Kris Letang speaks about Luc Bourdon

Kris Letang

Q. Kris, I know you’re good friends with Luc. Can you talk about how you found out, and how difficult this is for you?

KRIS LETANG: I was going out of my apartment and someone called me, my agent. And just told me, like, what happened to Luc. It was so tough to handle it, because Luc was one of my great friends. Someone I can like always talk about my tough times and someone that always liked to have fun.

Q. When was the last time you talked to him?

KRIS LETANG: Three days ago. We were talking about his motorcycle, and I never thought it would happen. I can’t still believe it, because when you lose someone close like that, you can’t do much. And it’s so tough to me. Like right now, he was my best friend.

Q. Tough to focus even on hockey?

KRIS LETANG: Yeah, I don’t know why, but this morning I had no, like, energy. Even if I wanted to skate, I couldn’t approach - it’s like I lost so much energy when it happened yesterday.

Q. I’m sorry about your loss, but what’s your fondest memory of Luc?

KRIS LETANG: Me and Luc went through two seasons in Val D’Or. We had so much fun. Like after we played the World Juniors together and we won two gold medals together. We were playing together. We were roommates together. We share, like, everything together.

We were supposed to go on vacation this summer, and he was coming to Montreal all summer long to train. And he was a guy really funny. Like only close people could know really well Luc. He was a guy who always, like, stick up for you and always there for you.

Q. Can I ask you how you found out yesterday?

KRIS LETANG: My agent called me on my phone, and he just told me, like, what happened.

Q. You say you just talked to him a couple days ago about the motorcycle. Had he just gotten it, and was he excited about it?

KRIS LETANG: He got it three days ago. He was pretty excited. He’s a guy who had fun with, like, sports stuff. Like Seadoo and sport cars and whatever.

We talked about it. We know it was dangerous, but he had fun with it. I know he didn’t do, like, speed with it. He just had, like, a bad move or something. Those things, you have, like, no second chance.

Melrose Place

The Toronto Star reports that ESPN hockey analyst and former Los Angeles Kings head coach Barry Melrose is set to return behind the bench for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Melrose, who coached the Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, would replace John Tortorella, who still holds the post.

According to the Star, incoming team owner Oren Koules has pushed for the hiring of Melrose in an effort to further sell the team and the sport in Florida. His group is awaiting approval from the NHL's Board Of Governors to take over the team, with the vote set to take place on June 18.

The Lightning, which won the Stanley Cup in 2004, missed the playoffs this year and won the first overall pick in the lottery last month for the June entry draft.

Melrose, who has worked at ESPN and ABC Sports since 1996, began his coaching career in 1987 when he led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Memorial Cup. He also coached the Seattle Thunderbirds for the 1988-89 season and the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League for three seasons (1989-92). Melrose guided the Red Wings to the Calder Cup championship in 1991 and also served as the team's General Manager during his final two seasons.

During his 11 years as a player, Melrose played 335 career games as a defenceman in the NHL with Winnipeg, Toronto and Detroit (1979-86). He also played three seasons with Cincinnati in the WHA (1976-79).

A little more on Luc Bourdon

A sort of a not so funny coincidence occurred this morning as I accidentally dropped the controller changing the channel from my daughters morning cartoon to a program on the accident and death of James Dean. The poster boy for young men dying way too soon... little did I know I would soon be hearing about someone close to home finding the same fate as Jimmy Dean did way back then.

Luc Bourdon drew my undeserved ire for most of his career simply because of the Canucks selecting him over Anze Kopitar in the 2004 draft. Bourdon did have a future in this league, he already possessed a big league shot and just needed time and seasoning as all young d-men do to adjust to the speed of the NHL. It is a tragedy he is gone and I now feel bad that I ever said a harsh word about him. He will be missed.

Now more on Luc from NHL.com

TORONTO – Buffalo Sabres general manager Darcy Regier was talking with associates in the lobby of the Westin Bristol Place Toronto Airport Hotel early Thursday afternoon while checking messages on his Blackberry when his head snapped back as if he'd been punched.

Without a word, Regier turned his Blackberry toward a reporter and showed him his latest message: "Montreal station reporting Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon killed in motorcycle crash."

There are 107 top prospects here at the 2008 NHL Draft Combine, interviewing and testing in hopes they'll be selected in the early rounds of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, June 20-21 in Ottawa. It was only three years ago that Bourdon was one of those players, an impressive junior defenseman who was taken by the Vancouver Canucks with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Bourdon returned to the Val D'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that fall and later was traded to the Moncton Hawks. Moncton then traded him to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles the next year. He played on Canada's gold-medal winning World Junior Championship teams in 2006 and 2007, making the All-Tournament team in 2006. He was promoted to the Canucks for nine games in 2007.

He became a full-time professional this year and played 41 games for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, where he had six goals and eight assists. Bourdon was promoted to the Canucks several times this season, playing 27 NHL games, where he registered two goals and a plus-7 rating. Bourdon played in the NHL for most of November, February and March. The Canucks returned him to Manitoba for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Police said Bourdon was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle on a road near his home in Shippagan in northern New Brunswick around 12:30 P.M. He reportedly struck a tractor-trailer and was killed instantly.

"This is an incredibly sad and tragic event for Luc, his family and our family here at the Canucks," said Canucks Vice President and Assistant General Manager Steve Tambellini, attending the Combine. "All we know at this point is that it was a motorcycle accident and we are awaiting the details.

"Luc was an extremely passionate young man who was just on the cusp of being rewarded for all the hard work that he put in. He was just starting to show his character in the NHL. This is a very, very sad day."

Tambellini said it was very difficult "when you get news like that about a family member, and he's one of our family members within our hockey team. I can't imagine how his family feels at this point.”

Tambellini said Bourdon's death is a reminder "that there are more important things than hockey. We are more concerned with Luc's family because obviously this is a horrific time for them."

In Vancouver, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis released a statement:

"We are deeply saddened by today’s news, and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc’s family. Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice. He will be greatly missed.”

The Wheels fall off

Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that Blake Wheeler, selected by the Coyotes in the 2004 Entry Draft, has rejected the Coyotes contract offer and will become an unrestricted free agent.

“We offered Blake a contract which was both commensurate with his draft position and far exceeded any guaranteed contract he can receive, under the current CBA, with any other team,” said Maloney. “He has decided, however, that becoming a free agent is in his best interest.

“We are very happy with the compensatory pick we will receive for Blake not signing, which will be the fifth pick in the second round. This is a very deep draft and we now have five picks in the first two rounds, which is very exciting.”

Doug Armstrong to sing the Blues

The Leafs miss out on another one- Z

Sources tell TSN Doug Armstrong is about to join the St Louis Blues.

Armstrong was expected to meet the Toronto Maple Leafs this week to discuss a management position in Toronto, however sources say he has cancelled that meeting and the expectation is that his hire in St Louis will be announced tomorrow.

Armstrong will work alongside veteran Blues general manager Larry Pleau for the next two seasons before assuming the manager's role when Pleau retires.

Will Sundin leave the Big Smoke?

PITTSBURGH — Will Mats Sundin commit the ultimate act of betrayal in the eyes of Toronto Maple Leafs fans and bolt as a free agent this summer, possibly to the Montreal Canadiens?

Sundin, who was at the Stanley Cup final yesterday to receive the NHL's Mark Messier Leadership Award, did not have an answer to that. What he did say offered no comfort to Leafs fans and management, who are waiting for a decision by the team captain about his plans for next season.

Given that Sundin refused to waive his no-trade clause at the NHL trade deadline in February, saying he wanted to end his hockey career as a Leaf, there is really just one decision for him: sign with the Maple Leafs again or retire.

However, word in hockey circles is the Canadiens, who made a big offer to Toronto interim general manager Cliff Fletcher in February, plan to go after Sundin hard when he becomes a free agent on July 1, as do the Detroit Red Wings.

More...

RIP Luc Bourdon

Reported in French at Corus Sports, translated by Google:

The young defender Vancouver Canucks Luc Bourdon died after a motorcycle accident in north-east of NB nearly Shipagan.

The circumstances of the accident have not yet been revealed.

Update 10:56pm ET: Other Vancouver-based media members are telling me they’ve received the same information and believe the report to be true.

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon has been killed in a motorcycle accident in northern New Brunswick. He was 21.

Bourdon, a promising young defenceman who played his junior hockey with the Moncton Wildcats, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Val d'Or Foreurs of the QMJHL, split his first pro season in 2007-08 between Vancouver and the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose.

He scored two goals and was a plus-7 in 27 games with the Canucks last season.

The Shippagan, New Brunswick native was drafted 10th overall by the Canucks in 2005 and was among the last pre-season cuts at training camp just a few months later. He was an integral part of Brent Sutter's gold medal-winning squad in the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship and ended the season with Ted Nolan's Moncton Wildcats in the Memorial Cup.

After a nine-game stint with the Canucks the following season, he was returned to the QMJHL and helped lead Canada win its third straight gold medal at the world juniors.

Penguins to unite Sid and Malkin

...I called it- Z

TSN

The Pittsburgh Penguins hope that putting their two top offensive threats on the No. 1 line can spark their struggling offence when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Mellon Arena tonight for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final.

Down 2-0 in their series and held without a single goal, Penguins head coach Michel Therrien hinted that he will place centres Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin together in five-on-five situations.

"We would do it at times," Therrien told reporters Monday. "We do it at times."

Crosby and Malkin, who combined for 13 goals and 40 points through the first two rounds of the playoffs, have been unable to get Pittsburgh rolling in the final. Crosby managed nine shots with a minus-1 rating and Malkin has just one shot with a minus-3 rating.

"He (Malkin) knows he needs to be better," Therrien added. "We addressed it with him. He knows. We want him to be a leader, and he's got to respond as a leader."

An even-strength pairing with Malkin, combined with the last line change, could be just the thing Crosby needs to get his offensive game going. Selke Trophy finalist Henrik Zetterberg has matched Crosby minute-for-minute in five-on-five situations and has effectively shut down the young phenom.

The next Malkin?

...or just another Ponikarovsky, Antropov type bum?

When Cliff Fletcher sits down with Mats Sundin next week to convince him to return to the Maple Leafs, one of the selling points will be Nikolai Kulemin. The Leafs have high hopes for their second rounder from 2006 and former linemate of Evgeni Malkin in the Russian League, to the extent he and his wife are in Toronto this week finalizing visas and looking for a home. And Fletcher doesn't mean an address near Ricoh Coliseum.

"He won't be going to the Marlies," the interim general manager said yesterday. "He'll be in this (Leafs') market." Kulemin had 21 goals and and 33 points for Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League and was one of three finalists for RSL playoff MVP.

Rumors & Rumblings

Spector's

OTTAWA SUN: Don Brennan reports San Jose Sharks defenseman Brian Campbell may be of interest to the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks but it appears Campbell could be re-signing with the Sharks as talks between the two sides are apparently going well. Campbell voiced his admiration of Sharks GM Doug Wilson, whom he called a "player's GM". The Blackhawks reportedly could offer Campbell $8 million per season if he hits this summer's UFA market. As for the Senators they're unlikely to be able to afford Campbell unless they swing an unforeseen trade.

SPECTOR'S NOTE: Barring an unforeseen breakdown in talks between Campbell and the Sharks, I believe he'll be re-signing with them between now and July 1st.

COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Aaron Portzline reports Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson denies a report from this past weekend's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast which claimed talks between he and the agent for goalie Pascal Leclaire weren't going well and the goalie could end up being lost to another team via offer sheet. Howson said he'd only made his initial contract offers to Leclaire's agent last Friday and expects to hear back from him later this week. Howson said he doesn't anticipate talks becoming acrimonious and considers re-signing the goalie a priority. Portzline suggests Leclaire could be re-signed before July 1st and the Blue Jackets could match an offer sheet if he's still unsigned after July 1st.

SPECTOR'S NOTE: I guess talks having not started or only just starting is considered "not going well" in some circles. Howson had previously stated he would wait until the World Hockey Championships, in which Leclaire was playing for Team Canada, were over as he didn't want to distract the netminder with contract talk at that time. I'll be very surprised if the Jackets don't re-sign Leclaire.

MLIVE.COM: Ansar Khan reports defenseman Brad Stuart has made a positive difference for the Red Wings in this year's playoffs. Khan claims Wings GM Ken Holland will open contract talks with Stuart, a UFA in July, once the playoffs are over.

SPECTOR'S NOTE: Stuart seems keen to stay with the Red Wings after bouncing around the league for the last three seasons and Holland appears willing to retain him. I'm sure they'll get a deal worked out by July 1st. Wouldn't surprise me if Stuart accepted less than market value to remain with a first class organization like the Wings.

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Bill Tiller recently mused on whether the Thrashers will attempt to re-sign impending UFA goalie Johan Hedberg to back up Kari Lehtonen or if they'll call up Ondrej Pavelec, who had a strong performance in limited action this season and has been outstanding this season for their minor league affiliate.

SPECTOR'S NOTE: I think Pavelec has proven all he can at the minor league level and will be ready to make the jump this fall to the big team.

VANCOUVER SUN: The Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson reports veteran winger Geoff Sanderson, a UFA this summer, doesn't expect to return with the Edmonton Oilers next season.The oft-traveled Sanderson remains hopeful of another team signing him this summer.

SPECTOR'S NOTE: Sanderson was long one of the fastest skaters in the league but alas his offensive skills have been in significant decline in recent years. He could end up facing either retirement or continuing his playing career in Europe.

CANADIAN PRESS (via RDS.CA): yesterday reported Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Andre Savard denied reports that he was soon to become head coach of the Florida Panthers, claiming the club hasn't contacted him about the job. Savard is under contract with the Penguins for another season but has expressed an interest in becoming a general manager again, a role he held several years ago with the Montreal Canadiens.

A Zookeeps Suggestion...

Word comes that the Penguins will be putting Daryl Sydor into the lineup for game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Sydor has yet to play one game in the playoffs and who knows if he'll be able to shake off the rust and be a factor. He does have a couple cups to his name though.

However I think if they really want to make a real desperation move to shake up this series the Pens should simply load up one monster line for game 3. Many (or not many) will recall that the Pens started terribly out of the gate this year. So bad in fact that there was a lot of speculation that coach Michel Therrien may lose his job over it. Of course the team did eventually catch fire and it was as a result of Therrien loading up a big line with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. With the two superstars on one line they went on to pile up the goals and carry the team out of its doldrums. Sidney of course became injured and when he did come back the two of them had then split up carrying their own lines which had worked great.....until now.

With Marian Hossa now at their disposal they could put up a superline of those 3 and see where it takes them. At this point I would say they have nothing else to lose because the balanced lines they are putting forth now are simply not getting the job done.

Toivenen returns to Finland

Hannu Toivenen of the St.Louis Blues has signed a deal with Ilves of the Finnish Elite League. Thus ends the run of one of the worst goalies in the NHL these last two seasons. I wasted a high pick on you in my dynasty pool so good riddance pal.

Doug Armstrong for the Leafs?

Former Dallas Stars general manager Doug Armstrong could interview with the Toronto Maple Leafs as early as this week, he told several Toronto media outlets recently.

"The Leafs are going to get to me in the next while," Armstrong told The Toronto Sun. "I want to get back in the game."

Armstrong, 46, was fired in November but has three years left on his contract with the Stars. The Leafs have been granted permission to speak with Armstrong. However, interim GM Cliff Fletcher said the team is looking at several ways of forming a management committee.

"We want to put together an organization that will rank with any other in the NHL. We'll consider two men [to handle the GM duties] and two other hockey men" to augment the management team, Fletcher told the Toronto paper. "We're looking to bring in one bright, young person on the rise, and we'll integrate him into our group."

Fletcher has requested to speak to former Stars center Joe Nieuwendyk, who was an assistant to the GM in Florida. The Panthers have denied the Maple Leafs' request, but Nieuwendyk has resigned from the team and will be eligible to speak to anyone July 1.

Euro-Wings

In 2002, Andersson recommended Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula and two years later, with pressure, he selected Johan Franzen in the third round.

In all, six of the best Red Wings, their top-four scorers, and their most punishing defencemen are Andersson touts.

If it happens once or twice, it's lucky. If it happens this often, it speaks to Andersson's hustle, his contacts, his eye for the unusual.

Datsyuk was drafted as a 20-year-old, having been spurned twice by NHL scouts.

"I travelled out to see Dmitri Kalinin play,'' Andersson said. "His team was playing Datsyuk's team. Kalinin was an 18-year-old and Datsyuk in his last junior season.

"I went to see him one more time. I put him on the list. My main concern was he was small. I was afraid he would make the world junior team. That would have exposed him."

More...

Must a great team lose before it can win?

DETROIT -- So, here's the Stanley Cup version of the Pythagorean theorem. Before a monumental step is taken, there must be a monumental tumble, and we're not talking about Marc-Andre Fleury tumbling onto the ice before Game 1.

The theory goes, if you want to walk up the NHL playoff mountain, the tumble has to happen on that last step in full view of the summit, before you can know how to reach the peak.

It was so with the Detroit Red Wings. Before winning three Cups between 1997 and 2002, the Wings lost to a less-talented New Jersey Devils team in the 1995 Cup finals and Colorado Avalanche in the 1996 Western Conference finals. It was so for the Anaheim Ducks, who lost in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals and the 2006 Western Conference finals before winning it all in 2007.

So, where do the 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins fit in this theory?

More...

A McKenzie Moment...

The post-game comments from the Penguins revolved around obstruction and Chris Osgood's flopping but the real story was that they failed to mount a forecheck in Game 2. Very early in the first period, it became very apparent they weren't going to be able to get it done because of a number of factors.

First, the Penguins' dump-ins weren't good enough because Osgood's puck handling allowed him to retrieve many of the pucks and set them up for his defence.

Secondly, the Red Wings' defence is very mobile, skilled and smart and they get back very quickly. The Penguins can claim obstruction but the Detroit defenders, including Pavel Datsyuk on the backcheck, make three-foot passes in tight quarters to allow the Red Wings to break out.

The Red Wings' ability to clear the zone with ease, especially in the first period when the game was on the line, was the story of the game. You could sense the frustration of the Penguins as the game went on but it was the same story in Game 1.

Sending A Message?

I think the Gary Roberts shot on Johan Franzen was done to try and send a message. However, I don't think Roberts was necessarily trying to punch him in the face because he will quite often use that stiff-arm to the middle of a player's chest. But he hit Franzen in the face and the Red Wings weren't happy about it but that's the kind of player Roberts is.

As far as Sykora bumping into the goalie, that's garden variety stuff. Covering the Stanley Cup Final, sometimes you get hard up for controversy but that wasn't running the goalie.

Osgood was flopping all over the place and the Penguins can complain about it all they want but they can't get a puck by him. That's the story.

The Kid Gets and A for Effort

When you get shutout in back to back games, there's no way you can give a gold star to anybody on the Pittsburgh Penguins who is expected to go out and score goals - and Sidney Crosby is certainly expected to score. But if there was any star player on the Penguins who should get some credit for having some jump, it's Crosby.

He played 21:01 in Game 2, had six shots on goal, even got a little bit of penalty-killing time in, and was generally one of the better Penguins on the ice.

While Crosby gets an "A" for effort, and as much as he's playing with an edge, battling and trying to make things happen - and certainly looking as though he's breaking more of a sweat than Evgeni Malkin and some others on the team - he's still not getting anything accomplished. The Red Wings have simply thrown a blanket over the whole team.

The Journey of Jordan Staal

PITTSBURGH -- Jordan Staal saw an old friend Monday morning when Zach Bogosian walked into the visitor's dressing room at Joe Louis Arena with the other five top NHL Entry Draft prospects in town for the Stanley Cup Final.

Bogosian and Staal trained together with the Peterborough Petes for about two weeks two years ago. Bogosian was a 16-year-old OHL rookie and Staal was a 17-year-old who had recently been drafted second overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"Two weeks, that's it," Bogosian told NHL.com. "If you looked at us, it was like we were together for two years."

They could have been. For all intents and purposes, they should have been. Staal, though, had other ideas, and age had nothing to do with it.

Instead of playing in Peterborough the last two seasons, Staal has made it big with the Pittsburgh Penguins, so big that now he's the first teenager to play in the Stanley Cup Final since Dainius Zubrus did it as a 19-year-old with Philadelphia in 1997.

More...

The Making of the Moose figurine

Windy City Revival

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Not long ago, before basketball legend Michael Jordan arrived in Chicago, roars frequently shook the rafters in an arena just west of downtown.

Chicago was hockey mad.

Greats like Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita brought a championship to the city in 1961, but the Chicago Blackhawks have not won since. Fans have suffered the longest such drought in the National Hockey League -- even as the Bears football and White Sox baseball teams celebrated titles, and the Jordan-led Bulls captured six championships in the 1990s

The NHL's lockout three years ago that threatened to bring an entire sport to its financial knees, sent angry fans packing as players sat out the season.

The frustration was perhaps greatest in championship-starved Chicago -- where the rabid Blackhawks' fan base has also suffered ownership that didn't appear to be bothered much by mediocrity.

But now, a new owner with a familiar name wants to make Chicago a winning hockey town again, but that will involve undoing some of the harm done by his late father.

Continued...

Dominance!

Philly Cap Issues

The Flyers, on the other hand, face more difficult decisions.

GM Paul Holmgren would like to re-sign restricted free agents Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and Randy Jones, but with over $47 million already committed to next year’s payroll, Holmgren probably won’t have enough cap space to retain the three even though the upper limit is expected to rise to around $56 million next season.

Holmgren also has to consider whether to retain any of his unrestricted free agents. Vaclav Prospal, Jason Smith, Jaroslav Modry and Jim Dowd fall into that category and if speculation in the Philadelphia media is anything to go by, Holmgren will cut those players loose and focus on re-signing his younger talent.

But not retaining his impending UFAs won’t solve Holmgren’s cap problem; he’s going to have to consider other options.

He could get $3.5 million freed up for next season if veteran blueliner Derian Hatcher retires, but that’s not a guarantee as Hatcher has stated he wants to return and play out the final season of his contract.

Another possibility is if forward Simon Gagne is still hampered by post-concussion symptoms that sidelined him for most of this season. If Gagne has to stay on long-term injury status throughout next season it’ll free up $5.25 million, but recent reports suggest he could be returning to the Flyers lineup next season.

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Interview with Mikkel Boedker

2008 prospects: Q&A with Mikkel Boedker

If the Canucks come away from the draft with this guy it will be a success in my humble opinion- Z

If you are looking for Mikkel Boedker on the ice at any time, just find the player that looks like he's having the most fun. But if you are on the opposing team, don't stare at his approachable look too long as there stands a good chance that he will blast by you on his way to the goal.

The 18-year-old winger has all the tools to be a star in the making. He has the speed, scoring touch and passing finesse of a player that just about any NHL team could start building around.

Currently, the friendly Dane is ranked seventh among NA Skaters by Central Scouting for the upcoming draft in Ottawa on June 20th. He enjoyed an amazing rookie season with the Kitchener Rangers, where he was second in team scoring, behind OHL MVP and scoring leader Justin Azevedo, with 29 goals and 44 assists in 62 games. After his sensational OHL playoff run, where he has tallied nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points in 20 games, a team may want to draft him a little earlier or perhaps trade up to snag him.

Boedker is the type of player who takes immense pride in his conditioning. Standing at 5'11, he has 201 lbs of pure muscle on his frame. This does not bode well for his counterparts in the corners as his strength makes him even more dangerous.

During the Memorial Cup, Hockey's Future was able to sit down with Boedker and reflect on his rapidly blossoming hockey career and experiences.


HF: How would you sum up your season with the Kitchener Rangers?

MB: Things have been incredible. I could not have imagined that it would have turned out so well for me this year. I have enjoyed every moment of it, and I am very thankful that I got the opportunity to come play for Kitchener.

HF: What was your highlight of the season?

MB: Obviously winning the OHL Championship and getting the opportunity to play in front of the home fans in Kitchener for the Memorial Cup. You can't ask for more than that.

HF: Who do you give credit to for the success you have found in your young hockey career?

MB: Obviously my parents and my brother. They have been awesome. They came to Canada to watch me play in the Memorial Cup this week. The people that board me in Kitchener have been very supportive and helped make the move to Kitchener smooth. I really was a little concerned about the move from home, but found that it was no big deal. And of course the Rangers organization has been wonderful.

HF: You represented Denmark well in the World Junior Hockey Championship in the winter, please elaborate on your experiences there.

MB: I enjoyed it immensely. Playing against the best players in the world my age really brought the best out of me and the national team. We played a solid game against Canada and look forward to better things in the future.

HF: How does playing in the Memorial Cup differ from playing during the regular season?

MB: The Memorial Cup has so much hype and we have to play the best teams in the whole league as opposed to just playing every team once in a while. The excitement is always high because the whole country has their eyes on four teams instead of just following their own home team.

HF: With the draft not too far away, what do you think about in regards to that big day?

MB: Right now I try not to think about it. I am doing my best to keep my mind on the Memorial Cup and winning it. It is hard to not get too excited about it as it is not too far off.

HF: You seem to have a lot of fun out there on the ice.

MB: Life is all about having fun and enjoying it. Life is too short to not have fun. I am very lucky to be able to play the game that I love at this level.

HF: What differences do you see in yourself now as compared to the start of the season?

MB: Playing a season with Justin (Azevedo) has really helped. He is so good at setting up plays and finishing them off. It is not hard too score a lot playing with him beside you. My confidence has grown now that I am used to Kitchener after moving here. I have become stronger physically and I have been making smarter plays with the puck.

HF: What do you have planned for the summer once hockey is done?

MB: I will be returning home (Denmark) for a while, then I will be taking it easy. Conditioning of course, and getting ready for the upcoming season. Mostly, just relaxing and thinking of next season.

HF: What do you do on your down time during the hockey season?

MB: I sit around and just relax. I will hang out with the team and do stuff like movies. I try to just enjoy all the time and things that I do in my life.

HF: Who is your favorite NHL player?

MB: That would be Marian Gaborik from the Minnesota Wild. He is a great player and is fun to watch.

HF: That's understandable as you have a similar look and playing style to him.

MB: Well, I don't know about that (grinning), he is one of the best players in the game. I have a long way to go to be able to be compared to a player like him.

HF: What is your favorite NHL team?

MB: That is hard to say as I like so many of them, I guess Minnesota because of Gaborik.

HF: What would you have liked to have been if not a hockey player?

MB: I couldn't imagine myself as anything else but a hockey player. I love the game so much.

HF: With Denmark becoming more competitive on an international level, do you see yourself perhaps working as an ambassador for the game?

MB: I really haven't even thought of that. I am just concentrating setting up my life with hockey and enjoying every minute of it. As I said before, life is short we have to enjoy every minute that we have because it goes by too quickly.

The Flower bitch slaps Saku Koivu

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu and star forward Alex Kovalev are both headed into the final year of their contracts, both unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2009.

In his weekly Journal de Montréal column today, Canadiens icon Guy Lafleur suggests the club focus on re-signing Kovalev and let Koivu go, saying: "I have the conviction that Kovalev is more useful to the Canadiens than the captain, especially if (Kovalev) continues to play as he did this year."

Lafleur adds: "Not that Koivu doesn't have his place on the team or that he hasn't given everything to the Habs during his career in Montreal. But business is business and the best possible team must be given to the fans.

"In this regard, Koivu is an excellent (chip) who could bring interesting dividends (in return)."

Koivu will earn $4.75 million next season, $250,000 more than Kovalev.

Mr.Holland's Opus

They were the No. 1 defensive team in the league in the regular season and they are the No. 1 defensive team in the playoffs. The Red Wings didn't play a perfect game — too many penalties early, one more controversy revolving around Tomas Holmstrom — but their composure and experience on the blue line and the fact that they limited the Penguins to fewer than 20 shots ultimately carried the day, and helped goaltender Chris Osgood record his second shutout of the post-season.

"We put our money in our defence," explained Holland. "That's where we jammed all our money. We've got $6 million in (Brian) Rafalski; we've got $7.5 million in (Nicklas) Lidstrom; $3 million in (Niklas Kronwall). We'd love to keep Brad Stuart."

Holland was talking about a time, back at the 1999 NHL trading deadline, when he and his assistant, Jim Nill "blew out all those draft picks" in deals to acquire, among others, Wendel Clark and Chris Chelios in a bid to win another Stanley Cup. That didn't work out.

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The Mule is IN

ERIC DUHATSCHEK

Globe and Mail Update

DETROIT — First he was out then he was in.

Bottom line for the Detroit Red Wings' Johan Franzen, who has been out of action since Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against Dallas with recurring headaches, is that he will return to the lineup for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight.

Detroit head coach Mike Babcock did not have a Franzen update early on in his day-of-game press conference because he was meeting with league officials to discuss, among other things, the crease-crashing issue. Midway through his question-and-answer session, Babcock was handed a note from the training staff that said nothing has changed with Franzen and that he's not playing.

About 15 minutes later, in what was mostly a deserted press room by then, Babcock poked his head in and said "the Mule [Franzen] is in. Pass the word."

Franzen, who shares the NHL playoff goal scoring lead with teammate Henrik Zetterberg with 12, will likely take Darren McCarty's place in the lineup tonight.

Franzen was allowed to return to practice Friday and was on the ice Monday for the Red Wings' morning skate. On Sunday, he said he had been symptom-free for seven to 10 days and was awaiting permission from doctors to play.

The Red Wings like Eminem

Makes sense seeing as Em is from Detroit 8 mile yo!

The Quiet Superstar

At that moment, wearing dress shoes and a sports coat, Zetterberg got a taste of what the NHL playoffs are all about -- how you put your heart on the line every night. Tonight, he gets the ultimate firsthand exposure: He plays in the Stanley Cup finals. Like Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, it's his first time. Like Crosby, he is being counted on to lead.

But here's a news flash for the national media:

Crosby may be "the new face of the NHL."

But Zetterberg could be.

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Quenneville Sightings in San Jose

...just where I predicted he would be going.

Mark Purdy
Mercury News Columnist

San Jose is a hockey town.

Earlier this week, a civilian spotted Joel Quenneville on the streets of our fair city.

And actually recognized Quenneville.

And tipped off a Mercury News columnist about it.

Quenneville is the former coach of the Colorado Avalanche, as of earlier this month. And unless he was here to visit the Winchester Mystery House or shop at Santana Row, odds are that Quenneville was interviewing for the Sharks' vacant coaching job.

In fact, the Mercury News received multiple confirmations of Quenneville's presence in San Jose. Pretty impressive feat by our citizen journalists. Quenneville is hardly the NHL's most famous face.

Naturally, the Sharks didn't admit to anything. General Manager Doug Wilson is sticking by his stance of not commenting on specific names through the team's hiring process. Wilson wants it to be the Winchester Mystery Coaching Search.

That can't stop me from speculating. I have my own theory about who will be the team's next coach. You'll have to wait until the end of the column to see it. A cheap trick, I know. But the choice is based on the clues Wilson dropped this week at the annual "State Of The Sharks" session with fans.

Wilson said his ideal candidate would be a "blue-collar" type personality, someone the players might not look forward to being around on certain days.

"It may be uncomfortable," Wilson said, "but the reward is worth it."

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Another hint: Wilson noted that the past five NHL championships were all won by coaches who had never before won a Stanley Cup and were often coaching their first NHL team.

Yet another hint: Wilson said he was looking at candidates from all levels of hockey - the NHL, the minor American Hockey League, the Canadian junior system and even USA college hockey.

"A lot of people we want to talk to," Wilson said, "either work for other organizations or are under contract. I don't think we want to pay a $1 million fine for tampering."

So there you have it. Taking all of those Wilson remarks into account, it's not difficult to put together a Sharks short list.

Quenneville is definitely on that list, for a couple of reasons. One, the local sightings. And two, the hockey voices I trust in Canada also say that Quenneville is the logical man for the Sharks. His record in Colorado was 131-92-23 during his three seasons there.

Before Colorado, Quenneville had great success with the St. Louis Blues. During his eight seasons there, he became the franchise's winningest coach - yet advanced beyond the second playoff round just once. Sound familiar?

That's why I'm not sure Quenneville is the right fit for the Sharks. Too much baggage. In fact, I don't think the next coach of our beloved Los Tiburones will be anyone with NHL head-coaching experience.

Who's the man, then? Go back and read Wilson's quotes. It's obvious his role model for the hiring is Randy Carlyle, the Anaheim Ducks' coach. Carlyle was a hard-nosed NHL defenseman who moved onto the bench as a kick-butt-and-take-names personality. But when the Ducks hired Carlyle in 2005, his only head-coaching job had been with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Two years later, he led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup title.

At various times, Wilson has also expressed his admiration for other coaches with Carlyle-like backgrounds. One is Peter Laviolette, who won a Stanley Cup with Carolina and is still there - but cut his coaching teeth by winning the AHL championship in Providence. Another is Michel Therrien, who has the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup finals this weekend - but was hired there in 2005 after coaching the Penguins' AHL team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

So let's think. Who most resembles those coaches among possible San Jose candidates?

One man would be Roy Sommer, the Sharks' top minor league coach in Worcester. He will definitely get an interview with Wilson. So will Tim Hunter, the able Sharks assistant coach who personified the term "blue collar" during his playing days.

There is one name, however, to which I keep gravitating:

Kevin Dineen.

In fact, it's almost scary how Dineen fits Wilson's profile. As a player, Dineen was a nose-to-the-grindstone guy and a team captain with the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes. Three years ago, he was named coach of the Portland Pirates' AHL team in Maine, Anaheim's top minor league affiliate.

And how's he done? Espousing a no-nonsense ethic, Dineen won the league's coach of the year award in 2006. He currently has his team in the AHL Eastern Conference finals. Until the Pirates are eliminated, Dineen is off limits to Wilson.

The hunch here, though, is that as soon as Portland is done, Wilson will be talking with Dineen. And eventually making him an offer. Citizen journalists, if you see Dineen strolling through your neighborhood, please advise. I think he's your next Sharks coach.

Hot Chicks with the Stanley Cup

Hilarious!

Check it out HERE

44 Reasons to watch the Stanley Cup Finals

ESPN Page 2

1. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin: The most exciting tandem since Gretzky and Messier, these franchise cornerstones are a combined 41 years old, which is still five years younger than …

2. Chris Chelios: A first-ballot lock for the Badass Hall of Fame, he's one of the fittest athletes you'll see in any sport. He might be the only one to have actually threatened his commissioner with physical violence.

3. Not one word about Spygate.

4. Not one word about Roger Clemens

5. The opportunity to relive the joy of rooting against a seemingly indestructible foe dressed in red. (The fate of the entire world is in your young, delicate hands, Mr. Crosby!)

6. The opportunity to get in early on the big new thing: NHL hockey … the iPhone of sports!

7. Georges Laraque.

8. To soak in some of the history in two of the NHL's oldest arenas: Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena, the league's oldest (opened in 1967), and Detroit's Joe Louis Arena (1979). And the best seats to soak in that history? The obstructed-view ones behind massive columns, so you're not distracted by the action on the ice.

9. The subtle artistry of a tape-to-tape pass. The effortless logistics of a line change. A deke. A spin. The sound of steel carving ice. And more video of Laraque beating the @#%^ out of people.

10. Brian Engblom's hair.

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Possible Retirees

As the leaves change heading into next season don't be surprised to see one or more of your old favorites no longer in the league. We here at the Zoo look at some of the candidates to retire:


Joe Sakic- Approaching the age of 40. Has accomplished everything you could possibly do in a career. Had a good regular season but looked a bit slow and passive in this years playoffs. Was a defensive liability against the Red Wings in particular. Coach Tony Granato will try everything in his power to get him to return for one more year.

Peter Forsberg- For Pete's sakes hang them up already. Forsie made a valiant