Recently by Elliotte Friedman
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby centre of attention in wrong way
First thing's first: No Philadelphia Flyer could be blamed for fighting Sidney Crosby at the
end of that game. He was in the middle of everything and not in a good
way.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Sunday's burning questions
Everything Nashville's gone through to get him back - the aggravation of securing his commitment, the fights with other GMs - is worth it if he delivers the next two games. The Predators are 0-6 lifetime in Detroit during the playoffs. They've lost in regulation, they've lost in overtime, they've lost leading after two, and they've lost trailing all the way.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Saturday's burning questions
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada will tee up the action every night through the NHL playoffs with burning questions for each scheduled game.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Tonight's burning questions
Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada will tee up the action every night through the NHL playoffs with burning questions for each scheduled game.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Malkin easy choice for Hart + 30 Thoughts
Okay, here is one 2012 NHL Awards ballot for the trophies voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. (Again, would like to thank the membership for my inclusion. Very appreciative of the opportunity).
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Hockey Night in Canada
Is Jarome Iginla off-season trade inevitable?
With at least six expiring contracts, Calgary Flames manager has his first real opportunity to bring new energy into the organization. That could lead to the trading of popular captain Jarome Iginla, who seems reluctant to leave a club that has missed the Stanley Cup playoffs three years in a row, writes Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman.
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NHL
Penguins, Flyers on a collision course + 30 Thoughts
Some NHL GMs (and some other execs) were asked what they saw as the Penguins' greatest weakness heading into the playoffs. The obvious answer was injuries, since some critical players (Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang) have unfortunate medical histories.The second answer was a brutal early opponent. "If you're a big-time Stanley Cup contender, you'd love to see them get a team like Boston early on," one executive said. "Because, even if the Bruins lose, they're going to take a pound of flesh out of them."Enter Philadelphia.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Quebec arena announcement ends strange week + 30 thoughts
Sunday's announcement of a $400-million arena in Quebec City by September 2015 culminated a very strange week in the NHL's version of The Odyssey - The Coyotes' Saga.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Radulov return problematic + 30 Thoughts
They seem unrelated, but there is a link between Alexander Radulov's impending return to the NHL and reports that both the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets will consider trading their (high) first-round draft picks.
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NHL
Behind Bryzgalov's bounce back + 30 Thoughts
It was New Year's Day when Ilya Bryzgalov's season descended into "Daily
Show"-style parody. That morning, the Philly netminder announced he
wouldn't be starting the Winter Classic against the New York Rangers.
"Great news: I'm not playing tomorrow night," he said. "Good news: We have a chance to win the game."
People who didn't find that funny: the Flyers, especially coach Peter
Laviolette, who didn't want this information revealed. People who
laughed: everyone else, although we don't depend on him as much as
Philadelphia does.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Grabovski's deal fair for both sides + 30 Thoughts
Mikhail Grabovski's five-year, $27.5 million US contract with the Maple Leafs is fair for both player and team. The real question is: What would it cost to replace him? Toronto knows what it has with Grabovski. Without him? Right now, no clue.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Nash may wish to broaden trade list
The sense is the Columbus Blue Jackets hope disgruntled superstar Rick Nash will broaden his choices on the short list of teams he is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join.
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Hockey Night in Canada
The Kings' royal pains + 30 Thoughts
Los Angeles has until 2019 to grab multiple championships under Doughty's current contract, but success in Year I is definitely endangered. California's seniormost NHL team wakes up Monday outside a playoff position, dropping out of the West's Top Eight with a 1-0 loss to Calgary on Saturday.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Trading Nash chock full of complications
The news getting out is a bad thing for both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Rick Nash. For Nash, who does not like attention, this is torture. A deal like this screams for discretion. Now it's going to hang over their heads like a monsoon cloud.
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NHL
Nash trade-related rumours won't quit + 30 Thoughts
When dealing with people, you look for patterns.
For awhile now, the pattern with Columbus general manager Scott Howson was very simple. He was willing to say, on the record, that the Blue Jackets would not trade Rick Nash or Ryan Johansen. Made sense. Nash is The Franchise and Johansen is The Future.
Now, the ground is shifting. Given the opportunity to deny the latest Nash-related speculation, Howson has, to at least three different media outlets (including this one), declined to do so. His response is that he doesn't comment on rumours.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Predators not in a bind with Suter + 30 Thoughts
There is a perception that the Nashville Predators must "get something" for Ryan Suter ahead of the trade deadline, but Elliotte Friedman says the time is now for the Tennessee team to make a playoff push.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby's recovery plight + 30 Thoughts
Sometime soon, Sidney Crosby hopes to learn the truth. As in, "What exactly is/was wrong with my neck?" But, the possibility of fractures in those areas raises a boatload of questions, and, right now, no one has the answers.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Thomas' White House snub, All-Star Game + 30 Thoughts
If Tim Thomas was going to skip his team's White House visit, he must accept the
consequences of his actions. And that's where Thomas needed to think
this through. Because as much as he wants to paint it as an "individual"
decision, it's not. He put other people in tough positions, writes Hockey Night In Canada's Elliotte Friedman.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Big deals don't always pay big dividends
Do NHL players lose motivation after signing a contract that takes care of their grandchildren?
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Hockey Night in Canada
The Penguins' plight, Crosby's recovery + 30 Thoughts
After a crazy weekend with reports of players discussing whether or not
Pittsburgh needed an interim captain and more criticisms that the
organization doesn't update his injury often enough, the Penguins
announced Sidney Crosby is going back to see Professor Ted Carrick.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Realignment woes, potential CBA circus + 30 Thoughts
Friedman is a self-proclaimed pessimist when it comes to labour. He assumes there's going to
be a stoppage of some kind next season. But, if you take a really hard
look at the big picture, you can see the landscape in 2012 is very
different from 2004.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Las Vegas Coyotes a longshot + 30 Thoughts
Okay, let's make this very clear: the NHL's choice is to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. That's what the league wants.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Would Gainey consider coaching Habs? + 30 Thoughts
In this week's installment, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman receives some interesting feedback on whether Bob Gainey would return as coach of the Montreal Canadiens, and wonders if the Oilers would consider trading veteran Ryan Smyth to a contending team if the Oilers fall out of the playoff race.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Habs to blame for coaching situation
While most of us poke fun at the silly language attacks on Randy Cunneyworth -- there is one important point being overlooked. This mess is the organization's fault. It could -- and should -- have been avoided, writes Elliotte Friedman.
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Hockey Night in Canada
What to do with Suter, Weber + 30 Thoughts
"Ask me on February 27." That was the word Saturday morning from Nashville Predators executive vice-president and general manager David Poile after he was asked for the 10,000th time what his plans are regarding unrestricted free agent-to-be Ryan Suter and restricted free agent-to-be Shea Weber.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Carlyle's vacation is over + 30 Thoughts
Randy Carlyle took his vacation. Now he's ready to go back to work."For sure," he said Sunday (a day before the Kings job opened) when asked if he was ready to coach again. "Without a doubt. I think I have something to offer."Yes, he does. The marriage between Carlyle and the Anaheim Ducks came to an abrupt end two weeks ago. But, it's a guarantee that prospective employers will look at the positives of his first six seasons, rather than what went wrong in Year Seven.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Travel key to realignment + 30 Thoughts
How do you feel about 20 teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Jim Rutherford likes the idea.The Hurricanes president and general manager proposed such a setup as the NHL headed into its contentious, cantankerous and certainly truculent realignment debate this week in Pebble Beach, Calif.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Hunter needs to get Ovechkin going + 30 Thoughts
As the Washington Capitals stormed off to the best start in the NHL, the
last unbeaten team, one of the players had a warning: "We're only at 30
per cent of where we need to be."
Turns out he was right.
And, even though there appear to be deeper issues, the easiest bullet to
fire is at the coach. Colleagues Tim Wharnsby and Mike Milbury have
more on Bruce Boudreau and Alex Ovechkin, but it's clear that Hunter's
first task will be getting the captain going.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Crosby's return about comfort + 30 Thoughts
Undoubtedly, people tuned into Monday's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast to see how
Sidney Crosby would react to that first collision.
He did not shy away from that on Monday. That, as much as the four-point game, is the truest sign that he was comfortable.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Capitals need to solve Ovechkin problem
Sometime on Sunday, there's got to be a meeting. George McPhee. Bruce Boudreau. Alexander Ovechkin. Get into a room. Be honest with each other, and work it out.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Howe has point about policing + 30 Thoughts
I thought a lot about what Mark Howe said during Hockey Night In Canada's pre-game show after seeing Milan Lucic run Ryan Miller without in-game consequence. When Howe speaks, people listen. And I wonder, is he absolutely right?
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Hockey Night in Canada
Blues smart to hire Hitchcock + 30 Thoughts
There is a rule good general managers adhere to: Don't fire your coach without lining up a strong replacement. Ken Hitchcock was not that guy in Columbus, but he is in St. Louis.
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Hockey Night in Canada
Athletes using Twitter a delicate balance
Last summer, as the NHL held its annual Research & Development camp, I asked one of the prospects what happens behind the scenes.
"It's pretty good," he said. "They have Mike Cammalleri come and talk to us about being an NHL player. They have someone from security tell us to be careful...especially when it comes to taking photos and things like that."
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Hockey Night in Canada
Realignment plus 30 Thoughts
Spent some time on Sunday reading my twitter feed, the Puck
Daddy comments section and LetsGoPens.com. The stuff you guys are saying
publicly about significant realignment is pretty similar to what teams are
saying privately. You either really love it, passionately hate it or just
decide, "I can deal with it."
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Hockey Night in Canada
Goalie mask changes needed, plus 30 Thoughts
It's been almost a decade since a shot off Mike Richter's head ended his
NHL career and teams are still fighting with their goalies over mask
safety.
"Someone could go out there wearing Jacques Plante's mask from 1960, and
there's nothing we can do about it," one GM said last week. That's
true. The league and its netminders built consensus on pads, chest
protectors and gloves but there is no agreement on masks.
That is going to change.
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Hockey Night in Canada
The 10-game rule and 30 Thoughts
If your team is two wins out of the playoffs at the beginning of November, the three-point games give it a very small chance of recovery based on past seasons, writes Elliotte Friedman.
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Hockey
Growing pains with Shanahan, plus 30 Thoughts
Pierre-Marc Bouchard's suspension is a small piece of what is making his agent upset. Allan Walsh's missive is part of two larger issues: league-wide reaction to disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan's hammer and the NHLPA's desire to attack the suspension/appeal process.
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Hockey
Friedman: Ovechkin's stock drops, Habs get charitable & 30 thoughts
Ovechkin or Crosby?
That was the great debate. Who would you build your team around? Who
would you take first in your hockey pool? Ovechkin or Crosby? You didn't
have to be from Pittsburgh or Washington to fiercely argue that one.
But that's a one-sided discussion now. (And condolences to Ovechkin, en route to Russia for his uncle's funeral.)
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Hockey
Kopitar takes high road in Doughty scenario
Anze Kopitar was home Thursday night when news broke that Drew Doughty's summer stalemate finally ended.
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Hockey
30 Thoughts: Hockey's giving spirit, Shanahan's tough gig & what drives Corey Perry
In today's 30 Thoughts, a look at the fundraising efforts of the hockey community in Guelph, Ont., in support of one of their alumni, Brendan Shanahan's first week on the job and what drives the reigning NHL MVP, Corey Perry.
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Hockey
On Doughty, Turris & leverage, plus 30 Thoughts
Drew Doughty and the Phoenix Coyotes wield leverage, while Kyle Turris and the Los Angeles Kings don't. It will be interesting to see how long each club and the players themselves, can stick to their line in the contract disputes.
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Hockey
The anatomy of a dispute
Marty Turco understands what Drew Doughty is thinking today.
"This is when it hits you," Turco said Friday morning. "Your teammates are in training camp and you're not. It's scary. People start saying things. You hear it, take it personally."
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Hockey
30 Thoughts: Jets return, The unsigned 6 & hockey's tragic summer
Going to keep it pretty simple to open the season. No huge preamble. Right into the first 30 Thoughts of 2011-12.
- Hockey Hockey deaths deserve study, not speculation Forty-eight hours after Wade Belak's stunning and sad death, we really don't know what happened. There's nothing wrong with asking hard questions, but unfortunately there's been a lot of wild guesswork as well.
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Hockey
Crosby can look to Bergeron for inspiration
About a month ago, I ran into one of the Vancouver Canucks at a golf tournament. As much as we both tried to avoid it, the Stanley Cup Final ultimately came up in the conversation. One of his comments: "Obviously, Tim Thomas was great. But Patrice Bergeron also killed us."Think about that when you're considering Sidney Crosby's future
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Hockey
Predators in trouble with Weber?
I wasn't in Shea Weber's arbitration hearing on Tuesday, so I don't know what was said.But I can tell you what other teams/agents are saying: For the first time, they think the Predators are really in trouble with Weber. There was always a recognition that dealing with all three of Weber, Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne was going to be impossible, but, assumed the captain was priority number one.
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Hockey
Stamkos, Lightning lock-in, plus 30 thoughts
This is the final 30 Thoughts for the season, with the blog set to return in September. Sorry it's so late, but sometimes life gets in the way (moving is the worst).
Wanted to end things by saying "thank-you" to you, the reader.
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Hockey
Stamkos talks cause a frenzy, plus 30 thoughts
So, here we are, days before July 1, and Tampa fans are apoplectic about Steven Stamkos, worrying some other team will swoop in and steal their franchise player with an offer sheet.
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Hockey
All eyes on 1 agency, plus 30 thoughts
Around this time of year, I try to look around and figure out who's going to be the biggest newsmaker. It's an exciting point on the calendar - the draft, free agency - and someone usually steps up and grabs the headlines.
This year, many hockey people are watching an agency.
- Hockey Desire to win not for faint of heart It is a common complaint from sports fans: "The players don't care about this team as much as I do." What's that Jerry Seinfeld line, again? "When it comes down to it, we're just cheering for laundry." Not this year.
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Hockey
NHL sends tough message to Rome
Six days after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stood at a podium and said he wanted to see harsher suspensions for "certain conduct we want out of the game," Mike Murphy unloaded on Vancouver defenceman Aaron Rome.
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Hockey
Cramping up Chara's space, plus 30 thoughts
"If you can't make great players work hard on defence, they will kill you on offence."
It's an ample strategy the Vancouver Canucks are using against Boston Bruins all-star defenceman Zdeno Chara through the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final.
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Hockey
Crucial off-season awaits Panthers
This is an enormous off-season for the Florida Panthers. Almost 1,000 kilometres
to the North, an NHL franchise is gone. Atlanta's move to Winnipeg
erased one trouble spot, but there are others. Phoenix remains
uncertain, and there are big questions about this situation, too.
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Hockey
Front office staff 1st priority in Winnipeg
It's been a near-perfect week for the city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba.
The NHL is returning and now that (some) of the hype has subsided, one issue Mark Chipman and the True North ownership group must figure out quickly is the state of the team's front office.
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Hockey
Canadian division could get a push, plus 30 thoughts
It was 1992, and the ground was unsteady below baseball commissioner Fay Vincent. He wasn't exactly popular with MLB's owners.
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Hockey
Thornton finally growing fangs, plus 30 thoughts
He was the guy who showed up shirtless in interviews, smiled constantly, gave the media everything we needed and wanted to be liked.
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Hockey
Thrashers' rollercoaster ride hurtling toward Winnipeg?
Well, here we go.
For a couple of years now, the National Hockey League has told True
North Sports and Entertainment to get everything ready. Get your
financing done, have a ticket plan in place, make some changes to your
building, etc.
But, the warning was strict: "Don't approach any other owner until we
tell you to do so. And we better not see you doing interviews."
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Hockey
NHL must be more open about relocation
For the second straight year, Glendale's city councillors pledged $25 million US to cover potential Coyotes' losses. We can argue the intelligence of this decision, but we cannot argue the consequences of saying no. The team was gone. But the situation is far from over. And it's crossing into cruelty. People can only be jerked around for so long before they hit the breaking point.
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Hockey
Keefe has coaching chops, plus 30 thoughts
The CCHL, formerly the CJHL, is the league that spawned the coaching careers of Bryan Murray, Jacques Martin, Bob Hartley and Doug MacLean. Pembroke's Sheldon Keefe could follow them to the next level.
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Hockey
Scott Gomez's future, plus 30 thoughts
With Montreal's biggest post-elimination question being, "What to do about Scott Gomez?" here is one theory, brought to you by someone much smarter than me: The Canadiens will give him another season before seeing what the new collective bargaining agreement brings.
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Hockey
Bruins can draw from Canucks' fortitude
As you can expect, there were two very different attitudes in two very different dressing rooms at the Bell Centre Tuesday night.
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Hockey
Vigneault's Luongo dilemma, plus 30 thoughts
As Roberto Luongo was pulled in Game 5 of Vancouver's unbelievably-tied series with Chicago, I sent an email to four different NHL GMs asking how the process would work in their organizations for selecting a Game 6 starter.
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Hockey
Anatomy of the long change that doomed Habs
The moment overtime began Thursday in Montreal, Glenn Healy mentioned both teams had to deal with the "long change." This was a night where the Boston Bruins and Canadiens were burned by it, with the losers suffering the more serious scorching.
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Hockey
The trouble with Torres, and 30 thoughts
Raffi Torres wasn't suspended for his Game 3 demolition of Brent Seabrook, but the Canucks have to deal with another question.
Can they play him?
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Hockey
Pressure on Bruins, for a change
We all know about the expectations and pressures of playing in Montreal.
Walk into the Bell Centre, look at those banners. If all the Stanley
Cups don't remind you what that city is used to, then the retired
numbers certainly will.This time, however, the Canadiens aren't the team under the greatest
scrutiny. For the Boston Bruins, the entire regular season was a dress
rehearsal. This is a team that must eradicate the painful memory of last
season.
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Hockey
Pacioretty talks with Chara, plus 30 thoughts
Before I get to today's main topic, some interesting news from the Boston Bruins' media scrum on Tuesday.The last questioner of Zdeno Chara's asked if he'd spoken to Max Pacioretty. Chara said he had, but didn't offer details.Pacioretty's agent, Alec Schall, confirmed it did occur.
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Hockey
Mailbag: Western travel schedules, stanchion solutions
Every Thursday, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman responds to your questions.
On the slate this week? The affect of Western travel schedules, the next World Cup of Hockey and stanchion solutions.
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Hockey
Hossa hullabaloo puts system under review
After watching Marian Hossa's questionable goal, not for a second can anyone convince me that the people in the NHL war room were sitting there watching and saying, "Boy, we've got to make this goal count. The Blackhawks play in the NHL's third-largest market and we've got to get them into the playoffs."
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Hockey
Canucks fans cautiously optimistic
Don't spend as much time in Vancouver as in Toronto, Montreal or Ottawa, but my occasional trips out west reveal a certain vibe. Canucks fans are different than those of the other Canadian teams. They are passionate, absolutely. But they are more pessimistic than their Northern brethren.
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Hockey
Inaugural mailbag: Goaltending, Subban's rep and top interviewee
It's the inaugural mailbag! As I mentioned a week ago, we're starting a weekly forum to answer some of your questions. Every Thursday, I'll respond to five of them.
Here are five from the past week:
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Hockey
An award for journeymen, plus 30 thoughts
Six weeks ago, I spent an afternoon with Chris Taylor's family for a Hockey Day in Canada piece. Taylor is 39 years old, drafted 27th overall (second round back then) by the New York Islanders in 1990. In those 20 years, he has played 151 NHL games, including playoffs. The most recent was in 2004.
But he's still going.
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Hockey
Da Costa doing business with NHL
Stephane Da Costa, a coveted collegiate free agent with Merrimack College, is en route to Toronto to meet his agents Monday morning. By Wednesday, he hopes to have signed with an NHL team.
- Hockey Send me your emails, plus 30 thoughts Hard to believe how many times I've written about concussions this year. We all knew it was going to be a big topic, but this much?
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Hockey
Cooke an embarrassment to Penguins
Prediction: Matt Cooke is going to get hammered by the NHL. And the primary reason won't be his unbelievably dumb elbow to Ryan McDonagh's head. Or that he's a repeat offender. Or the fact he can't control himself. It's going to be because he embarrassed the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Hockey
Pacioretty fallout, plus 30 thoughts
What a week in the NHL. The Pacioretty fallout was so explosive that, in Canada, it completely erased the Phoenix-to-Winnipeg story. That's pretty tough to do.First and foremost, you hope Pacioretty makes a full recovery and returns to play, eventually. As for change to the game, it seemed uncertain. Many league executives and GMs were reacting angrily to criticism. Meanwhile, two days after the winger was hurt, one player said, "If it happened in Atlanta, and not Montreal, nobody would be making a big deal about it."
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Hockey
Air Canada letter to NHL is intriguing
Technically, Air Canada can't pull its advertising from the National Hockey League, because it isn't a league sponsor. That's probably why commissioner Gary Bettman reacted so angrily to the letter from the company's director of marketing/communications, Denis Vandal on Thursday.
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Hockey
Maybe hockey's problem is game itself
Is it possible that for all of the talk about preventing injuries and concussions, the real problem is simply the game itself? That the best thing about hockey - the intensely competitive games, the tremendous skill, speed and power of the players - is the real danger?
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Hockey
Nothing's clear when it comes to Winnipeg
If there's one thing we've learned about Winnipeg, Phoenix or Atlanta, it's anyone who claims they know what's going to happen is kidding themselves, and you.
All I can say is this: When the Winnipeg rumours surfaced last season, plenty of people who know a helluva lot more than I do said such discussion was premature. Now, those same people believe that while relocation is not the NHL's preferred option, there is a realization the time is coming.
On Sunday, The Arizona Republic reported the Coyotes have lost $40 million US this season. That would push Matthew's Hulsizer's purchase price to $210 million. Of course, Hulsizer might not be able to close the deal because Glendale's about to become Lawsuit City in its battle with corporate watchdog The Goldwater Institute.
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Hockey
Deadline restraint, plus 30 thoughts
You hear it from NHL GMs all the time: "If you want to make a deal at
the deadline, be prepared to overpay." Or, "There are more bad deals
made at the deadline than good ones."
But, for the first time in recent memory, 2011 appears to be the exception. What happened here? Why was their so much restraint?
In conversations last night with several executives and agents, two theories emerged.
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The disease of comfort?
One of the great things about working at HNIC is it provides the
opportunity to have in-depth conversations with people. You get a deeper
understanding of how people think and what really gets their juices
flowing.One of the discussions that really stayed with me came in 2006,
with Ken Hitchcock.
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Hockey
An outdoor 'series' on horizon, plus 30 thoughts
Of everything I heard at the Heritage Classic, the quote that stood out most came during a discussion about the NHL's wish to hold even more outdoor games:
"That shows you how much money they're making."
It is believed that a "Stadium Series" (for lack of a better term) will be a focal point of the next U.S. television contract, with several in a row highlighting the package. Can't imagine that, in the long term, outdoor game after outdoor game will be a good thing for TV viewership, but I'm just a talking head, not an executive.
Fact is, there is incredible demand amongst NHL ownership for these.
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Hockey
Mario's message good for NHL, plus 30 thoughts
The morning after the Canadiens and Bruins brawled in Boston - complete with goalie fight - the Devils played in Toronto. The players' reaction at the two teams' morning skate? "We need more of that in our league," was a pretty common answer.
While I wouldn't go that far, I'll be the first to admit I watched every second of that brawl. It was entertaining and it was passionate. By hockey standards, it wasn't that bad, although Tom Pyatt may disagree. (More about that later.) But, by about 9 p.m. ET Friday night, we'd remembered why you can't allow players and teams to push that line. You can't trust them. Eventually they go too far.
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Hockey
Time for Kessel to step up, plus 30 thoughts
What is more likely: Phil Kessel telling the truth while he's frustrated and annoyed, or Phil Kessel telling the truth after some Clockwork Orange-style mind control from Brian Burke and the player's agents?
Yeah, I'm going with door number one.
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Hockey
Scouting cuts hurt Sabres under Golisano
Thursday's media conference announcing the sale of the Buffalo Sabres from Tom Golisano to Terry Pegula comes almost three years after an Hockey Night in Canada sitdown with the soon-to-be-former owner.
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Hockey
Emery faces tough road back to NHL
All of the attention is on Ray Emery's hip. Equally as fascinating is what's missing from his leg.
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Hockey
The unknown all-star, plus 30 thoughts
It's fitting that Loui Eriksson and Keith Yandle dressed next to one another during NHL All-Star Weekend.
In the fascinating HNIC/NHLPA players' poll, Eriksson was voted the most underrated player. In an informal ask-anyone-I-run-into poll, Yandle was unofficially voted "best unknown all-star."
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Hockey
The Nabokov mess and 30 thoughts
What a crazy world we live in. Evgeni Nabokov talks to Pierre LeBrun and hangs up on Garth Snow.
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Hockey
An automatic ejection for head shot? It's a thought.
It is the biggest question being asked around the NHL right now: "Why isn't there an automatic ejection for a hit to the head?" The most interesting thing about asking this question to players, coaches and executives is that they agree concussions are a problem. They agree certain hits must be outlawed. But, many disagree that a head hit should be an automatic ejection. Why? Glad you asked. Several reasons:
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Hockey
This year's NCAA free-agent chase, plus 30 thoughts
Every year, there's at least one NCAA free agent who has NHL GMs hurdling over each other in pursuit. This year, it's Stephane Da Costa.
- Hockey Concussion doctor weighs in on Crosby debate When it comes to Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins and concussions, it really doesn't matter what I think. And, no offence, it doesn't matter what many of you think, either. But Dr. Robert Cantu? Yeah, he matters. He is one of the doctors we consulted for our concussion feature back in October. When it comes to sports-related head trauma, there is no one more qualified than Dr. Cantu, who created the Grades 1, 2 and 3 concussion-ranking formula.
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Hockey
Reluctant Boudreau preaching trap, plus 30 thoughts
It was their first meeting after a gruesome 7-0 loss to the Rangers on Dec. 12.
"We had a day off after that game," said Brooks Laich, after the Capitals won the Winter Classic. "I remember thinking we were going to get a visit from the GM when we got back."
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Hockey
Feaster takes on huge challenge in Calgary
Darryl Sutter did Jay Feaster a huge favour by agreeing to step down in-season as general manager of the Calgary Flames. It gives Feaster a legitimate chance to gain a stranglehold on the job, and put together Plans B, C and D in the event the Flames don't make the playoffs.
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Hockey
More musings on Fehr, plus 30 thoughts
Of all the things new NHLPA head Donald Fehr said in both his introductory conference call and during his on-set interview
with HNIC's Ron MacLean, one thing stood out most for hockey fans: that
negotiations on a new CBA probably won't begin until the spring of
2012. (The CBA expires on Sept. 15 of that year)I hope he's either a) wrong, or b) lying. Either is acceptable in this case.What
the NHL needs over the next 21 months is actual leadership from Fehr
and his ownership counterpart, commissioner Gary Bettman, because
Playing Russian roulette with each other -- and a deadline -- wasn't
much of a rousing success for everyone in 2004-05.
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Hockey
Fehr big believer in revenue sharing
It's been more than 30 years since sports' greatest labour figure first hired Donald Fehr to work with baseball's Players' Association. Marvin Miller is 93, still lucid and still opinionated. (Immediately after the completion of our interview at a New York City restaurant, he ordered a Jack Daniels on the rocks. That makes him a favorite.)
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Datsyuk the Great, plus 30 thoughts
It was an absolute beauty of a goal, one that few NHL players can score. What's going through Pavel Datsyuk's mind as he bears down on Carey Price?
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Hockey
The 'Price Theory' may be why Subban sits and waits
He arrived faster than expected, having outgrown the American Hockey League in a hurry. Immediately, he played a major role as the Montreal Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final, only to lose in five games to Philadelphia Flyers.
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Hockey
Motivating players in salary cap era challenging
So far this season we've seen a few GMs - Bryan Murray, Brian Burke and Chuck Fletcher among them - warn their players about being shipped out if they don't shape up.
Here's the question: Does this work anymore?
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Hockey
Dire days for Ontario's NHL teams
Thursday morning, hours before Dany Heatley heard boos every time he touched the puck in warmups, Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray was asked how much the trade set back his hockey team.
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Hockey
What's behind Crosby's scorching pace, plus 30 thoughts
In September, Hockey Night in Canada taped an interview with Sidney Crosby. In preparing for that piece, one source said, "Ask him if he feels last year was his best NHL season." He said yes, he thought it was.
After it aired, another source called and said, "You blew it. You missed the big question."
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Hockey
Leafs embark on crucial stretch
Gord Stellick has a great line about the NHL: "If you're going to stink, stink on the road." That's why you get the sense this is a huge week for Ron Wilson.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are 6-4-2 at home with Tampa Bay (29th in goals against), Edmonton (30th) and Boston (2nd) coming to town. Toronto has 15 goals in its last four home games.
Despite that, they are 13th in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of a playoff spot. They still have 60 games to play, but, in the post-lockout NHL, falling behind that far this early is very dangerous. Three-point games make these pits difficult to escape.
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Hockey
Savard then and now, plus 30 thoughts
A few years ago, in preparing for a sit-down interview with Marc Savard, a coach told me, "The amazing thing about him is that he is the most unselfish player on the ice, and the most selfish guy off of it."
Savard knew it, too, painfully admitting that he once asked Calgary teammates why he was so disliked.
That was then. This is now.
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Hockey
More on the Campbell emails, plus 30 thoughts
Like many of you, I spent the last day or so re-reading the Dean Warren decision. The thing that bothered me was not Colin Campbell's dislike of him. Campbell's entitled to feel however he wants about someone.
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Hockey
Old emails put Campbell's objectivity into question
As one referee said today, "I can't believe it took so long for this to come out." So, kudos to Tyler Dellow, the Oilers fan and blogger who uncovered the fact that NHL vice-president and head disciplinarian Colin Campbell violated the doctrine of impartiality on several penalty calls against his son. While some were quick to rip another "blogger in the basement," that does not accurately describe this Toronto-based lawyer. The key thing to note here is that the emails in question were exchanged three years ago.
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Hockey
Debating Rule 48, plus 30 thoughts
The NHL's general managers meet Tuesday in Toronto and there is going to be great debate about Rule 48, the league's new blindside headshot initiative.
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Hockey
NHL's referee turnover a concern, plus 30 thoughts
The idea of a coach's challenge on replays (similar to the NFL model) came up for some discussion last season. There wasn't much support for the idea at the time. That may be different now, and one of the reasons is the turnover in referees.
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Hockey
Holik not surprised by Kovalchuk-Devils drama
Ilya Kovalchuk miss a meeting? Didn't surprise one former teammate, Bobby Holik.
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Hockey
How can concussion problem in hockey be fixed?
Can we remove concussions from hockey? "No," says Dr. Ruben Echemendia. It's not going to happen unless we fundamentally change the game in such a way that you won't recognize it."
That's the big question for everyone: fans, media, players and execs. We love the way the game is played. We're all concerned about the head injuries. What's our choice?
- Hockey Mark Bell knows what Rypien's up against Former NHLer Mark Bell can empathize with Rick Rypien's plight -- in 2007 he was charged with two felonies, including driving under the influence, after rear-ending another driver in California and had his own hearing with commissioner Gary Bettman.
- Hockey No excuse for player-on-fan violence Regardless of what incidents occurred in the past, in 2010, you can never, ever allow a player to touch a fan. And that's why Rick Rypien is going to get a lengthy suspension. And he deserves it.
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Hockey
Has the window to win closed on Flames?
Admit it, Flames fans, when you saw the Oilers score off Ian White's face on Saturday night, you thought there was no way Calgary was going to win that game. But he - and his teammates - picked themselves off the ice for a gutsy, essential, early-season victory.
- Hockey Look down your bench before crying foul on dirty hits A few months ago, I was having a conversation with a couple of current and former players. They started talking about blindside hits. One said, "I think most players would love to get rid of them." Another responded, "Most? Try 95 per cent."
- Hockey Oilers should make clean break with Souray It's the Era of Good Feeling in Edmonton right now, and why not? New blood, new excitement, and, most importantly, wins in the first two games.
- Hockey Taylor Hall built for success As he begins his rookie season, Taylor Hall says he doesn't have any specific numerical goals. Instead, he wants to "make an impact," not be a rookie who hits the wall in the middle of the season. To watch the HNIC bio of Taylor Hall, CLICK HERE
- Hockey Leafs hope new defensive shift brings progress It was Ron Wilson at his biting best/worst. As the Maple Leafs' penalty kill percentage sunk to ocean-depth levels during the past two seasons, he'd be asked, "How can you improve?"
- Hockey Farm favourites: A list of AHL impact players Okay, this is one I've been working on for a few weeks. I asked 10 NHL/AHL coaches/executives which AHLers are ready to "make an impact" in the big league this year. A few guys responded quickly, others wanted to see a few games, others were really busy and needed time. Here's what they came back with, with a few comments included.
- Hockey The dilemma of chasing a Stanley Cup dream It's the age-old question: If offered a pill that would make you a multi-millionaire, but kill you in 10 years - would you take it?
- Hockey Redden's exile unfair, plus 30 thoughts In 1989, the Atlanta Hawks signed a player named Jon Koncak to a six-year, $13.2 million US contract. Koncak was entering his fifth NBA season, with career averages of 6.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
- Hockey Players must recognize consequence of their words Let's start with the obvious: Dan Ellis made a mistake.
- Hockey Another Kovalchuk arbitration case could cost NHL On the surface, this is about Ilya Kovalchuk's contract.
- Hockey Bettman gains hammer after Kovalchuk fallout With a couple of days to let things breathe, here's a thought on how the Ilya Kovalchuk ruling will affect NHL business:
- Hockey Kovalchuk's endgame, draft divers and 30 thoughts The endgame for Ilya Kovalchuk, draft divers and 30 thoughts.
- Hockey Kings won't jeopardize future to sign Kovalchuk Hours after longtime Los Angeles Times hockey writer Helene Elliott was the first to report the Kings were dropping out of the Ilya Kovalchuk race, some details emerged.
- Hockey Islanders making serious push for Kovalchuk The general reaction to the news that the New York Islanders have offered Ilya Kovalchuk $100 million US over 10 years? "You can't be serious," as one NHL GM put it. As it turns out, the Islanders are. According to multiple sources, Garth Snow is among the most aggressive general managers in this free-agent season, and now it seems he's set his sights on Kovalchuk.
- Hockey Kovalchuk biggest free-agent name, plus 30 thoughts He is the most unique free agent ever. Already with 338 goals at the age of 27, Ilya Kovalchuk has a chance to become one of the greatest scorers in NHL history.
- Hockey Early NBA drafts interesting for Canadian clubs Was flipping around the TV Monday night and came across a replay of the 1995 NBA Draft. All the memories came flooding back. In a previous life, being the Raptors reporter for The Fan radio in Toronto was my big break.
- Hockey It's Price's time to show his greatness Hard to tell who was more surprised about Thursday's Montreal-St. Louis trade - the goaltenders involved, the agents, the media or the teams' fans. Aside from the two organizations themselves, no one seemed to know it was coming.
- Hockey These NHL GMs may heat up summer months Last week, Glen Sather told Larry Brooks of The New York Post that the Rangers were not going to be a major player in free agency. I was relaying this news to a former player, who responded, "And you believe him?" Upon further review, however, you can see how this might be the most boring free agency summer since the lockout.
- Hockey Boucher right fit for Lightning, plus 30 thoughts Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson forced Guy Boucher into a decision. Boucher said, "OK, I'll take Tampa."
- Hockey Stamkos contract will be Yzerman's first test In the end, it was like a chick flick. Jeff Vinik wouldn't stop trying until Steve Yzerman said yes.
- Hockey Reinventing Luongo? & 30 Thoughts Dwayne Roloson remembers his graduation from the NCAA to the NHL with a laugh. "In college, I was a stand-up, skate-save goalie," he said last week. "When I moved on, I learned quickly that wasn't going to work."
- Hockey Penguins have some decisions to make It's a difficult evaluation: a team that fails to repeat as champion. Ken Hitchcock once said defending your crown "is the toughest thing in sports," and I'm sure Dan Bylsma would agree.
- Hockey It's Muller's time to be an NHL head coach There are four current NHL coaching vacancies (Atlanta, Columbus, New Jersey, Tampa Bay) and some real good candidates under consideration. It's time to add another, as yet undiscussed, contender: Kirk Muller.
- Hockey Canucks' new motto: Play hockey Question No. 1: What do people around the NHL think of the Canucks?
- Hockey The Habs' hockey whisperer & 30 thoughts If Guy Boucher is offered an NHL coaching job this summer, the Canadiens will not stand in his way."Our organizational philosophy is the same as everyone else's," Montreal GM Pierre Gauthier said this week. "Never get in the way of someone moving up in his career."Boucher, the AHL coach of the year with Hamilton, is a hot property among teams with coaching vacancies because of his impressive track record with Montreal prospects.
- Hockey How to fix the Washington Capitals Good organizations never, ever make major decisions in the immediate aftermath of an emotional defeat. It is an enormous mistake. Take your time, really think it out.After the Washington Capitals do that, they must address several important areas, including their style of play, how to add some missing pieces, and whether or not Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green are willing to learn and adapt.
- Hockey Vancouver's first-round MVP It's rare that the turning point of a series comes when the coach steps to the podium, but that's exactly what happened with Alain Vigneault one week ago in Los Angeles.
- Hockey Transparency needed on Canucks' disallowed goal Henrik Sedin said it was "one of the worst calls I've ever seen from Toronto."
- Hockey Sedin should get the Hart nod Can anyone remember the last time there were five legitimate candidates for the Hart Trophy? You couldn't be faulted for picking Ilya Bryzgalov, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Miller, Alexander Ovechkin or Henrik Sedin.
- Hockey Playoff fate is in Habs' hands Jacques Martin walked off the dais following his Friday media briefing, and one reporter quipped, "He said even less than usual." Smart decision.
- Hockey Finding method in Flames' madness Okay, let's start with a question: When Calgary traded its first-round pick in 2010 as part of the package for Olli Jokinen, how many of you thought the Flames would be picking before the Coyotes? Me neither. But that's where things stand for this franchise after a terribly disappointing season that will result in major change.
- Hockey Winnipeg is Plan C at best It's been a wild couple of months in Winnipeg with rumours about an NHL return developing into an understanding that it's not a matter of if, but when. Very quietly, the league worked on a backup plan for its ailing franchises and it appears the Manitoba capital surpassed Kansas City as the area of choice.
- Hockey Best for NHL, KHL to make a deal It's one of the biggest questions about the KHL: How does this league make money? A packed house of 5,600 watched a good playoff game between Moscow Spartak and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Average ticket price? About $10 Cdn., I was told. According to KHL president Alexander Medvedev, there are 20 players making more than $5 million US. Guys who'd be earning $100,000 in the AHL are getting 10 times that figure. (Barry Smith, who coached St. Petersburg the last three seasons, says the Russians are going to have to reign in these salaries) .
- Hockey Postcard from Russia: Great people, crazy country Former NHLer Dmitri Khristich once said about Russia, "Great people, crazy country."What a bang-on description.
- Hockey NHL must take leadership on headshots - now Here we are, heading into one of the most anticipated games of this NHL season, for all the wrong reasons. In today's meeting, Wolf Blitzer's producers are saying, "Don't forget to record that hockey thing tonight. Someone might get killed."
- Hockey Adversity part of the game for Lundmark family About a week before the trade deadline, I tweeted that the Calgary Flames were shopping now-Toronto Maple Leaf Jamie Lundmark. Shortly afterward, the following notice appeared in my inbox: "Erica Lundmark is now following you on Twitter."
- Hockey NHL should learn from NBA hardliners It was May 14, 2007.
- Hockey Getting serious about headshots starts now Olympics, trade deadline, now … headshots. As the NHL’s general managers converge on Boca Raton, Fla., we’re going to find out if the promises made back in November were an actual breakthrough or just lip service. It sure seemed like the group wanted to eliminate “blindside” collisions while keeping aggressive, but clean hits as part of the game. Thanks to Matt Cooke, whose destruction of Marc Savard was eerily similar to Mike Richards/David Booth, there will be a lot of emotion surrounding this debate.
- Hockey NHL must go to Sochi in 2014 Well, the fans have spoken. The ratings for the Olympic hockey games – especially the gold medal showdown – mean that the NHL must go to Sochi, even if a majority of the owners would rather be waterboarded.
- Hockey Kovalchuk focused on Olympics, plus 30 thoughts It was the night before the 2009 All-Star skills competition, at a Montreal restaurant. Ilya Kovalchuk convened a summit, bringing together two feuding superstars. It was time, Kovalchuk said later, for Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin to end their feud. “I told them (the Russian team) could accomplish great things in the next few years,” Kovalchuk said the next day. “I didn’t want their problems to interfere with that.”
- Hockey Gainey planned exit strategy long ago As Bob Gainey stepped into semi-retirement Monday afternoon, there was a lot of talk about his Great White Whale: Vincent Lecavalier. Twice, Gainey closed in on Lecavalier. Twice, the deals fell apart. But there was another near-miss that could have made an even bigger impact. Marian Hossa.
- Hockey Kovalchuk trade creates altered states As big as this day is for the New Jersey Devils, it is even bigger for Ilya Kovalchuk. Hours before he was traded, I asked a former teammate about the Thrashers captain - or ex-captain, I guess. He said, "[Kovalchuk] is a good guy. Hangs out with the rest of the team, fits in. If you can handle the fact that all he cares about is scoring goals, you'll have no problem with him." Until the day he was traded, no one really had too much of an issue. At the end, obviously, Don Waddell and the Thrashers felt an incredible sense of betrayal.
- Hockey Do Flyers, Devils, Rangers have a real shot at Kovalchuk? Some more Ilya Kovalchuk thoughts on a night’s sleep: 1. The biggest hurdle Don Waddell must overcome in trading Kovalchuk is the Atlanta GM’s own history “Remember what happened to Donnie in 2007,” one NHL GM said Wednesday night. “He went hard for two rentals [Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik] and it cost him Braydon Coburn and a first-rounder. I think we all learned from that.”
- Hockey Kovalchuk contenders weigh offers Underwhelmed by the offers he's received so far, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell attempted to ignite one last rush of interest in UFA-to-be Ilya Kovalchuk on Wednesday afternoon. Several sources believe the move was intended to pressure the Los Angeles Kings and maybe the Philadelphia Flyers into sweetening their offers. However, those two teams - and several others who expressed interest - are below Waddell's asking price, reluctant to pay premium prices for a rental. (Waddell has refused to allow any team the right to negotiate beforehand with the captain's agent, Jay Grossman.)
- Hockey Salary cap looms over trade talk, plus 30 thoughts To understand why Olli Jokinen is so valuable right now, you must understand this: former Toronto Raptor Tracy McGrady makes $23 million US this season. He played just six games before being sent home, Houston basically labelling him a cancer. But, as the NBA trade deadline approaches, the Rockets would have no problem dealing McGrady, although they also would be perfectly happy to keep him. Why?
- Hockey Two GMs desperate for a shakeup It was Brian Burke’s best chance to napalm his roster, finding another GM equally as desperate for a huge shakeup. Thanks to a nine-game losing streak (although it ended Saturday night), Darryl Sutter became that guy. That’s the way it goes in a cap world. You create your core and hope it works. It’s clear his wouldn’t. You take a step back – like Tampa did with Brad Richards – and hope the added flexibility gives you a chance to find the right fit.
- Hockey Arizona court ruling may impact future of Coyotes An Arizona Supreme Court decision about a condominium development could have major implications on the future of the Phoenix Coyotes. Tuesday morning, the judges held their noses and approved a $97 million US development known as CityNorth, but ruled that future deals involving tax dollars will face much stricter rules and tighter scrutiny.
- Hockey QMJHL, Devils did right thing with Cormier Let's get this out of the way first. The QMJHL got it 100 per cent right with Patrice Cormier. And the New Jersey Devils got it 100 per cent right in not asking the AHL to make him eligible at some point this season.
- Hockey Time for Canadiens to consider trading Price Last week, one of my 30 thoughts concerned the Montreal goaltending battle. I asked a scout about Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price. He said that if Halak was made available, 10 teams would be interested. If Price was made available, everyone makes a pitch. Halak’s agent, Allan Walsh, questioned that. So, minutes after Price gave up an ugly OT winner to Andy McDonald last Wednesday night (a game I attended), I asked another scout for his take. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he grimaced and said, “I’d take Price.”
- Hockey Storm clouds forming in Tampa Bay Wanted to write a little more about the Lightning, because we had to ram it in tight at the end of Hotstove. Quick Tampa Bay primer: When they won the Stanley Cup in 2004, the Lightning were owned by Bill Davidson – who also owned the Detroit Pistons and the Palace of Auburn Hills. Davidson did the NHL a huge favour in stabilizing that team, but his true passion was basketball. In August 2007, he sold the Lightning to a group led by Oren Koules and Len Barrie. To make a long story short, Davidson financed that deal. If, for any reason, those two could not sustain ownership, the franchise would revert back to him.
- Hockey Should the NHL consider microphones on referees? Best job in the country last week? Unquestionably, it had to be a Vancouver sports radio host. Stephane Auger and Alain Vigneault (who was accused of putting Darcy Hordichuk and Alex Bolduc out to fight in a Jan. 13 game against Minnesota) were acquitted in separate incidents by the NHL, because there wasn’t enough evidence to convict. There was no trouble filling airtime. For all the talk, however, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. For me, the biggest: How can the NHL make sure this doesn’t happen again?
- Hockey Question of bias at root of 2 NHL incidents Two completely unrelated incidents. Two major migraines for the NHL. In Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows alleges Stephane Auger influences the outcome of a game to get back at him. In Pittsburgh, the Penguins’ television producer hides a replay that would have given Philadelphia a goal.
- Hockey NHL's weirdest night ever, Brian Burke and 30 thoughts Received a few emails and Twitter replies about Saturday’s pre-game interview with Brian Burke, so why not start the regular Monday blog by answering a couple of questions?
- Hockey Real Winter Classic fun begins, plus 30 thoughts And now, the real Winter Classic fun begins. Fenway was a personal highlight (thanks to the Green Monster scoreboard tour). From an organizational standpoint, the NHL has learned a lot since this started six years ago in Edmonton. The league has perfected what the Oilers created. The teams playing in it like it, the fans attending love it, and the game makes a fortune. The event’s official logo should be a cash register, because it’s a licence to print money.
- Hockey Team Canada's fate rests with returnees In the end, Steve Yzerman showed no fear. There were obvious decisions (Brodeur, Luongo, Fleury), and bold selections (Drew Doughty as seventh defenceman). He rewarded hot starters (Patrice Bergeron, Patrick Marleau), and showed faith in struggling ones (Eric Staal, Scott Niedermayer as captain). With little practice time, he bet on familiarity (Keith/Seabrook, Getzlaf/Perry and the Sharks line), while wagering that some natural centres will thrive on the wing. Most interesting: he overlooked previous Olympians playing well (Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, Ryan Smyth, Shane Doan) in favour of extremely talented new blood (Corey Perry, Jonathan Toews, Mike Richards, Bergeron). On paper, this is a really good team, and I don't really disagree with any of the selections.
- Hockey Caps, Jackets trade, Team Canada picks and 30 thoughts 30 Thoughts was delayed as we waited for news of the Columbus/Washington deal. I had an item in there praising Scott Howson for not making a panic move even though his fan base wanted heads on a stick. Good GMs don’t give up key players/draft picks or mortgage salary cap future in tough times. Then, he goes out and makes a trade.
- Hockey Looking back 10 years and 30 thoughts Everyone's coming up with their end-of-decade lists, and I'm just as unoriginal as the next guy. (So what if the decade technically doesn't end until Dec. 31, 2010?) Here are my favourite moments of the past 10 years: 1. Men's hockey gold medal final, Salt Lake City Olympics.What an unbelievably tense atmosphere between two teams starved for an Olympic championship. Like many of you reading this, I'm a huge sports fan. But, if you want to do a good job, you've got to detach yourself from any rooting interest. This is the only time I came anywhere close to violating that rule. When Jarome Iginla scored to make it 4-2, I almost jumped out of my seat – I literally had to catch myself. No one sporting event I've attended before or since had that emotional edge.
- Hockey Pitching in the shadow of Roy One of the greatest things to cover in sports is baseball spring training. In February, we all know the brutality of a Canadian winter. Florida, where the Blue Jays and Expos were based, is an escape. The first one I ever covered was in 1999 - spent a week at Blue Jays camp in Dunedin as the players reported, then drove across-state to Jupiter, a beautiful facility the Expos shared with the Cardinals. One of the features I did was on Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, Jr. They were the pitchers Montreal acquired for Pedro Martinez.
- Hockey NHL expansion, relocation and 30 thoughts As the NHL's board of governors meets this week in Pebble Beach, I have one request: Please stop mentioning Quebec City/Winnipeg as expansion/relocation possibilities until every possible question about returning to either of those cities can be answered. For a moment, let's stop debating which teams could or should be moved here. Let's just look at Canada. Like 99 per cent of the hockey fans in this country, I'd love to have one team in Winnipeg and another in Quebec City. (A pox on my parents for not meeting sooner. That way, I could have covered a Canadiens/Nordiques series.) Honestly, wouldn’t a return to those cities be much more exciting than a second team in the Toronto area, even though that's the more likely possibility?
- Hockey Roy's regal return, Lecavalier's struggles and 30 thoughts Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Three bigger subjects this week before we get to 30 thoughts - Patrick Roy, Vincent Lecavalier and Phil Kessel. HE’S GOT NEXT Very, very interesting to see Patrick Roy front and centre as the Canadiens celebrated their centennial. He was chosen to lead the team on-ice for that terrific “pre-game skate,” received prime time at the podium and probably got the loudest ovation. Forgotten in all of that: Saturday was the 14th anniversary of his trade to Colorado. All is clearly forgiven.
- Hockey Ovechkin has a responsibility to change the way he plays Of everything that’s been written and said about Alexander Ovechkin in the last 24 hours, the most important statement is this one, from The Washington Post: “Asked earlier in the day if he would consider changing his style of play after the Gleason hit, Ovechkin was defiant. "Why I have listen somebody to say I have to change (my) game (like) somebody going to kill me?" Ovechkin said. "Nobody can kill me. Just play my game, enjoy the time and enjoy my life. It's me and it is what it is."” That’s not good if you’re a Capitals player who wants to win the Stanley Cup. It’s not good if you’re Bruce Boudreau, George McPhee or Ted Leonsis. It’s not good if you’re a Capitals fan. Quite simply, Washington will not win the sport’s most coveted trophy unless Ovechkin understands he must change – a little.
- Hockey Oilers in need of shakeup? Plus 30 thoughts Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Number one Twitter question to the @FriedmanHNIC account in the last 24 hours? Some variation of: “Should the Oilers blow it up and start over?” Well, in theory, the answer is yes. With a battered lineup and steep climb, it makes sense to gut your roster and go for a high pick. The high pick may happen, but the gutting will be very difficult.
- Hockey Hawks soaring, Flames' unrest and 30 thoughts It is a great time to be a Blackhawk fan. First in the Central, three games in hand on the West-leading Sharks (head-to-head Wednesday night). And, even more importantly, poised to sign three key cornerstones – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith.
- Hockey 30 thoughts: Jeering, cheering and why GMs love Brian Burke Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports.
- Hockey Past dealings with Mike Danton Just finished watching the Mike Danton/Nick Kypreos interview and it brought back memories of the strangest day of my professional existence. It's a story I've never told before. It's time.
- Hockey Gainey not holding Halak responsible for agent's Tweets Not surprisingly, Bob Gainey does not use Twitter. He hasn’t personally seen what Allan Walsh tweeted last weekend. But, he’s aware of the controversy, and Jaroslav Halak won’t be held responsible for his agent’s thoughts. “I thought it was infantile ... ‘My dad is bigger than your dad,’ kind of thing,” Gainey said Tuesday after session one of the annual general manager meetings in Toronto. “It’s disappointing.”
- Hockey Tweet trouble and this week’s 30 thoughts Well, it doesn’t take a lot to cause a maelstrom in Montreal and Allan Walsh’s twitter sure accomplished that on Saturday night. In case you missed it, after the loss to Tampa, Walsh pointed out Price is 10-32 in his last 42 starts. His numbers are slightly off, but the only question that matters is: What does Jaroslav Halak think about this?
- Hockey The battle raging inside the NHLPA To understand the battle raging inside the NHL Players' Association, you must recognize what's happening outside its walls.
- Hockey Time to revisit the interference rule? Plus, Komisarek, mailbag and 30 thoughts Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. I never thought I’d be arguing this, but maybe it’s time to put some legal interference into the rulebook. Overall, the NHL is a much better game since the lockout, with the emphasis on skill and speed rather than obstruction. But, because the players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever, it comes with a price. That price: The kind of hit Ben Fanelli took Friday night. (First and foremost, best wishes to Ben and his family. Good luck with your recovery.)
- Hockey NHL will take care of Gretzky Wayne Gretzky will not prevent the NHL from purchasing the Phoenix Coyotes, and the league wants him to know that it will do everything possible to repair their damaged relationship. Gretzky had until Friday to file a motion challenging Jerry Moyes's agreement to sell the team back to the league. Defeated in his attempt to flip Phoenix to Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, Moyes wanted to get out as quickly as possible now that the team must cut $2.6 million US worth of payroll cheques every two weeks. It is possible the NHL will take control on Monday.
- Hockey Controversial hits making headlines, and what is Bob thinking? Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. It was a brutal week for controversial hits/contact – people spent more time watching Mike Richards, Steve Ott, Rob Scuderi, Tuomo Ruutu, Slava Kozlov, Evgeny Artyukhin and Alexander Ovechkin than Where The Wild Things Are, which is number one at the box office. As I wrote this Sunday night, there was no way of knowing if there would be any supplementary discipline for Scuderi. On Monday, Colin Campbell told HNIC Radio he had fined him. The other six players were suspended a combined six games. (Three each for Ruutu and Artyukhin.)
- Hockey Kovalchuk may be next $100M man Before we get to the meat of today’s blog, I want to make sure all hockey fans are familiar with David Falk. Basketball fans surely recognize the name. He is Michael Jordan’s long-time agent, and the brains behind several groundbreaking NBA contracts. Last spring, Falk released an autobiography entitled The Bald Truth (Let’s just say he is follically challenged.) There are many interesting anecdotes about his negotiations, two of which are relevant here.
- Hockey Bettman wants to 'make up' with Gretzky Wayne Gretzky remains in radio silence, but both the NHL and the Canadian Olympic Team are making attempts to reach him. Commissioner Gary Bettman emailed Gretzky last Thursday, hoping for the opportunity to meet with him face-to-face. According to NHL sources, the Great One said he is “not yet ready”, preferring to lay low, as he has done since stepping down as Coyotes head coach.
- Hockey Chelios's plan would re-shape NHLPA No games in the NHL on Sunday, but one very important phone call. At 5 pm ET, that conversation will determine the NHLPA's future. According to several sources, Chris Chelios has a plan. The future Hall of Famer wants change and will propose an enormous one. Over the past few weeks, he has been reaching out to several highly respected former players, asking them to join a kind of "leadership council" that will run the union until a new executive director is found. It’s why Chelios has yet to report to the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves – he's been working on this.
- Hockey An outdoor ballpark in Toronto? These guys think it could work OK, this blog's a little different. It’s about two baseball fans who want to see a big change from the Blue Jays. They’re not talking “Fire the GM/Trade Vernon Wells!” types of moves. They’re talking outdoor ballpark.
- Hockey The 3 most trustworthy men in hockey It was early August when Phoenix GM Don Maloney realized there was a decent chance Wayne Gretzky was not coming back to coach the Coyotes (the two had first discussed the possibility in June). Six weeks before the announcement, Maloney began the process of replacing the most famous man in hockey. For such an earth-shattering event to remain secret for so long in these gossip-crazy times – well, it’s amazing.
- Hockey Toskala learning all over again I was going to write about Vesa Toskala earlier in the week, but got tied up with Andrew Ference. Really didn’t see the need to re-visit the Toronto situation until I talked to a goalie familiar with the two principals – Toskala and consultant Francois Allaire. There is a theory going around that one of the reasons for Toskala’s poor start is he’s having trouble adjusting to Allaire’s different style.
- Hockey Ference candid about shedding role as player rep Andrew Ference is going to concentrate on being a Boston Bruins defenceman, not an NHLPA executive board member. Ference stepped down as Boston's player rep on Tuesday, with Mark Stuart expected to replace him. Stuart acted as Ference's "second" the past two seasons.
- Hockey Time for Kostitsyn to look in the mirror; plus, 30 random thoughts Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. Sometime today, Sergei Kostitsyn is scheduled to have a conversation with his agent, Don Meehan. The two men haven’t spoken since the start of the NHL season, a season that began with Kostitsyn in the witness protection program. Last Thursday, as his former teammates beat Toronto 4-3 in overtime, the forward gave an interview to Washington-based Russian reporter Dmitry Chesnokov. (It can be found here ). In it, Kostitsyn blamed everyone and anything but himself for the demotion to Hamilton that made him go AWOL. Young man, it’s time to look in the mirror.
- Hockey Conflict of interest taints NHLPA investigation The battle between Paul Kelly and the NHLPA just got even uglier. The Toronto Star reported Wednesday that the union hired former Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry to investigate whether or not it was correct to fire Kelly for looking at confidential documents. According to the newspaper, McMurtry found that Kelly committed "a serious breach of trust" and that there was "legal cause to terminate him." But the NHLPA should never have hired McMurtry to investigate Kelly. And McMurtry should never have accepted. He is a close friend of disgraced former executive director Alan Eagleson.
- Hockey Winners and losers in Coyotes case A quick rundown of winners and losers now that the Coyotes future is decided – for a few months anyway. Winner: Gary Bettman. In the courtroom, Bettman gets almost everything he wants. Technically, the NHL did not win the case. But more importantly to the commissioner, it did not lose to Jim Balsillie. There is now legal precedent that the league controls its franchises. You want a team, you've got to go through him.
- Hockey Western Conference predictions...Page 3 Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. NO MORE EASY NIGHTS... ST. LOUIS Why I'm right: It's easy to go from outhouse to (nearer) the penthouse, which is what both St. Louis and Columbus did last season. What's harder is finding the consistency to stay there, especially in a tough division. Will all of the players who took strides stay at that level? What's unusual about the Blues rise is that it occurred despite serious injuries to important people. Paul Kariya played 15 games, Eric Brewer 28 and Andy McDonald 46. Erik Johnson never played at all. Brewer will be late to start the season, but will plugging all of them back into the lineup ruin the chemistry? Johnson's injury prevents him from fulfilling his enormous potential.
- Hockey Western Conference predictions...Page 2 Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. I HONESTLY HAVE NO CLUE... SAN JOSE Why I'm right: Look, we all know they're going to have a great regular season. That's just an 82-game practice for the Sharks. Doug Wilson promised big changes after the Anaheim defeat and there was one. Is that enough? I'm still not convinced the right mix exists. You can count on Dan Boyle. But the season comes down to Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Evgeny Nabokov. Can you count on them?
- Hockey NHLPA update and Western Conference predictions Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. First, an NHLPA update. On a conference call last night, the players addressed complaints that they were not consulted about the decision to fire Paul Kelly. Each team rep was given the opportunity to ask as many questions as necessary and now they're to go back to their teammates with the answers. No final decisions were made - although one player said to me that at no time did anyone ask about re-instating Kelly as executive director. It's unlikely then that would happen. There is another conference call scheduled for Sunday. That's the big one because the final decision on how to proceed with Kelly's termination will be made during that time. Ok, here's the Western Conference preview. Eastern rundown was yesterday.
- Hockey Who's above water, and who's treading water? IF I HAD ANY GUTS, I’D PICK ... TAMPA Why I’m right: After spending like a teenage girl with their father’s credit card, the Lightning got good value this time. Mattias Ohlund is an outstanding pickup, particularly where Victor Hedman is concerned. You can’t find a better mentor for a potential franchise defenceman.
- Hockey Canadian NHL teams hold wild cards THE SURPRISE TEAM ... OTTAWA
- Hockey Pens, Caps are class of the East, but watch out for ... OK, here’s your team-by-team preview of the Eastern Conference. EVERYBODY'S CHASING ... PITTSBURGH Why I'm right: Well, it doesn’t take a genius. Crosby, Malkin and Staal are not only extremely skilled, but physically dominant. Paul Maurice pointed out that it will be very difficult to dethrone the Penguins without size and power down the middle. How many Eastern teams legitimately have that?
- Hockey NHLPA unrest and Eastern Conference predictions Each week, Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman brings you his take on the world of sports. Click, peruse, debate, comment. Today, the NHLPA will hold the first of two huge conference calls. (The second is scheduled for next Sunday.) Any player can join the discussion. And, if they are truly serious about the future of their association; truly upset about Paul Kelly’s firing, there will be a huge turnout.
- Hockey Koules takes control of Lightning - for now The future of the Tampa Bay Lightning is now in Oren Koules' hands. Multiple sources confirm that Len Barrie's window to buy out his co-owner is now closed. What's most interesting is that Barrie's drop-dead date was supposed to be Wednesday, but his pursuit came to a premature conclusion when he couldn't meet several conditions along the way.
- Hockey The Kessel gamble Two moments that stand out, now that Brian Burke has traded for Phil Kessel: The week that the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs last season, Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson and I were watching a game-day skate. Burke walked by and said, “Can’t believe we’re out of the playoffs.” I looked at him and said, “Honestly, you can’t be surprised" That set him off. Burke was furious that such failures were expected, even accepted. He stormed away angry about that.
- Hockey Kessel Bowl chock full of pre-season intrigue Toronto/Boston at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night - the Kessel Bowl. Even though he won't be playing, he will be the focus, especially with both Brian Burke and Peter Chiarelli in the building. (Interestingly, Wade Arnott, Kessel's agent, said he probably won't attend because of all the hype. Otherwise, he declined comment for this blog.)
- Hockey Western Conference notes And let's not forget about the West ... I can’t help but feel for the Coyotes, who will play in front of fewer fans than a Canadian university field hockey team. (What happens first: Phoenix ownership settled or Toronto wins its next Stanley Cup?) Imagine you’re Shane Doan. You’re the face of the franchise – having signed a five-year deal, staying in Arizona because your family loves it there. As a player, you understand that certain things are beyond your control, but this violates the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment against “cruel and unusual punishment.”
- Hockey Eastern Conference notes A few Eastern Conference musings ...
- Hockey Draft picks for star player doesn't always pan out It was the suggestion of Hockey Night in Canada producer Doug Walton that I do a Peter King-style notebook every week, so with apologies to Mr. King (hope he remembers that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery), here is my first attempt/ripoff. If you guys like it, I’ll keep it up. (It's three parts, so please click through). After hearing that Toronto’s offer for Phil Kessel reportedly includes two first-round picks, I wondered how often a team had traded such significant bounty. Admittedly, this research is unscientific, since it required looking through transactions on my own, and I may have missed something. But here’s what I found over the last 20 years:
- Hockey Senators avoid distraction by dealing Heatley Clearly, Bryan Murray felt like he had no choice. That's the reaction across the NHL this afternoon, as the Senators dealt former 50-goal man Dany Heatley to San Jose for Milan Michalek, Jonathan Cheechoo and a second-round pick. (The other reaction: Boy, the Sharks are loaded offensively.)
- Hockey Without proper pieces, a Kessel experiment would fail Here is the deal on Phil Kessel: An incredible talent. But an exasperating one. He's a walking contradiction. An almost total non-talker in public, but phenomenal when it comes to charity efforts in private. A guy who beat testicular cancer, but wouldn't play through last season's shoulder injury until teammates pointed out they were playing through worse.
- Hockey Is it time for Red Wings to shadow Malkin, not Crosby? In the aftermath of Game 4, there is a near-universal reaction across the NHL: “I’ve never seen the Red Wings like that.” Even when pushed to the edge by Anaheim two rounds ago, the Wings never lost their incredible sense of focus and calm. Whether battling a controversial disallowed goal or the merciless Ducks’ punishment, Detroit’s players never lost the professionalism that sets them apart from everyone else.
- Hockey Tracking Toronto-Tampa trade talk Okay, Toronto/Tampa and the No. 2 pick. To be honest, I was surprised at the attention my Fan 590 comments received, simply because Pierre LeBrun reported a similar scenario two weeks ago on The Hotstove, and Damien Cox went even more in-depth in the Toronto Star. Anyway, this rumour is all over the place.
- Hockey Retire the Ovechkin vs. Crosby debate There are nights you never forget when you cover sports. This was one of them. I’ve been very, very lucky in my life to witness some very special moments: The 2002 Olympic men's hockey gold-medal game, the only sporting event where I almost cheered in public. Usain Bolt. Michael Phelps. The unbelievable 2001 World Series, featuring President Bush throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium six weeks after the 9/11 attacks. (Regardless of what you think of him now, that was a powerful moment.) The 2001 NBA playoff series between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers.
- Hockey Canadiens' situation far from a lost cause It’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received: Never make important decisions in overly emotional moments. Right now, everyone in the Montreal organization should listen. Take a step back, really think things through, and don’t make any major decisions in the immediate aftermath of the 100th anniversary letdown.
- Hockey Gainey in "Cone of Silence" mode Just wanted to give everyone a little insight into the atmosphere around the Bell Centre today: Bob Gainey is going into "Cone of Silence" mode.
- Hockey Habs’ season rests with the 20 guys in uniform It’s a strange time here. For the last two seasons, you could feel the energy in downtown Montreal. You could feel the pride. It didn’t even have to be the day of a game. It’s why, right now, the Bell Centre is the best home atmosphere in the NHL. Today is different.
- Hockey Gainey could be gone at end of playoffs It's been 36 years since the legendary Sam Pollock fielded "Bob Who?" questions after the 1973 NHL draft, trading down twice and taking an unknown guy named Gainey with the eighth overall pick.
- Hockey Crosby changing for the better Quietly, very quietly, something significant is happening in Pittsburgh. It's not getting as much league-wide attention as Bylsma's March of the Penguins or Evgeni Malkin's charge towards the Hart. It's the change in Sidney Crosby. Crosby 2.0 is coming. It's about time. And it's going to make him an even better player.
- Hockey Is Steve Mason the next Marty Brodeur? On Saturday night's Hockey Night in Canada pre-game show, you saw the past (Patrick Roy) and the present (Martin Brodeur) of goaltending excellence. It’s hard to predict the future — Carey Price is proof you shouldn’t anoint the Next One too quickly — but it’s hard not to be impressed with Blue Jackets rookie Steve Mason. And since there is so much we couldn't fit into our Inside Hockey feature on him, here, as the late Paul Harvey would say, is the rest of the story.
- Hockey Carbonneau a bad fit with current Canadiens My first real "beat" in the sports media business was reporting on the Raptors for The Fan 590, a Toronto all-sports radio station. That was 1995-96, and it was an incredible learning experience. One of the lessons came from head coach Brendan Malone. He explained that "the most important guys on your roster are the best four players and the four who play the fewest. If they buy into what you are doing, the middle group falls in line. If not, you're in trouble." Malone knew what he was talking about. Despite a surprisingly competitive inaugural season, the players couldn't stand him and openly cheered his firing – something I've never seen since.
- Hockey Gainey's silence spoke volumes at deadline Without making a single move on Trade Deadline Wednesday, Bob Gainey proved why he is the right man to run the Montreal Canadiens. The best coaches, the best general managers, the best players – they simply don't bow to the pressures of their fans. They appreciate the support and are thankful for the passion. But as Bob Knight once said, "If you start listening to the fans, pretty soon you'll end up sitting next to them." In Quebec, they were howling for Olli Jokinen. They were screaming for Jay Bouwmeester. But neither player made sense for the Canadiens and Gainey knew it. He knows the truth. His team is not good enough to win.
- Hockey New life for Gerber with Maple Leafs? It seemed unfathomable a few weeks ago, but Martin Gerber may have new life in the NHL. There is interest in the waiver-available goaltender, and it comes courtesy of the Toronto Maple Leafs. There could be a couple of reasons for this. Obviously, one is that Vesa Toskala - who is starting Tuesday night against the Devils - gets traded. The other is that Toskala is hurting, with hip and groin problems. Toskala was the backup to Curtis Joseph in Saturday's 4-3 win in Ottawa, but was noticeably uncomfortable as he stretched during the intermissions. (Due to the small visitor's room at Scotiabank Place, he did it out in the public hallway.) He still has one more year at $4 million on his Toronto contract. If the Maple Leafs decided Toskala needs to be shut down, Gerber - an unrestricted free agent-to-be - could fill in the blanks with Joseph and Justin Pogge.
- Hockey These GMs have a lot to mull over before D-day Brian Burke gets the most attention, being the guy who loves the spotlight and sits in the Centre of the Hockey Media Universe. And he does have some interesting pieces to trade, especially if he gets a great offer for Tomas Kaberle. But, there are four other NHL general managers who will also determine how memorable this particular deadline really is to be.
- Hockey Gainey picking on Kovalev for a reason A few notes about an eventful day in Montreal. If Bob Gainey really wanted to trade Alex Kovalev right now, the Russian winger wouldn't be "resting." He'd be packing. Sunday’s loss in Vancouver wasn't necessarily No. 27’s final game in a Canadiens uniform. Unless he shows up on the upcoming off-day Friday dragging the Stanley Cup behind his car – a la George Costanza with the World Series Trophy in Seinfeld – Kovalev will play for this team again.
- Hockey A little advice for struggling Price It was the NHL lockout, and the co-owner of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans needed somewhere to practice. So, he went back to Washington, and met the team’s goalie. His name was Carey Price. “I remember thinking, ‘When I was 18, I was nowhere near as polished as this guy,’” Olaf Kolzig said Friday. “I knew right there how good he was going to be. Goalies don’t mature until their mid-20s. To see where he was then ... you could see how special he was going to be at 25.” We’re coming up on the one year anniversary of Cristobal Huet’s trade from Montreal, the day Bob Gainey made Price his number one man. Ron Tugnutt remembers watching as Price led the Canadiens to a stunning regular-season Eastern Conference crown. “I said, ‘This is the guy who will lead Team Canada for years.’ His footwork is incredible.”
- Hockey Who could be next on Detroit's "lock up" list? Try Lidstrom Considering my recent history with Red Wing fans, allow me to begin this blog with the following disclaimer: I have not spoken to anyone in the Detroit organization about this. It is purely guesswork on my part. Now, let’s go to the thesis: Ken Holland’s next big negotiation will not be Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, Jiri Hudler or Mikael Samuelsson. It will be Nicklas Lidstrom. (This, of course, is assuming Holland already doesn’t know Lidstrom’s future plans.)
- Hockey Wings do it again with Zetterberg deal During the Red Wings' run to the 2008 Stanley Cup championship, general manager Ken Holland was asked how he convinces players to take less than market value to be in Detroit. "We try to give them the best of everything," Holland said. "We have a private plane, making travel as easy as possible. We have a passionate fan base, but one that allows our players to have their privacy. And we promise them that the money we save on their individual contracts will be used to get other great players to come here." "We don't want to win a Cup. We want to win Cups.'"
- Hockey OHL ruling will affect NHL in long run It's undoubtedly the most passionate debate in hockey. Whether or not fighting still has a place. But what if its future at the professional level is not determined by the NHL? Last March, Colin Campbell asked, "It’s probably time that the general managers ask the question, 'Where are we at with this?'" On Saturday’s Hot Stove, Pierre LeBrun reported that Campbell will - once again - ask if it’s time to change things. And - once again - the NHL senior vice-president will get the same response: "No."
- Hockey Zetterberg testing Red Wings' limits Well, that was an interesting day. The blog about the difficulties of trading/acquiring Vincent Lecavalier was completely overshadowed by one comment concerning Henrik Zetterberg. Honestly, I didn’t think it was newsworthy, because I’d heard it and looked into it three months ago.
- Hockey Owners, GMs terrified of long-term deals, but Lecavalier could be the exception As the Vincent Lecavalier Trade Watch exploded this week, the Canadiens were rumoured to be dealing some combination of Christopher Higgins, a Kostitsyn brother, P.K. Subban, another prospect and draft picks to Tampa Bay for number four. The general consensus is: the Lightning are dreaming if they think they can get that much.
- Hockey Lecavalier wants to stay in Tampa Bay About a month before the start of the NHL season, Hockey Night in Canada did a sit-down with Vincent Lecavalier. Obviously, the major topic of conversation was his 11-year megadeal, paying him a little less than the Gross National Product of a small African nation. And, how signing that deal broke the heart of Canadiens’ fans everywhere. “I’m happy I signed for 11 years,” Lecavalier said at the time. “I’ve been with Tampa for 10 years and I consider it my home. Obviously, I’m from Montreal - I love Montreal - but when you live somewhere for 10 years …” Well, you get the idea.
- Hockey NHL scouts, GMs sweet on Tavares over Hedman I was reading Jeff Marek’s blog this morning - meant to click on another link, of course - and saw his line about how Tavares “cemented” himself as the number one pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. There is no one in North America who had a better holiday season than Tavares, who showed an incredible will to succeed during the world juniors. It’s the kind of effort NHL observers were waiting for.
- Hockey Sean Avery broke the unwritten rule of trash talk Funny moment during Saturday's Washington-Toronto game: I'm watching Coach's Corner outside the Capitals dressing room, waiting to chat with assistant Dean Evason. Don Cherry is talking about Sean Avery. From behind, I hear a young voice say, "Is he talking about sloppy seconds?" Turning around, I see a father telling his son - the kid must have been around nine or 10 - "You shouldn't be using that language." First thought: When I was that age, I had no idea what that phrase meant. What are they saying in the schoolyards these days? On Friday, Commissioner Bettman held a conference call where I asked him how much he was concerned about on-ice retribution against Avery. His answer was right out of MAD magazine: What, me worry? I find that hard to believe. Rarely do you hear athletes, even the masters of trash talk, publicly insult the wives or families of their opponents. Think about it. How often have you heard it?
- Hockey Patrick Roy nearly left Montreal in a much different way They can't hide, as much as they want to. Mario Tremblay declines interview requests. Ronald Corey is vacationing in France, probably the smartest trip of his life. Rejean Houle will always be the guy who traded Patrick Roy. It didn't have to happen for any of them. Serge Savard was ready to do it first.
- Hockey Changing NHL trophy names a noble idea Ten years ago, the NHL made a brilliant decision when it decided to add a new trophy, presented to the game’s highest goal-scorer each season. The genius wasn’t the award. It was in the name. Maurice “Rocket” Richard.
- Hockey Could Brodeur's injury bring a recognition of his greatness? The “Chase of Sawchuk” and the “Race for Roy” came to an abrupt halt Saturday night, but is it possible that Martin Brodeur’s injury will finally bring complete recognition of the man’s greatness?
About the Author
Elliotte Friedman
Elliotte joined CBC in October 2003 and is a commentator with Hockey Night in Canada.
As part of his duties with Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman hosts Inside Hockey, a feature airing every Saturday during Scotiabank Hockey Tonight that tells the stories of the people and places that shape the game of hockey. Always committed to giving viewers the inside story, fans call follow him throughout the regular season and playoffs on Twitter.
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