started with a pair of tallies,
his 30th and 31st goals of the season, and a helper that had Ottawa out in
front with a 3-0 first-period lead. He had a goal and an assist in the second
period, then picked up two more helpers in the third. Of his goals, one was
scored at even strength, one on the power-play and one short-handed.
CALDER COUP
Alfredsson became the first Senator to win a major NHL award when he
captured the 1995-96 Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie.
On a team that finished with a league-low 41 points (18-59-5), the then-23
year-old Swede scored 26 goals and 35 assists to garner 31.1% of the votes.
Next in line was Chicago's Eric Daze (29.6%), Florida's Ed Jovanovski
(15.2%) and Montreal's Saku Koivu (5.9%). Other award winners that night
were Mario Lemieux (Hart), Chris Chelios (Norris), Sergei Fedorov (Selke),
Paul Kariya (Lady Byng) and Jim Carey (Vezina).
A STAR AMONG STARS
With the 2012 NHL all-star game being played at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place,
Alfredsson put on a show. He scored twice and added an assist, but was not
awarded the MVP only because his team lost to Team (Zdeno) Chara by a
12-9 count. Marian Gaborik had a hat trick and an assist for the victors to
claim the hardware. Alfredsson, who received numerous rousing ovations
from the home crowd throughout the affair, said the entire weekend was
going to rank "really high" among his career highlights. "I don't know if I
deserve it or not, but it's definitely humbling," he said of the outpouring of love
he received from the fans.
MAKING HISTORY
Alfredsson is listed in the Guinness world records for scoring the first
shootout goal, on the first shootout shot, in league history. Naturally, it came
against the Maple Leafs. On Oct. 5, 2005, at the ACC, Alfredsson skated in
on Ed Belfour and, with a quick flick of his wrists, beat the Toronto goalie low
on the glove side. Alfredsson sandwiched two goals around one by Toronto's
Eric Lindros in the final 5:48 of the third period to set up the shootout. The
Senators won the game 3-2, as Heatley also scored in the shootout and
Dominik Hasek stopped Jason Allison and Lindros.
INTERNATIONAL STAGE
While Alfredsson played in seven world championships, five Winter Olympics
and the World Cup of Hockey twice, his crowning achievement on the global
stage came at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy. Wearing an alternate captain's
'A' on his jersey, he led Sweden in scoring with five goals and five assists -tying him for third among the tournament's overall leaders with Slovakia's
Marian Hossa -- as his country claimed the gold medal with a 3-2 victory over
Finland. Alfredsson considered it one of his proudest achievements.
MORE FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC
Alfredsson became the 75th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point
mark on Oct. 22, 2010, in Buffalo. And he did so, once again, in style. His hat
trick in a 4-2 victory, included the deciding goal midway through the second
period and an empty-netter, with the Senators on a power-play, for the
milestone marker in the last minute of play. If it seems like he was always
picking on the Sabres, such is not the case. While he scored 44 goals and 89
points in 93 career games versus Buffalo, he was better against the Habs,
recording 107 points (31 goals) in 93 games.
LEADING THE WAY
Alfredsson took over the Senators' 'C' from Alexei Yashin in 1999 and
proceeded to establish himself not only as a quintessential leader, but also
the longest-serving captain in the league until he left for Detroit in the
summer of 2013. During Alfredsson's time with the letter on his chest, the
Senators had an outstanding regular-season record of 544-352-47-89, while
winning four division titles and advancing to the Cup final once. He remains
the franchise leader in many statistical categories, including most goals
(426), assists (682), points (1108) and games played (1178).
741227
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers lose in shootout to the Ducks
FRANK SERAVALLI,
"Overall, there are obviously still some things that we need to clean up,"
Mason said.
Mason, starting the second night in a row, was so frustrated at a certain point
that he shot the puck the length of the ice after giving up Anaheim’s tying goal
in the final minute of the second period. He was already the only reason the
Flyers had a shot at a lead in the game.
Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 6:01 PM
More than a quarter of the way into the season, the Flyers seemed content
offering the bait of a moral victory - which doesn’t count in the standings. Only
Carolina, Columbus and Edmonton are below them now.
ANAHEIM - There is a scene in National Lampoon’s "Vegas Vacation" where
lovable Cousin Eddie was walking - fishing pole in tow - through a tour at the
Hoover Dam when he began to get nervous.
"I think in moments like these, you’ve got to stick together as a team and find
the positive things," Umberger said. "In San Jose, we played a good
structured game and we deserved better. Tonight, we kept battling against a
desperate team in this building, we found a way to get a point. It’s not going to
be pretty getting out of these type of things."
He noticed water running down the side of the Dam, so he hurriedly plugged
it with a piece of chewing gum.
Seconds later, another leak sprang through the concrete. He couldn’t chew
new pieces of gum fast enough to plug them all. A new one would appear just
as quickly.
Those leaks - some new, some recurring - help define the Flyers and where
they sit after 25 games. Wayne Simmonds played the heroic role of Cousin
Eddie on Wednesday night against the Ducks, corking a big spill with his
game-tying goal with 2.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Flyers, of course, fell 5-4 in the shootout - the latest leak - but the team’s
ninth consecutive shootout loss (dating to Dec. 30, 2013) is actually the least
of their problems right now. For once.
Sure, the dam could have broken on Wednesday night after Pat Maroon’s
go-ahead power play goal with five minutes to go. The Flyers could have
easily rolled over, particularly after how badly their previous game ended 400
miles north in San Jose less than 24 hours earlier.
Instead, they won a point they probably shouldn’t have - one night after losing
one they definitely earned.
"It’s better than none," Steve Mason said. "I’ll give the guys credit for not
giving up. They took it right to the last couple seconds. But it’s still a loss."
Either way, the Flyers have lost six in a row (0-4-2) for the first time since the
start of the 2008-09 season (0-3-3). They’ve dropped nine consecutive
games on the road (0-7-2), dating back to Oct. 22.
In the larger view, Simmonds’ last-second goal was just a temporary patch. It
only masked the fact that the Flyers were 2.6 seconds away from allowing
three unanswered goals to Anaheim after holding a 3-1 lead.
They weren’t able to protect a two-goal edge that actually came from a few
fortunate bounces, considering they were badly outplayed for much of the
first two periods.
"I thought that we lost the point tonight," coach Craig Berube said. "We were
up 3-1. We’ve got to shut the door there, we’ve got to play smarter hockey in
that situation. I thought we let them back in the game just from defensive
mistakes."
If the video didn’t do it justice, take a look at the advanced stats. Through the
first two periods of play, Anaheim held a better-than 2-to-1 advantage (35-16)
in five-on-five shot attempts, which best indicate time of possession.
"In the first period, I thought we ran around in our own end a little bit," Berube
said. "We got a little lost. But I thought we battled pretty hard and competed
pretty hard in our own end. We gave up some odd-man rushes that caused
some of those goals.
"Those odd-man rushes are caused from being too aggressive. I think that
the guys are pressing. We’ve got to be smarter. It’s one thing to be
aggressive - you want to win, you want to get on people - but we’ve got to be
smarter than that."
In other words, the Flyers took one step forward with their play in San Jose,
and two steps backward in Orange County. Where the Flyers earned a point
in one and not the other is irrelevant - the result was still one out of a possible
four. No one said hockey is normal.
On Wednesday, when the Flyers’ secondary scoring leak was finally plugged
- with R.J. Umberger’s first point in 17 games, Simmonds’ first goals in 6
games, Michael Raffl’s first goal in 9 games - their defensive zone became a
floodgate for large portions of the game.
Slap shots
John Stevens was fired on this day exactly five years ago, replaced by Peter
Laviolette on Dec. 4, 2009 … Anaheim scored on both shootout attempts for
their second shootout win over the Flyers this season. Suffice to say, Steve
Mason isn’t a fan of the shootout: "You guys (media) know my thoughts on
the shootout" … With an assist, Jake Voracek is now tied again with Sidney
Crosby atop the NHL’s scoring list … Craig Berube stuck with the same
lineup, with Vinny Lecavalier and Michael Del Zotto scratched, for the second
night in a row … After back-to-back games, the Flyers will have a complete
day off today and regroup for practice tomorrow in Los Angeles.
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 12.04.2014
741228
Philadelphia Flyers
Ducks outlast Flyers in shootout
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Mason, whose team had a 3-1 lead earlier in the period, took the puck out of
the net and fired it down the other end of the ice in anger. Mason made
several spectacular saves in the first two periods.
Michael Raffl, converting a great pass from Claude Giroux, gave the Flyers a
1-0 lead with 14:14 left in the second period. It marked the second straight
road game in which the Flyers had scored first _ after failing to do so in their
first 11 games away from the Wells Fargo Center.
Posted: Thursday, December 4, 2014, 1:08 AM
Jake Voracek had an assist on Raffl's goal to tie Sidney Crosby for the NHL
lead with 33 points.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Flyers' road losing streak continues, but they
managed to salvage a point Wednesday night. Somehow.
About 21/2 minutes after Raffl's goal, Cam Fowler scored on a blast from the
left circle, finishing off a three-on-two after a bad line change by the Flyers
while the teams were playing four-on-four.
The Flyers were about to be 5-3 losers as Devante Smith-Pelly had a 20-foot
shot for an empty-net goal that would close out an Anaheim victory at the
Honda Center.
But Simmonds scored 32 seconds later to restore the Flyers' lead at 2-1,
maneuvering around Clayton Stoner and then Vatanen before scoring from
the right circle. It was just his second goal in the last 11 games.
But Smith-Pelly lost control of the puck, the Flyers raced down the other end,
and Wayne Simmonds scored on his own rebound with 2.6 seconds
remaining to knot the score at 4.
Umberger made it 3-1, but the Flyers allowed two goals in the last 8:45 of the
second period, and the teams went into the third period tied at 3.
No matter. Anaheim won in a shootout, 5-4, with Corey Perry scoring the
game-winner against Steve Mason.
"Give the guys credit for not giving up," Mason said. "…But it’s still a loss."
Matt Read was stopped on a breakaway with 2 minutes, 33 seconds left in
overtime by Frederik Andersen. With 49.3 seconds remaining, Andersen
gloved Simmonds' attempt at a hat trick.
Simmonds and R.J. Umberger ended scoring droughts in the wildly
entertaining matchup.
Patrick Maroon, an ex-Flyer farmhand, scored on a power-play rebound with
5:02 left to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead.
Anaheim, which overcame a 3-1 deficit, handed the Flyers their ninth straight
road loss (0-8-1), matching their longest stretch without a road victory since
1999.
"We’re playing better hockey," said Simmonds, who had a pair of goals. "We
know we’re going to start picking up points if we keep playing this way. We’re
not playing a complete 60 (minutes), but it seems the effort is definitely
there….a lot more than it was in previous games."
The Flyers haven't won on the road since a 5-3 victory in their unofficial
second home, Pittsburgh, on Oct. 22.
Overall, they have lost 10 of their last 11, including six straight (0-4-2).
In the last two seasons, the Flyers have lost nine straight games in
shootouts, including four this year. Their shooters are just 2 for 13 in
shootouts this season, and Mason has stopped only three of nine shots.
Mason despises the shootouts.
"You look at the overtime _ that’s what hockey is all about," he said. "There’s
some great plays, good saves, nice passing. Then you go into a shootout and
it’s a skills competition. You guys know my thoughts on it."
It was the second straight game the Flyers lost late. On Tuesday, Matt Nieto
scored with 11.5 seconds left to give San Jose a stunning, 2-1 victory.
"I think the last two games are something to build off of," Umberger said. "The
last game, I thought our structure and the way we played was good, and
tonight, we kept fighting and those are games you can build off of and come
together as a team."
The Ducks' comeback wiped out the good vibes caused by Umberger, whose
second-period power-play goal ended a career-worst 17-game pointless
streak.
Asked if he felt he got the proverbial monkey off his back, Umberger said: "It
was more like a cement truck."
He later added that, in some ways, this goal "probably felt better than the first
one I ever scored in the NHL."
After the Flyers couldn't clear the zone, Sami Vatanen scored from the right
side of the net with 53.2 seconds left in the second period, knotting the score
at 3.
"I thought we lost the point tonight," coach Craig Berube said. "We’re up 3-1
and we have to shut the door. We’ve got to play smarter hockey in that
situation. I thought we let them back in the game with defensive mistakes"
that led to odd-man rushes.
741229
Philadelphia Flyers
Holmgren proud of trail he blazed for U.S. hockey players
Sam Donnellon, Daily News Sports Columnist
THE LITTLE BROTHER wouldn't go away. Mark Holmgren would sneak off
to join his friends on the baseball diamond, on the football field, would try to
skate his way from the small house in East St. Paul, Minn., to the outdoor rink
two blocks away.
people know where that is? How long do you think it's going to take Penn
State to be a power in hockey? Not very long.
"The percentage of Americans in the NHL grows every year. All you have to
do is to go to an NHL draft and listen to where the players are coming from.
And I'm not talking about late-round picks, either. This coming draft, there's
two that are going to be picked in the top five who are American-born players.
At least two."
Another way to measure the impact of Holmgren and other early Americans
is through tonight's ceremony. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly is a
co-winner with Holmgren for the award. From New Jersey, Daly is credited
with the tweaks that emerged after the 2004-05 lockout that stabilized
franchises in nontraditional markets and made the game quicker and more
exciting, e.g., no trap.
Almost always, he was not.
Inductee Lou Vairo, a former assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils and
a longtime U.S. international coach, hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. Inductee Brian
Rafalski, from Dearborn, Mich., was on three Stanley Cup champions during
a career that began more than a decade after Holmgren's ended.
"We were real competitive with each other," Paul Holmgren, the Flyers
president, said this week. "It wasn't the same brother relationship that a lot of
people have. I would follow him everywhere, and he really didn't like that.
"It still is sort of sinking in," Holmgren said. "When [NHL commissioner] Gary
Bettman told me last August that I was up for this award, I was shocked. It's
very humbling. And I'm obviously very honored to be a part of this."
"I used to joke that if I was getting beat up, he would stop by and help the
guy."
There, little brother would be, almost always, a step behind. Welcome or not.
Mark Holmgren will not be there tonight when Paul Holmgren is honored for
his contributions to U.S. hockey with the prestigious Lester Patrick Award
during U.S. Hockey's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Minneapolis.
Diabetes, which also took the life of an older brother, Dave, ended Mark's life
in 2004 at age 49. But Mark's two grown sons will be there with their families,
joining a contingent of Holmgrens that includes Paul's wife Doreen and their
four children, three grandchildren and, as he said, "a fourth on the way."
They will celebrate an incredible career that Holmgren said just kind of
happened, the offshoot of that early competitiveness with a brother 15
months older. Holmgren's hockey career began when his baseball dream
ended in default, his fastball not quite fast enough, his line drives not quite
powerful enough. By then, Holmgren had grown larger than his brother and
their relationship had grown, too, forged through a calendar year of high
school sports participation.
"It was good in that regard," Holmgren said. "I wanted to be like him. I wanted
to go where he went."
Holmgren went further. First to the University of Minnesota to play for Herb
Brooks, and then, at age 19, to the fledgling World Hockey Association to
play for the Minnesota Fighting Saints. He was a local prodigy by then, and
he was there to sell tickets, but, as the season wore on, Holmgren found
himself amid a locker room of grizzled veterans voting to temporarily play for
free in hopes of extending their careers just a few more months or years.
"I remember sitting in that room and thinking, 'Well if the team folds, I'll just go
back to college and play baseball,' " he said. "I was already a pro in hockey,
so I couldn't play hockey, and my first love was baseball anyway. So I
thought, 'I'll just go back and play baseball.' "
He didn't, of course. The Fighting Saints did fold in February 1976, but the
Flyers - who held his NHL rights - quickly signed him and sent him to
Richmond for seasoning. Holmgren made his NHL debut at the end of that
season, then spent the next eight seasons playing a very, um, Canadian
brand of hockey.
He hit hard and fought hard and eventually amassed more penalty minutes
than any of the Broad Street Bullies had, a Flyers record that stood until Rick
Tocchet came along. He also became the first American-born player to score
a hat trick in a Stanley Cup finals.
American players were an anomaly back then, a point Holmgren made
recently when he was asked to speak to Boston College's hockey team.
"I was one of the first guys," he said. "I'm very proud of that."
Then, players trickled through college programs (or not) and into the league
from American hockey hotbeds in Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts.
In front of him recently were players from places such as Phoenix and Los
Angeles, playing for a nationally ranked program that used to loop round
Route 128 surrounding Boston to compile its roster.
"There's just so many options now," said Holmgren, who turned 59 on
Tuesday. "Look at the college rankings . . . Robert Morris is 20th. How many
741230
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' Read trying to get back on point
"I said 'Wow, this is a great honor,' " Lecavalier said. "Just to put that
Montreal Canadiens jersey on, you kow, that old wool jersey they wore in the
1950s, with the Canadiens logo and the No. 4. It was a great experience. It
was a great honor to meet him. He was just a great example to follow of how
to be as an athlete and how to conduct yourself. He had a lot of class and
was just a nice person. It was obviously a tough day in the hockey world."
FRANK SERAVALLI,
Bryz is back
Old friend Ilya Bryzgalov arrived in Southern California in time for last night's
game, just hours after signing a tryout deal with the Ducks. Anaheim was on
the market for a goaltender to play Frederik Andersen's protégé after backup
Jason LaBarbera broke his hand and will miss the next 2-3 weeks.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - In the past, when Matt Read went a few games without
points, he told himself to rely on fundamentals to break out of the slump.
"It's little things," Read said. "Like supporting the puck better, or getting to
battles quicker, or moving your feet in certain areas to get open for each
other. Time will come."
The only trouble is Read has never been mired in quite as rough a skid as he
is currently with the Flyers. He entered last night's game against the Ducks
with just four points in his last 17 games - his worst run of 17 games since
breaking into the NHL in 2011-12. He has scored one goal since Oct. 22, the
date of the Flyers' last road win.
Usually, Read has been able to circle back to his defensive play or work on
the penalty kill to remain positive. That's been a little harder to do as a minus
player on the league's worst penalty kill.
Flyers coach Craig Berube hasn't been concerned with Read's play in the
defensive zone, but recognized Read had struggled to create scoring
chances before Tuesday's loss in San Jose. In that game, Read was one of
the Flyers' better players on the ice, asserting himself physically and helping
Sean Couturier win puck battles.
"I think Matt has got to skate and he's got to compete," Berube said. "I think if
he does those two things, everything will take care of itself. They had some
better opportunities [in San Jose] and they're moving better right now. I
expect things to turn around for them."
The most alarming statistic is Read's shooting percentage - which at 5.3
percent is nearly a third of his career average. He's on pace for his average
number of shots, but he's been kept off the scoresheet entirely in a few
games.
Read didn't have a shot on goal in six of the first 24 games of the season.
That only happened 11 times in 72 games in his rookie season, when he
scored a career-best 24 goals.
"The last couple games, I've been focusing on shooting pucks more and
getting in front of the net to look for rebounds," Read said. "If you're getting
shots, you're getting opportunities, you've just got to stop gripping the stick so
tight. Hopefully a good bounce will go my way."
The fix for that, Berube said, is simple. It only revolves around one thing.
"Well, to shoot, you've got to get to the shooting areas," Berube said. "A lot of
times that involves skating and getting to those dirty areas to shoot and score
goals."
Honoring Beliveau
At every level of hockey growing up, Vinny Lecavalier wore No. 4 in honor of
Montreal Canadiens icon Jean Beliveau. He was forced to switch when he
joined the Flyers last summer - since Barry Ashbee's No. 4 is retired by the
franchise - but he simply tacked a zero on the end to form the No. 40 he
wears today.
Beliveau, who had his name etched on the Stanley Cup a record 17 times,
passed away on Tuesday at the age of 83. News of his passing brought forth
an outpouring of support and remembrances from throughout the hockey
world.
"I didn't see him play but I saw clips of him," Lecavalier said. "I always heard
the stories of how great he was and what he did for hockey and Montreal as a
young boy."
Lecavalier, 34, met Beliveau as a young player at a rink. Years later, when he
made it to the NHL, he met Beliveau a few more times and had him sign a
photo - which hangs in his Montreal home.
He was asked to portray Beliveau in a 2005 French-language film "The
Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard," which he gladly accepted.
Bryzgalov, 34, spent the past 2 months training in South Jersey after failing to
win an NHL contract with Minnesota in training camp. He won a Stanley Cup
with Anaheim in 2006-07 while serving as J.S. Giguere's backup.
The Flyers just happened to be in Anaheim when his tryout was announced.
Strangely, he also signed with Edmonton on the eve of their game at Wells
Fargo Center on Nov. 9, 2013. Bryzgalov split last season between
Edmonton (20 games) and Minnesota (12), compiling a .909 save
percentage.
Bryzgalov is being paid $1,642,857 annually by the Flyers through 2026-27
as part of his $23 million buyout package.
Telling stat
San Jose's backbreaking goal with 11.5 seconds left on Tuesday night was
the seventh game-winner scored in the final minute of regulation in the NHL
this season. The Flyers have been victimized on two of them, also on Nov. 20
against Minnesota at home. Wayne Simmonds was on the ice for both goals
against.
741231
Philadelphia Flyers
P.K. Subban tells a pretty entertaining story about Chris Pronger
Vaughn Johnson
Former Flyers enforcer Chris Pronger left quite a few impressions on
opposing NHL players.
Some impressions were good while others were black and blue.
But before his career was cut short due to issues with concussions, he left an
indelible mark on Montreal Canadiens star P.K. Subban.
In his cover story with Sports Illustrated, Subban detailed his first encounter
with Pronger, which took place during his first NHL game back in February
2010. Flyers fans remember that season well, as it ended with a trip to the
Stanley Cup Final.
Before any of that, however, Subban felt the need to introduce himself with
Pronger.
From the story:
In his first NHL game, a 3—2 loss in Philadelphia in February '10, Subban
challenged towering Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, perhaps the nastiest
player of his generation, during a scrum at the end of the third period. "He's
got one guy in one hand and one guy in another," Subban says. "I come right
in the middle, grab him and say, 'Let him go, let him go.' And he didn't say
anything. I say, 'I'm not scared of you.' He says, 'God, your breath stinks. Can
you get out of here?' "
Subban takes a swig of sparkling water and continues the story. "Next night
we're playing them in Montreal. The puck gets rimmed out of the zone on a
power play, and I'm in front of the Philly bench. I stop just before the red line,
getting ready to rim it back around after our forwards tag up. As I'm winding
up I look over, and the player coming out of the [penalty] box is Pronger. All I
see coming over my shoulder is orange. He's coming to kill me. So I follow
through with my shot and as I recoil, I kinda duck down over my right
shoulder and slip out of a check as he starts to throw it. He trips over my back
leg and falls into the boards face-first. As I'm backing away, I see [Flyers
wing] Ian Laperrière, and he's got a funny face, like, Oh, my God. And I'm
laughing and Pronger's yelling, 'You bailed! You bailed!' If you can believe,
the words out of my mouth were 'Suck it, Prongs.'“
Subban may have gotten the upper hand on that particular day, but Pronger
eventually got the last laugh, as Subban and the rest of the Canadiens fell to
the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
741232
Philadelphia Flyers
Lecavalier fondly recalls Beliveau
Sam Carchidi
ANAHEIM, Calif. - After skating at practice Wednesday, Flyers forward Vinny
Lecavalier fondly recalled his idol, Jean Beliveau, the Montreal Canadiens
great who died Tuesday at age 83.
During his prime, Lecavalier's graceful style - on and off the ice - was
sometimes compared to Beliveau's, and he portrayed the Hall of Famer in the
2005 movie The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard.
One of the most beloved players in Canadiens history, Beliveau scored 507
goals, won 10 Stanley Cup championships, and was captain for 10 seasons
before his 1971 retirement.
Beliveau has his name engraved on the Cup a record 17 times, including
seven while working in Montreal's front office.
"He's such a great example of how to be, on and off the ice," Lecavalier said.
"It was obviously a tough day for the hockey world" Tuesday.
During his 14 years in Tampa Bay, Lecavalier wore the No. 4 out of respect
for Beliveau; he has worn No. 40 with the Flyers because No. 4 was retired in
honor of Barry Ashbee.
"My grandfather is a huge hockey fan and he loved Jean Beliveau, so that's
why I wore No. 4 since I was 3 or 4 years old," Lecavalier said. "I've always
heard stories about how great he was, and what he did for Montreal and
hockey since I was a young boy. He's always been kind of a [role model]. I
didn't see him play, but I've seen clips of him. Just a great example to follow
[on] how to be an athlete and how to conduct yourself."
In his Montreal home, Lecavalier has a photo hanging of himself - perhaps 9
years old at the time - and Beliveau.
"I think it was [at my] brother's tournament," he said. ". . . You see Jean
Beliveau and obviously you want your picture taken with him. . . . It was a
great honor to meet him."
After he reached the NHL, Lecavalier met and talked with Beliveau a few
times. "Just a nice person who has a lot of respect for everybody," he said.
As far as portraying Beliveau in a movie, Lecavalier said, "It was pretty cool.
They called me and said, 'Well do you want to play Jean Beliveau?' And I was
like, 'This is a great honor.' Just to put on that Montreal Canadiens jersey,
that old wool jersey that they wore in the '50s and '60s, with the Canadiens
sign and the No. 4, it was a great experience. . . . I wasn't the main actor in
the movie, but just to play the few scenes I did, it was great. It was a lot of
fun."
Former Flyers Mike Ricci and Ian Laperriere were also in the movie.
Laperriere is now a Flyers assistant.
741233
Philadelphia Flyers
Bryzgalov joins Ducks on tryout
Frank Seravalli
ANAHEIM, Calif. — A familiar face will be arriving in Southern California just
in time to see his new (or old) team face the Flyers.
Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov will join the Anaheim Ducks on a tryout contract
this week, the Ducks confirmed an ESPN report on Wednesday. Regular
Ducks backup Jason LaBarbera will miss approximately 2-3 weeks with a
broken hand.
Bryzgalov, 34, skated with Minnesota in training camp but his tryout there
never materialized in an NHL contract.
Now, after waiting a few months in South Jersey with his family, Bryzgalov is
expected to earn a contract to back up Frederik Andersen. Bryzgalov won a
Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2006-07 while serving as J.S. Giguere’s
protege.
The Flyers just happen to be in Anaheim for tonight’s game (10:30 p.m.)
against the first place Ducks at Honda Center. Strangely, Edmonton signed
Bryzgalov to a deal on Nov. 8, 2013, on the eve of their visit to Philadelphia.
Bryzgalov split last season between Edmonton (20 games) and Minnesota
(12), compiling a .909 save percentage.
Future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur joined the St. Louis Blues on
a tryout contract last week before signing a deal to stay with the team.
Bryzgalov is being paid $1,642,857 annually by the Flyers through 2026-27
as part of his $23 million buyout package.
741234
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' Lecavalier still believes he can score 20-plus goals
Sam Carchidi
Posted: Wednesday, December 3, 2014, 11:44 AM
SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Flyers forward Vinny Lecavalier was very emotional _
and hurt _ as he talked about being a healthy scratch Tuesday for the first
time in his 16-year, 405-goal NHL career.
A prideful and classy man, Lecavalier knows he hasn’t been productive
lately, but thinks if he gets the playing time, he can still score 20 to 25 goals
this season.
A year ago, he had 20 goals in69 games despite being bothered by several
injuries, including a bad back.
“I’m not a different player than last year,” Lecavalier said before the Flyers’
gut-wrenching 2-1 loss in San Jose, which scored the winner with 11.5
seconds left. “I didn’t think I had a really good season last year. I had a great
start and had a lot of opportunities the first 20 games, and then I got hurt and
after that not as much.”
In other words, he thinks he can score more than 20 goals.
“I just want to work hard and get back out there. I know what I can do. I
believe in what I can do,” said Lecavalier, 34, who is goal-less in his last 12
games. “Mentally, it’s tough. It was tough this morning, but I’ve got to move
on and get ready for the next time I’m out there.”
Before he was benched, Lecavalier said his confidence was waning because
of his decreased playing time. He was asked if being a healthy scratch was
counter-productive to regaining that confidence.
“Definitely it’s not gonna help, but that’s why I said I’ve got to move on
mentally and be prepared to watch the game tonight and maybe that’s going
to let me see things that’s going to help me,” he said. “When I was injured, I’d
watch games. There’s nothing you can do about it, but you’re up there and
kind of watching the game and maybe there are some things that you can
improve. I’ll do that tonight, but as far as sitting out to help the confidence, of
course it doesn’t. So that’s why in practice you’ve got to keep the confidence
and keep your stick loose in your hands and try to get better that way.”
Priot to last season, Lecavalier signed a five-year $22.5 million deal with the
Flyers to play in Peter Laviolette’s attacking system; he seems to be a square
peg in a round hole as he tries to fit into Craig Berube’s defense-first style.
“I don’t want to be a distraction. That’s not my style. Some guys might be like
that. I’m not,” said Lecavalier, whom the Flyers tried to trade last summer.
“It’s not a time now to say things that I might regret and that’s definitely not
going to help the team.”
TSN reported that Lecavalier is so frustrated he is considering retiring after
next season, thus forefeiting a total of $6 million - and giving the Flyers $4.5
million in salary-cap space each year.
Stay tuned. The next chapter is still being written.
Breakaways. Columbus and Edmonton are the only NHL teams with fewer
points than the Flyers….San Jose outhit the Flyers, 38-27…..San Jose star
Logan Couture collided with Michael Raffl early in the third period and was to
be examined for a possible head injury…..Tuesday marked the first time all
season that Jake Voracek failed to score a point in a game in which the
Flyers were not shut out….Zac Rinaldo had five hits, and Wayne Simmonds
took a team-high five shots and hit the post.
741235
Philadelphia Flyers
Simmonds’ goal saves point, but Flyers fall to Ducks in shootout
By Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
Posted: 12/04/14, 2:13 AM EST | Updated: 57 secs ago
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — When Wayne Simmonds beat the clock and tied the
Anaheim Ducks with a clutch goal, the Philadelphia Flyers looked ready to
end their lengthy road slump in an unlikely arena.
Instead, the Ducks regrouped and climbed back atop the NHL standings.
Jakob Silfverberg and Corey Perry scored in the shootout, and Anaheim
rebounded from Simmonds’ late goal for a 5-4 victory over the spiraling
Flyers on Wednesday night.
Frederik Andersen made 31 saves, and Patrick Maroon scored in the third
period for the Ducks, who pulled even with Tampa Bay in the overall
standings with their fifth win in seven games.
Anaheim made it awfully tough, however.
After the Ducks rallied from a 3-1 deficit and took the lead on Maroon’s
power-play goal against his former organization with 5:02 left, Devante
Smith-Pelly fanned on the puck in front of an empty net before Simmonds
scored his second goal with 2.6 seconds left in regulation.
“We were one second away from the full two points, but we battled hard
tonight,” Perry said. “There were a lot of guys who stepped up and made big
plays for us.”
Sami Vatanen, Cam Fowler and Ryan Getzlaf also scored for Anaheim,
which erased that two-goal deficit while the clubs combined for six goals in an
entertaining second period.
Maroon then scored his second goal of the season on a quick shot off Perry’s
rebound, ending the Ducks’ 0-for-19 power-play drought.
“It feels good getting that one, especially against those guys,” said Maroon,
the former Flyers farmhand who was abruptly shipped to Anaheim in a 2010
trade. “We’ve been going hard through it. We’ve been battling. That’s what
brings us together as a team.”
But a few moments after Smith-Pelly couldn’t put a bouncing puck in an
empty net, Simmonds followed his own shot and knocked it in, celebrating
flat on his back.
“We’re playing better hockey, (and) we’re going to start picking up more
points as things go along if we keep playing this way,” Simmonds said. “Guys
did a great job battling. The puck was kicked off to the side, and I was lucky
enough for it to find my stick.”
Michael Raffl and R.J. Umberger also scored in the second period for
Philadelphia, which has lost six straight for the first time since October 2008.
Steve Mason stopped 29 shots in Philadelphia’s second straight
heartbreaker following a last-minute loss in San Jose one night earlier. The
Flyers lost their ninth consecutive road game and ninth straight shootout
when Frederik Andersen stopped Claude Giroux in the third round.
“Moments like these, we’ve got to stick together as a team and find the
positive things,” Umberger said. “Tonight we kept battling against a
desperate team in its building. We didn’t quit. This is going to be good for our
confidence.”
Vincent Lecavalier was a healthy scratch by the Flyers for the second straight
game — and just the second time in his 16-season NHL career. The Stanley
Cup champion and Richard Trophy winner with Tampa Bay is in a 12-game
goal drought with just two assists since Nov. 1.
After a rare day of steady rain in Orange County, both teams seemed bogged
down at the start, managing just four shots apiece in the somnolent first
period.
Just 32 seconds after Umberger put the Flyers up 3-1 with his first goal in 18
games since Oct. 22, Getzlaf blistered a wrist shot past Mason. Vatanen then
tied it in the final minute, sweeping in from behind with a backhand for his
seventh goal.
NOTES: Ducks D Eric Brewer will be out 4-6 weeks after breaking his foot.
Anaheim activated D Clayton Stoner, who missed five games with mumps. ...
Igor Bobkov served as Andersen’s backup for the second straight game with
Jason LaBarbera sidelined by an upper-body injury. The Ducks brought in
Ilya Bryzgalov, their backup goalie on the 2007 Stanley Cup title team, on a
pro tryout. ... Andersen got an assist on Fowler’s goal for his first point of the
season.
Delaware County Times LOADED: 12.04.2014
741236
Philadelphia Flyers
“There were some great plays. Some good saves, nice passing and then you
got into the shootout and it’s a skills competition. You guys know my thoughts
on that.”
Flyers' slide continues with shootout loss to Ducks
This season, Mason has allowed six goals on nine shots during the shootout.
December 4, 2014, 2:30 am
Of course, it never should have gotten that far. Even Mason agreed with
Berube. You’re up 3-1 past the midpoint of the game itself and you allow it to
be tied by the period’s end.
Staff
ANAHEIM, Calif. — They scored the first goal of the game for a second
straight night.
On the road, no less.
They even had a two-goal lead. On the road.
They blew the lead. Tied it with 2.6 seconds left in regulation and … then the
Flyers did what they always do when it comes to the shootout.
They froze and lost, 5-4, on Wednesday night at Honda Center (see Instant
Replay).
At least they earned a point they should have earned Tuesday in San Jose.
They are 0-4 in shootouts this season.
There were so many emotional highs and lows, Craig Berube’s own players
didn’t know how to feel.
He did.
“I thought we lost a point,” Berube said. “We’re up 3-1, we got to shut the door
there. We got to play smarter hockey in that situation. We let them back in the
game. Just from defensive mistakes.”
Not a lot made sense. Just one shot through the first 11 minutes of the game
and then six goals in a wild second period.
Michael Raffl, again playing back on the top line, had his first marker since
Oct. 30 for the Flyers' first goal before Cam Fowler tied it during a 4-on-4 at
8:14.
Thirty seconds later, Wayne Simmonds dashed from the penalty box to
regain the lead. Two minutes after that R.J. Umberger got a dirty goal on the
power play to make it 3-1. It was Umberger’s first point — let alone goal — in
18 games.
Ryan Getzlaf got one back quickly and then Anaheim had the Flyers trapped
for a full 1:20 before a Luke Schenn (minus-2) turnover resulted in Sami
Vatanen’s tying goal at 19:05.
The Flyers gave up a game-winner the night before in San Jose with 11.5
seconds left and gave up a tying goal in the final minute in this one. That
bothered Berube.
“He walked through a bunch of guys from the point,” Schenn said. “A few of
us got caught looking around at the puck and he came up the opposite side of
what everyone was thinking.”
It stayed 3-3 in the third before Anaheim got a power-play goal from ex-Flyer
Patrick Maroon. Simmonds' second goal (10th overall) with 2.6 seconds left
in regulation provided the Flyers an emotional high and assured overtime.
“We've got to do a better job when we go up there 3-1 of controlling the
game,” Simmonds said. “[The Ducks] got two quick ones to tie it, then they
got that power play goal in the third but we tied it. But it’s just the little things
that make the difference in the game. But the effort was there.”
At least the Flyers got a point.
“We’re playing better hockey and we know if we want to keep picking up
points as we go along we have to continue to play this way,” Simmonds said.
“It seems like we’re not playing the full 60, but our effort is definitely there
more than in previous games. We just got to figure out a few things.”
They may never figure out the shootout, where the Flyers' shooters are just 2
for 13 this season. Lifetime, the Flyers have a horrendous 27-55 shootout
record.
“You look at the overtime,” said goalie Steve Mason, who played well with 29
saves. “That is what hockey is all about.
“We’ll take the one point, it was great to see the guys battle with a couple
seconds to go, especially after the way last night went [in San Jose],” Mason
said, adding the Flyers still have not “found a full team game.”
“Give the guys credit for taking it to them right to the end,” he said. “But it’s
still a loss.”
741237
Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Wrap: Blackhawks blow past Blues in 3rd
Staff
CHICAGO -- Kris Versteeg scored 59 seconds into the third period, Patrick
Kane added two more goals, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis
Blues 4-1 on Wednesday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Marcus Kruger also scored for Chicago, and Antti Raanta had 40 saves in his
first start since Corey Crawford was sidelined by a left foot injury. Versteeg
also had the primary assist on each of Kane's goals as the Blackhawks'
second line enjoyed another big performance.
Back at home after a 5-1 road trip, Chicago killed off each of St. Louis' five
power plays and won for the seventh time in eight games.
Ian Cole scored in the second for the Blues, who had won four of five. Jake
Allen made 29 saves (see full recap).
Jets hand Oilers 11th straight loss
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Mathieu Perreault scored 17 seconds into overtime,
and the Winnipeg Jets sent the Edmonton Oilers to their 11th straight loss
with a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night.
Perrault tipped Jacob Trouba's point shot past goalie Ben Scrivens to win it.
Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien also scored for the Jets.
David Perron and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had goals for the Oilers (6-15-5),
who haven't beaten a Western Conference opponent this season.
Edmonton's longest winless streak is 14 games from Oct. 11-Nov. 7, 1993.
Ondrej Pavelec made 24 saves in the win. Scrivens stopped 21 shots.
Perron had given Edmonton a 2-1 lead at 1:31 of the third period when he
capitalized on a Winnipeg turnover. He got around a Jets player and fired a
shot that caromed in off the crossbar (see full recap).
Zucker, Pominville lift Wild past Canadiens
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jason Zucker and Jason Pominville scored improbable
goals to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens
on Wednesday night.
provided little offense against a team missing its top defenseman (see full
recap).
741238
Philadelphia Flyers
Instant Replay: Ducks 5, Flyers 4 (SO)
Staff
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The hockey gods had it all laid out for them.
Early lead, pad the lead, then get a goal from R.J. Umberger.
And still, the Flyers could not hold on as they lost for the 10th time in 11
games Wednesday night at Honda Center, dropping a 5-4 shootout decision
to the Ducks. At least they earned a point.
Their slide is now 1-8-2 (0-4-2 run) while they have also lost nine straight
road games. The Flyers' last road win was Oct. 22 in Pittsburgh.
Corey Perry won it.
Anaheim’s Devante Smith-Pelly blew an open net seconds before Wayne
Simmonds tied the game in regulation.
Flyers goalie Steve Mason practically had to do cartwheels on the ice to keep
the Flyers in the game with some of the saves he had to make during the
second period.
The early crushing goal was Anaheim’s Sami Vatanen scoring in the final 54
seconds of the middle stanza to make it a 3-3 game after the Flyers had led,
3-1.
This was the third straight game the Flyers were tied going into the final
period.
The post
The Flyers have hit the post or crossbar at least once every game during their
torturous ordeal. Simmonds ripped a shot off the post 1:59 into the game
during a Flyers power play.
Notable goals
That would be Umberger’s power-play goal at 10:47 of the second period that
gave the Flyers a brief, 3-1 lead. He got behind goalie Frederik Andersen and
had a fortunate rebound off himself and then the goalie, allowing him to
backhand a puck into the net for his first point — let alone goal — in 18
games.
Goalie report
Mason, playing back-to-back nights, was spectacular for his penalty killers
during a second period Ducks power play with three saves — Ryan Getzlaf,
Cam Fowler and ex-Flyer Patrick Maroon.
Power play
The Flyers were 1 for 2. The Ducks were 1 for 5.
Penalty kill
The Flyers' PK units went almost two games without a giving up a power-play
goal. Maroon scored at 14:58 for the game-winner. That’s 13 power-play
goals allowed over the last 11 games.
Goat of the game
Luke Schenn was minus-2.
Fights
There was a brief scrum involving several players in the second period, but
no real punches were thrown.
Scratches
Defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Michael Del Zotto and forward Vinny
Lecavalier were all healthy scratches.
Up next
The Flyers have a day off on Thursday, practice Friday here in Anaheim, then
travel to Los Angeles for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Kings.
741239
Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Notes: Ducks sign Ilya Bryzgalov to tryout
Staff
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has agreed to a pro tryout contract
with the injury-depleted Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks announced the return Wednesday of Bryzgalov, Anaheim's
second-round pick in 2000.
Bryzgalov played in 69 games with the Ducks from 2001-07, emerging as a
dependable NHL player. He was the backup to Jean-Sebastien Giguere on
Anaheim's only Stanley Cup championship team in 2007.
The Russian goalie moved on to Phoenix, Philadelphia, Edmonton and
Minnesota over the past seven seasons. He played in 12 regular-season
games and nine postseason games for the Wild last year.
The Ducks are short on healthy goalies behind starter Frederik Andersen.
Rookie backup John Gibson is out until later this month with a groin injury,
while veteran backup Jason LaBarbera missed Monday's game with an
upper-body injury.
Kings: Martinez inks 6-year extension
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a six-year, $24
million contract extension with Alec Martinez, the defenseman who scored
two series-ending overtime playoff goals last June.
The Kings announced the deal Wednesday with Martinez, signing another
two-time Stanley Cup champion to a long-term deal.
Martinez is a dependable defenseman who became an NHL playoff folk hero
with two clutch goals last summer.
His Game 7 overtime goal off Nick Leddy's torso sent the Kings past the
Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals, and his shot into an
open net in Game 5 against the New York Rangers handed the Kings their
second Stanley Cup title in three years.
Martinez has 25 goals and 37 assists in 221 career NHL games, all with Los
Angeles.
Islanders: Boychuk, Visnovsky placed on injured list
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The surging, but banged-up New York Islanders are
putting defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Lubomir Visnovsky on the injured
list and recalling defenseman Griffin Reinhart under emergency conditions
from Bridgeport of the AHL.
Boychuk, on the list retroactive to Nov. 27, has already missed three games
because of a lower-body injury. Visnovsky's move is retroactive to Nov. 28
due to an upper-body injury that has kept him out of two games.
Also Wednesday, the Islanders activated forward Michael Grabner, out all
season following hernia surgery.
The 20-year-old Reinhart has no points in three games this season with the
Islanders -- his first NHL games. He has two goals and six assists in 15
games with Bridgeport.
During New York's overtime victory over Ottawa on Tuesday, the Islanders
lost defenseman Travis Hamonic (upper body) and forward Cal Clutterbuck
(lower body). Both are day to day.
Penguins: Bortuzzo suspended 2 games
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Robert Bortuzzo has been
suspended two games by the NHL for an illegal hit on New Jersey's Jaromir
Jagr on Tuesday night.
Bortuzzo collided with Jagr late in the second period of Pittsburgh's 1-0 win.
Jagr was skating down the right side when he sent a centering pass in front of
the net. Bortuzzo hit Jagr with his right shoulder, slamming it into Jagr's chest
and chin. Jagr lay on the ice for several minutes before leaving the game. He
didn't return.
The NHL cited the "extreme lateness" and "predatory nature" of the collision
as the reason for the suspension. The league said Jagr was "defenseless" at
the moment of contact.
741240
Philadelphia Flyers
For Lecavalier, Beliveau was 'a great example to follow'
Staff
The death of Canadiens great Jean Beliveau was felt across the hockey
world Wednesday, but it hit particularly close to home for Flyers forward
Vinny Lecavalier.
Lecavalier, who wore No. 4 from when he was 3 years old until he signed with
the Flyers, chose his number in honor of the Hall of Famer, who died
Tuesday at age 83.
“It was tough,” Lecavalier said Wednesday in Los Angeles. “Obviously for
what he's done for hockey – and not just hockey, but everything around it –
he was such a great example of how to be on and off the ice. It was obviously
a tough day for the hockey world.”
Lecavalier’s grandfather was a fan of Beliveau, who spent 20 seasons with
the Canadiens. Lecavalier himself was too young to see him play in person,
but his grandfather had shown him clips – and right away, Lecavalier said, he
knew Beliveau was the kind of player to model one’s self after.
He met Beliveau once as a child (an autographed photo of the meeting is still
at his home in Montreal, he said) and a few times after he entered the NHL.
“I'd always heard stories of how great he was and what he did for Montreal
and for hockey since I was a young boy,” Lecavalier said. “I didn't see him
play, but I've seen clips of him.
“He's just a great example to follow, how to be an athlete and how to conduct
yourself, just have a lot of class. He was just a great person.”
Lecavalier’s style of play has been compared to Beliveau’s throughout his
career. So much so that Lecavalier was asked to play the Canadiens' great in
the 2005 movie, “Maurice Richard.”
“It was pretty cool,” Lecavalier said. “They called me and they said, ‘Do you
want to play Jean Beliveau?’ and I was like, 'Wow OK, this is a great honor.'
Just to put that Montreal Canadiens jersey, the old wool jersey that they wore
in the 50s and 60s, with the Canadiens sign, No. 4.
"It was a great experience.”
741241
Philadelphia Flyers
A healthy scratch, Del Zotto 'disappointed, frustrated'
"As I said, that’s a sign that everyone has to be held accountable and
responsible," Del Zotto said. "When things aren’t going as well as they are
and we’re in this big of a slump, [you’re] looking for any way to try and
jump-start the team and try to get some wins."
At this present rate, the next most likely candidates for benching are R.J.
Umberger (no goals, 16 games) and Braydon Coburn (on ice for 10 power
play goals against over his last 10 games).
Staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The healthy scratch rotation among the Flyers' defense
continued Tuesday.
The latest blue line victim to be benched was Michael Del Zotto.
This was a season first for the 24-year-old as a Flyer, though certainly not a
career-first.
Flyers coach Craig Berube was blunt as usual in explaining why he scratched
Del Zotto against the Sharks during a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss at SAP Center.
Has Del Zotto’s play dropped off?
“Yes, it has,” Berube said. “He’s played some really good hockey for us, but
the last little while I find that he wasn’t moving the puck. He was trying to do
too much himself. To me, his defensive play has dropped off a little. I talked
to him today about getting back on track, moving the puck, joining the rush,
not leading the rush, and playing better defense.”
Del Zotto joins fellow defensemen Luke Schenn and Andrew MacDonald,
who were recent scratches but are now back in the lineup.
Whether Del Zotto plays on Wednesday night in Anaheim remains to be
seen.
Del Zotto was signed in free agency over the summer shortly after the Flyers
announced that Kimmo Timonen was out indefinitely with blood clots.
The former New York Ranger got off to a rocky start this fall, as did the entire
Flyers defense. His game came around once he was paired with Nick
Schultz, then he started to have issues again during the team’s 1-7-1 slide.
“I was a little bit surprised when I came to the rink [Tuesday],” Del Zotto said
of learning he would be benched. “A little bit disappointed, frustrated, all of
the above. Things obviously aren’t going as well as the team would like as of
late, and we’re trying to find a way to get some wins, so it’s the coach’s
decision. All I can control is how hard I work each day, and that’s it.”
Del Zotto wouldn’t discuss what he and Berube talked about, but when told
what Berube had to say about him, he offered a response.
“Yeah, everyone has to be better,” he said. “Everyone can be better in here,
and that’s really what it boils down to. There’s not one or two guys that
change things around.
“It’s going to take a full team effort — all four lines, all six D and the goalies.
Until we get everybody going, we’re going to still be in a slump.”
Del Zotto was minus-6 in his last three games and hasn’t had a point since
Nov. 14 against Columbus, when he scored a goal.
He was benched in New York by John Tortorella and his successor, Alain
Vigneault. Same happened in Nashville under Barry Trotz.
And now it’s happened again as a Flyer under Berube.
“That’s the toughest thing about this sport; it’s not the physical aspect,” Del
Zotto said. “Everyone has it in the room, everyone works hard. It’s dealing
with it mentally. Staying even-keeled when things are going well and not
getting too high, and when you deal with a bump in the road like this, not
getting too down on yourself.
“Obviously it’s easier said than done, but you have to stay focused and try to
remain confident, and when I am back in the lineup, prove I belong.”
Del Zotto said the Flyers' dressing room is a bit tense right now — that was
plainly evident last week during back-to-back losses against the Rangers —
with players wondering who will be benched next.
He also agreed with others — such as Vinny Lecavalier, who was benched
against the Sharks — that Berube is trying to send a message.
“I think it’s more of an individual thing right now with certain players,” Berube
said, meaning he has selective benching targets.
741242
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers-Ducks: 5 things you need to know
Staff
Flyers at Ducks
10:30 p.m., TCN
A day after suffering their most devastating loss of the season, the Flyers
(8-13-3) will look to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat when they take on the
Anaheim Ducks (15-6-5) at the Honda Center Wednesday night.
Here are five things to get you ready for the game:
1. Shark bite
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks tells you exactly how the Flyers’
season is going. The Flyers were 11.5 seconds away from earning a point on
the road before a Brayden Schenn turnover resulted in a Matt Nieto goal and
a fifth straight defeat.
Defensemen Braydon Coburn and Nick Schultz both went for the puck after
Schenn’s miscue, but failed to corral it, which led to a chase of Patrick
Marleau toward the Flyers’ net. Steve Mason managed to make the initial
save on Marleau, but was unable to get to the rebound after he was run over
by Coburn. Nieto deposited the puck and the Flyers’ tailspin continued in
painful fashion.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A turnover followed by a defensive
breakdown wound up crippling the Flyers. It never ends. Perhaps the most
frustrating thing is the Flyers played well enough to deserve a point. But that
did nothing for Mason.
“We’re all tired of moral victories,” he said (see story). “The team played a
good game but you don’t win it. It’s not good enough. Enough of the moral
victories.”
There were a few positives to take away from the loss. Sean Couturier
snapped his goalless drought, Scott Laughton picked up his first career NHL
point and Mason continued his strong play in net. It’s something to build on
as the attempt to remove the bitter taste left in San Jose in the second half of
their back-to-back set in Anaheim.
2. The latest scratches
Michael Del Zotto and Vinny Lecavalier were the latest victims on head
coach Craig Berube’s healthy scratch list. Both watched Tuesday’s game
from the press box.
The decision to bench Lecavalier was obvious. The veteran forward scored
just one goal in November and failed to find chemistry with any of his
teammates while moving up and down the lineup.
But why Del Zotto? According to Berube, Del Zotto’s play has “dropped off.”
Andrew MacDonald was re-inserted on the Flyers’ blue line after sitting out
Saturday’s loss to the New York Rangers and picked up an assist on
Couturier’s goal against the Sharks.
It’s unclear who Berube will bench next. Over the past two weeks, regulars
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Luke Schenn, MacDonald, Lecavalier and Del
Zotto have all been healthy scratches at some point.
If Berube continues his carousel, slumping veterans R.J. Umberger, Matt
Read and Coburn could be next.
3. Where’s the offense?
The Flyers have scored two or fewer goals in seven of their last eight games
and have just five tallies in as many contests during their current losing skid.
On the bright side, the Flyers have been better on the man advantage.
They’ve scored a power-play goal in three of their last four games and five of
their last seven.
The Ducks, however, own the NHL’s seventh-best penalty kill unit. They’ve
killed off 21 of their last 23 shorthanded situations dating back to Nov. 16.
4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: Couturier was one of a few players Flyers chairman Ed Snider called
out earlier this week. Couturier heard the message loud and clear, playing
one of his best games of the season against the Sharks Tuesday night. He
picked up his first goal in 10 games and even dropped the gloves, something
he’s done only three times in his NHL career. Couturier has been a work in
progress offensively since joining the Flyers. His defensive IQ is well beyond
his years, but the team needs him to produce more.
Ducks: It’s a tossup between Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, but let’s focus
on the latter. Perry leads Anaheim with 14 goals this season despite missing
five games because of the mumps. The 29-year-old has a solid frame (6-3,
212) and a long reach. He can also serve as an agitator,as he frequently gets
under the skin of his opposition. His temper sometimes gets the best of him,
but there’s no denying his offensive acumen. He’s a threat every time he
takes the ice.
5. This and that
• The Flyers haven't dropped six in a row since the beginning of the 2008-09
campaign.
• Anaheim is unbeaten in regulation when scoring the first goal of the game
(11-0-4).
• The Flyers will play their sixth set of back-to-backs Wednesday. They are
1-4-0 in the second game, but have scored 16 goals in those contests.
• Andrew Cogliano is the NHL's current Ironman leader, appearing in 565
straight games since making his debut with the Ducks.
• Claude Giroux leads all forwards in the league in time-on-ice per game at
21:49.
741243
Philadelphia Flyers
While the Sharks pushed back in the second period, play evened out in the
third and the Flyers had their chances. But they didn’t capitalize and instead
quite literally gave the Sharks the game in the dying moments of regulation.
11.5 seconds and a brutal turnover cost the Flyers in Cali
Mason made 25 saved but was again a hard-luck loser. Antti Niemi made 28
saves and notched the win in net for San Jose.
Things don’t get any easier for the Flyers, either, with trips to Anaheim on
Wednesday night and Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon coming up.
Staff
California is not a fun place in the NHL.
11.5 seconds.
That’s the amount of time that stood between the Flyers, who played an
overall solid road game, overtime, a crucial point against a good team and a
smidgen of confidence to start a road trip.
Instead, what the Flyers got was a brutal turnover, a break the other way,
their goalie ran over by his teammate, the puck in the back of their open net
and a loss, all within the blink of an eye.
Thus, the tailspin into the black hole continued in painful fashion Tuesday
evening in San Jose, Calif.
San Jose’s Matt Nieto scored of a broken scramble that had the Flyers in
tatters all over the ice with 11.5 seconds remaining in regulation to give the
Sharks a 2-1 win on Tuesday at SAP Center.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for the Sharks. Sean Couturier scored a
first-period power-play goal for the Flyers’ only tally.
The defeat dropped the Flyers to 1-8-1 in their last 10 games and made the
point of no return that much more visible.
But the water-cooler talk Wednesday morning will be about the total
breakdown that took place on the deciding goal.
With regulation in its waning moments, Brayden Schenn attempted a pass
into traffic at the red line. The pass was broken up and the puck bounced
back toward the Flyers’ end, but Braydon Coburn, who was expecting the
play to push forward, had already started up ice, which allowed San Jose’s
Patrick Marleau to take the puck and break in free on Steve Mason.
Mason made the original save on Marleau, but Coburn pushed his man on
the play into Mason. That collision knocked Mason out of position and all
Nieto had to do was hit the net for the victory.
He did just that.
In a way, it was a play that was a microcosm of the Flyers’ skid over the past
few weeks.
Careless play with the puck, ugly turnover, defense nowhere to be found, a
goalie who deserved a better fate and another loss in the standings. Lather,
rinse and repeat.
Seriously, box up that last paragraph, wrap it up in some shiny paper, throw a
bow and some ribbon on it and you have the last three weeks or so of Flyers
hockey gift-wrapped and ready to give to that uncle you see like twice a year
and don’t even like anyway.
The Flyers are now 0-7-1 in their last eight games away from Wells Fargo
Center. Their last win on the road was on Oct. 22 in Pittsburgh. Overall, the
Flyers have just two wins on the road in 12 chances this season.
To make matters worse and pour every ounce of salt imaginable into the
fresh wound, the Buffalo Sabres, hockey’s dumpster fire and supposed tank
artists, won on Tuesday and now have more points than the Flyers.
Only Columbus and Edmonton have fewer points in the standings than the
Flyers.
Think about that. That’ll sting.
Tuesday was even more of a shame because, as mentioned above, the
Flyers played a solid road game and gave themselves a chance to win away
from home. It wasn’t like they were steamrolled like they were in Madison
Square Garden on Saturday or in Detroit last Wednesday.
They came out hot on Tuesday, scored the first goal of the game on the road
for the first time all year, outshot the Sharks 16-6 in the first period and
outplayed them for the first 20 minutes.
741244
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Notes: Bitter taste despite strong start to trip
From Feb. 20 to March 16, 1999, they went nine road games without a win
(0-7-2).
Overall, they have now gone five games without a win, which last happened
when they went 0-3-2 from March 31 to April 8, 2011.
Staff
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It was a series of catastrophic events that typically
occurs only when a team is desperately trying to end a losing skid.
Like the Flyers are.
Craig Berube’s club was 11.5 seconds away from getting a 1-1 game against
the Sharks into overtime when everything positive about their experience at
the SAP Center suddenly went terribly south.
It began with a Brayden Schenn turnover in neutral ice to Matt Nieto and
fellow Shark Patrick Marleau nearby.
It resulted in a goal for Nieto and a 2-1 loss for the Flyers, their fifth straight
and ninth in 10 games.
“It’s tough to lose the point,” Schenn said. “A turnover at the far blue line -- I
don’t know if I over-skated it or what -- and then there were two or three
whacks at it. The third one went in. Just made a mistake at the wrong time of
the game.”
Both Flyers defensemen, Nick Schultz and Braydon Coburn, were going for
the puck after Schenn’s miscue. Each seemed to hit at the same time and it
went behind them to Marleau.
Then the chase to the net with both Flyers defensemen skating in pursuit.
“I really have to take a look at it and see what happened with the whole
sequence of events,” Coburn said. “The puck kept sticking around the front
there. Kinda too bad they got a guy to it first there.”
Flyers goalie Steve Mason made the initial save on Marleau and the rebound
went across the crease.
Coburn’s left leg struck Mason, knocking him down and out of position at the
right post, allowing for Nieto’s open net rebound to win it.
“I was coming in and chasing down the second guy and I think I went flying
into the boards there and hit somebody,” Coburn said. “I don’t know if I hit
their guy or tripped over Mase’s stick.”
You hit Mason, Coburn was told.
“I hit Mason?” Coburn asked. “Well, yeah, I was trying to make a desperation
play there, so. I got to take a look.”
This one has the potential to stick in everyone’s mind for a while.
And yet the Flyers have to bounce back Wednesday with a new effort in
Anaheim on a back-to-back against the Ducks.
“We played a positive game,” Coburn said. “It’s better than getting the s--kicked [out of us]. We got some things to build on.”
Mason was fairly distraught but tried to sound upbeat.
“We played a pretty solid game and probably deserved to win the game,” he
said. “We made a mistake at the end and it cost us.”
Brodeur in St. Louis
Longtime Flyers nemesis and Devils future Hall of Famer Marty Brodeur
signed to play with the Blues on Tuesday.
“He wants to play, and St. Louis is a good team,” Claude Giroux said. “It’s
good for him and he’ll bring a lot of good things to St. Louis."
Hard to see Brodeur in bright blue and not Jersey Devil red or black?
“It has to be really awkward, yeah,” Giroux said.
Road woes
The Flyers have gone eight games without a win on the road for the first time
since before the new millennium.
741245
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers steal a point, lose in shootout to Ducks
Dave Isaac, Courier-Post 2:48 a.m. EST December 4, 2014
– If the Flyers could, they'd rewrite the collective bargaining agreement and
take away the gimmick that decides which team gets a second point.
It's not a surprise anymore that the Flyers are bad at the shootout. They're
the worst in league history since it was instituted in 2005. Had they won one –
they've lost nine straight dating back to last season – there would have been
some smiles in the locker room.
Instead, it was a 5-4 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Yeah, sure they were appreciative of the one point thanks to Wayne
Simmonds tying the game with 2.6 seconds left in regulation.
A loss is still a loss.
"We gotta keep working," said goalie Steve Mason, who made 29 saves in
defeat. "We're being tested right now and it's a pretty crappy feeling coming
into the locker room constantly with a sour taste in your mouth. These last
two games we've been so close, but close doesn't cut it. We have to find a
way to close it out."
There were certainly chances to do it. At one point in a track meet of a
second period, the Flyers found themselves with a 3-1 lead.
It lasted 28 seconds.
"We're up 3-1, we gotta shut the door there," coach Craig Berube said. "We
gotta play smarter hockey in that situation there. I thought we let them back in
the game just from defensive mistakes."
The Flyers took a big step backward in their own end Wednesday night after
finally getting secondary scoring. They scored three times in a span of 5:01
before taking their foot off the gas.
First it was Michael Raffl, lighting the lamp for the first time in seven games,
then Simmonds' first of the night, which snapped a five-game drought. The
real shocker came off the stick of R.J. Umberger, who had his first goal in 18
games.
His power-play tally seemed to get the proverbial monkey off his back.
"I wish I could agree with you and say it was a monkey. It was more like a
cement truck," Umberger said. "I'll take it and I just have to keep working
hard."
Anaheim, which sits atop the NHL in points, has some serious offensive
weapons and used them accordingly. After the Flyers did a decent job of
forcing them outside, eventually they worked their way back in the middle of
the ice to test Mason.
They scored three times in the second period to tie the Flyers and erase the
lead.
"To our guys' credit, our defensemen got sticks on pucks that were directing it
away," Mason said. "Overall, there's some things we obviously need to get
better at, but they're a good team, too."
The Flyers were severely outshot in the second period, 19-10. Counting all
shot attempts, it was 33-14. It seemed like only a matter of time before the
Flyers surrendered the lead for the first time on the night and ex-Flyer Patrick
Maroon obliged with a power-play goal with 5:02 left in regulation.
Although the Flyers recovered with Simmonds' second goal just before the
final buzzer, the shootout gave them another loss and extended the winless
streak to six games, the longest it's been since the first half dozen games of
the 2008-09 season.
The silver lining is that they don't feel like a team that's dropped six straight
and 10 of its last 11. The attitudes are still positive.
"I think it's actually been better the last few games here than in the past,"
Umberger said. "When we got scored on, we got fragile. The past couple
games have been a lot better. We're responding. We had a good response
on a goal (Wednesday) night. I think we're definitely a desperate team and
we gotta play that way."
There is no trashcan throwing, no screaming in the Flyers' locker room these
days. They feel like they're getting close…if not for the pesky shootout.
Frederik Andersen, who made 31 saves in regulation and overtime, stopped
Jake Voracek and Claude Giroux in the skills competition. It seems the
shootout presents a mental block for the shooters and the goalie.
"There might be," Berube said, "but we obviously haven't been very good at it
for a while."
"It's not a way to lose a hockey game," Mason added. "If we were to get
scored on in overtime, you can handle it because they would have had to
make a play to make it happen. In my opinion, I'd much rather win or lose a
game in overtime."
Courier-Post LOADED: 12.04.2014
741246
Philadelphia Flyers
Lecavalier trying to keep his cool as he mourns the loss of legend Jean
Béliveau
Dave Isaac, Courier-Post 9:54 p.m. EST December 3, 2014
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Vinny Lecavalier pulled on the sweater – this really was a
sweater, not just hockey-talk for a jersey – of his boyhood team.
He'd always dreamt of playing for his hometown Montreal Canadiens, thanks
in part to hearing his grandfather tell stories about Jean Béliveau, the Hall of
Fame center who died Tuesday at age 83.
It happened. Lecavalier played for the Habs. It was Hollywood, but it
happened.
Go call up the credits for the 2005 flick "The Rocket."
Roy Dupuis starred as Maurice Richard, in the movie about another Hall of
Fame Canadien. There, as the 18th lead, is Vincent Lecavalier playing the
role of Jean Béliveau, he of 507 goals and 10 Stanley Cups in 1,125 games.
"Just to put on that Montreal Canadiens jersey, you know, the old wool jersey
that they wore in the '50s, '60s, with the Canadiens sign and the No. 4, it was
a great experience, and you got to see yourself on TV," said Lecavalier, who
always wore the same number to honor Béliveau. "I wasn't the main actor in
the movie, but just to play the few scenes I did, it was great. It was a lot of
fun."
Béliveau, who was admired just as much for the man he was off the ice as he
was the player on it, always caught Lecavalier's attention. When he was a
young boy at a tournament for his older brother, Lecavalier got to meet
Béliveau and have his photo taken with the legend.
"I was very young," said Lecavalier, who was a toddler in the photograph. "I
don't remember the moment exactly. That picture is in my house back in
Montreal, signed by him, so it was a great honor to meet him. Obviously
when I made it to the NHL I met him a few times after that. Just a nice person
who has a lot of respect for everybody."
One of the things that stood out about Béliveau was that he only ever played
for one team. For a long time, it looked like Lecavalier would be the same
way.
The Ile Bizard, Quebec, native was drafted No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay
Lightning in 1998. He spent 14 years and 1,037 games with the Lightning,
including a Stanley Cup win in 2004, before getting bought out last summer.
He joined the Flyers on a five-year, $22.5 million contract to play for a
different coach and a different general manager. Both Peter Laviolette and
Paul Holmgren are no longer filling those roles and Lecavalier isn't in the role
he thought he'd be in, either.
By sitting out Wednesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks, Lecavalier
was a healthy scratch on back-to-back days, for the first time in his life.
With how things have gone south with the Flyers recently, Lecavalier's
second team might not be his last.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to comment on that," said Lecavalier, the owner of a
no-move clause in his contract, Tuesday morning. "That's a legit question,
but I'm not there right now. I just want to play better and get better. Yeah, I
wouldn't want to comment on that."
There's the possibility, according to a report by TSN, that the 34-year-old
may decide to retire before his contract expires. According to capgeek.com,
he already has career earnings in excess of $98 million. If he retired early,
he'd leave money on the table.
Lecavalier won't complain about being scratched even though his second
benching in as many days marked the first time in three games that coach
Craig Berube has kept the same healthy scratches.
He doesn't want to end a renowned career as a fourth-line right wing, let
alone a healthy scratch. He doesn't want to be a distraction to his teammates.
He wants to be a team player.
He wants to be like Jean Béliveau.
"I didn't see him play, but I've seen clips of him," Lecavalier said. "Just a great
example to follow, how to be an athlete and how to conduct yourself. He just
had a lot of class and was just a great person."
741247
Philadelphia Flyers
5 things to watch in Game 25: Flyers at Anaheim Ducks
Dave Isaac, Courier-Post 9:58 p.m. EST December 3, 2014
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
1. The Flyers are sinking fast. With Tuesday's loss, the Buffalo Sabres were
able to leapfrog the Flyers in the Eastern Conference. Only the Edmonton
Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets have fewer points in the entire NHL.
"These tight, 1-0, 2-1 games, those are the big games that you gotta win and
it seems like we're kinda finding ways to lose those games," Sean Couturier
said. "We gotta find a way to win those games."
2. It will be interesting to see who coach Craig Berube trots out there against
the Ducks considering his penchant for benching players lately. It was Vinny
Lecavalier and Michael Del Zotto's turns Tuesday night. The Flyers are
starting to get used to consoling their friends who watch games from the
press box.
"First you gotta try and cheer the guy up," alternate captain Mark Streit said.
"You know it's a tough spot. You just try to tell him, 'Keep your head up.'
Everybody feels for each other here. If a guy can't go, he can't go. It's tough.
On the other hand it sends a message, sure, to the other guys in the room."
3. The Ducks, who have had a handful of players out with the mumps this
season, are finally getting luckier on the injury front. The team is close to
getting veteran defensemen Clayton Stoner and Mark Fistric back into the
lineup.
4. Even though the old mantra is that the road is where you want to be to end
a losing streak, the Flyers couldn't be more miserable away from Wells Fargo
Center. An overall losing streak of five games is their worst since 2011, but
on the road things are even worse. They are winless in eight road contests
for the first time since Feb. 20 – March 16, 1999, when they went 0-7-2
before getting a victory.
5. Steve Mason will go for the Flyers and play both sides of the back-to-back.
He 5-7-1 in 14 career games against Anaheim with a 3.29 goals-against
average and .890 save percentage. Frederik Andersen will likely go for the
Ducks. He's won both games he's played against the Flyers with a 2.88
goals-against average and .917 save percentage.
741248
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers continue to clean up one mess, make another in 5-4 shootout loss to
Anaheim Ducks
Randy Miller on December 04, 2014 at 2:39 AM, updated December 04,
2014 at 6:11 AM
ANAHEIM, Calif. — It's always something with these Flyers.
When they get great goaltending, they don't score goals.
When they score a few goals, they have too many defensive breakdowns or
giveaways.
Some nights they play hard the whole game, then other times their coach and
some players say they aren't working hard enough.
Once again the Flyers were plugging holes and springing new leaks
Wednesday night when their losing ways continued, this time with a 5-4
shootout defeat to the Anaheim Ducks.
"I don't really know what to tell you on that one," Flyers goalie Steve Mason
said. "We have to find a full team game."
That's the sign of a team with issues, and the Flyers, now 1-8-2 in their last
11, have all kinds of issues.
The good in this one was the Flyers holding the high-powered Ducks to four
shots on net in a scoreless first period and scoring three goals in a span of
5:01 in the second after getting 2-or-fewer in their previous five games.
And the best part of their night was Wayne Simmonds scoring a 6-on-5 goal
with 2.8 seconds to go in the third with the Ducks up a goal. That enabled the
Flyers to steal a point a night after they lost at least one when giving up the
winning goal with 11.8 seconds to go in Tuesday's 2-1 loss at San Jose.
But ...
"I thought that we lost a point tonight," Flyers coach Craig Berube said after
Wednesday's game.
He's right. The Flyers built a two-goal lead in the second period and blew it
before getting back to the dressing room.
"We're up 3-1, we gotta shut the door there," Berube said. "We gotta play
smarter hockey in that situation there. I thought we let them back in the game
just from defensive mistakes."
And then they lost it when their NHL-worst shootout record dropped to 0-4.
This time, the Flyers lost the shootout 2-1. Mason gave up goals on both
shots coming his way, first Jakob Silfverberg and then Corey Perry, while his
shooters were 1-for-3 as Jakub Voracek was stopped, Sean Couturier
scored and Claude Giroux was denied.
The Flyers ended up leaving the arena feeling as if this was another good
night, bad night.
In reality it was mostly a bad night because their winless streak is now six,
and thus Berube again found himself talking a lot about what went wrong
during his post-game interview.
"Those odd-man rushes are caused from being too aggressive," he said. "I
think the guys are pressing and get caught. We get caught and they come
back at us. We gotta be smarter. It's one thing to be aggressive and you want
to win and you want to get on people, but you've got to be smarter in there."
The Flyers aren't playing smart hockey enough. That's whey they're now
8-13-4 after 25 games, which amounts to winning fewer than a third of the
time.
"It's just going to take sacrifices from everybody," said Flyers left wing R.J.
Umberger, who scored a second-period goal to end his career-worst
pointless streak at 17 games. "Do your own job. We're stressing that. Don't
try to do too much. ... We've learned in the last few games that every one shift
matters. It's cost us games, just one shift, and we gotta lay it on the line. I
think these moments though, we can build off it."
Randy Miller
741249
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers rally late, but lose to Anaheim Ducks in shootout | Rapid reaction
• Ducks: D Francois Beauchemin (broken finger, IR) missed his fourth game.
... D Sheldon Souray (wrist, IR) has missed the entire season. ... D Ben
Lovejoyn (hand surgery, IR) missed his 18th game.
HEALTHY SCRATCHES
• Flyers: D Carlo Colaiacovo, Michael Del Zotto & C Vincent Lecavalier.
2014 at 2:43 AM
• Ducks: D Eric Brewer, D Mark Fistric & F Chris Wagner.
THE WEEK AHEAD
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Give the Flyers this:
They're not quitters.
They proved it Wednesday night by at least salvaging a point in a 5-4
shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
They'd blown a two-goal lead and were just three ticks away from losing their
fifth in a row in regulation when, out of nowhere, Wayne Simmonds fought for
a loose puck in front of the net and banged in a rebound 2.8 seconds before
the buzzer.
The Flyers finally had something to celebrate.
It didn't last.
After a scoreless overtime, the Flyers' NHL worst shootout record dropped to
0-4.
Meantime, the Flyers now are 0-4-2 in their last six, this winless streak their
ongest since they began the 2008-09 season at 0-3-3.
Also, the Flyers now are 1-8-2 in their last 11 and 0-7-2 on the road since
winning in Pittsburgh on Oct. 22.
THE GOOD
• LW R.J. Umberger finally ended a career-worst pointless streak at 18
games by scoring a second-period power-play goal. Asked if he was a
monkey off his back, he said, "It was more like a cement truck."
• Before allowing three second-period goals, G Steve Mason was the Flyers'
best player by far. One of his best saves was stopping Ducks C Andrew
Cogliano on a breakaway in the opening minute of second period.
• The Flyers' PK, still ranked last coming into the game, was 4-for-4 killing off
Ducks' power plays. Anaheim had only seven shots in eight minutes of
power-play time.
• RW Jakub Voracek assisted on Michael Raffl's goal to move back into a tie
with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby for the NHL scoring lead.
THE BAD
• Mason made only one save in three shootout shots.
• D Luke Schenn was minus-2 with two giveaways. He was on the ice for the
Ducks' two second-period goals that erased a 3-1 Flyers lead.
• D Andrew MacDonald was a minus-1 and took a penalty in his second
game back from being a healthy scratch last Saturday in New York.
• The Flyers had just one shot on net in the first 16:50 of the game.
• The lighting at Honda Center is terrible.
NOTABLE
• Former Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, jobless this season, agreed to join the
Ducks on a pro tryout Friday. The Ducks have two injured goalies and are
desperate for a veteran to back up Frederik Anderson until rookie John
Gibson returns in a couple of weeks.
• Officials waved off a goal by Ducks' LW Matt Beleskey 6:25 into the second
for offsides. Replays showed Anaheim wasn't close to being offsides.
FIGHTS
• None.
INJURIES
• Flyers: C Ryan White is on LTIR recovering from August surgery to repair
his left pectoralis muscle. ... D Kimmo Timonen is on LTIR due to blood clots.
• Saturday: Flyers at Los Angeles Kings, 4 p.m., EST
• Tuesday: Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
741250
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers vs. Ducks: LIVE analysis and fan chat during the game
Randy Miller
on December 03, 2014 at 9:58 PM, updated December 04, 2014 at 2:40 AM
SECOND PERIOD
Flyers: Michael Raffl (7) scores off rush at 5:46. Claude Giroux and Jakub
Voracek get assists. Flyers lead 1-0.
Ducks: Cam Fowler (3) scores on slapshot from point on 3-on-2 rush during
4-on-4 hockey. Jakob Silfverberg and Frederik Andersen get assists. Game
tied 1-1.
Flyers: Wayne Simmonds (9) scores on 20-foot wrist shot on first shift after
the Ducks' goal at 8:46. Brayden Schenn and Mark Streit get assists. Flyers
lead 2-1.
Flyers: R.J. Umberger (2) scores on backhand from the low slot at 11:15.
Nick Schultz and Sean Couturier get assists. Flyers lead 3-1.
Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf scores (8) at 11:15. Hampus Lindholm and Corey Perry
get assists. Flyers lead 3-2.
Ducks: Sami Vatanen (7) scores on backhand from right post at 19:06.
Patrick Maroon gets assist. Game tied 3-3.
This is your place to do it, fans. Chime in with your thoughts in the comments
section below.
I'll be posting analysis, observations and general missives down there in the
comments throughout the game.
741251
Philadelphia Flyers
7 Andrew Cogliano, 12 Devante Smith-Pelly, 33 Jakob Silfverberg
19 Patrick Maroon, 44 Nate Thompson, 18 Tim Jackman
Greetings from the press box: Flyers in major funk, but Claude Giroux sees
positives in latest loss
Defense pairings
4 Cam Fowler, 42 Josh Manson
47 Hampus Lindholm, 37 Mat Clark
Randy Miller | on December 03, 2014 at 8:49 PM, updated December 03,
2014 at 10:06 PM
3 Clayton Stoner, 45 Sami Vatanen
Goaltender
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Flyers captain Claude Giroux knows a lot of people have
given up hope on his team making something out of this season.
31 Frederik Andersen
He gets it.
The Flyers are 1-9-1 in their last 10, 0-4-1 in their last 5, lost four in a row and
their 8-13-3 record through 24 games leaves them with just 19 points, fewer
than all but three teams.
He's not happy, yet unbroken.
On the contrary, Giroux seemed pretty upbeat late Tuesday night after the
Flyers gave up the winning goal with 11.5 seconds remaining in the third
period in a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center.
"I wouldn't say we controlled the game, but I think we played one of our best
games in awhile and we played as a team," Giroux said. "We had chemistry
out there. Obviously, the results didn't show how well we played, but I think
you can build on a game we lost. I think we gotta keep our heads high here
and be ready for (Wednesday)."
Next up is an even tougher game Wednesday night, as the Flyers are in
Anaheim to play the powerhouse Ducks.
The Flyers probably will need to play better than they did in San Jose to end
their slide against the Ducks, but Giroux feels his team is ready to show
people that they aren't the team we've been seeing.
What he really liked about the San Jose game is that the Flyers weren't
passing up shots like they did in so many past games while outshooting the
Sharks 29-27.
"We put the puck on net," Giroux said. "The reason we got the pucks on net is
because we were winning battles. We were playing together. We were
supporting each other. We had the puck more and controlled the puck a little
bit."
In the end though, the Flyers lost again, and Giroux shows results are what
matter most.
"I think we're in a tough stretch right now and when things like happen, when
you lose with 10 seconds to go, I think it's important that we stick together,"
Giroux said. "I think we're doing that right now. The only way to get out of this
hole we're in is to get out together."
Here are the projected lineups:
FLYERS
Forward lines
12 Michael Raffl, 28 Claude Giroux, 93 Jakub Voracek
10 Brayden Schenn, 49 Scott Laughton, 17 Wayne Simmonds
36 Zac Rinaldo, 14 Sean Couturier, 24 Matt Read
18 R.J. Umberger, 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, 76 Chris VandeVelde
Defense pairings
8 Nicklas Grossmann, 32 Mark Streit
55 Nick Schultz, 5 Braydon Coburn
47 Andrew MacDonald, 22 Luke Schenn
DUCKS
Forward lines
39 Matt Beleskey, 15 Ryan Getzlaf, 10 Corey Perry
14 Rene Bourque, 17 Ryan Kesler, 21 Kyle Palmieri
Randy Miller
741252
Philadelphia Flyers
What channel is the Flyers-Anaheim Ducks game on?
Randy Miller on December 03, 2014 at 12:00 PM, updated December 03,
2014 at 12:37 PM
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The reeling Flyers, 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, will be in
the second half of back-to-back games Wednesday night when they play the
Anaheim Ducks.
So far this season, they've been bad in these situations, winning in Pittsburgh
and then losing four in a row.
This will be the last of two Flyers-Ducks' meetings this season.
The Flyers lost the first 4-3 in a shootout at home on Oct. 14. In that game,
Jakub Voracek tied the game 14:40 into the third period.
The Ducks won the shootout 2-1 in four rounds with William Karlsson scoring
the game-winning goal.
Here is everything that you need to know about how you can watch the
game:
When: Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, Calif.
TV: The Comcast Network (Jim Jackson, Keith Jones)
Radio: 93.3 WMMR (Tim Saunders, Steve Coates).
Here are 3 stories that you need to read before the opening faceoff:
1. Does Flyers coach Craig Berube need a big week to keep Dan Bylsma
from taking his job?
2. NHL power rankings: Former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette has Nashville
Predators on a roll.
3. Flyers lose again after Braydon Coburn trips his goalie in final seconds
(with VIDEOS)
741253
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers react to Devils great Martin Brodeur signing with St. Louis Blues
2014 at 1:26 PM
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Martin Brodeur's greatness in goal came out a lot during
Devils-Flyers games for two decades.
Of his NHL record 124 shutouts, he has 12 in 92 games against the Flyers,
his most against any team.
Of his record 688 wins, 50 came against Flyers, his second most versus one
team behind the 51 he has against the Islanders.
The Flyers heard the big news Tuesday that Brodeur, after playing 21
seasons and winning three Stanley Cups with the Devils, won't be spending
his entire career with one club.
The Devils won't get to face Brodeur this season because they've already
played their two games against St. Louis, but the Flyers play the Blues twice
late in the season - March 5 in Philadelphia and March 12 in St. Louis.
Here is what Flyers players had to say about Brodeur signing a one-year
contract with the St. Louis Blues just a few days after he'd reported to the
team on a tryout.
R.J. UMBERGER
Left wing
"It's funny, when I grew up as a kid in Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux was my
favorite player and Martin Brodeur was the second-favorite player. So half of
my bedroom was Mario and Penguins and the other half was posters of
Brodeur. I had no reason for liking him. I was never a goalie. Never told him
that. I only scored one goal in my career against him in a lot of games. I threw
a puck from the corner that banged off a guy's skate and in. It'll take it. It will
be weird to see Marty in a different uniform. I think that was a pretty cool thing
to see nowadays, a guy playing his whole career in one organization. He had
a Hall of Fame career there and he's one of the greatest of all-time, but you
can understand why a guy like him doesn't want to quit playing. The
competitive in him wants to keep going as long as he can. He wants to win
another Stanley Cup and it's his decision."
CLAUDE GIROUX
Center
"He wants to play and St. Louis is a good team, so that's good for him. He's
going to bring a lot of good things for St. Louis, too. It'll be really awkward
(seeing Brodeur in a Blues jersey)."
BRAYDON COBURN
Defenseman
"Devils fans can be bummed about Brodeur signing with St. Louis or happy to
have had him for 20 years. It's his life and some guys just love the game. I'm
sure he's one of those guys who just loves the game and he isn't so wrapped
up in how the fairy tale is supposed to be pieced together at the end of the
day. He's got an unbelievable amount of accomplishments and everything
that he can hang his hat on, but I think what it comes down to is this is a great
job and it's a passion of a lot of guys. Him being 42, he still feels like he has
something to give to the team. Obviously, he's been playing at a very high
level for a very long time, even though his 40s, so I'm sure he'll be all right."
MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO
Defenseman
"It's interesting. Growing up, you see him. Then you're playing against him.
He'd been the face of the Devils organization for so many years, so it's weird
to see him go to another team. But obviously he still has the desire and the
will to play and he wants another chance. We had lots of battles when I
played with the Rangers. Big rivalry. He's one of the best goaltenders of
all-time. Seeing him with St. Louis, you realize it's a nature of the business.
It's tough to stay in one spot for a whole career. We're all dealing with that."
741254
Philadelphia Flyers
Does Flyers coach Craig Berube need a big week to keep Dan Bylsma from
taking his job?
2014 at 8:37 AM
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Flyers coach Craig Berube was mad Brayden Schenn's
last-minute turnover led to a winning goal that ruined the night.
The Flyers played pretty well Tuesday night, yet their losing ways continued
with a 2-1 setback to the San Jose Sharks, who scored the game-winner with
11.5 seconds to go.
"I liked our two-way play," Berube said afterward. "I liked our play without the
puck. That's what we need to focus on."
Unfortunately, the focus — or crosshairs — now are on Berube, who very
well could need his team to have some success on this roadtrip or else ...
Or else former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma could be coaching
the Flyers by next week.
Some organization soon is going to gobble up Bylsma, who easily appears to
be the top available candidate. He was fired for recent playoff failures after
last season, but he won a Stanley Cup in his first season with the Penguins
and his six-season regular-season record from 2008-09 through 2013-14
was terrific at 252-117-32.
Sure he had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and other star players, but the
Flyers' cupboard isn't bare with Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne
Simmonds, among others.
Bylsma knows the Flyers very well, too, from being in the same division.
Could Ron Hextall already be wondering to himself if his players would
perform better with Bylsma coaching them?
Quite possibly.
Flyers coach Craig Berube on loss to Rangers Flyers coach Craig Berube
talks after 2-1 loss to San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night, a game in which
the winning goal was scored in the final seconds of the third period.
This mess of a Flyers' season can't be blamed on Berube, but it's obvious
that his players aren't playing for him this season like they did last season.
There were no complaints last season about players not working hard
enough or losing focus after Berube was elevated from assistant coach to
head coach after an 0-3 start led to Peter Laviolette being fired.
The Flyers played hard for Berube, and after their 0-3 start turned into 1-7,
they had a lot of success switching to a more defensive system. They
finished the regular season 42-27-10 under Berube, made the playoffs and
took the Rangers to seven games in the first round.
With most of the same players — Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell are the
two notable losses — this season has been a disaster from the start.
The Flyers lost their first two games and were 0-2-2 through four. They
played well for a stretch to get their record to 7-5-2, but since winning six of
eight they've gone 1-8-1 in 10 games to fall to 8-13-3 for the season.
They've been so bad that their 19 points ties them with Carolina for third
lowest in the league ahead of only Edmonton and Columbus. Even Buffalo
has more.
What this means is that the Flyers, at least for the time being, have played
their way into the Connor McDavid draft lottery sweepstakes two months into
a season in which management was and remains convinced that they should
be a playoff team.
As great of a prospect McDavid is though, the Flyers aren't looking to tank the
rest of the season to stay in contention for the OHL star. No, their plan still is
to play their way out of this crater they're in and make the playoffs, as crazy
as that seems now.
Whether or not Berube gets much more of a chance to call the shots could
depend on how the Flyers finish off this five-game roadtrip that began with a
5-2 loss to the Rangers last Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Up next for the Flyers are two of their hardest games of the season ... at
Anaheim in the second half of a back-to-back on Wednesday night and then
at Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. After that, they play in Columbus on
Tuesday night before returning home.
If the Flyers lose to the Ducks and Kings, maybe Berube doesn't even coach
the game in Columbus. If they lose all three, it seems inevitable that Hextall
makes a change before they open a four-game homestand next Thursday
night against the Devils.
Maybe the Flyers' strong effort in defeat Tuesday night in San Jose is a game
they will build on, as Giroux suggested. Maybe they get hot very soon and all
this potential coaching change stuff dies.
But if not, then you'd think Hextall will wonder if Bylsma can get get more out
of Vincent Lecavalier and R.J. Umberger, veterans forwards with big
contracts who have given them next to nothing. Maybe Bylsma can find a
way to wake up Matt Read and get Sean Couturier to score more. Maybe he
even gets better play from the defense.
Whatever happens, Berube has been dealt a bad hand, mostly due to former
GM Paul Holmgren's handling of the salary cap. Berube's players seem to
like him, or at least they did before he started benching some of them
recently, benchings that were deserved.
Voracek and Simmonds said after last Saturday's game that Berube
shouldn't be blamed for this. Flyers chairman Ed Snider said the same thing
on Monday. And Hextall has said that he still has faith in his team.
But this is the Flyers, a proud organization that typically doesn't tolerate the
kind of losing we've been seeing. And because of that, Berube probably is in
a fight now to save his job.
Randy Miller
741255
Pittsburgh Penguins
good purpose, caused the NHL to get more serious about head injuries and
the checks that cause them.
Starkey: No defending hit by Penguins' Bortuzzo
Hopefully, Crosby never will have to deal with another issue on account of a
hit characterized by “extreme lateness, predatory nature and significant head
contact.”
By Joe Starkey
There is no place in the game for hits like that.
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, 11:06 p.m.
Tribune Review LOADED: 12.04.2014
Updated 7 hours ago
I must be seeing things. Every time I look at the hit Penguins defenseman
Robert Bortuzzo put on Jaromir Jagr, I see Bortuzzo going out of his way to
hammer a defenseless Jagr late and high. Yet I keep hearing from people
about how the hit was clean.
I like Bortuzzo. He strikes me as an honest hockey player. He also provides
an element of physicality the Penguins can surely use.
And, in this case, he delivered a dangerous, dirty hit. Doesn't mean he's a
dirty player. Means he delivered a dirty hit and absolutely deserved the
two-game suspension the NHL handed him Wednesday.
The league got it right, explaining in a video that Bortuzzo was suspended
because of the hit's “extreme lateness, predatory nature (and) significant
head contact.”
I'm watching the replay at this very moment, and darned if it doesn't happen
again: Bortuzzo hits Jagr late and high. That's what I see. But from the
moment it happened, the general reaction in these parts was some version of
the following: “Clean hit!”
Would you be saying that if Zdeno Chara had put that exact same hit on
Sidney Crosby? If he'd peeled off his man, curled around a fellow defender
and driven his shoulder through Crosby's face, crumpling him to the ice?
More likely, you'd be screaming bloody murder and wondering why the
suspension was only two games.
I keep hearing from folks who tell me I am somehow mistaken. That I'm not
seeing what I think I see. That the check wasn't late or high. Some even tell
me it was “shoulder to shoulder.”
Interesting. I never knew Jagr had a shoulder with two eyes, a nose and a
mouth on it. Must have looked weird with a mullet on the back.
Sorry, but there is only one way this play can be viewed as clean: through
black-and-gold-colored glasses. I'm not saying Bortuzzo wanted to hit Jagr in
the head. I have no idea. Bortuzzo denied as much. But even if that wasn't his
intent, he certainly appeared to be on a seek-and-destroy mission, and he
raised his shoulder at the last moment.
At the very least, he was looking for a blow-up shot and therefore is
accountable for the result.
This was the kind of hit that can alter a career, including the career of a
Crosby or an Evgeni Malkin. It's the kind of hit that does not belong in the
game. If it were up to me, head shots like this would get at least 10 games.
Based on precedent, however, Bortuzzo's penalty was fair.
Bortuzzo said Wednesday he thought Jagr still had the puck when he hit him.
Maybe so. But it doesn't change the result. Crosby called the play
“borderline” but also called it a “decent hit” and clarified that he hadn't yet
viewed it in slow motion.
Was Jagr's head targeted? Nobody could know. That gets into intent. We do
know Bortuzzo and Jagr had run-ins prior to the play, including an uncalled
Bortuzzo cross-check to Jagr's back and Jagr later jabbing his stick at
Bortuzzo's skates. One could easily conclude malicious intent based on the
sequence of events.
Did Jagr put himself in a vulnerable position? No. He threw a pass to the slot
and kept his head up then had a player curl around two others and drill him
unsuspectingly.
Another team might have tried to run Crosby or Malkin through the glass after
that. The Devils pretty much let it go. For now, anyway.
As for Jagr, he did not practice Wednesday but is not expected to miss time.
We'll see. Sometimes the full damage of a head injury does not manifest for
days. We know as much from Crosby's ordeals, which, if they served any
741256
Pittsburgh Penguins
It also likely will force management to make decisions on Megna, Zach Sill
and Andrew Ebbett, who took Bennett's spot on the third line at practice
Wednesday.
Penguins GM waiting for right time to acquire top-six winger help
Those, of course, are concerns for another day. For now, Rutherford has
plenty to keep him busy.
By Jason Mackey
Like what to do with the $3.75 million the Penguins received in salary-cap
relief by placing Dupuis on long-term injured reserve.
Updated 6 hours ago
General manager Jim Rutherford knows the Penguins are short a top-six
winger. Maybe two, he will admit, given injuries to Chris Kunitz and Pascal
Dupuis.
But while acknowledging he has been monitoring the trade market on a “daily
basis,” Rutherford insisted he wants a long-term solution, not a short-term fix.
“We're looking for more than one (top-six forward) now and trying to juggle
what cap space we have,” Rutherford said. “This is not an easy process, by
no means, to accomplish our goal, but we're going to try and do it.
“Ideally what we'd like to do is make a deal that's for the bigger picture, for the
long run.”
Kunitz has a “slight fracture in his foot” and will be out “a couple weeks,”
Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. His longtime linemate, Dupuis, is out six
months with a blood clot in his lung.
Three of Rutherford's offseason acquisitions have seen time on the top two
lines: Patric Hornqvist, Nick Spaling and Blake Comeau, though Spaling and
Comeau have spent more time throughout their careers in third- or fourth-line
roles.
When also considering second-year player Jayson Megna, who jumped up to
the top six Tuesday, franchise centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin
currently are flanked by a group of wingers with a total of five 20-goal
seasons, four of them from Hornqvist.
“We have quite a few guys out right now,” Comeau said. “Everyone has to
step up. We have important guys out who aren't easy shoes to fill. I think
we've got a lot of depth on our team. It's a good opportunity for guys to show
what they can do.”
Perhaps the good part for the Penguins is they still have been winning.
They're averaging 3.33 goals per game, third most in the NHL. Their plus-27
goal differential is the best in the league. Crosby and Malkin ranked first and
fourth, respectively, in points entering Wednesday's games.
“I don't think our goal-scoring is anything we have a problem with,” center
Brandon Sutter said. “The group we've got is pretty good.”
A lower-body injury to Beau Bennett will keep him out at least until the
beginning of next week, and his absence has limited the productivity of the
Penguins' third line.
Sutter and Steve Downie haven't recorded a point in four-plus games since
Bennett went down. The group had four goals and nine points in six games
with Bennett.
Johnston has said on more than one occasion he wants to play Bennett
alongside Sutter. Crosby's chemistry with Kunitz has left Malkin, a two-time
Art Ross Trophy winner, as the lone top-three center without a regular
winger.
Asked whether a potential trade would have to revolve around someone who
is capable of playing with Malkin, who is sometimes tough to read and react
to, Rutherford's response was telling.
“I talked about the need for a top-six forward prior to ‘Duper' going down,”
Rutherford said. “You can do the math.”
The Penguins are loaded with defense prospects, whether it's Scott
Harrington, Brian Dumoulin or Derrick Pouliot, although it's believed Pouliot,
who has excelled in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, would be the hardest to pry
away.
If Rutherford is able to acquire a top-six winger or two, it would allow Spaling
and Comeau to move down and fortify the bottom six.
Or finding the right mix of youth, talent and a team-friendly cap hit.
“It's something I'm aware of,” Rutherford said of the need for top-six help. “It's
a matter of, ‘Do we go get a forward now for the sake of adding more depth
and experience? Or do we try to hold out as long as we can to see who all
becomes available?'
“I'm watching on a daily basis to try and decide which way to go.”
741257
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins notebook: Coaching search worked out for all in end
By Jason Mackey
Updated 6 hours ago
Willie Desjardins coaching a hockey game at Consol Energy Center once
was thought to be routine, not a once-a-year thing.
That was back when Desjardins was the expected replacement for Dan
Bylsma, when general manager Jim Rutherford thought his current coach,
Mike Johnston, was set to take Desjardins' eventual job as coach of the
Vancouver Canucks.
Times have changed, but the close friends have flourished in their roles no
matter the turbulent times that brought them there.
“I guess you really never know how things could play out,” Johnston said.
Johnston and Desjardins long have been friends, dating to their university
days playing against one another. Desjardins said Johnston was the best
man in his wedding.
“It's great to see him doing so well in Pittsburgh,” Desjardins said. “He's been
a great fit for that team.
“There have been stretches where they're just smothering teams. I'm excited
for him. It's good to see him doing that well.”
Rutherford said there were no hard feelings with how it all went down,
essentially Desjardins, for whatever reason, going “in a different direction.”
Dupuis skates; Goc returns
Forward Pascal Dupuis (blood clot) skated prior to practice Wednesday with
strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar, working on shooting into a
sliver of open space at the top of the goal cage. Center Marcel Goc (foot) was
a full participant at practice and stayed late for extra work.
Lemieux on Beliveau
Touching tributes from across the hockey world poured in Wednesday for
Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau, who died late Tuesday, and Penguins
co-owner Mario Lemieux was no exception.
“Beyond being one of the greatest players in NHL history, Jean Beliveau was
class personified,” Lemieux said in a statement. “He was a hero to
generations of his fellow French Canadians and hockey fans everywhere.
Our sport has lost a great ambassador. He will be missed.”
741258
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL suspends Penguins' Bortuzzo 2 games
By Jason Mackey
Updated 6 hours ago
The NHL suspended Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo for two games
for his hit on New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr, the league's
Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.
Jagr was injured on the play, which occurred at 17 minutes, 57 seconds of
the second period Tuesday. He did not return, and he did not practice
Wednesday.
This is the first suspension for Bortuzzo, who likely will be replaced by Brian
Dumoulin for Thursday's game against the Vancouver Canucks at Consol
Energy Center. He is eligible to return Monday against the New York
Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Bortuzzo will forfeit $6,451.62, which goes to the Players' Emergency
Assistance Fund.
“Well after Jagr has released the puck and at a point after which a body
check is no longer legal, Bortuzzo drives through Jagr's chest and chin with
his chest and shoulder, knocking Jagr out of a tied game in the second
period,” the NHL's explanation video said.
“This is interference. What elevates this hit to merit supplemental discipline is
its extreme lateness, its predatory nature and the significant head contact
that results from the way it is delivered.”
Bortuzzo said he saw the hit differently than the NHL.
“I wasn't targeting anything in that way,” Bortuzzo said after practice. “I've
watched it a few times. I believe I made contact with the chest. It was a
full-body check.”
The NHL called Jagr “defenseless at the moment of contact.” It said “the
onus is entirely upon Bortuzzo to avoid contact completely, and he has ample
time to do so.
“Instead, he drives forcefully through this dangerous hit.”
741259
Pittsburgh Penguins
Chapter 8 -- The evolution of Mario Lemieux: It's for them
to be the masked kind of hero. A more apt comparison would be Bruce
Wayne, only minus the dark undertones; Like Wayne, Lemieux quietly owns
one of the biggest businesses in town, keeps a low public profile and takes
pride in hosting great parties.
December 4, 2014 12:00 AM
He is the son of Pierrette, generously filling glasses. He is the son of
Jean-Guy, happy to thrive off the energy and conversation of others. He is a
deeply private man, but he is not a loner.
By J. Brady McCollough / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“He really likes to have a lot of people around,” best friend Tom Grealish
says. “I don’t know how many days in his life he’s been alone in any house
that he’s lived in. My guess is you could count them up on one hand.”
This is the last of eight chapters. Click here for the full story and an interactive
display with video highlights of Mario Lemieux’s career and more photos.
When he’s in the right mood, Lemieux will show his mother’s flare. He will
play the piano. He will sing. He will do impressions. He can imitate anything
from singer Englebert Humperdinck to basketball announcer Marv Albert —
Jordan from the key … YES!
The vision is always there. No matter what the present holds, Mario Lemieux
can look into the distance and see something grander ahead. From a tony
Montreal basement where his father would deliver snow for a makeshift
playing surface, Lemieux could see NHL superstardom. From anywhere on
the ice, he could see a highlight developing before it happened. From the
Penguins' consistent standing at the bottom of the league, he could see Lord
Stanley's Cup and imagine it in Pittsburgh. From inside the brittle bones of
old Mellon Arena, he could see the light across the street at Consol Energy
Center.
The vision applies everywhere, and, once he’s fixed on something, he will
never do anything halfway. As a golfer, he has worked his way to a 2
handicap. How about his love of wine? Early in his career, he became friends
with veteran goaltender Gilles Meloche, who joined the Penguins in 1985.
Meloche was a wine connoisseur, and with Lemieux just coming of age to
drink, he passed his passion for the grape down to the kid. In his first
apartment in Mt. Lebanon, Lemieux kept about 10 cases of wine next to his
sofa. At his first home, he built a small cellar, which held about 200 bottles.
He was intoxicated, not so much by the heady buzz, but by the expansive
world that could open through the pursuit of a good bottle. He began to
dabble in wine futures, investing in vintage Bordeauxs while still in the barrel,
purchasing them at least a year ahead of their official release.
“Everything about Mario is very classy,” Jordan says. “It’s totally natural. If
you first see him, you think he’s so quiet, but he’s not. He’s very observant.
Even when I first met him, he seemed much more mature for his age than
you would expect. He was always that way.”
Always? Well, yes. Tom Mathews took Lemieux into his home when he was
just a 19-year-old trying to learn a new language and handle the rigors of his
rookie season, and Mathews could tell there was something inside of the kid
that just hadn’t been tapped yet.
“He’s always carried himself with some sort of dignity,” Mathews says, “First
of all, he’s big. He’s 6-4, a good-looking guy. Mario’s a presence, and I think
that, over time, he has grown into that so nicely. He’s grown, to me, in
stature, how he carries himself.”
But not many people get to witness Lemieux’s polish. Around Sewickley, he
is polite, but will often be seen eating alone at the Sewickley Hotel or
Sewickley Cafe, where people are good about letting him be. At 18-year-old
Austin’s hockey games, it’s been rare that he’s had to tell a persistent
stranger that he is there to watch his son play.
When he and Nathalie moved to their Sewickley home in 1993, they picked
the place with an eye on staying there for a while, and for Lemieux, that
meant giving proper respect to the vine. The contractors would take about a
year to complete his plan, but when finished, Pittsburgh’s prince would have
a wine cellar befitting a Parisian king.
Usually, if he’s going to step out of his comfort zone, it will be in the name of
his Mario Lemieux Foundation, which has raised and donated millions for
cancer research, the latest gift a $2.5 million sum to establish a lymphoma
center for children and young adults in his name. And there are now 31
“Austin’s Playrooms” across the Pittsburgh area, with more on the way.
On an early September morning, after a second hourlong discussion of his
30 years in Pittsburgh, Lemieux graciously offers up a quick tour of the
house. It starts in his first-floor office, where he makes note of his messy desk
— yet, everything is stacked in orderly fashion — and points to the shelves
displaying all of his hockey hardware, the six Ross Trophies, the three Hart
Trophies, the two Conn Smythe Trophies and much more. Lemieux might not
like talking about the past, but he values it.
The foundation, more than his handprints all over the city’s hockey scene, will
be how his name endures and touches the most people. Lemieux admits that
the foundation has far exceeded even his original vision.
“Where’s my gold medal?” he says, looking for the 2002 Olympic prize he
brought home from Salt Lake City and finding it in another corner.
“A little bit surprised,” he says. “I think the least we can do as celebrities or
athletes is try to help other people who are less fortunate.”
That comment, taken without context, could read like a staid cliche straight
out of the philanthropist’s handbook, but that is just how Lemieux talks. He
proves that his words are more than platitudes by giving his time in ways that
few get to see.
The trophies are impressive, but what of this wine cellar? Surely, it will serve
as the key into the padlocked mind of Lemieux. He agrees to open it, and
walks across the house, by the ornate, antique fixtures at each turn, and
down a staircase to a side room that appears to have no real purpose. But
Lemieux pushes against the wooden wall, and a door suddenly appears,
opening to a hidden passageway.
Over the years, he has kept in contact with children who have Hodgkin’s
lymphoma or other cancers. He figures that in their minds, if they know Mario
Lemieux went through it, it can’t be that bad.
Inside, it is chilly, damp, dark. If one didn’t know the cavelike surroundings
were leading to a wine cellar, it wouldn’t be out of line to wonder if Mario
Lemieux were actually Batman.
Grealish has noticed that Lemieux puts more effort each year into making his
annual fantasy hockey camp fundraiser a first-class event. The last thing
Lemieux would want to subject himself to is a bunch of middle-aged men
fawning over him, and it would be easy for him to make a few cursory
appearances, tell some stories about the good ol’ days and let his staff
handle the brunt of it. But Lemieux has put his personal touch on it, having a
contract signing ceremony for each participant and being present for most of
the three to four days.
The next flight of stairs leads into the main room of the cellar, where old
bottles and boxes cover the walls. With the contents of the two other rooms
off to the right, Lemieux has collected about 2,500 bottles from all over the
globe. Down here, he couldn’t be further from his parents’ home in Ville
Emard, where Molson was the drink of choice.
“If we had wine, it was in a box,” Lemieux recalls with a chuckle.
Sheets of paper sit on a table in the middle of the room. They make up
Lemieux’s wine registry, what has made it here and what is on the way. He
says he is not as into it as he used to be, but friends say he will spend hours
at a time in this dank dungeon, chronicling his acquisitions with the exquisite
handwriting of a perfectionist.
No, Lemieux is definitely not Batman, although he has swooped in to save
the day several times — and, given his personality, he would probably prefer
“Kids from Canada, the U.S., everywhere in the world, I’m glad to do it,” he
says. “I keep their number in my phone, and I text them.”
“That’s far more Mario than putting on a black tie,” says Dr. Andy Urbach, the
chief pediatric resident at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and
a member of the foundation’s board of directors. “He likes being one of the
guys, where he can relate to people and make the time special for himself
and for everyone else.”
At his annual golf fundraiser — which in Lemieux fashion has gone private
after years of having celebrities descend upon Pittsburgh for a public show —
he will make some comments at a post-round dinner in a room full of the
foundation’s biggest donors. This year, Grealish and friend Chuck Greenberg
were blown away when Lemieux unleashed a 10- to 12-minute speech about
all the important things the foundation was doing.
“Mario had a page of notes that he never looked at,” Greenberg says. “To go
from someone who preferred to be in the background to someone who can
speak from the heart about something that’s intensely personal, without ever
seeming like a huckster, is a wonderful reflection of his evolution and growth
as a person. He does it every year, and it gets stronger and more meaningful
every year. It’s time-lapse photography.”
When deciding whether to come out from behind the curtain, Lemieux first
considers how his actions will be perceived. He will gladly do it for his
foundation because the goal is clearly to help others. But if there’s a chance
people will think he is hunting the spotlight, he will shy away.
That’s why his answer to the Penguins wanting to build a statue of him
outside the arena was an immediate “no.” Of course, the Penguins called on
Grealish to once again remind him: It’s not for you. It’s for them.
“It’s OK to be a big deal,” Grealish says. “You don’t need to be a big shot, but
you are a big deal.”
That statue, unveiled as “Le Magnifique” in March 2012, is a 4,700-pound
rendering of Lemieux breaking through two defenders in a game from 1988.
Lemieux’s parents, wife and four children attended the ceremony on that
sunny spring-like day, as past, present and future united. Pierrette and
Jean-Guy Lemieux still live in the small house on Jogues Street in Montreal,
and, while their four grandchildren have an appreciation for their
French-Canadian heritage, they’re proud to have been molded in Pittsburgh.
Lauren Lemieux is in school at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., but she
interned this summer in Pittsburgh. Stephanie did her first year at Boston
College but then transferred home to Carnegie Mellon. Austin and Alexa
have one more year of high school at Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic,
respectively, before Mario and Nathalie will have an empty nest.
All generations of the Lemieux family will now be able to congregate at Mont
Tremblant, the mansion Lemieux recently built in Quebec. But he does not
want there to be any confusion.
“This is my home, our home,” Lemieux says of Pittsburgh, “and we’re going
to be here for a long time.”
Says Grealish: “He’s a Pittsburgher at heart. Pittsburghers don’t like change
a whole lot. We like predictability. We like going to the same golf course, the
same restaurant. He’s a Pittsburgher in that he wants the same. He wants to
be around the same people, go to the same places. He doesn’t want to be a
jet-setter and go to parties and meet new people. He is content.”
At 30 years and going strong, it’s safe to say: the Lemieux-Pittsburgh
partnership stands alone.
“It is unique,” says former Rangers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. “A lot of
guys leave, go home, come back and wave every once in a while. There’s
very few that have built a relationship with a fan base and a city like
Pittsburgh and Mario. You look through all sports, I mean, who has that
relationship?”
Credit Pittsburgh, too.
“This wouldn’t happen in New York,” Morehouse says.
Lemieux understood at a young age that he wouldn’t be able to create the life
he wanted in a big city like New York or a hockey-obsessed one like
Montreal. Pittsburgh, thankfully, had just the right chemistry.
Back in Sewickley at Lemieux Manor, the tour is ending, and as Lemieux
walks up the stairs from the wine cellar and emerges into the kitchen, there is
Nathalie, his partner all these years. She briskly addresses him in French
and is apparently about to make him a sandwich.
Before leaving the Lemieuxs to their lunch, a question lingers: Why now?
Why did he agree to this particular interview? Well, it was 30 years, so, he
figured, “Do this one and take 10 years off.”
“There are some people that need attention even after their career is over,”
Lemieux says. “I’m totally the opposite. I just want to do my own thing. I don’t
need to be celebrated every time there’s an anniversary or something like
that.”
Now fully explained, Lemieux strides out to the front gate, where he receives
a thank you for his time.
“My pleasure,” Lemieux says.
The door closes, and Lemieux turns away, returning to his wife, to the dogs,
to the normalcy he craves. It might be a decade before he opens up again in
this way. But if the last 30 years are any indication, he will give a little bit more
of himself each day, and, almost without realizing it, he won’t need an official
occasion to let people see the real Mario Lemieux.
Post Gazette LOADED: 12.04.2014
741260
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins' Ironman record about to fall
By Seth Rorabaugh / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two weeks shy of his 71st birthday, Ron Schock is still a hard worker.
Owner and operator of a landscaping business near Rochester, N.Y., the
former Penguins captain enjoys his current form of employment.
“I’ll probably work about … I don’t know … three or four more years,” said
Schock. “I don’t do too much in the winter and I find it very boring doing
nothing. I’m not sure at the present time if I’m a good candidate for
retirement. There’s not enough for me to do.”
That kind of mentality helped Schock become successful in the NHL in the
1960s and 1970s when there were fewer teams and jobs. He also became
the original Penguins Ironman. From Oct. 24, 1973 through April 3, 1977, he
played in 313 consecutive regular-season games, a mark that remains the
franchise’s record.
Assuming he’s in the lineup tonight — and there is no reason to expect not to
be — right winger Craig Adams will tie the record and could break it Saturday
against the Ottawa Senators.
Despite owning the record for nearly four decades, Schock isn’t particularly
attached to it.
“Oh, I hope [Adams] plays 700 in a row,” said Schock who played center.
“Those records and things are kept track of more by the media than the
particular player. I don’t know if he can put together 500 more games there
but I’d be happy for him.”
“Now, if everybody in the record book they were going to pay $500,000 to, I
may have a different opinion.”
Talent earned Schock a regular spot in the lineup but so did his approach to
the game.
“He was a leader on our team,” said general manager Jim Rutherford, a
teammate of Schock for parts of three seasons with the Penguins. “He had
the good work ethic. I didn’t know that he held the record as long as he has. It
doesn’t surprise me because he was determined to play every game.”
Schock’s team record was halted when he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres
before the 1977-78 season in exchange for left winger Brian Spencer.
“I actually thought at that particular time I would spend my playing days, the
rest of them, in the Pittsburgh organization,” said Schock. “I didn’t expect to
be traded. And it was an odd time. I was traded the first day of training camp
or the second day.”
While Schock was a second-line center and Adams almost exclusively a
fourth-line winger, they share a common trait.
“When you play this game as hard both these guys play it, there’s always that
chance that your going to get hurt,” said Rutherford, who as general manager
of the Hartford Whalers, selected Adams in the ninth round of the 1997 draft.
“But you see the determination in both Ron and Adams’ case and you can
understand why they play through things.”
741261
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins notebook: Injuries open door for young winger
By Jenn Menendez / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Any lingering disappointment Jayson Megna might have had from being sent
to the minor leagues out of training camp quickly vanished Tuesday night.
Megna was promoted to the second line in the victory against the New Jersey
Devils and skated with Evgeni Malkin and Blake Comeau, as mounting
injuries opened another spot in the Penguins lineup. Winger Chris Kunitz was
the latest to be knocked off the ice. He has a foot fracture that will keep him
out for at least two weeks.
“[Malkin is] so skilled and so gifted. I think the message to me was continue to
play the game you know how to play,” said Megna. “You don’t need to try to
complement Evgeni Malkin by trying to be as skilled as him because you’re
never going to be as skilled as him. So things that I bring to the game are
speed. I tried to bring that and I don’t have to change the way I play, just
continue to work hard.”
Kunitz is the second top-six forward lost in recent weeks, along with Pascal
Dupuis (blood clot), and fourth forward overall with Beau Bennett (lower
body) and Scott Wilson (lower body). The Penguins also put defenseman
Kris Letang (groin) on injured reserve Tuesday.
Coach Mike Johnston has been pleased with how his team has weathered
the injuries.
“From my perspective I thought our team handled it well [Tuesday] night.
We’ve got a big test [tonight] playing one of the best teams in the Western
Conference, so certainly we’re going to have our hands full,” he said. The
Penguins face the Vancouver Canucks at Consol Energy Center.
Johnston said the rash of injuries would have been far more problematic had
they hit when the Penguins played six games in nine days.
“I’m glad we didn’t run into these injuries last week when we were playing so
many games in so few days,” he said. “So it gives us a chance to maybe heal
some bodies quicker with less games.”
Goc back at practice
Marcel Goc returned to practice Wednesday and stayed on the ice for more
than an hour to work on his conditioning. He has not yet been cleared to
rejoin the lineup.
“I felt I had a good day with the team. We’ll see what the doctor says,” he
said.
Goc sat out the past two games after bruising his right foot blocking a shot
Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“It certainly could’ve been worse. I’m happy it wasn’t,” he said. “[Now we’ll]
just see if the [doctor] gives me the OK and go from there.”
Short debut
Scott Wilson, a former college player at the University of
Massachusetts-Lowell, made his NHL debut Tuesday night … and was
injured two shifts into the second period. He is expected to be out more than
two weeks.
741262
Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins defenseman pays price for hit on Jaromir Jagr
“Your initial reaction is you’re [ticked] off that somebody took a liberty on a
guy like that, then you’re concerned,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer told NJ
Advance Media. “[Jagr] is a guy who is not a 25-year-old. But he’s a big,
strong man. And he’s a tough guy. It was good to see him get up. Speaking to
him [Wednesday] I think he’s heading in the right direction.”
December 3, 2014 5:44 PM
Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was suspended for two games for
interference after leveling what the NHL labeled a “predatory” and “late,
violent hit” on Jaromir Jagr Tuesday night in a game against the New Jersey
Devils.
Bortuzzo was disciplined after a hearing with the league’s department of
player safety that took place over the phone Wednesday afternoon.
The hit — described as including “significant head contact” — unfolded late in
the second period after Jagr centered a puck toward teammate Scott Gomez
near the goal mouth from the end boards at 17:57.
It sent Jagr crashing to the ice, where he spent several moments recovering
before skating to the bench unaided.
At the time of the play, game officials did not issue Bortuzzo a penalty, but it
prompted a storm of criticism from the New Jersey bench and ultimately a
review.
Bortuzzo, who commented after practice Wednesday and before the
suspension was levied, said he thought Jagr was still involved in the play
when he lowered his shoulder to engage.
“During the play I thought he still had the puck and was moving behind the
net,” said Bortuzzo. “Watching the replay, he moved it, I think it was, around a
half a second before point of contact.”
Bortuzzo said his intention was not to injure Jagr, noting how quickly things
can occur on the ice.
“It’s easy to go put a play in slow motion or break it down or whatnot. Guys
are moving incredibly fast out there,” Bortuzzo said. “Things happen fast. I
believe the puck was there. I was just making a hard play and [it had] an
unfortunate result.”
He also said that after watching video replay several times, he still did not
believe the first point of contact was Jagr’s chest — not his head.
“I wasn’t targeting anything in that way,” said Bortuzzo. “I’ve watched it a few
times. I believe I made contact with the chest, it was a full body check.”
Bortuzzo does not have any history of being fined or disciplined in his
84-game NHL career for late or dirty hits, which was noted by the league.
In the league’s explanation, Bortuzzo had ample time to avoid contact
completely, but didn’t.
“Bortuzzo neither launches into Jagr, nor hits with his elbow. However given
how late this hit is, there is no part of his body with which Bortuzzo can deliver
a legal body check,” the league explanation stated. “What’s more, since Jagr
should have no reason to expect to be hit this late, he is defenseless at the
moment of contact. Since this play is entirely in front of Bortuzzo and he can
see that Jagr has passed the puck the onus is entirely on Bortuzzo to avoid
contact completely and he has ample time to do so. Instead, he drives
forcefully through this dangerous hit.”
Jagr required medical attention but is not expected to miss any time.
Bortuzzo will serve a two game suspension without pay, which, based on his
salary and terms of the collective bargaining agreement is $6,451.
The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, according to
the NHL.
Coach Mike Johnston abstained from sharing his assessment of the hit when
Wednesday after practice before the review.
“There’s a hearing this afternoon so we’re going to deal with it in the hearing
and go from there,” said Johnston.
The reaction was not as tempered in New Jersey.
741263
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pens' Bortuzzo faces disciplinary hearing on Jagr hit
December 3, 2014 1:41 PM
Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo will have a disciplinary hearing with
the NHL this afternoon regarding what the league’s Department of Player
Safety called a “late hit” on New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr Tuesday
night.
The hearing is expected to take place at 2 p.m.
Jagr left the game after taking several moments to gather himself and then
skating off the ice with 2:08 left to play in the second period.
When asked for his assessment of the hit, Coach Mike Johnston abstained.
“There’s a hearing this afternoon so we’re going to deal with it in the hearing
and go from there,” said Johnston. “I’m not going to make a comment before
the hearing.”
Bortuzzo said he watched the hit a few times and believes he made contact
first with the chest, not the head, and prior to Jagr releasing the puck.
“I thought the puck was there,” said Bortuzzo. “(He’s) a physical player,
obviously a bigger guy. It was obviously unfortunate that he had to leave the
game. That’s about it, though, just playing hard.”
741264
San Jose Sharks
Niemi remains a steady presence in net for Sharks
By Curtis Pashelka
Posted:
Updated:
12/03/2014 02:43:27 PM PST
12/03/2014 02:43:29 PM PST
SAN JOSE -- The Sharks aren't completely satisfied with picking up six
points in the first five games of their current homestand. But that total could
be even less had it not been for some timely saves from Antti Niemi in recent
games.
Niemi finished with 28 saves in Tuesday's 2-1 Sharks win over the
Philadelphia Flyers, and has a .918 save percentage in the first five games of
San Jose's current six-game homestand. He had 30 saves in a 6-4 win over
Anaheim, and at least gave the Sharks a chance to win in a 2-0 loss to
Calgary and shootout losses to Florida and Arizona.
Against the Flyers, Niemi had to make a key save in the second period to
keep it a one goal game. Just after Philadelphia killed a penalty to Nicklas
Grossman, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare sent Grossman on a breakaway with a
long pass out of the Flyers' zone.
Grossman faked a shot and went to his left to try and deke Niemi, but Niemi
stayed with the puck and saved Grossman's shot with his right toe.
Had Grossman scored, the complexion of the game probably changes and
perhaps the Sharks aren't carrying a two-game win streak into Thursday's
contest against the Boston Bruins.
"The game's different at 2-0 than it is at 1-0," Sharks coach Todd McLellan
said. "He made very some timely and big saves."
Niemi also made key stops late in the third period on Wayne Simmonds and
Braydon Coburn to keep the game 1-1, setting up a chance for the Sharks to
win it with Matt Nieto's goal with 11 seconds left.
Niemi has started 19 of the Sharks 26 games and has a 9-7-3 record and a
.917 save percentage. After 19 starts last season, Niemi was 11-3-5 with a
.916 save percentage.
"It goes either way. I just want to take it one game at a time, and get ready for
the next one," Niemi said of the workload. "So it doesn't really change my
focus, regardless of the situation."
McLellan left open the possibility of Niemi starting his sixth straight game
Thursday. There wasn't much choice earlier in the homestand when Troy
Grosenick was injured in practice and couldn't play against Calgary last
week. At the time, Alex Stalock was still on injured reserve and also unable to
go.
Grosenick skated for the first time Wednesday since he was injured Nov. 25
and said his improving.
If Stalock does not start Thursday, it's likely he'll be in net against either
Calgary on Saturday or Edmonton on Sunday.
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741265
San Jose Sharks
Sharks' Couture feels better, still questionable for Thursday's game vs.
Bruins
Goalie Troy Grosenick skated for the first time Wednesday since he was
injured Nov. 25 and said he is improving. If Alex Stalock does not start
Thursday, it's likely he'll be in net against Calgary on Saturday or Edmonton
on Sunday.
By Curtis Pashelka
Forward Tyler Kennedy, out with a lower body injury, is eligible to come off
injured reserve Thursday. Kennedy said Wednesday that he felt good after
he pushed it a little harder in practice, so "we'll see what happens tomorrow,"
he said.
Posted:
THURSDAY'S GAME
Updated:
12/03/2014 01:12:25 PM PST
12/03/2014 10:19:58 PM PST
Boston (14-11-1) at Sharks (12-10-4), 7:30 p.m. CSNCA
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 12.04.2014
SAN JOSE -- One day after a receiving a jarring hit to the jaw, Logan Couture
felt better but will have to be evaluated again to see if he is fit to play against
the Boston Bruins, Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Wednesday.
Couture left Tuesday's game against Philadelphia and did not return after he
was struck by a shoulder-to-jaw hit by Flyers left wing Michael Raffl 24
seconds into the third period. Couture was moving the puck out of his own
zone when he turned in the right faceoff circle just as Raffl was arriving. That
turn put Couture's jaw in a direct line of contact, and he crumpled to the ice.
The Sharks play the Bruins on Thursday to complete a six-game homestand
in which they have a 2-1-2 record.
San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture (39) leaves the ice after getting
injured against Philadelphia Flyers’ in the third period at SAP Center
in
San Jose Sharks' Logan Couture (39) leaves the ice after getting injured
against Philadelphia Flyers' in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose,
Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group) ( Josie
Lepe )
"There's still protocol that we need to adhere to, so he'll get through the day,
and we'll see how he is (Thursday) morning," McLellan said. "I can't even
venture to guess as to which way it'll go. We obviously want him in, and I
know he wants to play. But we'll have to make sure that he is in a good state
and feels good."
Couture has six points in his past six games and leads the Sharks with 22
points. He scored twice against Anaheim on Saturday, including a
short-handed goal on a breakaway, and had an assist on Marc-Edouard
Vlasic's second-period goal against the Flyers in what ended up as a 2-1 San
Jose win.
The recent scoring stretch comes after Couture was held without a point in
five straight games where he had a combined 13 shots on goal.
"I think he's got his game back to where it needs to be and where it's been in
the past," said McLellan, who added that Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton
"are really important pieces, but the catalysts on our team are probably (Joe
Pavelski) and (Couture).
"Pav, Cooch, (Vlasic), (Tommy) Wingels, those type of guys, when they
understand that and they play like that and are ready to go, everybody falls
into place, and Logan's been doing that the last couple, three or four games."
The Sharks held an optional skate Wednesday, and Couture had already left
the practice facility by the time media members were allowed into the team's
dressing room.
McLellan said it's possible Antti Niemi will make a sixth straight start in goal
Thursday after the Sharks goalie made several key saves against the Flyers.
Niemi needed to come up big in the second period as just after Philadelphia
killed a penalty to Nicklas Grossman, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare sent
Grossman on a breakaway with a long pass out of the Flyers' zone.
Grossman faked a shot and went to his left to try and deke Niemi, but Niemi
stayed with the puck and saved Grossman's shot with his right toe.
Had Grossman scored, the complexion of the game probably changes and
perhaps the Sharks may not be carrying a two-game win streak into
Thursday.
"The game's different at 2-0 than it is at 1-0," McLellan said. "He made some
very timely and big saves."
Niemi also made key stops late in the third period on Wayne Simmonds and
Braydon Coburn to keep the game 1-1, setting up a chance for the Sharks to
win it with Matt Nieto's goal with 11.5 seconds left.
741266
San Jose Sharks
Knee injury behind him, Hertl again helping Sharks attack
Kevin Kurz
There weren’t many Sharks playing well in the first period against the Flyers
on Tuesday.
Tomas Hertl, though, was. The sophomore forward has been performing
much better lately, including an impressive goal against the Ducks last
Saturday that looked like something straight out of his rookie season.
His performance early in the Flyers game earned him an eventual place back
on the Joe Thornton-Joe Pavelski line in the second period, and that group
generated some decent scoring chances in the Sharks’ 2-1 win. Hertl led the
Sharks with six shot attempts in the game, including three that were stopped
by Steve Mason.
[RECAP: Sharks edge Flyers 2-1]
“He had a spark, and he ended up with Pav and Jumbo at the end of the
night,” Todd McLellan said. “They created some scoring chances later on. I
think Tomas’ game is improving as time goes on.”
Hertl said: “Every game now is a little bit better. Last game I got a couple
good chances for scoring, maybe three very good chances. I’m happy the
chances are coming. I need just a little bit of luck now.”
Hertl’s season stat line of five goals and six assists in 26 games doesn’t leap
off of the page, but for the first time on Wednesday there were some
indications from both Hertl and McLellan that it’s taken some time for the
21-year-old to recover from a serious right knee injury last December that
required surgery to repair ligament damage.
That injury happened, of course, courtesy of Dustin Brown’s controversial hit
on Dec. 19. Hertl returned late in the regular season and in the playoffs, but
wasn’t all the way back in terms of his recovery. He went on to play at the
World Championships for his native Czech Republic, and suffered another
minor injury there that McLellan said he “believed” was in the same knee.
That derailed Hertl's offseason training regimen, and the subsequent lack of
scoring once the 2014-15 season began negatively affected his confidence.
“If we revert back to the beginning of the season, his injury at the World
Championships probably set him back, and maybe now he’s getting to the
level that he needs to be at confidence-wise and conditioning-wise,"
McLellan said. "He’s starting to show up much more positively in games than
he did earlier in the year.”
Hertl said he’s now weighing in at 216 pounds, but believes he’s still getting
bigger – not necessarily in terms of weight, but adding more muscle to his
six-foot-two-inch frame. He's still growing into his body.
In typical Hertl style, with a huge smile on his face, he said that he’s “still a
baby,” citing his inability to grow a November mustache as proof.
“I think I’ll be stronger in a couple years because I’m still growing up. I think I’ll
be much stronger,” he said.
During his early season struggles of just two goals through 12 games,
including a stretch of just one assist in eight games, Hertl mentioned he was
falling down on the ice too often. Being stronger on his skates was necessary
if he was going to start having an impact again.
Now, it’s a bit clearer why that might have been a problem. Fortunately for
Hertl and the Sharks, he’s starting to again resemble that Calder Trophy
candidate from this time last year.
“You have to give this young guy credit,” McLellan said. “He’s got a spirit
about him that’s a really positive spirit. He fights through it.”
“He’s stronger, better conditioned, stamina is better. Those are visible
changes in his game, and as a result he’s getting better.”
741267
San Jose Sharks
Couture's status unclear for Sharks-Bruins game
December 3, 2014, 11:45 am
Kevin Kurz
SAN JOSE – Logan Couture’s status for the Sharks’ game against Boston on
Thursday remains unclear, after the center suffered an apparent head injury
against the Flyers on Tuesday night.
Todd McLellan offered a brief update on the center after an optional practice
on Wednesday in which Couture did not participate.
“Felt better today,” McLellan said. “There’s still protocol that we need to
adhere to. He’ll get through the day. We’ll see how he is in the morning. I
can’t even venture to guess which way it will go. We obviously want him in
and we know he wants to play, but we have to make sure that he is in a good
state and feels good.”
It would be unfortunate timing if the Sharks were to lose Couture for any
period of time, after he turned into the Flyers' Michael Raffl's shoulder early in
the third period on Tuesday and did not return. The 25-year-old registered an
assist on the Sharks’ first goal in their 2-1 win over Philadelphia, and has
taken over the team scoring lead with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists).
[RECAP: Sharks edge Flyers 2-1 on last minute goal]
In his last five games, Couture has three goals and three assists after going
five straight without a point.
“I think he has got his game back to where it needs to be, and where it’s been
in the past,” McLellan said.
“Patty [Marleau] and [Joe Thornton] are really important pieces, but the
catalysts on our team are probably [Pavelski] and [Couture], and when Pav,
Cooch, [Marc-Edouard Vlasic], [Tommy Wingels] – those type of guys –
when they understand that and they play like that and are ready to go,
everybody falls into place. Logan has been doing that the last three or four
games.”
741268
San Jose Sharks
Sharks fourth line helps turn the tide vs. Flyers
December 3, 2014, 10:00 am
Kevin Kurz
SAN JOSE – The highlights won’t show it, but the Sharks’ game-tying goal on
Tuesday late in the second period by Marc-Edouard Vlasic on a beautiful
passing play between all five San Jose players only transpired because of
what was happening moments earlier.
The Sharks’ fourth line of Andrew Desjardins, Mike Brown and John Scott
took advantage of a giveaway by Flyers forward Chris VandeVelde, and had
a physical, energetic and workmanlike shift in Philadelphia’s zone.
Eventually the puck ended up on Justin Braun’s stick below the San Jose
goal line, and some crisp passing up the ice turned into Vlasic’s marker at
17:44 of the second period. The Sharks went on to a 2-1 win on Matt Nieto’s
late goal.
“That shift was good,” Desjardins said. “For our line, that’s like a plus, or
getting an assist, because we’re getting the momentum going. It’s nice to see
a line come out right after us and score a goal.”
[RECAP: Sharks edge Flyers 2-1 on last minute goal]
Brown returned to the Sharks’ lineup after a seven-week absence with a
broken finger on Saturday against Anaheim, and didn’t have his best night,
taking a pair of minor penalties that left his club shorthanded. On Tuesday
against the Flyers, though, Brown was causing some noticeable havoc,
finishing the night with four hits and helping to get his team out of a first
period rut.
“Brownie kind of got it going in the second period. It gave us that shot in the
arm that we needed,” Joe Pavelski said.
Todd McLellan was pleased with the fourth line, specifically mentioning
Brown’s effort.
"They had some energy,” Todd McLellan said of the fourth liners. “I think
Mike Brown's brought that to the table. He's quick, he gets on top of people.
Our forecheck in the first period wasn't an asset by any means. It wasn't
strong. I thought Brownie went out and finished a couple people and dragged
everybody into the game.
“Those guys are important when they do that. … They were very effective
and important to our team."
Too often through the first quarter of the season, the Sharks haven’t gotten
much of anything from their fourth liners, including Desjardins. Now that he’s
reunited with Brown, though, the Sharks could start to get better minutes
from that group, as it seems like Desjardins plays his best hockey with Brown
on his wing.
“He’s got a lot of energy,” Desjardins said of Brown. “He just goes in hard and
finishes everything, so you know the puck’s going to pop out somewhere.
Great work ethic and great playing with him, really.”
741269
St Louis Blues
Bluenotes: Bouwmeester still sidelined with groin injury
5 hours ago • By Jeremy Rutherford
CHICAGO • Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester might miss his sixth
consecutive game tonight in Nashville with what the club confirmed is a groin
injury.
Bouwmeester, who recently snapped his 737-game “Iron Man” streak,
returned to practice Monday with the expectation that he would play
Wednesday in Chicago.
Bouwmeester left Tuesday’s practice early, and afterward Blues coach Ken
Hitchcock labeled him a “game-time decision.” But Bouwmeester was not in
the lineup against the Blackhawks and could sit out again tonight against the
Predators.
Despite the belief that Bouwmeester might play Wednesday, Hitchcock said
that the defenseman has not suffered a setback.
“We kept him off the ice by design,” Hitchcock said. “We worked him to a
certain level (Tuesday). We pushed him hard. We told him when to get off.
We told him he’s done. We wanted to rest him today. We’ll skate him again
tomorrow and then we’ll see — we’ll see if he’s ready to go.”
“If we’ve got to hold him out until the weekend, we’ll do that. But it was a
designed non-compete day because we pushed him so hard yesterday.
We’re not prepared to have one little bit of concern before we put him in. We
don’t want this thing to be a hindrance. We’re opting to go on the safety side.”
Bouwmeester was injured Nov. 22 in Ottawa with what the club called a
lower-body injury and is now known as a groin injury.
“It was kind of weird,” he said then. “Someone fell down, I kind of jumped over
his stick and something seized up.”
Bouwmeester’s streak ended the next night in Winnipeg.
BELIVEAU REMEMBERED
The hockey world Wednesday mourned the loss of Montreal Canadiens
legend Jean Beliveau, who died Tuesday at age 83.
The former Habs’ captain won 10 Stanley Cups in Montreal and was part of
17 as a member of the organization.
Two Blues players from Montreal — Martin Brodeur and Maxim Lapierre —
have fond memories of Beliveau.
“I think he was an icon in Montreal for years,” said Brodeur, whose father,
Denis Brodeur, was the Canadiens’ team photographer for many years.
“Every hockey player tried to model the way he acted on and off the ice. We
definitely have a special connection to my dad, all the years he worked with
him. It was just a nice relationship to have an icon like that be so close to our
family. It’s always sad, I lost my dad last year, so I know how everybody
feels.”
“That’s really sad,” Lapierre said. “We all know what he’s done for the league
and the team. It’s obviously a big loss. I remember talking to him maybe once
or twice going to the games and always a positive man that was just telling
the young guys coming in to have fun and enjoy the challenge. It’s a big loss,
it’s sad.”
BLUENOTES
• The Blues finished November with a record of 11-3-1 for the second
consecutive season. The club is 31-8-4 in that month over the past three
seasons
• Healthy scratches for Wednesday’s game were forwards Joakim Lindstrom
and Magnus Paajarvi.
• The team assigned Jordan Binnington to the American Hockey League on
Tuesday after signing Brodeur.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 12.04.2014
741270
St Louis Blues
Chicago erupts, buries Blues
CHICAGO • The Blues scored one goal on 41 shots and six power-play
opportunities Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The goal came from defenseman Ian Cole.
The Blues, as fans have seen often, were too perimeter-oriented during
five-on-five play Wednesday and couldn’t convert on the power play. Despite
the inept offense, they went into the third period tied, but Chicago erupted for
three goals in a span of four minutes, 20 seconds for a 4-1 victory at the
United Center.
“Our power play lost us the game early and then the third period they dialed it
up ... that was the difference,” Blues forward Alexander Steen said. “We
didn’t really test them, aside from the power play. We had a few chances in
the first period and that’s about it. We need to up our five-on-five game, and
obviously our special teams need to be better.”
The Blues’ power-play unit was just two for 29 in their first-round loss to
Chicago last season, and after failing to score on six chances Wednesday
and nine this season, they are two for their last 38 against the Blackhawks
dating back to that series.
As a result, the Blues lost for the 11th time in their last 13 visits to the United
Center and saw their three-game winning streak on the road end. They are
back at it tonight in Nashville, and the Blues will have Martin Brodeur in net.
In their last two games, the Blues rallied from behind in the third period to
beat Minnesota and Edmonton. But they could not do the same after Chicago
struck three times early in the period.
The score was tied 1-1 on goals by Cole and Blackhawks forward Marcus
Kruger. The ‘Hawks had 52 seconds left on their power play when the period
began, but that was erased by the Blues’ penalty-killing unit.
But then Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane broke the game open. In the next
stretch, Versteeg had a goal and two assists and Kane scored twice.
Versteeg took a pass from Jonathan Toews and beat Blues goalie Jake Allen
for a 2-1 Chicago lead just 59 seconds into the third period. Next, Kane took a
cross-ice pass from Versteeg and slid one by Allen for a 3-1 advantage. And
then it was Kane again, taking a flip pass from Versteeg and skating around
defenseman Barret Jackman before making it 4-1.
“The game is 1-1, you’re in perfect position in the third period,” Blues coach
Ken Hitchcock said. “We just gave it to them. Made some checking mistakes,
we just gave them the hockey game, bottom line. We put ourselves at 1-1, in
a great spot, where you want to be on the road ... did a poor job checking
down low, did a poor job slot coverage, can’t give that away. It’s 3-1 and it’s
game over. We just gave them the hockey game, that’s what we did.”
Allen allowed four goals on 33 shots but stayed in the game, as Hitchcock
elected to keep Brodeur on the bench.
“You can’t let a skilled team like that get those chances,” Allen said. “It was
only a five-minute span but they took advantage of it.”
The Blues fell behind quickly, but it was after they failed to capitalize on so
many early opportunities.
Hitchcock’s line combinations, the ones used by the team to finish off
Minnesota in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout victory, failed to generate many
scoring chances against the Blackhawks, who were playing in front of their
seldom-used backup goalie Wednesday.
Starter Corey Crawford was in a walking boot after injuring his left foot
slipping at a recent concert, leading Chicago to insert Antti Raanta, who had
not played since falling to the Blues in the teams’ previous meeting.
But after sitting out of Chicago’s last 17 games, Raanta picked up his second
victory of the season. The Blackhawks, who were rolling with Crawford, won
for the seventh time in their last eight games.
The only offense came from Cole, who redeemed himself in the second
period, scoring his second goal of the season after coughing up a turnover
that led to Chicago’s first goal.
The line of David Backes, Patrik Berglund and Steve Ott had a strong shift,
keeping the puck in the offensive zone for an extended stretch with about
eight minutes left. The Blackhawks finally had a chance to clear, but Ott
knocked the puck down, and the Blues continued to work.
Back on the puck, Ott pushed a pass in front to Berglund, who fed Cole on
the right side for a tap-in and a 1-1 score with 7:22 remaining in the middle
period.
“That was what we wanted to do more often in the game,” Cole said. “We had
a couple of good stretches, but not nearly enough time in total. We obviously
want to occupy the zone as much as we can. It was not nearly enough.”
In one sense, the Blues were fortunate to be in a tied game, but in another,
they could have been leading Chicago at the second intermission. They had
five power plays through 40 minutes but had only five shots and no goals to
show for their time on the man-advantage.
“We’ve just got to get to the inside,” Steen said. “We’ll talk about it and try to
do it tomorrow.”
741271
St Louis Blues
Blackhawks bury Blues in third period
CHICAGO • The Blues scored one goal on 41 shots and six power-play
opportunities Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The goal came from defenseman Ian Cole.
The Blues, as fans have seen often, were too perimeter-oriented five on five
Wednesday and couldn't convert on the power play. Despite the inept
offense, they went into the third period tied, but Chicago erupted for three
goals in a span of four minutes, 20 seconds for a 4-1 victory at the United
Center.
"Our power play lost us the game early and then the third period they dialed it
up ... that was the difference," Blues forward Alexander Steen said. "We
didn't really test them, aside from the power play. We had a few chances in
the first period and that's about it. We need to up our five on five game and
obviously our special teams needs to be better."
The Blues' power-play unit was just two for 29 in their first-round loss to
Chicago last season, and after failing to score on six chances Wednesday
and nine this season, they are two for their last 38 against the Blackhawks
dating back to that series.
As a result, the Blues lost for the 11th time in their last 13 visits to the United
Center and saw their three-game winning streak on the road end. It will carry
on Thursday in Nashville, where the Blues will have goaltender Martin
Brodeur making his debut with the club.
The Blues and Predators lead the Central Division with 34 points, but after
winning for the eighth time in its last nine games, the Blackhawks have pulled
to within a point.
In their last two outings, the Blues had rallied in the third period to beat
Minnesota and Edmonton. But they could not do the same after Chicago
struck three times early in the period.
The game was tied 1-1 on goals by Cole and Blackhawks forward Marcus
Kruger. The 'Hawks had 52 seconds left on their power play when the period
began, but that was erased by the Blues' penalty-killing unit.
But then Kris Versteeg and Patrick Kane broke the game open. In the next
stretch, Versteeg had a goal and two assists and Patrick Kane scored twice.
Versteeg took a pass from Jonathan Toews and beat Blues goalie Jake Allen
for a 2-1 Chicago lead just 59 seconds into the third period. Next, Kane took a
cross-ice pass from Versteeg and slid one by Allen for a 3-1 advantage. And
then it was Kane again, taking a flip pass from Versteeg and skating around
defenseman Barret Jackman before making it 4-1.
"The game is 1-1, you're in perfect position in the third period," Blues coach
Ken Hitchcock said. "We just gave it to them. Made some checking mistakes,
we just gave them the hockey game, bottom line. We put ourselves at 1-1, in
a great spot, where you want to be on the road ... did a poor job checking
down low, did a poor job slot coverage, can't give that away. It's 3-1 and it's
game over. We just gave them the hockey game, that's what we did."
Allen allowed four goals on 33 shots, but stayed in the game, as Hitchcock
elected to keep Brodeur on the bench.
"You can't let a skilled team like that get those chances," Allen said. "It was
only a five-minute span but they took advantage of it. You can't let a team like
that, with offensive threats, get their chances. We took our foot off the gas."
The Blues fell behind quickly in the third period, but it was after they failed to
capitalize on 13 shots and three power plays in the first period.
Hitchcock's line combinations, the ones used by the team to finish off
Minnesota in Saturday's 3-2 shootout victory, failed to generate many scoring
chances against the Blackhawks, who were playing in front of their
seldom-used backup goalie Wednesday.
Starter Corey Crawford was in a walking boot after injuring his left foot
slipping at a recent concert, leading the 'Hawks to insert Antti Raanta, who
had not played since falling to the Blues 3-2 in the teams' previous meeting
Oct. 25.
But after sitting out of Chicago's last 17 games, Raanta made 40 saves to
pick up his second victory of the season.
The only offense came from Cole, who redeemed himself in the second
period, scoring his second goal of the season after coughing up a turnover
that led to Chicago's first goal.
The line of David Backes, Patrik Berglund and Steve Ott had a strong shift,
keeping the puck in the offensive zone for an extended stretch with about
eight minutes left. The Blackhawks finally had a chance to clear, but Ott
knocked the puck down, and the Blues continued to work.
Back on the puck, Ott pushed a pass in front to Berglund, who fed Cole on
the right side for a tap-in and a 1-1 score with 7:22 remaining in the middle
period.
"That was what we wanted to do more often in the game," Cole said. "We had
a couple of good stretches, but not nearly enough time in total. We obviously
want to occupy the zone as much as we can. It was not nearly enough."
The Blues had five power plays through 40 minutes, but had only five shots
and no goals to show for their time on the man-advantage. After a sixth
power play late in regulation, they finished with 12 shots, but no offense.
"We've just got to get to the inside," Steen said. "We'll talk about it and try to
do it tomorrow."
741272
St Louis Blues
Bouwmeester to miss more games with groin injury
CRAWFORD INJURED
The Blackhawks will be without goalie Corey Crawford tonight and for the
next couple of weeks.
Crawford told reporters Wednesday that he suffered an injury to his left foot
while slipping at a recent concert.
CHICAGO • Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester will miss his fifth
consecutive game tonight with what the club confirmed Wednesday is a groin
injury.
Bouwmeester, who was injured Nov. 22 in Ottawa, returned to practice
Monday. He was on the ice again Tuesday, but left early. Afterwards, Blues
coach Ken Hitchcock labeled Bouwmeester a "game-time decision" against
Chicago.
Crawford had started the Blackhawks’ last 14 games, playing better as of
late. For the season, he is 12-5-1 with a 1.87 goals-against average and .929
save percentage.
The Blues will be facing backup Antti Raanta, who hasn't played since a 3-2
loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Oct. 25. He is 1-2 with a 2.03 GAA and .933
save-percentage.
PASSING OF BELIVEAU
The hockey world is mourning the loss of Montreal Canadiens' legend Jean
Beliveau, who died Tuesday at age 83.
But Bouwmeester will not play tonight and also will not suit up Thursday
against Nashville, extending his absence to six games.
The former Habs captain won 10 Stanley Cups in Montreal and was part of
17 in all, as a member of the organization.
Hitchcock denied that Bouwmeester suffered a setback in Tuesday's
practice, and despite his characterization that the defenseman was a
game-time decision for tonight, said it was planned that he would sit out
these next two games.
Two Blues' players from Montreal — Martin Brodeur and Maxim Lapierre —
have fond memories of Beliveau.
"We kept him off the ice by design," Hitchcock said. "We worked him to a
certain level (Tuesday). We pushed him hard. We told him when to get off.
We told him he's done. We wanted to rest him today. We'll skate him again
tomorrow and then we'll see — we'll see if he's ready to go."
"If we've got to hold him out until the weekend, we'll do that. But it was a
designed non-compete day because we pushed him so hard yesterday.
We're not prepared to have one little bit of concern before we put him in. We
don't want this thing to be a hindrance. We're opting to go on the safety side."
"I think he was an icon in Montreal for years," said Brodeur, whose father,
Denis Brodeur, was the Canadiens' team photographer for many years.
"Every hockey player tried to model the way he acted on and off the ice. We
definitely have a special connection to my dad, all the years he worked with
him. It was just a nice relationship to have an icon like that be so close to our
family. It's always sad, I lost my dad last year, so I know how everybody
feels."
The injury ended Bouwmeester's "Iron Man" streak at 737 consecutive
games Nov. 23 at Winnipeg.
"That's really sad," Lapierre said. "We all know what he's done for the league
and the team. It's obviously a big loss. I remember talking to him maybe once
or twice going to the games and always a positive man that was just telling
the young guys coming in to have fun and enjoy the challenge. It's a big loss,
it's sad."
TONIGHT'S LINEUP
BONUS BRODEUR
Forwards
Martin Brodeur will be in uniform for the first time as a member of the Blues,
backing up Jake Allen against the Blackhawks.
Jaden Schwartz-Paul Stastny-T.J. Oshie
Steve Ott-Patrik Berglund-David Backes
Brodeur, of course, signed his one-year deal with the club on Tuesday.
Here's the story from yesterday's interviews with Brodeur, Hitchcock and
Blues GM Doug Armstrong. But not everything fit into the story, so here is
some bonus coverage:
Chris Porter-Maxim Lapierre-Ryan Reaves
Brodeur
Defensemen
On mentoring Allen: "I told Jake, Brad Richards, he's never played against
him. He's a guy I played (against) a ton. I've got some input on the way he
plays the game. So things like that ..."
Alexander Steen-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko
Barret Jackman-Alex Pietrangelo
Carl Gunnarsson-Kevin Shattenkirk
Chris Butler-Ian Cole
Goalie
Jake Allen
BLACKHAWKS' PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards
Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Marian Hossa
Kris Versteeg-Brad Richards-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Andrew Shaw-Daniel Carcillo
Joakim Nordstrom-Marcus Kruger-Ben Smith
Defensemen
Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjamlarsson
Michal Rozsival-David Rundblad
Goalie
Antti Raanta
On the mood around the Blues: "I think for me, coming in and being on the
outside the first four days, trying to get on the inside a little bit, it was kind of
nice to see how these guys are together ... the atmosphere on game days
and stuff like that. For whatever reason, I had flashbacks from the teams that
had a lot of success in Jersey - the way that these guys care about each
other and the way they act around each other."
On leaving Devils after 21 seasons: "For me, the Devils are, I played my
career, I got drafted by them. I won three Stanley Cups, I've done so much
with the Devils. That's never going to go away. This is a new challenge for
me. Right now, I'm a St. Louis Blue. When it's going to be all over, I'll be a
New Jersey Devil-St. Louis Blue."
Armstrong
On offering Brodeur $700,000 base pay: "When I talked to (Brodeur's agent
Pat Brisson) and talked to Marty the first time, I felt guilty. I said I know this
isn't reflective of who you are and what you mean to the game, and where
your status is in the league. But in a cap system, this is what we can afford to
have you come in here. ...He understands that we had to be careful in what
we spend."
On incentive that pays Brodeur $10,000 for each point he earns: "We might
be over (the salary cap) if he's in goal and we win the Stanley Cup .... that's a
penalty I'd love to pay."
Hitchcock
On Brian Elliott understanding the situation: "Ells isn't worried, I'm not
worried. Everybody knows what the game plan is. Marty is here to help us
until Brian gets healthy. It's pretty simple. What this does is allows Brian to
get healthy in the proper manner and not rush it. ... We need Brian back at
100 percent. The way he plays and the stress on that knee, we need it 100
percent. Now this buys some time to get there and it also buys Marty an
opportunity to continue his career."
On Brodeur's future with the Blues: "I'm not looking at it, 'Where's he going to
be six months from now or four months from now?' I don't care. For me, it's
'Where's he going to be on Thursday or Saturday when we put him in?' That's
all I'm focused on. Next week is next week, we'll get focused on that."
On Blues player growing up watching Brodeur: "I grew up watching him, too."
741273
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning thriving under Yzerman’s watch
after those playoffs, replacing him with Jon Cooper — a finalist for coach of
the year last season.
A plan can go here, there, anywhere.
It’s going rather well at the moment.
Published: December 4, 2014
Staff
TAMPA — The Lightning, with more points than any other NHL team before
play Wednesday, begin a homestand tonight at the A-rena.
The man upstairs will be watching.
We’re not talking divine guidance. We mean the general manager’s box, and
the general manager in it, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, whose guidance
has mostly been steady, and quite good, since his arrival in 2010.
This Lightning team seems the real deal. More than in 2010-11, Yzerman’s
first season, when the Bolts stunned everyone by coming within a win of the
Stanley Cup finals, a deceiving run in hindsight, given the drop-off the
ensuing two seasons.
Yzerman’s plan never changed: build through the draft, stock the farm
system, find a lasting solution at goaltender, beef up the defense. Some
called it a five-year plan.
“I think I said ‘long-term’ plan,” Yzerman recently said. “Long term is
anywhere from three years to 20 years. How’s that?”
Yzerman laughed, then cautiously assessed the start of Year Five.
“We’re not where we want to be yet,” he said. “The goal is to compete for a
Stanley Cup.”
The team Yzerman and his talented staff built leads the NHL in scoring. It
brims with talent, drafted, signed or acquired. The defense is greatly
improved. The goaltender is great, again. Yzerman has shown a golden
touch, beyond those consecutive gold medals for Canada.
He’s not perfect. Yzerman played the organ-i-zation card in allowing Marty
St. Louis to initially be left out of the Olympics. It sent Marty out the door. But
Marty is happy, and so are the Lightning, especially after Yzerman re-signed
gritty Ryan Callahan, who is second on the team with 11 goals. No harm, no
foul.
That reminds us: Yzerman bought out icon Vinny Lecavalier. The Lightning
kept winning. They won while Steven Stamkos was out last season. They
won while Victor Hedman was out this season.
And once upon a time, April 2013, Yzerman traded young, talented forward
Cory Conacher to Ottawa for a goaltender: Ben Bishop.
That move alone would make most GMs golden.
There are forwards Tyler Johnson, undrafted, but signed as a free agent in
2011, and Odrej Palat, taken in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. They
were Calder Trophy finalists last season.
And on it goes. Young talent everywhere, scooting all over the ice. The plan
last offseason was to strengthen a shaky defense. The signing of Anton
Stralman and the trade for Jason Garrison have done that. Yzerman signed
center Brian Boyle. There is balance up front.
“It’s kind of a vague and general plan in some ways,” Yzerman said. “I don’t
know if you can be specific, but you’ve got to have balance. Teams don’t win
the Stanley Cup without good goaltending. They don’t win in the playoffs
without defense. But you need to score as well. We’re looking for that
balance.
“You look at L.A. last year. They had great goaltending. They had a really
good, solid D corps and they added a couple of young players into their
lineup that gave them some secondary scoring so they weren’t relying on just
a few guys — and it results in another Stanley Cup. They had a really
balanced team. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Yzerman’s real strength might be the confidence to change course. That first
season as GM, Yzerman signed Dan Ellis as his No. 1 goalie. That lasted half
a season. Yzerman traded for Dwayne Roloson, who led the playoff run.
Yzerman fired his hand-picked coach, Guy Boucher, less than two seasons
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 12.04.2014
741274
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning assign Namestnikov to AHL Syracuse
By Erik Erlendsson
Published: December 3, 2014
TAMPA — The Lightning assigned rookie C Vladislav Namestnikov to
Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
After making the team out of training camp, Namestnikov had three goals
and seven points in 23 games, with a plus-3 rating. But with two extra
forwards on the roster, the was among five players taking turns as healthy
scratches.
Namestnikov, 22, sat three times and was scratched in consecutive games
before playing Tuesday in Buffalo. Nikita Kucherov, Cedric Paquette and
Namestnikov were the only players who could be reassigned without
requiring waivers. The move left Tampa Bay with 22 players.
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 12.04.2014
741275
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning sends Vladislav Namestnikov to AHL
Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 7:04pm
Rookie center Vladislav Namestnikov was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on
Wednesday, lessening the Lightning's glut at forward.
This isn't a punitive move for Namestnikov, 22, who has played well with
three goals and four assists in 23 games. But with the Lightning having to
scratch two healthy forwards each game, Namestnikov was the odd-man out
in two of the past three games.
With Namestnikov able to be sent down without clearing waivers, he gets an
opportunity to get more playing time at his natural center position. It also
frees up room for touted rookie wing Jonathan Drouin, who has been
scratched three times in the past few weeks and recently alternated with
Namestnikov as the third-line left wing.
Namestnikov, a first-round draft pick in 2011, made the opening-night roster
after an impressive training camp and became a key part of the penalty kill.
He'll likely return this season.
Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 12.04.2014
741276
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning-Sabres Thursday night preview
Lightning vs. Sabres
When/where: 7:30, Amalie Arena
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 970-AM
Key stats: The Sabres have won six of their past seven, including beating
Tampa Bay 2-1 in a shootout Tuesday in Buffalo. … Buffalo G Jhonas Enroth
is 5-1 with a 1.55 goals-against average in the past six games. He is 4-1
overall against the Lightning. … The Sabres are 1-12-1 when opponents
score first; the win was Tuesday. … Tampa Bay has won four of its past five
and is 10-2-1 at Amalie Arena. … The Sabres entered Wednesday as the
league's lowest-scoring team (1.64 average goals per game) and had the
worst power play (7 percent, 5-for-71). ... G Ben Bishop (15-3-2) has won six
of his past seven starts and is 4-0-1 with a 2.31 GAA in five career starts
against Buffalo.
741277
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat form strong Lightning bond
Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat, Calder Trophy finalists last year for the
league's top rookie, might be playing even better this year.
Johnson
2013-14: 24 goals, 26 assists, 82 games, plus-23
Palat
On a two-on-one with good friend and linemate Ondrej Palat midway through
Tuesday's third period, Johnson patiently waited as Sabres defenseman
Tyson Strachan slid on the ice. At the last second, Johnson flipped a
cross-crease pass that deflected off goalie Jhonas Enroth, and the puck
landed right on the stick of Palat.
. Tonight
Lightning vs. Sabres
When/where: 7:30, Amalie Arena
"Lucky for us," Johnson said.
TV/radio: Sun Sports; 970-AM
"Just a tap-in," Palat said of the goal that resulted.
Key stats: The Sabres have won six of their past seven and beat Tampa Bay
2-1 in a shootout Tuesday in Buffalo. … Buffalo G Jhonas Enroth is 5-1 with a
1.55 GAA in the past six games. … The Sabres are 1-12-1 when opponents
score first; the win was Tuesday. … Tampa Bay has won four of its past five
and is 10-2-1 at home. … The Sabres entered Wednesday as the league's
lowest-scoring team (1.64 average goals per game) and had the worst power
play (7 percent, 5-for-71). … G Ben Bishop (15-3-2) has won six of his past
seven starts and is 4-0-1 with a 2.31 GAA in five career starts against Buffalo.
That's how it's gone for Johnson, 24, and Palat, 23, who have made their own
breaks in impressive followups to last year's breakout seasons, when both
were Calder Trophy finalists for the league's top rookie.
Johnson entered Wednesday sixth in the league in assists (19) and points
(27). He and Palat, with seven goals and 11 assists, are plus-15 and combine
with wing Nikita Kucherov (nine goals, 22 points) to form the team's best line
and one of the hottest in the league entering tonight's game against Buffalo at
Amalie Arena.
"They don't play the game anymore to survive; they don't play the game not
to make mistakes," coach Jon Cooper said of the duo. "They play the game
to make plays now. That's a huge difference. You can tell (players are) going
to be (good), borderline stars, when the game slows down for them. That's
what has happened to (Johnson and Palat). I think that differentiates the
guys that make it and the guys that don't."
Neither knew he would make it to the NHL. Johnson, a 5-foot-8, 183-pound
center, went undrafted out of Spokane, Wash., Palat, a 6-foot, 190-pound
Czech wing, was selected in the seventh round (208th overall) in 2011.
Craig Button, an analyst for Canada's TSN TV network, said the two have
been in "proving-ground mode" for a long time, always in a position where
they had to validate their worth.
"Three years ago, I didn't know I would be drafted," Palat said. "I didn't know
if I would come back to junior (hockey). I ended up in (AHL Norfolk) and was
scratched for 10 games. … I'm still surprised I made it to the NHL. Some
people are expecting me to have a 70-, 80-point season, but for me, just
being on the team is good for me."
Their path of patience has helped. Both spent two years developing in the
AHL, where they became fast friends. On the ice, their chemistry is kinetic,
both seeming to know where each other is at all times. Button said both are
exceptionally smart players, able to adapt and adjust on the fly.
"That's what makes them so hard to defend against," Button said. "When
you're an opponent, you give them one thing and they take the other. You
give them a look, they go, 'That's fine, we know we can go this way.' "
Both are key cogs on the power play and penalty kill, and are responsible in
their end. Johnson is a playmaker, his game built on speed, but he plays
bigger than his frame. Palat is a power forward who is hard to play against in
the corners and in front of the net. He knows how to put himself in the right
positions.
"He always finds himself a step a half-step or a step ahead of the opponent,"
Button said. "That's why he has the puck. That's why he gets the chances."
The duo's games really have taken off since getting reunited on a line in late
October, joining another playmaker in Kucherov, who set up Tuesday's
two-on-one with a stellar backhand pass. The biggest difference from this
year and last, Johnson and Palat say, is confidence.
"When you first come into the league, you don't want to be the guy that
makes the mistake that costs a goal," Johnson said. "Now it's a bit more like I
know what the bad opportunities are going to be and what are the good
opportunities. It helped me last year. You kind of second-guess everything
you do. But this year it's just about instincts."
Sophomore surge
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Mirtle: The case for – and against – Tyler Bozak
JAMES MIRTLE
The case against Bozak
Often the divide on Bozak involves analytics, in large part because these new
stats paint a rather ugly portrait of what’s happening when he’s on the ice.
Bozak’s career possession rating, for example, is 46.4 per cent, which ranks
him in the bottom 25 out of the 261 forwards that have played at least 3,000
even-strength minutes since he entered the league.
The Leafs have been routinely outshot over that span, too, and both those
issues have remained unchanged even as he has produced more
offensively.
The numbers are really quite remarkable.
As a result, at even strength the past two seasons, Toronto has scored only
five more goals than it has allowed with him on the ice, an alarmingly low
number given Kessel’s penchant for routinely netting 30 every year.
After 24 games, Tyler Bozak sits tied for 12th in the NHL in goals scored,
ahead of superstars such as John Tavares, Patrick Kane and Martin St.
Louis.
The only centres that have played big minutes and had more goals scored
against a minute they’re on the ice, meanwhile, are Jason Spezza and Sam
Gagner, two pivots known for their defensive deficiencies.
He has 23 points – good for top 20 – and is on pace for nearly 80 despite
never hitting the 50-point mark in the past.
The defensive issues plaguing the Leafs’ top line are hardly all on Bozak – no
member of it is particularly strong in their own zone – but they’re
compounded by not having a strong presence down the middle, especially
when tasked with facing opponents’ best players.
Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle says despite questions about his future,
his focus is on getting Toronto back on track. Captain Dion Phaneuf says the
players should take the blame for recent back-to-back blowout losses.
It’s a hot streak, there’s no doubt. And Bozak is really a terrific story.
Undersized and undrafted while playing in British Columbia’s Junior A circuit,
the Regina native spent only a year-and-a-half in college before jumping
straight to the Leafs as a free agent.
By then, he was already 23 and struggled to produce, putting up only 134
points in his first four NHL seasons despite getting ample power-play time
and nearly 85 per cent of his even strength minutes with Phil Kessel, one of
the top goal scorers in the game.
For years, the debate has raged over whether Bozak was a suitable first-line
centre for a team with serious playoff aspirations, an argument that went
beyond the point production given how weak Toronto’s top unit has typically
been defensively.
That history has meant that his recent explosion hasn’t become the
feel-good, underdog-done-good story it might have somewhere else: His
detractors have long since lined up on one side and his supporters on the
other.
Neither appears to be budging, despite all the goals.
“I mean I think I’m used to it now,” Bozak said of the controversy. “It’s been
five years of the same thing over and over. I’m surprised they don’t get sick of
talking about it.”
The case for Bozak
Bozak is a unique player in the NHL. He’s not particularly big or fast or strong
and doesn’t have the typical offensive attributes one would expect in a
minute-eating, playmaking centre.
But he is great on breakaways – as evidenced by his 58-per-cent
career-success rate in the shootout, tops among active players (more than
15 attempts) – and has used those skills to score two pretty shorthanded
goals this year.
He also wins plenty of faceoffs, with a career success rate of 53 per cent
that’s only a percentage or two below the game’s elite.
His relationship with Kessel is another plus, as the pair became inseparable
almost from the moment Bozak arrived back in 2009, with the two of them
earning the nicknames Bert and Ernie from teammates.
And Kessel has become one of the league’s premier goal scorers with his
off-ice roommate as his centre.
Generally speaking, Bozak is very popular with his teammates and coaches,
who are called on to defend him from time to time.
“It’s great to see him having success: He’s a big part of that line and he has
been for a lot of years,” captain Dion Phaneuf said on Wednesday. “The way
he’s playing now and putting up big numbers, it’s well deserved. He works
extremely hard.”
“Bozie’s been a guy that’s created a lot of offence over the last little while,”
coach Randy Carlyle added. “We hope that continues.”
So there are legitimate questions over how good the Leafs can be if their top
line is that porous and if Bozak can continue to produce points the way he
has. His on-ice shooting percentage the past 82 games is at more than 12
per cent, which is in the same range as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and
Steven Stamkos in that span.
That’s generally unsustainable for all but the best players in the world, and an
indication Bozak won’t be able to produce at a 70-point rate long term.
“I’m playing where I am, and the team’s doing well, I’m doing well,” Bozak
said. “So hopefully we can stay consistent and keep it up.”
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Toronto Maple Leafs
“We think that he has an opportunity to play higher in our lineup but right now
this is where he has to fit,” Carlyle said before Tuesday’s win. “We just think
he’s got more to give. He’s played very well…
Mirtle: Leafs bargain bets paying off nicely
“We thought he made a huge contribution to our skating game and our puck
pressure game [on Saturday against Washington]. If he continues to do that
and somebody falters, well, he’s going to get an opportunity.”
James Mirtle
Published Wednesday, Dec. 03 2014, 8:52 AM EST
There’s a lot of talk about the Leafs needing more elite talent – and that’s true
– but what they also need is value for contracts.
Last updated Wednesday, Dec. 03 2014, 9:04 AM EST
Right now, they’re getting that with Santorelli and Winnik, in particular, as
they’re playing integral minutes and producing for very little money.
The first one signed on July 3, after the dust cleared in free agency and the
bargains started coming, for one year and $1.5-million.
That makes up for some of their cap mistakes like David Clarkson, Stephane
Robidas and the Tim Gleason buyout. And it may even allow them to keep
players like Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson, who both need new contracts.
The second came nearly three weeks later, on the 22nd, for one year and
$1.1-million.
Then the third on the 28th, for one year and $1.3-million.
“You’re trying to find the right place for everybody,” Carlyle said of his
new-found wealth up front, giving him more options than at any other point in
his tenure in Toronto.
In a league where the average salary has crept up to about $2.7-million, Mike
Santorelli, David Booth and Dan Winnik are all well below that figure and, so
far, they’re more than earning their keep as a group.
What will be interesting to see is if the Leafs view them as more long-term
solutions. Last season, they had Mason Raymond on a similar bargain deal
but were quickly priced out of the market when he produced so much offence
in his only season in Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier reaches for the puck as Dion
Phaneuf holds off Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby during the first period
of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014. The
Penguins won 4-3 in overtime.
There’s no doubt when they signed their deals that’s what all three Leafs
envisioned, but if there’s a reasonable extension to be had come January, it’s
something the organization should consider.
This on a Toronto Maple Leafs team that needed some bargains to help them
with a tight salary cap situation.
They need forward depth, and looking at their minor league system, it’s just
not there right now given the Marlies have been the lowest scoring team in
the AHL.
Combined, those three had a cap hit of $6.6-million a year ago; now they’re
down to a little more than half that and still playing some key minutes.
Santorelli has been the biggest difference maker early, with 16 points in 24
games as a handy utility man that can play anywhere in the lineup.
In Tuesday’s win over Dallas, that meant filling a right wing spot with Nazem
Kadri and Joffrey Lupul and not looking at all out of place with three assists.
His speed helps him along the boards and through the neutral zone; his
coach likes him as a winger because of his tenacity on the puck.
Coming into training camp, who would fill the Leafs second line right wing
hole was one pressing question; 24 games into the season, it seems they
have an answer.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Randy Carlyle said. “I didn’t think in
reviewing his training camp that he was going to be all that dynamic… His
work ethic is very noticeable on the wing. That has been enlightening to
everybody that he’s a much more dynamic player [there].”
“Santo was great,” Kadri said. “He just works hard. He’s pretty tenacious on
the puck. He likes to handle it, too. He’s got pretty good vision, and he can
handle it, too. And speed… It’s really easy to play with him.”
Winnik, meanwhile, has had his biggest contributions on the penalty kill,
where he logged almost six scoreless minutes on Tuesday. He has averaged
more than 3.5 minutes per game to lead all NHL forwards this season,
replacing the less effective Jay McClement in that workhorse role.
The Leafs PK is now up to eighth in the league with an 84.5 per cent kill rate,
miles better than where they were a year ago, and a lot of that is simply
because the top forward duo of Winnik and Leo Komarov have been a huge
improvement.
Winnik has also chipped in with some offence at even strength when
required, giving Carlyle a nice option on the wing that can win battles and
push the puck in the right direction as part of a checking line.
It’s worth noting he played second line minutes all season with a 116-point
Ducks team last season.
As for Booth – well, it would be a stretch to say he’s made a huge impact in
his three games given his limited ice time, but Carlyle made a point of saying
he’s liked what he’s seen.
Having that kind of veteran presence who can step up from the fourth line in
case of injuries is also something he intends to use down the road.
As long as Santorelli, Winnik and Booth can outperform their cap hits,
present and future, they’re solid citizens on an NHL roster.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs’ bad habits covered up by recent wins
By: Kevin McGran Sports Reporter, Published on Wed Dec 03 2014
This is all new to David Booth, playing on a team that can score when it
needs to, playing on one with such skill.
“(Last year) in Vancouver, we were a good goal-scoring team, but the games
here, I mean, the back-to-back games, six goals, five goals. The scoring,”
said the first-year Maple Leafs winger. “Man, this is a good team. It really is.”
While it’s new to Booth, and some other Leafs, fans have seen this before.
Last year. And it didn’t end well.
And it seems to be happening again.
The Maple Leafs are routinely getting outshot, out-chanced and outplayed.
Yet the Maple Leafs are routinely winning, making it look easy some nights.
This year, at least, the Maple Leafs know that the whole “getting outplayed
but winning anyway” thing can’t continue.
“I think everyone realizes the way we have to play to be successful,” said
forward James van Riemsdyk. “You realize you can’t just play on skill. You
play with structure and you sacrifice. It’s not always the glamorous play. You
just have to get it in deep and not make a bad play instead of making a great
play.
“When you buy into doing that, it makes everyone else’s job easier.”
The problem is, lately, they haven’t been doing that. In the last five games
(4-0-1), the Leafs have outscored the opposition 23-12, but have been
outshot 158-139. If you look deeper and count total shots, including missed
and blocked ones, the Leafs have been outshot 321-270 over those five
games.
The opposition has had the puck 54 per cent of the time. A troubling trend
from last year, one that was supposed to be countered with smarter puck
possession play this year.
The bad habits that were covered up by timely scoring and good goaltending
that came back to haunt them last season are reappearing this season.
This year, however, the Leafs are not in denial about it. They get it.
“You win a game and we say we have to play better,” said Booth. “We do
have to tighten up things. You always have to learn. Every game there’s
something to learn. You’re never perfect.”
There are more than a few areas that suggest the Leafs are a better team
than last year’s.
The big thing, they are not blowing leads in the third period, something they
did 23 times last year.
In fact, they are a perfect 10-0-0 when scoring first, and a perfect 10-0-0
when leading after 40 minutes.
This suggests they are mentally stronger this year.
“We have a different team; we have a different group of guys,” said van
Riemsdyk. “We have to play consistent in our structure, and play smart with
the puck. When you do that, it makes everyone’s job easier. You’re not
chasing the game as much.”
But the lopsided victories? Those will stop, says veteran defenceman
Stephane Robidas, as teams bear down for the playoffs and get into tighter
checking games. It’s the teams that can win one-goal games that will make it
to the playoffs, and thrive once they get there.
“In the playoffs, there are no blowouts,” said Robidas, bringing up the L.A.
Kings success. “When they won their first Cup (in 2012), they barely made
the playoffs. They couldn’t score.
“But they played tight games, they played one-goal games all year. They go
in the playoffs, and they know they’re comfortable playing those one-goal
games because that’s what they did all year.”
With the injury riddled, but always defensively sound New Jersey Devils in
town on Thursday night, perhaps the Leafs will get a taste of a tight-checking
game.
“We know historically New Jersey has been a strong neutral-ice hockey
club,” said Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. “They want to play tight to the vest.
They like to keep shots down.
“Our challenge is we do not want to be selfish and turn puck ice over in
neutral ice and allow them to transition. We want to play an uptempo game
and move the puck effectively.”
For now, the Leafs will happily ride their offensive juggernaut while they work
on fixing their flaws. Even if fixing their flaws takes time.
“Nothing is automatic. You have to have patience,” said Booth. “I don’t think
anyone likes being patient. You want results. You want proof you’re
improving right away. This is something that’s tough to deal with, but it’s
something that makes good teams great.”
Toronto Star LOADED: 12.04.2014
741281
Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs-Devils: Thursday game preview
AIR CANADA CENTRE
FACEOFF: 7:30 p.m.
TV: TSN
RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The Fan
Here’s what you need to know about the Devils:
COLD AS HECK
The Devils are 0-3-2 in their last five games, 3-5-2 in their last 10 and 6-9-1
on the road. The Devils have played more road games than any other team.
HECK OF A PLAYER
Jaromir Jagr has passed Hall of Famer Al MacInnis (5,157) on the NHL
career shots list, taking over sole possession of third place behind Ray
Bourque (6,206) and Marcel Dionne (5,366).
HECK OF AN INJURY LIST
However, Jagr may not play. Already depleted by injuries, the Devils suffered
three more on Tuesday, losing Jagr, Patrik Elias and Stephen Gionta. Gionta
was hit in the foot by a shot while Jagr was hit in the head; there was no
update from the Devils on the nature of Elias’s injury. Add them to an injurylist
that includes Martin Havlat(lower body), Travis Zajac(lower body), Bryce
Salvador(lower body) and Ryane Clowe(hit to head).
WHO THE HECK
The Devils have brought back 34-year-old forward Scott Gomez, signing the
one-time Devil to a contract Monday. Gomez won the Calder Trophy in 2000
and the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003 with the Devils. He became the 25th
player in Devils’ history to be re-acquired by the club.
WHAT THE HECK
The Devils’ power play is rated 15th in the league at 19.5 per cent efficiency.
The penalty kill is 27th (75.3) . . . The Leafs’ power play is 13th (20.6) and
penalty kill is eighth (84.5) . . . The Devils are outshot an average of 30.3 to
26.5 . . . The Leafs are outshot an average of 33.1 to 30.5
741282
Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs shuffle colours at practice
If we go strictly by colours at Maple Leafs practice, coach Randy Carlyle has
a new fifth line: James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel.
The Leafs top trio — normally decked out in first-line whites — wore maroon
in practice Wednesday, a day after leading the team to a 5-3 win over the
Dallas Stars. Maroon is usually reserved for subs and spares.
No players wore white at practice.
MAPLE LEAFS CHAT WITH KEVIN MCGRAN
The second line — wearing blue — remained Nazem Kadri between Joffrey
Lupul and Mike Santorelli.
The third line — wearing green — featured Peter Holland between David
Booth and David Clarkson.
The actual fourth line — wearing red — had two members: Trevor Smith and
Richard Panik.
Neither Leo Komarov nor Daniel Winnik participated.
Komarov missed his third straight practice due to concussion protocol.
Winnik took a hit in the second period from Jason Demers on Tuesday night.
741283
Toronto Maple Leafs
Game Day: Devils at Maple Leafs
By Rob Longley, Toronto Sun
First posted: Thursday, December 04, 2014 01:12 AM EST | Updated:
Thursday, December 04, 2014 01:18 AM EST
NEW JERSEY DEVILS at TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Air Canada Centre
TV: TSN4, Radio: 1050 AM
THE BIG MATCHUP
Leafs power play vs. Devils PK
Toronto's top unit is having some success the past few games with Tyler
Bozak, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk effectively moving the puck to
create opportunities. Tonight, they meet the league's 27th-ranked penalty
killing group, though the Devils have been more effective in their past handful
of games.
FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME
Points made
The goals are coming from throughout the Leafs lineup now -- first, second
and third line, the point and the power play -- making matchup assignments
and defending the Toronto attack that much more challenging. No less than
five Leafs players had multiple-point games Tuesday during Toronto's 5-3
win over the Dallas Stars.
Speed kills
Though the long tradition of clogging up the neutral zone is still part of the
Devils game, the Leafs hope their speedy attack will help combat it. In their
latest run of success, the Leafs have cut down on mistakes in the neutral
zone and used their speed as an asset and hope to continue that against the
Devils.
Prey on the weak
This is a team that was blown out by Buffalo, so there's no such thing as
guaranteed win night for the Leafs. That said, the Devils have dropped five in
a row (a season high) and several of their top players are banged up. Rested
and relatively healthy, the Leafs have to take advantage of such
opportunities.
Home cooking
With four consecutive wins at the ACC, the Leafs quietly have improved to
9-6 at home overall and a stellar 8-2 in their past 10 here. The Devils are the
opponent for Game 3 of an important five-game home stand that has the
Leafs both climbing the standings and resting up for a busy road run in late
December and early January.
Quick start
Tyler Bozak's goal 27 seconds into the game on Tuesday was the fastest
start of the season for the Leafs and you could see the confidence rise. The
team is 10-0-0 when scoring first this season, 6-1 when leading after the first
period, and 9-0-0 when in front after the second period.
SPECIAL TEAMS
LEAFS -- PP 20.6% (13th), PK 84.5% (8th)
DEVILS -- PP 19.5% (15th), PK 75.3% (27th)
SICK BAY
LEAFS -- F Leo Komarov (head), F Brandon Kozun (foot).
DEVILS -- John Merrill, Ryan Clowe, Bryce Salvador, Martin Havlat, Travis
Zajac
Toronto Sun LOADED: 12.04.2014
741284
Toronto Maple Leafs
The French connection between Maple Leafs and Beliveau
TORONTO - While there isn't a current Maple Leafs player who saw the late
Jean Beliveau play live in his brilliant hall of fame career, there isn't one that
couldn't learn from the Montreal Canadiens legend.
"The one thing that he preached, it was always team before self," Leafs
coach Randy Carlyle said Wednesday following his team's practice at the Air
Canada Centre. "Humbleness and dignity.
"Any time you went into the Montreal Forum, his car was parked underneath
and he was a gentleman that always said hello. He exuded class when you
saw him and when he came into a room, the room got quiet for the right
reasons."
Naturally, the French Canadian players on the Leafs have fond memories of
Beliveau, both of meeting him and hearing of his exploits as part of the rich
lore of the storied NHL team.
"His presence, the way he treated everyone the same way, he was just a
class act," Leafs defenceman Stephane Robidas said. "With all the Cups
they won, these guys were a big part of it.
"But off the ice, what he did in the community was special. I never saw him
play, but I never heard anything bad about Jean Beliveau. He was the leader,
he was the captain and over 500 goals, but off the ice, you hear people talk ...
it's impressive."
Added goaltender Jonathan Bernier: "Most important, he was a humble guy
off the ice. That's something I hope to be and try to be."
DEVIL'S DUE?
Carlyle would bristle at the thought, but the Leafs are getting a struggling
opponent Thursday in the New Jersey Devils who are 0-2 on their current
road trip and have been shut out in two of their past four games, including a
1-0 blanking in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
To make matters worse, Jaromir Jagr (head), Patrik Elias (groin) and
Stephen Gionta (foot) are all nursing injuries and did not skate with the team
at an optional practice Wednesday at the MasterCard Centre.
Even though his team is 0-3-2 in its past five, Jersey coach Peter DeBoer
believes that the Leafs' recent surge shows how quickly form can be
reversed.
"They're playing with confidence, a lot of speed, a lot of depth," DeBoer told
NJ.com after the team practised Wednesday at the MasterCard Centre. "But
it wasn't that long ago that they were sitting where we are, lacking some wins
and second-guessing themselves."
KOMAROV STILL KOED
Forward Leo Komarov is doubtful for the Leafs after being held off the ice for
the third consecutive day on Wednesday.
The feisty winger is under evaluation for a possible concussion since being
hit on the head by Washington's Alex Ovechkin on Saturday.
"He was filling his face with breakfast and had a smile on his face. But he's
not 100%, and that's what you do in these situations," Carlyle said.
"It's in the medical staff's hands and they will make sure he's 110% right
before he comes back."
Daniel Winnik, who blocked a shot on Tuesday was also held out of practice
on Wednesday but is expected back in the lineup vs. the Devils.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs in danger of slipping into old habits
TORONTO - The good news, good vibes and good results best be consumed
with an asterisk for these suddenly resurgent Maple Leafs.
With a flameout possible at every turn, it’s the only way Randy Carlyle can
look at his team’s success these days. And he’s trying to convince the
players to be wary of the same.
That said, there’s plenty to like about the Leafs, starting with an overall record
of 13-8-3 that adds up to the exact point total (29) as they had through 24
games last season.
They are on pace for 99 points, stunning given the events of recent weeks.
And with a 5-3 win over Dallas on Tuesday, Carlyle’s team jumped ahead of
Boston into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, three points clear of those
chasing the final wildcard spot.
So what does it mean?
Well, there’s a reason Carlyle was quick to caution that while the two points
against Dallas were nice — and that’s nine of a possible 10 in their past five
games — the return of some dodgy defensive play in the past isn’t likely to
stand up.
“We’ve talked about last night being one of those games we can’t be proud
of, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Carlyle said following a brisk
40-minute practice Wednesday at the MasterCard Centre. “What we’re trying
to focus on is having a full complement of players playing to the level they are
capable of.”
After giving up 28, 27 and 26 shots against the Lightning, Red Wings and
Penguins, respectively, some of the old worries in the Leafs game returned.
In a 6-2 win against Washington on Saturday, they surrendered 37, followed
by 38 to the Stars on Tuesday.
While hardly a cause for panic, Carlyle’s point is valid: That act likely won’t fly
when the points start to feel like they are carrying more weight and the
intensity of games appears more fierce.
“I do know that the games are going to get tighter as we move forward,”
Carlyle said following Tuesday’s win. “As soon as Jan. 1 comes, you’ve got to
play defence to have success.
“The defensive side of it seems to shine through, that’s for sure.”
That message will be hammered home as much as possible for the
remainder of the season, beginning with Thursday’s Air Canada Centre date
against the New Jersey Devils. Though in a similar position as last year,
there’s a good chance that Carlyle and his staffwill have a more captive
audience this time around.
As ugly as the now infamous blowout losses to Buffalo and Nashville that
preceded the nice five-game run were, there seems to be a consensus
among Leafs players that the debacle truly was a lesson learned.
“You can only take so many of those games when you get your ass kicked
like that,” Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk said. “That was a good
wakeup call for us, that you can’t just play on skill, that you have to play with
structure.
“It’s not always about the glamorous play, it’s not making a bad play. When
you do that, it makes everybody else’s job easier.”
Besides focussing on defensive play, the Leafs coaching staff is also working
on controlling the highs and lows that make hockey life in the city such a wild
ride.
On Tuesday, the Leafs got caught up in the ragged Stars play and though it
was a game they were never in danger of losing, it led to Dallas getting far
more shots on Jonathan Bernier than Carlyle would prefer.
If there is encouragement among Leafs players, it’s that they recognize that
the first 20-plus games was going to be an adjustment because of all the new
faces. The fact that they are well positioned in the standings despite those
bumps can be seen as a positive.
“That’s something that never gets talked about early in the season,” van
Riemsdyk said. “Where there are teams that have lots of changeover, there’s
guys coming from different teams, getting used to different ways and used to
different roles ... it takes a little bit of time to become comfortable.
“That’s the reason, at least partially, why we weren’t playing as consistent at
the beginning of the season. I think now everyone realizes the way we need
to play to be successful.”
With the NHL’s second best goals per game average at 3.38, the Leafs have
the dangerous firepower. Easier said than done, but if they can limit the
danger going the other way, who knows how effective they can be?
“We’re still talking about tightening up defensively, but when you are scoring
goals, it comes from a certain way of playing,” Leafs forward David Booth
said. “If you are focussed just on that defence, you might not be focussed on
goal scoring.
“You have to have that healthy balance.”
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Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs legend Johnny Bower recalls classy 'Mr.' Beliveau
By Mike Zeisberger, Toronto Sun
“Look out Johnny, I’m right behind you!”
Having strayed out of his net to play a puck, Toronto Maple Leafs goalie
Johnny Bower immediately knew there was only one opponent polite enough
to issue such a warning.
It wasn’t Terrible Ted Lindsay, who would have steamrolled anyone or
anything that stood between he and the puck.
Nor was it Maurice (The Rocket) Richard, who likely would have triumphantly
stood over Bower for all to see after flattening the maskless goalie.
“It was Mr. Beliveau,” Bower said Wednesday, grinning ear to ear.
“It’s not too often you’d get someone like that say that to you. Ted Lindsay or
someone like that, you’d have to be cautious because they’d come right at
you. You’d have to balance yourself.
“Not Mr. Beliveau.”
“Mr.” Beliveau?
After 90 years on this planet and countless games against Le Gros Bill,
Johnny Bower stil refers to Beliveau as “Mister,” even after hearing the news
that the Montreal Canadiens legend had passed away Tuesday.
For reporters such as yours truly who grew up hearing about the legend that
is Jean Beliveau, calling the Canadiens great “Mister” is understandable. But
for a fellow Hall of Famer to still use the term after all these years, well,
hearing that from Bower certainly was unexpected.
“I called him Mr. Beliveau for a long time,” Bower explained. “Pretty much
always. He was such a gentleman on and off the ice.”
True enough. After all, how many forecheckers give an unsuspecting goalie
the heads-up that they are bearing down on him?
“Not many,” Bower said with a laugh. “And he kept the pucks down. A lot of
times guys would shoot high at your head to try and scare you.”
It certainly was an effective tactic back in the days of the six team NHL, a time
when goalies tried to avoid stopping whizzing pucks that were fired at face
level instead of stopping them.
“Mr. Beliveau would never do that, though.”
Less than 24 hours after Beliveau’s passing, Bower is in relatively good
spirits while spinning tales of his days facing the former Habs great.
On this dreary early December day, he has just finished his stint at a
glistening downtown Toronto office tower participating in CIBC’s Miracle Day,
joining the likes of Marshall Faulk, Andre Reed, Pinball Clemons and other
prestigious athletes to help kids in need by aiding in the efforts to accrue
funds for children’s charities.
Now, in a moment of reflection, a smile comes to his face at the thought that
Beliveau has found peace. For the ageless Bower, there is satisfaction in the
knowledge that his long-time classy foe no longer is in pain.
“I’m sorry to hear what happened to him,” Bower said. “But it’s probably a
blessing in disguise. When you suffer as long as he has, well, in that position
I’d rather go quickly and get it over with.
“He plugged away. He fought real hard. From what I understand they did
everything they could for him. But there’s a time for everybody.”
According to the Canadiens, Béliveau will “lie in state” at the Bell Centre
Sunday and Monday, allowing fans to express their condolences between 10
a.m. and 6 p.m. on both those days before his funeral Wednesday afternoon.
Fellow Habs great Maurice (Rocket) Richard was given a similar send-off
when he died in 2000.
“We had some great battles because the rivalry between Toronto and
Montreal were really intense,” Bower said. “Montreal had a powerhouse
there with the Rocket and Mr. Beliveau.
“Mr. Beliveau was such an outstanding hockey player himself. A great
playmaker who could pass the puck either way. And a gentleman not only on
the ice but off the ice.
“We did card shows over the years and a lot of the times he would shake my
hand and go: ‘Thank you for keeping me in the league, Johnny.’ I would start
laughing.”
In the end, one pressing question remains: In their years of going up against
each other, who came out on top the most?
“Well, he scored quite a few on me,” Bower chuckled. “OK, maybe not quite a
few. But a few. But I got him a few times, too.
“I like to say it’s a tie.”
741287
Toronto Maple Leafs
Former Maple Leaf forward Darcy Tucker on Alfie: 'I respect him'
Well, you look at the years in Ottawa and all the time and service he put in for
that team and that city. He's in the Hall of Fame talk moving forward. He did a
lot of things there where other guys in those scenarios wouldn't have been
able to accomplish.
Darcy Tucker, Guest columnist
That's what made Daniel Alfredsson who he was: One of the top competitors
I ever faced in the game. And for that, I truly respect him.
If Daniel Alfredsson was the top villain in the eyes of Leafs fans during those
famed Battle of Ontario clashes of a decade ago, then Darcy Tucker
definitely was Public Enemy No. 1 in Ottawa. Tucker now lives in the Toronto
area and coaches his sons' hockey teams.
After all the battles I had with Daniel Alfredsson over the years, I carry no
animosity toward him.
Although my shoulder does at times.
Back in Game 5 of the 2002 playoffs, Alfredsson slammed me into the boards
late in the third with the score tied 2-2. While I separated my shoulder on the
play and no penalty was called, Alfredsson kept going and, seconds later,
scored the game-winning goal.
There was criticism that it was a hit from behind, but I'll leave that for others to
debate.
Listen, at the end of the day, the bottom line was that Daniel is trying to help
his hockey club win the series and I'm trying to help my hockey club win the
series. I didn't have the best reputation with the referees. And, basically,
that's what it came down to. He made a hockey play, he finished his check -unfortunately, I was injured on the play -- and they scored the winning goal.
He was trying to do whatever he could to win the game. And he did just that.
You have to respect the competitiveness with which the guy played. That
was reflected in the play I just described.
And, as Alfredsson hangs up his blades on such an illustrious career and
retires from the NHL, that, more than anything else, stands out for me when
you mention his name: His competitiveness.
He was a competitor, that's for dang sure. He played hard every night and he
was a lot more greasy than people gave him credit for. He knew how to play
the game at a high level and he left it all out there at playoff time.
We had our skirmishes during all those memorable Battles of Ontario, sure,
but I have a lot of respect for the man. He did a lot of great things for the city
of Ottawa beyond just playing the game. Animosity is carried within the
context of playing in a number of series like that against each other, but at the
end of the day, you have to have a lot of respect for someone like that.
The sequence of events in that 2002 playoff game -- the hit and the
subsequent winning goal by the Sens -- put us in a pretty big hole. But the
guys rallied and won a big game in Ottawa. And then we came back and won
a huge game in Game 7. We were fortunate enough to have a lot of depth
and a great group of guys.
Still, even though we came out ahead in those playoff series against them,
playing against Alfredsson and his Sens really took its toll on us. We could
never go on to get the job done in subsequent series. We could never get
over the bumps and bruises we suffered against them.
In all those Battles of Ontario, during games in Ottawa, we could hear how
our fans would boo him whenever he touched the puck. In his own building,
no less! He became the enemy, the villain for Toronto supporters whenever
the Leafs and Sens clashed.
Hey, Leafs fans are a special group. They cheer for their team, no matter
what. And when you get into heated rivalries like we had, every team has
villains and personalities in the context of playing those games. And when
you're competitive, you'll do whatever you can, whatever it takes, to help your
team win. And he was that type of guy. He willed his team to win. You need
guys like that.
When you look at the history of Swedes in the game, many of them are very
similar. They're really well-spoken and smart. Mats Sundin and Daniel won a
gold medal together at the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006. That sure spoke
volumes about how competitive they were and the levels they could take their
games to when the chips were down, that's for sure.
Whenever someone of Alfredsson's stature retires, you always hear
questions like: "How will he be remembered? What kind of legacy is he
leaving behind?"
741288
Toronto Maple Leafs
'A class act': Leafs reflect on Beliveau
TORONTO - While there isn’t a current Maple Leaf player who saw the late
Jean Beliveau play in his brilliant hall of fame career, there isn’t one that
couldn’t learn from the Montreal Canadiens legend.
“The one thing that he preached, it was always team before self,” Leafs
coach Randy Carlyle said following Wednesday’s practice at the Air Canada
Centre. “Humbleness and dignity.
“Any time you went into the Montreal Forum, his car was parked underneath
and he was a gentleman that always said hello. He exuded class when you
saw him and when he came into a room, the room got quiet. For the right
reasons.”
Naturally, the French Canadian players on the Leafs have fond memories of
Beliveau as well, both of meeting him in their later years and hearing of his
exploits as part of the rich lore of the storied NHL team.
“His presence, the way he treated everyone the same way, he was just a
class act,” Leafs defenceman Stephane Robidas said. “With all the Cups
they won, these guys were a big part of it.
“But off the ice, what he did in the community was special. I never saw him
play, but I never heard anything bad about Jean Beliveau. He was the leader,
he was the captain and over 500 goals, but off the ice, you hear people talk ...
it’s impressive.”
Meanwhile, with a three-game homestand this week, the Leafs had a brisk
40-minute practice following Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars and in
advance of Thursday’s meeting with the New Jersey Devils.
The Leafs have won four of their past five contests - and four in a row at
home - but Carlyle wants to see improvement on his team after a couple of
so-sodefensive performances.
“We’ve talked about last night being one of those games we can be proud of,
but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Carlyle said. “What we’re trying to
focus on is having a full complement of players playing to the level they are
capable of.”
The Leafs are likely to be without forward Leo Komarov, who continues to
recover from concussion symptoms he suffered on a hit from Washington
Capitals star Alex Ovechkin on Saturday.
“He was filling his face with breakfast and had a smile on his face. But he’s
not 100%, and that’s what you do in these situations,” Carlyle said. “It’s
basically out of our hands. It’s in the medical staff’s hands and they will make
sure he’s 110% right before he comes back.”
Daniel Winnik, who blocked a shot on Tuesday was also held out of practice
on Wednesday but is expected back in the lineup vs. the Devils.
741289
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Korbinian Holzer comfortable with the big club this time
around
Michael Traikos | December 3, 2014 | Last Updated: Dec 3 8:15 PM ET
TORONTO — On the surface, Korbinian Holzer should have been
disappointed. Frustrated, even.
Leafs goaltender James Reimer living in limbo with no start in sight
After playing 22 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the
lockout-shortened 2012-13 season — including a stint on the top defence
pairing with Dion Phaneuf — the 26-year-old was sent back to the minors at
the start of last season.
About a dozen of his teammates were called up through the year, but
because the Leafs’ defence stayed relatively healthy, Holzer was not one of
them.
Looking back, he said it might have been the best thing to happen to him.
“Last year was a step forward for me because I got to play a full year in the
AHL,” he said. “I learned a lot. I had a leadership role and played a lot of
minutes and was able to grow into a more complete player. So when I did get
called up [this year], I was more relaxed.”
Holzer, who was called up last week in place of the injured Roman Polak
(knee), has no points in three games. But the stay-at-home defenceman has
a plus-2 rating and has been effective on a penalty kill that has allowed two
goals in its last 11 attempts.
“Obviously the expectation is there that they want me to play the same way
that Polak plays,” said the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Holzer. “It’s a little easier to
replace a guy like that as opposed to a puck-moving guy that can skate the
puck out of the zone.”
Holzer’s play so far has not quite made anyone forget about Polak, who has
three goals and remains second among NHL defencemen with 83 hits. At the
same time, with a whopping 13 hits already, the big German has provided a
much-needed physical presence.
“So far, he’s not backing off. He’s more aggressive,” Carlyle said. “And that
to me is going to be his challenge, because he’s a player that historically —
here anyway — when the speed of the game and the intensity of the game
went up, he was more in the retreat mode. And we don’t want him in the
retreat mode.
“We want him to be confident and be up and take time and space away,
because he’s a big guy and he can defend. The further he is away from the
opposition, the harder it is for him to defend.”
Holzer, who was a minus-12 in 22 games during the 2012-13 season, agreed
that the timing was not right during his previous call-up. It was too much, too
soon, he said. But after spending last year in the minors, where he logged big
minutes, he understands what makes him an effective defenceman.
“Two years ago, I tried to do too much,” he said. “I got away from my game a
little bit instead of just keeping it simple. I know I can play. I just need to be
physical and be myself.”
Leo Komarov remained off the ice for the fourth straight day after taking an
elbow to the head in Saturday night’s game against the Washington Capitals.
And while Carlyle said the forward appears in good spirits, there is no
timeline for his return.
“He was filling his face with breakfast this morning, so he seemed OK,”
Carlyle said. “I don’t know. He had a smile on his face. But obviously, he’s not
100 per cent and that’s what you do in these situations. It’s basically out of
our hands and in the medical hands.”
As well, Daniel Winnik missed Wednesday’s practice with lower-body
soreness after blocking a shot and receiving a low-bridge hit in Tuesday
night’s game. But Carlyle expects that he will be in the lineup against the New
Jersey Devils on Thursday.
National Post LOADED: 12.04.2014
741290
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mike Santorelli emerges as surprising source of
offence
TORONTO — His signing was an afterthought. There were no guarantees
that he was going to make the team. When he did, it was as a fourth-line
centre.
Usually, it’s a secret. Ask Randy Carlyle who is starting in net for a particular
game and the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach tries to play it close to the
vest. He might tell you that he has not made up his mind yet or that you’ll
have to wait and see. Sometimes, he just simply shrugs his shoulders and
walks away.
But there is no point in disguising it anymore.
On Tuesday, Carlyle readily confirmed that Jonathan Bernier would be in net
against the Dallas Stars for that night’s game. It would be Bernier’s sixth
straight start. And barring a complete meltdown, chances are he will be back
in for his seventh and maybe even his eighth and ninth.
That is the way it has been going this season. Forget 1A and 1B. Bernier,
who entered Tuesday night’s game without a regulation loss in his last four
starts, is clearly the No. 1.
But after two months, Mike Santorelli has emerged as a somewhat surprising
offensive player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The journeyman forward, who is now playing the wing on a second line with
Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul, has three goals and is tied for second on the
team with 13 assists. His 13 even-strength points are second only to Phil
Kessel.
“I think he’s been a pleasant surprise,” head coach Randy Carlyle said after
Tuesday night’s 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars. I didn’t think when
reviewing his training camp he was going to be all that dynamic. But what we
found was that he’s a much better winger than a centre. He’s much more
comfortable. His work ethic is very noticeable on the wing.
“I think that has been enlightening to everybody.”
Even Santorelli has been a bit amazed by how seamlessly he has fit into the
lineup. After picking up three assists against the Stars, a reporter mentioned
how it was the first time in Santorelli’s career that he had managed so many.
“Is it?” he asked. “Nice.”
A sixth-round pick who is on his fourth team in four years, Santorelli arrived to
Toronto with low expectations. The contract he signed was a one-year deal
worth US$1.5-million. Prior to training camp, he was told that the team had
more players signed to contracts than there were roster spots and that he
would have to win a job.
The same message was conveyed to Daniel Winnik, David Booth and
several other players. And so far, it has been a pretty effective motivational
tool. With 10 players on the last year of their current contracts, players are
playing for their future.
When asked if he is hoping to play well enough that he can get a longer-term
deal, whether it is with the Leafs or another team, Santorelli said he tries not
to think about that.
“It doesn’t matter,” said the B.C. native, who comes from a family of Leafs
fans. “You have to bring it every night, you have to come and battle every
night. It doesn’t matter what your contract status is. It doesn’t matter one
year, two year, three years, four years, five years, you have to bring your
game every night.
“It’s a battle out there. That’s the mindset, I think.”
So far, you cannot argue with the results. The addition of Santorelli, along
with Winnik and Komarov, has provided the Leafs with a blue-collar work
ethic that seemed to be missing last season. You can see it in the penalty kill,
which went from 28th in 2013-145 to eighth this season, as well as the team’s
improved possession numbers.
The effect, said Carlyle, has been contagious throughout the lineup.
“To put those two guys opposite [on the wing], whoever we played in the
middle that line seemed to have dogged work ethic and seemed to create
that offensive zone team,” Carlyle said of Santorelli and Komarov. “They
were almost deemed a checking line. And now we put [Kadri] there and they
start to produce offence.”
“He just works hard,” Kadri said of Santorelli, who turns 29 later this month.
“He’s very tenacious on the puck and he likes to handle it too. He’s got pretty
good vision and speed too. I think we all work well with each other. He never
stops working. It’s just actually very easy to play with him.”
With 23 goals in the last five games, everyone with the Leafs has been
producing lately.
Toronto is ranked second in the league with 3.38 goals per game. And while
Kessel and Tyler Bozak are both in the top 10 in goals with 12 each and
James van Riemsdyk has nine, the team is not relying solely on its top line for
all of the offence.
Santorelli and Komarov each have 16 points; David Clarkson has seven
goals, Kadri has six and Lupul has five; the defence, led by Cody Franson’s
17 points, has chipped in with 12 goals.
“Everyone in here can play,” said Santorelli, who scored 10 goals and 28
points in 49 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. “We have a
great team. We have four lines that can play. They’ve all been great.”
741291
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mike Santorelli emerges as surprising source of
offence
TORONTO — His signing was an afterthought. There were no guarantees
that he was going to make the team. When he did, it was as a fourth-line
centre.
Usually, it’s a secret. Ask Randy Carlyle who is starting in net for a particular
game and the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach tries to play it close to the
vest. He might tell you that he has not made up his mind yet or that you’ll
have to wait and see. Sometimes, he just simply shrugs his shoulders and
walks away.
But there is no point in disguising it anymore.
On Tuesday, Carlyle readily confirmed that Jonathan Bernier would be in net
against the Dallas Stars for that night’s game. It would be Bernier’s sixth
straight start. And barring a complete meltdown, chances are he will be back
in for his seventh and maybe even his eighth and ninth.
That is the way it has been going this season. Forget 1A and 1B. Bernier,
who entered Tuesday night’s game without a regulation loss in his last four
starts, is clearly the No. 1.
But after two months, Mike Santorelli has emerged as a somewhat surprising
offensive player for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The journeyman forward, who is now playing the wing on a second line with
Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul, has three goals and is tied for second on the
team with 13 assists. His 13 even-strength points are second only to Phil
Kessel.
“I think he’s been a pleasant surprise,” head coach Randy Carlyle said after
Tuesday night’s 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars. I didn’t think when
reviewing his training camp he was going to be all that dynamic. But what we
found was that he’s a much better winger than a centre. He’s much more
comfortable. His work ethic is very noticeable on the wing.
“I think that has been enlightening to everybody.”
Even Santorelli has been a bit amazed by how seamlessly he has fit into the
lineup. After picking up three assists against the Stars, a reporter mentioned
how it was the first time in Santorelli’s career that he had managed so many.
“Is it?” he asked. “Nice.”
A sixth-round pick who is on his fourth team in four years, Santorelli arrived to
Toronto with low expectations. The contract he signed was a one-year deal
worth US$1.5-million. Prior to training camp, he was told that the team had
more players signed to contracts than there were roster spots and that he
would have to win a job.
The same message was conveyed to Daniel Winnik, David Booth and
several other players. And so far, it has been a pretty effective motivational
tool. With 10 players on the last year of their current contracts, players are
playing for their future.
When asked if he is hoping to play well enough that he can get a longer-term
deal, whether it is with the Leafs or another team, Santorelli said he tries not
to think about that.
“It doesn’t matter,” said the B.C. native, who comes from a family of Leafs
fans. “You have to bring it every night, you have to come and battle every
night. It doesn’t matter what your contract status is. It doesn’t matter one
year, two year, three years, four years, five years, you have to bring your
game every night.
“It’s a battle out there. That’s the mindset, I think.”
So far, you cannot argue with the results. The addition of Santorelli, along
with Winnik and Komarov, has provided the Leafs with a blue-collar work
ethic that seemed to be missing last season. You can see it in the penalty kill,
which went from 28th in 2013-145 to eighth this season, as well as the team’s
improved possession numbers.
The effect, said Carlyle, has been contagious throughout the lineup.
“To put those two guys opposite [on the wing], whoever we played in the
middle that line seemed to have dogged work ethic and seemed to create
that offensive zone team,” Carlyle said of Santorelli and Komarov. “They
were almost deemed a checking line. And now we put [Kadri] there and they
start to produce offence.”
“He just works hard,” Kadri said of Santorelli, who turns 29 later this month.
“He’s very tenacious on the puck and he likes to handle it too. He’s got pretty
good vision and speed too. I think we all work well with each other. He never
stops working. It’s just actually very easy to play with him.”
With 23 goals in the last five games, everyone with the Leafs has been
producing lately.
Toronto is ranked second in the league with 3.38 goals per game. And while
Kessel and Tyler Bozak are both in the top 10 in goals with 12 each and
James van Riemsdyk has nine, the team is not relying solely on its top line for
all of the offence.
Santorelli and Komarov each have 16 points; David Clarkson has seven
goals, Kadri has six and Lupul has five; the defence, led by Cody Franson’s
17 points, has chipped in with 12 goals.
“Everyone in here can play,” said Santorelli, who scored 10 goals and 28
points in 49 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. “We have a
great team. We have four lines that can play. They’ve all been great.”
741292
Washington Capitals
Mike Green traveling on road trip but will miss fifth straight game
By Alex Prewitt December 3 at 2:18 PM
Injured defenseman Mike Green will travel with the Washington Capitals on
their short road trip to Carolina and New Jersey, but will miss his fifth straight
game with an upper-body issue, Coach Barry Trotz said Wednesday.
Green had hoped to resume workouts with the Capitals by then, he said
Tuesday while watching practice in street clothes, but instead skated alone
Wednesday morning, hours before the Capitals flew to Raleigh, N.C., to face
the Hurricanes. Green suffered the injury in a Nov. 22 loss to the Buffalo
Sabres during the first period, he said, and tried to play during the second
period before missing the third.
Trotz shared hope Green could skate with the Capitals on Thursday morning
at PNC Arena and play Saturday against the Devils in Newark, N.J.
“Mike will be making the trip,” Trotz said. “He didn’t skate today with us.
Hopefully tomorrow. Sounds like he’ll jump in the group for a little bit and go
from there. He won’t play tomorrow for sure, but maybe later in the week.”
Forward Liam O’Brien, who has played just once since Nov. 11 after battling
a lower-body issue and later getting scratched, will also make the trip,
despite hints from Trotz that a reassignment to Hershey may soon come.
The 20-year-old forward, signed during training camp as an undrafted free
agent, is exempt from clearing waivers to report to the American Hockey
League, so with the Capitals already carrying 13 healthy forwards besides
him, Trotz wanted O’Brien to receive work rather than watch from the press
box on a nightly basis.
“He’s coming on the trip,” Trotz said. “But as I say, we’ll determine. If I’m not
getting him enough ice time in games and stuff, then we’ll make that
determination. He keeps working at his game. You can see, I watch him, he’s
not playing but he actually looks like a different player than he was at
development camp. But we’re going to lose his game skills, so we’re going to
have to get him in some games here or make that decision.”
The lines at Wednesday’s pre-flight practice looked exactly the same as they
did during Tuesday’s 4-3 home loss to Vancouver:
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin–Nicklas Backstrom–Tom Wilson
Marcus Johansson–Evgeny Kuznetsov–Troy Brouwer
Brooks Laich–Eric Fehr–Joel Ward
Jason Chimera–Andre Burakovsky–Jay Beagle
Defensemen
Brooks Orpik—John Carlson
Karl Alzner–Matt Niskanen
Nate Schmidt–Jack Hillen
Washington Post LOADED: 12.04.2014
741293
Washington Capitals
Washington D.C.-hosted NHL All-Star game could ‘be in line soon’
By Alex Prewitt December 3 at 11:14 AM
Over the next month, Washington D.C.’s hockey community will chug toward
the Winter Classic. The Epix documentary crew will begin full-time filming
Friday. In mid-December, the rink will start to form at Nationals Park. The
Chicago Blackhawks will arrive in town. The annual outdoor game will be
played on New Years’ Day.
The Capitals are just the seventh NHL team to welcome the Winter Classic,
but Washington D.C. is also one of five NHL cities to never host an All-Star
game. Sure, the Capitals hosted in 1982 in Landover, Md., but the event has
never come into the nation’s capital. Speaking to season ticket holders
Tuesday night at Verizon Center, answering a fan’s question about bringing
the All-Star game here, deputy commissioner Bill Daly offered an
encouraging response.
“I would say, in the foreseeable future, yes,” Daly said.
Only the next two hosts have been announced: Columbus hosts on Jan. 25,
2015, and Nashville on Jan. 31, 2016. And though all administrative attention
will be focused on the Winter Classic this month, Daly hinted that, once the
rink gets dismantled at Nationals Park and Jan. 2 rolls around, he expects
some moves from Capitals owner Ted Leonsis.
“There isn’t at this point,” Daly said, when asked if the NHL had a timetable
for awarding Washington D.C. an All-Star game. “We do have — the way we
do the All-Star game is we put it out for applications to the member clubs.
This organization historically was focused on the Winter Classic and getting
the Winter Classic. I think once we have a successful event on Jan. 1, I’m
sure they’ll turn to the next event that they want. I have no doubt the All-Star
Game will be in line soon.”
For now, though, the focus remains on New Years’ Day. Epix will arrive at
Kettler Capitals Iceplex to set up Wednesday, then start their all-access,
behind-the-scenes look later this week. Ten of Washington’s remaining 13
games this month will be spent on the road. Then, after visiting the Islanders
on Dec. 29, the Capitals will return home and start skating outside.
“I think the league generally, not just me, is excited for the event,,” Daly said.
“We always are. It’s probably the most anticipated date on the NHL regular
season calendar. It’s become that. I think all eyes are going to be on the
nation’s capital on Jan. 1. We’ve been able to carve out a unique niche on
that day, kind of our own little window where we have national prominence.
That itself is pretty exciting.”
As for this year’s All-Star game, only forward Alex Ovechkin ranked among
the top 40 forwards, top 30 defensemen and top 10 goaltenders after the
second week of fan voting, according to the NHL. Ovechkin’s 54,319 votes
puts him at 17th for his position.
741294
Washington Capitals
John Carlson, Brooks Laich look strong in second straight loss
By Alex Prewitt December 3 at 11:11 AM
Sometime several days ago, Matt Niskanen heard fellow Capitals
defenseman John Carlson talking about “a squeaker or a bounce.” Carlson
had scored two goals this season, one more than Niskanen, but none since
Nov. 2. So Carlson hoped for some “puck luck,” as they call it. Or maybe, he
hoped for an outing such as Tuesday night.
“Today they weren’t squeakers or bounces,” Niskanen said, “but nice shots
and they found their way through for him.”
Twice during the second period, in a 4-3 loss eventually obscuring a career
night, Carlson blasted goals past Vancouver Canucks netminder Ryan Miller,
at once ending his scoring drought and showing the benefits of putting bodies
in front of the net.
Down 1-0 after Derek Dorsett’s even-strength goal, the Capitals replied early
into the second period. A defensive zone turnover coughed up the puck to
center Nicklas Backstrom, who tugged two Canucks into the corner while
Carlson stationed himself near the middle. Carlson’s quick trigger, while
standing still, was enough to beat two more Canucks who moved up in
coverage once Backstrom’s pass reached him, while forward Tom Wilson
crossed in front of Miller and blinded him as the puck zipped through.
“I think we’ve been hammering home trying to get to the net and get bodies
there, get traffic,” Carlson said. “You can see that kind of coming, and I think
tonight was the first night — not that we went to the net first, but I thought we
got some results from going to the net. I think shots matter. You just never
want to see a guy pass up a shot when he’s in a good scoring situation. If
we’re just going to throw pucks at the net when no one’s there or from the
wall, yeah no shot’s a bad shot, but at the end of the day, in some ways
you’re just helping them.”
With 5 minutes, 17 seconds left in the second period and the Capitals again
trailing, forwards Joel Ward and Jason Chimera dug the puck from a scrum in
the corner and passed back to Carlson. Carlson drifted left just long enough
for Ward to pitch camp in the crease. The puck barely left the ice, a hard
grounder that Ward leapt over and let remain on its natural path, through
Miller’s five-hole.
“I liked our net-front traffic against Miller,” Coach Barry Trotz said. “I thought
we created lot of that. I thought we were more physical, I thought we did
some good things. It wasn’t one of those games where you come out of it and
go we didn’t deserve any points out of it. We lost the special team war. That
was the biggest area.”
Yes, for the second straight game, the Capitals lost after allowing three
power-play goals, but Tuesday night also marked Carlson’s fourth
three-point game of his career, and his first two-goal game.
While Carlson continued to build up production – over the past three games,
he has registered six points – forward Brooks Laich dazzled in his third game
back from a left shoulder injury. Down 3-2, seconds after Carlson nearly
found a hat-trick with a close-range backhand, Laich dragged a pass around
his defender, tapped the puck once and, as it tumbled end over end,
launched it high over Miller’s glove. He spread his arms and roared at his first
goal since March 8, a 10-game scoreless drought.
Elevated in the lineup, replacing Jason Chimera beside Eric Fehr and Joel
Ward, Laich’s line proved the Capitals’ most productive Tuesday night. All
three members posted even-strength Fenwick-for percentages – a measure
of unblocked shot differential – higher than 60 percent, according to War On
Ice. If the Capitals could find solace anywhere, they would look no further
than Laich.
“I think he’s skating really well,” Trotz said. “He looks really fresh, a great four
on four there, nice goal. He deserves to get a goal once in a while. I know
he’s been battling injuries and a little bit of tough luck to start the season. But
he’s a big piece of our team. He can add a lot of different elements for us. I
was really happy with his play.”
741295
Washington Capitals
Trotz: 'We're not as good as we think we are'
Chuck Gormley
They have not won back-to-back games in regulation all season.
Their penalty killing has fallen from 13th in the NHL to 29th – in one week.
They are 10-10-4 after 24 games.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are your Washington Capitals.
And more than a quarter into his first season behind the bench, their head
coach does not like what he sees.
“Either we’ve got to change or we change people,” Barry Trotz said on
Wednesday afternoon, after seeing the Caps lose 4-3 to the Vancouver
Canucks Tuesday night at Verizon Center.
“We’re at that quarter pole where everybody has a good sample of what they
are. I don’t think that’ll change a lot unless we change our ways. For some
guys there are old habits of five or six years that keep popping up at
inappropriate times for us.
“Am I happy where we are? No, not at all. I think we’re better than we’ve
shown, but we’re not as good as we think we are.”
From a statistical standpoint the Capitals are a better team 5-on-5 under
Trotz. They have outscored their opponents 48-47 at even-strength this
season. Last season they were outscored 163-147 at even strength.
But in other statistical categories everything is about the same. Last year the
Caps scored 2.74 goals a game, 13th in the NHL. This year they’re averaging
2.79 per game, ranking 11th. Last year the Caps allowed an average of 2.79
goals per game, ranking 22nd. This year it’s the same [2.79], ranking 21st.
“We’re a .500 hockey team,” Capitals veteran left wing Jason Chimera said.
“We’re a way better club than that. It’s up to us in here. We’re a way better
hockey club to be fluttering around at .500. If we had no coach we should be
above .500.
“We should be the team [opposing] teams fear to play. We should be the
team going up 3-0 on a team and then just stomp them. We’re not doing it.
Right now we’re playing better on the road [5-5-1] than we are at home
[5-5-3]. We have a team that should drop the hammer right away and we’re
not doing it.”
The Capitals have gone 9-1-1 in games in which they’ve scored the first goal,
but 1-9-3 when allowing their opponents to score first.
“When we’re down we really come after teams,” said right wing Eric Fehr.
“We’re really desperate. I feel like we need to play that way when we’re even.
We want to come after teams. We don’t want to wait to see what kind of effort
the other team is going to bring forward.
“When people look at our team they see a lot of offensive firepower and
teams are coming in here ready for a fight and we have to realize that and be
ready for it.”
Trotz said he was especially disappointed in the way the Capitals came out
on Tuesday night, three nights after suffering their worst loss of the season, a
6-2 setback Saturday night in Toronto.
“The response after getting our butts handed to us in Toronto should be the
next game,” Trotz said. “We tend to dwell on things way too much or not
enough. I’m not quite sure which it is.
“When we get angry and focused or determined there’s not anybody we can’t
play with. But we always need someone to punch us before we get going.
Sometimes you can pull it off and a lot of times you can’t.”
When asked if the Capitals could benefit from having an ornery player like
Steve Ott or Antoine Vermette, he referenced what captain Shane Doan
does for the Arizona Coyotes.
“I think those players pull you into a fight,” he said. “Shane Doan, I mean, he
pulls his team into a fight. He’s not the cleanest guy. He’s an awesome
person, an awesome human being, but he plays right on the edge and he
pulls his team along. We need that.
“We just need the group to pull itself. I’ve felt the urgency from Day One, but
we seem to say, ‘Everything will be OK.’ Well, let’s make it OK. There’s too
much talk and not enough action. I need more action.”
Trotz said the Capitals have the financial commitment of ownership and have
been given first-class class facilities at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and Verizon
Center, but he says the team is prone to falling into old habits that have been
prevalent for five or six years.
Asked to identify those habits, Trotz ran off a litany of items.
“Everything from old habits in how you practice; how you play; how you push
yourself; how you deal with adversity; how you deal with decisions on the ice;
how you deal with wall play; how you deal with faceoffs; how you deal with
film sessions to correct your mistakes; how you deal with getting better on a
day-to-day basis and having a plan for that; how you deal with adversity
when it hits you right in the face. Do you stand up and plow though it, or do
you roll up in a corner and cry about it?
“Every teams has those things. We’re trying to correct it so that we have a
high standard in terms of accountability, in terms of leadership. If you get all
of those and shrink those to a small ball, you’re going to be pretty consistent.”
741296
Winnipeg Jets
MacT should follow Chevy's lead
By: Gary Lawless
Posted: 3:00 AM
Frankly, not many sportswriters or fans would make good GMs. It's our job to
overreact and push for unrealistic change. It's the job of a GM to know when
to ignore us, which is almost always, and when to act on the rare occasion
there is actually some wisdom in our ranting.
In this area, Craig MacTavish could do worse than to corner Jets GM Kevin
Cheveldayoff and ask for a lesson in patience.
Cheveldayoff has been urged from almost the minute he took his post to
make radical changes to his roster. Trade this guy, trade that guy. Get into
the playoffs now, no matter what you have to do and what damage will be
done to the organization's future.
Some of that has been written in this space, and there are still players on the
Jets roster that, from this perspective, should be moved. C'mon, Chevy. Get
with it.
More and more, the arguments against Cheveldayoff and his work are
growing mute as his vision unfolds and is steered by coach Paul Maurice.
The Jets remain one of the NHL's youngest teams, continue to improve and
will have seven prospects participating at the world junior tournament this
Christmas.
Cheveldayoff believed the Jets needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.
To bolster the organizational depth and create a roster with depth. To draft
players and let them develop at their own pace rather than just pushing them
into the NHL, as had been the process when the franchise was located in
Atlanta.
Mark Scheifele was his first pick, and when he popped a few goals early in
his first pre-season game, there was lots of talk about an immediate
ascension to the NHL. Cheveldayoff returned him to junior twice. Eventually,
he arrived ready to play.
Jacob Trouba returned to college, Adam Lowry went to the AHL. Connor
Hellebuyck has a .929 save percentage through his first 16 games in the
AHL. Nik Ehlers is scoring at a pace of more than two points per game in the
QMJHL and Josh Morrisey and Nic Petan are stars in the WHL.
Rushing players to the NHL is a thing of the past for this organization, and the
Jets now have a present and a future. Cheveldayoff refused to push the
panic button, and instead did his job just as he said he would.
Certainly there have been missteps, but no executive in any business bats
1.000. Cheveldayoff has focused on things he can control and stayed true to
his plan.
The results are just beginning to show, and the Jets remain a bubble team at
best. But one has to wonder what this team will look like in three years if he's
left to his own design.
MacTavish sits at a similar crossroads today as Cheveldayoff did when he
inherited his Jets. Fans have suffered long enough and want improvement
now. Except it doesn't work that way.
Just because you've been walking through hell for some time doesn't mean
you're ready to come out the other side. Not if you haven't fixed your
problems, and MacTavish, despite the ridiculous talk of "bold moves," hasn't
had enough time to correct what ails the Oilers.
The list of Oilers with strong market value gets pretty short after Taylor Hall
and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Certainly, teams will be willing to deal picks and
prospects in exchange for some of MacTavish's roster players, but that
doesn't help him today. Actually, it's pretty obvious there's nothing he can do
about today but hold his assets and try to improve his organization's draft
record.
MacTavish needs to embrace his reality. Put Leon Draisaitl on the first bus
back to Prince Albert and allow him to develop.
The only thing he's learning right now is how to lose.
MacTavish seems to believe in Dallas Eakins. Eakins got the job with the
Oilers because MacTavish -- and a lot of other people in the hockey world -thought he was ready to be a head coach. He's a student of the game and
can motivate men. Maybe this job will be a learning stop for him. He'll be a
good coach in the NHL whether it's with Edmonton or the next club he gets.
Eakins can stay or go. The Oilers will still be a bad team. Their ailments run
far deeper than one man.
MacTavish needs to come face-to-face with the truth, and that is the Oilers
can't get better in a hurry. They are years from being a contender, and until
that's accepted from top to bottom in the organization, they can't move
forward.
Deluding himself and trying to swing a couple of cure-all deals will only set his
team back.
Being bad and drafting high doesn't guarantee a team will one day form into a
contender. But trying to rush success in today's NHL guarantees failure.
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 12.04.2014
741297
Winnipeg Jets
Jets' perseverance pays off
By: Paul Wiecek
Posted: 3:00 AM
Sooner or later, some hapless team is going to be the one that ends the
Edmonton Oilers' losing streak, a train wreck that was at 10 games and
counting leading into Wednesday night's tilt against the Winnipeg Jets at the
MTS Centre.
And for an uncomfortably long time Wednesday night, it was looking like the
Winnipeg Jets were going to be the unfortunate team to earn that
designation.
But with the Jets trailing the Oilers 2-1 late in the third period and appearing
to be well on their way to a loss that was going to be as tough to explain as it
would be to get over, a Winnipeg team that has surprised its doubters all
season long found a way to win.
First, it was forward Dustin Byfuglien setting up shop in front of the Oilers net
and deflecting a point shot from defenceman Mark Stuart to tie the game 2-2
at 16:54.
Then just 17 seconds into overtime, it was centre Mathieu Perreault notching
the game-winner, tipping in a shot from defenceman Jacob Trouba, who had
a piece of all three Jets goals.
And so with that, there was once again Joy in Joyville, as former Jets head
coach Claude Noel liked to say.
The win improved Winnipeg's home record to 5-5-1 this season and was
exactly the kind of positive vibe the club was hoping to build at the MTS
Centre in a month in which they play nine of 13 games at home.
And the Oilers? Well that's just more misery. A 10-game losing streak for
Edmonton is now 11 games, just three short of the franchise record for futility.
And even more depressing for hockey fans in Edmonton, the Oilers are
winless against Western Conference opponents in 16 games.
Dude, where's my goals?
The Jets came into last night's game with the third fewest goals in the NHL,
with 52 in 25 games.
That was ahead of Florida (50) and Buffalo (45) and things didn't improve
much for Winnipeg on this night as an Oilers team that has been dreadful this
season on defence looked for much of the game Wednesday night like
Jacques Lemaire's New Jersey Devils in the face of an anemic Jets offence.
Even on the rare occasions when the Jets mustered good scoring chances,
much-maligned Oilers netminder Ben Scrivens was sensational, stoning
Byfuglien in close in the second period and then standing on his head during
a particularly memorable second-period shift by the Andrew Ladd-Bryan
Little-Blake Wheeler line.
Just when it seemed like Jacob Trouba's long snap shot midway through the
first period was going to stand up as Winnipeg's only goal on this night, the
Jets were finally rewarded for their pressure around the Oilers net with
Byfuglien's deflection late in the third period and then Perreault's tip-in in
overtime for the game-winner.
So now what?
The Jets still have two more games to play at home -- this Friday against the
Colorado Avalanche and Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks -- before they
head out on the road next week for a couple of key road games against
divisional opponents in Dallas on Tuesday and Colorado on Thursday.
A moment for Béliveau
The Jets observed a moment of silence prior to the game for late Montreal
Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau, who passed away Tuesday at the age of
83.
741298
Winnipeg Jets
Steady Pavelec sets stage for Winnipeg's late rally, OT win
By: Paul Wiecek
Posted: 12/3/2014 11:58 PM
Not that he was complaining, but Winnipeg Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec
wanted to make sure the record was clear Wednesday night that Jets
defenceman Jacob Trouba was a part of four goals in Winnipeg’s 3-2
overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers at the MTS Centre.
So how exactly was Trouba a part of four goals on a night his team scored
just three?
"There was their goal, too," laughed Pavelec, a reference to a first-period
goal by Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that deflected behind Pavelec off
of Trouba.
The fact Pavelec could laugh about it was only the result of a late comeback
by the Jets. It turned what was looking like an ugly loss to an Edmonton team
that had lost 10 straight into a spectacular overtime win for Winnipeg that had
everyone in the Jets dressing room patting each other on the backs.
On a night when both of Edmonton’s goals went in off deflections, the Jets
found some fitting justice late in the game when Dustin Byfuglien deflected
the game-tying goal behind Oilers netminder Ben Scrivens. Then Mathieu
Perreault notched the game-winner on a tip-in just 17 seconds into overtime.
"We didn’t give up," said Pavelec. "We had a bit of luck in the third and some
great plays from the guys that kept us in the game... I thought we played very
well defensively. You’re always going to give up something.
"Overall, I think it was a great game. They had two lucky bounces off our
guys. But at the same time they hit the post twice. So good win. We need it."
Indeed they did. With the Minnesota Wild also winning Wednesday, the Jets
needed a victory to maintain their hold on the second wild-card spot in the
Western Conference.
"We know if you want to be a playoff team and be a success in the playoffs,"
said Pavelec, "you have to be great at home. In your building, you have to
make it tough to play here."
Pavelec, who has been playing less in recent weeks as the club gives an
expanded role to a red-hot Michael Hutchinson, stopped 22 of 24 Oilers
shots and made some big saves in the third period after the Jets went down
2-1 and the Oilers were swarming, looking for an insurance marker.
"It was the difference in the game — goaltending in the third period," said Jets
head coach Paul Maurice. "He made some big, big saves there to keep that
game within one and give us a chance to win."
Maurice also credited the Oilers with a feisty game and sounded like a man
who realized his team had dodged a bullet.
"They were battling hard on every puck and they were not making it easy,"
Maurice said of the Oilers. "But that being said, we certainly didn’t make it
easy on ourselves... It wasn’t our best night."
741299
Winnipeg Jets
MacT should follow Chevy’s lead
By: Gary Lawless
Posted: 12/3/2014 11:31 PM
Frankly, not many sportswriters or fans would make good GMs. It’s our job to
overreact and push for unrealistic change. It’s the job of a GM to know when
to ignore us, which is almost always, and when to act on the rare occasion
there is actually some wisdom in our ranting.
In this area, Craig MacTavish could do worse than to corner Jets GM Kevin
Cheveldayoff and ask for a lesson in patience.
Cheveldayoff has been urged from almost the minute he took his post to
make radical changes to his roster. Trade this guy, trade that guy. Get into
the playoffs now, no matter what you have to do and what damage will be
done to the organization’s future.
Some of that has been written in this space, and there are still players on the
Jets roster that, from this perspective, should be moved. C’mon, Chevy. Get
with it.
More and more, the arguments against Cheveldayoff and his work are
growing mute as his vision unfolds and is steered by coach Paul Maurice.
The Jets remain one of the NHL’s youngest teams, continue to improve and
will have seven prospects participating at the world junior tournament this
Christmas.
Cheveldayoff believed the Jets needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.
To bolster the organizational depth and create a roster with depth. To draft
players and let them develop at their own pace rather than just pushing them
into the NHL, as had been the process when the franchise was located in
Atlanta.
Mark Scheifele was his first pick, and when he popped a few goals early in
his first pre-season game, there was lots of talk about an immediate
ascension to the NHL. Cheveldayoff returned him to junior twice. Eventually,
he arrived ready to play.
Jacob Trouba returned to college, Adam Lowry went to the AHL. Connor
Hellebuyck has a .929 save percentage through his first 16 games in the
AHL. Nik Ehlers is scoring at a pace of more than two points per game in the
QMJHL and Josh Morrisey and Nic Petan are stars in the WHL.
Rushing players to the NHL is a thing of the past for this organization, and the
Jets now have a present and a future. Cheveldayoff refused to push the
panic button, and instead did his job just as he said he would.
Certainly there have been missteps, but no executive in any business bats
1.000. Cheveldayoff has focused on things he can control and stayed true to
his plan.
The results are just beginning to show, and the Jets remain a bubble team at
best. But one has to wonder what this team will look like in three years if he’s
left to his own design.
MacTavish sits at a similar crossroads today as Cheveldayoff did when he
inherited his Jets. Fans have suffered long enough and want improvement
now. Except it doesn’t work that way.
Just because you’ve been walking through hell for some time doesn’t mean
you’re ready to come out the other side. Not if you haven’t fixed your
problems, and MacTavish, despite the ridiculous talk of "bold moves," hasn’t
had enough time to correct what ails the Oilers.
The list of Oilers with strong market value gets pretty short after Taylor Hall
and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Certainly, teams will be willing to deal picks and
prospects in exchange for some of MacTavish’s roster players, but that
doesn’t help him today. Actually, it’s pretty obvious there’s nothing he can do
about today but hold his assets and try to improve his organization’s draft
record.
MacTavish needs to embrace his reality. Put Leon Draisaitl on the first bus
back to Prince Albert and allow him to develop.
The only thing he’s learning right now is how to lose.
MacTavish seems to believe in Dallas Eakins. Eakins got the job with the
Oilers because MacTavish — and a lot of other people in the hockey world —
thought he was ready to be a head coach. He’s a student of the game and
can motivate men. Maybe this job will be a learning stop for him. He’ll be a
good coach in the NHL whether it’s with Edmonton or the next club he gets.
Eakins can stay or go. The Oilers will still be a bad team. Their ailments run
far deeper than one man.
MacTavish needs to come face-to-face with the truth, and that is the Oilers
can’t get better in a hurry. They are years from being a contender, and until
that’s accepted from top to bottom in the organization, they can’t move
forward.
Deluding himself and trying to swing a couple of cure-all deals will only set his
team back.
Being bad and drafting high doesn’t guarantee a team will one day form into a
contender. But trying to rush success in today’s NHL guarantees failure.
741300
Winnipeg Jets
Jets' perseverance pays off
By: Paul Wiecek
Posted: 12/3/2014 12:20 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 12/3/2014 11:26
PM
Sooner or later, some hapless team is going to be the one that ends the
Edmonton Oilers losing streak, a train wreck that was at 10 games and
counting leading into Wednesday night’s tilt against the Winnipeg Jets at the
MTS Centre.
And for an uncomfortably long time Wednesday night, it was looking like the
Winnipeg Jets were going to be the unfortunate team to earn that
designation.
But with the Jets trailing the Oilers 2-1 late in the third period and appearing
to be well on their way to a loss that was going to be as tough to explain as it
would be to get over, a Winnipeg team that has surprised its doubters all
season long found a way to win.
First, it was Jets forward Dustin Byfuglien setting up shop in front of the Oilers
net and deflecting a point shot from defenceman Mark Stuart to tie the game
2-2 at 16:54.
Then just 17 seconds into overtime, it was Jets centre Mathieu Perreault
notching the game winner, tipping in a shot from Jacob Trouba who had a
piece of all three Jets goals Wednesday night.
And so with that, there was once again Joy in Joyville, as former Jets head
coach Claude Noel liked to say.
The win improved Winnipeg’s home record to 5-5-1 this season and was
exactly the kind of positive vibe the club was hoping to build at the MTS
Centre in a month in which they play nine of 13 games at home.
And the Oilers? Well that’s just more misery. A 10-game losing streak for
Edmonton is now 11 games, just three short of the franchise record for futility.
And even more depressing for hockey fans in Edmonton, the Oilers are
winless against Western Conference opponents in 16 games.
Dude, where’s my goals?
The Jets came into last night’s game with the third fewest goals in the NHL,
with 52 in 25 games.
That was ahead of Florida (50) and Buffalo (45) and things didn’t improve
much for Winnipeg on this night as an Oilers team that has been dreadful this
season on defence looked for much of the game Wednesday night like
Jacques Lemaire’s New Jersey Devils in the face of an anemic Jets offence.
Even on the rare occasions when the Jets mustered good scoring chances,
much-maligned Oilers netminder Ben Scrivens was sensational, stoning
Byfuglien in close in the second period and then standing on his head during
a particularly memorable second-period shift by the Andrew Ladd-Bryan
Little-Blake Wheeler line.
Just when it seemed like Jacob Trouba’s long snap shot midway through the
first period was going to stand up as Winnipeg’s only goal on this night, the
Jets finally got rewarded for their pressure around the Oilers net with
Byfuglien’s deflection late in the third period and then Perreault’s tip-in in
overtime for the game-winner.
So now what?
The Jets still have two more games to play at home — this Friday against the
Colorado Avalanche and Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks — before they
head out on the road next week for a couple of key road games against
divisional opponents in Dallas on Tuesday and Colorado on Thursday.
A moment for Béliveau
The Jets observed a moment of silence prior to Wednesday night’s game for
late Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau, who passed away Tuesday
at the age of 83.
741301
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets extend Oilers losing streak with late comeback, overtime win
At 1:31 of the third period, the Oilers took advantage of a Paul Postma
turnover, as David Perron drove hard to the net, slipping around Adam Pardy
before roofing his shot off the crossbar and in, leaving the Jets to try and play
catch-up.
By Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun
With time winding down, the Jets managed to pull even as Dustin Byfuglien
provided a slick redirection through his own legs after a point shot by Mark
Stuart at 16:54.
First posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 11:10 PM CST | Updated:
Wednesday, December 03, 2014 11:36 PM CST
This wasn't your average, everyday trap game for the Winnipeg Jets.
This was the Super-Sized variety, fraught with potential pitfalls.
When you're facing a team that has lost 10 consecutive games and is
surrounded by turmoil, you need to treat them with the respect of a Stanley
Cup champion or face the prospect of being the team that helps end the
streak.
Thanks to a late rally, the Jets were able to earn a 3-2 overtime win over the
Oilers and avoid becoming the first Western Conference team to lose to the
Oilers in 16 games this season.
Mathieu Perreault was the hero, tipping home a shot from Jacob Trouba 17
seconds into the extra period to help the Jets improve to 13-9-4 on the
season.
“I didn't see it go in. It was one of those plays where you go to the net, it hits
your stick and goes in,” said Perreault, who added an assist for a two-point
night. “Last year, in the second game of the year I scored (an overtime
winner) in Minnesota. It was over a year and it's only my second one (of his
career). So when it happens, you're obviously very happy.
“It was a struggle all game for us. To find a way to battle through it and get a
couple bounces our way, that made a difference. It was not the prettiest
game we've played, but we got the two points, so at the end of the day, that's
all the matters.”
The Jets continue this three-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks
on Friday night.
Instead of lamenting a tough loss to a team in the NHL cellar, the Jets can be
thankful for two pucks that rattled off the post in the defensive zone during the
third period.
“There's no style points in the NHL,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We
didn't make it easy on ourselves.”
With four days between games, the Jets were well-rested as they welcomed
the Oilers to town.
And it took only one shift to realize the Jets were going to try to impose their
collective will by playing a fast, physical game.
On that first shift, Evander Kane delivered a pair of hard checks on Oilers
captain Andrew Ference, loudly declaring that the hit parade was merely
beginning.
Before his night was done, Kane cranked Nikita Nikitin, knocking him out of
the game with a back injury and leaving the Oilers with five healthy
defencemen for roughly two periods.
After serving his one-game suspension for his check-from-behind on Buffalo
Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta, Adam Lowry returned to the Jets' lineup and
was once again a physical force, finishing with four of the Jets 36 hits while
playing on the wing with Mark Scheifele and Michael Frolik.
“That's one of our strengths. We're a big, fast team and being physical is part
of that,” said Trouba, who had the first three-point game of his career.
“Especially against a team that has so many skilled players, it's important to
try and slow them down as much as you can.”
The Jets got on the board first, scoring on an odd-man rush.
With Kane driving hard to the net, Perreault showed great patience and
eventually left a pass for Trouba, who beat Ben Scrivens with a quick shot at
12:33 of the first period.
But the lead would only last for just over five minutes, as Ryan
Nugent-Hopkins evened the contest with a long wrister that made it through a
screen at 17:59.
After playing a road-heavy schedule in November, the Jets play nine of 13
games at MTS Centre and one of their primary goals this month is improving
their home record, which improved to 5-5-1 on the season.
“We said that so many times. We want to win every game but we know that if
we want to be a playoff team and be successful in the playoffs, you have to
be great at home in your building and make it tough to play here,” said
Pavelec, who finished with 22 saves.
This was the next step in the process.
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 12.04.2014
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Winnipeg Jets
Oscar Klefbom-Jeff Petry
Ben Scrivens (Viktor Fasth)
Chiarot to make season debut for Jets tonight
By Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun
First posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2014 12:17 PM CST | Updated:
Wednesday, December 03, 2014 12:23 PM CST
Ben Chiarot is being thrown right into the fire as the Winnipeg Jets open a
three-game homestand against the Edmonton Oilers.
Recalled from the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League on
Tuesday after injuries to Toby Enstrom and Grant Clitsome, Chiarot is set to
play the second NHL game of his career and will open the contest on the top
pair with Zach Bogosian.
“I’m looking forward to that. I mean, that’s what I want,” said Chiarot, who
made his NHL debut last November against the Chicago Blackhawks. “I want
to be able to show everyone that I can handle it and play against NHL
competition. The more minutes, the better.”
Jets head coach Paul Maurice saw Chiarot play a pair of Calder Cup playoff
games last spring and hopes the defenceman can play a similar game as he
returns to the NHL-level.
“I saw him play Game 4 and 5 of the (Eastern) Conference final and Game 4,
for me, he was the best player on the ice,” said Maurice, noting Enstrom
(lower-body) and Clitsome (undisclosed) remain day-to-day. “He was very
physical. He moved the puck really well, really quickly. So I’m looking for a
piece of that in this game here. I’m looking for him to establish a physical
presence and stay out of the box. And then, to have the ability to make that
first pass. He can jump up into the holes if he feels confident enough to do it.”
The Jets (12-9-4) have been off since losing 2-1 in overtime to the Boston
Bruins last Friday and are expecting a tough test from an Oilers team that has
lost 10 consecutive games and is 6-15-4 on the season.
“You can never take anybody lightly. It’s a big game for us,” said Jets centre
Mathieu Perreault. “They haven’t won for so long, so people expect us to do
good. We’ve got to prepare ourselves like it’s a huge game. For us, it’s time
to start making a statement. We haven’t been as good at home (4-5-1 this
season) and it starts with our starts. We’ve got to get a good start and put
them back on their heels.
“We should be well-rested, so there’s no excuses. We should be good to go.”
Ondrej Pavelec gets the start in goal for the Jets, while the Oilers are
expected to counter with Ben Scrivens.
Here’s how I expect both teams to start tonight:
JETS
Andrew Ladd-Bryan Little-Blake Wheeler
Evander Kane-Mathieu Perreault-Dustin Byfuglien
Adam Lowry-Mark Scheifele-Michael Frolik
Chris Thorburn-Jim Slater-Matt Halischuk
Ben Chiarot-Zach Bogosian
Mark Stuart-Jacob Trouba
Adam Pardy-Paul Postma
Ondrej Pavelec (Michael Hutchinson)
OILERS
Taylor Hall-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Tyler Pitlick
Nail Yakupov-Leon Draisaitl-Jordan Eberle
David Perron-Boyd Gordon-Teddy Purcell
Luke Gazdic-Mark Arcobello-Steve Pinizzotto
Andrew Ference-Justin Schultz
Nikita Nikitin-Mark Fayne
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 12.04.2014
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Vancouver Canucks
Johnston, who had spent the last six years as general manager and head
coach of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, didn’t want to speculate about the
possibility of landing in Vancouver had Desjardins chosen Pittsburgh.
Desjardins pondered Penguins offer before joining Canucks
“I guess you really never know how things could play out, but Willie and I go
back a long ways,” Johnston said after Wednesday’s Penguins practice.
By Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun December 3, 2014
“We have been friends since university and playing against each other and
then working with George Kingston at the University of Calgary. We have had
a long history together and it is going to be an exciting matchup from my
perspective. Any time we have had an opportunity to coach against each
other over the years it has always been enjoyable.”
PITTSBURGH — Willie Desjardins admits he was more than a little intrigued
when the Pittsburgh Penguins came calling.
Who wouldn’t be?
By all accounts, Johnston has fit in very nicely with the Penguins. Pittsburgh
enters tonight’s game with a 17-5-2 record.
Put yourself in Desjardins’ shoes. You’re a lifelong coach who has toiled for
years mainly at the junior and minor-league pro level and suddenly, at age
57, you are given the opportunity to coach Sidney Crosby.
Crosby didn’t know much about Johnston when he was hired, other than the
fact that he is from Crosby’s home province of Nova Scotia.
Yes, Desjardins was intrigued, flattered, a little surprised and highly
appreciative of the offer Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford made to
him almost immediately after Desjardins’ Texas Stars team had won the
AHL’s Calder Cup in mid-June.
But Desjardins turned down the Penguins in favour of the Vancouver
Canucks and on Wednesday, the day before he will coach against Crosby
and the Penguins for the first time, tried to explain a decision that surprised
many in the hockey world.
For Desjardins, it was all about loyalty. He knew before the Texas Stars’
season had ended that the Canucks were interested in him. More
importantly, he knew Trevor Linden and had a sense that the new Canucks’
president of hockey operations believed in him.
“I think he had interest in me and not many guys had,” Desjardins said. “I’d
coached a lot of years and here was a guy that kind of believed that maybe I
could do it. That was important to me, it really, really was.
“I am a real loyal guy, I really am. I don’t forget things, I am loyal and I won’t
forget Jim Rutherford. He was unbelievable, but that is just what I felt.”
Nearly six months later, Desjardins has no regrets, although he
acknowledges the decision to reject the Pittsburgh offer was not an easy one.
“When you look at what was there and the opportunity, it’s unbelievable,”
Desjardins said of the Penguins. “You look at where they are in the
standings, so that’s what type of team they are. And to have an opportunity to
coach that kind of team is pretty special. That’s a special group. Not just
Crosby. They have so much talent there and it’s a great city, too.”
After Desjardins chose the Canucks over Pittsburgh, the Penguins quickly
hired Mike Johnston, a former Canucks assistant coach under Marc
Crawford who had also interviewed for the Vancouver job.
In fact, it’s not hard to imagine Desjardins’ and Johnston’s roles being
reversed tonight if Desjardins had accepted the Pittsburgh offer.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning acknowledged he was concerned
when the Penguins stepped up so quickly and interviewed Desjardins. The
Canucks had planned to give Desjardins a couple of days to enjoy his Calder
Cup win before flying him into Vancouver for an interview.
“Well, we were worried, you know,” Benning said this week of the Pens’ offer
to Desjardins. “We had also interviewed Johnston, who ended up getting
their job, and he did a real good interview with us, too. When we started the
process Mike was a guy that we wanted to talk to. We wanted to interview all
the guys we had on our list and then sit down and make a decision.
“We didn’t get that far. We talked to Willie, we decided that he was the best fit
for the group of players that we had. We had seen his teams play, the style of
game that he wants to play and we thought that fit with the type of players
that we had, so we offered him the job and he accepted it.”
Desjardins and Johnston, by the way, are close friends who go a long way
back. After accepting the Canucks job, Desjardins was delighted when the
Penguins hired Johnston.
“I think they are really lucky that Mike’s here and if they had a choice to make
again, they’d take Mike every time now,” Desjardins said. “I think it turned out
the way it should. I can say honestly that I think Mike Johnston is the best guy
for this job.”
“He’s a calm guy, very prepared,” Crosby said Wednesday. “The way he
wants us to play is a pretty aggressive style and he lets guys be creative
where they can, but also stresses the importance of good defence, too … I
think he has done a good job of preparing everyone.”
“He’s not the guy that will explode and start throwing f-bombs around like
maybe the coach you guys had,” said defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, a
former Canuck. “But you will see when he’s mad, too, and he doesn’t like
something. But he still brings it up in a good manner.”
Things seem to have worked out pretty well for the Canucks, too. Desjardins
has the Canucks challenging for the Western Conference lead and seems to
have turned around a team that appeared last season to be in a steep
decline.
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said Desjardins makes every player on the
roster feel important.
“He has brought a lot of communication,” Sedin said. “And it’s not only the
older guys. He talks to everyone. It brings the group together and he makes
everyone feel like they are counted on to help us win games. He makes
everyone — the third- and fourth-line guys — feel like they can make a
difference.”
Desjardins, meanwhile, is at peace with his decision. When he stands behind
the visitors’ bench tonight at the Consul Energy Center he won’t be thinking
about what might have been. He’s happy for his friend, Mike Johnston, and
pleased and proud to be the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
“In the end, I know it worked out for Pittsburgh,” he said. “And we’ll see if it
worked out for Vancouver.”
The Canucks have won two of the first three games of their season-long
seven-game trip. They are coming off a 4-3 win Tuesday in Washington over
the Capitals (pictured) that ran their record to 17-7-1. The Penguins, under
new head coach Mike Johnston, are also off to a fast start this season. They
have won two straight and are coming off a 1-0 win Tuesday over the New
Jersey Devils that improved their record to 17-5-2.
WHO’S NEXT? CANUCKS @ PENGUINS
WHO’S HOT?
Both team’s offences are clicking. Pittsburgh is averaging 3.33 goals per
game, third in the NHL. Vancouver is tied for fourth at 3.08 … Vancouver’s
power play struck for three goals Tuesday, but has a way to go to catch
Pittsburgh’s. The Canucks’ power play ranks 11th at 21.2 per cent, while
Pittsburgh’s is first at 30.8 per cent … C Sidney Crosby was leading the NHL
scoring race heading into Wednesday’s schedule with 33 points in 24 games
… G Marc-Andre Fleury leads the NHL with five shutouts.
WHO’S NOT?
The Canucks continue to struggle in the faceoff circle, where as a team they
are 22nd in the NHL at 48.5 per cent. They’d be a lot worse without rookie Bo
Horvat, who has won 59.7 per cent of his draws … Vancouver has only seven
goals from its defencemen this season. Only Washington and Winnipeg have
fewer … C Nick Bonino has not scored in 11 games, but is plus-10 this
season … Pittsburgh C Marcel Goc has just one point in 22 games this
season.
HEAD TO HEAD
This is the first of two meetings this season. The Penguins visit Rogers Arena
on Feb. 7. Pittsburgh won both games last season against the Canucks. Both
games went to a shootout, with the Pens claiming a 5-4 decision on Jan. 7 at
Rogers Arena and winning 4-3 at home on Oct. 19. The Canucks haven’t
won in Pittsburgh since Nov. 22, 2008 when they beat the Pens 3-1. But
they’ve only played here twice since then.
QUOTABLE
Pittsburgh centre Sidney Crosby on whether he looks forward to playing
against the Sedins: “Yes and no. You get up for those challenges but they
can make you look pretty bad in a hurry, so you’ve got to make sure you play
tight. They are playing really well. That whole line is generating a lot, so that
will be a good challenge. But that’s what it’s about, getting those challenges.
We’ll look forward to it.”
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Vancouver Canucks
Botchford: Sorry, Team Canada — Canucks need Horvat
By Jason Botchford, The Province December 3, 2014
PITTSBURGH — The Canucks have not ruled out the possibility of lending
Bo Horvat to Hockey Canada for the world juniors.
They should.
It’s true, Hockey Canada has a helluva pitch. Lend your rookie for a couple of
weeks and watch him clash with the best young players of the same age from
around the world.
See him play a prominent role in high-pressure situations. Then, perhaps,
see him return to your NHL club buoyed from a heartfelt experience and
infused with confidence.
It’s a nice sentiment. There’s just a slight problem. The Canucks need
Horvat. They need his size. They need his faceoff skills. They need his
upside.
What they don’t need to be doing is trying to fill his spot in the lineup — with
who?— for three weeks while he’s playing in Group A, where there is what?
Two other good teams. Maybe three.
Really, how many competitive games will Team Canada play? Before getting
spanked in the semifinals last year, Team Canada was 4-0-1, and three of
those weren’t close.
The Canucks, meanwhile, haven’t had a 19-year-old impact their team since
Petr Nedved. That was 24 years ago. This is not the time to be thinking about
upending some historical progress.
There are moments the right rookie comes around at the right time on the
right team with the right coach. Horvat has sure looked the part for much of
his 12 games.
His five-on-five points-per-60 minutes stands at 1.63, which ranks eighth on
the team. The percentage of total even-strength goals scored that the
Canucks have managed when Horvat is on the ice is 57.1. That’s fourth on
the team.
The most encouraging sign, however, could be what happened in one of the
games where Horvat struggled the most.
Sunday, in Detroit, Horvat had a 36-per-cent win rate in the circle. His line
was chewed up all afternoon. When he was on the ice, the Canucks
attempted just five even-strength shots. They faced 16.
Head coach Willie Desjardins still played Horvat nearly 12 minutes. Listen
closely enough and you could hear the Hallelujahs from management’s
private box. General managers love to see young players get chances to play
through their struggles. And there will be struggles.
“I have lots of confidence in him.” Desjardins said recently of Horvat. “I think
both guys who play with him are real good defensively.
“I have lots of confidence in that line.”
As well he should. In a surprisingly successful start to the season, the
Canucks’ most surprising element is probably their fourth line.
The wingers Horvat plays with are a huge advantage. These are not your
knuckle-dragging fourth liners. Both Jannik Hansen and Derek Dorsett can
play, and play well.
It’s another reason to keep Horvat. The situation he’s in here is such a good
one. He’s insulated with two excellent, veteran bottom-six forwards and has a
coach who has shown, so far, that he loves to play his fourth line.
Maybe if it somehow changes and Horvat’s ice time dramatically decreases
in the next couple of weeks, you could change my mind. But I doubt it.
“He’s been great because he’s such a confident kid,” Dorsett said. “He’s got
that big body. Most importantly, though, he’s a sponge. He just wants to
learn. And he wants to do whatever it takes to help us win.”
Plus, if NHL teams really believed the world junior experience was the best
place for their players’ development, lending them to Hockey Canada
wouldn’t be so rare.
Minnesota Wild defenceman Mathew Dumba was the only NHL player who
played for Team Canada last year. But he wasn’t even in Minnesota’s plans,
and after the tournament was dispatched to junior.
Devante Smith-Pelly and Brett Connolly were lent by the Anaheim Ducks and
the Tampa Bay Lightning to Canada’s 2012 team. Smith-Pelly broke his foot
blocking a shot in the first game of the tournament.
The tournament begins in 22 days. Hockey Canada would like a decision
from the Canucks in the next two weeks.
If Horvat has a few more games like Tuesday’s, it’s going to be an easy
choice.
But, really, it should be anyway.
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741305
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Hat Trick: Gallagher on ‘jaw-dropping Sedins,’ priceless Tanev, and
Order of Canada candidate Santorelli
December 3, 2014. 12:11 pm •
Tony Gallagher
Since the Sedin twins have been with the Canucks, Vancouver hockey fans
have had countless opportunities to marvel at the way these two guys play.
Yes, there have been disappointments in the playoffs over the years. But for
the most part, as members of this organization go, they have been right near
the very top of all-time stars; Henrik even finished first in The Province’s 101
Greatest Canucks poll earlier this season.
So, as we ponder three issues which involve the beloved squad, let us
consider “the pass.”
1. For the most part, people will think the reference is to the pass Henrik
made to his brother for the winning goal, and why not? It was a great pass, a
saucer job on the backhand right onto his stick which allowed him a
week-and-a-half to blast home the winner.
But no, that’s not the one. No, we refer here to the ridiculous pass he made
on the first goal Daniel scored on the power play, and we invite you to
consider what Henrik did on this play.
If you will recall, Radim Vrbata threw a pass around the end boards to Henrik,
who was standing behind the goal line, about 12 feet from the net, with Daniel
cruising to the front of the goal. In one motion Henrik first-timed, backhanded
a slap pass to his brother, right on his stick in perfect position — allowing
virtually anyone to put the puck past Braden Holtby in the Washington goal.
If you think about what is involved here, consider the puck is coming at a
goodly clip from Vrbata, and Henrik must slap it, backhanded, right into a
perfect position, whereby it eludes Holtby, who is looking his way, and find its
way right onto his brother’s stick, lying flat when it arrives. Absolutely
ridiculous.
He does something like that about 10 times a year and often there is no
bottom line, so many of them go unnoticed. But this one was jaw-dropping.
tanevlaich120214 e1417637300154 Canucks Hat Trick: Gallagher on jaw
dropping Sedins, priceless Tanev, and Order of Canada candidate Santorelli
2. It’s funny how the Canucks’ new management group wanted to see more
of Chris Tanev before they showed him the big money.
In short, to be honest, they were dragging their feet before showing him the
money, essentially hard-balling him, something that cost his agent Ross
Gurney his client — when he was in fact just doing his job asking for a large,
long-term deal.
While that decision certainly may have motivated the young defender, who is
now looking like one of the best moves of the Mike Gillis regime, it’s also
likely to cost them a lot more money in the long run, given the price keeps
going higher the closer the free-agent signing back in 2010 gets to
unrestricted free agency.
That is still a year-and-more-than-half-a-season away, so no real sweat. The
problem is that the longer the Canucks wait, the more costly it will be,
because this team without Tanev is now virtually unthinkable. Not only has
he been a driving force on the team’s top pairing, he appears to have gone a
long way towards rehabilitating Alex Edler (although, to be sure, lots of
people have probably helped, not the least of which is new assistant coach
Doug Lidster, who himself was a solid defenceman).
At some point here, Tanev will land himself a tremendous long-term deal; the
clock is ticking on Canucks management and ownership.
santorelli120214 e1417637389746 Canucks Hat Trick: Gallagher on jaw
dropping Sedins, priceless Tanev, and Order of Canada candidate Santorelli
3. Speaking of Jim Benning, Trevor Linden and the new management group,
they decided against bringing back Mike Santorelli last summer when it came
to renewing contracts. Given the Canucks wanted to get bigger and more
physical, you can hardly blame them. And given how the team has played so
far this season, you certainly can’t fault much of anything they’ve done.
But Santorelli, one of the classiest, most well-raised young men this agent
has met in hockey, is certainly proving that last season’s flash, before he was
injured, was certainly no fluke or illusion. On Tuesday night against the
Dallas Stars, “Santo” — as his teammates tend to call him — came up with
three assists as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs to bring his total to 16
points in 24 games this year.
And in the bargain he finds himself as the leading plus-minus player on the
Leafs at plus-11. Seriously, plus-11 on the Leafs? Surely the Order of
Canada cannot be far behind.
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 12.04.2014
741306
Websites
ESPN / Kings re-sign Alec Martinez
By Pierre LeBrun
Martinez, who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal last June, was slated to
become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Martinez has been a dependable defenseman for the Kings ever since the
Detroit-area native cracked their lineup in late 2010. The former fourth-round
draft pick has 25 goals and 37 assists in 221 career NHL games, all with Los
Angeles.
Martinez scored a career-best 11 goals in the regular season last year, but it
was just a prelude to two of the biggest goals in franchise history.
Martinez's Game 7 overtime goal off Nick Leddy's torso sent the Kings past
the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals, ending a grueling
series between the two teams widely considered the NHL's best last year.
Twelve days later, his shot into an open net in Game 5 against the New York
Rangers handed the Kings their second Stanley Cup title in three years.
Martinez added a personal touch to the moment by throwing off his gloves
and wildly shaking his arms at his teammates, a gesture forever immortalized
by Kings fans as "Jazz Hands."
Martinez's ice time and responsibilities have risen this season in the absence
of departed free agent Willie Mitchell and suspended Slava Voynov. He
returned from a seven-game injury absence Tuesday for the Kings' 2-0 win
over Boston.
The Kings also re-signed blue-liner Jake Muzzin to a five-year deal worth $4
million a year earlier this season.
ESPN LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Websites
ESPN / Rumblings: Brodeur's future foggy, league ticked at Kings, Drouin
likely to stay put
By Pierre LeBrun
Martin Brodeur's bonus-laden contract with the St. Louis Blues is unique in
more ways than one.
Most notably, though, are those two roster payments of $125,000 apiece,
one payable Feb. 1 and the other March 4 if he’s still on an NHL roster.
(Which are in addition to his prorated salary of $700,000.)
The question is, will he be on the Blues' roster still or that of another NHL
team?
If there's one thing everyone involved in his signing with the Blues can agree
on, it's that there are so many "what ifs" involved in how this will ultimately
play out.
I believe it was made quite clear by deputy commissioner Bill Daly in his
conversation with Kings GM Dean Lombardi on Tuesday that the league
reserves the right to stiffen the terms of that suspension to where Voynov is
completely banned from any access to the team's facility -- period.
But the whole episode, to me, underlines what had been a building tension
between the Kings and the league. No question, in my mind, the Kings had a
right to feel at a disadvantage before finally getting cap relief; as many other
team executives around the league shared, it wasn't fair for the Kings to pay
such a price cap/roster-wise because of the mistake of one player that
happened off the ice.
And when commissioner Gary Bettman, asked about the Kings' cap situation,
was quoted earlier this month saying essentially that NHL teams just need to
do a better job of managing their cap, the Kings didn't take kindly to that.
Still, that was a mistake Tuesday, no ifs and buts about it. This is a player
facing a felony charge. The NHL suspension must be adhered to. There’s no
leeway here, no gray area.
Keep an eye on Sobotka
Don't forget about Vladimir Sobotka. His name could resurface in the lead-up
to the March 2 trade deadline.
Could he play out the rest of the season in St. Louis, even if that means being
a No. 3 goalie? Yes, perhaps.
A former Blue, Sobotka signed a three-year deal with Omsk of the KHL last
summer. However, he has a one-month window after the season in which he
can opt out and return to the NHL. I suspect he will opt out after the season.
Could he be traded to another playoff-bound team before the March 2
deadline? Yes, of course.
If he does, he'll have to play out the one-year contract he was awarded in
arbitration last July, a deal that would pay him $2.725 million.
Could he pack it in before then for a variety of reasons? Yes, also a
possibility.
No question in my mind the Blues will get offers on him before March 2.
There will be non-playoff teams trying to sell assets that could help the
contending Blues in return for Sobotka.
Both Brodeur and the Blues are playing this week to week. No need to look
past that.
For now, the future Hall of Famer ensures quality assistance to Jake Allen
while Brian Elliott recovers from a knee injury.
After Elliott returns, the Blues will likely still want Brodeur around in case
Elliott has a setback, which can happen sometimes when returning from a
knee injury.
Martin Brodeur is a St. Louis Blue -- for now.
But once it's clear the Elliott-Allen tandem is back for good, that's when the
decision will get interesting both for Brodeur and the Blues. Because even
though Brodeur doesn't officially have a no-trade or no-movement clause in
his contract, there's certainly a gentlemen's agreement between all involved
that the goalie will be dealt with the utmost respect in terms of his next move.
He's not going to get dealt to a team he has no interest in going to, to be blunt
about it.
For now, this signing is simple: The Blues have afforded the NHL’s all-time
winningest goalie an entry back into the NHL, while Brodeur gives the Blues
important protection during a period of the season in which they play a lot of
games. The workload would have been too much for Allen to handle by
himself and there weren't viable options in the minors.
Because it's worth remembering: the Blues finished one point out of first
place in the Central last season, which netted them a first-round date with the
Chicago Blackhawks.
Every point matters, and that's a huge reason that GM Doug Armstrong
pursued Brodeur the moment Elliott was injured last week.
That's why it's fitting that Brodeur will earn $10,000 for every point in the
standings he earns as the goalie of record. It's exactly what this is about for
St. Louis.
Kings in NHL doghouse
The NHL was beyond furious Tuesday after finding out that suspended
defenseman Slava Voynov skated with his teammates during the Los
Angeles Kings' optional morning skate.
You see, the NHL felt it was already being flexible in allowing Voynov to use
the team's practice facility and skate on his own as per the terms of his
suspension.
The NHL is steamed at the Kings for letting Slava Voynov work out with the
team.
Not to say the Blues won't listen, but I know that GM Doug Armstrong
remains a big fan of the Czech center and sees him being an important part
of their club next season if he chooses to opt out of his KHL contract.
Don't forget, Armstrong got lots of trade offers on Sobotka last summer
during the contract stalemate. He chose not to accept any of them. Read into
that and teams will need to absolutely blow away the Blues to get Sobotka.
Flames keep the freeze
Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving has decided to continue Brian Burke's
custom of widening the holiday roster freeze.
While the league's official freeze will go Dec. 19-27, the Flames will go Dec.
12-27, adding seven days to the window when trades can't happen, Treliving
told ESPN.com.
Will Drouin play for Team Canada?
Hockey Canada is quietly holding out hope that the Tampa Bay Lightning
would send Jonathan Drouin to the World Juniors, but I think it's a long shot.
The Bolts haven't closed the door on the idea totally and it's expected GM
Steve Yzerman and head coach Jon Cooper would talk about it in the coming
days, but I don't think sending Drouin to a third World Juniors will be in the
cards.
While Drouin was a healthy scratch Tuesday in Buffalo, Cooper was trying to
involve all 14 forwards he has on the roster, and the kid has played most
nights and played regular minutes.
I could be wrong, but I think Drouin stays in Tampa.
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ESPN / Ilya Bryzgalov to work out for Ducks
By Pierre LeBrun
Ilya Bryzgalov could provide a boost to an injury-laden Ducks team.
The situation most likely will lead the colorful Bryzgalov to a contract with
Anaheim, sources have told ESPN.com.
Bryzgalov, 34, was an unrestricted free agent.
He finished last season with the Minnesota Wild, going 12-9-8 with a 2.68
goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
The Ducks are short-handed in goal after losing John Gibson for about six
weeks due to a groin injury earlier last month. Frederik Andersen has been
starting in his place.
On Wednesday, the team announced that backup Jason LaBarbera is out
two to three weeks with a broken bone in his hand.
The Ducks also said newly acquired defenseman Eric Brewer is out four to
six weeks with a broken bone in his foot.
Brodeur reached a one-year deal with the Blues on Tuesday following a
tryout with the team.
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FOXSports.com / Injury-riddled Ducks get job done in shootout win over
Flyers
Abbey Mastracco
DEC 04, 2014 2:25a ET
It's beginning to feel a little calamitous in Anaheim.
The mumps, groin strains, broken bones -- the Anaheim Ducks are stuck on
a merry-go-round of injuries and illnesses. Every day, it seems as though
there are new faces in the dressing room, from either their own minor league
system or other from another NHL team.
Relatively speaking, you could probably say Wednesday morning was
business as usual in the training room. Defenseman Eric Brewer, who played
in only two games since coming over in a trade from Tampa Bay, was found
to have a broken bone in his foot. Goalie Jason LaBarbera was found to have
broken his hand Sunday at San Jose. LaBarbara will be out for a few weeks,
Brewer a month, maybe more.
The goalie circumstances are so dire that the Ducks brought in former
backstop Ilya Bryzgalov for a tryout.
Calamitous might not quite describe the game they played later Wednesday
night against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it's something close to it. A dismal
first period, a goal-for-goal and hit-for-hit match in the second and a tie game
with only 1.8 seconds left to play in the third.
Finally, Corey Perry gave the Ducks a 5-4 shootout win.
It was a crazy day by most teams' standards, but in Anaheim, it's just another
day.
"We've been battling since training camp," left winger Patrick Maroon said,
who scored his first goal in five games, his second of the season. "Guys were
injured in training camp, then the mumps. We've been going hard through it
and battling. This is a good group of core guys, we're a good close team so
that's been what brings us together as a team. And it's good that we have a
good (minor league) system to use guys that come in and fill in."
The funny part is, the Ducks have cleared all of the obstacles thrown at them
this season. With 37 points, the Ducks are three points up on Nashville for
the best record in the Western Conference.
It's been the contributions of some of the unfamiliar faces that have greatly
aided the beleaguered club.
Winger Tim Jackman has continued his brilliant skating, young defensemen
Josh Manson and Matt Clark have played big minutes in big-game situations,
while blueliner Sami Vatanen has been a fourth forward at times. An asset on
both the power play and the forecheck, Vatanen scored his seventh goal of
the season for a new career high and his 21 points in 27 games leads all
Anaheim defensemen.
"He knows when to go and I think he did," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said.
"You always think he's going to get checked but he finds a way to wiggle his
way through everybody. I hope he doesn't stop doing that."
Corey Perry talks about the power play drought https://t.co/70GCFB6d07
— Abbey Mastracco (@AbbeyMastracco) December 4, 2014
With all of his backups injured, goaltender Frederik Andersen has had little
rest, playing in 13 straight games now. Undaunted, his short-term memory
has served him well during this brutal stretch.
"It's very similar to being a pro golfer: If you have a bad shot, you can't dwell
on it, you've got to go to the next shot," Boudreau said. "Freddie does a good
job of that."
If there's something the Ducks can't overcome, we haven't seen it yet.
"We just have a keep-on-pushing mentality," winger Andrew Cogliano said. "I
think guys just know here that winning is the mandate and in order to be
successful you've got to keep pushing forward and I think we've done that
pretty well."
FOXSports.com LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Sportsnet.ca / Hitchcock: Brodeur to start Thursday for Blues
JEFF SIMMONS
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 11:27 PM
Martin Brodeur will make his first start with the St. Louis Blues Thursday
night, coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters on Wednesday.
Lou Korac on Twitter
Brodeur, 42, signed a one-year contract with the Blues on Tuesday to
provide depth in net after goaltender Brian Elliott suffered a lower-body injury
last week.
He will become the eighth goalie in NHL history to start a game past his 42nd
birthday.
St. Louis wraps up the back end of their back-to-back Thursday night in
Nasvhille. The Blues fell 4-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night.
Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 12.04.2014
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Sportsnet.ca / Bortuzzo suspended two games for hit on Jagr
LUKE FOX
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 5:22 PM
You don’t deliver a late, high hit on a living legend and get away Scot-free.
That was the message sent to Robert Bortuzzo Wednesday by the NHL’s
department of player safety, which handed Bortuzzo a two-game suspension
for his late hit (watch above) on New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr.
The Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman slammed Jagr, 42, with a check to the
head behind the net late in the second period during the Penguins’ 1-0 win
Tuesday night.
The Devils’ leading scorer hit the ice for a few minutes before leaving the
game.
Bortuzzo did not receive a penalty on the play, which infuriated New Jersey
head coach Peter DeBoer. DeBoer said it didn’t matter if it was an elbow or a
shoulder that hit Jagr, it was a headshot.
“If one of our guys had done that to [Sidney] Crosby, there’d be World War
IV,” DeBoer said. “I just thought it was a liberty.”
Jagr did not attend the Devils’ practice Wednesday. New Jersey’s next game
takes place Thursday in Toronto.
“Everybody saw it,” Devils GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters. “It’s obvious
there’s some intent there that was out of the ordinary.”
TOOTOO ON BORTUZZO: "I'M NOT GOING TO FORGET WHAT NUMBER
HE IS. IT'S A LONG SEASON." HTTP://T.CO/7JRS9FAFZZ
— RICH CHERE (@LEDGER_NJDEVILS) DECEMBER 3, 2014
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Sportsnet.ca / Howe’s condition improving, hopes to return home
RYAN MCKENNA
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 5:34 PM
Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe continues to recover from
dehydration and is improving enough that his family expects him to return
home from the hospital by the end of Wednesday.
Howe’s family released a statement through the Detroit Red Wings
Wednesday afternoon with an update on his condition.
It was reported early Tuesday that Howe, 86, had another significant stroke
on Monday and that he displayed diminished consciousness for over 30
minutes. Those reports were clarified late Tuesday night, when an MRI
revealed that he did not suffer a stroke, but rather was dealing with
dehydration according to his son Mark Howe in a text message to the
Associated Press.
Wednesday’s statement indicated that Mr. Hockey has been having difficulty
eating solid foods, had a slurred speech and has also not been able to walk
for over three weeks.
The family says that his mental awareness has improved enough in the last
24 hours that they are hopeful for his release from the University Medical
Center in Lubbock, Texas.
Howe’s family also expressed their condolences to the death of Jean
Beliveau.
“The hockey world has lost a man who epitomized professionalism, dignity
and class. We extend our condolences and prayers to his family and friends,”
the statement said.
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USA TODAY / Red-hot Blackhawks, Blues collide without usual No. 1 goalies
By: KEVIN ALLEN and KRISTEN SHILTON
18 hours ago
The Chicago Blackhawks have won 48 playoff games over the past five
seasons, and opponents know when their confidence is high because their
swagger becomes more pronounced.
“What they did to L.A. on Saturday night was surgical,” NBC analyst Pierre
McGuire said. “The ’Hawks look like a team that knows they are good. They
enjoy the process of being a top team.”
The Blackhawks beat the Kings 4-1 to finish a six-game trip with a 5-1 record.
They are 8-2 in their last 10 and playing at the level they showed in the
Stanley Cups years in 2010 and 2013.
But they face another major test tonight against the surging St. Louis Blues.
“There is serious skill, passion, size and speed whenever Chicago and St.
Louis get together,” McGuire said. “Factor in the great fans in both cities …
and the David Backes showdown with Jonathan Toews, and you have
something really special.”
The Blues, 7-2-1 in their last 10, made news Tuesday by signing future Hall
of Famer Marty Brodeur to be Jake Allen’s backup while Brian Elliott is
injured.
“Jake Allen has been fantastic,” McGuire said. “His composure and ability to
control his rebounds has made him a solid fit for the Blues. He should be in
the Calder conversation.”
The Blackhawks will be without their usual No. 1 goalie, too, after Corey
Crawford hurt his foot at a concert.
Crawford said he slipped on a step coming out of a concert. Wearing a
walking boot on his left foot. #Blackhawks
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) December 3, 2014
Chicago has the NHL’s second-best goals-against average and eighth-best
offense.
“We got off to a bit of a rocky start but you can see the team trending in the
right direction here, see it all coming together,” coach Joel Quenneville said.
“We can be a dangerous team.”
USA TODAY LOADED: 12.04.2014
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USA TODAY / With Jean Béliveau's passing, NHL has lost member of its
royal family
Kevin Allen, USA TODAY Sports 9:25 a.m. EST December 3, 2014
When fans think of the grand Montreal Canadiens tradition, they conjure up
dynamic Images of Rocket Richard or Guy Lafleur soaring up ice and
unleashing a booming shot into the upper corner of the net.
To me, the symbol of the Canadiens' majesty will always be Jean Béliveau
because he was the franchise's most majestic player.
Béliveau died Tuesday at age 83 after a lengthy illness, leaving behind a
legacy of elegance and class.
Toughness was a requirement to be an NHL star in the 1950s and 1960s, but
there was a stylishness and gracefulness to Beliveau's game that could not
be denied. He was cognac in a shot-and-beer league. He was a 6-3 center
with a poetic rhythm to his skating stride and magic in his hands and instincts.
Hockey can be a brutal physical battle, but there was beauty in the way
Béliveau played the game. His approach always seemed more refined, less
harried. He always played as if he believed he controlled his own destiny. He
played in the helmetless era, and there was considerable energy being
expended and frequent contact, but Béliveau never seemed to have one hair
out of place.
Today, Bobby Orr is the player most associated with No. 4. But before Orr,
Béliveau was the NHL's No. 4.
Béliveau played on 10 Stanley Cup championship teams (from 1956 to 1971)
and was a primary difference maker on all of those teams. He was the team's
captain for 10 years.
He might have been the NHL's most gentlemanly player, but when he
decided to play more physical to gain an advantage, he did so. Of course, he
played rough, with as much class and dignity as humanly possible.
Q
Jean Beliveau knew the true meaning of a dynasty
He won the NHL scoring championship in 1956, the Hart Trophy as the
league's MVP in 1956 and 1964, and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as
the playoff MVP in 1965. He scored 507 career goals.
Béliveau was as dominant as an older player as he was when he was a
young man. He was 39 when he retired in 1971, and in his final season, he
had 25 goals and 51 assists for 76 points in 71 games. In his final playoff run,
Béliveau registered 22 points in 20 games to help the Canadiens win the
Stanley Cup.
After his retirement, Béliveau stayed with the organization as a team
executive. He was always a fixture at games. Always splendidly attired in a
well-tailored suit, always carrying himself with confidence and poise,
Béliveau was Montreal's symbol of excellence for more than a half century.
Through the years, Béliveau endured throat cancer and a stroke. And per his
tradition, he dealt with those issues with dignity and perseverance.
When I would see Béliveau at Canadiens games, I would think how important
the Montreal franchise has been to the NHL and how important Beliveau was
to the great fans of Montreal.
It feels today as if the NHL has lost a member of its royal family.
USA TODAY LOADED: 12.04.2014

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