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 try to return this spring but its obvious his groin, feet and whatever other body parts of his, are currently held together by sock tape.

Trevor Linden- While 1988 no.1 overall pick Mike Modano is still playing at an effective level the same can't be said for the 2nd overall pick that year Trevor Linden. Last year Trevor was bounced in and out of the lineup and was stuck in a limited 4th line role when he did play. Rumors abound that new GM Mike Gillis and Linden had their disagreements during the lockout could spell the end of Linden in a Canucks uniform. Highly doubtful he would sign elsewhere.

Dominik Hasek- The age of 43 is ancient by NHL standards especially for a goalie and it looks like this season could be the dominator's swan song. Had a pretty good year in a rotation system with Chris Osgood but could not handle being the top dog for the playoffs after looking incompetent against the Predators in round 1. Osgood has taken them the rest of the way now to the finals.

Jaromir Jagr- Had a bit of an off year by his standards but looks to still have a lot of quality hockey left in him. The question mark on him isn't whether he will be retiring playing hockey but if he will forgo playing in the NHL for a monster deal with the super rich team Omsk of the Russian Superleague. The quality of life is pretty high for an NHLer compared to anywhere else in the league so look for Jagr to return to Broadway.

Chris Chelios- Old man Chelios keeps on ticking. It looks as though you'll have to pull him away kicking and screaming till he finally leaves although if the Wings win the cup he may finally hang them up.

Teemu Selanne/Scott Niedermeyer- Both players struggled with indecision on whether to return after winning it all in 07. Both eventually came back but the team never seemed to get back on track. GM Brian Burke has already set a deadline for June 21st on getting a decision from these two so he can avoid last years distraction. Will this years first round exit to the Stars motivate another return?

The Trade that changed the NHL

A McKenzie Moment...

Now that Johan Franzen has been medically cleared to practice with the Detroit Red Wings, there are a lot of people that think that he will be in the lineup for as early as Saturday night for Game 1.

I think that may be a little overly ambitious.

There is no official word yet, and anything is possible in the Stanley Cup playoffs so if he suits up for Game 1, who would be that surprised?

That being said, what is coming out of the Red Wings dressing room at this point is the suggestion that his return is more likely to happen in Game 2 or Game 3. That would give Franzen a little more time to get his wits about him.

That, of course is providing that there are no setbacks. And if there aren't, that is huge news for the Detroit Red Wings because the number one problem that they had which allowed the Stars back into their Conference Final series, is that they did not get a secondary scoring push beyond Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

They need Franzen in the lineup to beat Crosby and Malkin.

Mic'd up

The best sound bites of the Penguin/Flyers series.

The Pressure's on Kid

Damien Cox

Poor kid, just 20 years of age. Labeled the next Wayne Gretzky before he played an NHL game, he's already been asked to save the Pittsburgh Penguins from insolvency and be the flag bearer for the "new NHL" as it emerged from the destructive lockout of 2004-05.

Now, with the Penguins about to face the Detroit Red Wings in a glitzy 2008 Stanley Cup finals filled with marquee names and intriguing story lines, Crosby, as the league's top individual marketing tool, is being asked to deliver a virtuoso performance that will somehow vault the NHL into a new level of success and profitability.

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He's Backkkk

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis today announced that Head Coach Alain Vigneault has agreed to terms on an extension that keeps him under contract through the 2009-10 season.

“This is a significant announcement for our hockey club,” said Gillis. “My first priority when taking over the job was to meet with Alain and ensure we shared the same philosophy about building an elite level team for now and for the future. Alain has done a very good job in his two years in Vancouver and I am confident that will continue.”

Coaches Corner

The Vancouver Canucks will announce Thursday that assistant coaches Barry Smith and Mike Kelly have been fired.

New GM Mike Gillis is starting to clean house in Vancouver and Smith and Kelly are his first casualties. The fate of head coach Alain Vigneault remains up in the air for now.

It looks like Vigneault and assistant Rick Bowness will be remaining I mean how else could you look at it but that way. Would Gillis really announce the firing of two assistants now and fire these guys later? After being put through 3 weeks of over analyzing and interviews you would hope that these guys get the chance to stay on. Gillis now needs to start worrying about restocking the team with "assets" for these coaches to play with.

*****

The Colorado Avalanche have appointed Tony Granato as the team's head coach. The club announced on Thursday that it promoted Granato, who was the team's assistant coach for the last three seasons, to the top coaching job. Granato had previously been the head coach of the Avs from 2002-2004. I like this move, Granato is a douchebag who I think will fail miserably once again. As a Canucks fan I'm glad they will be in our division next season.

Duck Soup

By Eric Stephens, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 22, 2008

While Brian Burke has given his stars Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne until next month's NHL entry draft to tell him whether they will play next season or retire, the Ducks' general manager says he is confident that he will re-sign Corey Perry, although it appears that won't happen until July. Perry, a potential restricted free agent, could be the target of a pricey offer sheet this summer.

Perry, 23, led the Ducks with 29 goals despite sitting out the last six weeks of the regular season because of a torn tendon in his right leg. Even with the injury, it's likely that Perry will command at least $4 million a season.

"Right now we don't have the tagging room [for his contract], but we think we will on July 1 if the cap goes up as much as we think," Burke said. "We think we will be in position to sign him. He's made it very clear that he wants to stay."

Backup goalie Jonas Hiller, who had an impressive first NHL season, also can become a restricted free agent. Hiller went 10-7-1 with a 2.06 goals-against average and figures to get a hefty raise from his $850,000 salary last season.

"The wild card is it's possible he's going to get a big offer overseas," Burke said. "He has to decide if he wants to play in the NHL. We'd love to have him back."

Center Doug Weight and defenseman Joe DiPenta are the only other unrestricted free agents. Weight isn't expected back after playing poorly since joining the Ducks in mid-December as part of the Andy McDonald trade. But DiPenta's future may be tied to Niedermayer.

"We intend to tell Joe where his status is before the draft," Burke said. The draft will be held June 20-21 in Ottawa.

"With the 2nd pick of the 2008 Draft the Kings select..."

“Without tipping my hand, I think it’s safe to say that there are some pretty good defensemen there,” said Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi.

Lombardi pointed to the consensus top defenseman prospects, who are all among the top players in the 2008 draft class as well.

“If you want to focus on all four of them, it’s been awhile since there’s been a crop of four like that,” he said. ”That’s pretty unusual, and they’re all worthy of consideration. They each bring some element to the table and it’s not often you see something like that. They might have the potential to be top two guys.”

Lombardi specifically pointed to defenseman prospects Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn and Zach Bogosian, and later added that Tyler Myers should be considered to be in that group as well.

Noting that the Kings have some very large holes on the blue line, both with the big club and in their farm system, it would seem that drafting a defenseman would be a priority.

“All you have to do is look down the road at [Scott] Niedermayer and [Chris] Pronger and their impact on winning,” said Lombardi.

More...

Goals of the Week

NHL.com Facts & Figures

We're Number One: The Penguins have 13 former first-round draft picks on their roster, including five players the club has selected in the top five: D Ryan Whitney (fifth overall in 2002), G Marc-Andre Fleury (first overall in 2003), C Evgeni Malkin (second overall in 2004), C Sidney Crosby (first overall in 2005) and C Jordan Staal (second overall in 2006). The others are LW Gary Roberts (12th overall by Calgary in 1984), D Darryl Sydor (seventh overall by Los Angeles in 1990), D Sergei Gonchar (14th overall by Washington in 1992), RW Petr Sykora (18th overall by New Jersey in 1995), RW Marian Hossa (12th overall by Ottawa in 1997), C Kris Beech (seventh overall by Washington in 1999), D Brooks Orpik (18th overall by Pittsburgh in 2000) and C Jeff Taffe (30th overall by St. Louis in 2000).

The Red Wings have three former first-round picks, one of which the club selected (D Niklas Kronwall, 29th overall in 2000). The others are RW Daniel Cleary (13th overall by Chicago in 1997) and D Brad Stuart (third overall by San Jose in 1998).

Connections: Detroit D Brian Rafalski and Pittsburgh RW Petr Sykora were teammates on the New Jersey Devils team that won the 2000 Stanley Cup; 46-year-old Detroit D Chris Chelios and Pittsburgh LW Gary Roberts, who turns 42 on May 23, opposed each other in the 1989 Final between Montreal and Calgary.

Players In The Final Whose Names Are Engraved On The Stanley Cup:

Detroit

D Chris Chelios (Montreal 85-86, Detroit 01-02)
C Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit 01-02)
C Kris Draper (Detroit 96-97, 97-98, 01-02)
G Dominik Hasek (Detroit 01-02)
LW Tomas Holmstrom (Detroit 96-97, 97-98, 01-02)
D Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit 96-97, 97-98, 01-02)
RW Kirk Maltby (Detroit 96-97, 97-98, 01-02)
RW Darren McCarty (Detroit 96-97, 97-98, 01-02)
G Chris Osgood (Detroit 96-97, 97-98)
D Brian Rafalski (New Jersey 99-00, 02-03)

Pittsburgh

LW Gary Roberts (Calgary 88-89)
D Darryl Sydor (Dallas 98-99, Tampa Bay 03-04)
RW Petr Sykora (New Jersey 99-00)

Continue on...

Don't even think about it!

**Lots of rumors abound of teams gearing up to offer restricted free agent a contract offer so ridiculous that the Philadelphia Flyers won't be able to match it. Won't happen if Paul Holmgren has his say though.

First up is negotiating with the restricted free agents, most notably Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and Randy Jones. All will receive handsome raises some time this summer, but it's possible those raises could come from other teams. The Flyers would have the option to match any offer, but if somebody came in and threw a boatload of money at say, Carter, the Flyers could decide not to re-sign the 23-year-old and instead take compensatory draft picks.

"We'll get him signed," Holmgren said, flatly. "I have no doubts about that . . . I refuse to live in fear [of what other teams might do]."

More....

The Rise of Russia

The streets of Moscow were half empty on Monday morning, as fans recovered from the night-long national hockey team victory celebrations. The night before, the team won its first World Title in 15 years.

“The atmosphere was great – it was even better than at the Olympics,” said Ruslan Salikhov, the publisher of the Russian Hockey Digest. “Almost all of the people that had something to do with Russian hockey were at the game. Most of the Super League coaches, Gazprom’s Alexander Medvedev, Vladislav Tretiak and Vyacheslav Fetisov were also in attendance.”

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Alex Pietrangelo

Ranger Rumblings

JAROMIR Jagr Jaromir Jagr wasn't joking when on breakup day he said his first choice was to play next season for the Rangers New York Rangers . And Glen Sather wasn't kidding, either, those times the last few months when he said he wanted No. 68 back on Broadway in 2008-09.

For Slap Shots has learned that Jagr's agent and Sather are expected to commence negotiations this week after preliminary discussions in which both sides exchanged words of love, if not vows of 'til death do they part, at least not yet.

"Jags would like to stay, he doesn't want to leave New York, and Slats has told me that he feels the same way," Pat Brisson, who with J.P. Barry represents Jagr, said by phone on Friday night. "We're going to begin to talk about a contract in the next week or so.

"Jags feels good about himself as a player and about what he and the Rangers can accomplish together."

If the Rangers and Jagr do in fact reach an agreement on what almost would certainly be a one-year, bonus-laden contract, management then will have committed to more than just Jagr the player. Management will have committed to Year Four of the post-lockout Jagr Era while postponing a new chapter headlined by Chris Drury Chris Drury and Scott Gomez.

For if Jagr continues to be the epicenter of the Rangers' universe, the centers that came last summer at a cost of more than $7M a year a man must be supporting actors.

If the commitment is made to Jagr, Drury then would either revert to his unfulfilling post as third-line center or shift to Gomez's left side. Neither is the role envisioned for the Big Moment Kid when he signed last July 1, and neither is the role likely to bring out his best.

At the same time, the money and cap space spent to retain Jagr would diminish the likelihood of the Blueshirts landing an accomplished sniper to complement Gomez. When the Rangers decided Gomez was worth $50M over seven years, no one envisioned him earning that money as a second-line center without a go-to partner.

Is Brandon Dubinsky ready to thrive in the demanding role of Jagr's first-line center from Day 1 of a sophomore year in which much will be expected of him? Or are he and the Rangers both better served with Dubinsky as a third-line pivot in the image of, say, Jordan Staal, whose shutdown ability in Game 5 played a major role in Pittsburgh's victory?

If a commitment is made to Jagr, then does that imply commitments to Martin Straka and Michal Rozsival, the latter of whom was the team's most disappointing player down the stretch and in the playoffs? Should the Rangers then acquire a center for the short-term who sees the game the way Michael Nylander does?

Does Robert Lang, on the final year of an over-35 contract at a guaranteed $4M, make sense?

Remember this: Jagr's numbers didn't suffer this season because he was pacing himself; Jagr's numbers suffered because he could not acclimate himself to Gomez or Drury after his idyllic marriage to Nylander was torn asunder.

And if the Rangers commit now to Jagr at some cost to Drury and Gomez, then doesn't last summer's call not to give Nylander the deal that would have kept him on Broadway appear terribly misguided?

Jagr had the fifth most even-strength ice-time among NHL forwards this season, trailing Martin St. Louis, Alex Ovechkin, Vincent Lecavalier and Jarome Iginla. He has dominated the Rangers' landscape since the end of the lockout.

Whose guarantee actually was bolder, Mark Messier's pledged Game 6 victory against the Devils in 1994 or Jagr's vow on the first day of training camp that the 2005-06 Rangers would make the playoffs after seven straight misses?

*

Kevin Lowe wasn't selling when Rangers inquired at deadline about Edmonton's puck-rushing and power playable defenseman Joni Pitkanen, but Sather is expected to go back after the 24-year-old restricted free agent who earned $2.4M last year.

If the Rangers are not sizing up a jersey for Brooks Orpik, then Jeff Beukeboom had better be coming back, instead.

The good news (if you're not Philadelphia) is that cap issues might well prevent the Flyers from matching an offer sheet to imposing 23-year-old power forward Jeff Carter.

The good news is that compensation for a contract worth up to approximately $5.2M per is only one No. 1, one No. 2 and one No. 3, surely an equitable price to pay if you're a team a) drafting in the bottom half of the pool; b) that doesn't draft well; or, c) both, meaning you're the Devils.

The bad news is you're going to be paying $5.2M a year to Jeff Carter at this stage of his career.

Shark Moves

It’s already begun behind the bench as the team fired head coach Ron Wilson. While management seeks his replacement there are musings over possible roster moves.

GM Doug Wilson is expected to make a strong effort to retain defenseman Brian Campbell, who Wilson acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. But that could prove expensive as Campbell could command up to $7 million per season in this summer’s unrestricted free agent market.

Persistent rumors of Wilson trading Patrick Marleau have predictably flared up again, but unlike this time last year they won’t be dragging on for an entire season.

Marleau’s new two-year, $12. 6 million contract – with a no-trade clause – kicks in on July 1, so if Wilson is in fact shopping his long-time captain he has a limited window to pull off the deal. That new contract, combined with Marleau’s drop in production this season, could prove very difficult to move.

Continued...

A Dream Final: Pens vs Red Wings

After six weeks of marathon hockey, the stage is finally set for a Stanley Cup Final between the game's marquee player and the game's marquee franchise. At one end of the ice, it's arguably the NHL's best-run club in the Detroit Red Wings. At the other end, it's a young and fiery Pittsburgh Penguins club led by Sidney Crosby.

And though both teams share the moniker as the NHL's cream of the crop, their paths to glory have been very different.

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins were slowly and painstakingly built up from scratch.

One year after Mario Lemieux's heralded 2001 return and a berth in the Eastern Conference final, the cash-strapped Penguins jettisoned superstar Jaromir Jagr and began a long tailspin that saw the team miss the playoffs for three straight seasons.

As with any series of losing campaigns in sports, the team's on-ice struggles paid off handsomely with a string of high draft picks. From 2001 to 2006, the Penguins loaded up with heralded prospects Ryan Whitney, (fifth overall in 2002) Marc-Andre Fleury (first overall in 2003), Evgeni Malkin (second overall in 2004), Crosby (first overall in 2005) and Jordan Staal (second overall in 2006).

"You had a time in the league when there was a constant stream of very talented players coming in at one time," says NHL on TSN analyst Pierre McGuire, who won a Cup with the Penguins as an assistant coach in 1992.

"That was good fortune for the Penguins - they didn't get stuck with a Patrik Stefan with the first pick like Atlanta from 1999. They were picking early with really good players and didn't misfire."

More...

Looking for Geno

What had been the team's best line -- Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Malone and Petr Sykora -- has gone absent. Without the Malkin line performing at or near its highest capability, the Penguins have no skill advantage. After all, what kind of advantage does a supposed skill line give a team when it has scored one goal and three assists in the past three games?

This is the same line that carried the team in the latter stages of the regular season and through the first 10 games of the playoffs.

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Introducing Steve Stamkos

Lame Duck Vigneault

VANCOUVER -- Scott Mellanby got Trevor Linden's job. Dave Nonis could have Larry Pleau's. And Alain Vigneault will probably have to settle for the job he has.

Six weeks since the end of the regular season and five weeks before the National Hockey League entry draft, these are still interesting times for the Vancouver Canucks and employees past and present.

Let's start with Vigneault and the coach's will-he-stay-or-will-he-go saga that is evolving slower than spring.

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Timmonen may return

Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, thought to be sidelined the remainder of the playoffs with a blood clot in his left foot, is going to skate on his own at the Skate Zone in Voorhees today with hopes of playing as early as Sunday in Pittsburgh.

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The Return of Marc-André Fleury

Fleury has always has been a dervish in net, boasting hockey's quickest legs when he entered the NHL in 2003-04. In the crease he was like a duck whose legs were paddling furiously beneath the water's surface, churning constantly and often uselessly. Fleury is still nimble -- midway through the second period of Game 1 he read a tricky bounce and butterflied swiftly to make a pad save on an attempted stuff-in by Philadelphia's R.J. Umberger -- but now he usually waits for a shot to find him, rarely taking himself out of position to make a stop. "Sometimes he'd get there too quick and sort of slide by the shot," Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik says. "He used to make the first save and be out of position."

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A McKenzie Moment...

The Dallas Stars were victimized earlier in their series with the Red Wings when Tomas Holmstrom was practically sitting in Marty Turco's lap when the Wings scored in Game 1. Well, the hockey gods evened everything out in the end as the Wings had a goal disallowed in Game 4 for goaltender interference.

In the instance from Game 4, the Wings were victimized by the shift previous to the no-goal call. Holmstrom makes contact with Turco and the puck almost goes in. You've got to believe that the referees noticed the contact and started to think 'boy, if that puck had gone in would that have been a goal?' So the very next time that Holmstrom ended up on Turco's doorstep they were a little too quick to assume that Holmstrom was doing some damage.

Contact with a goaltender is not under the criteria for a review; however if you are going to use video review to decide something as subjective as a goal being scored with a high stick, than this should be a no-brainer. If a player is standing in front of the net it is much more clear-cut from the overhead view to see if there was contact or not with the goaltender. The NHL either needs to include interference in the criteria of goal review or get rid of the review of goals scored with a high stick.

Coburn Wants To Play

If Flyers' defenceman Braydon Coburn doesn't play in Game 4 it is because that a doctor has said that he would absolutely not clear him to play.

Although his face remains a mess after taking a puck squarely in Game 2, he practiced Wednesday and if you watched him, you would have noticed he was tilting his head up to look out from underneath the swelling in his eye.

He has every intention of playing in Game 4 as do the Flyers, the only guy that can keep him out of the game is a doctor. That's good news as long as he has the stamina to be able to play enough minutes. There is no question that Philadelphia can use a bigger body on their back end with a little bit of mobility. They desperately need someone who can make the first pass and close the gap a little bit better then some of the guys they've got on their blue line right now.

Rumors & Rumblings

Stan Fischler

Just Musing Dep’t. If the Rangers made a pitch for Patrick Marleau, it wouldn’t surprise us. …

Wade Redden will be somewhere next September but it won’t be Ottawa. …

Before Alexei Yashin left to play in Russia with Yaroslavl, one of AY’s close friends told us that if he plays well overseas, it will enable him to return in 2008-09 as an NHLer. Yash played better than well – leading playoff scorer, league MVP – and now NHL clubs are inquiring. If the offer isn’t appetizing, Yashin has a deal on the table to play again for Yaroslavl. …

Something To Watch Next Year Dep’t. If Evgeni Malkin continues to upstage Sid Crosby, how’s the supposed Top Banana going to feel being down a bit in the bunch? …

You can figure that Jason Blake has played his last game for Toronto. …

Continued...

NHL Best of the Week 13/05/08

A Happy Hossa

"I had heard Montreal or Ottawa," Hossa said after yesterday's practice at the Wachovia Center. "I was preparing myself for either of those places."

What about Pittsburgh?

"Nope," he said. "Not at that particular time anyway."

As noon rolled around, Shero spoke to Thrashers general manager Don Waddell who asked the Pens GM: "Where are you at?" When Shero told him the potential package he was offering for Hossa, Waddell replied: "That won't do it."

more...

Keith Tkachuk has a great agent

From The Hockey News...

Jaromir Jagr is poised to become the game’s first-ever $100 million salary earner should he decide to continue his NHL career next season.

Jagr has earned $98,038,851 (U.S.) since entering the NHL in 1990-91, according to information on hockeyzoneplus.com. That’s by far the most of any player in the history of the game, although Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux surely earned more than that when endorsement deals and other business ventures are factored in.

The following top 10 list shows active players who have earned the most since former union head Bob Goodenow introduced salary disclosure in 1990. Some players who were active prior to 1990 do not have those figures included in their totals, but none would have cracked the top 10. Chris Chelios, for example, is at just over $48 million, not including his seven seasons earning less than $500,000 prior to 1990.

No goalies made the top 10. The top active stoppers are Dominik Hasek ($55.9m), Martin Brodeur ($52.3m) and Curtis Joseph ($50.7m).

10. Peter Forsberg, $65.4 million

9. Chris Pronger, $66.2 million

8. Mike Modano, $70.1 million

7. Paul Kariya, $70.7 million

6. Rob Blake, $72.0 million

5. Nicklas Lidstrom, $73.1 million

4. Keith Tkachuk, $73.7 million

3. Mats Sundin, $74.0 million

2. Joe Sakic, $87.2 million

1. Jaromir Jagr, $98.0 million

Brophy Bits

Mike Brophy

• What the heck are the Nashville Predators thinking? First they lock up underachieving center David Legwand to a six-year contract worth $4.5 million a season and now they have signed winger Martin Erat to a seven-year, $31.5 million deal.

Erat is a good player, but that is all. Just good. He had 23 goals and 57 points in 76 games for heaven sakes. Now he’ll earn $4.5 million a year?

• Just a rumor, but I have heard the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to fire coach John Tortorella and replace him with Barry Melrose.

• Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero should be applauded for taking a chance on Marian Hossa at the trade deadline. Not only has Hossa been a solid contributor on offense, as most expected he would, he has also played a stellar defensive game. He is often the first forward back on the back check.

More...

A McKenzie Moment...

Former Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis was in Toronto on Tuesday to meet with Richard Peddie, Cliff Fletcher and Gordon Kirke about the Maple Leafs' vacant front office positions.

Right now, the cone of silence is down pretty tightly as the team tries to keep the information as close to the vest as possible, but the presumption is that they were in fact discussing the GM position. There has been lots of speculation as to whether it may be a lesser management role that the team might be talking about. If that is the case, then it is probably a mistake.

Dave Nonis is a marketable commodity, although he doesn't have the resume that the Leafs originally stated they wanted. He is not a Stanley Cup champion, nor is he someone who has had tons of experience and is at the absolute top of his field, but there is no question that he has options.

He was in New York on Monday talking to Dave Checketts and John Davidson about a management position with the St. Louis Blues and he has been mentioned frequently for a possible management job in Atlanta, so the Maple Leafs need to come in with an offer that is significant and plausible.

As long as Nonis is interviewing for this job and is a candidate, it is going to keep alive the "Brian Burke to Toronto" scenario. Although Burke's contract is not up for another year with the Anaheim Ducks, his good friend Dave Nonis could come in as the general manager and still open the door for Burke down the road.

That is a plausible scenario and may not simply be pie in the sky.

No Moral Victories

You have to give the Philadelphia Flyers credit for another valiant effort in Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but unfortunately you don't get moral victories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It is almost insurmountable what the Flyers are attempting to do with no Kimmo Timonnen and no Braydon Coburn. You see it time and time again. If you look back to the Washington series, Timonen stepped up on Alexander Ovechkin, taking his time and space away. In Game 3 against Pittsburgh, you can see the Flyers' deficiencies without Timonen. In one instance, Lasse Kukkonen kept backing up on Marian Hossa which allowed the Pens' sniper to fire home Pittsburgh's second goal.

The same sort of thing happened in the third with Derian Hatcher backpedaling as quickly as he can go, his back almost to the puck because he was intimidated by the speed and skill of Evgeni Malkin. The next thing you know, the puck is in the net.

When you've got no Timonen and no Coburn, and all the players on the Flyers blueline are asked to step it up two notches, it is too much to ask against a team that has the offensive weapons of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Drew Doughty

Here's a bit on defenseman Drew Doughty, the likely 2nd overall pick in Junes draft.

Scott Mellanby joins Canucks

Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis today announced that Scott Mellanby will join the club in the capacity of Consultant to the General Manager and Hockey Operations department. Mellanby played 20 years in the National Hockey League with five different teams.

“We are pleased that Scott has agreed to join our Hockey Operations department, his experiences in our League over two decades as a player will be a great asset to me and our entire department,” said Gillis. “Scott displayed strong leadership skills and character throughout his NHL career; these are the same qualities we are looking for as we build our team.”

In his role with the Canucks, Mellanby will assist Gillis in consulting in all areas of the Hockey Operations department and specifically professional player personnel.

Mellanby, 41, joins the Canucks organization after retiring as a player following the 2006-07 season. In 20 years as a professional, Mellanby played 1431 games and recorded 840 points (364-476-840) and 2479 penalty minutes. Throughout his career, Mellanby displayed leadership both on and off of the ice which led to him being named the captain of both the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers.

Mellanby is a native of Montreal and now resides in the St. Louis area with his wife, Sue, and their sons, Carter and Nicholas and daughter, Courtney.

2008 Entry Draft

The NHL has now created a detailed web site dedicated to the 2008 entry draft.

Check it out! 2008 DRAFT

Missing Kimmo

This is a study in how the loss of one man, Kimmo Timonen, negatively impacted the Flyers.

His absence sent a ripple effect through the lineup that certainly played a part in the Flyers' dire situation. Finding out as the team prepared to leave for Pittsburgh that Timonen would be lost for the series due to the discovery of a blood clot in his left ankle played a role on a mental level. As Mike Richards confided, "We were pretty rattled the night before the game when we found out. Friday we were more business as usual in getting ready."

Well, not quite.

More...

Goals of the Week

The Coach Carousel

With a number of coaches falling by the wayside in recent weeks a number of new hires should be announced soon. Based on the various rumblings and rumors here a few quick hit predictions on who goes where.

Ottawa- Craig Hartburg
Rumored to be Brian Murrays top choice to replace himself as Sens coach. Brings a great resume with him from the junior ranks including two World Junior Championship gold medals as well as NHL coaching experience with two stints with the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks respectively.

Florida Panthers- Pat Quinn
Quinn worked alongside Jacques Martin on 2002 and 2006 Canadian Olympic teams as well as the 2004 World Cup. Quinn seems to already be lobbying for the job recently being quoted as saying "I was really impressed working with Jacques in the past and that hasn't changed." The Panthers have had a long dry spell since there last playoff appearance and Quinn may be the guy to take them there.

Toronto- Ron Wilson
More of a gut feeling than anything. With player friendly coaches such as Quinn and Paul Maurice running the bench in TO in recent years it may be time to bring a stern disciplinarian in Ron Wilson. His no-nonsense approach and spotless win-loss record may be the perfect mix for the win-now needs of the Leafs brass. Wilson's sarcastic nature would also make for good type as he would be sure to butt heads with the Toronto media.

Colorado- Pat Burns
With Burns now having successfully battled cancer now may be the time for him to finally return to the big show. With the additions of many veteran players in the last year for the Avs through the free agent market and trades a cup contender is what they are aiming for. A veteran coach in Burns with a Stanley Cup resume would make for a great fit . Being french as well has never hurt when it comes to the Colorado organization.

San Jose- Joel Quenneville
The Sharks window for a Stanley Cup is wide open right now so they will want a experienced coach in to help them win it. Former coach Ron Wilsons act wore thin as his defensive approach stagnated a team which has a lot of offensive weapons. For a team that may want to open it up a bit Quenneville may be the guy as he has coached offensive teams in the past with success.

Vancouver- Alain Vigneault
Not a new hire but worthy of mention since there has been great speculation as to whether Vigneault will remain. Being now into week two of Alain being put through the ringer with interviews by Mike Gillis as to why he should remain it would be a shame for him to go through all of that only to end up fired. He has had the tag of a defensive boring coach but really has not had the weapons to play with . If Gillis plans to bring aboard the offensive players that he says he will then the 2006 coach of the year should at least get one season to show what he can do with them.

The Need for Nonis

TIM WHARNSBY

May 13, 2008

The Toronto Maple Leafs have set up a meeting for today with recently fired Vancouver Canucks general manager David Nonis about the Maple Leafs' vacant GM position.

Nonis was expected to have dinner last night with Toronto lawyer Gordon Kirke, who is part of the Leafs' search committee. Nonis is to then meet today with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie.

The Leafs aren't the only team interested Nonis, as he continues to be wooed by the Atlanta Thrashers and an unidentified third NHL team that still has a general manager in place.

The third team is believed to be the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis president John Davidson could not be reached for comment last night.

Nonis may have to scuttle plans with the Leafs if his other options heat up today.

Nonis, who will turn 42 this month, was unsure whether the Leafs are prepared to make him an offer or simply want to interview him and measure his interest for a position with the struggling NHL franchise that hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1967.

Nonis worked under current Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke in Vancouver for seven seasons before taking over in May of 2004, becoming the youngest GM in the history of the Canucks.

Ryan Malone set to cash in

Malone, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound winger, was on the ice for two power-play goals and drew a primary assist in the Penguins' 4-2 win over the Flyers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. The series resumes tonight in Philadelphia with Pittsburgh leading two games to none.

"When you stand in front of the net, you have to be willing to pay a price," Malone said.

As Malone heads toward free agency, the question becomes how much are the Penguins or a potential suitor such as the Blue Jackets willing to pay him?

More...

Ron Wilson Canned

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has relieved Head Coach Ron Wilson of his coaching duties. The Sharks general manager also announced that team will begin a search for a new head coach immediately.

“Ron helped foster a new era in San Jose Sharks hockey with some record-setting regular season performances,” said Doug Wilson. “However, ultimately we have decided that it is time for a different voice and a different approach to lead this team. We are proud of what we’ve accomplished as an organization but we feel that this team is capable of achieving greater success. I want to thank Ron for his level of commitment and desire to make our organization successful. Our entire organization wishes him well.”

The 2007-08 Pacific Division-champion Sharks were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a four-games-to-two series loss to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Wilson, named the sixth head coach in franchise history on Dec. 4, 2002, leaves the Sharks as the team’s all-time coaching leader in wins and winning percentage. In four-plus seasons, the Windsor, Ontario native posted a 206-134-45 regular season record and a .535 winning percentage in 385 games with the Sharks. During his tenure, the team won two Pacific Division Championships (2004, 2008).

Wilson also leaves as the franchise leader in post-season games, posting a 28-24 mark in 52 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He led the team to a berth in the Western Conference Finals in 2004 and to the Western Conference Semifinals in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Wilson reached several milestones while serving behind the Sharks bench, including his 1000th game as an NHL coach on March 18, 2007 at Colorado, his 500th NHL win on Feb. 9, 2008 vs. Nashville. He notched his 200th win as Sharks coach on March 18, 2008 at Los Angeles and surpassed Darryl Sutter for the franchise all-time wins list on March 1 at St. Louis.

Out of the Pitts

The Penguins are on the verge of something special only 14 months after it appeared the future of the franchise was in doubt.

This is a magical time for the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise.

On the ice, the Penguins are playing some of the most elegant hockey in the league, led by the twin superstar attack of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Is it even fair that the same franchise can ice a team with Crosby and Malkin a decade later after having Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr on the same team?

Off the ice, the business side has never been on more solid ground. The Penguins sold out an entire season for the first time in franchise history. The club actually had to cut off season-ticket sales at 13,500 to ensure some tickets would be available for mini-plans and single games. Sunday's sellout in the second game of the Eastern Conference final against the rival Philadelphia Flyers was the 63rd consecutive sellout.

MORE...

Search for the next Boudreau

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

May 9, 2008 at 11:38 PM EDT

JAMES MIRTLE — With the Colorado Avalanche and Joel Quenneville parting ways yesterday, and the Toronto Maple Leafs firing Paul Maurice on Wednesday, the number of head-coaching vacancies in the NHL has ballooned to five in the past three days.

And while many of the usual suspects are lining up as potential replacements, some prominent voices in the hockey world suggest a long-time minor-league bench boss might be the way to go.

The Washington Capitals followed that route this season with Bruce Boudreau, who was hired 21 games into the season and with the team in last place in the Eastern Conference. After a 17-year apprenticeship in the minor leagues, Boudreau led the Capitals to a 37-17-7 finish and is nominated for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year.

Continued...

Jay Feaster on Stamkos

Rehashin' Yashin

Alexei Yashin is ready to return to the NHL.

But if anybody wants the unrestricted free-agent centre, they'd better make their pitch because he has a lucrative offer to return to Yaroslavl in the Russian league next season.

It's believed the Wild and Canadiens have held talks with Yashin's agents.

The 35-year-old Yashin, a former No. 1 pick of the Senators, had 43 points in 56 games this season with Yaroslavl. He returned to his homeland after receiving a $17.6-million US buyout from the Islanders last summer.

"Some teams were asking me about (Yashin) at the under-18 championships in (Kazan, Russia last month)," said agent Todd Diamond. "We had a few teams that were inquiring. He had a great year over there. He was the MVP of the league and he was the leading scorer in the playoffs.

More...

Whats the point of video review?

The phantom goal by Finland in yesterdays game against the US.

A Duck Dilemma

Pierre Lebrun

If the Ducks don't do something to address the Burke-to-Toronto possibility, they'll be making a terrible mistake.

The Anaheim Ducks, surely, will wake up one day soon and realize they've got to let their GM, Brian Burke, talk to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

If not, they're making a terrible mistake.

This is going to be a distraction for them every single day until Burke's contract expires after next season. Especially if two things happen:

More...

A Mckenzie Moment...

There's no question that the temperature went up a couple of degrees after Game 2 between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings because of what happened between Chris Osgood and Mike Ribeiro at the end of the game.

Now there's going to be a big brouhaha about it, with people saying you can't swing your stick at a goaltender the way Ribeiro did. But everyone should just calm down for a moment.

First off, Osgood gave a little butt end - a sneaky butt end - to Ribeiro as he skated by him. Ribeiro was mad and frustrated as he came back with a pretty vicious-looking shot. And that chop landed in the middle of Osgood's chest protector.

Are you telling me that a guy could stop a 90 or 100-mile-an-hour slap shot with that chest protector, but a little jab in the same spot knocks him down to the ice? Personally, I think it's much ado about nothing.

Now there's no argument that it was an attempted slash by Ribeiro, but it was also an attempted butt end by Osgood that could have hit Ribeiro in the face. At the end of the day, if you're going to suspend somebody, I think they should suspend both players here. And based on the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I'm not holding my breath for suspensions because stranger things have happened.

Pittsburgh's other stars

I think Evgeni Malkin's star is shining so brightly these days, a lot of people are forgetting the players that play with him and make him look so good.

Start with his linemates Ryan Malone and Petr Sykora.

Malone has really developed and come into his own as a hockey player. This is a guy that for the last couple of years, has had more trade rumours about him then just about any other Pittsburgh Penguin. He's got a much greater commitment to conditioning now and he's doing everything - dropping the gloves, hitting, making plays, scoring goals and just generally looking good alongside Malkin.

The same thing goes for Sykora. I don't know if there was a better free agent signing or a higher impact free agent signing last summer than him. He's developed great chemistry with Malkin. It's one thing for the Hart Trophy candidate to make these beautiful passes, but it's another thing for somebody to be able to finish them the way that Sykora finishes them.

Whether it's on the forehand, backhand or coming in from the off-wing, he's been dangerous.

Signing Avery

Larry Brooks

Sather rarely fights with his players over money. Yet he's been predisposed to fight with Avery since last summer, when the GM shut down talks on a long-term deal by offering less money than he had been paying Sandis Ozolinsh to do nothing.

And yet, Sather played hardball all winter with Avery, never offering more than $2.75M per season. It seems as though Sather is prepared to take the same approach this spring, even as the Rangers prepare for their organizational meetings this week at the GM's home in La Quinta, even as Avery is free to go on July 1.

More...

Ribeiro possible suspension

DETROIT – The availability of team scoring leader Mike Ribeiro to the Stars rests in the hands of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

Emotions boiled over in the final seconds of Detroit's 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena that gave the Red Wings a 2-0 series lead.

After the game ended, Ribeiro was standing behind the Red Wings' net and reached over the net, making a two-handed slash with his stick to goalie Chris Osgood's chest.

continued...

Moving Emery

Even if they won't admit it, the Senators know trading goalie Ray Emery just isn't going to happen.

As a matter of fact, three league sources told Sun Media last week that dealing the enigmatic goalie is "nearly impossible" and the only option the Senators have is to buy out the remainder of Emery's contract.

More...

Dallas catches a big break

The Detroit Red Wings will be without their top gun for at least Games 2 and 3 of the Western Conference Final, as centre Johan Franzen is out of the lineup with concussion-like symptoms.

The team made the announcement prior to the pre-game skate for Game 2, and added that he will not play until further testing and evaluation is completed. He will also remain in Detroit to undergo testing on Monday.

Franzen leads all playoff scorers with 12 goals and is tied for second in postseason scoring with 15 points.

He has 27 goals in 27 games since March 2, including the 12 in his team's 11 playoff games.

The six-foot-three Swede has scored in each of the last five games. His goal during a 4-1 win over the Stars on Thursday gave him a share of the club record with Gordie Howe, who went five in a row in 1949 and in 1964, and with Ted Lindsay, who did it in 1952. He'd already broken a long-standing Howe record for most goals in a four-game series by potting nine in a second-round sweep of Colorado.

A McKenzie Moment...

With the Colorado Avalanche parting ways with head coach Joel Quenneville on Friday, there's bound to be a lot of talk about the possibility of Patrick Roy returning to Denver to assume the duties behind the bench.

But I think I can pretty much quash those rumours right now.

My understanding is that the Colorado Avalanche are not pursuing Roy to be their head coach, Roy's mindset is that he still wants to coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Quebec Remparts a little bit longer and wants see his kids through that stage of their lives. At some point, he'll certainly be in the NHL.

The other rumour that's out there is that Quenneville, a former Toronto Maple Leaf, could return to the organization as head coach.

But you can't put the cart before the horse in this scenario. You can't hire a coach before you hire your general manager, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for him to head to Toronto right now.

Show some emotion

You can come up with all the tactical improvements that the Dallas Stars must make to even up their Western Conference Final with the Detroit Red Wings.

But the top priority for that lineup going into Game 2 is rediscovering some emotion.

You can understand that their emotion was lacking in Game 1 and there was little gas in the tank to start the series. Coming off a quadruple overtime game against the San Jose Sharks, they were physically exhausted and emotionally fatigued. That made it hard to ramp things back up in Game 1 at Joe Louis Arena.

That being said, I think we'll see a better effort from the Stars in Game 2. That's not saying that all the great things that the Red Wings did in Game 1 - their special teams and the play of Chris Osgood - won't stymie them, but they simply have to have that emotion back.

Also, the Stars have to have captain Brenden Morrow and his crew a lot more physically tough than they were in Game 1.

Courting Nonis

*Oddly enough Dave Nonis seems to be a hot commodity these days. Looks like the Atlanta Thrashers are now throwing their hat into the ring for his services.

The search for the next General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks to be heating up.

TSN has learned that former Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis will meet with the team on Tuesday. There has been speculation that Nonis' hiring would be the first step towards bringing in Anaheim GM Brian Burke to oversee the Leafs' hockey operations.

However, the Maple Leafs might have some competition for Nonis' services.

According to a report in the Globe and Mail, the Atlanta Thrashers have shown interest in the native of Burnaby, B.C. and have made contact. The report states that Nonis would become the new GM, while current GM Don Waddell would be promoted to team president.

Nonis was fired by the Canucks after failing to make the playoffs this season. He was recently replaced by former player agent Mike Gillis.

Dal/Det Preview: Game 2

Eric Duhatschek

DETROIT — They had, in most minds, two legitimate complaints in the series opener: An early penalty to rookie defenceman Mark Fistric that immediately put them two men short; and a later goal, by the Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom, with his feet firmly planted in the crease.

The first put the Dallas Stars a goal behind almost before the octopus goo could be scraped off the Joe Louis Arena ice surface; the other left them three down and effectively out of a game that the Detroit Red Wings won in a walk, 4-1 officially when Thursday night's lightning-fast, 2-hour and 20-minute series opener, came to an end.

continued...

The Return of Roy?

Could former Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy succeed Joel Quenneville as the Avs' next head coach?

With the Avs, anything is possible. Roy today told the French-Canadian television network RDS that he was surprised the Avs suddenly had a coaching vacancy, and reacted to speculation he could return to Colorado to begin an NHL coaching career.

More...

Another one bites the dust?

PITTSBURGH -- GM Don Waddell has been asked by the Atlanta Thrashers to give up his duties and accept another management position, ESPN.com has learned.

Waddell, one of the managers of the U.S. entry in the World Championships, will apparently make his decision after the tournament, a source close to the team said Friday. Ownership is believed to have given Waddell a contract extension earlier this season, even though the team has never won a playoff game since entering the league in 1999.

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Legend of Hockey: Mario Lemieux

Toronto Maple Poachers being Denied

*General Manager hunting is looking lean this season.

Sportsnet.ca –- It appears the next general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs will not come from the Detroit Red Wings or San Jose Sharks organizations, according to a report.

The Globe and Mail reports Red Wings senior vice-president Jim Devellano and Sharks president Greg Jamison have said their respective NHL teams will not grant the Maple Leafs permission to speak to Detroit GM Ken Holland or assistant GM Jim Nill or San Jose GM Doug Wilson.

The newspaper also reports that several weeks ago Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum visited Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch to inquire about the possibility of hiring Holland and/or Nill but was rebuffed on both counts.

"Larry was told then, and I've run into (MLSE president) Richard Peddie a couple of times since and reiterated, that they are under contract for three more years," Devellano told the Globe. "It doesn't matter how many times I tell members of the Toronto media that Ken Holland and Jim Nill are not coming to Toronto, they still are mentioned as possibilities or candidates. I'm telling you that is not the case."

...and one who may remain

*Seeing a coaching theme this morning?

The top candidate to be Senators' coach next season may already have the job.

While GM Bryan Murray has insisted he has no plans to return behind the bench next season, two league executives told the Sun yesterday they believe Murray has been asked to "at least consider the possibility" of doing both jobs by owner Eugene Melnyk.

Murray, one executive noted, "is a tremendous coach. He gets the most out of the players."

continued...

Is Vigneault next?

Canucks' Vigneault on the hot seat

For a week, Vigneault has been forced to analyze the season. He's not done

Jason Botchford, The Province

Published: Friday, May 09, 2008

For a week now, Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has spent his days at GM Place on the hot seat.

For a couple hours, sometimes more, each day, he's been brought in to informally defend, dissect and rehash a season most are trying to forget. He's not done yet.

"It's still ongoing, it's going to take even more time," Canucks GM Mike Gillis said.

More...

The Axe falls on Quenneville

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that Joel Quenneville will not return to coach the team next season.

“After meeting with Joel, we mutually agreed that the best decision for both parties involved is to go separate ways,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Francois Giguere. “On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Joel for his years of service and wish him the best in his coaching career.”

0-8-2

DETROIT – If the Stars, the team that played with bravado and arrogance in the first two rounds of the playoffs don't show up in a hurry, the Western Conference finals will end in four games.

No doubt.

You know it. I know it. Even the players know it, though they certainly aren't going to admit it.

More...

Ouch!

The Flyers suffered a major blow to their defense today. Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia is reporting that Kimmo Timonen will be out for the rest of the playoffs with a blood clot in his left ankle. This is terrible news as Timonen was the Flyers best defenseman and was usually matched up with the best players on the opposing team. The Flyers are set to open the Eastern Conference Finals tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.

Brunnstrom picks Dallas

Sources have told TSN Fabian Brunnstrom will make his NHL debut next season with the Dallas Stars.

The 23 year old Swedish forward officially made his decision on Thursday with Dallas edging out Montreal, Detroit and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"In the end there was no wrong decision. All of the organizations involved were extremely professional and respectful in their approach and the opportunity was carefully explained. The Dallas option was simply the best one overall for Fabian and he is very comfortable with his decision," said Brunnstrom's agent J.P. Barry

Last week Brunnstrom toured Dallas and spent time with Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings before making his way to Montreal where Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey courted the highly sought after free agent.

Sources say the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks also pitched hard in the last 10 days.

The Toronto Maple Leafs campaign for Brunnstrom was based on opportunity and the expectation he would be given a chance to be an impact player in Toronto next season.

Brunnstrom chose Dallas based on his belief there a combination of both roster depth and opportunity will exist when he arrives on the scene for training camp.

Brunnstrom will have a two-year entry-level deal signed within the 24 hours and will be paid in a similar fashion to a top 5 draft pick, which could translate into a cap hit of over 2 million dollars per season.

Part of the impetus for the deal is that Dallas does not have a first round pick this year, it was traded to the Los Angeles Kings last year as part of the Mattias Norstrom deal.

*If he turns out to be as good as hyped then it will be just another bad move in Vancouver Canucks lore not signing him on the dotted line before letting Dave Nonis go. I'm having enough trouble as it is hearing the names of RJ Umberger and Anze Kopitar all the time.

Dallas/Detroit Preview

Regular Season Record:
Detroit - 54-21-7, 115 pts
Dallas - 45-30-7, 97 pts

Season Series
Detroit – 3-1-0 (12 GF; 5 GA)
Dallas – 1-3-0 (5 GF, 12 GA)

Leading Scorers vs. Opponent
Detroit – Valtteri Filppula, 5 (1G, 4A); Nicklas Lidstrom 5 (5A); Pavel Datsyuk 5 (3G, 2A)
Dallas – Joel Lundqvist 3 (3A); Jere Lehtinen 2 (1G, 1A); Loui Eriksson 2 (1G, 1A)

Forwards- While a lot of other teams have their superstars fall by the wayside come playoff time that is certainly not the case in Motown as Pavel Datsyuk and Henrick Zetterberg have carried the team so far as both have been near unstoppable. Add the hottest forward in the league in Johan Franzen to the mix as well with his 11 goals in 10 games. Detroit also has been receiving steady contributions from the likes of Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson. Swedish export Valteri Fippula may start the series on the sidelines but look for Daniel Cleary to play a big role as his rough edge will be needed. The Stars have an elite trifecta up the middle of Mike Ribeiro, Mike Modano, and Brad Richards. You may stop one of these guys on a given night but quieting all three will be a difficult task. Captain Brendan Morrow is currently being touted as the leading Conn Smythe candidate and who can argue with that? He was a huge force in San Jose with two OT goals and some crushing hits (Milan Michalek is still in a daze). Edge: I'll give a very slight edge to Dallas

Defensemen- Detroit comes at you here with a mountain of experience on the back led by the best in the biz in Nick Lidstrom. Brian Rafalski is another offensive threat from the blueline. Brad Stuart and old man Chelios are defensive stalwarts with a bit of mean streak in them. Niklas Kronwall has been a treat to watch so far with his offensive flair and bonecrushing hits. A slick passer and a smooth skater, this guy deserves to be mentioned with the Mike Greens and Dion Phaneufs when the top young d-men of the game are talked about. Dallas has been led this spring by Stephane Robidas who has stepped up admirably in the absence of all-stars Sergei Zubov and Phillipe Boucher. Without Robi they would have been in a bit of trouble as there is not a whole lot of experience in the back end beyond him. Zubov is back now and they will need him at full strength for this series especially on the PP.
Edge: Detroit

Goalie- Marty Turco has silenced his critics by playing arguably the best hockey of his career so far this spring. He has routinely made highlight reel saves and his ability to move the puck is such an added advantage for Dallas it's almost unfair. Another Conn Smythe candidate for sure. As Dominek Haseks game went south against Nashville Chris Osgood was able to take away the no.1 job and hasn't looked back. His minuscule goals against may be a product of a dominating Detroit defense but Chris has stepped up to make the big save when needed.
Edge: Dallas

X-Factor
Dallas- I'll go with Sergei Zubov here. If he can show himself to be healthy and able to match the big minutes that Nicklas Lidstrom will be getting he may be able to sway the series in favor of Dallas.

Detroit- While Franzen has been getting the headlines and may garner extra attention from the Stars look for Tomas Holmstrom to be patrolling the same rough areas of the ice to bang home rebound or tipped goals and generally be a pain in the side of Marty Turco.

Series Prediction: Detroit in 7 With a well rested squad and a healthier, more experienced back end I'll take Detroit to win a long and tough battle over Dallas.

Much Ado about Penner

After all of Brian Burke's razor-tongued taunts about the first round pick he received for Dustin Penner, how it would surely be a lottery selection given the way Kevin Lowe was driving his franchise into the muck, Edmonton finished last season as one of the hottest teams in the league.

So the Ducks will choose 12th, not first, in the June entry draft.

And after all the fears in Edmonton that a deep playoff run by Anaheim would render the first-round pick they received in the Chris Pronger trade virtually useless, the Ducks bowed out in the first round

Continued...

Plays of the Week

Dallas/Detroit Morning Notes

Eric Duhatschek

If Stars' goaltender Marty Turco is at all nervous about returning to the scene of past struggles, he did a job good of concealing it Thursday morning. Turco held court for an extended period on the morning of the game, entertaining all by retelling a funny story from his rookie season, when he chased down and tackled a burglar that had broken into his garage and stolen some beer. Turco was mostly upset because he pilfered a cold one from the fridge, rather than helping himself to one of about 30 cases that were stacked in the garage, in anticipation of pouring some Christmas cheer for visitors. The tale surfaced publicly only because a small weekly community paper, the Lewisville Leader, picked it up off a suburban police blotter. From there, the two major dailies followed up the story, one of the first times Turco's larger-than-life personality bubbled to the surface.
More...

The Moose

In lieu of Round 3 of the playoffs, here's a look back at one of the games true playoff warriors.

Nonis with the Leafs?

*haha you can have him!

The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired coach Paul Maurice and sources tell TSN that the team has approached the Vancouver Canucks asking for permission to speak with recently fired GM Dave Nonis.

Nonis would be brought in to handle the Leafs' managing duties through next season, with speculation suggesting the Maple Leafs would then approach Brian Burke at the conclusion of the season, with designs on Burke overseeing the entire hockey operation with Nonis continuing to occupy a management role as well.

More...

Mock Draft: The Top 14

*As a Canucks fan I like the pick of Mikkel Boedker coming to us at no.10. He's an offensive player with speed to burn...exactly what our team needs.

Gare Joyce ESPN

We'll start our prospect rankings with the players available to the 14 teams that had pingpong balls in this season's draft lottery.

Most scouts consider it a good, but not great, draft with a cluster of defensemen to pick from. In the forward-strong 2006 draft, the second defenseman selected, Ty Wishart by San Jose, went at No. 16. This year, there should be five D-men who go in the top 10, and maybe one or two more before No. 16.

Here's where we think these 18-year-olds will go and where they'll be at age 23:

1. Tampa Bay Lightning
• Steven Stamkos, Sarnia (OHL), C: The easy call. He was the best player on the Canadian team at the World Under-18 Championship as an under-ager last year. Said one opponent who had seen a lot of Stamkos: "It's hard when the smartest player on the ice is the best athlete."
Five-season projection: First-line center, first power-play unit (possibly on the point) and first on the penalty kill. Or forming the league's best 1-2 (1-1A) combination with future Hockey Hall of Famer Vincent Lecavalier.

2. Los Angeles Kings
• Drew Doughty, Guelph (OHL), D: Hard to pick between Nos. 2 and 3. Doughty gets the nod on this list because of his superior hockey sense and puck skills. Not tall at 5-foot-11 and stocky at 211 pounds.
Five-season projection: Top 2 defenseman, power-play quarterback.

3. Atlanta Thrashers
• Zach Bogosian, Peterborough (OHL), D: The difference between Doughty and Bogosian is the difference between what is today and what might be down the line. Doughty was an impact defenseman for the Canadian under-20 team, a pretty tough act. Bogosian, a native of Massena, N.Y., is bigger and probably a better athlete who has made improvements in the second half of the season. "Bogosian hasn't played his best hockey yet," one scout said. "There's room for growth."
Five-season projection: Top 2 defenseman with a physical edge.

4. St. Louis Blues
• Nikita Filatov, CKSA (Russian Elite League), F: Might be docked a spot or more because of the possible difficulty of bringing him west. For his part, Filatov, who speaks fluent English, has expressed the desire to come to North America next season, a desire that might be tested if he's looking at having to play junior hockey instead of jumping directly into the NHL. When Stamkos played against the Russians in last year's under-18s, he talked more about Filatov than Alexei Cherepanov, the highly touted forward selected in the first round in 2007 by the New York Rangers.
Five-season projection: First-line offensive catalyst.

5. New York Islanders
• Alex Pietrangelo, Niagara (OHL), D: He would have been an underage selection to last year's under-18 team, but had to pass because of a fracture in his kneecap. (To play through it to finish his season with the Ice Dogs, he went against the advice of some associated with the team.) Grade up for toughness. "He's a rock defensively," said one Ontario junior scout. Another scout wondered about "how much fire was in his furnace." That flies in the face of his willingness to play hurt.
Five-season projection: Top 4 defenseman, possibly top 2.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets
• Luke Schenn, Kelowna (WHL), D: Would compare more than favorably with last year's No. 5 overall, Karl Alzner, who went to Washington. (Schenn looks to have more offensive upside.)
Five-season projection: Top 4 defenseman, possibly top 2.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs
• Tyler Myers, Kelowna (WHL), D: He is a towering defenseman; very Zdeno Chara-like at 6-foot-8 and possibly still growing. The Texas native played for the United States at the summer under-18s, but processed his citizenship this winter (his parents are Albertans) and played for Team Canada at the spring event. Finished fourth among skaters on NHL Central Scouting's rankings of North American skaters. "Farther along than Chara was in his draft year," one scout reckoned. A wild card, Myers could be higher on some teams' lists, depending on their patience.
Five-season projection: A top 4 defenseman.

8. Phoenix Coyotes
• Cody Hodgson, Brampton (OHL), C: Captained a Canadian team that won the World Under-18 Championship this spring. He's an all-purpose center, not a power type, at just under 6 feet and 185 pounds. Some grade him down for skating. See here.
Five-season projection: A 2-3 center you can win with.

9. Nashville Predators (from Florida)
• Kyle Beach, Everett (WHL), LW: A wild card. Beach is talented and already pro-sized at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, but negative buzz is out there. He made few friends when he played on the Canadian team at the summer under-18s and scapegoated for overall poor team performance. "Maybe not a bad kid, but questionable judgment," one scout said. Stock plunged in unproductive second half of the season. Could drop on draft day, like Angelo Esposito last year.
Five-season projection: If you buy the scuttlebutt, at least one worn-out welcome and one frustrated coach. If you don't buy the knocks, a difference-maker.

10. Vancouver Canucks
• Mikkel Boedker, Kitchener (OHL), RW: The Dane is an instant-offense player with great skating ability. Hits top speed in a couple of steps. Racked up 29 goals and more than 70 points during the regular season, his first in major junior, and has picked up the pace in the playoffs. Will have a chance to showcase his skills in the Memorial Cup with the host team in Kitchener in May. Getting best possible introduction to North American game with respected coach Pete Deboer.
Five-season projection: Second line with offense, possibly first line.

11. Chicago Blackhawks
• Zach Boychuk, Lethbridge (WHL), C: Three seasons in the Dub, international experience, and looks to have raised his game with 11 goals in 14 playoff games this spring. Graded down for size (5-foot-9, 176 pounds).
Five-season projection: Second line; downside is third line.

12. Anaheim Ducks (from Edmonton)
• Colin Wilson, Boston University (NCAA), F: Son of longtime NHLer Carey Wilson. Colin is not the greatest skater, but has solid hockey sense. Tied for tournament lead in scoring at last year's world under-18s.
Five-year projection: Second line; downside possibly third.

13. Buffalo Sabres
• Colten Teubert, Regina (WHL), D: Pro height (6-foot-4), helped himself as much as any player at the under-18s this spring. "You could tell [Canadian coach] Pat Quinn fell in love with him," one scout said. Teubert delivers big hits and no holes in his game were exposed on the big ice surface.
Five-year projection: Top 4 defenseman, possibly fifth on a very deep team.

14. Carolina Hurricanes
• Michael McCollum, Guelph (OHL), G: The consensus -- he's the top-ranked goaltender available. "There should be at least two goaltenders in the first round, maybe as many as four," one scout said. McCollum could move up based on a team's needs.
Five-year projection: A starter, possibly backup behind elite older goaltender and being groomed for top role.

Also in play: Michael Del Zotto, Oshawa (OHL), defenseman. Josh Bailey, Windsor (OHL), forward. Kiril Petrov, Ak Bars (Russia), right winger. Chet Pickard, Tri-City (WHL), goaltender. Mattias Tedenby, HV 71 (Sweden), left winger. Jared Staal, Sudbury (OHL), right winger.

A Blues Review

Next season will be pivotal for the Dave Checketts/John Davidson Era of Blues hockey.

The Note must compete for one of the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference, thus proving that Andy Murray really is the right coach for this team. The Blues must continue building ticket sales, too, which is no small feat given the tough economy and last season’s second-half collapse.

more...

Jagr & Shanny looking to stay put

BY STEVE ZIPAY

May 7, 2008GREENBURGH, N.Y. - In his most definitive comments to date, Jaromir Jagr said yesterday that he would prefer to sign with the Rangers next season rather than with another NHL club and indicated that he wants to play two more years before returning to the Czech Republic.

"First, I am going to talk to the Rangers," the 36-year-old Jagr said. "That's No. 1 option for me. I feel very comfortable here, with all the people around this organization who are nice to me. They gave me a chance to show everybody I still can play hockey. Everybody doubted me when I was playing in Washington, for whatever reason. The Rangers gave me a chance and believed in me."

continued...

Paul Maurice Fired!

When Cliff Fletcher took over the GM responsibilities from John Ferguson Jr., he promised there would be changes to the organization. Those changes began today.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired coach Paul Maurice.

Maurice had one year remaining on his original three-year contract.

The Maple Leafs have called a news conference for 3pm et/Noon pt today. Maurice will meet the media Thursday morning at 10:30am et/7:30 am pt at the ACC.

more...

Give this guy a team already!

Rick Westhead
Sports Business Columnist

Billionaire Jim Balsillie contacted the owner of the Buffalo Sabres about buying the team earlier this season, a sign the Research in Motion co-founder is still seeking an NHL franchise after two previous high-profile flameouts.

Balsillie phoned Sabres owner Tom Golisano around Christmas, according to a source familiar with the matter. Golisano indicated he would be open to selling the club – but not if Balsillie intended to relocate it.

Golisano, founder of payroll processing company Paychex based in Rochester, N.Y., has long ties to the Western New York area. Worth about $1.8 billion, in 2003 he bought the Sabres out of bankruptcy for $92 million.

More...

Battle of Pennsylvania Preview

Regular Season Record
Pittsburgh – 47-27-8
Philadelphia – 42-29-11

Season Series
Pittsburgh 3-5-0 (23 GF, 28 GA)
Philadelphia 5-3-0 (28 GF, 23 GA)

Leading Scorers vs. Opponent
Pittsburgh – Evgeni Malkin, 15 (6G, 9A); Petr Sykora, 8 (3G, 5A); Sergei Gonchar, 8 (3G, 5A)
Philadelphia – R.J. Umberger 11 (6G, 5A); Joffrey Lupul, 10 (5G, 5A); Mike Richards, 8 (1G, 7A)

Forwards- The Flyers come at you with 3 lines deep that can score on you. The Daniel Briere line with Vinny Prospal and Scott Hartnell have been flying, while RJ Umberger and his 9 goals has been dynamite next to Mike Richards and Mike Knuble. Jeff Carter is as good a 3rd line center as you'll see. Even with all that talent though they lack the presence of a true superstar among the likes of the 2 monsters they have in Pittsburgh in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (and maybe 3 if you count Marian Hossa a superstar). Throw in support pieces in Petr Sykora, Ryan Malone, and Jordan Staal and you have yourself one of the finest offenses to have been seen in the NHL since the days of the 80's Oilers.
Edge: Pittsburgh

Defence- The Flyers will be relying heavily on their top pair of Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timmonen as well as tough as nails Jason Smith. Derian Hatcher has been playing through injuries but will give you his all. Randy Jones and Lasse Kukkonen are effective puck movers who round out the D. Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney will supply the offence from the backend while Hal Gill and Brooks Orpik will bring the toughness. Gill in particular has been a great deadline acquisition as his huge frame and long stick have been vital in breaking up a number of plays in the offensive zone. Kris Letang and Rob Scuderi will likely receive limited ice time. Edge: Tie

Goaltending- Martin Biron was the Flyers MVP against the Canadiens. For me personally I still am not sold on Biron as being an elite caliber goalie. Consistency this year was a trouble spot for Biron as he was as likely to get blown out on a given night as he was to putting up a shutout or winning streak. In fact Frank Nittymaki was needed to be called upon for good parts of the year while Birons game was off. Consistency could also be labeled a problem for Pitt goalie MA Fleury but if you've seen him play these last few months (since he's been back from injury) you've really seen a different goalie. Never panicking, always set in the right position, and not giving up big rebounds Fleury has the look of a veteran goalie who is really on top of his game right now. Edge: Pittsburgh.

X-Factors
Pittsburgh- Pascal Dupuis Hossa has been getting the headlines but the other deadline acquisition Dupuis has also shown great chemistry with Sid the Kid.

Philadelphia- Joffrey Lupul A lot of the other Flyers will be receiving attention from the Pens while Lupul lurks in the shadows. Has a good nose for the net and often delivers in the clutch.

Prediction: Penguins in 6 The trio of Crosby, Malkin, and Hossa will be too tough for the Flyers to stop and the goaltending of Fleury will outduel Biron.

Canada /US

The IIHF World Championship game between Canada and the US can now be watched live at www.tsn.ca

*Update Canada wins 5-4! What a game by the Heatley/Nash/Getzlaf line and what a goal by Heatley on the winner. Americans were no slouches, remember when the US teams were looking old with the likes of Chelioses, Modanos, Leclairs etc..? That era is long gone as the US now have a plethora of young talent they can throw at you now. Kessel, Parise, Kane, Dustin Brown,Mueller... the list goes on.

Way to go Dion!

I guess Eliza Cushbert is as good an excuse as any for missing the World Championships.

Canucks Report: Gillis Talk

Yesterday afternoon new Canucks GM Mike Gillis sat for an hour on the Pratt & Taylor show on the Team 1040. Among some of the highlights:

On Roberto Luongo- "There's been far too much reliance on Roberto to carry the team. After a while that wears thin." He's completely devoted to the team, wants to be competitive, wants to play in the playoffs, wants to win."

On the Sedin Twins- "They have a very unique style of play, they're averaging about 150 points between the two of them. That's pretty hard to replace."

On Coach Alain Vigneault- Coaches coach the team that they're given. I think that if there's a major philisophical difference, it will have to be addressed."

On Trevor Linden- "I haven't spoken to him yet. I tried to reach Trevor, he was on a plane going to Hawaii. I don't know what he wants to do."

On Trading the Canucks First Round Pick- "If the right deal came along it would certainly be something we would have to look at"

On Sightings of Free Agent Pavol Demitra in Vancouver- "I heard about it. For him to show the initiative on his own and check out the town, I don't think there is anything wrong with that."

1st Round order of 2008 Draft

NEW YORK (May 6, 2008)—Following is the order of selection for the first 26 picks of the 2008 Entry Draft, June 20-21 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

The four remaining selections in the first round of the draft—picks 27 through 30—will be allocated based on the results of the upcoming Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final.

2008 NHL Entry Draft Order of Selection, Picks 1-26

1. Tampa Bay
2. Los Angeles
3. Atlanta
4. St. Louis
5. NY Islanders
6. Columbus
7. Toronto
8. Phoenix
9. Nashville (from Florida)
10. Vancouver
11. Chicago
12. Anaheim (from Edmonton)
13. Buffalo
14. Carolina
15. Nashville
16. Boston
17. Calgary
18. Ottawa
19. Columbus (from Colorado)
20. NY Rangers
21. New Jersey
22. Edmonton (from Anaheim)
23. Washington
24. Minnesota
25. Montreal
26. Buffalo (from San Jose)
Picks 27 and 28: Clubs eliminated in Conference Finals, in inverse order of points
29. Stanley Cup Final runner-up
30. Stanley Cup champion

Streit Flushed?

Re-signing Streit tops Habs' to-do list

Due for pay raise. Versatile Canadien had career-highs in goals and points

PAT HICKEY, The Gazette

Published: 11 hours ago

They say money can't buy happiness, but Mark Streit will be looking for both as he negotiates a new contract with the Canadiens.

"I love Montreal and I'm hoping to stay here for three, four, five more seasons," the defenceman/forward said yesterday as the Canadiens gathered at the Bell Centre to clean out their lockers and pick up their offseason training regimens.

Streit, 30, is one of four Canadiens regulars who are eligible to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. And he's No. 1 on general manager Bob Gainey's must-do list.

More...

Hossa to the Rangers?

If the Penguins do not have enough money to offer Hossa, who is making $7 million this season, the Rangers may be in the bidding for him. He is a strong two-way player and seems to be the kind of finisher the Rangers could use on a line with center Scott Gomez.

If the Rangers keep him from returning to Pittsburgh, they would take a chunk out of the lineup of a division rival, one that looks as if it will be formidable for years to come.

MORE...

Eric Lindros Part II?

Rick Westhead
Sports Business Columnist

Top NHL prospect John Tavares has a new, albeit familiar agent in his corner: his mom.

In a move that's sure to draw comparisons to former NHL star Eric Lindros, whose mother Bonnie was vilified when she and husband Carl advised both the Ontario Hockey League's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and NHL's Quebec Nordiques that Eric wouldn't report to play with either team, Tavares has severed ties to NHL player agent Bryan Deasley and his former employer, London, Ont.-based law firm, Siskinds LLP.

Continued...

Deadline Deals Paying Off

The hearts are beating faster and faster, pumping more and more adrenaline into every part of the body. The collisions are more physical, each and every battle testing the will and the body to its limit.

Hockey's best is down to four teams -- Dallas at Detroit and Philadelphia at Pittsburgh -- with the winners gaining the right to play for the Stanley Cup in a couple weeks.

There are differences to be sure.

The Red Wings and Penguins pride themselves on puck possession, while the Stars and Flyers try to win with puck pressure and pursuit.

But there's one familiar similarity, each team bettered its roster at the trade deadline.

MORE...

More on Demitra to Vancouver

From Mike Russo of the Minnesota Star Tribune:

Oh, and lastly, this is unconfirmed by me but being told to me by a Vancouver reporter, but apparently Pavol Demitra was in Vancouver over the weekend being given a tour of the area by Canucks captain Markus Naslund.

As I’ve intimated here, the chances of the Wild even attempting to bring Demitra back is slim to none, and there’s a question whether he’d even want to return.

Demitra signing with Vancouver makes sense. His agent — or now, I guess, former agent — is Mike Gillis, the now-GM of the Canucks. Naslund is also now a former client of Gillis.

Both are unrestricted free agents, and you can bet Gillis may very well take care of his former clients. In fact, maybe Pavel Bure comes out of retirement and returns to Vancouver.

If Demitra thought Jacques Lemaire was defensive, wait til Alain Vigneault gets hold of him — if Vigneault is back.

Obviously, nothing can come of this until July 1.

I don’t see Demitra being so highly-sought that the Canucks would try to acquire his rights prior to free agency, like Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell last June by Philly.

So long Ron Wilson

Al Strachan

Now that the San Jose Sharks are gone, you can be sure of one thing. Coach Ron Wilson won't be far behind.

Wilson had been hanging by a hair all season long, even though to the casual viewer, the Sharks appeared to be forging a first-rate season.

In fact, Wilson barely made it back after last year's postseason collapse (hey, in San Jose, anything short of a Stanley Cup is seen as a collapse.)

Continued...

Great Save, Great Hit

Dallas finally pulls off the big win over San Jose last night 2-1 in quadruple overtime. This game was a real goaltending clinic that finally ended with Brendan Morrows power-play goal. This game was notable for 2 big plays, the hit of the series by Morrow on Milan Michalek and a great save by Evgeni Nabokov on Brad Richards. Enjoy them below.

The 100th Post

Almost one month into the life of our Blog we today hit our 100th post. Thanks to those who have been reading the site, with the number of readers rising by the week we just want to let you know that we are just getting started and will continue to bring the best of the NHL here to you everyday.

Huzzah!!

Over for the Rang-ahs

The Pittsburgh Penguins have advanced to the Eastern Conference final. Marian Hossa scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins over New York 3-2 on Sunday, eliminating the Rangers in Game 5 of their second-round series.

Way to Go Hossa! One of my personal favorites.

A little perspective in Montreal

Stephen Brunt

MONTREAL — At the end of an emotional hockey spring in Montreal, perspective kicked in remarkably fast, at least for most.

With a little over three minutes left in the game, after the Philadelphia Flyers scored the go-ahead goal and it became clear that the Montreal Canadiens' fairytale season was drawing its final breaths, the Bell Centre went dead quiet.

More than a few fans started streaming to the exits. But the rest stayed, and once they regained their bearing, stood and cheered and waved their towels and sang one more chorus of "Ole, Ole, Ole" — a tough thing to do but the right thing to do on a night like this, after a year like this.

More...

Rumor Mill

"Jeff Leyland is saying that not only has Pavol Demitra been in Vancouver the last few days and seen around the city, that he has been telling people that he will be a Vancouver Canuck next season...

Apparently Markus Naslund (they are both former Gillis clients) is giving him a tour"

A bit on John Stevens...

It’s been almost 25 years since Rob Blake was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Shortly after his selection, he got a phone call from someone he’d never met before.

“It was John Stevens,” Blake said, referring to the current Philadelpia Flyers coach. “He asked me what I was doing to get ready to play at the next level. I said, ‘Not much.’ John told me to meet him at the gym.”

More...

No-Brainer

Guy Carbonneau is going back to Carey Price.

The Montreal Canadiens coach told CBC Sports Friday that he will start Price in net for the Habs when they host the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal on Saturday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7 pm ET).

Price started the first three games of the series for Montreal, but Carbonneau replaced the rookie netminder with backup Jaroslav Halak for Game 4, which the Flyers won to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Beauuuttty

Excellent goal last night by Henrick Zetterberg. Watch the slo-mo replay to really appreciate it.

Daniel Briere: The Invisible Superstar

Roy MacGregor

PHILADELPHIA — As far as playoff beards go, this one is a little spotty.

But then, too, so had been much of his season and even parts of his postseason.

Not being always immediately noticeable has always been both Danny Brière's great problem and his greatest asset.

On the ice, he has at times been so easily missed, at one point, all 30 teams in the NHL were willing to take a pass on him. On the ice at other times, he has been dominant on the final score sheet – even if not so noted by those who believe they know the game so well.

More...

A McKenzie Moment...

Bob Mac chimes in on Jagrs big night, euro playoffs, and Sakic's possible retirement.

You've got to hand it to New York Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr after his performance in Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

Over the years, he's taken a lot of slings and arrows - and rightfully so. He's been petulant, he's had a bad attitude and he's been temperamental. But no one has been able to dispute his ability when he wants to play.

And he has clearly wanted to play in this playoff series.

Continued...

Ted Nolan a lame duck?

He didn't come out and say the words. But Ted Nolan didn't have to.

His looks and body language said all you needed to know: Nolan's future as head coach of the New York Islanders is far from certain. Having completed Season 2 of the three-year contract he signed in 2006, the 50-year-old native of Garden River will apparently enter the 2008-2009 NHL season as a lame duck bench boss.

"It's a tough situation," Nolan said Thursday, prior to serving as a guest speaker at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships awards banquet at Steelback Centre. "But I've faced a lot of tough situations before. I just want to go into next season, concentrate on fulfilling my contract, do a great job and make sure I get another contract somewhere."

Somewhere?

Does that mean Nolan has all but given up on coaching the Isles past next season?

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Franz-tastic

Detroit News

Johan Franzen led the way, scoring three goals, giving him nine for the series (Franzen has 11 in the playoffs).

The nine goals are a Red Wings record for a four-game series, breaking Gordie Howe's eight goals in seven games in 1949.

Franzen's 11 goals also set a Wings record for a playoff year. Peter Klima (1988, 10 goals), Sergei Fedorov (10 goals in 22 games, 1998) and Brett Hull (10 goals in 23 games, 2002) were the previous record-holders.

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The end of no.16?

Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, May 02, 2008

As if it wasn't apparent on April 5, Trevor Linden dropped another gigantic hint Thursday that his hockey-playing days are done.

The long-time Vancouver Canuck forward, now 38, presented one of his jerseys to MLA Sindi Hawkins at a cancer fund-raising rally, telling the crowd in attendance: "She's taking over the No. 16 now."

Linden has yet to announce his retirement and was coy when asked if he planned to do so in the near future.

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Motown Massacre

Yikes... and there's still a period left!

1st period	Detroit	04:33	Mikael Samuelsson (1)	Andreas Lilja	Even
	Colorado	06:51	Tyler Arnason (2)	Andrew Brunette Joe Sakic	Power play
	Detroit	18:34	Tomas Holmstrom (2)	Henrik Zetterberg Pavel Datsyuk	Even
	Detroit	19:21	Johan Franzen (9)	Valtteri Filppula Brad Stuart	Even
2nd period	Detroit	02:15	Henrik Zetterberg (6)	Nicklas Lidstrom Pavel Datsyuk	Power play
	Detroit	05:45	Henrik Zetterberg (7)	Pavel Datsyuk	Even
	Detroit	11:37	Johan Franzen (10)	Henrik Zetterberg	short-handed
	Detroit	17:15	Johan Franzen (11)	Nicklas Lidstrom Jiri Hudler	Power play

Quick Update

Avs will play without Forsberg, Smyth, Stastny in Game 4

Forsberg is about as reliable as an umbrella made out of paper. The mind is willing but the body isn't, I'll be surprised if he returns next season. As for the rest of the Avs, it's time to book those tee times.

Babcock on Brunnstrom

Great line from coach Mike Babcock about why Fabian Brunnstrom would want to play for the Red Wings ...

"It's so obvious it isn't even funny. Just move into Novi, little Sweden, hang out like it's the old country. I can't even understand why anyone else is in the running. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. All they (Swedes) do is come here, they're comfortable, they play better than they ever have in their life."

A Carbonneau Conundrum

Coach Guy Carbonneau is feeling the heat for his decision to put Jaroslav Halak in net (who played well despite losing) for last nights loss but I still think it was a wise decision. You could just tell by Carey Price's body language in game 3 that he was out of it. With a game off I think he'll come back next game re-focused and re-energized and ready to steal this series back for the Habs.

Carbonneau faces crucial decision ahead of Game 5

PHILADELPHIA - Now what?

Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau has painted himself into a dilemma with his decision to start Jaroslav Halak in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Halak played well, and when you consider the circumstances under which he was making his first career playoff start, he was exceptional.

The game was played in about as hostile an environment as you will ever see with 19,872 orange-clad Flyers fans hurling obscenities in his direction at the Wachovia Center, and the Canadiens were in desperate need of a victory to knot up the series at two games apiece.

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Vancouver beat writer battle

WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

The Vancouver sports scene has been full of surprises this spring.

In mid-April, the Vancouver Canucks suddenly fired general manager Dave Nonis and quickly replaced him with hockey agent Mike Gillis.

Almost overnight, Vancouver Province hockey columnist Tony Gallagher, a long-time critic of Canucks management, threw his support behind the Gillis appointment.

Then, last week, Ed Willes, another Province sports columnist, took holidays, and speculation, denied by The Province and Willes, quickly arose whether he had been pressed to stop criticizing Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini over his decision to dismiss Nonis.

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The Jack Adams

A lot of the awards announced so far will be easy calls to make for a winner. This one however is a toss up, all three men are great candidates.

TORONTO - Bruce Boudreau was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year Wednesday after leading the Washington Capitals to a remarkable turnaround.

Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens are also up for the award, presented annually to the head coach who has ''contributed the most to his team's success.''

Jagr plays coy about future

Larry Brooks

I ASKED Jaromir Jagr to tell me that I was wrong, and boy did he ever. I think.

I asked No. 68 if it is wrong to interpret the fire, passion and anger he's demonstrated the last two games - as exemplified by the way he twice shouted down Sidney Crosby on Sunday, then scolded Marian Hossa for diving in Game 3 before once again raging at Crosby during a third-period review - as evidence that he has made the decision to retire as an NHL player and thus sees this as a last opportunity that is irretrievably slipping away.

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